Wee flowers

The only thing more utterly charming than these little cakes of Rowan Fine Tweed is the hat that I'm knitting with them.



I am completely in love with the way that the yarns look together and how the main colour in one shade is picked up by the tweedy flecks in another. The hat is, of course, Kate Davies' Peerie Flooers and I have enough yarn to knit the hat plus matching mittens and then maybe another smaller hat when I'm done. The  only colour that I've substituted is the blue for the flower petals - John Lewis, Reading were completely out of Murker so I've used Skipton instead. I did toy with the idea of using a different colour scheme (I think grey with pinks and purples would look completely fabulous) but I just love the perkiness of Kate's original design. The other thing I love is how quickly this seems to be knitting up. The temptation to knit "just one more repeat" means you whip through the rows really quickly.

And that's your lot

So if you count the hats in these mosaics and add them to the 32 in this post and the 20 in this post you get the grand total of ...



... 90 hats!

Favourites this time are of course the pink sheep in the top mosaic and all the little Fair Isle hats. I started making the Fair Isle hats last Friday and just got sucked in. I think I might have been missing 'real' knitting and I was definitely feeling the colourwork urge (maybe because I have these hats mentally lined up to knit as soon as I get the yarn).

In the meantime I'm doing some Finnish colourwork.



These are Rovaniemi mittens and I've got the full yarn kebab going on.



They're knitting up surprisingly quickly given that I'm working on 2mm needles. Of course it was helped by a mammoth knitting session in the pub last night. I thought it was going to be a quiet night but we had three new knitters - autumn is obviously the season for joining the knitting group.

Hats off

I've just parcelled up the little hats to send to innocent for their Big Knit 2011. And how many did I knit in the end? Well you'll have to wait for the final round-up post to find out but the parcel weighs just under 500 grams - that's nearly a whole sweater!*



You can see one of the latest batch of hats in the middles of the photo. I got a bit carried away with the Fair Isle in the end (which I think is a sign that I'm ready to get back to some 'real' knitting now).

*Although I suppose a fair amount of that is pom-pom.

Perfect pompoms every time

In response to Lynne's comment on my last post here's my quick and easy recipe for making pompoms. I came up with this method the first year that I started knitting Innocent smoothie hats when I realised that the traditional technique was just going to drive me insane.

1) Cut out two 1 inch circles (I draw around a 2p piece) from a piece of cardboard.





2) Fold each circle in half and make two cuts to cut out a small square from the centre (life's too short to be cutting out tiny circles).



3) Measure out three arm lengths of dk weight yarn, tie the ends in a knot, double the yarn and then thread the doubled yarn through the eye of a large yarn needle and pull through so the ends are even (i.e. you will be pulling 8 strands of yarn at once through the hole).



4) Sandwich the two card circles together and wrap the yarn around them until the hole in the centre is absolutely filled (this is the real secret to a properly plump pompom).





5) Cut a 4-5 inch piece of yarn and thread the yarn needle. Pull aside the strands of yarn and insert the needle between the card circles and out the other side (don't go through the centre of the pompom). Repeat until the yarn goes all the way around the pompom then tie the ends in a single knot.







6) Taking care not to snip the ends of the yarn you're using to tie the pompom use a pair of sharp scissors to snip through the strands of yarn wrapped around the card circles.



7) Pull the single knot tight around the centre of the pompom and then tie another knot to secure it.



8) Trim any long strands until the surface of the pompom is even and then use the two ends to secure your pompom to your hat.

More wee hats

I had thought that I was running out of steam on the wee hats but it turned out that all I needed was a fresh injection of stash odds and ends into the project bag and another seven hours on trains this weekend to get me going again. Yes, it turns out that I am that easily amused that simply knitting with different coloured yarn is enough to enthuse me. In addition to the twenty hats featured above I've got another ten knit up and simply needing a pompom - the pompom-less beanie is not a good look on an Innocent smoothie it transpires - plus one more where the pompom completely blended into the wall behind when I took the photo.

Favourites from this batch include:

The ladybird spot hat

Another sheepie hat - this time with added loopiness (loops made every other stitch rather than every fourth stitch).

and all the hats featuring Harris rib stitch (as it's called in my Harmony guide).

