wrap cardigan

wrap cardigan
Originally uploaded by nigelpcat

This is another success in the garment department!
It's a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern and is knit it one piece.
No sewing (well, just a couple of inches at the armpit).
The yarnis Noro is Silver Thaw, colour 13 and I took 10 balls. It's warm soft and a little bit fluffy and does interesting things with the colour all the way through. Needless to say it has been discontinued.
I've left the sleeves at three quarter length but other than that followed the pattern.
I shall wear this a lot (although horizontal stripes are not the best thing for a tummy unless you want to show it's full dimensions..).

From Flying Fingers

From Flying Fingers
Originally uploaded by nigelpcat

I do love a a bargain, and this is a really good one.
Yarn was ordered online from 'Flying Fingers' of Tarrytown, New York just before Christmas to take advantage of their free worldwide delivery offer.
It arrived before the New Year complete with a free gift of 2 skeins of sparkley wool. Bear in mind that the Atlantic ocean lies between us.
So I have everything I need to begin 'Cafe Bastille' a big, thick aran.
The colour is called 'khaki', I'd say 'lichen' if it was down to me.

Rainbow ripple

Rainbow ripple
Originally uploaded by nigelpcat

This is fun!
It's a simple pattern to make a scarf, pinched from examples seen on Ravelry.
I'm knitting as fast as I can as this is for Isobel who's 12. No one else at school will have anything like this!

Dyed with Ashwood acid dye

Dyed with Ashwood acid dye
Originally uploaded by nigelpcat

This is the most delicious yarn - dk weight alpaca/blue faced leicester from Violet Green dyed in the microwave. A bit of Ashwood dye and quite a lot of clingfilm - and voila!
I was hoping for 100g of dark and 100g of pastel colour, which I almost got. The contrast is not quite as much as I hoped for but the colours are huge fun.

Japanese Feather Stole

Japanese Feather Stole
Originally uploaded by nigelpcat

The pattern is a download (can't remember where though), and it's lovely to knit. Not difficult but not boring either. I made the stole size, just 4 pattern repeats would make a lovely scarf. The picture doesn't show the wavy edges, shame. I used about 500yds of Knitwtchesyarns hand dyed lacewight/4ply silk (a good weight whatever it's called) in Flame and US6 needles.
The silk came from the Ally Pally show in October and was as gorgeous as any in the whole show. The silk blocked really well too which shows off the pattern.
Definitely recommend this to anyone.

Hemlock Ring

Hemlock Ring
Originally uploaded by nigelpcat

This was fun to knit (until each round got too big), and again many thanks to Brooklyntweed's blog for leading the way.
It's big enough to keep the knees warm in the winter but I got fed up with going round and round so did not reach the end of the original pattern.
I used New Lanark's Donegal Silk Tweed in russet, which is warm and rustic but not at all scratchy. The other bonus is that it is cheap. Very. So great stuff indeed.

Dog proof knitting box

Dog proof knitting box
Originally uploaded by nigelpcat

At last, a Dog Proof Knitting Box!
I've had a selection of dog-challenging knitting bags and baskets but the dog is know for liking a challenge.
I'm very pleased with the box, which was a plain pine box from B&Q with a hinged lid. If the dog lives to be 99 he won't be able to get my knitting from this.
After a coat of paint, some shapes cut from a sheet of wrapping paper and stuck on with PVA glue and three coats of varnish the box is finished.

A cardigan for Arwen

A cardigan for Arwen
Originally uploaded by nigelpcat

I love this cardigan despite having no clue who Arwen is.
The pattern is from Interweave Knits Winter 2006.
The yarn is Jaeger Extra Fine Merino Aran - now discontinued which is crazy as it's wonderful. It has good stitch definition and gives some very satisfying weight to the cables.
The colour is 'Juniper' and the photo does not show the warmth and depth of the shade. There are tiny flecks of brick red in the yarn which add to the richness of the colour.
Modifications - I followed quite a generous size for the body but used the shortest sleeves. Good job I did too. I'm 5 foot 4 so this does not just apply to elves.
I found the top of the sleeves a bit skinny and I could have added a couple of inches to the body, but basically I LOVE THIS and will wear it everywhere. The pattern is clever in its' construction and not hard. A word of advice : only do the cabling on the sleeves (which means doing cables at both ends of the row ) with a clear head .

A cardigan for Arwen

A cardigan for Arwen
Originally uploaded by nigelpcat

Slightly better view of the cabling, the fact that the pattern at the cuff is knitted with the sleeve and not sewn on afterwards is a nice touch.

Bonzo - angelic, moi?

Bonzo - angelic, moi?
Originally uploaded by nigelpcat

Not another picture of the blimmin dog!
And the little dear is sitting on my best chair.
However he deserves his portrait posted as we have had him exactly one year today.

Kimono shawl

Kimono shawl
Originally uploaded by nigelpcat

Believe it or not I have lost the book with the pattern of the Kimono Shawl. Half way through.
What's more 'Folk Shawls' published by Interweave is one of my all time favourite books (and somewhat overlooked by the knitting community I feel).
Anyway, confession is good for the soul and I have told my friends on the knitting forum that I can't find the book anywhere. A very kind person is willing to send me her copy so that I can use the pattern. Cyber friends are wonderful, so a big thanks to the knitter's friend.

Natural Dye Studio

Naturala Dye Studio
Originally uploaded by nigelpcat

I'm catching up with this blogging lark.
This is the sock yarn bought from the Natural Dye Studio near
Shingle Street in Suffolk. This was an outing organised by Lois of the Ipswich Stitch and Bitch to see Amanda perform her wizardry with dyes from plants - we were amazed as the colours developed before our eyes after being dunked in a vat of indigo.
We had plenty of time to marvel at the range of yarn and as well as tea and cake there was a chance to buy some to take home too.

more socks

more socks
Originally uploaded by nigelpcat

I must admit that I like my kettle dyed sock yarn more than the sort they sell in shops. The colours in the photo are a bit washed out compared to the sock in the flesh.