I Won First Prize!

I woke up yesterday morning to a great email, letting me know I was the winner of the Malabrigo Sock Design contest. (If you're not familiar with mal yarn, Sock is the name of the yarn type). As a prize I get to choose any Malabrigo Yarn and colorway of your choosing, and they're going to send me a whole bag of it. Plus, a whole bag of their test yarn, Dos! I've rarely been so excited!

I've just posted my pattern on Ravelry, and you can buy it there (or click below). My whole store is now viewable, even if you're not a member of Ravelry.

This pattern was inspired by the beautiful Malabrigo Sock Indiecita colorway and T.S. Eliot’s “sea-girls wreathed in seaweed”. As I looked at the yarn, I could envisage the sea otters and mermaids, tangling themselves in the safety of the kelp forests on a cold winter day. You can twine yourself in this twisting kelp pattern, featured on the cuffs of the fingerless mitts and hat band, while staying toasty on land or sea.

Sneak Peak

I submitted my design this weekend for the Malabrigo Sock design contest.
The pattern will be up for sale soon. I thought I'd put up a sneak preview in the meantime.










We took our pictures outside Tate Modern. I really wanted to take them in the Ai WeiWei sunflower seeds, but we were a few days too late to walk on them, and it basically looked just like a gravel pit from where you were allowed to stand. A real disappointment!

This weekend we went curling for Martin's birthday. There's only one curling rink in England, and it's in Tunbridge Wells. It seemed an easy sport to get started on, but I think it'd take a lot of practice to be any good.

 

painted ponies

About a year ago (or maybe more, I'm not sure!), I painted the horses in our copy of Winner's Circle. My husband asked me to paint them because some of the horses were very similar in color. So, when you play this game in a dark pub, it's easy to mistake which one is which as they travel around the board.

I originally thought about using the silks of famous jockeys or stables as inspiration, but in the end I just used my imagination. I also painted numbers on each horse's flank for ease of recognition.

fall hats

I know I have been quite quiet lately. I was going to blame it on being too busy for the summer (I went to 4 weddings, and was invited to two others on the same day ones I attended!), but now the weather has turned. I can't say I'm happy about this. I much prefer when only laying by the side of the pool feels comfortable, and only when you get in the pool about every half hour. But I guess I wouldn't have as much fun knitting if I lived somewhere like that.

I'm expecting to put out a few new patterns soon (hence the copyright update). One is for the malabrigo design contest, and another just for fun. But for now, here's a few photos of other things I've worked on.

Xenocryst Hat - from Knitscene Fall 2010


Fair Isle Hat - this one is from a kit I picked up at the Ally Pally show from Euro Japan Trading Co.

Twilight Flies Shawl - from the popular Summer Flies pattern

the fine print

The entire contents of any pattern purchased from me and the knitted design to which it refers are subject to copyright. In purchasing a pattern you agree to print and use the pattern only for your personal non-commercial use. You may not distribute or sell electronic or paper copies of the pattern, nor may you sell any items produced using the directions of the pattern.

This agreement applies to any of my patterns purchased on this blog, ravelry, or elsewhere.

My Girly 4th of July

I'm having a bit of a girly weekend to myself, since my husband is off on a stag weekend.
It had a great start, where I was woken up by the postman delivering the package my mom sent. She'd been to a quilt show, and was awesome enough to send me some stuff. I am in love with the tea towels she sent!!!

I have already finished the first one. I know, it makes you sick, mom :)
I think the cute crochet border is what really makes them pop. It makes me wonder what other things I could add some borders to.

If you want to get some of your own, it's the Victory Garden Project Pack and she got them from Erica's. It looks like you can also purchase just the borders if you want to fancy some things up. I think they'd look great on some kitchen curtains, or maybe a cute summer skirt.

I also dyed some fabric in my machine. It's some of the leftover sheer fabric from the bottom of my ikea curtains. I plan to use it to make a little summer dress from my Twinkle book. I used Dylon's powder pink machine dye.


