Stephen West's Itaca Shawl

Yes, I very recenly finished this shawl, yay! It is a Stephen West design, called the Itaca Shawl. You can buy the pattern here.
I used Fyberspates Gleem Lace, which is 55% superwash Bluefaced Leicester Wool and 45% Silk (800m/100 grams, so very thin yarn). I bought it in a truly great shop : Wool-on-the-Exe in Exeter. If you're ever in Exeter, do go there!
The other yarn, the white one, is a very rustic 100% wool. It was given to me without specifications, no weight, no yardage. I just thought the two yarns would match so I got on with it.
Because of the completely different yarns (one soft and manageable, one rustic and much less manageable) I used, the shape of the shawl was, when finished, a little odd. I loved the look of the fabric, but to be honest, it was hard to find a way this shawl could be worn at all… But no worries, the pattern says to wash the shawl and then stretch the fabric extremely and that did the trick!
"Simple garter stitch plus simple shaping makes a simply beautiful and casual shawl!", I couldn't agree more!
And notice I added glass beads, which I think are lovely!

It's finished! (And I'm showing of a bit...)

Before blocking and stretching : The white and purple yarns react completely different to the pattern.

Before blocking and stretching : beautiful texture, not so nice to wear

Nicely stretched : softer and bigger shawl

Knitting pictures...always lovely!!

Chunky tweed slippers

This is a pattern I have used twice, because I found the construction of the slippers really fun. At first it looked rather complicated, but the shaping of the slippers happens quite easily and naturally.
the pattern is from the book 'Knitted and crocheted slippers' by Alison Howard. There's lots of great, lovely, unusual footwear in this book. I'll make some more in the future!
For the pair in the photos I used Schachenmayr Boston wool and acrylic blend and acrylic leftover yarn in different colours held double for the soles, which makes them quite durable.
The slippers are really warm and cosy, lovely and fun to wear.

cosy and warm!

 with sturdy soles:

Winter Wonderland scarf

I made this scarf from a piece of fleece fabric sewn together with a cool, smooth, supple fabric. The decorations are embroidered merino yarn and various kinds of beads. On the reverse side I embroidered some subtle stars with small beads. The scarf makes me think of Russian fairy tales, winter wonderland and magical icy landscapes.