WIP Wednesday

I've got a small collection of WIP's to share with you this Wednesday. I've also got a sneaky crochet FO to show on Friday. My shawl is finished and blocked but awaiting some decent light to get some photos, I spent so long on it I want to do it justice. The crochet project is more portable and doesn't require a model.



As you can see it's a bit of a jumble! Let's have some individual photographs



I cast on the granny squares on a whim after seeing this blanket and also having an idea in my head. I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do with them but I think if I edge them with cream and maybe join as I go I could end up with something quite nice? I shall have a think.



Mr Soaring Sheep's second sock is onto the ribbing now. I've done about 20 rows and I need to do 80 so still a way to go. It's a nice portable project though :)



Lastly there's this shawl which is for my Mum. It's the Travelling Woman pattern and I'm going to make the small size in this gorgeous fingering weight yarn from Dye for Yarn

I've also got plans to make a scarf for my Dad but I need to finish DH's sock first. The solid granny blanket and colourwork cardigan are on going but I haven't really made any progress on them so they aren't photographed. As always I'm linking in with Tami's WIP Wednesday post and now adding Ginny's Yarnalong and Keep Calm Craft On

Project bag post inspired by Nicsknots

Last Friday Nicsknots asked people to post photos of what they have in their project bag. I really wanted to join in but I don't really have a project bag. Luckily though, Nicola said I could just use whatever I put my projects in so I decided to push the boundaries a little bit and instead show you my messy shelves!



To be fair, if I'm expecting company I do tidy them up a bit! I tend to sit on one particular part of the sofa which has the shelves next to it and a big bright lamp behind so I'm comfortable, have good light and somewhere to dump things.

On the floor is a collection of acrylic yarn and blanket squares. As well as the cables for the laptop, some dongle thing belonging to Mr Soaring Sheep and some coasters too apparently. Not sure how they got there!



So on the top shelf I have the following collection of items

• A half finished sock for Mr Soaring Sheep (this week's project to get finished)
• A note book for jotting down random knitting/crochet ideas. I would take a photo of the inside but quite a lot of my sketches look rather phallic. I don't know if that says more about my drawing ability or my dodgy mind but either way I think I'll keep it hidden for now lol
• Various crochet hooks, including the tiny one I use for beading my shawl
• A nail file, I hate it when I've got a slightly rough nail which catches on the fibres of the yarn *shudder*
• Some yarn ends from a sneaky little project I did over the weekend, I'll post about it later in the week
• Left over yarn from my shawl, I want to weigh it before putting it back in the yarn box
• Scissors
• Safety pins for marking rows
• Empty circular needle case, it's for some small needles I'm using for the colourwork cardigan.
• (there is also a big beaker of water but I forgot to take a photo of it, I tend to just carry it around with me, topping it up when it's empty!)

The next shelf holds this collection of items

• A tape measure
• Granny squares needing their ends weaving in
• Green beads left over from my shawl
• Half finished sleeve
• Needle gauge
• Stitch markers from Atomic Knitting. I use them for lace knitting because they don't catch on anything
• Two wooden DPN's for doing kitchener stitch or cables. Not sure why they are still there, probably laziness on my part!
• Metal tin which came with a magazine and contains various sized sewing needles

Finally there is a basket of yarn for some squares that are waiting to be turned into a blanket



So there you have it. I am a messy crafter who should probably get round to investing in a project bag rather than cluttering up the book case! If anyone else wants to join in with Nicknots' challenge then hop over to her blog and if possible drop me a comment here so I can have a nosey too ;-)

Sunday jobs

First I need to weave in a couple of ends



Then I need to get some more blocking mats because this shawl is massive!



I can't wait to see this blocked out. It's so warm, probably because of the merino content. I'm hoping the silk will allow me to block it really hard so it's as big and wonderful as it's promising to be :)

FO Friday- Stripey Bag

Two disclaimers before you read further. Firstly, the light here is rubbish at the moment, the sky is just grey and yucky. Secondly, bags are surprisingly hard to photograph! I think I've got enough shots of it to give you an idea though :-)



This bag originally started as an exercise in using up some scraps and avoiding working on my existing WIP's. I quickly ran out of scraps though so I had to order more yarn. This new yarn now lives inside my finished bag which has worked out quite well. Plus it means I don't have to try to squeeze it into the blanket box where I keep the rest of my yarn :-S


I used various colours of Stylecraft Special DK acrylic yarn with a 3.5mm hook. If I wanted the bag for every day use then I'd probably use cotton as it's a bit sturdier and maybe even gone down to a smaller hook size. However as it's just for carrying around yarn/projects and it was about stash busting I'm not really that bothered.


To give you an idea of it's size, here it is being modelled by my little 2.5 year old



We're attempting potty training today so the bag is preserving her modesty too! She takes after her big brothers, she can go for hours without needing the toilet which mean trying to catch those first few tries on the potty is rather tricky!



