Finished Object Friday

This week has been productive for finishing projects.

I completed the shawl I started in Finland using my wool I bought from Griffiths Mill on my hooky holiday in April.

It was my first attempt at proper lacework and it took a lot of concentration to follow the charts but I found that using stitch markers between each pattern repeat really helped.

I also finished my purple stripey socks.

These were knit on 2.25mm needles which is why they took me so long but I do love them now they are finished.

Other projects I've finished recently are...

More Clangers:

This time for 2 little girls who had seen the other Clanger I made and wanted ones of their own.

Campside Shawl:

I love this shawl - it's lovely and big - I can't wait to wear it.


And I'm nearly three quarters of the way through making my crochet blanket squares (315 out of 420 made).

Hooky Holiday

When I went to Yarndale last September I met up with some of my Instagram friends for a picnic (I blogged about it in this post). 

Because the picnic had been such a success and we'd all got on so well, we had mentioned about a weekend away together.  We'd talked about it for so long and were all very excited about it.

So, last weekend, 18 of us went to Knockerdown Cottages near Ashbourne, in Derbyshire for a crafty long weekend together. 

On the Saturday, we had a visit to Griffiths Mill where they talked to us about how their business had started and showed us all of the wool processing machinery.

They had a small shop where I bought 2 skeins of Blue Texel wool.

Then they let us cuddle some lambs which was lovely.

We also got a lovely group photo - with the lambs of course!

After that we went to Ashbourne and browsed the vintage craft fair at the town hall and went to lots of charity shops and antique shops - and looked lovingly at all of the beautiful antique wooden furniture.  We visited the Sticky Fingers shop which is full of pretty gifty things.

Apart from that one busy day, the weekend was mostly spent crocheting, knitting, chatting, and drinking gin and tonics (and making jewellery by melting cheap plastic knitting needles).

Because this much wool is perfectly acceptable for 4 days away... (more about the crate soon)

I'm making blanket squares using Grandma's Knickknacks pattern available for free here

But this was the biggest shopping haul of the weekend - including 4 dresses from charity shops which I then was forced to show to the others as a fashion show.

I can't wait to meet up with everyone again at Yarndale this year but until then we've got a bit of a group project - one of the ladies left a bag of crocheted hexagons and 7 of us were crazy enough to volunteer to join them into a blanket to give back to her.

Happy New Year and Project Update

Hello again!  Happy New Year.  Hope your 2015 is going well so far.

I'm having a very quiet day today and just sitting in my flat knitting and watching knitting podcasts.

I've managed to get lots of projects finished since my last post including this lovely jumper which I finished only this morning.  Ravelry project page here.

The pattern is Snug by Kim Hargreaves and the yarn is Sirdar Escape Chunky in colour 0197

I crocheted a tiny little monkey as a present a while ago using 2 different crochet patterns.  Ravelry project page here.

I also made a Honey Cowl using the yarn from Wild Wood Wool I bought at Yarndale.  Ravelry project page here.

The last WIP I mentioned (a long time ago) was my Age of Brass and Steam shawl which I was speeding through so finished soon after.  Ravelry project page here.

I received a request to make a knitted clanger from the old childrens TV show using the original pattern from 1972.  Ravelry project page here.

I got around to making the colourful armwarmers I had been planning to make for ages.  Ravelry project page here.

I knitted myself a toy robot using the Louie the Lovebot pattern by Rebecca Danger.  Ravelry project page here.

I am currently working on a few knitted WIPs.  The first is something I started a while ago but stopped halfway through.  My first pair of socks!  Ravelry project page here.

Yup I have second sock syndrome but I cast on the second sock on Friday

I started another Trillian shawl project which will be my handbag project as it was last time.  This time I'm using the Laalbear yarn I bought at Yarndale in the colourway Gandalf. Ravelry project page here.

My final WIP was cast on on Thursday night as part of a live knit-a-long on Instagram.  Dan from the Bakery Bears podcast decided to start a knit-a-long for the Bankhead hat pattern because he loves it and I couldn't resist joining in. Ravelry project page here.

Here's to a productive 2015 - already off to a good start!

Yarndale!

Yesterday I went to Yarndale.  It's a 2 day yarn festival, organised by Lucy from Attic24 that takes place in Skipton.  As well as a great place to buy yarn, it's also a good chance to meet other crafters.

Yarndale is so colourful - as soon as you walk in you see crocheted bunting

Lots of colourful yarn - this is the Laalbear stall.

Apparently Ursula is retiring soon so we all took this chance to buy some of her beautiful colourful yarn.  This colour is called Gandalf  - I couldn't resist

I also bought this lovely green DK yarn from Wild Wood Wool

Apparently there was a theme of hand-dyed Blue Faced Leicester in the wool I bought! Here are all of the things I bought - the pinkish yarn is for my Mum

I also saw the Angora bunnies, sheep and alpacas

Before going, I saw on Instagram that a group of people were planning to meet for a picnic lunch so I decided to pack up my lunch and meet them there.  We had agreed to wear granny square badges to allow us to recognise fellow Instagrammers and it was great fun.  This is my granny square badge

I also made a name badge

I have lots of lovely new Instagram friends!  If you want to see the photos from the picnic then just search Instagram for the hashtag #yarndalemeet2014

Ole said she wanted to come with me and she really enjoyed meeting the other crafters and seeing all the yarn (yarn photos taken at Laalbear's stall again, animal photos taken from the stall of the creators of  Edward's Menagerie).  I had my fellow Instagrammers helping me take some of these photos!

The end of the day finally came around and it was time to hop on the red bus back to the station

Yarndale was a great day out - I'm still bouncing around from the excitement of it all.  Hopefully I'll go next year and meet up with everybody again.