On My Needles

At any one time I have about a dozen design projects in progress. Some will be at the pencil and paper stage but most are 'on my needles', even if I haven't worked on them for a while. I thought you might like a look at the things I'm flitting between at the moment.

This is my Mini Marshmallow crochet blanket. It's lovely but rather heavy to be working on during a heatwave. Also ... why do I have to turn everything into a blanket? At the start of a project when I'm full of enthusiasm, I always think "Yes! Blanket!" then, at about this stage, I realise just how long it's going to take me to make something big enough to qualify as a blanket. This is when I start thinking "A bag would have been just as nice".

I think I might use this stitch again to make a shoulder bag one day. It would be an opportunity to try a different colour scheme too (I'm loving my Stylecraft yarn pegs - can you tell?) I'd also like to see if I can work out a circular version of this stitch and use it to make a round cushion, perhaps in pastel colours. I don't use pastels enough and they're nice colours too.

Speaking of pastel shades, look at the colours I've used here ...

These shapes are waiting to be turned into two little purses, inspired by an Origami design. I was looking at these this morning and thought it would be nice to knit a patchwork blanket using these shapes. I know - another blanket. These are in moss stitch but I think I'd do the blanket in garter stitch. I'm wondering about using a variegated yarn and a few co-ordinating plain colours - maybe from the Stylecraft Batik range. I could use one of the Batik Elements for the variegated yarn.

Here's another blanket I'm working on at the moment and this one isn't making me wish I hadn't started it.

This is going to be my 'Secret Garden' baby blanket and I'm absolutely loving it. Each square takes quite a while to knit but the knitting is interesting and varied. I think of this as an heirloom project; something to be worked on in unhurried times so that the knitting process is as beautiful as the finished blanket. It's not going to be very big - this is one third of the blocks - and then there will be a border. At the moment the blocks are all wavy and irregular but that will be sorted out by the final blocking.

I've still only done three of my watermelon coloured log cabin blocks but, luckily, these are in fact going to be a bag so I only need to do twelve all together.

When I've knitted a few more of these I shall be able to play around with arranging them. Do I put them all the same way up or put all the red edges together, or something different?

The next thing is off, rather than on my needles. After working on my Tunisian Crochet waistcoat for a while, I've realised that the bottom is wider than the top.

So ... I've either got to start again and make that grey band narrower or work the main part on a bigger hook (which I don't have). I think I need to fish out my original plan to see which measurement is right and then go from there.

The last two 'on my needles' projects are secrets so I can only show  you bits of them now. The first one is the big Christmas pattern for this year.

I have spent months cutting lots of bits of plastic canvas and then covering them with knitting. This is very boring work and I'm at that stage when I'm wondering if anyone else will want to knit this. The designing has got a little bit more interesting in the last week or so but still ... 

One of the worst things about these big patterns is that I have to make them (and take photographs) without any clear idea of how many individual patterns there will be and what order I shall publish them in. This means I can't do much construction until near the end, so I have no idea of how well the whole thing is going to work. I shall just have to plod on and keep my fingers crossed.

The other secret project is my latest Ten Stitch pattern. It's so exciting to have worked out a new variation and this one is such fun to knit. There's just enough variation to stop it becoming boring and I'm absolutely loving it. Really, I would be happy just knitting this and reading all day.

I can't wait to be able to share this one but there's quite a way to go yet so back to the knitting ...