What a way to start, he's happy honest I think he is, just doesn't like his photo taken...?
It's the Otis jumper from CROCHET TODAY Dec magazine made in SMC Select ( or Gedifra as was) RIANA wool and a 5mm hook. It weighs 561g now it's finished with all ends sewn in and trimmed.
It was 164 I think before that. I had a 10 pack from House of Fraser in early December and then managed to order 3 more balls online but they were a slightly paler navy so I striped the yoke using the pale and dark navy alternately, the paler was the treble rows, the darker shade the half trebles. Then cabled onwards it's the dark navy all the way.
He asked me to make the smallest size so I did. Lucky it's stretchy and it does fit albeit a bit too snugly for my liking. It's soft , very warm and light and very cosy to make as it warmed my legs and lap while I made it and as it grew on my lap.
The cables were the most fun to make, it got a bit boring after that but the ribbing was good too.
It fits me too just so you can see the relative dimensions, it's well below the hips on me.
Neckline is really good though, nicely snug for a warm winter sweater. And here's Van Gogh saying hello, I thought I'd introduce him as he's always in the background these days.
I sewed him as free machine embroidery in about 2005 I think, hard to remember now.
Sleeves and shoulders are a good fit. And were easy to do, top down of course, my favourite method.
And here's a bit more Van Gogh: Willow Trees...
A textural sampler from my City and Guild machine embroidery Diploma days...
And my favourite: the peach tree, of which one of the girls broke the glass when throwing thongs for the dog, a bit high I think, hope she works on her aim? Glass to be ordered shortly when snow melts.
I absolutely LOVED stitching this fence: it has dozens of colours in it. Embroidered from a postcard.
And the blossom are these lovely little circles, again in many many shades and tones of pink.
I reminisce , because I have been clearing out ( and taking to Oxfam spurred on by a programme on Hoarders...!!!) and I was really gooood I burned stacks of old chequebooks. Looking through you remember your life: swimming lessons for Miss Y in 2003 : £32- which seemed a lot at the time but a snip these days? Window cleaning, school trips, etc and a cheque for 13 reels of Gutermann thread from Green's in Thame the interiors and textiles shop, £15.50 on 21.1.2004.
Those 9 years sure have FLOWN by! I'm sure it was thread to make these Van Gogh pictures.
I was at home being a full time mum in those days and trying to be a textile artist...
These days it's work in Public Health and crochet to relax? But it's a reminder not to let those emboidery skills slip by. Even though it's a different machine now, a simpler PFAFF as my beloved old one was knocked over in the garden and broken.
To end on a positive note: the wool for the next project has arrived!
See it came in a labelled box and there it is 13 balls of scrummy soft angora mix yarn in the most fabulous cherry red colour.
This will be another top down cardigan but in- what I call -oh no it's the Miranda effect again- Lucy stitch?
I'm devising my own pattern this time.
This was a bottom up NORO cardigan but I worked it like a top down in reverse if that makes sense?
I've worked the PERU up into a cowl and now there's the cream cashsoft DK to be made into the Ghost cone scarf- silly name if ever there was one- and the navy cashsoft is 4 ply and I have another 13 balls of that too, making 14 I think.
I have now WORN this cowl out walking the dogs at 11 pm tonight in the freezing cold and it's FAB, does what it says on the can... Except there's no can? OK so it's comfy and very snugly warm and cosy. The snow was amazing: powder snow that's meant for skiing on! Crunchy but in that'' soft powdery whispered way'' not crunchy in the'' gravelly frozen bits of watery ice'' in the snow way.BLISS.
And the sky looked all white still as if it's still full of more snow and the streets were white and deserted.
Not a soul, not a cat anywhere. Just me and the two dogs who loved getting out at last.
We've been getting a bit of cabin fever here at home for 3 days now.
Bye bye.
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