Crafty ways

 I confess, it's quite some time since I've blogged on what this blog is supposed to be about - craft and handmade.

So here, to make up for it, is a picture of my current project - a cute little crochet cardigan made from a gorgeous hand dyed yarn. Hopefully it's going to fit when it's finished. Particularly after the number of times it's been ripped back and started again.

As you can see, Cat isn't too impressed and is making his presence felt. Added cat hair anyone?

Finding peace

After a busy, intense day at work, how best to relax, recover and find peace? Quite often I'll take the easy way out and collapse on the sofa with a glass of wine and something mindless to watch on the TV*.

But every now and then I'm inspired to try something different, and remind myself that being active in itself can be a relaxation. I've blogged many times before about how much I enjoy cooking, that I actually find it relaxing. So sometimes, like tonight, I turn to cooking as a way of unwinding.

I'll not lie, it's also a way of using up what's left in the fridge instead of having to throw it out. And of having food in the freezer for days when I don't have the energy or the time to make something from fresh.

Tonight's creation was a vegetable and bean chilli - using up the fresh vegetables that I'd bought in a fit of optimism the weekend before last and were in danger of lurking and leaking if left too much longer in the depths of the chill box. I didn't actually eat it tonight, I heated up a pork and cider slow cooked casserole from the freezer instead. So now, I've relaxed, eaten and still have a meal in store for tomorrow night too!

What's not to be happy about?

*As regular Crafty Manoeuvres readers will know, I rarely actually just sit doing nothing. So collapsing on the sofa with a glass of wine usually also involves some kind of yarn project. Another one finished last night - what do you think? I think I have almost enough of these hats now for a different one each day of the week! 

Craft and cunning

I commented in a blog post earlier this week that I didn't really blog all that often about crafty stuff anymore. So I thought it was time I rectified that and shared with you one of the projects I've just not long finished.

This was it just before it got finished and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. It was my second attempt at a moebius loop neck warmer, and I think it has actually worked this time. It was meant to be made from some 4 ply pure new wool I picked up in the Edinburgh branch of McAree's but it wasn't knitting up right, so I raided this Cashcotton from my stash and it worked fabulously well. I was never going to finish that cardigan that had been on the pins for the last 5 years anyway!!

So, rest assured, I am still crafting* - or at least as much as Cat will let me given that he likes sitting on my lap and doesn't like my attention being on other than him. My knitted garments now have an additional layer of added cat fur in their make up, and my wrists bear a few more scratches as a result of impatient and jealous swipes.

*Despite fewer craft related posts these days, the tag 'handmade' is still one of the most frequently used on Crafty Manoeuvres, so I'm not straying completely from my original mission. Just diversifying a bit!

Old dog...

...new tricks?

One of my challenges for 2011 is to learn new stuff. I've decided it doesn't need to be completely new stuff, even just additions to existing skills count. And since they're my challenges I get to set the rules!

So far this year I've not been doing too badly - I've learned how to knit a moebius loop and a hyperbolic rose. And now I've learned how to create curves with short rows - rows as in toes, not rows and cows as one of my friends sought to clarify!
 


But it's not all been yarn based learning either. Yesterday I was back to tango with a 2 hour workshop on volcadas, or being thrown off balance whilst dancing to the uninitiated. Great fun, really flamboyant to watch, damned hard to do but great fun. It's all in preparation for the first ever Scottish International Tango Festival that's taking place here in Stirling in February - can't wait, I must get my tickets and classes booked this week.

Shame I'm not making better progress with my other challenges - other than increased blogging that is!

Look what I made!

At long last, a photo of the coat I crocheted earlier this year. It's made from Rowan kid silk haze, and even though it took 6 months to complete I love it so much that I'm thinking seriously about making another one.

You would not believe how cosy it is for something that is so light and delicate.

A real winner I think.

What's on the pins?

Or more accurately, what's on the hook? Well, this.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that in amongst all my running, writing, working, silliness and other pursuits, I'm also still finding time for yarn. I chose this pattern to take away to Spain with me - partly because, being made of individual granny squares, it was highly portable and also partly because it calls for cotton yarn and therefore was less likely to be hot and sticky to make.

As regular readers will know, it was incredibly hot in Spain and even with cotton yarn, doing much crochet wasn't really an option. So I've been battling on with this since I got home. And it's finally beginning to take shape. This picture is from a week or so back when I eventually got to the stage where I could join the squares together. I've now progressed even further and I'm crocheting the body section on to the joined squares.

As I'm doing this 2 thoughts strike me. Firstly, why on earth did I choose a pattern that involves 40 individual squares - with, of course, 40 individual squares-worth of ends to darn in afterwards, not to mention the ends from joining the damn things - when I just hate finishing off. Secondly, never ever let me choose a pattern with stripes again - what a pain having to change colour every row!

Don't get me wrong I am actually enjoying making this cardigan but I know that when I get to the end I'll be cursing at the amount of darning in I'll have to do. There's every chance as well, that it won't actually look right since I went wrong with the decreasing at some point and while the length will be about right, the armholes might be slightly off. The challenge will be to make sure I make exactly the same mistake on the other side!!

Oh well, onwards. I'll post a pic when it's finished so you can see how it turns out. Nice colours though!

Dreaming of ravelry ...

Well perhaps not quite, but I did pop up to Stirling University campus this afternoon to have a wander round Knit Camp market place and drool over yarn.

