Knitting news

Hello there, hoping you've all had a good week. Wednesday was a very warm sunny day, very nice at knit & natter. Quietly knitting and chatting in the pub conservatory. Cold temperatures crept back in again on Thursday, not so good... it was the cold biting wind that shocked the most. 

I have a few finished cloths and one nearly finished Fish & Chip Vest today.

A washcloth (flannel) knitted in Aran weight Sugar 'n' Cream in Mistletoe colourway. 4.5mm needles.
The pattern is Broken Rib from 'Knit Yourself Calm' book by Lynne Rowe.

A dishcloth knitted in Sugar 'n' Cream Aran weight, Potpourri colourway. This pattern is by Garlene of  The Kitchen Sink for April. It is called Nancy Drew. There is a book to read-a-long with it if you wish. The book is The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene. Have a look on Facebook, or instagram  'thekitchinsinkshop' if this interests you. 

I've started slipping the first stitch purl wise and casting off the last stitch like 'Very Pink Knits Youtube' to make a neater finish. Sometimes I forget to slip purl wise and don't always go back to correct it.   

Fish & Chip Jumper or Vest

I've made these before, some of you may remember my dear QT (sadly passed away a few years ago) modelling one to show sizing. There are two sizes, just change needle size as they're both knitted in DK yarn. The vests and hats are sent to charities in Africa, for the purpose of wrapping babies up before they go home. 
They're requested to knitted in bright colours, no pastels and very little light shades. Cheerful is the aim here. The neck hole is basically a large button hole. 

The net bag with its zip is a laundry bag. It means that I can swap out projects in their net bags and take two or three to knit & natter, in just one bag. With the chattering, it's hard to concentrate on any tricky bits. I have several projects on the go for this such as: Wash cloths, dishcloths, charity knits and socks if I'm on the sections without shaping. 

Angus in his conservatory bed having a snooze. His bed is tucked under the clothes horse drying a towel. Poor dog with his crumpled cheek. 

What are you knitting at the moment?
How do you feel about mistakes in your knitting/crochet, can you leave it, or do you have to correct it? 

Ttfn 
Take care

Knitting news & garden

Hello there,

Thank you for visiting my blog last week and for leaving a comment, I read every one. 
I hope you all had a lovely Easter... I meant to post this on Friday. 
 
This week I've been knitting up a storm. I've finished the Shawl from a Facebook KAL (knit-a-long). It was chosen as a suitable Lent project. Yesterday I blocked it and left it drying overnight. It's the first time that I've blocked properly. In the past I've pinned and sprayed the knitting with water... it didn't work satisfactorily. I've decided to have another go at blocking a Lent scarf, that I made a few years ago. It has never looked flat, rather the edges have curled in. 

Close up of the lace design

I finished this book last week. I'm working my way through Faith Martin's series 'Ryder and Loveday'. I'm thoroughly enjoying the series. It features 1960's WPC Loveday being put to one side to 'help' coroner Dr Ryder. He used to be a top surgeon until his health forced him to change career. When cases seem unsatisfactory in the coroner's report, Ryder requests it is looked into further. Loveday 'assists' part time, then returns to the station daily, to continue her regular work. I've ordered the next book through the library. 

The fenced off area, Mark is trying to improve the soil. It is wet and slippery clay soil. So he's removing clay plugs and replacing it with multi-purpose compost and grass seed. He sectioned the first part off with a fence. 

In the autumn we emptied one of the compost bins onto this bed. Last week, we added some chippings from Johnny's work. The men dropped half a builder's bag off and stopped to cuddle Angus, of course. Hopefully it will help to keep down the weeds. If more chippings are available, we'll continue round the corner with the wild flower border.

A lovely lot of bulbs waiting for their turn to bloom, after the daffodils.

Take care and have a good week.