Glorious crochet sweaters

NowTHIS brings back memories... of a striped green/purple rugby shirt borrowed off a boyfriend in the deep and distant past when we'd got soaked in a summer downpour........Aaaah such memories! LOL.

Looks fun though doesn't it ? Crocheted cotton poloshirt type tops to run along a beach in.

Hi guys, still working on SALICE from Kim Hargreaves/ Rowan but as I had delivery of a brand new computer processor yesterday and darling hubbie copied all my files across I though I'd quickly try out how everything works with the new systems. WOW- its soooo much faster!

A new mouse and a super compact smooth clicky keyboard too..... Above is a book I may have mentioned before, I sooo love it! Especially as it has so many memories: ALL of the patterns I have seen before in a magazine called ARIADNE to which I subscribed as a teenager- so these all connect me to the days when I was 12- 16, early to late 1970's, YUP the seventies!

And yet - maybe that's to me- they don't look all that ''dated'' do they????

It'd raining today, mid July! And not that warm so actually this maohair jacquard cardi looks just the job to snuggle into while reading a good book on holiday- sofa but no fire.... well it IS ''summer''!!!

Gorgeous back....

Ooooh this makes me want to go skiing!

Comfy warm car-coat anyone?

These cables as divine aren't they?

Chunky ribbed shawl collar coats must have been '' the look'' back then?

There's plenty of summer cotton jumpers too, mainly with boat necks, here's just a few:

So sorry I seem to have ''lost'' the function to change the colour to my lovely blue, I don't much like black script......... Will need to learn how to get it to re-do. I tried and it cut the last photo out instead...

January creations : a new bag: reversible bucket bag

Happy New Year!!! A bit more tardy than last year... Been busy busy busy: ta dah! Made the above bag on 2nd January : first thing I made in 2011. It's called the reversible bucket bag and the pattern is from an amazing new book I discovered called the Bag Bible by Lisa Lam . Abslolutely fabulous patterns and instructions: I made this in an evening!!!

The pink is a fabric given to me by my sister when Miss E was born and she's now 12. The 2 blue fabrics were acquired especially for this bag from Masons just before Christmas. It was a project I thought we'd all enjoy for the Christmas holidays, but we were either feeling poorly or just too busy with other bit that it almost didn't get made at all.

It says a lot for the book, I have 4 other ''bag making'' books out of which NO bags, none , nada have yet been made. Plans yes, actual bags: none!

Totally reversible: see?!!! This is the lovely elegant blue/white side whereas the pink ios the mad summer side or the side for grey rainy days too. I even bought the gadget and made the little flower for the brooch fastening. It was fun to do and very rewarding.

Just a quickie to show our flowers for New Years Day: ta dah! They were so blousy and cheerful and quite made the day- as did the New Yera's concert of course - especially the music and the ballet- SUPERB!!! Didn't think anything of this year's Queen speech though: very annoyingly patronising.

Quick look at the flowers again to erase that memory! Also finished properly the chair seat cushion cover by inserting the zipper: ta dah!!!

100% recycled materials: foam from old dog beds, used and worn out jeans and a zipper recovered from an old dress.Finished all 4 of the hats, here's the pom pom one with earflaps- pattern on Ravelry. Except the earflaps are ALL MINE. All fully lined with fleece hand sewn in.

This is what 80% of the Christmas holidays was like: both girls totally pre-occupied with phone games, i-pod/i-pad and other electronic gadgetry. I on the other hand re-discovered my love of sewing and made this ''Buid-a Bear'' Bunny a nightie. My own pattern. Soft vintage cotton jersey and a wee pink bow.Aaaaaah. In the New Year we did manage just ONE walk: voila.

Miss Y showing off her Cath Kidston umbrella that Santa had brought her. My new bucket bag gets it's first outing. Family photo? No chance! Well 4 out of 5 ain't bad. Miss Y also sports her new fab spotty scarf and her new - market and knitted boo hiss- earflap hat.

Miss E stomps off in a huff in fabulous new Jack Wills coat, new tartan Toggi wellies and hoodie sweatshirt for her upcomig Aberdyfi trip.

JWills, C Kidston, Toggi- ah yes we've entered the very brand conscious age for the girls, not my cup of tea I must admit. ''Made in China ''features far too heavily for my liking. Where's the '' home-made'' or the '' I made it myself''???

CU SOON? !

FLOWER CROCHET COMING UP NEXT....
Bye for now.

Japanese Joys: new crochet books!

Here's a tiny preview of the Japanese crochet books I have received recently and which excite me so very much. I just love the simple and elegant styling they do!

This lovely cardigan has an intricate pinneapple design yoke, and then the body and sleeves are added later. Quite in the way Doris Chan sometimes works: top down fan stitches.

There are also the beautiful subtle variegated yarns to admire!

And the young models which I was hoping would appeal to my -almost- teenage daughter...

This one for the raglan shapings: I so love a raglan sleeve for comfort.

In browns,ochre greens and orange definately not my colours and yet it really appeals to me, minus the frills. Fun colour and pattern play.

This is a favourite, the lovely surprise at the back!

Cover of one of the books.....Alas the index did not come out that well. More later I promise.

Old book, memories and MODERN designs to crochet and wear

This is IT, a lovely lovely book I discovered at a yarn shop in Bovey Tracey, Devon when we were there in the half term holiday. It was a shop copy and very old but I found it on Amazon!
It has the most terrific memories for me as it features many crochet patterns which I have seen before in a Dutch needlecraft magazine called ARIADNE to which I subscribed in the mid 1970's and all through the 1980's. My sister even had it sent to Canada for me when I lived there in the 1984/1985.

This is my all time favourite and I simply MUST try to make it , maybe in a turquoise or blue colour? It's in a wool but the pattern does not state an aran thickness. The crochet cabling is stunning.

A zigzag relief design.

More creamy snowy wooliness in crochet cables.

Terrific lattice, great for cycling on my orange bike too!

Very unusual but intriguing stitch this, still all crochet!

Fabulous patterning in mohairs too. Another fave, a must make, as soon as I have sourced the right mohairs
Boucle too.Summer jumpers in cotton for children and adults alike.

This was just a taste, there's 60 patterns in the book and I can't wait to start trying them out.