Thankfully the new Rowan Autumn/Winter Magazine is in with plenty of colour , a veritable Rainbow - almost like the one after Noah's Flood .
Talking of Noah's flood..... weather here has been disgraceful of late , so bad I am sure I am growing webbed feet. It is a deluge , or monsoon without the tropical heat .
Still plenty to catch my eye and keep me cheery in this magazine - my favourite is the Martin Storey Coat witht he huge roses on the collar and hem and the Kaffe Fasset sweater and Scarf that is shown on the front of the magazine . And I really love the wee cable hat in cocoon chunky yarn . I feel the need to knit this up asap!
However , I really need to keep my feet warm (and avoid the webbing!) , so I am glad I finally finished my two at a time Socks - Opal Harry Potter Yarn , colourway Tonks!
Here is my feet trying to catch some daylight! I took the center of the ball for the second sock , so I was literally knitting from the same ball for both socks at the same time on my circular needle . And , as I can be rather odd at times , I like my self striping socks to be slightly different , or in this case - completely!
Had a wonderful afternoon yesterday , and thankfully the sun came out eventually (for a short time!) . The lovely Yvette and her DH are over in Scotland for a holiday and came up to Once a Sheep in Gourock for the afternoon , and look what she brought ..... a gorgeous project bag in the sunniest , summery pink ! Very talented is Yvette. I blushed when her DH asked if I already had ONE ..... as I probably have several (like all good knitters should!) . It is already in use , I finally started my July Toe-Up sock KAL in my Hulk yarn , and yes , I am doing the Brainless sock pattern by Yarnissima .
We had a lovely lunch (I was treated!) at Cafe continental - their Fish and Chips are gorgeous , and apparently so is the Steak Sandwich! Yvette should be her fabulous Wendy Johnson Sock book , knitting from the toe-up , and I really think this might be one for the wish list .Yvette should me her gorgeous socks with fairisle pattern done toe-up and a "proper" heel, in a lovely purple shade , in Yarnyard clan yarn (ooh, try saying that quickly twentytimes , lol) . The books showed lots of ideas for different heel patterns for toe-up socks , apart from the usual short-row . so pretty and unusual .
Later that afternoon I was traipsing through the local charity shop for a "Tweed Jacket just like Dr Who " for DS1 when I came across some of this yarn . Greenock Brand Aran in Natural . Nearby Greenock used to have huge "Merino Mills" , but by the time this yarn was spun there weren't many mills left!
The lovely Moira in our knitting group collects Greenock patterns and yarn , anything to do with the old Greenock Brand , so she will be the lucky recipient!She is as they say , knitted in Greenock herself (just like me) .
Finally , my good friend gave birth to her wee girl Poppy last Monday , so I had to get my skates on and finish these - a wee cardi and Mary-Jane bootees done in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino silver and red - with wee ladybird buttons .
She was a good healthy 8 and a half pounds , so hopefully these will fit her well .
Now my next project - a knitted sun and suntan suit!
Summer is the season for Knit - a - longs! It helps us keep up the knitting mojo when it doesn't feel the weather for it!
The Ishbel - a - long went well , and Karen took lots of photo's of the finished shawls and made photo montage - see here
The latest KAL is the Kaya shrug , and top down seamless shrug knit in chunky yarn . Moira found the pattern and some lovely yarn and was the inspiration for the rest of us . Karen had just ordered in some lovely alpaca/merino/silk/ chunky yarn so some of us took up the challenge. I have just the final ribbing to do on the sleeves , and I kept mine especially cropped as I like that look .
However , tonight some of us will cast-on for the Toe-up sock KAL , using one of the variety of toe-up cast-on methods . Personally I am favouring the Turkish method , but Judy's magic cast-on does give a tighter finish so I am still undecided .
One thing I am decided on though is the pattern and yarn , I will be doing the Brainless pattern with my Hulk yarn! Brainless is another Yarnissima pattern , my friend Irene has already done another Yarnissima pattern called Firestarter , its a very effective pattern and looks great .
My sister is considering some lovely patterns by Wendy Johnson , who appears to favour knitting socks toe-up having written a whole book of toe-up patterns!
For those of you on Ravelry , I believe there are one or two free Wendy Johnson patterns , one in particular that comes to mind is Rivulets, a lovely lacy design .
I guess its time to finish off some WIP's before I start these socks - then again maybe not!