So just to recap, the bag pattern was from Attic24. The flowers were also from Attic24 and were the Triple Layer Flower pattern. The yarn was Stylecraft Special DK and I used a 3.5mm hook. I did 14 increase rounds for the base and 26 rounds for the body of the bag. It was a lovely fun pattern to make :-)

Today I'm still on the shawl. Up to row 11 now (out of 15) but this one has 4 beads per 13 stitch pattern repeat so it's slow going.

I'll be linking in with Tami's Amis when the blog post is up. Have a good weekend everyone :)

WIP Wednesday

I'm concentrating on two projects at the moment. The first is my stripey crocheted bag. It's finished now but needed a bit of decorating. I could have done some delicate little flowers and leaves like Lucy did with the original design. But I'm not really that delicate so something a bit more obvious was required ;-)



These flowers are from the Triple Layer flower pattern and I think they'll do the job of prettying the bag up rather nicely. I just need to sew them on later and then I'll take some photos to show off on Friday.

This afternoon's project however will be my shawl. The last clue arrived on Monday night but I wasn't feeling in the mood for knitting yesterday so I haven't started yet. I'm excited about it now and hoping I can get it finished and blocked for the 31st. There's 15 rows to do but it's a big shawl and there are lots of beads. Plus the cast off is going to take forever but will hopefully be worth it when it's done



Happy Wednesday everyone :) I'm looking forward to checking out the lovely projects linked in to Tamis Amis later today but right now though, it's time for a hot cup of tea and some knitting :)

Productive Weekend!

The weather is a bit pants here at the moment so instead of going out for a walk this weekend we stayed at home so I got some time to working on my WIP's. I've finished the current shawl clue, final one comes out tomorrow *excited*

After that I decided I wanted to work on my bag some more and it's almost finished!



It's big and floppy and colourful and wonderful :) I'm now finishing off the second handle and then I'll probably do the flower decorations too before sewing it together



Today though I've got an ill little boy at home who has been very patiently reminding me I need to finish his blanket so I thought I'd sew together a few rows so it looks like I'm making some progress. I've crocheted almost half the squares now so have a little pile to sew together :)



Geez the light is terrible at the moment, I do apologise! I'm slip stitching the squares together with some blue yarn because I find it faster than sewing. I'm just joining them width-wise at the moment and then when that's finished I'll do the other direction. I've not bothered blocking them because it's a blanket, it's going to get crumpled anyway and I'm lazy! I might pin it out when it's finished and hover over it with a steam iron but probably not!

Does anyone else have some cheerful coloured projects on the go in this gloomy weather?

Mollie Makes Crochet - Review

I mentioned a few posts ago that I had recently bought a copy of the Mollie Makes Crochet book so I thought I'd let you know some of my thoughts on it



At first glance it's a beautiful book to look at. Lots of bright colours which always goes down well with me lol. Just look at the styling for this front page, I would love to live in a house like this



Inside I found it a little disappointing. There are some beautiful projects in there but they aren't particularly original in my opinion. Anyone who has been on the internet for a while or has even a basic knowledge of crochet will have heard of granny squares and ripple stitches. I appreciate that this book is probably aimed at newer crochet-ers but I've been doing it less than 18 months and whilst I wouldn't call myself experienced, I didn't feel like I'd be learning anything new particularly with these designs



The flowers were pretty but there wasn't really any ideas how you could use them other than a bit of writing suggesting they can be used for decorating blankets, dresses or handbags. 



I thought these monster covers were rather fun although my children don't have any gadgets really so I doubt I'll be making them any time soon!



I loved these Russian dolls. I like the decorations and the way the doll is constructed looks very neat. I definitely want to give these a go at some point



Almost half of the book is devoted to techniques. They're clear to follow but if you've already got a crochet book then chances are you'll have these described already






My over all impression of the book was that I wasn't really it's target audience and I'm not particularly sure who is. I hoped to find it full of colourful, inspiring ideas but unfortunately, for me at least, this wasn't the case. Given I can find patterns for most of these projects on the internet for free it does rather beg the question why buy the book?

I guess if you are wanting to learn how to crochet and you're only just exploring what you can make then it would be a good book to have a look through. It doesn't really teach you how to crochet if you're a complete beginner though so you'll have to find that elsewhere



I paid £4.49 for my copy from The Book People (it's currently £4.99) which is think is about right. If you compare it to a crochet magazine then it's got more detail, beautiful photographs and because it's a spiral bound hardback book it will last a bit longer than a magazine too! I wouldn't pay the RRP of £16.99 for it at all. If you like the styling and fancy a nice read then go for it, if you're wanting something a bit more technical or inspiring then look elsewhere

I don't regret buying the book and I have looked through it several times. I'm just not as super excited by it as I thought I would be. Does anyone else own this book and have any thoughts on it they'd like to share?

