It's the first day of a new year, and I've managed to catch a cold. Which isn't surprising as there are cold and flu bugs everywhere right now. So I've spent the day mainly curled up on the sofa, listening to the radio, re-watching 'Mary Poppins' on TV, eating far too much chocolate and ... knitting.
I don't knit very much at all, and my skills are basic, entry level. But for some reason the thought lodged in my head that I wanted to knit a shawl. I watched several YouTube videos and tried a few methods of knitting a triangular shape, and this was by far the easiest. You simply cast on three stitches - double knitting wool, size 4mm needles - and then increase 1 stitch at the beginning of each row. The video I watched showed the shawl being made entirely in garter stitch, but I prefer the look of plain and purl. The yarn used isn't actually sheep's wool, but 100% acrylic. However, it's not scratchy or unpleasant to handle, and at about £6 for 300g it was a very reasonable price. For anyone who's U.K. based, it's 'Sarah Ashford' marble yarn, and was found in - of all places - Home Bargains. There were only two colourways to choose from, pink or blue, as it was labelled as suitable for baby knitting. (Honestly! 2025 and we're still being sold products for babies in either pink or blue dependent on whether the child's male or female.)
When I get tired of knitting I've plenty of books to dive into as these were Christmas presents. The paperbacks were from a lucky dip bag where various books in plain packaging were piled up together and family members chose packages at random. I initially picked 'The Handmaid's Tale' but I'd read that before, and it's so grim I don't think I can bring myself to re-read it, so gave that to someone else.
Also in the picture are skeins of crewel wool I was gifted, and a purple zip up bag that was made from material salvaged from an air balloon! The bag was bought by my niece, in Bristol where I used to live, and there's a factory located there who make air balloons, plus a yearly fiesta where dozens and dozens of balloons take to the air at the same time. So that purple material probably drifted through the sky over Bristol at some time or another. I used to have a flat at the top of a hilly part of Bristol, and the balloon fiesta would have an early morning take-off. If the skies were clear and the wind was in the right direction I got the most amazing views from my flat. I'd be practically hanging out of the windows watching the amazing variety of balloons float by.
I was very lucky at Christmas and also received these two books by Cas Holmes. Lovely inspirational photographs throughout each, and I know I'll be leafing through these endlessly and mining them for ideas.
I received a couple of embroidery books, and also a dressmaking one (though I have to admit I'm not a dressmaker so I'm unlikely to make use of the 'Zero Waste Patterns'. Which I feel a bit guilty about, but dressmaking is too exacting for me. Accuracy is needed when it comes to measurements, and I think I'd find that too much like a Maths lesson. I never did enjoy mathematics at school.)
I also received this, and am definitely going to try some of the exercises in here where you print on fabric and experiment with colours and patterns.
Well, there's not much more to tell you as I've not done a lot in the last few days, except sniff and sneeze. I did take down all the Christmas decorations this morning. I know that's earlier than is traditional, but I like to start a New Year with them gone. I hope your Christmas was fun, and let's hope 2025 sees a more peaceful world for us all. Bye for now.
Comments
Post a Comment