Say it's only a paper moon and stars...

This small piece is my take on the workshop led by Jessica Grady, via Textileartist.org. 

The moon is cut from a page out of an old book. I folded written paper into stars and added some yellow beads. 

The big blot is blue ink. I love that effect, suggesting a dark but not gloomy night.

I’m not sure yet if I’ll cut the edges and leave it in the hoop as a piece of its own or whether I’ll make it into something else.

The nicest words

When we assembled this blue cupboard (from the well-known furniture store) we noticed one of the little crossbars wasn't properly painted. Instead of going through the hassle of driving back to the store and sorting it out, I decided to find a solution myself. I painted the part white and stamped some lovely words on it and let the words spread onto the sideboard. They are all wonderful Dutch words, starting with my favourite letter W. Love my cupboard now!

 

Inspired by this, I decided to spruce up another handy but boring cupboard this way. 

"Always another walk", something Virginia Woolf used to say, walking to her sisters house every day in the Sussex South Downs. I love walking.

"Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday, and all is well". I spotted this great saying in the tower at Sissinghurst Castle, where Vita Sackville-West used to live. It is a good thing to see first thing in the morning. 

Clara's Cape

Clara's Cape is a pattern from Knitvent 2017, which is a lovely mix between an advent calendar and a mystery knit along. The collection was inspired by Tchaikovski's Nutcracker.

I used Rowan Big Wool, which meant it was a superfast knit. 

you can wear it as a lovely shoulder-warming cape or loosely as an oversized statement cowl. And, as the designer says "Combining a dollop of old-fashioned Edwardian charm with a dash of modern simplicity, Clara's Cape captures a bit of that timeless magic and makes it utterly accessible"

I am very happy to add it to my wardrobe! Hopefully next winter I can take some  strolls through a fairytale winter landscape...

The designer, Helen Stewart, hosts the lovely Curious Handmade Podcast, absolutely worth listening to!

               

Juniper Socks

I recently knitted my first pair of "real" socks, slippersocks not included. "Juniper Socks" is a pattern by Helen Stewart from the curious handmade podcast . You can find the pattern here. I've been listening to the podcast for years and I find it both interesting and soothing. It brings together Helen Stewart's "love of craft, travel stories, life lessons and community". 

I used the suggested yarn : Blacker Yarns Tamar DK. I love this yarn: it is rustic and soft at the same time and the colours are gorgeous. It is spun from the fleeces of fine British rare breeds, including Teeswater, Wensleydale and Leicester Longwool. 

I am happy with my socks and I love the texture and colours. However, I do find knitting socks rather difficult and I hope very much that I will persevere, given my love of socks. Perhaps I should learn to knit socks on circular needles with magic loop, two at a time? 

Susan B. Andersons lovely Butterfly

I'm a fan of the lovely, wonderful knitting patterns of Susan B. Anderson. This particular pattern can be found in the magazine "Making" No.2 and also here, on Ravelry.
Knitting a Susan B Anderson pattern is on my "20 for 20 list". So despite all the other unfinished projects demanding my attention, I decided to give priority to this one. Just because it is so cute!
The butterfly and cocoon are both worked seamlessly from the bottom up, picking up stitches for the wings and antennae after the body is knitted.
I used small amounts of Baa Ram Ewe Titus yarn (a wool and alpaca blend).
This wasn't a very easy make, but the pattern is clear enough and I loved the process of creating this sweet butterfly in its cosy cocoon.

Shall I fly this way...

...or that way?

 Cosy and warm!

Selbu Mittens

The Selbu Mittens is a pattern by Skeindeer Knits. You can buy it here on Ravelry. Skeindeer is a London-based Norwegian pattern designer highly influenced by traditional Norwegian knitting. She hosts a nice YouTube podcast that I watch regularly.
The pattern is well-written and easy to follow, and I loved learning new techniques (like the Old Norwegian cast-on). It was a bit like solving a puzzle to me. This colourwork knitting is really something I want to do more of.
The yarn I used is John Arbon Textiles knit by numbers DK, bought online from Knit with Attitude
(a local yarn shop in London). I am very happy with these mittens, they are so super warm and cosy. I made them as a Chritmas gift and I hope they will be well received!

Sooo cosy and warm!

starting a new project is always a bit daunting…