Thursday, May 1, 2014

Yarn along

I found these three big hanks of beautiful 8ply chocolate brown natural wool yarn at an op shop a few years ago (1.5kilos of wool for $60), and it's taken me till now to decide what to knit with them.  I had the urge to knit something warm and woolly as winter seems to have arrived suddenly (not sure what happened to autumn) so started winding them into balls, using the backs of 2 chairs to secure the skeins over with me standing on another chair leaning over the top and winding into balls. There must be an easier way thinks she.

Then I remembered I had this ball winder thing down stairs....so much easier....


Decided I'd knit this top from an old 1976 magazine...bet most of you weren't even born then :)

It just seemed to lend itself to the naturalness of the yarn.  I'm using 6.5 mm needles and two strands of wool together.  It's knitting up quickly and is lovely and soft...



And if I get a hankering for some colour...I can work on my crocheted lap blanket...


I've just finished reading this book .  It was amazing (read it in 2 days...including 2 hours in the middle of the night because I couldn't sleep).  It is much more than just a romance (I hate it when the library put those little heart stickers on the spines of the books...I don't really like romance books as such, and I'm glad the little sticker didn't put me off this time) and has given me so much insight into the lives of the disabled/wheelchair dependant.  A wonderful bittersweet book.  Very highly recommended it you haven't read it (but don't be tempted to peek at the ending...I almost succumbed, but so glad I didn't)...
 
Head on over to Ginny's blog if you want to see what others are working on and reading....
 
 
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7 comments:

  1. mamasmercantileMay 1, 2014 at 4:00 PM

    Love the pattern for the top. The colour combination for the lap blanket is beautiful. Have a crafty week.

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    Replies
    1. LyndaMay 2, 2014 at 11:40 AM

      Thankyou!

      I love the cushions you are making on your blog too :)

      Delete
  2. BeanMay 1, 2014 at 8:10 PM

    Great projects. Love that chocolate brown wool. What size crochet hook do you use? Your crochet is so consistent and has excellent tension.
    I remember as a child sitting in front of my mother holding skeins of wool on my wrists as she wound them into balls :)
    I like the pattern you are using.
    Bean

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    Replies
    1. LyndaMay 2, 2014 at 11:49 AM

      Hi Bean!

      I generally use a 4mm hook when I am working with 8 ply yarn (not sure how that translates to your US terms), but with some of the beanies I am crocheting I used a 3.5mm hook to make them a little smaller.

      With my lap blankets I use a 4mm. The type of yarn you use can affect the results too. I much prefer using pure wool, I know it's more expensive...unless you get a bargain like I did :)

      I do use acrylic for some of my lap blankets, but for knitting I like to work with wool.

      The top is knitting up very quickly...I hope I like it when it's finished.

      Maybe I can put Denver to use holding the skein for me :)

      Delete
  3. Michelle-ozark crafterMay 2, 2014 at 8:44 AM

    I think the top will be lovely! i was a teenager in 1976!

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    Replies
    1. LyndaMay 2, 2014 at 11:52 AM

      Hi MIchelle!

      You're just a spring chicken!!

      I was already married with 2 young children in 1976 :)

      Delete
  4. JessicaMay 7, 2014 at 12:31 AM

    I love the color yarn and the pattern is lovely. I was a wee one in '76 but I can appreciate the style. ;-)
    Thanks for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete

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