Odds and Sods - August 2018

I've just uploaded all the photos for August's odds and sods post and it seems to be about two things this month - knitting and Finn!

I've had lots of jollies and outings which merit their own posts, but the general stuff has all been about starting my Christmas present knitting!   I clearly need to get out more!

This is the first cowl I have made with my sock yarn - I have decided I'd like to do more craft fairs next year so need to look at presentation of my items.  To that end, I have bought a hundred sheets (I'm not even joking) of craft paper/ card and I love the way it looks on this, although my writing is appalling so I'm hoping that Amanda will be helping me out with her calligraphy skills.

This is a photo of the cowl in progress, on a weekend's break down at Bristol

This scarf has been finished, but still needs the ends darning in and to be packaged up.

This one is mine!   I bought this wool in Knaresborough on the way back from my Northumberland holiday last year as I thought the colours were very reminiscent of the trees that we had seen that week.  I do love a woolly souvenir of a holiday.

Now this is highly unusual - I made myself a jumper!  I haven't done this in years and I thoroughly enjoyed it - not least because it's in an aran yarn which knits up super-quickly, but also I really enjoyed the fair isle aspect of it.   And with double thickness yarn, it's going to be wonderfully warm in the coming months.  I love it!

I've bought myself a dress too  - a yellow cord pinafore.  What's not to love?!  I may need to make myself some more jumpers to wear underneath it!

I love these thin lacy scarves, but I didn't love the making of this one.  It really isn't my colour and the yarn dye came off on my hands while making it.  Not my favourite.

And another cowl.  I've been super busy, but am loving these smaller, portable projects for the times when I don't have time to wrestle with a fair isle pattern!

Did I mention I'm a member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture?  They'll take anyone!

I went to a craft fair in Chapelfield Gardens in Norwich with Amanda and managed to not buy a single thing!

This is something you don't see every day - a horse queueing up for the Post Office!

I've harvested spuds, tomatoes and courgettes this month from the garden.

And Amanda has finally got the quilt I made her on the bed and it looks fabulous.  She put a photo on Facebook and I seem to have now got a few orders!  Luckily I've set up my own dedicated sewing space in the spare room now, so I might even get to do some more sewing as the nights draw in.

But, as always, it's all about Finn .....