ENCHANTED

Over the last few weeks I seemed to have lost a chunk of the knitting bug, which is the reason for this poor neglected blog. Not lost completely, so I am not over worried and I'm not about to do anything silly like put the stash on ebay or anything, Just kinda lost in the fact that I can settle into any particular pattern, If over the last week I had completed everything that I have started I would be able to have a post full of about fifteen to twenty items, but alas this is not the case. Part of the problem is probably down to too much choice of patterns and also because I ideally would like to knit something from stash rather than buying new. Don't get me wrong I love my stash of yarn and each item at the time was bought with much love and desire for what item it would eventually turn into. Just seems to be the way at the moment, that what I have in stash is either the wrong colour, wrong texture or not enough in quantity for what I want to make and then of course there is always the niggling thought that what if in the middle of making something, something better comes along which would have been more ideal for the yarn I am using. Hey ho!!! I can always go out and buy some more, but like most people at the moment, money is a bit tight, but as we don't go out much and neither of us smoke, the odd treat of some yarn is not likely to break the bank, which brings me onto my next excuse for reluctance to use stash. Surely stash is there for when times are really hard, so what if with the world current financial mess, all yarn mills have to close down and no more yarn is produced, not likely of course but a worry all the same as everyone else will have their stashes to fall back on, but I would have used mine. Oh gosh I am such a born worrier, So sorry for sounding like a rambling, whittling old so and so.


All is well this week though, and good news is that I have the knitting bug back, thanks very much to the arrival of this gorgeous new pattern book Nectar by Kim Hargreaves. A super book with quite a few patterns that I would like to make and incidentally I can make about three of them, using stashed yarn. lol. The yarns for the patterns are also available in kit form on Kim Hargreaves Website, although the kits contain yarn and buttons only, you need to buy the book for the patterns, In my opinion the book is well worth buying and will look fabulous on any knitters book shelf. The patterns look prettier in the book than they do on the website and the pages are matt, which gives the book a really calm summer tranquil feel and the patterns are classic Kim Hargreaves style, which I think a lot of die-hard Rowan fans have been missing.


My book arrived yesterday and after work, I settled down on the sofa and swatched for one of my favourite designs Enchant in the lovely Rowan Calmer yarn, and good news for once my gauge was spot on.



This shrug is knitted across from cuff to cuff and the edgings are knitted separately and then sewn on afterwards. I am using shade 463 Calmer, which is a kind of pale blue and perfect for the summer months, if we get them that is.

The other knitting I have been working on quite successfully is the Solstice Slip socks which was the third STR kit from last year, A lovely slip stitch cable pattern in the lovely summery colour of Firebirds, a kinda bright mixture of Reds, Pink and Orange. I am doing this toe-up as I wanted to get as much out of the yarn as I possibly could, which is great, except the cuff seemed to go on for ages. I have finished one sock and now about a third way on the second.



The pattern is an easy to memorise slip stitch cable which compliments the yarns colours perfectly.

.

The yarn and pattern for anyone who is a non member and would like to make will be available to purchase from Blue Moon Fibers, I think around about July, but will be available separately to purchase as pattern and yarn and not in kit form.

Well that's all from me and I shall post again soon with a update on Enchant.

Have a nice Bank Holiday weekend, lets hope its an Enchanted one