Yarn Along.......and a winner.

 

Hello, my friends, I hope you are all well. I've managed to do quite a lot of knitting this week, as I've had a bad back, so haven't been able to do much else.

I've mostly been knitting on my Hana Hou by Mel Ski, I love, love, love this pattern and can't wait to wear this beautiful, squishy, warm, comfy cardigan. I've finished knitting the main body and the sleeves and now picking up stitches for the Copy Cat stitch along the front sides.

I really like this stitch, it is using two balls of yarn at the same time and working two right sides then two wrong sides. Mel has made a video tutorial on the Copy Cat technique and also the Piping Pick Up tutorial, I first used these stitches on my Halele'a. I'm not going to have much knitting time this week but hopefully will have it finished by the end of next week.

I've knit a few more rows on the Twinkle Twinkle baby blanket, it's a simple pattern to remember but with each row getting longer, it takes longer to knit with each new row.

Do you remember these Tuuli Mitts, that I started on back in February. I cast them on after winning the Spincycle Yarn from Pompom Quarterly magazine which was what they used for the pattern in Issue 7. I'm trying to clear my needles of all my projects so I can start some new ones.

I've now up to 28 loops on my Miss Winkle, looking on the Crafts from the Cwtch Ravelry Group most people are getting 38-45 loops, before finishing so more then half way there. Check out Sarah's blog for more Miss Winkle projects, this week.

I've just started the latest book by Debbie Macomber in the Blossom Street series, I really enjoy this series of books, especially the ones set in The Good Yarn store. I'm linking to Ginny's Yarn Along and Tami's WIP Wednesday.

Now to pick a winner for the Dream Big Collection by Helen Stewart, I have a cup full of names so drum roll, please..............

and the winner is MamaGiff, she left a comment via Ravelry and said she loves the Fireflies Rising but if she had to pick a favourite it would be the Red Robin. So congratulations, Lee, I will let Helen know and she will get the Dream Big pattern sent to you.

Mel has just posted another video about Camp Alhoa Friends, it is a five minute video, telling you all about camp in a nut shell, you can find it, here.

Thank you for stopping, enjoy the rest of your week.

xxxxDebxxxx

 

Yarn along.......Twinkle Twinkle Blanket

 

Hello, did you all have a nice weekend? My daughter was back home for Mother's Day with her little bump getting bigger. She knew I'd bought some beautiful Rooster yarn, a 50/50 mix of baby alpaca and merino, and said she couldn't wait for me to start the blanket, I was going to knit for baby.

This yarn is the softest, cosy branded yarn, I've ever used and is one of my favourite yarns to use. It's not widely available but I get mine from The Homemakery, I highly recommend this online store for all your crafting needs, from yarn to fabric, ribbon to twine and papercrafting. She provides a great customer service with quick delivery and beautifully presented.

The pattern I choose for baby's first blanket is called Twinkle Twinkle by Helen Stewart, it can be knit in two weights of yarn, 4ply or DK, which is what I chose. It's such a pretty pattern, with the little star shaped stitches. It's a square blanket but knit on circulars, I love how it's knitting up, it's so delicate, perfect for a newborn.

The other main project, I've been working on is my Hana Hou by Mel Ski Knits, I've finished knitting the fronts and back. I'm now on the sleeves which I'm knitting two at time, again. It's knitting up quick as the main body is just stocking stitch, then you pick up stitches and add the Copy Cat stitch.

I'm still reading V is for Vengence but I'm also reading this new to me magazine called Flow for paper lovers. It's a very quirky style magazine, full of very interesting articles plus some free stickers and papers, it's definitely not one of your regular papercrafting magazines. I'm linking to Ginny's Yarn Along and Tammy's WIP Wednesday.

I haven't managed to do much on my Miss Winkle this week as I've been doing a test knit for a pattern that was due for release this week. I will show you the finished test knit on Friday and there'll also be a giveaway to celebrate the release of the new pattern by Helen Stewart? Check out Crafts from the Cwtch blog on Thursday, to check everyone else's progress, this week.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

xxxxDebxxxx

 

Yarn Along.......Hana Hou.

Yay, I've cast on the Hana Hou by MSkiKnits, I've wanted to start this since the pattern was released back in January but I was already knitting the Aureus. I didn't want two large projects on my needles so held off casting it on until my other cardigan was finished.

The Hana Hou is a beautiful, oversized, boxy cardigan using the same Copy Cat stitch used on the Halele'a, giving it texture on the large overlapping fronts. As soon as I saw Mel's latest pattern, I fell in love with it and decided what yarn I'd use.

I'd already got a sweater quantity of Rowan Pure Wool DK in a gorgeous caramel colour, shade 054 in my stash, the pattern actually uses a sport weight but by doing a swatch, I worked out the small size would knit up to my size in the DK. The Pure Wool is very soft and squishy, perfect for this cardigan. I can't wait to finish it so I can wrap myself in it. Hana Hou means "Again Again", I can see why Mel named it that, I will definitely knitting it again, next time I'll try a sport weight, in a pretty Sage Green.

I've been knitting on my Easter Shawl (Miss Winkle), in between working on my Hana Hou and I'm now up to 18 loops. Check out Crafts from the Cwtch blog on Thursday, for everyone's progress this week.

I'm still reading V is for Vengence by Sue Grafton, when I go up to bed but I'm still reading The Diary of a Provincial Lady, in between. It's quite funny and though it's set in the 1930's some of the things that she writes about, could be about the present day, some things never change!!!!!

I'm linking up with Ginny's Yarn Along and WIP Wednesday, this week, Check out what everyone else has been up to this week.

xxxxDebxxxx

 

Yarn Along.........Miss Winkle.

 

Hi there, I'm back today with a new project!!!!!!! I did promise myself, I wouldn't cast on anything new until I'd finished one of my other WIP's....................but when I saw on Instagram, that Sarah from Crafts from the Cwtch, was starting a new Spring KAL on the 15th March and the pattern was Miss Winkle, I couldn't resist!!!!!!

The original pattern was knit in a variegated yarn, which looked really pretty and I had some A Stash Addict in Mermaids Hair. I'm never sure which patterns look good with a variegated yarn so this has been sitting in my stash for ages and thought it would look good for this shawl.

I've named it my Easter Shawl, as my blog friend, Stephanie, commented that the colours reminded her of Easter M&M's. The pattern is easy to memorise and is great to take with you when you're out and about, I knit what you can see, in the car over the weekend. I love the loopy edge and it only takes 100g of 4ply yarn, you just knit until you've run out of yarn.

I've finished the first sock of my First Time for Everthing and have casted on the second one, I will add the Afterthought Heel, when I've finished both socks. I've also tried a new to me bind off called Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off which gives a really good stretchy cuff.

I've also finished one of my Linden Mitts..........

and have cast on the second one, this pattern knits up really quick and I love the stripes. I think these will go towards my niece's Christmas present.

Last but not least, I've only got to pick up the stitches for the collar on my Aureus, so will be finished by Friday. This week I've started V is for Vengence by Sue Grafton, I use to read these series of books, years ago and read up to about M is for..... I stopped seeing them in book shops but saw this the other day so picked it up.

I'm linking to Ginny's Yarn Along and WIP Wednesday, thanks for stopping by and enjoy the week.

xxxxDebxxxx