In the Making...

Another new pattern is released today. Meet Ammil. Ammil is an airy and wintery shawl, made using mohair lace yarn and edged in clear beads reminiscent of ice crystals. Written in multiple sizes, so you can choose the perfect size for your yarn. The beading is optional but they do add a little bit of weight to the edge, which makes the shawl drape beautifully. Ammil was, originally, released for A Good Yarn's Christmas Eve Box. Since the cold winter season and crystal sparkles were the main focus of the design, I named it Ammil, which means "the thin film of ice that lacquers all leaves, twigs and blades of grass when a freeze follows a partial thaw". My preference for wearing crescent shawls is bandana-style around the neck but you can always wear it in the traditional style around the shoulders. Ammil uses Rowan Kidsilk Haze, which is a mohair and silk mix. There are a range of sizes that uses either 2 or 3 balls of Kidsilk Haze. For an introductory discount, use AMMIL...

So a new pattern. Meet Yarra, a gorgeous lace stole worked in two identical pieces, so the pretty Estonian lace edge is shown to its best. Designed in 6 sections using different lace skills but joined by relaxing knit and purl sections for an enjoyable knit.  The “Yarra” name comes from A Good Yarn, which sits at the corner of Oole and Yarra Road. Originally designed for Lace Club 2020 at A Good Yarn, Cleethorpes. The yarn used in the wrap is the sumptuous and silky Fyberspates Scrumptious 4Ply . It is a mix of merino and silk and has the most heavenly drape, which is perfect for a decadent lace wrap. The main sample uses Seafoam and Magenta. The original sample that I made used Pearl and Mulberry for a softer and more traditional colour palette.  The wrap is designed to use different lace techniques but they are only done in small sections that are separated by restful knit and purl. My most favourite part of the shawl is the edging, which uses traditional Estonian stitches t...

This time it’s shawls. I’ve finished the 3rd Fine Donegal Shawl. I liked knitting with the yarn but 3 shawls meant over 3km of knitting the same thing. I'm glad I can have a bit of variety back in my knitting. I blogged about it last here . Ravelry project page. The other shawl that I’ve recently finished is one I started last February and didn’t pick up again until December. It’s quite an intensive pattern – lace and twisted stitches on both sides. This make a beautifully intricate texture but not good for talking or watching TV. I think this might be the reason it's not been on the top of my to do list. The pattern is Rendevouz by Lily Go . The yarn was pure heaven - Gretchen Heavy Lace by Posh Yarn . The only thing that I’d wished I’d done differently was make the next size up so I could have used the yarn up.

This lovely shawl has just come off my needles. The yarn is a new one from Debbie Bliss – Fine Donegal. The colour is Heather 10. I am absolutely in love with this yarn – I enjoyed knitting every bit of it. Ravelry Project Page I was in too much of a rush to start the shawl to take a photograph of the balls but they are lovely and big. I want to use the word dumpling to describe them for some reason. Fine Donegal is a 4ply weight yarn and it comes in 100g “dumplings”. It’s a single ply yarn and very reminiscent of Rowan Fine Tweed ; however, it has 5% cashmere content which seems to have increased the strength of the yarn. The rest of the yarn is 95% wool. It feels soft and with nice body to it. The little flecks of tweed in the yarn are really beautiful. The shade I used was a heathery purple but with flecks of bright pink, green, blue etc. They are a similar tone to the main colour so they give the yarn a lovely depth of colour. The pattern is from the book...

It's been quite some time since I've blogged; never was very good at keeping a diary...much rather be doing something. Slowly gotten back into knitting again after a period of moving about interest-wise - quilting, embroidery etc. Just finished my first Christmas present for 2011 - a fine lace weight stole which has been in the pipeline for the last couple of years but never been started. I'd spied this Cobweb Lace Stole some time ago and finally started it using Yarn D'Amour Pandora which I'd bought at a stall in the Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate a few years ago - 1200 yards is a lot to wind by hand, so much so that I've ended up buying a ball winder ( which is soooo much fun!) - seem to enjoy it a little too much. Perhaps it is the years of winding balls by hand? Anyway, the stole is very unusual construction in my mind. For it to be symmetrical, both ends are made separately and grafted together at the end using kitchener stitch; which is fine f...