Afternoon tea at Hughenden Manor

On Saturday we visited Hughenden Manor in Buckinghamshire, former home of Benjamin Disraili and now a National Trust property. We'd been to John Lewis to drop off our carpet offcuts for whipping (we're nearly at the end of that particular saga I hope) and decided to make an afternoon of it in High Wycombe.




This was the dining room set out for afternoon tea. Our own tea, taken in the stable block, was slightly more modest but the cakes lived up to the National Trust's reputation.



Today I made my own afternoon tea - Nigella Lawson's Banana Bread - this is an absolute classic from Domestic Goddess but the recipe's also online at nigella.com. This is what you want to bake if you have someone coming to view your house. Sadly the husband is not at all keen on banana bread, but at least that means all the more for me.

Leaping on the bandwagon

After reading Lynne's post last week I was suddenly inspired to get a move on and join in with the Innocent Big Knit 2011. After spending the last couple of months working solidly on Deco and the Garter Yoke Cardi it's really nice to be churning out these tiny little finished objects and (which is the main point) I've worked through 150 g of odds and ends in my stash.
No surprises that my favourite so far is this guy:

I'm very pleased that Mikal badgered persuaded me into knitting him. I also knitted a Lynne-inspired Kermit hat.

Here's the full roll-call so far. I plan to keep knitting until a) I reach 100* or b) I run out of time before the deadline or c) I get bored - whichever happens first.

One of the things I really like about this is it's like a yarn-y trip down memory lane. For instance the second hat from the left in the bottom row above is knit from the end of a skein of Socks That Rock in Moonstone which I used to knit a pair of lace socks for Felix; the very bottom right hat is knit in Artisan Threads yarn bought at Woolfest 2009 in the company of Kate, Lara, and Felix. That was such a fabulous trip and it's lovely to have a fibrous reminder of it. The wee sheepy above is (appropriately enough) knit from Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds yarn (cream) and some brown that I used for my eldest niece's Baby Sheep Yoke cardigan. Kermit (also below) is knit from Jo Sharp yarn that I bought in Australia on my honeymoon and which I used to knit a Debbie Bliss cardigan for my baby niece Kate. I could go on for ages here but I'll just do one more - the third hat from the left in the top row below is knit from the hand dyed (by me) yarn which I used to knit the Bonfire night mitts that got devoured by moths (not the same as these hand dyed mitts that got devoured by moths - it's obviously a recurring theme round here).

* I have a strong competitive instinct and six years worth of leftovers to work through.

Due to popular demand*

I am knitting the sheep hat (last week's pattern of the week) for Innocent's Big Knit. More wee hats later today folks.

* that means you Mikal

Done Deco

Meet my new favourite item of clothing:

I really need a photoshoot director to give me notes on posture

Pattern: Deco by the immensely talented Kate Davies
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers in #9322 Silver Spruce (4.75 100g skeins)
Needles: 3mm circulars
Modifications: I started the neck shaping at the same time as the armhole shaping for extra "scoopiness" and knit all parts of the cardigan with a 3mm needle (as I didn't think that I could use a smaller size needle without breaking it).
Ravelled: here

so that's what my hair looks like from the back

if you look carefully you can see the photographer

As those who know me will testify, this has been a bit of a slog. Nothing to do with the pattern which is completely joyous to knit and contains some of my very favourite techniques. Nothing to do with the yarn either. This was my first time knitting with Cascade 220 and I love it - it's soft, sturdy, felts beautifully (very important for spit splicing) and comes in a cracking range of colours. The issue really was with trying to knit a yarn with a recommended gauge of 18-20 stitches per inch on 4.5-5mm needles at a gauge of 26 stitches per inch on 3mm needles. It's lucky that KnitPros are so sturdy. If you do try this at home I warn you in advance that it will be tricky and there will be a lot of soul searching about drape and whether, when finished, your cardigan will be able to stand up on its own. However, if you stick with it the reward is a wonderfully soft, structured cardigan that keeps you toasty even on a nippy September morning when you're wondering whether footless tights (as opposed to ones with feet) are such a bright idea.

Now for the details:

The buttons (which complement the design of the cardigan splendidly) are from Darn it and Stitch as is the ribbon (of which I hope Kate approves). I probably could have done a more invisible job with the blind stitching but when you're using vintage Sylko threads it seems a shame not to see them.