Moar yarnz

The cotton yarn I ordered at the same time as the acrylic arrived this morning. Sorry Wool Warehouse but you're just not as fast as Deramores. Lovely yarn though :-)



Going in columns from the left there is: Violet, Cardinal, Tangerine, Candy Pink, Orange, Royal, Green, Nougat, Light Green, Brown. In the next bag there is Fuschia, Sky Blue, Red, Light Yellow and Rose. The yarn is Rico Creative Cotton Aran and is going to be used to crochet some things for Christmas hopefully, if I can find the time :-S I really want to make some Festive Bunting from Attic24 and there is also a pattern for some Russian dolls in my Molly Makes book that I fancy having a go at later, although they are written for 4ply rather than aran weight so might have to do some reworking. Regardless, it's a collection of colours that I like and will enjoy using for a variety of projects :)


I also got the final instalment from the Flamboyance Yarns sock club the other day. It's an absolutely beautiful colourway called "Moody Purples"



Today I'm working on my shawl I think. I'm just about to start row 9 out of 24. Luckily all the purl rows are un-patterned but depressingly they are slower than the lace rows for me! I guess I'm so fond of knitting in the round that my purling speed just isn't that good. Oh well, I'm still enjoying it so that's all that matters lol

WIP Wednesday - WIP Overload!

Yikes I feel like I've got a lot of projects on the go at the moment! There are "only" 5 but it's more than I'm comfortable with :-S


^ Quite a colourful little pile don't you think?

 Anyways, first up we have Mr Soaring Sheep's socks. First one is finished, this one is about 20 rows off turning the heel. Not really a priority to work on this one at the moment, poor DH :-p


Next there is the second sleeve for my colourwork cardigan for my littlest girl. I did enjoy working on this at the weekend so I'll pick it up again when the next shawl clue is finished


Speaking of shawls, would you like a little peek of my Mystery KAL shawl?


This is just the main section, I'm into the lacier edging now and it's so pretty. Can't wait to see how it develops further.

Last but not least here are my current crochet projects. The squares are part of an on-going blanket project. The bag started life as a stash busting/ colour playing exercise which has now resulted in MORE YARNS! Ahem. I'm having great fun making it :-)


It's hard to tell because I flattened  but the dark purple row was the last increase row and now the sides of the bag are gradually forming. I love it, it's so happy and colourful :-)

As always I'm linking in with Tami so hop over to her blog for more WIP Wednesday posts :-)

Fluffy post!

I love how fast Deramores ship. I ordered the yarn Sunday evening and it arrived 8:30 this morning. Can't complain about that :-) There are two colours on back order because they didn't have any instock, Aspen (a kind of bluey-green) and Citron (yellow). I've got those colours already as part of the Lucy pack I'm making my current blanket with so if I need to I can take yarn from there.

I should probably stop waffling and just show you the yarn shouldn't I. Well here you are :)



These are "my" colours. Rich, bright, clean looking colours. Starting from the pink colour next to the cream and going clockwise there is:

Bright pink, Claret, Lipstick, Jaffa, Sunshine, Bright Green, Green, Bottle, Teal, Turquoise, Royal and Emperor. (Oh and 3 Cream too of course)



I'm very much looking forward to working with these colours :) Today's project however will be my shawl. The next clue has arrived and it's looking gorgeous! Only 24 rows again but they are getting pretty long now so I think I'll be busy with it for a while :)

Wishing everyone a creative and colourful day :)

Cause and Effect

Also known as, "the yarn made me do it".

I have a problem. I don't do well when I have too many WIP's. I have 4 at the moment plus several rather urgent ones I need to get started on. The problem is that when I have too many WIP's, none of them seem to grow quickly enough so my attention starts wandering. I start dreaming of other things to make. I start browsing ravelry, adding things to my queue...

Then I cast on a "quick project" just for the fun of it. Like a bag



It's fairly fast, it's simple, it uses up my scrap yarns. What a great idea. But you see, there is now another problem. I don't have enough acrylic scraps in "my" colours



There's really nothing else I can do. I HAD to order more yarn, so I can finish my scrappy bag because otherwise I'll have to work on the other WIP's I'm supposed to be working on.

THIS is why I can't have too many WIP's! I've got 4 miles of yarn on the way. Some acrylic, some cotton. All for crocheted blankets, cushions, bags, decorations and various other projects I simply must cast on right now.

I am of course highly embarrassed at my lack of self control. But I am really really looking forward to my fluffy post arriving soon :-D

A "Sweet Tea"

I'd never had a "sweet tea" before getting together with Mr Soaring Sheep. I've no idea if it's just his family that does it, or a Cornish thing or indeed something so common and unremarkable that no one had bothered to mention it to me lol. Anyway, it was mainly an excuse to use my new cake stand and treat the children :-)



Basically it was sandwiches, fruit and lots of cake. Naturally there was a bit of glitter too ;-)



I don't have any tea cups so instead they had mugs with some fruit squash in, they enjoyed saying "cheers" every time they took a drink... I think I need to work on their etiquette a bit more lol 



Normally I bake the cakes we have at home but again this was meant to be indulgent so I cheated and sent Mr SS to the supermarket. I did make the sandwiches though :-p



Time to munch :-) My Mum made the mini bunting in the background, I love it :-)











It was wonderfully silly and lots of fun. I suspect it will be remembered by my children for quite a long time! My big girl is already telling us she wants to do it again for her birthday next year lol.


Thanks for letting me share our indulgent little evening. Hope everyone has a good weekend :-)