Subtle Stripe Neckwarmer

On holiday over Easter, I went to the wonderful KnitWits shop in Penzance, Cornwall. There I found Lang Silkdream in a gorgeous deep red. It was so gorgeous and soft, I just couldn't resist, and bought two 50g balls on spec! Here is what I made with it, and the pattern, should you want a fantastically soft neckwarmer to keep you cosy from autumn to spring:

There should be yarn leftover, so you can make it longer if you like. To just use one ball of yarn, I'd reccomend casting on 30 stitches instead of 45.

Green Cardigan FINISHED!

Hurrah! I've completed my cardigan. It has a few flaws (a bit too big, sleeves very long, buttonholes too big), but it is really comfy, and overall I'm very proud of it :D

I'm not quite sure what I was pointing at...

Mrs Beeton's Peacock's Tail Stitch

I've been having a look at Mrs Beeton's book of needlework, and found this pattern. The picture looked really exciting, but I couln't make head or tail of the pattern, so here's my revised version. Hopefully it makes more sense:

Abbreviations:
K= knit
P= purl
SKP= slip one stitch knitwise, knit one, then pass slipped stitch off the right needle over the knitted one
K2tog = knit two stitches together
P2tog = purl two stitches together
SSP= slip slip purl (for clarification)

Cast on 13 stitches
Row 1: K4, *YO K* repeat between '*' 5 times, YO, K4 (19 stitches in total)
Row 2: P across (19 stitches)
Row 3: K2, SKP, K11, K2tog, K2 (17 stitches)
Row 4: P2, P2tog, P9, SSP, P2 (15 stiches)
Row 5: K2, SKP, K7, K2tog, K2 (13 stitches)
Row 6: P2, K9, P2 (13 stitches)

Repeat rows 1-6 until deired length in reached.

And this is how it should look *this sample was knitted on 4mm needles using aran weight yarn):

Mrs Beeton recommends it for edging a sofa cover - how about around the edge of an afghan, or table runner?

Green Crochet Cardigan

I couldn't wait any longer - I started the Elvira cardigan last week. I'm using the surprisingly cheap (but startlingly good quality) Cygnet Wool Rich 4-ply in Holly green. Inside Crochet magazine reccommended using a shade such as black or brown to coordinate with any outfit, but I wear so much green that 'Holly' is a good bet!
As per usual, I've made some changes to the pattern:

• The embossed border at the bottom and cuffs has been replaced by the main stitch (I didn't like the look of thicker fabric around the hips and wrists). I might add a simple dc border like the one around the neck.
• The main lace pattern has been altered to give only one rib for each repeat (1tr, 1 embossed tr, 1tr instead of 1 emb tr, 1tr 1 emb tr), as I think that the slightly flatter fabric makes the overall garment more flattering:

 I'll hopefully post a few pictures when the scraps of crochet are a bit further down the road to becoming a lovely cardie :)

Dewdrop Lace Scarf

So, at the moment I'm working on a *very* late birthday present - I'm making the lovely 'Dewdrop Lace Scarf'. It's a great pattern, and it knits up beautifully quickly! I was very pleasantly surprised at how well the bog-standard light blue acrylic DK and laceweight kid merino in 'painted iris' (blues and purples, with a hint of saffron)  blend in together - the result is very soft, but with an interesting, dappled colour effect:

 

See how I'm getting on with it on my Ravelry page :)

Black Cat Motif

I desgned this motif to put on an A6 notebook cover. Knit in stocking stitch (Row1: K across; Row2: P across - repeat rows 1 & 2 to end)

To make this, I used 1x 50g Cygnet Wool rich 4-ply in Lilac, and 1x 50g Cygnet Wool rich 4-ply in Black, but far less than a whole ball is required. I used 2.75mm knitting needles. In addition to the chart, you will need to knit 55 stitches to the right (with RS facing) of the cat. When finished and blocked, attach to an A6 size hardback notebook by folding over the excess fabric at either end, and sewing the edges together. 8-10 rows of plain background colour may be required above the cat to comforably cover thicker notebooks.

Ravelry

I've now got a profile on Ravelry: JuliaBee