Category: crochet

what I made while I was away

I took just 3 projects while I was traveling – a sweater (which isn’t very far along still), a shawl and a blanket.

A blanket? That doesn’t seem like a good traveling project! Well, that’s true, but my blanket is made up of many many individual crocheted hexagons. So they were actually great for going around – the yarn didn’t take up a lot of room (two 100g skeins) and the individual pieces were easy to start and finish. Plus, I mailed the completed ones back home as I went! I’d made over half of the hexes in the last several (okay, many) months, but the deadline is approaching and I needed to step up my game.

Of course, now I have to put the whole thing together! I’m not sure if it’ll be quite as big as I wanted, but it’ll be fine. I’m out of yarn, so it’d better be!

The other main project I worked on was a shawl, out of two colours of Handmaiden Casbah. It really makes such a lovely fabric, and this texture stitch is easy and fun.

I’m hoping to get this shawl pattern out to you soon – just have to find some time to block it and take photos.

When I got home, I picked up a project that I started before I left, a pair of Conwy socks (from Knitting on the Road). I substituted my usual toe, not really on purpose but because I didn’t read the instructions very carefully! I made these as a birthday present for my dear friend Jane. I missed her birthday while I was away, so I wanted to give her something special!

1 skein of Socks that Rock lightweight in “Ruby Slippers”, 2.25mm needles. Fun! I’ve had tons of socks on the needles lately – they’re such nice comforting, soothing knitting.

June 6, 2011
May 11-12: London, part 1

Crap, the blogging is getting away from me! I’m having someone look at my site still, but I think I might’ve caught what was troubling it – still have to make sure it doesn’t happen again though.

On Wednesday the 11th I got to the Leeds train station with lots of time to spare – much better than rushing! I got 2 seats to myself and did some photo editing and knitting until I started feeling unwell, then just closed my eyes and listened to music. Got into London Kings Cross, loaded up my Oyster card and took the tube to Paddington, where I checked into my hotel. It was easyHotel, which was cheap and a good location. The room was….eh. No furniture other than the bed, and about 16″ of clearance on 2 sides (the bed was in the corner). A bit difficult to navigate, but it was okay. The bed was comfy, anyway. After leaving my stuff I headed out to explore – I took the tube to Oxford Circus (so crowded omg) and walked around Liberty, Carnaby St, Covent Garden, the edge of Chinatown, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and down Whitehall to the river to see Big Ben.

Walked along the Thames to Embankment, then I took the tube up to High Street Kensington where I got some dinner before heading back to the hotel.

On Thursday (May 12) I had breakfast at a coffee shop near the hotel then headed for a walk through Marylebone to Regent’s Park. I stumbled across a street market, and walked past the Sherlock Holmes museum.

Then I took the tube to meet up with Alice for lunch! We went to a delicious Italian cafe, then got a sweet from Ottolengthi in Notting Hill. Then Alice showed me her studio – it’s lovely, with a view of the canal and lots of light and space for dyeing. And yarn, lots of yarn.

I walked back to my hotel to grab my knitting and catch the tube out to Loop for knit night. It’s a lovely shop, with lots of nice yarns including quite a few local ones. I picked up a little bit of Wollemeise.

The knit night ends quite early at Loop, so a few of the gals and I went out to the pub to continue. It was super! Great conversation and just a really lovely time. Thanks gals!

May 16, 2011
May 7-8: Manchester, part 2

Blogging was interrupted a bit by dodgy internet access! Here’s hoping it’s better in the next place…

anyway, where was I? Oh yes. Saturday evening in Manchester my hostess Elizabeth invited a bunch of Manchester knitters over for a potluck! There was tons of food, lots of knitting and great chat. And I made butter tarts for a Canadian treat.

In the morning I headed off just a couple of blocks to Purl City Yarns, who had me in for a lovely tea and knitting/chatting session! Unfortunately, Canada Post has let me down yet again – the “3 day guaranteed” box that I sent 7 days prior never made it, and it was full of samples to show off. We had a lovely time anyway.

The rest of the day I just walked around some more, went to Cornerhouse, walked through the galleries and bought some magazines in the shop. Didn’t go to a film though – I wasn’t really up for subtitles. I had a lovely dinner that evening at Ning in the Northern Quarter.

May 10, 2011