6 months on ...

Its just over six months since I cast on my unemployment blanket (although thankfully I've only been unemployed for three of them). So, drum roll please, here it is ...

Basted on how long its taken me so far, and how much more I need to do, I think I should be finished at the beginning of 2012, which would be just when my current contract has finished, so it will be my unemployment blanket again :)

Annis

Without realising it I've managed to jump on the knitting pattern bandwagon rather earlier than usual, and have knitted up this seasons most popular scarf/shawl - Annis

Its a rather clever design, a crescent shaped scarf width shawl, its just what I was looking for :)  The lace edging was fairly easy, except for the nupps, which I really didn't like doing and I think in future I would replace them with something else, perhaps a bead as many other have. I've not blocked it yet, as its not something I always do with my knitting, but I think this might have to be an exception.

Stats:

Pattern - Annis, from Knitty Spring/Summer 2010

Yarn - Hestia by Yarn D'Amour, 100% silk, 810 yards (I only used about 40% of it)

Needles - 5mm to cast on, 4mm for the rest :)

How does you're garden grow ....

Very well thank you! The combination of warm weather and rain seems to have done wonders and everything is shooting up.

 Even the aubergines which I didn't think would like the Irish climate:









 
Plus we have had the first crop of the summer, this one nearly got away over a long wet weekend when I didn't make it up to the roof as often as normal. After the debate over what to do with courgettes in an earlier post I was a little unsure of what to do with it, but in the end I went for a simple dish of courgette with lemon and garlic and pasta, yum yum!

Also, we have our first (and happy) cucumber ...

Make do and mend

In true wartime, or possibly recession spirit, I've spent the last couple of weekends working my way through the pile of clothes waiting for alterations, fixing and general titivation (such a nice word)!  Mainly it has been taking up trousers for the boyfriend, sewing on buttons and taking up hems for myself. I read somewhere that french women are the only ones who take hems seriously, and that a cm more or less can make or brake an outfit. I'm not sure that I am that attuned to the value of the hem, but I can see that I've greatly improved a retro skirt and dress by bring up the hem line a little :)

As I had the sewing machine out I also whipped up some cushion covers. I found the fabric this morning in Hickeys, which is not always the best source for fabric. But, recently they have taken on some exciting new lines including Amy Butler fabric and patterns and Grand Revival fabric, which I'd never seen before but is lovely! I couldn't decide between all the beautiful patterns, and eventually went for these two. So, I now have two new cushions to finish off my newly decorated kitchen/living room :)

A silky solution

I've always had eczema on my hands, and it does occasionally cause problems for knitting, as the wool can make it itchy. The last couple of weeks my eczema has been really bad because of the heat. It was so bad on Tuesday that I couldn't do any knitting at my knitting club. It is very sad to sit there watching everyone else knit and not be able to join in!

So, I've used this sad situation as an excuse to start a new project (do I really need an excuse?)ast Christmas my dad gave me some beautiful silk lace weight from Yarn D'Amour. I've been very undecided about what to make, I like lace shawl, like swallowtail and isbel, but I'm not really sure if I would use one, but I what something more than just a scarf ... and then browsing on ravelry I came across the solution - Annis, a shawl scarf hybrid.

363 stitches set up and ready to go ...

Orange-nylon-tastic!

One of my favorite weekend activities is to wander down Camden and George's street and visit all the charity shops. I'm a big fan of charity shopping and normally manage to find myself something. This week was no exception and I pick up this truly amazing pillow case.

Fantastic, no? And right out of a seventies time warp! I couldn't resist especially as I have just finished decorating our spare (shoe box sized) room in a rather bright shade of orange. It wasn't meant to be quite so orange but 'orange dream' turned out to be rather more orange than in the colour chart.  Anyway, either the colour has mellowed or I've got use to it and I quite like the room now!  (It's certainly an improvement on our standard yellow anyway)

It's not a very good photo, its hard to get much in as the room it so small. As you can see its used as a study/sewing/junk room, but there is a bed if anyone comes to stay, and now they can have a beautiful matching pillow case! Just a warning if you're planning to come and stay anytime :)