I Love Vintage Yarn

Sorry that it has been so long since I last posted but for once the sun has  been shining in the UK and I have been sitting out in the garden making the most of it.

The first bit of non crochet news

Buster is here. Not just for a week but to stay permanently (apart from holidays) I am back to being his Mum again instead of Gran. He has quickly made himself at home. I bought him a new ball to welcome him. Noise warning comes with this video.

It doesn't take much to make him happy. I was happy too to wake up to a loving pair of eyes. It doesn't take much to make me happy either. There is nothing in the world like the love of a dog.

As you know I am unexpectedly going to Skiathos with a friend. As I have not had time to save up for this holiday I am having a sale of the crochet items that I have made for craft fairs. I have decided that apart from an odd local one I am giving up the craft fairs. I don't have transport and I don't like having to ask my niece to take me here and there. She has a full time job with little spare time so I don't like to impose.
My crochet is displayed on my Facebook page Urbangypsycrochet Even if you don't want to buy anything then please view and like my page. So far I have just sold the brightly coloured circle waistcoat.

I have finished the short sleeved jacket for my friend's Mother to wear  at a wedding. The yarn that I have used is absolutely gorgeous. It is some vintage Emu Silhouette that I managed to find on Ebay. I used to sell this yarn in my wool shop and still have one crochet top made from it. It is silky and drapey and just feels so luxurious. I managed to get hold of some peach colour as well.

I just love the way that it drapes.

The pattern may still be available as it isn't that long since I bought it. It is Sirdar 8699.

I did change the edging. On the pattern it has just a plain UK double crochet but I added a fancier edging as it is for a wedding.

This is what I am crocheting at the moment. I bought from Ebay some cashmere, wool and silk yarn from China some time ago. it is lovely and soft but I decided not to use it for my great nephew as it is not machine washable. I am instead making a stole with it. It is a gift for someone so I can't say more at this stage. I am using the Sweet Lorraine Throw pattern by Doris Chan from the Interweave Crochet Fall 2008 magazine. It is a great patterns as it tells you how many stitches to chain on for a narrow scarf, a wider scarf, a stole and a throw. It also says how many extra chain that you need to add extra patterns. This yarn is a fine 3 or 4ply so although I am using a 5mm hook I had to add extra sts to the stole pattern to make it that bit wider. I wish now that I had added another pattern set to it but once it is wet blocked then hopefully it will be wider when it is finished.

The stitches are now out from behind my ear. I have not heard anything back from the hospital about the biopsy so I work on the theory that no news is good news. I am not really a worrier. I tend only to worry once I have cause. I am sure that if the lump wasn't benign that they would have told me by now,

Today is still fine but unfortunately the sun seems to have gone into hiding. It is still warm enough to have the patio doors open so that Buster can go in and out of the garden as he wishes. He is getting older now and needs more bathroom breaks than he used to. This is one reason why I now have him permanently as my son and his wife work full time. He is a very affectionate dog and needs more attention than he gets being one of three dogs. It's a win, win situation all around. I get company and he gets cuddles. The only thing that he will be short of is good long walks but then he is older now and doesn't need to walk as far.He is happy exercising in the garden with his ball.

Happy Crocheting xx

Fait Main Special Crochet Magazine

I fell in love with this magazine when I saw the one that my friend Sue had brought back from her holiday to France a few weeks ago. As  it is a French magazine no-one in the UK stocked it so I had to search online for it. I was trying to find a stockist in France so that maybe the postage would have been less but all I could find was a company with the lovely name of Irene and Mr Sheep  who are based in Canada. I managed to order it but it cost me $28 with the postage.

Those of you who follow me know that when my heart is set on something to do with crochet then I will pay anything within reason to get what I want.

I have put it in a video as there are so many designs to take photos of. I didn't want to appear on the video as although today I was able to wash my hair, for the first time since my operation to remove a hopefully benign lump from my right ear, I still have stitches in and swelling and my right ear sticks out a bit like a cab door. I do hope that this is a temporary look. Stitches come out on Wednesday.

Anyhow enough about me. The video also has glimpses of my furry Grandson Buster who is here for a few days so not much crochet will get done until he goes home again on Sunday.

I am going to grab my crochet and try to get some done in the garden. Buster is easy to look after when the weather is nice as all he wants to do is sit in the garden with bursts of energy when we play catch with his ball. His friend Poppy nips through the hedge to say hello but as neither of them are young and sprightly any more they are more like a doggy Darby and Joan couple.

I do hope that you like the designs. I am going to be brushing up on my very rusty schoolgirl French and trying to understand the diagrams. I would like to make so many of these before the Summer ends (if it ever arrives).

Happy Crocheting