Yarn Bombing in Blairgowrie

This is just a quick post, as I have been away, and shock horror, despite taking it with me, I have not been knitting. Actually that is not strictly true, as I did a tiny bit of knitting on the train to Scotland, but after that it just stayed in my bag. 

But here is a little bit of yarnbombing that I saw in Blairgowrie, and thought would be nice to photograph. I could not see any information as to who had done it, but it was in a little garden near the war memorial, so I suspect that was what it was to commemorate.  But now I am back home, and hopefully back to the needles.

Just a reminder that my Ginx Woolly Linx party for August is now running. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

A Few More 2CVs

2CV orders are a bit like buses. You wait for ages, and then two come along at the same time. The first order was for this black and yellow Charleston 2CV. I really like it when I have to slightly adapt my pattern. Much more interesting for me, and I was really pleased with how the side panels turned out. Here is an actual 2CV Charleston, to show you what I was aiming at.

And then just a few days later I got another order for a red 2CV. Both are knitted from my pattern Henrietta 2CV, and you can read about the original car that inspired me here.  And if you would like me to make a 2CV for you, here is link to the page on Etsy where you can place on order. Although making these little cars is part of my business, it is always very cheering when I hear someone is happy with their purchase.

Just a reminder that my Ginx Woolly Linx party for August is now running. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Ginx Linx Party August

Thanks again for linking up to the July Ginx Linx Party. Last week I went on a little trip to Amsterdam. Knitting and crochet do seem very popular in The Netherlands, so I was not surprised to see a basket with some knitting in the Airbnb that we staying in. I have just read that the word knitting derives from the Dutch word knutten - to knot.

But I digress, so back to the favourite features from the July party.

Raji of Raji's Craft Hobby has made this cute little watermelon pincushion, and there is a really clear tutorial so you can make your own.

This lovely cushion is on Nephi-Handmade. I love the bobble heart design.

And there are more bobbles and a tutorial on Cozy Woodland Cottage Knits, where Arjaye makes a cute little bag. 

Finally I could not resist picking the two dinosaurs on Lalka Crochetka made for her baby nephew. 

An InLinkz Link-up

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Chocolate Labrador

I know if you follow me you might be thinking "Why a chocolate lab, and not a black one?" Simple answer, I hadn't enough black wool, but plenty of brown.  I was flicking through ravelry, looking at the other patterns that someone who had liked one of my patterns had also liked. Does anyone else do this? It sounds a bit creepy, "a knitting pattern stalker", but I often find it a good way to find patterns I like. So I came upon this pattern Rufus the Lab Puppy by Dyah Dyanita, and I thought I would give it a go.

For me this pattern was interesting, as all the pieces except for the ears were knitting in the round. Although I do knit in the round, it is usually only for socks or hats, and in my own designs I tend to knit flat and have lots of seams to sew. All the curves and shaping in this pattern were done by turning mid-row, a technique I use a lot. I can't cope with circular needles so used doublepoints, which made the legs and tails a bit of a fiddle, but this was mainly because my needles were just too long.
 
The hardest thing I found was to attach the legs and tail in quite the right place. 

The tricky thing now is keeping this little lab away from my real labrador. She destroys all her toys in a moment or two. 

Just a reminder that my Ginx Woolly Linx party for July is now running. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Butterfly Baby Shoes

Yes, I know, I have slightly wandered off the Spring flower theme. I was looking through my embroidery stitch book, and found a page where they actually tell you how to embroider a butterfly.  I couldn't resist having a go.

Unusually for me, this is just a generic butterfly. I usually like to be precise, possibly with a latin name, but this time I just used the wool colours that I had to hand.

These shoes are for sale in my Etsy Shop, and the pattern is my Baby Bee Shoes.

Just a reminder that my Ginx Woolly Linx party for July is now running. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Ginx Woolly Linx Party July

Hello again, and welcome to the Ginx Woolly Linx Party for July.  I have just spent a long time looking at all the links for June. Once again I am in awe of some of your projects, and picking favourites has been tricky. I am so happy that the party is getting just a little bit bigger each month.

Maaksels van Carlak has knitted some adorable little rabbits and a bear. Check them out in their shoebox house.

Wild Daffodil has made has crocheted not one, but two of these beautiful blankets for her twin granddaughters. What lucky girls.

EyeLoveKnots has made a crochet summer tank vest. My daughter is now pestering me to make her something similar. 

and finally Lalka Crochetka has made really unique doll based on a child's drawing. I love this project.

Looking forward to seeing your July projects. Remember only projects made from yarn or wool. Doesn't have to be knitting or crochet though - does anyone still do macramé or it could be weaving!

An InLinkz Link-up

Knitting a Selfie

I've been struggling a bit with my knitting for the last few weeks. I've been working on a new pattern, and it just keeps not working out. I am so disheartened, that for the moment all my attempts, notes etc. have been put in a bag. I will come back to it, but for the moment I wanted to just knit something fun, and not have to write down every stitch.  

So it seemed a bit like fate when a knitting competition came up in my facebook feed. CreaCraft's Knit a Selfie competition. The basic head pattern is provided, and after a lot of self-scrutinising in a mirror, here I am. 

The green glasses are fairly realistic, and I improvised the nose, as you need somewhere for your glasses to balance. My hair took a lot of thought. I think of myself as blond, but am getting more and more brown each year. I hope you will notice the touches of grey at the front. Actually I would be over the moon if my hair were as funky as this.

As I don't think I have a terribly distinctive look, I decided to give myself a nice red beret. I do like a cosy woolly hat. The competition is knit a selfie, although I would quite like to have a go at making the rest of my family.

Just a reminder that my Ginx Woolly Linx party for June is now running. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.