Necessity - the mother of invention!

A couple of weeks ago I posted details of a small scarf which I'd greatly enjoyed making. However, blocking it out was 'fun' (not!) - in fact, the blocking process is the part I really hate, (almost as much as sewing up knitted garments!) all those little picot edges to be pinned out individually and to shape......eugh! :-(

Still, I decided to replicate the scarf in a different yarn - a lovely, soft, 75% Bamboo mix.

It looked like a limp bit of dishcloth as it came off the needles - but then, lace knitting never looks its best at that stage, that's where the (previously dreaded) blocking comes into play!

Of course, it's so much easier using blocking wires/rods - but not so easy to find where I live in the UK. Then I got inventive.......!

A quick trip to one of the DIY 'sheds' saw me procure some anodised metal rods. The narrowest gauge I could find were 4mm but as the scarf I wanted to block had a suitable sized slotted edging I thought I'd try.

Well - it was SO easy I couldn't believe how I'd never tried this before! The rods were 1m in length, so I had to use two, slightly 'overlapped', along the neck edge, then use the third along each diagonal edge seperately.

The end result is drying out nicely and I'm rather pleased with the outcome.

(Of course, if any of my family are reading this, I might still put a set of 'proper' wires/rods on my Birthday/Christmas list, anyway.....if you can find/afford them! ;-p)

Isn't this gorgeous?

I found this blog by chance this morning - am totally smitten!

Particularly with the post about the 'Rams and Yowes' blanket!

Seriously jealous - beautiful design and gorgeous colours!

I want one! :-)

The Beginning .....and the End!

It's the beginning of 2012 - but it's the end of two WIPs! :-)

The 'Icecream' scarf (so nicknamed because the colours remind me of Neapolitan icecream: vanilla, strawberry and chocolate) is finally complete! It has been my 'go-to' project in between other projects, but rather than run out of wool (I bought it on holiday in New England, so not exactly easy to run out and buy more!) I called a halt, cast off and added the fringe. It was a very simple pattern and is so snuggly soft that it will be appearing in public on many outings, methinks!

The next project only started last week but is already finished!

The knitting club I go to twice a month has a tradition of using the profits from out weekly subs to purchase balls of different yarns and at Christmas all the members of the club get a 'lucky dip'. Well, I selected some sock yarn and decided that, rather than knitting socks (of which I have a fair number knitted already!), I'd use the yarn for something else and came across a pattern for a small scarf/shawl

I love it so much, I've already cast on with different yarn to create another scarf.....will post piccies of that when finished, too!