Brrr - keeping my hands warm!

It's been positively Arctic here in the UK over the last few days! Needless to say, that has meant staying in the warm at every opportunity and catching up on boxed sets of DVDs and series on Netflix!

To accompany the constant supply of hot tea and visual stimulation I've been trying to keep my hands warm with a steady stream of yarn-action!

After the let-down of the knitting show daughter and I persuaded the OH to drive us over to Coventry (not for the faint-hearted - the ringroad is a nightmare and something I'd avoid at all cost!) last week to visit one of our local yarnshops. We propped him up in the IKEA coffee shop with a latte and a newspaper, whilst we headed across the road in search of soft and fluffy goodness (aka - yarn!)

I purchased some cheap and cheerful acrylic/wool mix yarn in shades of blue to make into yet another blanket. I really can't afford expensive yarn, so acrylic does the job - at least for large things like blankets.

So, back home, out came the hook and I was off crocheting a new 'ripple' blanket:

Unfortunately, some of the ball-bands didn't indicate yardage and I will need to go back for more! (a fair 'excuse' for a wee trawl around the shop for other items, I think!)

Although I love to 'ripple', I must confess that sometimes if I'm following an intricate plot on TV I find it hard to concentrate on both things, so I resorted to using up more of my small scraps of yarn in a mitred-square project:

I call it 'Mitred Madness'!

Given the cold weather and the distinct possibility of our boiler giving up the ghost before we get the new one fitted, I really don't care what it looks like, as long as it will hopefully keep my lap warm!

As for the idea of combining 'Bargello' pattern with crochet (see previous post) - well, I'm still working on it, but I came across a pattern I picked up when I was in Michael's in New Hampshire a couple of years ago:

I think this could be interesting!

(and I quite like those colours, too!)

Meanwhile, back to the project(s) in hand - but to knit or to crochet..........

(I wonder if it's possible to do 'mitred ripples' ?)