Wee Brock

Wee Brock, another lovely design by Gudrun Johston. When I first saw this pattern I just had to make one. The pattern is fairly easy and the garment is knitted top down in one piece. I transcribled the chart as I hate reading charts and as I plan on making more of these. I'm almost finished with a second one.

I like the curvy detail on the bottom of the cardigan. They are made using Sunday Short rows. I enjoyed knitting this and I learnt a new technique. 

Pattern : Wee Brock available on Ravelry

Yarn : Dream in Color Smooshy , 85g for size 12-18 months, that you can purchase at L'Oisive thé

Needles and pins

Today I needed a sewing needle to finish off the cord ends on my drawstring pouches. I couldn't find one so I thought that if I squeezed my pincushion one might be in there. So that is exactly what I did, and voilà I found a needle. I continued squeezing the pincushion and more and more needles came out. I felt like I just won the jackpot, because the more I squeezed the pincushion, the more needles came out. I ended up cutting the pincushion open and found more in there. In the end I found 56 needles in my little pincushion. So that solved the mystery of the disappearing needles.

So after cutting the pincushion up, I was pincushionless. A quick look in the scrap Fabric box and half an hour later ... I now have a brand new pincushion and needle roll.  

So, the moral of the story is, give your pincushion a squeeze, you might get a surprise or just prick yourself :-), and never throw away your scrap fabric because they might become something really awesome.

Happy new year

Madiba

Todays blog post is dedicated to Nelson Mandela who passed away last night.

Photograph taken by Naashan Zalk, friend and film-maker, in 2008;

" I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live in harmony with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for, and to see realized. But my Lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."
- Nelson Mandela, defense statement during the Rivonia Trial, 1964.

Madiba, as he was fondly known to all us South Africans, was one of these great men that walked the earth. I feel very priviledged to have had the opportunity to have met and shake the hand of such a great person. Anyone who has met Madiba will tell you that it's a moment you'll never forget.

Nelson Mandela bought peace to a country that was on the brink of cival war and he united a divided nation. It is amazing the difference this one person made in the hearts of his friends, enemies and detractors.

Madiba will live on in the hearts of all and may we never forget what a long walk it was to freedom!

Madiba our moral compass is GONE .... What a pity for the world, but for HIM, it was a great life and time to go ...VIVA MADIBA ... Hamba Gahle!!

Ps: Here is a link to a brillant article dedicated to Mandela's memory.

A mes lectures francophone, je suis desolée qu'il n'y a pas de traductions en français pour ce post. Je ne saurais pas m'exprimer aussi bien en français. C'était mon hommage à Nelson Mandela ... un grand homme.

Open for business

I finally managed to open my new ETSY shop. So if you're looking for a unique gift for Christmas, please have a look. Http://www.etsy.com/shop/aditisshop.

J'ai enfin ouverte ma boutique sur ETSY . Si vous cherchez un idée de cadeau de Noël , vous y trouverez peut être votre bonheur. Http://www.etsy.com/shop/aditisshop.

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Henslowe: A tale of three shawls

Henslowe by Beth Kling. One of my favourite shawl patterns. It looks complicated to make but in fact it's very simple. I made three of these so far and see more in the future. These make great gifts. I made one for myself and the other two were gifts.

I used different yarn for each of the Henslowes. I knitted the patern as is each time.

Henslowe using Juliespins MCN, Shoot.

My first Henslowe, the one I kept for myself is made with Juliespin's MCN. I just love this yarn, it's very light and soft due to the cashmere. This however makes a smaller shawl.

Wollmeise 100% Superwash merino, Merlot

The second Henslowe was made with Wollemeise 100% merino. I didn't like knitting with this yarn, it's a bit stringy. Once I blocked the Henslowe, it grew a lot and I love the way it drapes. I think the Wollemeise is the perfect yarn for this pattern. It's give you a nice sized shawl.

Henslowe usng Madelinetosh merino light, Curiosity

The third Henslowe was for a last minute birthday gift. I used Madelinetosh Merino Light. Here again, it gives a bigger shawl than the Juliespins and it drapes lovely. I used almost every gram of the skein.