Daisy, Daisy - Wrist Warmers and Hat Set

Daisy, Daisy.... well, if this set doesn't cheer up the bleak Winter months I don't know what will!

:-)


A lovely beanie style hat with a cute flower on the side and a pair of long wrist warmers that definitely will keep out all the nasty drafts. The set has been knitted (and crocheted) with Louisa Harding Willow Tweed in pale blue and Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in cream. Both are high quality yarns and wear fantastically well. The Louisa Harding is a mix of alpacca, merino and silk, the Debbie Bliss yarn is a mix of cashmere, merino, and microfibre.

The pattern for both the hat and the wrist warmers is all my own design. I am going to try and offer it as a download sometimes soon. :-)

Below you can see some of the details (from left to right) - flower on the hat, crown of the hat, cable on the inside wrist of the wrist warmers (to keep them nice and tight around your wrist) and flower and cable/bobble pattern on the front of the wrist warmers.

Here's the wrist warmer on:


The inside where you can see the nice snug fit around the wrist:


The inside of the wrist warmer laid out:


Once the set has been washed and blocked it will be available in my Etsy shop... unless you snap it up by sending me an e-mail.

Dragon Lace Scarf and Fingerless Gloves

This is my latest offering - another lace scarf, romantic and elegant and with a definite Spring theme. The weather might not look much right now, but Spring is coming. Definitely. :-)


I wanted to make a versatile scarf that would go with almost anything and that was light and could be worn in lots of different ways. This scarf is long enough to be worn as shown above, just with a single loose knot or as below with a big bow. It can also be worn wrapped around your neck twice. Either way it looks like Spring around your neck.


Below is a picture of the scarf in flash light which shows off the shimmer of the Habu silk yarn in pale green.


The main part of the scarf has been knitted in a lace pattern that reminded me of a dragon's scales in the pale green Habu silk; the lace at the bottom is crocheted in a web pattern in a a lovely soft cream linen and silk mix. I have also used the cream linen/silk mix for the edging around the main (green) part of the scarf. Habu moiree paper linen and Habu steel covered with moss green wool knitted in a vine along the ends of the scarf separates the main scarf from the lace at the bottom and adds texture and an organic feel. The flower on each end has been knitted with a mix of three of the yarns used with 2 buttons in the centre of each flower creating a focal point.



Below are the matching fingerless gloves. Like the scarf they are my own design. The pattern for the dragon lace came from a Simply Knitting magazine (March 2009/Pattern Library).




I have used the pale green Habu silk yarn and the silk/linen mix from the scarf to make the gloves. The area around the wrist has been knitted in the green Habu yarn in the dragon lace pattern. It is split at the side and laced up with a cream organza ribbon that has a pearlescent coating. This allows the glove to be adjusted to your wrist size. The upper area of the glove has been knitted in ribs in the round with a picot crochet edging at the top, around the bottom and around the thumb of the glove.


Above you can see why I called it dragon lace.

Like the scarf the gloves continue the Spring theme not just with their colour scheme but also with the flowers above the wrist. The design for the flower is by Nicki Epstein - buttercup - although I added a flower button in a pale yellow rather than the suggested French knot. This time it was just knitted in the Habu silk.

The gloves would fit a medium sized hand/wrist, although there is give in the yarn. If you're interested but not sure if the gloves will fit, feel free to contact me and I will send you exact measurements.


The scarf and gloves will be sold separately in my Etsy shop, although together they would make a great set for a wedding or special occasion outfit. The gloves have been sold but the scarf is still available.


News: What's to come?

First, I think, it will be another lace scarf/fingerless gloves set, this time in Habu silk in a pale red with a fishtail lace pattern and more crochet lace in cream. I might add accents in burgundy rough silk yarn.

I also just managed to get some salmon leather - leather made of salmon skins, which normally would be a waste product of the salmon industry. The leather is fantastic, with a soft finish (just like very soft thin leather) and a scaly texture, and it doesn't smell of fish one bit. Check out this shop on Etsy for pictures: Gatsu Shop. I have several projects planned for this.

Another thing I managed to get was some gorgeous silk remnants. The idea is to combine them with some of my other techniques/materials to make handbags and accessories.

Then, there's that gorgeous faux Shibori scarf I really, really want to knit...

Then, there's that shrug I really really want to make in my gorgeous teal seacell and merino yarn... and many, many more projects.

There will also be more organza and tulle flowers in various colours, some fascinators with gorgeous feathers and whatever else I really, really need to make....

So watch this space.

Cold and Cold

When will this infernal weather stop? I am soooo tired of the cold, the rain, the snow, the sleet and the grey skies.

Been draped over the sofa or snuggled up to the radiator by the PC for the past few days with a cold. So no pictures of all the finished projects yet, especially as it's raining today, so not enough natural light to take some pictures.

However, I have finished:

• my Green Blossom scarf
• my Black and Teal Flapper hat.

My beautiful Thorny Rose bag is still a little damp and needs a little TLC after the rough felting in the machine, however, it's looking good and I can't wait to show everyone.

I've also started a pair of dark red lace fingerless gloves. Maybe not a brilliant idea with a stuffy head and a cold as the pattern is quite fiddly, especially the increases for the thumb. However, the first one just needs the side seam sewing up and hiding all the lose threads. And, if I feel a bit better later I might start the second one.

Hopefully, I'll have some pictures in the next couple of days.....