I’m still working on the crochet version of The Hiking Reindeer cowl. It’s slow, because slow is what tends to happen when you work 4-ply (US: fingering) black yarn in a gloomy room when your previously-stupendous eyesight has suddenly remembered that you’re not young any more and has gone all blurry. When the cowl is done, I’ll post the pattern here… if I can still see well enough to find my computer.
Meanwhile, do please have a seat. Yes, you may indeed sit on the chair, although you may want to move the twinnage’s toy dinosaurs off first: those claws can be spikey. Shall I light a fire? We’re in that not-quite-warm-not-quite-cold transition period. Still, the blossom is good this year, isn’t it? Very few of the old cherry orchards in this once fruitily proud area remain, but those that do are, quite frankly, showing off. Here’s one that’s near Twisted Towers.
I can’t get enough of this boisterous blossom!
The magnolia has been good, too.
But in every spare moment, I’ve been a-hooking.
Meanwhile, something else that I designed has just been published by Stylecraft:-
Stylecraft asked me to design a simple beach bag using their new ribbon yarn (Mystique). I was flattered and excited, but I had to query: “Simple? Errr… could you, maybe, spell that for me?” Because I’m not very experienced with simple. Ludicrously over-complex, yes. Simple, not so much. But the folk at Stylecraft shut me in the cellar (these people don’t mess about), and told me not to come out until I’d created something with no Fair Isle, no bright purple knitted recreations of the Houses Of Parliament, and definitely no beaded picot edging worked in the hair of baby camels using a 1mm crochet hook.
Well that didn’t leave very many options, did it?
But you know what? I’m very happy with the way this bag has turned out. And I’m grateful to Stylecraft for asking me to design it.
And the best thing is that the pattern is available for free on the Stylecraft site, right here. The bag has an elliptical-shaped base to ensure that it will be wide enough to carry your sun cream, your book, and of course your yarn. The pattern encourages you to work proper wrap-and-turn short rows for the base, but you know what? If you’re wary of wrap-and-turn, it’s OK if you just stop and change direction. The resulting micro-holes won’t be large enough to cause significant unsightliness.
Anyway, if you’re needing summery baggery and you want a free pattern, do take a look. It’s an easy, fun, knit. Those are not words that you’re likely to see on this site very often.
(And if you want to add in just a tiny sneaky smidgeon of complex intarsia, I promise not to tell a soul.)
So anyway, (more wine, by the way? Or green tea?) I’ve had a couple of Hang-on-I-recognise-that-idiot,-oh-wait,-it’s-me moments whilst leafing through knitting magazines recently. Simply Knitting have carried a write-up of the winners/runners-up in the British Craft Awards in their current issue. And Knit Now magazine sent a team of journalists for an interview following my Knitter Of The Year award. OK, that’s a lie, it wasn’t a team. OK, OK, OK, it was an was an email, they sent me an email. But it as a very friendly email and it asked lots of questions. The result is on the left, here:-
Anyway, I do love watching the colour-shifts evolving in his sunsetty yarn, so I’d better get back to it. More soon, lovely people…
Bright purple knitted recreation of the houses of parliament, you say? Now with most people that would clearly be a joke but, after The Chair, frankly nothing would surprise me! And that’s just one of the many reasons why I love your blog 🙂
I much prefer complex to simple, so I enjoy your blog and your creations. Keep on creating!
Mmmm, simple. Well, you did it. Most of us like your complex work so don’t stop. That chair I mean, the cowl, an more. Love your garden en spring pics. Don’t be ashamed for publicity, and the way it’s done by magz. So not romantic. Their loss, who wants to miss the reporter with the tape recorder and mic sitting in your favorite chair nibbling at home made cookies to bribe them writing a nice article.
Love your work and sense of humor. ? Wishing you a most lovely day
I don’t generally have anything to do with Pinterest but I have had so many people come to look at my Celtic Coaster pattern lately – 3000+ views Wednesday! – (mostly from Facebook but I can’t follow up that) that I checked out one of the Pinterest pages and (long explanation – probably not needed!) and found this. http://nickishomemadecrafts.com/2017/01/02/tutorial-how-to-do-the-waistcoat-stitch-aka-the-knit-stitch/ And thought of you and the problem of changing from knitting to crochet for your cowl.
I adore your blog and your sense of humor! Thank you for including a crocheted version of your new cowl, now I can make one : ) I loved your comment on how the reindeer became a moose! I think the crochet version should be dubbed ” The Hikiing Moose” : D
Thank you for sharing your life with us!
Love the spring pictures. I am sweltering in my eternal summer (the joys of life in the tropics). Adore the crochet version of the cowl, though would probably attempt the knitted since my knitting skills are much stronger than my crochet ones.
Now I think the sunset yarn would make a perfect background for the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye, or even Oxford’s gleaming spires. All power to your needles and hooks say I. Frankly I am in awe of you! Ouch what was that spiky thing?
All those beautiful spring flowers and blossom trees, and not a single one on your cowl! Where will they feature in your knitting plans? Love the beach bag.
Aaaaaaaaaaarghhhhh! I should NOT have read this comment! Now my mind is turning over the possibilities…
Yes, Yes, Yes……please. 🙂
Must resist… must… resist….
😀 😀
Late to the party, but popping by to say I love your blog! And who needs simple when you can have intarsia and 20 bobbins in one 70 st row?!