If at first you don't succeed

Surely you are wondering by now - what are you knitting?!

Well, after success with my previous reknit, i decided to take on another of the recycling projects in my stash (have a few- op).

I had this colinette jitterbug about 5 years ago. my mum has made a few of a feather and fan design cardigan which i think is just the best design for this blended yarn. After having a close up look at one of hers, i decided that i wanted to try one myself.

I remember i had knitted myself a jumper from a pattern before this, but this was definitely my first encounter with 4 ply, and so the first instruction in the pattern: 'cast on 148 stitches' - was quite overwhelming and instead i made the decision to only cast on 108. I was also quite hesitant to spend my money on wool then so really made quite a scrimped version of the cardigan, and although it did fit, it wasn't the same at all.

So although i did think it was pretty, i never really wore this one. And made the decision quite a long time ago that i would reknit it properly this time!

And so i have started. You can see it is a feather and fan lace pattern which means that although the rows are quite long, there's a bit of variation. And the colours make it quite exciting too.

i'm pleased i have made a start on some more reknitting. I loved the wool when i first bought it, and it is disheartening when projects don't work out first time, but this is lovely to see new things come of those old balls of wool.

Yours feathered and fanned,
Emilia. xx

squares

Although i did find my last quilting project a little bit of a chore, i have decided that i am going to have another go to make some cushion pads for our wooden dining chairs. I just love the finished effect - even if i don't find the production quite so much fun.

I got this beautiful fabric from my friends Marian and Hellen for my birthday last year. Marian is a quilting guru so i am trying my best to make her proud with this project.

I am really pleased with progress so far.

First i cut the fabric into small squares:

And then i layed them out into the four cushion squares. This picture looks like quite a big mess, but hopefully soon you will see some order appear...

I have done really well sewing the squares together - here you can see they are in slightly different stages of development.

I am enjoying this project much more than i expected. I think now i have a good method of production, and i think because the fabric is nice and crisp and the cushions are all quite small, this has been a nice pastime for the evening.

I think soon i'll be finished!

Yours patchily,

Emilia. xx

Diamonds are forever

I am really pleased with this dress i made from some of my new spring fabric.

I love this diamond pattern so much.

standing up straight (the dress doesn't have sleeves - i am just wearing a vest)

I was having a bit of a brain dead day when i decided to embark on this project and cut out my pattern pieces in a very strange way. it meant that my skirt ended up a tiny bit shorter then i would have liked and my diamonds don't really match at all. I was quite annoyed with myself at the time as this fabric is so amazing, ad i wanted the dress to be perfect too, but as ever, time is a healer and I am starting to forget those gripes and really love this now.

I want to make another linton dress in time for easter, but i am running out of time i fear! Perhaps good friday will be a good sewing day. wait and see!

Yours diamond light,
Emilia. xx

Mist Cardigan

I have been getting on quietly with my knitting, and really happy that my little recycling project is now complete!

The wool was quite distorted from having been knitted before, it had lost some of it's fluff and was more stretched and spindly than when it was new and so i had to treat it more like DK than Aran as it had originally been. This knitting is much tighter than before and so the wool didn't go quite as far (and also because i lost some in the unpicking process) but i think it means the colours are more blended and i had the perfect amount for this little short sleeved cardigan -a very economical pattern.

I love the collar! i think i will have to make more collared cardigans.

I have already started my next project which has a lot in common with this one! more soon!

Also i have joined in with pinterest. i am enjoying that a lot - what a good idea.

Yours another knit knitted,
Emilia. xxx

ps. i have also got three new friends - i will try to show them to you soon, but they are very small and quick.

Happy Mothers Day

For mother's day, as last year, i made a simnel cake for my mum. She is a master cake maker, but i don't think it's often she has a cake made for her so it's nice to give a sweet treat.

This year i didn't grill it though. i think it made a more attractive cake that way.

I was a little absent minded and forgot to add the mixed spice and ground ginger, but it is packed full of dried fruits and crystallised ginger so i hope will still be a tasty delight. I will wait for the verdict (or maybe i will get to sample a small slice myself!)

Happy Mothers Day Mum!

yours lovingly,
Emily. xxx

stag, bird and acorns

This week i have made very good progress with my sampler and have found it very pleasing to work this section. 

Yours,

Emily

Spring collection from Linton

After my very busy costume making times, i was a little worried i might get dressmaking withdrawal (this is a true reason) and so decided it was definitely time to treat myself to a little bit more linton fabric. This is so exciting for me!

I have to admit i was a little bit impulsive, but it was only because I saw this amazing herringbone fabric:

I loved it so much and didn't want it to all be sold before i came back to it so just decided i would have to buy some immediately.

But then there is the problem that i do like to buy my fabrics in batches (because of the postage factor really. and the wow factor when i open the parcel) I had a sample of this blue and cream fabric which i thought would be lovely for a spring dress. It's so luminescent and beautiful colours, i think it will make a gem.

