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

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

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

Summer Squares Project, Knitting

Now here's a different way to wear a shawl:) The lacey holes just get in the way of a good play.

While I've been catching up on some patchwork and quilting (making Charlotte's quilt), I've also been relaxing with BadCat's knitalong projects. The first one is finished. I really enjoyed knitting this along with the group.

Made with 2.5 skeins (1207.0m) of Knitpicks Shadow yarn, kindly gifted by Mary.

I used 3.75mm needles

If you'd like to join in, it's not too late. The projects will continue for a few more weeks:)

I'm very behind with the second and third projects, but that's ok because I'm slowly working on some quilting projects.

cheers

Colleen

Bev's quilt in progress

Bev's moving along quite quickly with her Candlewick quilt. This is a close-up picture of Bev's favourite block, the butterfly. Here's how it looks set out on a bed. The middle of the quilt is now all asembled...the blocks sewn together and the lace sewn oner the seams. Just the borders to go! Bev will attach the borders, sew the lace over the joins then quilt something beautiful all around.

Hope you are all enjoying your projects!

cheers

Colleen

The Tuesday Quilters' projects

I'd like to show you the Tuesday Quilting class hard at work:)

Renata is trialling my pattern "The Friendly Jungle". She's changing it around a bit, making two wallhangings using the applique shapes. There will be small squares, assorted colours, between the blocks..will look lovely. She has a great sense of colour for cheery children's quilts. Renata leaves the ends of the embroidery threads until all the embroidery is finished, then she takes them through to the wrong side and secures them.

Anthea is making her sixth, or is it the tenth baby quilt. The original pattern was designed and made by Elaine Rose and called "I Spy Sophie Rose". It was published in Express Publications magazine, Patchwork and Stitching Vol 5 No 10. Anthea makes her quilts a little larger than the original, and always has squares on hand for the next baby in the "family" (which definitely includes her Church family). She has the happy knack of finding the right colours for the lattices and name strips to bring all the squares together in a way that appeals to the children. These quilts seem to find their way all over the world.

Now this is another of Bev's masterpieces. The candlewicked blocks (amazing in themselves)were quilted individually, and Bev is now sewing the rows of blocks together. Sorry the next photo is sideways...how do I fix it?

Bev is working on the back of the quilt now, working herringbone to join the batting pieces, and then very neatly sewing the backing squares together.

I tried to get a close-up of some of the embroidery work..it's exceptional. The varied stitches and threads give it a real depth.

So that's what's going on in the Tuesday quilting class this term.

Hope you are enjoying your quilting/ knitting/scrapbooking etc

cheers

Colleen