Snood day

I am going to start with a confession. I really should have washed my hair this morning. In fact, I really should have washed my hair yesterday morning. But on both occasions staying in bed that bit longer and not having to fight with the hair dryer won out. I know that washing and drying your hair isn't really that much of an effort in the great scheme of things but some days, actually, it just is. My usual dirty hair day style is a quiff and a pony tail, I get a great 50's look and it holds better if your hair isn't freshly washed. By dirty hair, I do mean three or four days, not weeks and weeks on end However, this morning I wanted a change so I had a little think.....

and I realised - snood day! The perfect solution to a less than perfect hair day! I intend to learn to crochet so that I can make my own snoods but to tide me over until that day I have a couple that I bought from a seller on Ebay. This one is emerald green. Please excuse the not great photo quality, they are all taken on my camera phone as I didn't have my camera to hand.

Such a quick and easy solution - a bit of rolling at the front, a few kirby grips, tuck the rest into the snood, a few more kirby grips and done!  So, snoods - the way forward for those who want those extra precious minutes asleep!

Look at all that beautiful woolly goodness and gorgeous ribbon behind me. Thank you Ribbon Circus, purveyors of the finest haberdashery!

I paired my snood with my dark teal velvet dress (I love a velvet dress) and purple cardigan, grey tights and purple shoes.

These are the shoes that I wore on my wedding day so they have very happy memories in every step!

January knitteds

I am loving my knitting at the moment. Absolutely, totally love love loving it. I would be knitting all the time if I could and if it didn't make my shoulder hurt - (extreme knitting injury there)! I always love knitting but there is something about the cardigan that I am knitting at the moment that is making it even better. So I thought that I would share a sneak peak of my progress so far.

This yarn is a beauty to knit with. It is Sublime extra fine merino with silk double knit in teal. It is so soft and has great stitch definition. For someone who loves knitting it is a shame that I struggle to wear wool as it itches me like mad. I turn into a crazed woman screaming 'get it off me NOW' as I contort and writhe to get the offending garment away from me as fast as possible. As this yarn is a) merino and b) has added silk, I can wear it as long as it is not directly next to my skin.

My parents and my sister between them bought me a garment's worth pile of this yarn for Christmas and I knew exactly what I was going to make with it.

It isn't this cardigan! Not that it isn't a lovely cardi but it is not the one. But it is from this issue of Stitchcraft. I started it on New Year's Eve - so only 62 years after it was published! I rather like that, I wonder how many people in 1952 cast on this cardigan.

'To complete her skating outfit, Joan wears an amusing cap and mitts set'!

This is the one! I just fell for it! A perfect short length and fitted shape and that completely amazing stitch pattern. The magazine refers to the stitch pattern as 'chunky blisters' which is possibly the most hideous description of the most beautiful pattern that someone could come up with. I am referring to them as foxglove flower bells as that is what they look like to me.

This is a close up of the stitch pattern patted flat but it is far nicer raised which is how it knits up.

Drum roll............

This is the back of my cardigan, hot off the needles! This is the first time I have knitted a stitch pattern like this so I am very proud of it.

I do like a nice bit of rib! The colour is more like the top photo that this one.

For those of you who have knitted from vintage patterns before you will be well aware that the instructions are often not as full or as clear as they might be or assume a certain level of knowledge. This one is not so bad though there have been a few places where I have had to scratch my head and go 'eh? you what?' a bit whilst I worked it out. Plus a few rows of unknitting when my interpretation turned out to be not quite right! But that is all part of the excitement.

The back and both fronts are complete and I started the first sleeve yesterday. So it is coming on. I just can't wait to wear it! I am planning the outfits that I can make with it. As the magazine styled it with an amusing cap and mitts set perhaps I need to find myself one of those!

This is the back cover of this issue of Stitchcraft. It is such a pretty children's set. There is a bit of snow on the hills around here so it is quite fitting too!