The English Armchair Abroad

Christina by Kim Hargreaves

When I was last in London I visited Peter Jones and came away (can't imagine how) with some Rowan Cotton Glace.  It's a lovely green and off I went to start Christina by Kim Hargreaves in her Whisper book.  Her patterns are always well written and this is no exception.

Christina by Kim Hargreaves

However, if I make this again I will definitely knit it in the round and in fact I did do the arms that way.  In the end I decided to join the side seams as I went and this worked well as all the stitch changes gave me a guideline.  The only change I made (apart from the joining) was an extra inch at the bottom.  To align the sleeve pattern with the body I then had to add an inch to the sleeves as well but they are three quarter length normally so this was no problem.

It's one of those little irritations that I was busy making this during the March heatwave and now it's finished I've taken out all my winter woollies to survive the cold weather.  However, I am sure that summer is just around the corner (summer - are you listening) because although we need the rain badly we don't really need the cold.

I'm off to find my galoshes and sou'wester.  The bees, poor things, are suffering as the rain is keeping them off the Oil Seed Rape - normally a major source of spring food.  The dogs have stopped begging us to take them for a walk.  The goat is bedraggled and the chickens look half drowned.   But the garden is loving the rain.

Forbidden knitting

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a girl in possession of a pair of needles and beautiful yarn must be in need of a pattern.  Especially if she is off for a couple of days holiday, generously given to her and her husband by friends - about which, more later.

Brantome - the sun didn't shine but occasionally we glimpsed blue sky

And so it was that a couple of weeks ago I bought a lovely shawl from Goddess Knits, dyed some wool black, ignored the fact that it came out grey, and started knitting something that I knew would take me ages. 

A week later, and long before the above mentioned holiday, it was very nearly finished.  This is something I am not familiar with - shawls always take ages don't they?

In desperation I put into my knitting basket a cardigan which needed sewing up, a vest thing that needed the neck re-doing and, of course, the shawl - and by this time there were only four more rows before cast off.  You can imagine that I was not amused when my husband told me that the holiday was to be a knit free zone.  This really was crisis.  I mean, not only had I nearly finished the shawl but I'd also nearly finished Jane Austen's Persuasion and didn't have any other holiday reading loaded onto my kindle - oh my life is so complicated!!  (Spoilt?  Moi?)

He doesn't look like the leader of the anti knit brigade does he?

Well, obviously, I did manage to sneak the basket into the car when he wasn't looking, craftily disguising it as an overcoat.  I think he guessed although he was kind enough (or resigned enough) not to say anything.  And obviously I didn't knit, much, and only when he was snoring and I was wide awake.  Not unreasonable I thought.  Those four rows were finished super fast and I decided, in the interest of using up spare knitting time, to add an edging.

It's only when I blocked it that I saw the clever linking of the designs in this shawl.  It is a lovely pattern.  I used a gorgeous mix of alpaca/cashmere/silk and the shawl is Annabelle by Renee Leverington.

Oh, and I finished the lovely Persuasion.  I highly recommend it but if you are a Jane Austen fan you'll have read it six times already.

Weaving Wednesdays

Or any day for that matter.  But this is a wonderful huck lace shawl.  Made using a hand dyed mix of alpaca/cashmere/silk it has a way of floating on your shoulders so that you barely notice it.  Light and feathery but warm as well.  Perfect for spring and summer evenings.  It's in the shop so feel free to take a look.

This was taken in a hurry soon after it came off the loom.  I love the way the colours blend into each other and although I'm not a "pastel" person the silk gives them a lustre which is lovely.  

 

You can see in the detail below the windows from the huck design.  It was great fun watching these appear.  I'll do more of these as they really are luxurious and lovely.

Dining Chairs finished

I spent yesterday and today in the workroom with a friend finishing her dining chairs.  These are the last four (of eight) which she took home with her this afternoon.  

This was a straightforward recovering job and the fabric was wonderful to work with.  The stripes helped to keep everything straight, it didn't fray and the corners folded beautifully.  You can see on the photo below that she did a great job getting the stripes positioned the same on each chair.  What is interesting to me is that the braid is very visible to the naked eye but in the photo you can't see it at all!

It was very companionable to have someone else in the workroom.  It was also very satisfying to see how much she had learned between the first chair and the eighth!  I look forward to seeing the chairs in situ.

In the meantime I have a new client who has asked me to work on a series of six Louis style chair seats.  I have the first two stripped down and hope to get them back from the carpenter shortly.

More Blue Jacket photos

I finally put new batteries in my camera this morning so some more photos of my current pride and joy. 

From the back (ignore the mess)

 

The collar detail (look at that blue!)

Frogging to die for from e-craft

And finally a bag with the leftovers - fullly lined of course!

Thank you for all your kind comments.  I hope you enjoy the update.

The tailored blue jacket

In another life Max used to travel to Hong Kong and China on business and on the last occasion he bought me back some silk.  "I thought you could make a nice jacket on that sewing machine of yours.  It needs an outing."

