the end of my holidays

Well the week off work has passed very rapidly. I spent it mostly knitting and/or reading and researching about knitting. Lucy Neatby's DVD's arrived mid week and I have been spending time watching and learning. They are a delight to watch, she is a clear and concise teacher, goes step by step when teaching something new and has many tips for doing different things, I just love them all and I am very lucky to have all 10 of her DVDs, she includes an index so it is very easy to find what we are looking for.

I also managed to take some photos of the cardigans and pullovers I have made since December and here they are




this is Susie wearing the lovely cardigan made with Colinette CADENZA the colour is Gaugin, and I made this one up following her wishes, she wanted a v neck with only two buttons long and loose so there it is!! I think it looks great and here is another picture of the same cardie




Here is my Alpaca Hummingbird cardigan, also made without a pattern I made it up as I went along, it is very soft and very comfortable, the colour is pheasant
I like it a lot!!


Another veiw of the pheasant cardie




More photos soon, the camera isn't working too well, I hope to get a new one in the near future.

I am teaching myself to knit with DPNs and to knit with circular needles, I am going to start my first ever sock this afternoon, and that will mean I will have three WIPs I have been a "one WIP at the time" knitter, this seemed very limiting and boring so now I just add new WIPs as I become enthused by various techniques to learn and I can pick up the one that better suits my mood when I get time to knit.

No photos but lots of other lovely stuff

I still have not been able to take photos!! Startin today I am on holiday for a week so I hope I will find time to do it and post soon,
In the mean time Lucy Neatby's dvd's arrived Knitting Essentials 1 & 2 as well as Sock Techniques 1 - I love them, clear and very easy to follow, have ordered her new ones which should arrive next week.
A couple of books arrived too One Skein Wonders and Socks Soar on Two Circular needles As soon as I have had time to look at them more in detail I will post comments, in My book reviews
I am finishing my Collinete Cadenza cardigan, I needed to knit the sleeves on the round, started on round needles and now I have moved to 5 needles, which I had never done before so a very steep learning curve. I would love to finish this one soon so I can get on with socks.
So many projects | want to do, have some lovely sari silk to make a bag or something smallish.
This holiday week starts with a big tidy up and then I hope to start a few projects, I think I will enjoy having several projects going and to be able to chose what I feel like doing

Would love to make this blog more interesting but I am just learning about blogs and how to do it so it will be a while.

Square needles!!!

The square needles arrived yesterday, they are great, and very, very comfortable to use, just a little short, sort of commuter length, they will be great for projects that require shortish ones. They are incredibly easy to hold and in my case they help me knit a little tighter as I have a tendency to knitting loose. I got them in Yarn Bazaar an online store from New Jersey in the US, not cheap but worth every penny, I hope someone here will stock them soon

Fabulous books

Had to go into Inverness to pick up my new glasses, and a chance to look into the charity shops in Forres on the way back.
Found some gorgeous knitting books by Kaffe Fasset, Edina Ronay and others, with marvellous ideas and insanely complicated patters, cheap though and in excellent condition. I love knitting books and this is the first time I have found useful ones in my local charity shop.
I am hoping to take photos of my beautiful pullovers and cardies this afternoon so I can post them here.I was just thrilled about the books. ON the way to Inverness on the bus I was listening to knitting podcasts, I am afraid I am becoming addicted, and as soon as I discover how to put in links to the podcasts I will put on my favourite ones.

so it begins again

I have started knitting again, after a break of 11 years, I can hardly believe it has been that long since I picked up my needles, sadly it is true. Life has been happening in that time, busy , intense and diverse, yet now the time is right again to go back to my yarn passions, knitting, weaving and discovering felting.
It was actually felting that got me back into making things with fibre.
There is a wonderful felt teacher in my community and she run a class every 2 weekend of the month I decided to go and this is what I made in my first class. This is felting from fleece not from a knitted piece, I am sorry the photo is not great I will try and imporve the quality of my pictures as I go






This is the bag as it was made before the handles and finishing touches.

and these are the slippers I made later

and these are the last slippers I made


I hope to get some pics of the cardies and jumpers too that may come in the next few days.