I thought also that it would be nice to try to find something a little summery (it was a lovely sunny day last weekend) and found this cream and ecru cotton fabric. I still have in mind the Coco Chanel philosophy on black and white (but nervous of true white!). It does look plain I know, but as ever the drape is perfect and there's such a lovely quality to it, I am really happy i chose it. It looks woolier in the picture than it is in real life - i think it's quite suitable for a summer dress. I only hope i am able to make such a light coloured garment i love to wear.

I had an email from linton tweeds. it is their 100th birthday and so they are celebrating with a photo album on their website and on their facebook page for people to send in pictures of things they've made with their fabrics. Maybe you will spot me in there! I am enjoying seeing all the pictures as they appear. I think my items are quite casual compared with the others - i think a lot of best dresses are made with linton fabrics- there's even a linton wedding dress!

also i am very excited about a mousey development.

Yours ready for a little dressmaking this weekend,
Emilia. xx

little sprouts

I am so pleased, my tomato seeds have started to peek through the soil. After just 5 days there were two little signs of life and after a week I have uncovered them and here is the picture:

three small sproutlings!

I have turned the pot round as there are still two seeds in there, but i think perhaps they have been a little more in the shade (although maybe that won't make a difference as they are underground)

Yours shooting,
Emilia. xx

Trees

Yesterday we went to the V&A and I was so inspired by the amazing embroideries in the India rooms. It was a new year's resolution to pick up my sampler again and today I have been busy with some cross stitch trees (i know it's not quite the same). you can see i had started them in my last update, and now they are complete:

This project will really be such a beauty when complete. I hope i can keep up with some stitching a little more now.

Also i will mention we saw the most amazing cape there too - spun from spider silk. it was like fabric gold. There are a few good exhibitions coming up there - I was especially excited to see there is one of Ballgowns starting in May. We saw the Cecil Beaton pictures of the queen, there were some real gems in there. 

I used the word 'there' a bit too many times there.

Yours up a tree, s.t.i.t.c.h.i.n.g

Emilia. xxx

Collared

Last week on Sunday it was my friend Hayley's birthday.

As she had given me such an amazing christmas gift - the book of vintage knits i took my supersoft angora cardigan from - i decided to surprise her with a little knit taken from its pages.

I spotted the pattern for this little collar - a lovely addition to any outfit!

I used some rowan belle organic - wool and cotton blend - perfect for this little project. If you like this one, you should also take a peek at Debbie's crocheted collars - lovely ones.

I hope you had a lovely birthday Hayley,

yours ,
Emilia. xx

now i would like one of these

Lucciola - step 1

I have been very busy sewing recently, but today it is time for a rest, and instead a little sowing! (i couldn't resist this little wordplay)

i bought myself some seeds for some tomatoes as was so inspired by my friend's plants from last year. And have noticed that my houseplants are starting to wake up from their winter slumber so decided it was a good time for sowing (and also because the guidelines says to plant them february - april)

The seeds i have are for Lucciola F1 (i'm not sure what the F1 stands for?) they are small plum tomatoes. lovely for salads.

I used these instructions from Gardener's World to know what to do. A nice little video.

Now i just have to be a little bit patient i suppose. And hope for no more cold snaps.

Yours gardenerly,
Emilia. xx

my (nearly) new knit

One of my new year's resolutions was to do some wool recycling, and to reknit one of my old jumpers.

I wasn't really planning to do this so soon, but something about this grasped me and i started unpicking this cardigan you can see me wearing in this picture (and holding a baby - little lyra that is. she will be much more grown up now i expect)

It was originally knitted in pre blog days, and i really loved it for a while and wore it quite a lot. However, it was an early attempt at working out my own knitting pattern (and before i got this book) and more recently i have been not so keen on it's shape.

But i still love the wool (it's collinette art in colourway mist), and so what better action than to reknit to a better design.

However, due to the age of the original cardigan (i think perhaps three years) it was well set in it's ways and very crinkly when unravelled. The first attempt to knit with it produced some very lumpy bumpy results.

I wasn't really sure how to straighten it out, but wrapped it around the back of a chair and sat it near a radiator for about a week and although not completely flat, it is much much better now.

here you can see the wool - round the chair - near the radiator!

I went about choosing my pattern in a bit of a backwards way. I made a tension square and worked out that i needed about 80 stitches for the back. and then i found this pattern which uses 84... 

from woolworths!

The children's versions are knitted in DK, but as my wool is aran weight (or was when it was new - perhaps slightly finer for having been knitted already) so scales up to my size when knitted on the slightly bigger needles (at least i hope this is the plan) I am quite confident as remember my experience when scaling up the baby cardigan.

And i've made a good start i think. I will have to be careful as think i have lost some wool in the unpicking. Perhaps the short sleeve jumper version will be the best option, but i think that this is quite an economical pattern to knit - i hope there will be enough for the little collar though.

I am looking forward to wearing these colours again.

Yours thriftily,
Emily

xxx