Summer knits...

Last week I wrote about how I was not likely to get very much knitting done during the school holidays (you can read about that here). Turns out I needn't have worried too much - last weekend saw the completion of not one but two knitty additions to my handmade wardrobe!*

First up were the Langit Socks that have been lanuishing in my sock knitting project bag since we came home from our little Lake District holiday back in early May and have since been suffering from a bad case of second sock syndrome. These socks were the second instalment of the Blue Skies Sock Club -  a bi-monthly yarn and pattern club from The Knitting Goddess that I signed up to at the beginning of the year with the best of sock knitting intentions. I chose the Britsock option so each hand dyed skein I receive is a thoroughly British product -  grown spun and dyed here in the UK. Each skein comes with a sock pattern exclusively designed by the lovely Clare Devine at KnitSharelove. Two more glorious skeins have since arrived along with their respective patterns but I have fallen so far behind I'm really not sure if these skeins will actually become socks. Mainly because I still want to knit ALL the shawls...

acres of stocking stitch...

Also finished is the lovely Bonny sleeveless top by Emily Wessel of Tin Can Knits. I treated myself to her pattern book Handmade in the UK along with five balls of Jamieson & Smith's 2ply laceweight Shetland and lambswool from BritYarn a couple of months back and thought I really should crack on so that I could actually wear it this year before summer (such as it is ) deserted us for another year...

...and a fair bit of lace!

To be honest the thought of knitting an entire garment in laceweight was a little daunting but Bonny is knitted on needles more usually associated with sportweight or dk (I used 3.75mm needles rather than the 3.5mm suggested) to give the fabric plenty of stretch and drape so it actually grows really fast. Knit in the round from the bottom up meant the first half of Bonny was an easy tv knit and once I got the lace pattern established and separated the front and back it just seemed to fly off the needles. I did make one adjustment, knitting a few rows in garter stitch for the hem rather than the roll hem in the pattern -  I find they just keep on rolling over my belly and another spare tyre is the last thing I need!

If you fancy knitting your own Bonny don't be afraid to follow the suggestions for knitting a couple of sizes smaller than you usually would. My Bonny is knit with 4" of negative ease (ie 4" less than my actual bust measurement) and fits perfectly!

Using the J&S wool made this a suprisingly budget knit, coming in at less than £15 - once again proving that knitting with homegrown yarn needn't be expensive!
I absolutely love it. In fact I love it so much I might even knit another one in something a little more luxurious...

Not one to hang about, I have already cast on my next item from Handmade in the UK, the fabulous Lush cardigan, using more British wool - Wendy Ramsdale DK in the Bedale colourway (also purchased from BritYarn). It's 3/4 length sleeves make it perfect for those cooler September days.

Yes, I am looking forward to Autumn already...





*there is a reason why I had extra knitting time. I went out on Saturday night and danced the night away with friends. On Sunday I literally could not walk... must remember that I am not 18 anymore!

 PS - for those of you who are wondering, I have also made a little progress on my other summer projects as mentioned in the last blog post and hope to have a new pattern or two to share with you very soon!

School's out for summer...

Well as it's been almost a month since my last post I thought I had better check in before I forgot I had a blog!!

Those last week's of summer term always seem to fly by in a daze of sports days, school fetes, end of term parties and class exhibitions of the year's work all whilst I desperately tie up the last financial year's shop paperwork for the accountant, make sure all of this year's is up to date so I don't panic over the holidays AND get my own tax return sorted.

But it's done and now the summer holidays have begun!

We have day trips to plan and a short seaside break in the camper to look forward to. Riley has discovered his reading mojo so regular trips to our local library will be essential and our very local (just 10 mins walk away ) independent cinema has the most amazing ticket prices which means weekly movie trips are possible, even on our very limited budget! I also have some home projects to work on like finishing the kitchen re-paint and tackling more of the garden jungle...

But what about knitting? Well to be honest it's been too hot for much knitting the last couple of weeks, (although, typically, now the summer hols have started the cooler weather is back!) and constant interruptions of the small boy variety means anything too complicated is out so I have decided to dedicate this summer to home knitting and crochet projects - simple, easy to pick up and put down at a moment's notice; portable, so I can work on them in the park whilst Riley plays and mostly using cotton yarns which are cool to handle and don't make my hands sweat!



New dish cloths and wash cloths for starters, knitted and crocheted in Drops ❤s You 5 - an aran weight recycled cotton yarn. (I've made a start with the Happy Face Cloths from the wonderful book Crochet Therapy I reviewed here). I may even knit a tea towel or two! This yarn is perfect for placemats and coasters too as it's washable, hard wearing  and comes in lots of pretty colours, so I may add some simple linen stitch table accessories to my summer making list...

I have crochet summer bedspread to work on in beautiful jewel colours of Drops Safran cotton yarn.

Then there is the cat bed I started a while back hooked up from strips of fabric using a 10mm hook. I have used all the fabric I prepared and really need to hunt through my stash for some more. Or scour the charity shops for old bed sheets which are perfect for recycling in this way!

I know the next six weeks will fly by and it will be back to school time before we know it. Riley is getting older and it won't be long before summer hols won't be about day trips with Mummy any more but hanging out with his mates so I feel the need to make the most of our time together while I can! Making memories is my priority this summer.

Making things can wait until the nights draw in again...