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Text of the page (random words):
w pieces for my capsule wardrobe a timeless shape an interesting construction and it involves a high quality material that will hopefully last for many years c says i look like a crow in it hence the project name but as i know the blueish black intelligent crow is his favourite kind of bird i m sure it s meant as a compliment there s still half a ball left of the yarn and i ve already cast on a nice little project i ve been wanting to do for ages more about that soon posted by m may 17 2020 posted in uncategorized tags knitting london leave a comment on c r o w ghirlande lockdown garlands so much can happen in the span of one knitting project to the next wherever you are i hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy and you are able to navigate all the challenges that come with a global pandemic the best way you can here in london all is as well as it can be c flew in from vienna on one of the last possible flights before lockdown and i am currently furloughed from work with salary and can take advantage of this time to make progress on my phd writing as much as my unfocused brain allows so among all the catastrophes there is also a lot to be grateful for i am especially happy and relieved that about a week ago my friends c and m s little baby boy was safely delivered in a hospital in rome so at some point during the coming weeks i will venture to the post office to dispatch this pattern garland sweater by anna heidi pickles yarn king cole anti tickle merino 4 ply colour clerical hazel knits artisan sock colours frost zest the uncommon thread tough sock colour capsicum needles 3 5mm 4mm more project details on ravelry i made this little sweater geared at use next autumn and winter from bits and bobs of leftover yarn from other projects and really love the cheerful colour combination of orange pale blue and yellow already contemplating a similar garment for myself i ve not practiced my stranded knitting in a while so some of the stitches turned out a bit wonky especially as the fibre content of the various yarns i ve used varies but overall i m quite pleased with how this turned out and with how i was able to manage the tension of my floats i ll post my next finished project soon all my pandemic anxieties are currently channelled into knitting and crafting posted by m may 11 2020 posted in uncategorized tags friends knitting 2 comments on ghirlande lockdown garlands fuzzy pattern teddy bear sweater by petiteknit yarn isager strik silk mohair colour 3s jamiesons s of shetland shetland spin drift colour 315 heron held together needles 4mm more project details on ravelry a little gift will go into the mail this week for a new little friend to grow into including one of the cutest littlest books to have come out in recent years posted by m march 1 2020 march 1 2020 posted in uncategorized tags friends knitting leave a comment on fuzzy norfolk the curse of one sweater per year is finally broken at least for 2020 about a month ago i had to stay home for a couple of weeks to recover from a minor routine surgery and while my mushy brain was struggling with writing and reading knitting provided the exactly right amount of intellectual and physical challenge to keep me entertained c and the marvellous mrs maisel also played an important part of course pattern halligarth by gudrun johnston yarn brooklyn tweed loft colour birdbook needles 4mm and 4 5mm more project details on ravelry the shawlette is a long overdue gift for a dear friend who resides in norfolk and is the guardian of an ancient apple tree orchard as well as a textile curator with a specialism in lace i decided that this traditional lace motif depicting a copse of trees knitted up in her favourite colour would be the perfect pattern match for her the weather here in london has been miserable over the last two weeks which means in combination with my energy levels still not being 100 there was plenty of weekend time for needles and yarn the next tiny project should soon be ready to share posted by m february 16 2020 posted in uncategorized tags friends knitting leave a comment on norfolk d e c a d e a sweater per year vol iii pattern patenten by lone kjeldsen yarn walcot yarns opus colour grey needles 3mm and 4mm more project details on ravelry this saturday of january 2020 finds me enjoying the winter sunshine with c in a lovely pavilion in waterlow park close to our tiny london flat in n19 it is a day of peace quiet and recovery after what has been one of the most exhausting years by a long shot without wanting to go into too much detail the last twelve months or so have felt like a never ending repetition of challenges at work work trying to fit in phd work energy draining health issues involving bouts of chronic pain and also several bumps and scuffs relationship wise as c and i are both struggling to figure out how to approach this next decade both as individuals and as a couple there