Holiday Knitting

I'm just back from 10 days visiting family in the Algarve region of Portugal. Here's what I've been knitting while I was away....

I started Luna Moth shawl, got a couple of repeats in and decided I didn't like how it looked, so I frogged it and started a crochet shawl. I didn't like that either so I frogged that too and started on this: 

That was going fine until I got to the part where I had planned to put in repeats of a different lace pattern to spice it up a bit. However that turned out to be too complex for holiday knitting, so I decided it was time to set it aside for a while.

Fortunately I had come prepared, and I had yarn and needles with me for a Revontuli (Northern Lights) Shawl. Seven days later, and here is the result:

Pretty, isn't it? This was a single ball (150g) of Kauni Effect Yarn and the finished shawl blocks out to 160cmwide by 80cm long - a nice, medium-sized shawl. The fingering-weight wool is cozy too, and it's a fairly solid knitted piece so it is lovely and warm. I'm wearing it tonight as it's very cold outside again and it gets cool in the house late at night.

And on that note, I think I'll go to bed now. I have a busy weekend ahead.

Goodies!!

It has arrived! The parcel from my lovely swap partner, Sally, has arrived. Who wants to see inside?

Just look at all those lovely goodies - all for me!

First up, we have the "pointy things" - lovely wooden needles with the cutest Fimo tops! I will enjoy knitting on these...

Next (and a vital component of every swap parcel!) - sock yarn!  A skein of Bonny from The Yarn Yard in a lovely terracotta colour. 

A book! Sally must be psychic as she managed to work out that I am an avid reader without my ever mentioning it (at least I don't think I did...). Of course this one has a knitting theme, even better!

Next up... more Yarn Yard loveliness. This time it's a soft, squishy batt of lovely carded fibres ready to spin! I can try out my recently-acquired wheel with this! Might even spin some sock yarn...

The next one is slightly surreal. Without further ado, I present to you - a tube of Udder Cream!

I have not been brave enough to use it on my milk-producing organs yet, but I have used a dab on my hands and it is lovely.

And last up, but by no means least... I have saved the best till last.

(A hushed silence of anticipation would be appropriate at this stage...)

Just look at this! I am in love with a skein of yarn! Silky and soft and yummy, and the most beautiful colourway imaginable! I have been coveting this for some time now. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Sally, it is sooo lovely.

And just to sum up, a piccy of all the goodies together. Just because.

New Studio, New Blog

Well it is finally finished - my new, shiny studio! And of course, the first item on the to-do list was to sort out The Stash and get it on display.

I spent last weekend at a beginners basket-making workshop and the resulting baskets are perfect for showing off piles of lovely yarn! So I have a HUGE log-basket (not shown) with yarns for large projects (eg 10 matching balls of polar for a sweater), a medium size basket for odd balls and partial skeins, and a vegetable rack to show off all my sock yarn and yummy single skeins of lace-weight.

(Note to self - stash is getting huge. Must spend less time on Ravelry and knit something with this stuff!)