And I was by no means the only one either. I hadn't quite appreciated how big a deal Knit Camp was. I was surrounded by hundreds of dedicated (and sometimes frankly scary) knitters, all intent on finding the perfect yarn bargain. And, I'm pleased but nevertheless suprised to say, they weren't all women either.

Perverse as ever I went to Knit camp and came away with crochet patterns. I didn't buy any yarn either! In my wisdom I chose patterns calling for cotton, and there was a definite wool bias in the market place. Apart from the possum fur fibre that is. Hmm.

So for me, it was back on the bus and a stop off at Macaree's on the way home.

And now I have a project for my holiday - and a really bad case of startitis! Watch this space for progress.

The photo? Oh, it's of a world record attempt being undertaken - sheep to sweater in some ridiculously short space of time. Boy, did those fleeces smell!!

And the post title? Anyone recognise it?

Back to basics

To get back to what this blog started as, here's what I'm working on now. Even on holiday!

Happy birthday big sis. Might be a bit late though!

Making progress

As you can see, I'm making slow but sure progress with my mohair crochet project.

The added bonus is that it's also helping to keep my lap warm of an evening!

And on we go!

I finally finished my cable cardigan last night - well apart from the finishing off of the ends that is. But what it does mean is that I can start on my amazing Kidsilk Haze mohair at last. And get back to crochet too. I even managed some crochet in public too before my Tango class.

All in all a good day. But as you can see, it's slow going! I think I'll be making this one for a while!

Still finishing off

But getting there!

Only 4 rows of neck ribbing to go followed by the making up. And then I can start with the kid silk mohair.

Yay!

Actually, this is a really lovely pattern using Sirdar Tweedie Chunky that's been a joy to knit up, and has got me back into cable knitting. It's just that I'm itching to use my kidsilk haze bargain yarn and to get back to some crochet again.

One down, one to go...

...before I can start using my wonderful new Kidsilk mohair yarn. Can't wait.

So tonight I finally finished my shell top (from the Happy Hooker) - all seams sewn up and all ends finished off. And even better, it fits. Yay!

Back to my cable cardi next. A back, 2 front pieces and half a sleeve knitted already - maybe next week for the mohair?

Another project to finish

With the world's most tedious sweater now finished (photo to follow) I treated myself to some fabulous new yarn this weekend (from the Aladdin's cave that is McArees!). But ...

I also decided I should be a bit more disciplined and finish off the projects I already have on the pins - or hook in this case - before I start anything else new.

This one is a lovely pattern from the Happy Hooker that I've had on the go since before last Christmas. That's 2008, by the way. Oops!

And the really stupid thing is, I've only got 2 teeny sleeves to do. Hopefully it should be finished this week.

Stay tuned for more half finished projects. And of course, the mystery new yarn!

If you want to get ahead

Get a hat!

And here's my latest creation. It's the one I started on my way back from Canada, designed by Woolly Wormhead. And it only took a week of part time knitting to finish.

So now my work wardrobe is further extended with co-ordinating knitwear accessories. Yay!

New hair

This was going to be a post about my new hair cut but I decided I didn't like the way it was styled so I popped my hat on instead for the pic. So here I am with my newly cut and coloured hair (copper and chestnut instead of copper and gold this time).

I knitted the hat as well by the way and was told today it looked very glam. Not bad for a beanie!

And if you want to see what the haircut looks like, hop across to my Flickr page.

Just hanging around

That's me at the moment. Just hanging around at London City airport waiting for the final connection on my journey home. So, to while away the time, I'm just about to start my next knitting project - a lovely slouch hat in pinks and oranges. Pattern by the delightfully named Woolly Wormhead! Maybe it will take my mind off the waiting, and British Airways lack of customer service.

New year, same knitting project

This has to be the most boring knitting pattern ever that isn't a plain scarf. It's going to be a lovely baggy and hopefully warm V neck jumper, but it's not fun to knit.

Basically it consists of a number of rectangles with a tiny bit of shaping. Other than dividing for the neck, the sleeves are the most interesting (and shaped!) part of the whole thing.

Curse you Sirdar for a goodlooking but tedious pattern!

Hopefully the end result will be worth the effort - and will be finished before the end of the holiday so I can start on my next project.

The finished article

(For the 'work in progress' pic of this piece, see Have Yarn, Will Travel!) And by finished article or work in progress I mean, of course, the jumper rather than my sister.

The jumper was crocheted using a Mission Falls pattern (but not yarn) and was a Christmas present for my big sister in Canada.

Actually it was all a bit 'coals to Newcastle' since my sister is pretty much a yarn expert and the materials were bought at her local yarn shop, Black Sheep Yarns, on my last visit to Canada. And it was actually meant to be a birthday present in the summer but this year has been a bit manic!

Anyway, it's done now and looking pretty damn good I think.

And as for my sis, well she's just amazing as ever!

Have yarn, will travel!

Sitting in terminal 5 at Heathrow with a couple of hours to kill. Lucky I had some portable crafting to while away the time with.

How to travel by train

Well, I'm on my way home now after my lovely mini break in sunny Bristol. Sadly the sun doesn't seem to be following and the sky is getting more and more grey the further north I travel.

4 hours into the journey so far with another 4 to go. I'm just about managing to stave off boredom with my knitting, a selection of magazines and food.

My eco halo is, however, gleaming!