were also many many lovely moments it was just not smooth sailing as is so often the case with my making these emotional challenges manifested themselves not only through a noticeable absence of knitting in general but also in the way this project stalled and evolved and yet again stalled and evolved throughout the past year i started to work with this lovely yarn bought at edinburgh yarn festival in 2017 during my all too short time in scotland about a year ago in january 2019 as spring summer and autumn passed i went through three three different attempts of finding and settling on a a pattern before achieving the result you see in these pictures i knitted looked at the progress doubted was unhappy cursed unravelled then i researched found a solution was hopeful happy and made a new start and then all of this all over again there was no particular reason for why i abandoned this sweater s previous incarnations all patterns were lovely fitted the yarn and were interesting projects to make but somehow i think this project s longwinded progress finds its mirror in other parts of my 2019 life with lots of unexpected knitting and unravelling going on elsewhere and not always in a pattern to my liking but in the same way i am now very pleased with my new garment despite and perhaps also because of some difficult memories it embodies and holds i am also looking back at the last year as something perhaps not pleasant but surely necessary it is part of my life s fabric as much as the yarn which for so long i forcefully tried to bend into other shapes is of this this sweater s fabric and that is something incredibly useful to carry with me into the next decade posted by m january 18 2020 posted in uncategorized tags knitting london winter 2 comments on d e c a d e a sweater per year vol iii happy 2019 and another sweater happy new year may 2019 be a wonderful healthy and prosperous one for you i ve just returned to london from two restful and quiet weeks in the tyrolean alps with lots of sleep reading catching up with old friends and also some knitting pattern chocolate stout by thea colman yarn knit picks wool of the andes worsted colour denim blue and isager silk mohair colour 23897 forest heather needles 5 5mm buttons olive wood buttons via loop more project details on ravelry as you may notice from the image above sorry for the bad quality i only had my phone on me over christmas both pattern and colour choice do not fit my usual simple shape and miles of stockinette behaviour this is because i made this cardigan not for myself but for my mum who turned eighty last august and requested a cozy garment to wear around the house in the cold winter months a huge responsibility coming from a former master knitter who unfortunately had to stop knitting some years ago as it causes her too much back pain she s still an avid embroiderer though my mum has a very different fashion style from mine and in her choices is often inspired by the traditional tyrolean folklore costumes she grew up with this provided me with a welcome opportunity to experiment with a pattern i probably would not chose for myself lots of braids and a very classic silhouette of course in a nice heathery forest green my mum likes the result the only modification she asked for was to omit the shawl collar which she deemed as too much instead i worked a simple button band with 4 short rows around the neck to make the cardigan sit nicely across the shoulders i also had to use 5 5mm instead of 4 5mm needles to hit gauge a very clearly written pattern and a good and sturdy yarn for every day use i hope my mum will get a lot of use out of this posted by m january 1 2019 posted in uncategorized tags family knitting mountains winter leave a comment on happy 2019 and another sweater a sweater per year vol ii pattern no frills sweater by petite knit yarn isager higland wool colour denim blue and isager silk mohair colour 44 needles 3mm and 4mm more project details on ravelry winter is looming which means that it is time for my annual check in here to report that i ve been able to knit myself a lovely little new sweater in time to protect me against the upcoming november storms nothing much to report here i went for the usual simple shape and stockinette stitch combination knitted up with a pairing of the most luxurious and soft yarns imaginable and no surprise here it is a winner in other news since i last wrote here in april 2017 2018 saw me on the move again this time from glasgow back to london for a job offer at my favourite museum i m very happy with this decision although i miss scotland its landscape and the friends i made there and although the phd project had once again to be put on the back burner don t ask but i will get there in due course for now i am enjoying being back in the big smoke and having this amazing view when writing at my little desk in north london posted by m november 4 2018 november 4 2018 posted in uncategorized tags england knitting living london 2 comments on a