Saturday 5 September 2009

Periwinkle Aeolian Shawl



















What an absolute pleasure it was to knit this shawl! It's the "Aeolian Shawl" designed by Elizabeth Freeman and published in Knitty Spring 2009.


What made it so fabulous to knit is the yarn....Luscious Lace yarn from Yarn Addict Anni.


Anni sells lace and sock yarns she has dyed and this is my favourite. The Periwinkle colour is fascinating, appearing blue or lilac depending on the light and the surroundings. I used Matsuma ceylon beads in lilac colour. They gave the shawl just the right amount of drape without being heavy.

I'm still trying to find a willing model for the best photos!
I haven't worked out how to move the photos to where I want them. The first photo is the shawl blocking.
Cheers
Colleen











Friday 4 September 2009

Renata's progress on the Friendly Jungle Quilt

This is Renata's work in progress. There are 2 small two-block wallhangings here. The blocks just have some details to complete. Meanwhile Renata is placing the colourful squares between the blocks and around the edges. The work is pinned to a sheet hanging from a dowel rod.
Renata has a good eye for putting bright colours together and I'm looking forward to seeing the end result.
Thanks Renata!
cheers
Happy quilting
Colleen

Knitting: A new Shawl of my own design













I can't help myself sometimes. I look at knitting patterns and begin to wonder "what if....?" I had this wonderfully soft Malabrigo lace yarn from Yarn and Kisses in Western Australia that was calling to be made into a rectangular shawl that I can wear as a soft, warm large scarf. I chose a stitch design that appealed to me and was repetative enough for me to fairly mindlessly knit. Beginning with a provisional cast on meant I could add to the shawl at both ends if I wanted to and if the overall design needed it. Not really knowing where I was going, I knit until the first skein ran out. I adapted another stitch pattern to flow from the first design and knitted it to both ends, followed by a border design that also flowed well (the number of stitches in the repeats matched).

I'm really happy with how it turned out.

I will get modelled photos as soon as I find a willing model.

cheers

Colleen




Thursday 3 September 2009

Patchwork Fleamarket Treasures...Lynn's cushions

Well didn't I get a lovely surprise! Lynn sent me photos of the very stylish cushions she made from my "Fleamarket Treasures" pattern. They are for a special friend Kellie who has an excellent business "Beauty in Vogue" in Karratha. Lynn doesn't mess around. I'm sure she only told me about starting them last week! I think she cut them out the day the fabric arrived in the Post Office :)



My original cushions are made from very soft pale florals. The pattern is easy to make from scraps or from a couple of feature fabric fat quarters plus small pieces of complimentary fabrics. Now that I've seen Lynn's frangipani version, I want some in one of those new fabric lines!

thanks Lynn

Colleen