Author: toryawintersdesigns

Designer, maker, lover of colourful sparkly things.
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Busy weekend

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It’s lovely to have a quiet weekend when you can get things done, and don’t have to rush around anywhere. They’re few and far between for me, so I like to make the most of them.

First off, I made some little boots for H from a Sublime pattern in Knitting magazine, using some lovely soft cotton mix Sirdar Calico. They are baby Ugg style boots with a thick lined cuff, to keep little feet cosy. I made them in size 1-2 years, so will add a sole to stop her slipping on the floor as she’ll be walking by the time she wears them.

Next, I continued working through my stash by using up some scraps of Sirdar Snowflake Chunky. I made these slippers for my mum, adding a little snowflake embroidery on the fronts, and contrasting buttons.

Finally, I went through my collection of sweaters and scarves to felt. I threw the whole lot in the washing machine on a 60 degree cycle, and these are the results.

They will be become bags and accessories in my Folksy shop very soon! I also salvaged these beautiful clasps off a vintage Fair Isle cardigan, which I plan to reuse on one of my current knitting projects.

A very productive weekend I think – off to watch Dancing on Ice and do some knitting now!

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Winter warmers

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My mother in law gave me a fantastic gift for Christmas – money for yarn! So I allowed myself one treat in the New Year, even though I’m not supposed to be buying anything craft related. Since I was treating myself, I went to John Lewis and got some yarn that would normally be way out of my budget – Rowan Silky Tweed and two balls of Rowan Felted Tweed DK, both in a lovely heathery purple.

I made a Slouchy Copy Cat Hat with the silky tweed, which I’ve worn non-stop ever since. It’s a great easy pattern, knitted up in an evening, and the yarn is so warm and lovely, although it doesn’t have a lot of elasticity.

Then I made a pair of gloves from a Louisa Harding accessories book, using one ball of the felted tweed. I still have a ball of this left to use in the future, so I might make another beret or something, haven’t decided yet. I really needed some warm things for the winter, so I’m very happy with my new hand-knits!

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First makes of the New Year

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I’ve been knitting away busily since 2010 started, finishing off some of those WIPs that have been lingering in my living room. First up was a little bamboo cardigan for H, which I cast on months ago! The pattern called for a knitted edging and ties, but I couldn’t be bothered knitting five stitches for ages. Instead, I edged the cardigan with several rows of double crochet, and added ties of ivory satin ribbon. Then I sewed on a little teddy bear patch to finish it off.

The second thing I finished was a postman hedgehog for F. He is obsessed with Camberwick Green, thanks to his grandad’s vintage DVD collection! His favourite character is Peter the Postman, so I made a little Jean Greenhowe postman for him to play with. This was so easy to knit, but the finishing took a long time and was rather fiddly.

My pile of WIPs isn’t any smaller though. I cast on for a lovely red cabled coat from The Knitter magazine, made two pairs of fluffy slipper socks for my sister, and knitted myself a cosy hat and gloves with some wool I got with Christmas money. Will I ever get through the to-do pile? At least I’ve used 10 balls of yarn towards my yearly target of 100. Back to the knitting now!

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New Year

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Well, it’s 2010 already! Time for me to make some New Year’s resolutions. Here’s what I’ve decided to do in the upcoming year.

1) Knit from stash
There is far too much yarn in my loft, and I have a terrible habit of being unable to resist a bargain. This year, I’m going to try and knit from stash as much as possible, only buying new yarn when absolutely necessary if it’s for a gift.

2) Use 100 balls in 2010
This will help with the stash burning. I’m going to try and get through at least a hundred balls by the end of the year, but more if possible.

3) Make time for a new craft
My aunt gave me some felting stuff ages ago, and I haven’t had a chance to use it yet. I’m definitely going to experiment with at least one new craft this year, and hopefully develop skills that I can combine with my knitting.

To help with the stash burning, I’ve compiled a list of things I want to knit this year. I do still have a lot of WIPs on the go, but I’ve been working through them and trying to finish some off recently.

WIPs

Denim sweater for my brother
Vintage nautical sweater for me
Long line 4ply coat for me

Things to make

Owls sweater
Glacier cabled coat
Ribbed sweater
Tapestry sweater

That’ll do for the moment, I’m sure there will be plenty more things to add to this list as the year goes on!

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Thermal

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I have just found my new favourite sweater. This is Thermal, from the online knitting magazine Knitty.

It took me two long months to knit, in between other things, and I can safely say that it will be a long time before I undertake another adult-sized sweater in 4ply yarn. However, I think the hard work involved is going to be worth it, because I LOVE this thing!

Look at the cute little ladybird buttons!