sweater per year vol ii up knock hill earlier this month when the famously fickle scottish weather granted us a few days of unfettered sunshine m and i took the opportunity for a sunday trip to largs located on the west coast of scotland or more precisely on the firth of clyde largs is just an hour by train from glasgow making it an ideal destination for a day trip the seafront is dominated by two large gothic revival churches from the victorian era other notable buildings include skelmorlie aisle an early 17th century mausoleum with a fine painted ceiling and nardini s allegedly scotland s most famous ice cream parlour still housed in its original art deco structure dating to the 1930s a testimony to largs long history as a seaside resort on this occasion however we didn t pay too much attention to any of these attractions but simply walked along the seaside promenade and then headed straight for the hills north of the town the first part of our walk took us through pleasant farmland as we passed close by several farms we also encountered all kinds of farmyard animals both large and small as you d expect in scotland though most of the animals we saw were sheep and given the time of year not just sheep but lots and lots of lambs teetering and frolicking in the meadows but lambs weren t the only ubiquitous thing typical for the season wherever we went the hills and hedges were covered in yellow broom which turned the landscape into an almost surreally colourful spectacle the effect became even more surrealistic as we walked further uphill and the vegetation changed into a grassy moorland eventually as we ascended knock hill the highest elevation in the area even the broom disappeared and we found ourselves wandering through barren moor knock hill offers great views across the surrounding countryside and over the firth of clyde all the way to the isles of bute and arran and back down towards largs it is said that the top of knock hill consists of the earthworks of an iron age fort whatever their origins the rock formations up there provided a welcome shelter from the wind and consequently a lovely place for a picnic with a view eventually we made our way back towards largs albeit on a different route part of the ayrshire coastal path closer to the sea the general character of the landscape didn t change that much we were treated to more views across the firth of clyde more rolling hills more yellow broom and of course more sheep not that we minded as the saying goes you can never have too much of a good thing can you largs too looked every bit as lovely as in the morning only a bit brighter and sharper in the late afternoon light as it turned out it had also become a lot more crowded apparently we weren t the only ones who had opted for a sunday trip to the seaside and the seafront promenade was buzzing with people so for all of largs attractions we couldn t help thinking that heading for the quiet of the hills had been the right decision after all posted by c may 28 2017 posted in uncategorized tags art architecture landscape leisure photography scotland walking 2 comments on up knock hill springhill gardens saturday the view from my writing desk is stunning this morning with all the trees in full bloom and the sun shining in a glorious blue sky this will hopefully make for a productive day of phd writing interrupted by a stroll through the park and a nice brunch with c to make the most of this lovely scottish spring day some of you may have noticed that with the thesis submission now seriously looming 160 days to be precise i ve returned to knitting as my favourite tool of procrastination and therapy so here i present you another project complete pattern fort grey by fiona alice yarn the uncommon thread tough sock colour confetti needles 2 25mm more project details on ravelry i think this is the most entertaining sock project i ve ever knitted with so much going on at every corner a turkish cast on and a stretchy bind off purl stitches knitting stitches slipped stitches and some serious cabling all helped me to keep the writing panic at bay and to get my creative thinking going posted by m april 22 2017 posted in uncategorized tags glasgow knitting living spring writing leave a comment on springhill gardens saturday c s cardigan lovely baby boy c was born last autumn to my dear friend k and finally i ve found the time and perfect little pattern for making him the obligatory cardigan pattern carl s cardigan by petiteknit yarn king cole merino blend 4 ply colour 49 clerical needles 4mm buttons textile garden more project details on ravelry i love the vintage look the smocking stitch has to it as well as the 3d effect it creates i had to struggle quite a bit to understand how the stitch works and how to get the tension right much cursing and unravelling was done in the process but am quite pleased now with the result not only is the pattern pretty it also creates an extremely elastic fabric which will be perfect for growing along with ba...