Beaded Shawl Finished

I finally got around to weaving-in those stray ends and managed to take some photos last weekend, whilst it was sunny. So, as promised, here they are...

I have to say I'm very pleased with the finished result.

Till next time...

New On My Needles

Like all good crafters, I haven’t finished one project before I start the next and the next. It’s no wonder that our new year’s resolutions always seem to include finishing off projects that went into hibernation.

So, true to form…the purple beaded shawl is all knitted and has been blocked, but it’s not quite finished. I’ve just got to weave in the loose ends and take some photos. I will share these as soon as I’ve got round to it. Meanwhile here are some pics of my latest projects.

 (notice the new needles put to good use!)

This is Beachcomber, a warm autumn shawl with a little bit of cable detail running along one edge.

This is my own pattern using Debbie Bliss Fine Donegal yarn. I love the flecks of colours within this yarn;it reminds me of a pebbly beach, hence the name.

This is a great ‘mindless’ project, which I can enjoy knitting whilst watching a film or favourite TV program.

In contrast, I’m also about to start a smaller project that takes a bit more concentration.

This is ‘Snood’ designed by Sara Thornett for Rowan. It was a freebie that I could pick, from a choice when I bought the purple lace yarn for my beaded shawl.

It was the coral colour that stood out to me and I thought it would make a great everyday cowl/scarf and would brighten up my dark coloured coat for autumn and winter. It is supposed to be done in Rowan Creative Linen, but I chose a cotton mix and bought enough so that I could loop it round my neck twice.

That’s the plan anyway.

Till next time…

Postcard Post - Yarn Heaven

I'd been meaning to visit Black Sheep Wools for a while, so with a rainy Saturday on the forecast I thought the trip was ideal. I had a little wish list for future projects, and I'd just been paid!

I parked the car and entered the craft barn. Well! I was a little overwhelmed, I'd stepped into yarn heaven. There was an amazing choice of everything to do with knitting, crochet and all sorts of sewing and embroidery. It was a good job I had a list to keep me slightly focused. Otherwise I would have traveled off on tangled knitting tangents.

So why is this a postcard post? Because I couldn't resist buying a couple of the yarn themed postcards that they had for sale, told you it was yarn heaven!

Here they are:

Now I can hear you asking, so what else did you get?
I completed my list of yarny wants plus an extra yarny bargain that I couldn't resist, from the bargain section, and I will let you see those in due course when I do the projects I have in mind.

 But here was something that I did treat myself to...

A new pair of 4.5mm needles made of carbon fiber, my wooden faithfuls had become splintered at the tips and kept snagging my yarn and driving me mad.

They have lovely pointy tips that you get with metal needles but without any of the weight or coldness. Can't wait to get them in my knitting. Whether I can knit any faster will yet to be proved, I doubt it though!

If you're in the Cheshire area, then a visit is a must. There is a lovely cafe too for that well deserved cup of tea (and cake) after making your purchases or if you need a breather to help make up your mind. If, however, you live nowhere near then you can always visit the website. Click on the logo below for yarn heaven.

Till next time...

A Grand Day Out at RHS Tatton Park

Last Saturday, me and my lovely Mum went to the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park. We'd packed a picnic for lunch and were excited to have a grand day out together.

We got lucky with the weather too, one small shower and plenty of sunshine. Here are some of the pics I'd taken.

The gardens were fabulous.

This was a beautiful shed, decorated with lots and lots of cut flowers.

The flower displays in the big marquee were amazing.

So were the Hydrangeas that you could buy from the local nurseries there. I have a soft spot for Hydrangeas, but I didn't buy one.

There were even mega crocheted flowers on display.

So what did I treat myself to? A small metal dragonfly ornament to go in the garden border and the potential for a 100 flowers...so long as I knit or crochet them from this book I bought...

Till next time...

I'm Knitting Again!

Apart from a bit of weeding, deadheading and mowing the lawn, I can now enjoy the garden as a tranquil place to sit and let time pass me by.

I’ve also had more pots of loveliness, brightening my home.

Recently though, I’ve had a real urge to do some knitting again. I used to knit all the time but in the past few years I haven’t really done any apart from an odd dishcloth or two!

