Fiona's Nordic Cardigan [Started 8th March]

I'm making this from the POM Nordic Style Cardigan, for a friend who can no longer knit.
The yarn is Sirdar Country Classic DK [50% wool / 50% Acrylic; 50g=125m/137yds] purchased from Wool Warehouse in colours: Navy 852, Red 871, and White 850. [Note if you following the POM and are replacing Patons Fiona with this yarn, you need to alter the required amounts in proportion to the yardage - Patons Fiona had a very long yardage - 50g=176 yards]

Tatted Christmas Decorations [Started 21st October: :Completed 3rd November]

I gave a class on tatting to my Guild comrades. I thought we might have "festive fun" and make some decorations, but they were not impressed!
However, it did remind me that it's quite fun (up to a point) so I made a few items from "Christmas Angels and other Tatting Patterns" by Monica Hahn. [I purchased the booklet from eBay where you can often see it on offer].

Ski Socks? [Started 12th October]

Green Woodpecker and Jay Socks [Started 17th September: :Completed 12th October]

Simone Cardigan [Started 28th April: :Completed 25th August]

This time, an adult cardigan from Martin Storey - once again from Rowan Magazine 73. It's intended for Rowan Handknit Cotton [100% Cotton; 50g=85m/93yds], but I am using Drops Cotton Light [50% Cotton/50% Polyester; 50g=100m/109yds], in colour 11 (Apple Green) which I chose mainly for the colour, but turns out to be astonishingly inexpensive. It does feel a little bit like plastic, and has a tendency to split, but the the knitted fabric has an excellent drape.

Coronation Baby Blanket [Started 15th April: :Completed 10th June]

Our Guild decided to make a Coronation themed blanket for a premature baby charity. The result is pretty satisfactory if a little wobbly due to the variety of contributors and knitting styles. The yarn is Stylecraft Special DK [100% acrylic : 100g=295m/322yds], purchased from Wool Warehouse.

Tiny Clanger [Started 14th April: :Completed 7th June]

Under duress from other grandparents I made this toy - which in fact turned out to be very cute. The pattern is for Tiny Clanger, available on the BBC website. I used Stylecraft 4 ply, [100% acrylic : 100g=422m/466yds] in colour 1080, Rose Pink, plus some oddments. Sally from my weaving class donated the felt.
[It was a great hit].

Flower Pillow [Started 5th April: :Completed 22nd April]

A spring-like cushion cover, with which I shall be covering a herbal lavender pad - or that's the plan.
This is an Arne and Carlos design which was offered free - but has now seemingly disappeared altogether on line.
The yarn is Stylecraft Special DK [100% acrylic : 100g=295m/322yds], colours Cream, Sage, Bluebell, Saffron, and Red.

Sea Stars Cardigan [Started 14th March: :Completed 7th June]

A Martin Storey design from Rowan Magazine 73 for a child's cardigan (there's a separate adult version too), in soft summer colours. It's intended for Rowan Summerlite DK [100% Cotton; 50g=130m/142yds], but I am using the rather more economic Drops Safran [100% Cotton; 50g=160m/175yds], and as it's not a DK I knitted a swatch (I know!); although it claims to work up to 24sts on 3mm needles, I'm getting more like 27 sts even on 3½mm - which is OK as that appears to be what the pattern calls for - so we'll see...

Shell [Started 8th March]

Another Lisa Richardson design that caught my eye, from Rowan Magazine 72. The yarn is Moordale [70% wool / 30% Alpaca; 100g=230m/251yds] in colours: Bronzed 006, Feather 001, Turmeric 003, Nutmeg 011, Pepper 002- and in a break with tradition I purchased the correct yarn. However the pattern is far more complex than I imagined being a mixture of fair isle and intarsia, plus they are not really "my" colours, so all in all, my enthusiasm is somewhat tempered.

Macrame: Beach Bag [Started 27th February: :Completed 4th April]

I was inspired to try my hand at this by a commercial high end design - which was described as a crochet bag (and cost an arm and a leg) but was clearly macrame. Long ago, I bought the thread, economically as possible, from China on eBay (it can be very expensive) - and that in itself was a nightmare as they seemed unable to ship their offer of multibuys and when I finally gave up and ordered 3 units they were each slightly different colours and thicknesses.
Finally, I decided it was time to kick off in earnest and despite this being my first real foray in this art form, (as usual), I tried to wade right in with my own design. Many knots and unknotting later I realise (again as usual) there should have been more planning at the outset...

Toby's Argyle Cardigan [Started 18th January: :Completed 1st February]

Another vintage design from a Bouch D'Or yarn booklet: Les Petites Anges. The original yarn is a 5ply but I used Stylecraft 4 ply [100% acrylic : 100g=422m/466yds] in colours, Denim, and Cream - purchased at the Fluffatorium.

"Surrey Thrift" Cardigan [Started 21st October 2022]

This is a "thrift" cardigan because I've had a pack of 10 balls of Patons Moorland (a brown tweed fleck) in my possession for about 40 years, waiting for the right project. Over that time there have been at least 2 attempts to make something from it, but it's a dense pure wool DK and fundamentally it's not enough for a sweater. However: enter Bellmans 1542 (an "unusual" vintage pattern) which seems to be perfect. I'm adding 2 contrasts in Rowan Felted Tweed DK, which is finer and lighter, but the tension works OK as the pattern uses slip stitches, and only comes into play on the sleeves.

