Maybe because the weather this summer seems to be getting colder and wetter by the day, I am drawn to making blankets. The Hap Blanket I made earlier this year is so cosy - it's often wrapped round a child who is reading or watching telly in the sitting room. So I have embarked on two throws and both are working up really quickly and so are comforting and satisfying to work on, too.
The first is the crocheted 'Stripy Throw' from Erika Knight's Simple Crochet. I'm using the yarn (Rowan All Seasons Cotton) and the colours exactly as in the book. The thick cotton (with a bit of acrylic) is lovely and soft to work with and, although I'm a crochet novice, I have picked up the stitch fairly easily (after a few false starts!).
The other project is 'Blythe' from Jane Ellison's Noro Family. I'm working on my first square of this patchwork style blanket. There are to be twelve in total, each worked with two colours, each square different. The finished effect looks stunning in the book's photograph. Unlike the crocheted throw, this knitted one is a long term project. I see myself working on a new square from time to time over the summer and autumn - Noro yarn (Silk Garden in this square) is expensive!
I'm also enjoying the new Rowan Magazine: beautiful photo shoots in Thwaite Mills and a turn-of-the-century Voewood House. I have my eye on the fairisle 'Shetland' cardigan in Rowan's new Felted Tweed Aran (there is a woman's and man's version of the style). Some of the new teenager styles look really nice, too 'inspired by the colours of the American wilderness'.
