Two More Bargain Crochet Books

Another couple of books arrived yesterday. If you don't have any clearance book shops or any second hand book shops who sell knitting and crochet books then, like me, you will have to rely on online book sales. I have been lucky recently to pick up crochet books at bargain prices on various UK book clearance sites.

The Fun and Funky by Sophie Britten is not really very inspiring to me. It might appeal to the younger ones but to be honest I don't think that there is anything in it that I will make so I am glad that it didn't cost me full price.

Crochet Style by Sally Harding is an old book so I was not expecting any fantastic styles in it. Whilst I doubt that I will ever make anything exactly as it is in the book there are so many pattern stitch swatches in the book. I am sure that these will come in very handy to be incorporated into other patterns.

I do like close crochet and some of the 'fair isle' type crochet swatches are beautiful and would look nice in blankets or clothing. I have shown you a couple of actual patterns and I love the stitch of the cream sleeved jacket with the multi coloured fronts. I like the way that they swatch to show you how it looks in shades of blue. The plaid swatches and garments are a bit busy for me but I can imagine those stitches made into blankets. The motif squares would also look very pretty in an afghan or pram blanket.

As that book was really cheap I think that I got a bargain if only for the design ideas. The styles are very old fashioned but with a bit of tweaking here and there could be brought more up to date.

Hand knit news in that I have started the second front of the charcoal cardigan but I will still have the button bands and large ribbed collar to make so still a way to go there.

Machine knitting news is that I think that I have finally mastered my ribber demons. I unravelled the 2 fronts and re knitted them. The cardigan does need a wash as it has dirty marks from the wool being unravelled and a stripe of oil from the machine. Otherwise everything went off smoothly and I am ready to make other things once I get my hand knit and crochet finished off by the end of March. After that I can dedicate more time to the machine and perhaps try out the lace carriage which I haven't used for about 15 yrs. I want to make sure that I have time and patience before I try that out.

Yesterday was a beautiful Spring morning and when I went out shopping it was so warm that it was the first time for months that I haven't had to wear a hat and gloves. Today the weather started off wet but it has brightened up after lunch. No sun today though. I would like more days like yesterday and then I would believe that the weather was finally changing for the better.

My next door neighbour came to see if I had seen Oscar the cat as they had not seen him since they came back from Ireland. I said if you shout him he will come downstairs as he has been sleeping here since the weekend. They shouted him but in the end had to go upstairs and get him. He was fast asleep on the bed. He went home with them very reluctantly and no doubt will be back at the patio door anytime soon.

Time for a coffee and then back to the charcoal knitting. I would really like to get it finished over the weekend and then that is one birthday present less to worry about.