Although I’ve knitted for a long time, I wouldn’t class myself as an experienced knitter; I enjoy the rhythm and meditative quality of a simple pattern and a Sunday afternoon film.

I know my limits…complex patterns and television don’t mix with me!

Most of my knitting tends to be simple scarves and shawls with some added design detail to keep it interesting. For this reason, I usually end up designing my own patterns.

I like to experiment with the varied, yummy, yarns you can buy nowadays. A visit to a good wool shop gets me a little overexcited to say the least!

I’ve already got a few projects in mind, but my first project is a simple beaded wrap or wide scarf using lace weight yarn on 4.5mm needles. The feel is soft and delicate, ideal for a summers evening.

I’ve still got some way to go before I’ve reached the required length, but I’m thoroughly enjoying knitting again, especially if I’m sat in my garden chair, lapping up some lovely sunshine and letting time pass me by.

Till next time…

A Cutting Patch

The day I fill a vase of flowers from my garden will be a very happy day indeed.

I remember saying, at Christmas, that I wanted to put plants in my garden that would give me flowers to decorate my home.

Well, not that long ago, I bought a book; The Cut Flower Patch by Louise Curley, see her blog and book details here, and how amazing and inspiring it is. Louise describes her flower patch as a dedicated area of her allotment to provide her with cut flowers all year round. She then goes on to describe how you can achieve this using only a small part of your garden or a raised bed.

This had me gripped, I spent most of a weekend reading and planning how I can incorporate my own cut flower patch into my garden. I already had two decent size spaces, either side of the climbing rose, which I could transform.

After studying the book with numerous cups of tea (and cake) I made some notes and lists and headed off to the local nursery to see if I could get some of the plants recommended as plugs, to put straight into my small plot. I bought a small tray of Cosmos and a small tray of Dianthus – I’ve no idea what varieties they are, as the labels were very vague. I didn’t see any other plants that I had on my list, but I was pleased with what I had, to give me a start.

More reading with more tea (and a bit more cake) gained me some knowledge on a few seed packets that I had gained as freebies with magazines – cornflower and wild carrot could be sewn in the ground now (it was still May when I did this).

As soon as the weather allowed, I was out in the garden planting my small nursery of plug plants in the top section and sewing seeds in the bottom section of my now dedicated cut flower patch.

I still have a little space left for something, not sure what yet, but I find it all very exciting. My only problem is that I’m impatient to see the seedlings breaking the surface and the first flowers on the plug plants.

Ahh well, there’s time for more tea (and cake) then.

------------------------------------------

It wasn’t that long after, that I got my first pot of loveliness.

A pot of Cosmos with a few stems of Lavender took pride of place on my hearth, making me very happy.

Till next time…

How Does The Garden Grow...

With the 'pond' completed, my attention turned back to the main part of the garden again.

I've added a light coloured, iron, trellis to the very end of the left-hand bed. I'd have liked a statue of some sort, but I'm not that grand and nor is my pocket, so an iron trellis which was on offer suited my needs and my pocket very well. The reason for the trellis was so that your eye has something to finish on once you've followed the plants up the bed, all from the comfort of the sofa in the lounge. It was far better than looking at a blank piece of fencing.

In this same bed I've added a Euphorbia 'Ascott Rainbow' which gives a cloud of yellow flowers and looks great with all the greenery.

I've also moved a Berberis, 'Rosy Rocket', to be it's next door neighbour. This was to clear a patch in the right-hand bed that will become my cut flower patch (more about this in a later post).

Mum and Dad came over and we built and installed a wooden, pergola style, arch together. The hardest job was thumping in the steel 'cups' (for the legs to stand in) into the ground and then leveling the whole thing up. We had completed the task by lunch time, so I rewarded my workers with tea and bacon butties.

I'm really pleased with the result. The arch frames the bird bath, tree stump and gives height just where I needed it, to stop your eyes from travelling over the back fence and into the garden behind. My next job will be to find some suitable plants to grow up and over it.

Other Notes:

One of the Digitalis has started to flower. a lovely purple/magenta colour, although its label said it was going to have primrose yellow flowers!

And, the climbing rose has some lovely buds on it just ready to start opening up with a bit of sunshine.

Till next time...