handmade in Lancashire
It seems so very long since Yarndale 2019. To be fair it was back in September, on a lovely autumnal day. Driving to Skipton is always lovely. Whilst the parking for Yarndale is tricky (I ended up parking in town and walking up the hill to the Auction Mart), it’s worth it.
September kicked my butt…so it seems the best time to catch up and review the Galaxie sweater that I finished ages ago. (I’ve just checked Ravelry…I completed this on 20th October last year. This review is very overdue.)
I loved Galaxie the minute I set eyes on it. I love the cropped sleeve, the draped shape and the ribbed panel up the side. I also really like the neckline on the model. I’ll revisit that later.
READ MOREThese adorable sheep in sweaters were a gift at least a year ago from my friend Liz. They’ve been lurking on my To Do list, until Ma asked if I’d any projects I needed help with. She was happy to knit these up for me.
They are really quite delightful! The larger sheep measures 13cm x 10cm.
READ MOREHello lovelies. Thanks for your patience whilst we (and when I say ‘we’ I obviously mean ‘Dave’) transferred the hosting of this site this week.
I was listening to the Love to Sew podcast this week (I’m seriously behind so am box-setting it) with the interview of Kate from The Foldline. One of the questions was along the lines of ‘what would you do differently’ and the answer was ‘marry a developer’ (I paraphrase, of course). After this weeks shenanigans I can heartily recommend a husband with mad tech skills. Without him I’m not sure this blog would exist, and I know for sure that my other site would be dead in the water.
I had a spare half hour recently so I took the opportunity to update my Ravelry page and noticed that I’ve several knits that are unblogged at the moment.
This is mainly because I’ve not taken pictures! It’s a common theme on this blog. I really must get better at it!
One of these projects was a pair of Christmas socks for Grandad, and when I asked if I could borrow the socks for photographing, I was met with a resounding no! I think he suspects Dave will hold them hostage, never to be seen again.
So he kindly took some photos and here they are!
I promised you a look-see at the yarn I got for Christmas, and as we’ve had a wee bit of sunshine today, I could take photos to share, so here we go.
The first of the 3 kits is the Breiwick hat by Ella Gordon from Kate Davies’ book Milarrochy Heids.
Goodness, it’s nearly October!!! We survived that summer holidays alive. It wasn’t elegant, but we made it. The last 3 weeks have been dominated by a renegade molar and regular dentist visits, but I’m hopefully the right side of it now. I’m also hoping that October can be a little more relaxed than the past few months.
Autumn has arrived here in Lancashire, and we are being blessed with chill mornings followed by warm, sunny days filled with that glorious golden light you get at this time of year.
Basically, I couldn’t be happier with the weather. It’s my favourite time of year.
And to herald the new season, new socks for Dave are in order. So here they are.
I’ll admit that whilst I was knitting them, I wasn’t enthused by the colourway. But now they’re finished I’m finding them delightful.
I’m particularly fond of the magenta pink stripe. And the green.
And, of course, they’re perfectly matched! Joy!
I have a very happy husband. And a small girl demanding the next pair of socks to be put on the needles is hers. Pink socks it is, then!
Project notes
| Pattern: | Regia 4ply sock pattern |
| Pattern cost: | Free |
| Yarn: | Drops Fabel |
| Colourway: | Candy Print |
| Purchased at: | Wool Warehouse |
| Yarn cost: | £4.60 (for 2 balls) |
It seems so long since Father’s Day, and I’d completely forgotten to share these socks with you.
As you all know the drill by now….it’s all about the yarn with these vanilla socks from Regia….and the sun is shining….I’m just going to let the pictures do all the work.
Hope the sun is shining with you…..have a great weekend.
Project notes
| Pattern: | Regia 4ply sock pattern |
| Pattern cost: | Free |
| Yarn: | Drops Fabel |
| Colourway: | Ocean View |
| Purchased at: | Wool Warehouse |
| Yarn cost: | £4.60 (for 2 balls) |
For quite some time now, Summer’s Grandad has been telling her stories about a small mouse named Monroe and his wife, Marilyn, who live in their home and have fabulous adventures.
As a girl with a wide creative streak, she is entranced by these tales.
Whilst I was making Spencer the Pug for Dylan (who’s now called Robertson, for reasons that escape me), it seemed a fine opportunity to make Monroe and Marilyn for Summer.
Obviously, for a project such as this, there is only one designer you need…Julie of Little Cotton Rabbits. I’ve waxed lyrical about her delightful family of woodland creatures before, so this was a complete no-brainer.
Julie’s patterns are not a quick make. They are beautiful heirloom knits and as such need a little work. But neither are they a difficult knit.
You just need to pay attention to her scrupulously written pattern and all will work out. She holds your hand all the way, not just with the knitting but with the sewing up and stuffing too!
And at the end of it you get these magical little animals to delight someone special in your life.
Project notes:
| Pattern: | Boy mouse with a cabled sweater |
| Pattern cost: | £6.75 |
| Yarn: | Bergere De France Calinou |
| Colourway: | Bleu Nuit & Lac |
| Purchased at: | John Lewis |
| Yarn cost: | £7.00 |
Who ate all my time! I can’t believe it’s over a month since I last posted.
Life here is super busy. Isn’t everyone’s?
After many years of battling we finally have some support in place for the children, so have social workers, family support workers, and conferences and workshops coming out of our ears! Funnily enough it’s also led to a friend (also an adoptive mum of a chap with additional needs) and I to realise that there is a huge hole in the market for a one-stop-website for parents and guardians like us.
Over coffee one day, lamenting the lack of such a resource, and wondering why somebody didn’t do it….we realised that we were just the people to fill that gap. Now we are working hard for an Autumn launch. Its exhilarating and exhausting in equal parts, and the steepest of learning curves, but we’re only a month in and getting great feedback, so watch this space.
With all this going on, you can imagine that crafting time is limited….I haven’t looked at a tapestry sheep in weeks, and my sewing plans are gathering dust. I’m slowly working on a waistcoat for Dave, but I’m awfully glad he’s patient!
Thankfully, I have been knitting. Most recently finished are these beauties.
Look at those colours!
Look at those perfectly matched stripes!
Sock perfection! And a happy husband. I’ll take that win!
Of course I have another pair of socks on the needles, for conversational knitting occasions. But I also have Galaxie from Quince & Co. for evenings in front of the TV.
Image copyright Quince & Co.
I’m knitting it in Finch in the colourway Stream.
Image copyright Quince & Co.
Both the pattern and the yarn are sublime. I’m happily doing a few rounds a night and enjoying the making. I’m usually a product driven knitter, so this is a lovely change for me. And it’s nice to be knitting a garment other than socks!
It’ll be ready for Autumn too.
Project notes
| Pattern: | Regia 4ply sock pattern |
| Pattern cost: | Free |
| Yarn: | Zwerger Garn Opal |
| Colourway: | Kim |
| Purchased at: | Black Sheep Wools |
| Yarn cost: | £7.99 |