One project finished, another begun....

Well, here I am looking relieved to have finished my cardigan knitting!
I started this back in September so it hasn't been the world's shortest knitting project but it was finished in time for the Boxing Day snowfall and has proved very handy for pottering in and out with laundry and dustbin rubbish these past few freezing days.

 Then immediately on to something new - for Christmas I was bought some fluffy, sequined yarn, perfect for a scarf, so I got out the needles, put on some other Christmas presents - dvds - and got knitting...

 I picked a feather pattern that gives a lacy, wavy finish but has simple repeats so I didn't need to be constantly checking against a written pattern....



and it's grown quickly....







after only a few days it's already about 3 feet long!

Christmas Pickles

I usually hope to have red cabbage ready to pick for 'pickled' Christmas gifts, but this year's cabbages are so tiny I had to buy some. At least it's still my own concoction of pickling vinegar so should presumably have the same cold-cure properties as 'home-grown' pickle.

Merry Christmas

In previous years I've made lots of Christmas cards but this year I only made one with bits and bobs saved from last year. 

Merry Christmas everyone

New knitting project

My current piece of knitting is finished, all apart from sewing on the buttons, so it's time to look through the stash and pick out what to knit next.

I'm got a variety of short-sleeved jumpers/tank-tops/Father Dougal style slipovers which I find incredibly useful in winter - worn over a long sleeved t-shirt they keep me warm without having sleeves flapping about, and I'm looking to make another. I probably need about 300/350grams of wool so should have more than enough in this bundle. I just need now to decide on stripes or fair isle....

Kaffe Fasset knits

I recently came across a post on Writing About Books about an old forgotten inspirational knitting/needlework favourite of mine Kaffe Fassett At the V&A
It's more a book filled with ideas than actual patterns but it's brimming over with Fassett's unique style.















Over the years I've knitted a variety of his designs from various books, from 'plain' squares to more complex 'squares within squares' and 'pineapples'; some following the pattern closely, others taking inspiration and letting the colours work on their own. Here are a few of them....a cardigan, a couple of jackets and even a bedspread!

Part of this started out as a "Big Diamond" tunic which was too long, so I removed the bottom pattern including the pockets!

I then added strips of these 'pinwheel' patterns...

...and finished it all of with a easier pattern round the edges

Free lunch - 2 weeks to 7th December

 I'm actually surprised how well I've managed to find my own ingredients for lunch these past couple of weeks. OK it's mainly been a re-hash of the cabbage/carrot/ tomato salad but at least it's home-produced food, or gifts from other allotment holders.

Occasionally I've added beetroot or apples from store, pickled onions and courgette chutney from the cupboard, or even fresh spinach from the garden. The slowly-ripening tomatoes are coming to an end though; the remaining one don't look so appealing and may end up in the compost bin.

 As the weather turns colder, I'm moving on to making soups - we've a lot of small 'gifted' squashes and still some home grown peppers ripening in the fridge so one day we had this one pot pasta chill, with all home grown veg, and another a squash and carrot soup with added (bought) baked beans - a bit of a cheat.

...and of course there's been quite a few dinners when all the veg has been home grown - roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips here, but we've also frozen broad and runner beans to use.

Unseasonal Sewing

I started this renovation project - turning an old pair of trousers into a skirt - back in October,when it might have been warm enough to wear it. I got through all the tricky bits of sewing, adding extra panels down the side seams to make it wide enough, quite quickly then ran up against tracking down material for the inside waistband. After that I really just needed to get the hem turned and sewn, which I felt a bit inclined to leave - possibly even till Spring! I decided it was a better idea though to get it finished, even if it's too thin to wear right now. This way it's ready and waiting come warmer weather.

Despite the fiddling of having to add extra panels, I'm really pleased with how this has turned out. it certainly looks better than the scruffy trousers.