In which Spring Cloud goes to the frog pond, I reorganise my craftng space and get startitis for Carnival.

So I thought I had managed to break the drought with Spring Cloud - I am sure all due to Gigi's wise advice last week and the diversion of the Magic Loop socks (now on the second one) during my commute this week. In the evenings last week, I beavered away and Spring Cloud the second was completed, and in a flash of inspiration I nipped out to the Woolmouse to get some vaguely co-ordinating laceweight - and found this kid merino:

from Crystal Palace yarns, in the enchantingly named Kiwis and Mangos. Knitted the cowl neck - and, once again, hated it. The problem, I have decided, is the proportions of the sweater are all wrong - the cowl is too much for the short body and sleeves. It will never be right, so it's going to go, and it's back to the drawing board for the Gedifra Samina. I feel another Rav search coming on!
Feeling somewhat discouraged by knitting, I looked for other activities to do and over the weekend I was suddenly taken to change around our dining and "extra" room spaces at home, and in the process had to face the mess that is my crafting space, or lack thereof! I was vaguely spreading myself around different parts of the house, and feeling pretty unorganised with it, which is something I hate. So I now have a dedicated crafting space (or really corner) in what was formerly our dining room, and is now our "activity room" - our dining room has moved to the rear extension, making much better use of this space, which was formerly just a junk room, really! Here is my crafting corner, mid-way through the changeover:

It is looking a bit better than that now!  I also had to deal with the fact that my stash is completey out of control, following a donation of about 7 large bags (and I mean garbage bag sized) of mill end cones from a neighbour! In amongst it were some beautifully coloured laceweight (you can see them in the photo) and a bag of silk, so some of it will be staying, but I will probably Freecycle or donate the rest to a school or college for textile students to use. My neighbour also had a knitting machine going, but I think I have enough on the go somehow, with knitting, and dabbling in crochet, sewing, spinning and dying, and all with a full time job and 2 hour commute...

With Spring Cloud off the needles, the Magic Loops socks in my work bag for commuting, and the Apple Strudel quietly hibernating until autumn really hits, I found myself daydreaming about a new project. I had been planning a shawl of course (sweater, socks and a shawl), but during a trashy 90s romantic comedy I watched last week some knitware caught my eye and in leafing through my old Rowan mags, I came across some vintage Kim Hargreaves from the late 90s (Carnival from Rowan 27) that was similar, and might treat myself to a rustle around in the stash this evening to see if I have what I need for it.

Irish Spoils

Dear readers, I have just returned from a week touring beautiful Northern Ireland, and had managed to stow the above two skeins in my bag by the time I returned. The red skein, although beautiful, is really nothing special - just a a skein of Debbie Bliss Donegal Tweed - but it will do well for a winter hat, and Ireland seemed an appopriate place to buy it. This purchase was made in Fivemiletown, near Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, at this unprepossessing but surprisingly well-stocked yarn shop:

The other skein of handspun Jacob was purchased from the spinner herself  (trading as Simply Spun) at a craft fair at the stunningly-located Ward Castle, near Downpatrick, County Down:

This is a stock photo, as my ipod had run out of battery while we were there - on the gloriously sunny day we visited, Ward Castle had been yarn-bombed with a bright pink piece of ?crochet hanging from the centre balcony, still attached to a skein of yarn. I saw a little bit of other yarn bombing in Belfast as well, so it seems the knitters of Northern Ireland are out, about and active!
I also had a task to complete while travelling - my Ravellenics project, Spring Cloud, for Linda. Well, the closing ceremony was last night and I finished to a degree. I finished, but am not happy with the outcome, so want to make some changes. I am, right at this very moment, debating whether to take another break from Spring Cloud while I think about these changes, or just charge on with them. I like to knit for other people, but this is starting to feel a bit like a chore!

I could do a couple of quick one-skein projects - I want some light slippers for wearing in the house in summer, as my winter slippers (sheepskin ankle boots) are too heavy for this time of year, but our wood laminate floors downstairs are too cold to wear nothing, and socks are too slippery, and I am thinking of making a smart hat as well, for a dressy occasion I have been invited to in late August. These might distract me and energise me to return to Spring Cloud - or I might struggle to ever pick it up again!

Spring Cloud, McCalls 2255, and Amy Butler's "In Town" Bags

Spring Cloud has been knitting up quickly in Gedifra Samina, on 4.5 mm needles (a fairly loose, open gauge):

I am however worried about it being too tight - I have tried on myself, and it is tight over the bust, and too short for me, although Linda (it's recipient) is very petite. I think I will knit the sleeves and then lengthen it with any left over yarn I have. It is a soothing, idiot-knit, knitting around and around. I also need to search my stash for some lightweight matching yarn for the cowl.

I would really like to get out into the garden on this relaxing Sunday at home, but the British summer is at its worst at the moment, and I have to keep dodging very heavy showers. So while the showers are coming down I have been working on McCalls 2255, one of my "vintage" 1990s patterns from Julia:

It is designed for lightweight fabric, but I am sewing it in a heavyweight cream fabric (possibly a mistake - I will soon find out!). I cut and pinned it last weekend, and today sewed the side seams and pinned the waist:

I do all my sewing on the old Jones Family CS (Cylinder Shuttle) treadle machine in this picture - and although it only does one stitch (straight) it works beautifully, there are never issues with tension or tangles, and I can control the speed and keep things nice and slow. I use pinking shears to clip my seams instead of zig-zag, and also do a lot of hand finishing. I am planning to sew black embroidery wool detailing onto the skirt, and add a black knitted corsage - based on a skirt I saw some time ago in the Guardian weekend magazine.

I also finished the Amy Butler "In Town" bag and pouch I worked on last weekend - although they shouldn't have been I found them rather fiddly and wonder if that is something to do with Amy Butler patterns perhaps. But they have turned out nicely:

These were a good way to use up scraps, and although I am not super-happy with my finish they are pretty and servicable. So I have made some progress on my year's sewing goal over these past two weekends!