I think I’m getting a bit of a reputation as a knitter who never finishes anything!

Yesterday balls of Rowan Shimmer and Rowan Kidsilk Aura arrived for the shop and not convinced that I’m going to like Ingenue or that it will actually fit, I decided to start knitting Sparkle Bolero from Studio 17.  It’ll be ideal for Christmas festivities.  So I cast on at Knit ‘n’ Natter last night.  After all, I do need to get on with it if I want to wear it soon.  You knit it by holding a strand of the Shimmer and a strand of the Aura together.

Sparkle Bolero from Rowan Studio 17

But a fellow knitter turned to me last night and said I’m always starting something she’s not seen anything I’ve finished for ages.  I suppose that’s true.  (She, incidentally, knitted an entire lace shawl from pure silk in a single week and it was stunning!)  I’ve not finished much this whole year really.  I think that I ought to make it my main objective to get everything finished by New Year’s Eve.  So that means sewing up ALL of the Scandinavian blanket squares, finishing Ingenue, finishing the possum hat I started last Christmas, knitting something for my brother for Christmas and of course finishing the bolero I started last night!

I’ve got 7 or 8 weeks I guess.  It CAN be done!

Knit ‘n’ Natter was great last night.  A real buzz was happening. I learnt a new technique too.  I’ve always avoided bead work because I can’t be doing with threading hundreds of beads on the yarn at the beginning and then shuffling them along.  However someone showed me how to thread the bead on using a fine crochet hook, at the point where you want to place it.  Dead easy and much easier. I’d really like to try something with beads now.  Perhaps a lacy scarf with occasional beads to give it a bit of sparkle.  I think there’s one in Little Luxury Knits which would be nice… Hmmm… Another project…

I’ve not been doing much knitting lately.  I’ve just not been enthusiastic about the jumper I’m knitting I suppose and don’t have much incentive to pick up the needles.

Anyway, here’s Bonzer…

Bonzer by Melly and Me

He’s a character designed by Melly and Me.  I sell Melly and Me patterns on my website and Mum made him up as sample for the craft stall that we were at recently.

A fine day was had a couple of weeks ago when Mum and I hopped on the train up to London to go to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace (Ally Pally).

Ally Pally is in North London and it took us a while to get there from Devon, but it was worth it.  The view from Ally Pally is amazing!  You can see right down to the City and pick out the high-rise buildings like the Gherkin and the weather on Thursday was just perfect: warm and sunny with just a slight Autumnal feel to it.

The view from Ally Pally

There was a good variety of exhibitors there with various yarns, fabrics, and other crafty things.  The only place that had any real yarn bargains though was Black Sheep with their huge pile of discontinued Rowan and Sirdar yarns – all at extremely good prices.  I didn’t bother to get any though – I can get them myself through the shop if I wanted.

However I did I buy a Colinette throw kit.  It was quite expensive, but beautiful colours and unusual yarn.

Mum also bought some Fleece Artist yarn to put away for Christmas.  Again it was the stunning colours that drew me to it.  I’ve no idea what I’ll make with it, but it was just toooo nice

Mum got some fabric fat quarters for her stash too.

I spent a couple of evenings this week at the sewing machine.  Yes, I know… sewing, not knitting!  I haven’t actually done much knitting for a couple of weeks now.  I started a jumper at knitting club this week, but I think I’m going to start over with it, because I don’t like what I’ve done so far!

But I needed to make a sample advent calendar for the craft fair I’m attending in a couple of weeks time.

Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

The sewing’s not perfect by any means, although the gold thread I used for quilting it is sooooo pretty.  I’d completely forgotten how to do the quilting on Mum’s machine so had to get her to remind me and I knocked the tension dial on the machine and sewed for ages before Mum pointed out that you could see the upper thread colour on the back on the piece which wasn’t right!

But hey, it’ll do as a sample and I’ll probably give it to my brother as a present when the craft fair is over!

If you’re interested you can buy the advent calendar fabric panel in my shop!

I’ve also blogged about the whole making process on the shop’s blog.

It was Mum’s birthday yesterday and in the past she’s always made beautiful birthday cakes for my brother and I.  So I decided I would try and make a special cake for her this year.  She loves sewing and quilting, so the obvious idea was to make a quilt cake!

I cheated by buying the cake itself and white ready-to-roll icing.  But the the quilt and sewing machine were made by me.

I’m pleased with how it turned out and she loved it!

Now that I finished the Little Humphrey Sweater, I need to decide what to knit next.  The only thing I have on the needles at the moment is the Scandinavian blanket, but that’s a “pick up and put down project” and I’d like something a bit more meaty to do at the same time.

I was shopping at the weekend and there are tank tops everywhere.  There’s a nice pattern for one called Cool, in the Rowan Classic Style 16 book, where the Sparkle cardigan came from.

Cool from Rowan Classic Style 16

I’d probably do it in Rowan Cashsoft DK and it would be a fairly quick knit by the looks of it.

Alternatively, I could do knit a variation of Ingenue from Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard.

Ingenue from Custom Knits

I got the book for my birthday at the beginning of the year but haven’t knit anything from it yet.  I don’t like neck line in the picture, but the pattern suggests doing a 2×2 rib instead.  I saw pictures of it on Ravelry and much prefer that.  I could also do some stash busting and use some Debbie Bliss Merino Aran that I have lots of.  Mum would be pleased with that, as I’m taking up lots of her cupboard space with my huge stash of yarn!  I think I’m hesitating though because it’s going to require some concentration to do it!

I will definitely do both, but which one first?

I know it’s only September, but Christmas will be here before we know it!  Scary thought eh?

Well we’ve just started stocking Melly & Me sewing patterns in the shop now and my Mum immediately grabbed one of the patterns, Rudy, and made this little fellow with some Christmas fabric in her stash.

Rudy from Melly & Me

Is he cute? It only took Mum an afternoon to make him and she said it was very straight forward to follow the pattern.

I finished sewing on the buttons at lunchtime and at dinnertime was with my friends handing them this sweater for their 4 month old little boy.  Talk about cutting it fine!  But I got it done and they really liked it, particularly the way you can unbutton it on one shoulder to make it easier to slip over baby’s head.  The v-neck looks very smart too.

Little Humphrey Sweater by Sublime

The pattern is the Little Humphrey Sweater from The Second Little Sublime Baby Cotton Kapok DK Book (628) and is made with Sublime Cotton Kapok DK in Porridge.

The yarn was nice to knit with, although slightly splity.  It feels nice when knitted up though and blocked well.  The pattern was very straight forward to follow and I didn’t come across any mistakes.

Highly recommend if you want to do a baby knit!

My Mum recently pointed me in the direction of these really cute sewing patterns from Australian design team Melly & Me. I thought the toys were simply irresistible so I decided to stock some of their patterns in my shop!

Melly & Me sewing patterns

Mum is already making Rudy the reindeer with some christmas fabric from her stash!

On the knitting front, the jumper I’m knitting for my friend’s little boy is nearly done.  I just have one sleeve and one side to sew up.  Just as well really as I’m seeing them for dinner tomorrow night, so I need to get it finished tonight!

Over at www.hulucrafts.co.uk you can enter a draw to win a copy of Rowan Studio 16 – their most recent edition of this popular series.  You just have to sign up for the newsletter (at the bottom of the page) to be in with a chance.   The draw takes place on 30th September 2009.