There is a Head Hands and Feet Skein Along about to begin in the Skein Ravelry group here. I finally decided on using a merino cashmere fingering yarn in the colourway solar and have it all ready to go. I am going to knit my first pair of hand warmers (one of my 2012 knitting goals!). What are some of your knitting goals and challenges for 2012? As a relatively new knitter I have been thinking hard about mine and have been taking an interest in those set by others. So far I have decided that I would like to knit hand warmers, mittens and socks. Try new techniques such as magic loops and new cast on and off methods as well as give continental another go (it hurt my wrists!) and improve my skills from last year.

Crochet Japanese style: Kazuko Ryokai

The other day I was flipping through a Japanese crochet book and realised it has been so long since I have posted about Japanese craft books. I have quite a few I haven't shared on my blog and thought I would introduce a more regular weekly Crochet in Japanese blog post. How does that sound? If you have read any of my Japanese crochet posts you surely know that I am a big fan of Kazuko Ryokai (for a reminder here & here) and have made several projects from her books (here & here).
This book is just as colourful and fun as the other books I have.
Title: かぎ針であむ！ カラフル色のニット小物―マフラーからバッグ、コースターなど雑貨まで (セレクトＢＯＯＫＳ)Author: Kazuko Roykai
Year: 2011
ISBN: 9784072759493

Interested in learning more about Crafting in Japanese? You can find previous posts and my FAQ posts here. Questions? Please leave a comment!

yarn love

the uncommon thread 

french market fibers

After five hours of cleaning I have 4 bags for goodwill, 2 bags of trash and a clean study and creative space. And a LOT of yarn. So much yarn. At least now I have no excuse for not knitting the stash. I have a good deal of it in a new bookshelf, a very pretty looking bookshelf. Having a nice clean space, feels lighter and like there is now more room to think. Am going to enjoy quiet moments this weekend in this space. Have a lovely weekend!

Juju's Loops

After much anticipation, I recently received my copy of Juju's Loops: charming knitting projects by Juju Vail and Susan Cropper of Loop London  as well as some yarn from Loop. I absolutely adore the book (and the yarn). The book itself has a nicely textured cover and is a small but not too small size (perfect for fitting in my knitting basket or taking out with a project on the go) and then there is the photography (beautiful), the text and the patterns. I want to knit everything! It sort of reminds me of when I first purchased Vintage Crochet (another Susan Cropper book). I hadn't yet learnt to crochet but was so inspired by what I had seen of the book that I immediately wanted to learn. It is the same with this book, the patterns are so pretty and the results look so wearable, it is great motivation to learn new techniques. So after my ramble here is a peek... 

Cover showing Brown Eyed Susan

Shawls

Prairie Girl 

Cinnamon Girl (I couldn't resist purchasing this exact colour of Juno Pearl with my copy of the book from Loop)

I must admit I have yet to start a project, simply because I am not sure where to start. I have been laying out the yarn and thinking, which will I wear most? Which combination is best? What item would I use most now (it is summer)?Decisions!

Prairie colour choices (l-r, tosh lace olivia, juno fibre arts alice lace in canary and barefaced)

Brown Eyed Susan colour choices (l-r tosh merino light isadora & rose, tosh sock trodden & william morris, tosh merino light oak & skein top draw socks kelp)

Weekend cooking

On Saturday we felt like making pasta. For something a bit different to the usually fettuccine or spinach and ricotta cannelloni we decided to make Yotam Ottelenghi's lemon and goats cheese ravioli from his Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi book. Steady rolling out of the pasta, cutting out of circles, filling of each parcel and then enjoying the meal with a bit of zucchini on the side. Delicious!

Friday morning

It has been a slow start to the year. But after a slow relaxing summer break and the first work week of the year behind me, I returned to my Friday morning routine. Fresh fruit from the local grocer and fresh flowers from the market. Creation of small arrangements for the bedroom and the living room. 

The promise of some afternoon knitting and a cup of tea on this surprisingly wintry day in the midst of summer. 

Happy New Year!