Well, it needed an outing because, apart from the odd curtain and a bit of mending (only when urgent) I didn't sew.  I never had the patience for it and just didn't "get it".  

When I started my upholstery business that obviously had to change.  Cushions, piped and zipped, became a simple job that could be done in my sleep if necessary.  Lavender bags were made in a trice for the occasional Christmas Fair.  I changed a zip on my old jacket (not sure why as the jacket died soon after).  And so it went on.  My sewing machine, now 30 years old, became a useful object that I was able to enjoy, rather than something I was suspicious of.  But I still didn't dare to "run up a jacket" made from gorgeous Chinese silk.

Then things changed, rather suddenly.  A student in the autumn made me realise that if I could stitch a straight line and follow instructions designed to help beginners, then I could sew clothes.  In addition she offered to draw a pattern for me of my favourite jacket so that I could copy it.  Another friend was off to Thailand and offered to bring some silk.  I was inspired.

Before the pattern arrived though I rediscovered the original Chinese silk.  I found an old pattern for a tailored jacket and I set to.  This is the result.  It is fully lined and about an inch too big around the waist.  However, it is big enough across my shoulders which is always a problem for me.  It doesn't look great over jeans but heck, it is FANTASTIC!

For my second project (!) I am working on the re-drawn pattern.  I've chosen some rather fun fabric for the first one so that I can get it really perfect for the Thai silk.  We've been invited to two weddings in the early summer and I can't wait!

The frogging came from Crafts eshop and are beautifully made.  They arrived almost before I had finished paying for them - talk about good service.

The next jacket will be posted as soon as I have figured out a small problem around the arms.  Watch this space!

Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel

Whilst in London my mother told me that I HAD to see the film:  Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel.  The only problem is that this is not on general release anywhere.  My mother, for various reasons, was invited to see the film during British Fashion Week and she loved it.  The fact that she remembered she had seen it and could talk about Lisa Immordino Vreeland (who wrote the book and made the film and who she met) was remarkable in itself.  My mother had to be obeyed!

I did a quick check on the internet and to my complete astonishment (although, given it was Paris Fashion Week perhaps I was just stupid!) Lisa Immordino Vreeland was giving a talk at the American Library in Paris.  A simple matter of arranging to stay with friends in Paris for two days on my way back to Anjou.  Max agreed I should go and so it was that I found myself in Paris - most unusual for this country bumpkin!

The talk was wonderful.  My friends accompanied me and were fascinated even though, for them, Diana Vreeland had not existed until I had arrived at the doorstep!  We were given a four minute teaser of the film and the audience groaned when it was switched off.  We were then taken through DV's life at Harpers Bazaar, Vogue and finally the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  It was fascinating.  The people with whom she worked, those she met, how she worked, how she spoke - hmm, demanded perhaps! - and a glimpse of her life.  Questions followed and then it was, all too quickly, over.

The good news is that the film will be shown in France (in a very few cinemas) from the end of September.  I believe it is being released in the USA early September.

If you do not know about Diana Vreeland there is plenty to read on the internet.  Some of it probably fantasy but much of it true.  She was a remarkable and unforgettable woman.

If you would like to buy the book it is available on Amazon.  It's worth every penny several times over! 

Etsy shop - L'Atelier du Grand Gennetay - A SALE!

Just when I'd given up hoping I arrived home to a notice of payment in my email box.  I actually thought it was a spam or some trick but then I noticed it was actually in payment for something in my shop!  YEAH!

So, I'm afraid you are too late if you want to buy this lovely pink scarf as it has been bought and will be sent out tomorrow.  However, if you ask me nicely I might just be able to make you a similar one...

Etsy shop - L'Atelier du Grand Gennetay

Please take a look.  I've just reopened L'Atelier du Grand Gennetay;  you will find it here

If you see something you like do let me know.  In the meantime tell your friends and spread the word!

Blue scarf

Some years ago I was sent two skeins of lace weight wool, one burgundy red and the other pale blue, both of them a lovely merino/sillk mix from Black Cat Fibres.  With the burgundy I made a lace shawl called Heartland but it took me so long and was so frustrating tricky pattern) that I never used the pale blue.  I even considered gifting the yarn to someone more likely to use it.

Fortunately I didn't!  As you all know by now my weaving loom arrived and was set up a week ago and, of course, I immediately set to work.  The blue yarn seemed like a good idea and I warped up the loom faithfully following instructions from Ashford (which are very good by the way).  I chose a 2x2 twill and set to.  I seem to remember taking breaks for meals and to sleep occasionally but it has to be said that laceweight takes a long time to weave!

 

Today my scarf is finally finished and off the loom.  I made plenty of mistakes which you are welcome to notice and comment on but I'll leave you to find them.

My next project on the loom uses a thicker yarn and will involve shorter weaving times - backache is not something I want to live with for the rest of my life!