Since I'm on my own for the weekend, it means I've been eating lots of junk food, drinking cola, and watching whatever junk TV I feel like. Which meant Pride & Prejudice followed by Braveheart last night. And I had a delicious tea, courtesy of our friend who breezed through as she returned home from Copenhagen. She couldn't remember what these delicious treats were called, but they were on a list of 5 things a local told her she must eat on her trip. Thankfully, she didn't have time to eat them while in Copenhagen, so we got to share in their delight. A little bit like a marshmallow bunny, but 1000 times better and more luxurious.


I've also had plenty of time for the World Cup and Wimbledon. My favorite team for the World Cup has been Uruguay, and I promise it's not just because I've been captivated by the beautiful Diego Forlan. Though he certainly doesn't hurt...

quilting for friends

One of my friends was recently diagnosed with lymphoma. I wanted to do something special for him, so I decided on a lap quilt. I have heard these can be good for patients undergoing chemo. Besides the benefits of giving warmth in a cold hospital room, quilts are great ways of reminding people that you care of them. Also, colorful or intricate quilts can provide a distraction; something to look at or think about in quiet moments.

I wanted to maximize the colors and patterns, so I got two sets of coordinating charm squares. I only had to repeat 6 fabrics in the whole quilt. I also decided on a disappearing 9 patch so the colors would be broken up, but I could also complete the project quickly. Here's a look at the finished 9 patches, before I made them "disappear".


Once I finished the top, I machine quilted in a large, overlapping square pattern. Then I added a few details by hand. I quilted around each central square, and quilted an "L" for the patient's surname.



I had chosen greens and browns to give a forest feel, and embroidered a quilt label to match this theme.


I had some fabric bits left over at the end, so I decided to make a pin cushion for his fiance. This was my first time doing English Paper Piecing. This was a cute pattern I got at Fabric Shack last year. I sewed the entire thing by hand. It was actually very easy, and a great thing to do while watching some World Cup action.



This whole project was really fun for me, because it reminded me how much I love doing needlework by hand. I was quite pleased with my results, and how easily it all came back to my fingers.

this is what picture-in-picture was made for

No, we don't have picture-in-picture TV. Do they even make that anymore? I'm stuck using the "swap" button on the remote.

I've watched almost every World Cup game so far. For anyone who doesn't know, that's 3 games per day. Today was the Portugal v. N. Korea game, and I was actually hoping Portugal would lose and get knocked out of the tournament. I also really wanted to see the Switzerland v. Chile game, because I think it's going to be good. With 15 or so minutes between these two games, I just leave the commentary on the TV to wait for the next one. At which point my husband calls.

"Are you watching Wimbledon?...because you should be." I had already decided in the morning not to bother with Wimbledon today, since it's only the first day, and nothing much exciting happens on the first day. I turn on the TV, and Federer is 2 sets down!

This whole thing has the tension of a final match. Since Falla, Federer's opponent, is getting worked on, so I don't doubt Federer will pull through.  But part of me is really pulling for Falla to triumph, even though Federer is my favorite in tennis.

All this exciting TV watching has really made me into a craft machine. So far I've knit the Aspen Hat and Balthazar Vest from Twinkle's Big City Knits: 31 Chunky-Chic Designs with the Art yarn I got back at the Ally Pally show. I've pieced, quilted (by hand and machine), and bound a disappearing nine-patch lap quilt. And I'm about to start up the Marilyn Sweater from Twinkle with some Misti Alpaca that's been sitting in my stash for quite awhile.

I'm also excited I finally get to post some pictures of the two baby sweaters I knit. I've been waiting to put them up until I finally sent them off to the parents-to-be.

The first is a tiny one from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac. This baby has already had its due date past, but is still hanging around in the womb.

The second one is for my sister's baby. She already knows it will be a boy, but he won't arrive until sometime in October.

