It’s been a few weeks since I last podcast; we’ve had the Easter school holidays here so the children have all been home causing havoc with my routine!

Despite this, I have a few finished objects to show…

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Finished Objects:

Betty Sweater

This is my latest design and I’m so happy with the way it turned out. I’ve worked this chevron jumper up using Willow and Lark Woodland DK, which has some beautiful colours. The yarn is a mix of Merino, Alpaca and Viscose and it gives such a lovely feel and drape to this project. There is a slight itch factor but I’ve designed this sweater as a layering piece so I’ve been wearing it over long-sleeved tops and have had no issues at all. I wasn’t 100% happy with the collar so I’m making a cotton version up using Paintbox cotton DK as well as writing the pattern as I go. Hope to have this one out to testers soon.

Wool and the Gang Ra Ra Raffia Gansta Bag

I was sent this kit to try by wool and the gang and was intrigued by the new raffia range. The yarn is 100% paper and is worked with a 4.5 mm hook (included in the kit). I’ve never worked with paper yarn before and it’s a bit of an arm workout but the results have been totally worth it. The gauge on the raffia patterns seems to be coming up small for a lot of crocheters and I didn’t want to size down a hook so my bag has come up large. Although the pattern says intermediate I totally feel a beginner would be able to work this and the pattern is easily adaptable if you find your gauge is coming up big.

Sunmote Doily

I found the pattern for this stunning doily on Ravelry. The pattern is by Julia Hart and uses a 3.25 and a 1.75 hook. These are a bit small for me, so I used a 3.5mm and a 2mm with some DMC Petra Cotton (Number 3). I love the finished doily and definitely want to make more.

Star Posy Table Runner

 I created this sweet table runner for the 100^th Issue of Inside Crochet. It’s an absolutely stunning issue with lots of celebratory patterns. I was so honoured to be asked to contribute and really happy with how the pattern turned out. I’ve just received it back so I’m going to be using it for all the Summer birthdays coming up! The pattern is worked up in Paintbox DK Cotton, so is washable and affordable!

WIPS

Besides the aforementioned Betty sweater I am also working on:

Caught by the Sea Shawl Kit by Blue Star Crochet

Veronika very kindly sent me her new shawl kit to try. She has teamed up with The Mermaid Purse Yarns to create a kit in two beautiful colourways. I am working with the Electric Urchin yarn and it is just stunning. The kit comes with everything you need to complete the shawl, including crochet hook, two gorgeous stitch markers and even tea and biscuit!

New Items:

To go along with the knitting explorations I’ve just bought the book: Knitty Gritty: Knitting for the Absolute Beginner by Aneeta Patel. It’s a really useful resource and talks you through all the beginning stitches as well as increases/decreases, finishing, ribbing etc all with lots of beginner-friendly patterns.

I’ve also purchased Rowan Cotton Crochet by Lisa Richardson and Jane Crowfoot. The book contains 11 crochet designs using Rowan cotton and there’s a good range of patterns from garments to scarves/wraps.

Lastly, I found a great vintage crochet book called Fashion Crochet by Jean Kinmond in an Oxfam store for all of £2.49. I’m loving all the sixties designs especially the granny stripe jumper on the cover!

Books:

I have finished reading The Comet Seekers by Helen Sedgwick. I enjoyed it but found I didn’t really connect to the main character. It is a beautiful story though which focuses on the ties that bind us to the past and the effects of moving on or not. Although the message at times was a bit confusing I really enjoyed the way the stories of the past were interweaved through the plot coinciding with the comets.

Also finished is The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin. This is Carlin’s debut novel and I absolutely loved it. I finished this within three days of starting it, as I couldn’t put it down. Set in the back streets of 1830s London it ‘s a murder mystery based around the practice of ‘body snatching’ for anatomy cadavers. I loved the atmosphere of the book and there are some great twists to keep you on your toes.

TV:

I’ve been enjoying the BBCs adaption of Agatha Christies, Ordeal by Innocence. It’s a three-parter available still on Iplayer. Also anticipating the BBC’s new adaption of Wilkie Collins’ The Woman In White starting on the 22^nd April!

You can watch episode 12 here if you’d like to see any of these projects in more detail. Think that’s all for now, I’ll be back in two weeks with episode 13.

Bye for now, Em xx

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