Cornish Thrift Shawl [Started 13th October 2022: :Completed 21st January]

My sister saw this shawl in her LYS in Petersfield and bought some pink sock wool there - I supplemented it with 2 skeins of a semi-solid hand dyed wool from Posh Yarn. The pattern is Cornish Thrift by Nicola Diggins, and the yarn is Fruitful Fusion 4 ply colour Dusk [75% Merino / 25% Nylon : 100g=425m], and Alyssa Sock, colour Blueberry Kisses [80% Merino / 20% silk.: 100g=366m/400yds].

Weaving: Blue and White Cushion I [Started 27th September 2022: :Completed 14th March]

This is another design from Janet Phillips' book Designing Woven Fabrics.
The original scarf design has been doubled in width with a view to making a cushion cover, and I am using Venne BIO Cottoline [70% Cotton / 30% Linen : 250g=1600m], for both warp and weft, in colours 4003 Steel Blue, and 7100 Cream, from George Weil (Fibrecrafts) in Guildford.

Weaving: "Two Crabs" scarf [Started 28th August 2022]

This is another design from Janet Phillips' book Designing Woven Fabrics. I've always wanted to make this - mostly attracted by the pretentious title as it's based on a Picasso painting - but I am using laceweight wools rather than silk and my colour and texture variations are much simpler than Janet designed.
The warp is mainly Fyberspates Scrumptious Lace colour 520 Azure [55% Wool / 45% Silk: 100g=1000m]; the weft is mainly Fyberspates Gleem Lace colour 706 Sea Green [55% Wool / 45% Silk: 100g=800m] - both from Wool Warehouse. There are also highly coloured narrow stripes of other colours in both warp and weft, which are from an 800m skein of Laughing Hens Undyed 2 Ply Merino/Silk Lace which I hand-dyed.

Rock [Started 26th May 2022: :Completed 10th March]

A Lisa Richardson design from Rowan Magazine 71 for a crochet blanket/throw in soft summer colours. It's intended for Rowan Cotton Cashmere [15% Cashmere / 85% Cotton; 50g=125m], and I am using the leftover pink (wrong pink) from Sofia, plus some budget cotton yarn purchased from Poundland - Natura Cotton [15% Polyester / 85% Cotton; 100g=150m], supplemented by vintage Rico Essentials Cotton DK [100% Cotton : 50g=130m] in a dusty gold shade (26), and Patons Knit 'n' Save Cotton DK in a rose beige (2552) [100% Cotton : 100g] both purchased on eBay. Needless to say it won't be as lovely as one made from the intended yarn - but I hope it will be lovely enough....

Flamingo [Started 8th August 2021]

I was seduced by an email from Laughing Hens exhorting me to buy the booklet Rico Ricorumi It Must Be Love. It's full of cute crochet sweet nothings based on the theme of "luuurve".
However the one that I love is the flamingo. She's knitted in Rico Ricorumi cotton yarn supplied in small reasonably priced balls, making it practical to make these small items using a number of different colours, [100% cotton; 25g=57m (62yds)].

Oddments Blanket (for good causes) [Started 2nd November 2021: :Completed 14th September]

I have started a background project to make another blanket from acrylic oddments (I have many) using the Domino construction technique. You'd think a dynamic random design would be easy enough, but as usual, after the first few squares, making a truly random whilst also pleasing combination gets more and more difficult!

Hooked Sheep [Started 2nd January 2021]

Fleetwith sweater and cowl [Started 6th January 2020] With some regrets - Frogged

I thought of Lyn when I saw this pattern in Rowan's British Made by Lisa Richardson as it is the "sort of thing she really likes", and I considered buying Valley Tweed even though it would be pretty costly, despite the excellent yardage. However I have an ever-expanding collection of some very good vintage fingering yarns, so I felt bound to consider them. In the end, I chose a lovely cherry red Hermit pure wool crepe 4ply (yardage unknown - also a problem) which I think will suit the pattern.
Having completed back and front, it becomes clear that even with adaptations, I will run out of yarn. Thus there has been a long hiatus and a great dilemma. I have bought some Valley Tweed now in order to have another go - so - to frog or not to frog?

Weaving: Cotton Towels [Started 23rd March 2019]

I was inspired to try this project by the newsletters from Gist Yarn and Fiber. I would have bought their cotton but the shipping cost from the US meant I needed to be more cost-conscious for a simple rigid heddle project to do in the evenings. I settled on a real budget option which was impossibly low cost and astonishingly fast delivery despite shipping from Hobii in Copenhagen.

Little Bottles Quilt [Restarted 9th February 2019]

This is a patchwork quilt I started to make in about 2003 and in truth had done most of the hard work in appliqué. I was undecided as to what technique to use for the striped "curtains" - but have set off now with renewed vigour and decisiveness.
The design is Little Bottles by Kaffe Fassett from the fourth Westminster Quilting book (usually available from eBay).

Bella Blouse [Started 9th June 2011]

This is the Bella Blouse by Norah Gaughan from the Knitting Daily Pattern Library. I am using a few balls of Rowan Damask - a yarn I love but now discontinued - for the contrast and I found an ecru cotton blend (Patons Washed Haze) which tones with it quite well for the main shade. As my supply of Damask is limited I am omitting the contrast band at the bottom of the sweater.

Two [Started 22nd August 2010]

This is Two - not another cardigan! But it is, like Puzzle, from Queen of Hearts - in fact, the cover design. The yarn is Patons Misty [25g; 150m], 70% mohair, 30% polyamide. It knits to a double knitting tension of about 22sts to 4 inches, but I am knitting it much looser on 6mm needles. I chose this yarn also at Ally Pally in 2009; being a dress I thought it would take for ever but it seems to be knitting up very quickly so I have every expectation of finishing it soon...