I've been really busy this week!
I just finished a big tufted pillow from Amy Butler's In Stitches: More Than 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects.  It will really come in handy when we host our USA v. England cook out.

It also matches the curtains I recently made up for our spare room. The fabric is from Ikea, and I just love its big print.
 
I've also been doing a ton of quilt piecing. Here are all the squares I finished for my 12" Storm at Sea quilt. I also finished all the rectangles that go between them, so I just need to get all the units sewn together. I LOVE having the pre-cuts. John Flynn and family are geniuses.

It was my birthday last friday, and we went to the roller disco in Vauxhall. I think everyone was nervous it would be over crowded, and the skating wouldn't be very fun. But it was a good number, and everyone was really great on their skates! And best of all, there were no major injuries.

spring growth

I've been busy enjoying the spring weather here. It's not anything like what I'm used to (near 80F, 27C), but it's a lot better than clouds and rain. My parents are coming over to visit this weekend, so I'm really glad all the airports are open again. It's funny that the whole time the ash cloud was overhead, we hadn't had sunnier skies. We spent lots of time outside at the weekend, including sitting out near the Royal Naval College and teaching ourselves cribbage.


I also did a quick project this weekend. I spotted it in my Lion Brand email update, and I had some yarn from a Secret Santa swap. It's called Island Shawl, and it only took me two leisurely days to make. I didn't have as much yarn as the project asks for, but I only wanted a short shawl. I also did 3 repeats of the lace pattern instead of 4, since my yarn is bulky.



And finally, I want to show you my garden progress. I spray painted our bench, and my mother-in-law helped me clear out a load of overgrowth. I had 8 bags of garden waste picked up (thanks Lewisham council!), and I've gotten another full bag together today.


There is a sad box hedge and some kind of palm leafed plant that are in pretty sad shape. They were completely covered by a shrub that is now gone. But the box already has some new growth and will hopefully continue to recover.

I think the springtime has made me leave my brain somewhere else. I feel like my house is full of half finished things, least of all my knitting projects. Here's a peak at a new one I started.
 
I've also been out working in the garden during the few bits of sunshine we've had. It's terribly overgrown. It's funny how you can be out there for a few hours, and it doesn't look like you've done a thing. I'm putting this photo here, so hopefully by the end of spring I can show you something far more manicured.

This bench was almost black with dirt before. I have plans to paint it, and move more into the sunny bit.

lots of lace

This friday I attended the IKnit Mini Weekender, which was basically a bunch of classes hosted by the store. Mine was a lace class taught by Maggie Peake. Maggie showed us a lot of things she's knit with lace; mostly vintage patterns, adapted to include lace. She really encouraged us to not feel like lace was only for shawls and scarves.
The class had people of all skill levels, and Maggie was great at speaking to everyone's level and being very encouraging to everyone. The only bad part was that we all spent so much time discussing, I don't think we got very much knitting done. But it would have been boring otherwise, as it's quite difficult to keep track of where you are in lace and have a conversation at the same time.

I decided to make a chunky belt. I went for a dark, rusty red, and plan to add some sort of fringe or lacing. I'm hoping a cowboy/mexican/western trend will catch on for the fall.

I'm also working on finishing the seams for my Leafy Glen Shell from The Knitter's Book of Wool: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding, Using, and Loving this Most Fabulous Fiber



I'm really digging the Darwin Deez tune "Radar Detector" they've been playing on 6Music lately. Turns out they're playing at Pure Groove, a record shop here in London in a few weeks.

fire flowers

While a friend of mine was making breakfast for his girlfriend for Valentine's Day, he also managed to set alight his gift for her. Luckily, the wrapping paper took most of the heat, but it left her with a scorched hat.

She asked me to make her a few flower brooches to cover the mark. She picked out a some colors from my wool, and I got to work needle felting!




I hadn't needle felted in a long time. But the great thing about this craft is that it doesn't take long to create something beautiful out of a lump of wool.