First Crochet

My first attempt at crochet (I had one previous attempt, managed 2 stitches and threw the yarn and hook on the floor).  So I’m very proud of this, its a Golden Snitch from Harry Potter (basically a ball with wings).

I however manage to snap the end off the plastic crochet hook in the process, enough said I think.

In other knitting news, my socks blanket is coming along well.

I have knitted some little socks for a friend’s son’s first birthday. I will try and remember to take and post a better picture.

Sock Yarn wip5

Thank you to Clare for some blue sock yarn, this photo is of the little bit, there’s also a whole ball!
ClareL\'s Sock Yarn
(Clare has just started a sock yarn blanket, using DK yarn, its going brilliantly!)

Thank you to Twiglet Queen for some more sock yarn.
Twiglet Queen\'s Sock yarn

I’ve now done about 40squares of my sock yarn blanket, but I won’t post a picture, as it will hopefully be abit more dramatic when I’ve done some more!

I also managed to buy some King Cole Zig Zag 4ply Sock Yarn today, I got it at a wool shop in Wareham. It was £3.99 per ball (100g) which will do a pair of socks with some left over, which is really reasonable compared to some of the other patterning sock yarns. It is 50% Superwash Wool 50% Nylon, but feels nice and soft.
King Cole Zig Zag Sock Yarn

Just to add… I finished this, its an Ipod Cosy, it’s a pressy for Karen, as she was kind enough to give me some of her beautiful Handspun yarn. The yarn was intended for my sock yarn blanket, but it was a bit thick and I was worried it would felt. Karen didn’t know what to knit with it, so I made her a cosy and hopefully there is enough left for a little phone cosy or purse for me.
Karen\'s Felted Ipod Cosy

Sock Yarn Blanket wip4

I managed to do 4 squares from the donations of yarn I received last night, and there will be many more!
I finished my first big square (counting as 4 squares), taking the running total to 22 (+ the 1 lost in the sofa…).

From bottom right, Grey-Light Brown is from Katrina’s yarn, Brown-Black and Cream are from Bea’s Yarn, Blue-Green is from Tanya’s yarn.


Tonight I’m going to try and do some of my Stained Glass Fan Bag which I really want to get finished so it can be my knitting bag 🙂

Sock Yarn Thank you

Thank you to the SnB’s for their very generous donations towards my sock yarn blanket, I think I will have to knit faster! I’m so pleased with the variety and colours, as I tend to buy the same sorts of colours all the time.


Thank you to Karen for her beautiful handspun wool, this is quite thick compared to the yarns I have already for the blanket, so I might do the squares with fewer stitches and see how it comes out, or I might have to make Karen a small and pretty gift.






Thank you to Bea for her cream with bright specs sock yarn and cream-brown-grey with red specs sock yarn. I think the darker one will knit up especially nicely, I might do this at a make square to take advantage of the colour changes.






Thank you to Katrina, who I met for the first time this evening, for her blue regia sock yarn and pinky-beige, green, brown sock yarn, I’ll really interested to see how the latter patterns when knitted.
As promised I will try and type up my version of that pattern for you. 🙂






Thank you to Tanya for her blue-green-purple regia sock yarn, which is the leftover from her first sock.





Looking at this large pile of wool, which has kindly been given to me, I feel the urge to go away and knit a square from each and add it to my blanket.

Thank you to everyone for their kind comments about my hand made bamboo needles, I hope you enjoy them and welcome your feedback.

Sock Yarn Blanket wip2

I’m now knitting square 7, I love this project so much!

Thanks to the Bournemouth SnB’s who have offered me leftovers, I’m really looking forward to seeing the different selection of yarns and how they knit up!
I can definitely see myself buying sock yarn to make socks, so that I have different left overs!

Quick Update Re: Colourful Designs Shop Hopefully I will be adding some knitting needles in about 2 weeks time!

Sock Yarn Blanket wip1

I’m starting a blanket made out of scrap sock yarn. I’m in love with hand knitted socks and the beautiful yarns.
So I’m going to use the remnants I have, and any I receive from others to make this blanket.

My reasoning behind this project is…
I have a condition called Fibromylgia syndrome, it causes me to have chronic pain over most of my body most of the time, the pain doesn’t respond well to treatment, so most of the time I just have to put up with it. Among other things it makes it very hard for me to sleep and I get cold limbs.

So I tend to spend a lot of time sitting in a chair, instead of in bed, and to pass the time I knit, as I don’t have the energy for much else. I have numerous blankets which I have tried to keep me warm, but they are all so heavy they make my legs hurt more.

So… I want to knit a warm but lightweight blanket, that is just the right size for me. I did start one, but the plain blocks of colour drove me to boredom and it has since hibernated. I have recently fallen in love with knitting socks and beautiful sock yarns and I thought that a sock yarn blanket, where I can knit little bits at a time would be brilliant!

If you’d like to give me your sock yarn remnants place email me. (Anything 4ply with some wool in it would be brilliant, any colours.)

Re-Launch

Today is the re-launch of The Colourful Designs Shop!

We are now stocking various knitting accessories and there will be lots more to come. If you do want any custom items based on any items I used to sell then just email me.

So go and have a look, the selection is quite small at the moment, but I will be doing an update at the weekend with some more additions.

Here’s a sneak preview…
Knitting Pins/Broach
Knitting Pins/Broach

Knitting Accessories
Knitting Accessories

Jacob Fleece Spinning + Plying

This is some of my Jacob fleece, which I have hand carder (I don’t think I’m very good at it…), then hand spun and plyed. I’m actually very impressed with myself, being as I only got the tools yesterday! I think when I spun the singles I over twisted? Comments?

This is some of Corriedale Silver which I have also Spun and Plyed. It has a smoother finish than the Jacob, but I think this is down to the quality of my carding not the wool. Again it seems over twisted, but I wonder if washing it and setting the twist will improve this?

Jacob Fleece Washing…


I washed some of the fleece today, as my new hand carders and spindle arrived in the post. It hasn’t come very clean, so I might try teasing the fibres more first, and maybe different detergent, as this had 3 washes and rinses in very hot water.


I also thought I’d try some spinning, which is going surprisingly well I think. The first batch is Corriedale Silver in Dark Purple.


This is the second batch in White, work in progress.

I will have to try and card some of the Jacob, then I can try and spin it… :-s

I’ve been a good girl

I’ve been a really good girly, I finished the previously mentioned hat, booties (and matching mittens!). (Ravelry Link)
hat, mittens + booties

And the Candy Jumper I started quite some time ago…
(Ravelry Link)
Candy Jumper

I’m on abit of a project finishing mission, as I seem to have so many on the go, many of which haven’t had a single stitch knitted in months, so much so I’ve forgotten what I was doing, that’s what happens when you don’t write down your patterns. Let that be a warning to you all…

Jacob Fleece

Today I collected some Jacob Fleece from Tamsyn G.
It looks lovely, and Tamsyn has kindly picked out most of the VM which I am very thankful for.


Jacob’s are white with well defined black (dark patches), they produce a medium quality fleece, with micron count 30-33 and staple length 3″-7″, average fleece weight 2-3Kgs.


The fleeces I have are a mixture of off white, light brown, dark brown and black wool. Hopefully next weekend I will get time to wash a selection and have ago at hand carding it. (My new hand carders are expected to arrive this week.) I think I will try washing some with and without the lanolin removed to see how it spins up.

I’m determined to try and use this wool undyed and take advantage of the natural colours.
Watch this space…