Local yarn for local people

When I popped into Darn It and Stitch yesterday after work I was thrilled to see that Jo is now stocking the beautiful pure Ryeland yarn from Blacker Yarns. I have knit with this stuff before and it is lovely. However, I was even more excited when she told me why she was stocking that particular line - it is from local sheep! Sheep, in fact, that I have seen in Wolvercote whilst out running. I was so excited that I nearly gave up my plans for a laceweight lace cardigan (a la this one from Cath Kidston) and bought DK yarn instead.

Jo also has new yarn in from Oxford Kitchen Yarns (another local supplier). Sadly there wasn't quite enough of the sock in Sunflower which would have been the perfect shade to mimic the yellow cashmere used in the CK cardigan.

There's not quite enough time** to show you what I actually purchased but it did come one of Jo's lovely new paper bags.

* apologies for the quality of the photos - I was rushing to catch a bus! ** rushing for another bus

As I type

My Deco cardigan is blocking on my living room floor. I really hope it will be dry by tomorrow morning as I'd like to take it up to Bolton with me to work on the finishing (buttons, snaps, and button band facing to sew on, ends to weave in). Yep, I'm finally ready to commit to weaving in some ends after trying it on earlier this afternoon (albeit in a somewhat damp state) and deciding that it does fit as well as I'd like it too. Ideally I want it finished for Monday so I can wear it with my favourite summer dress before the good weather goes away entirely. Then I'll just have to settle for wearing it with my favourite autumn dress (really also a summer dress but can be worn with thick tights).

Teatime at the museum

Inspired by my gallery outing with Lara last weekend, this Sunday I headed into town for a spot of 19th century art and tea and cake at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Once I'd made my way around the Pisarros on the third floor mezzanine I headed down to to the basement to investigate the cafe which, despite its subterranean location, is bright and airy and a lovely place to relax after wandering round the galleries (or indeed the gift shop).

Although it was lunchtime and although the soup did look really nice I'd gone in there with the idea of having tea and cake and I stuck to my guns.

I had a really lovely pot or Earl Grey tea and a magnificent slice of chocolate fudge cake whilst I put in some more work on my Deco cardigan - I'm very happy that I've found another lovely place to drink tea and knit.

Bank Holiday outing #2

I had another lovely Bank Holiday outing today, this time to London to meet the lovely Lara for tea and a catch-up at Yumchaa. Once we'd finished exchanging all our news we headed off to Liberty for a browse round the haberdashery department. Like Kate we too found the lovely new Rowan fine tweed yarn. I'm very glad now that Lara prevented me from impulse-buying any yarn at the time as now I can buy the yarn in the right amounts and colours for Kate's lovely hat pattern (once it's published).

Once we'd pulled ourselves away from Liberty we went for a wander around the National Gallery followed by more tea in the lovely new Peyton and Byrne cafe (recently reviewed here). I had the Bakewell tart and Lara had the peach and honey tart and they were both delicious.



[Bakewell tart]

Of course there was plenty of time for knitting, both at the cafe and on the train to and from Oxford. I finished the second sleeve cap on my Deco cardigan but I'm afraid I'm not really further on than I was yesterday as I had to rip back about half of the first sleeve after realising that I had interpreted the instruction to knit rows A and B then repeat 6 times, as meaning knit rows A and B 6 times in total, and then executed them to knit rows A and B five times in total. The nice lady sitting opposite me on the train on the way back was somewhat distressed by my undoing so much of my knitting but as I explained, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. Still hoping to finish Deco by the end of the week but sadly I don't think it won't be blocked in time to wear to my dad's birthday dinner at the weekend.

Bank Holiday outing #1

The husband and I took advantage of our brand new National Trust membership and the half-decent weather forecast on Sunday to pop over the border and visit Charlecote Park in Warwickshire.



[even the gatehouse is fancy]

We arrived just as the house and outbuildings were being evacuated after a fire alarm but we were allowed into the park to eat our sandwiches and pork pies and by the time we'd finished our picnic the alarm was over and we were able to look round the house.

The park had been home to the Lucy family since the 1200s but was decorated as it had been in the mid-19th century by Mary Elizabeth Lucy.



[orange bedroom]

The grounds and gardens, set on the banks of the River Avon and River Dene, are beautiful with a herd of fallow deer roaming about them.



[cascade into the Avon]

Luckily the weather stayed fine for long enough for us to wander round before heading into the cafe for tea and cake.









If there are two things the National Trust does well it's gardens and cake.