I went along to iknit on Saturday.  This is the third time and I really enjoyed the visit.  I took my sister with me who splurged on lots of lovely wool from Artisan Yarns.

I also bought some fab skiens from her stall.  The first was a beautiful lace weight in a French Navy and the second was a lovely DK 100% cashmere in a purple/indigo colour.  I am still deciding what to do with the cashmere but I think the lace weight is going to be a Camping 1/2 knit shawl.

 I also bought two skeins of smoothie sock from the Artist’s palette.  This is going to be knitted up into a Daybreak Shawl.  I love the colours and the two skeins compliment each other very well.

I also bought a lovely knitting needle brooch – still trying to find out the name of the seller and some fab lego head stitch markers from The Bothered Owl.  Along with two more balls of Aran for berets, I think I had a great haul.

I was also very pleased to receive lots of lovely comments on my Travelling woman shawl which I wore on Saturday.  Knitters are such lovely people!

I have been firmly in love with 1950’s early 1960’s fashion for as long as I can remember and have many pieces of original and copied styles in my wardrobes.  Last Summer 09 I made a full circle skirt which I have worn lots to work and at home.  Today I am going to cut and make another skirt which will be made out of a very dark burgundy medium weight polyester.  I was convinced when I found the material in my favourite material shop – Jersey Vogue that it was wool but the owner told me that it was an Italian polyester which was used for suits.    Three metres of the material, plus lining, zip and thread came to under £20!    Over the summer I also purchased a lovely net petticoat from Toast.  It has three layers of fine net and gives a lovely fullness without any stiffness.  Although I love 50’s look, I want to try to keep the up to  date, the softer net is nicer to wear.   It was quite hard photographing the fabric as the weight kept pulling it off the dummy and the light and flash kept taking away the true colour. 

  My second shawl,  this time I did three repeats of Chart A to make it a little bigger.  In fact with the wool I had left over there was enough to do another repeat.  The yarn is Malabrigo – sock, the wool is red with a white fleck.  I could not wait to show a picture  so here it is artfully blocking on a blue bath towel!

I actually finished this in June and wore it to work and on holiday.  I love this dress, it can be dressed up or down.  To work I wore it with high wedges and jewellery, on holiday with flat sandals and a shell necklace.  I was really pleased with the buttons which I got from a vintage fair and have a retro swirly pattern on them.  I am still contemplating whether or not make a thin belt.  I am keeping my eye out for an original buckle to add to it.

On holdiay, I tried out my new camera, I was really pleased with this close up of a thistle like flower with a bee.

I also took a number of photos of my rock sculpture on the beach!  I particularly like this one.

I love to have several knitting projects on the go and after sorting out my knitting box and bag today I found I might have one too many!

I have the beginnings of a Northern Lights cardigan by Nicky Epstein

I also have  another Travelling Woman scarf.  I have used a fab red yarn which has a slight white fleck in it.  I decided to do three repeats of the pattern and now am on the border.

I have the back of a slouchy mesh knit jumper – this might be stored away to finish next Spring.  The colour looks horrible in this picture – it is in fact a light sage.

  and finally a few knit swaps –  a baktus which is really nearly finished.  I ran out of wool on the last 10 rows!  Hope to finish this by the end next week once my new ball of wool arrives and a travelling scarf swap which I cannot photo as it will spoil the surprise. 

I have been so proud of the many harvests I have been able to do from my three small patches.  At the end of July, I picked lots and lots of French beans which were so yummy to eat.  My two boys could not get enough of them. 

Returning from holiday I was very happy to find lots and lots to harvest.  A huge marow, which is going to be curried today.  At least two pounds of tomatoes,  cucumbers, 6 raspberries, blackberries galore and lots of courgettes.  Vegetable gardening is well worth the minimal effort I have put in this year!

Over the past week, I have made my first harvest of salad leaves.  It was such a pleasure eating fresh salad from the garden.  Unfortunately, my two boys didn’t like it very much as it is a mixture of rocket.  I need to plant some sweeter tasting lettuce before it gets too late!   The slugs and snails have not found the salad yet…  they have sadly discovered the marigolds and are chomping their way through each flower:(   published two months later than written!!

Another pleasure of mine is to rummage through junk shops and markets forgotten treasures – jewellery, clothes, bric and brac.   This weekend I went to an Antiques and flea market and found two small but beautiful brooches for my brooch collection.  One was white and black and had a painted image of Josephine Baker the second was to add to my butterfly brooch collection. 

This started when I was about twelve when my mum took me to my first Antique market and bought me an old 1950’s brooch.  My collection is limited to colours from my wardrobe and I don’t buy every butterfly I see.  

My third purchase was an old collecting tray, probably from inside an old box.  This now houses some of my brooch collection.  I’m thinking of adding some small velvet padding inside each tray to pin the brooches on, in that way the tray could be mounted on the wall.

I finally finished my Nautical Nixon which I have been knitting for a very long time.   I really like the finished article which is in keeping with the perennial trend for nautical wear.  My darling husband says I look very French when I wear it!  As the years go by, he really does know the right things to say to boost my confidence!