This time of year, at least in the Southern Hemisphere, is the turning point for crafting, I reckon- it's properly cool enough that knitting is always on the mind, and everyone seems to need new hats and jumpers.
We're also lucky enough to have some new babies in our family and friend circle - which is the loveliest reason to get making, don't you think? I've been trying out different bootie patterns for some of these babes - in the first photo above you can see a set of three I finished recently.
These are: the 'suspension bridge booties' knitted up in cream DK wool (free pattern on Ravelry here), striped baby booties (from an old Debbie Bliss book I own) and a pair of 'greemy baby booties' in grey 4ply yarn (another free pattern - you can find it here). The latter is my favourite design because it's mostly seamless and I think they would stay on a baby's foot the best.
In my last post I showed some beautiful black wool fabric with a sparkly thread running through it, which was a lucky find at the most recent Fabricabrac fair here in Wellington. I used it to make a new winter jacket - the Nova Coat from Papercut Patterns. I made one of these a couple of years ago and still get lots of wear from it, so it's nice to have an updated version - perhaps for slightly fancier occasions, given the sparkly nature of it. I lined the coat in a black silk/cotton fabric with an embroidered texture, a bit like a Swiss dot. A bit of everyday luxury for sure!
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And speaking of luxury, I bought myself a copy of Laine's 52 Weeks of Shawls, which is quite a special book, even just to look through, let alone knit from! As the title suggests, there are 52 patterns from designers around the world and there are many I'm keen to cast on. I also think I will learn a lot from these patterns as they have interesting design elements and construction methods. If you'd like to look through the different designs, you can do so on Ravelry here. I'm quite keen to cast on this one first - it's made using two strands of silk-mohair throughout. More luxury!
A song that is keeping me company these days is this one, which has been around for a few years now but I still love deeply. Cattails by Big Thief.
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See you again soon, friends!