Tag: crafts

2026 Here we go

I hope 2026 has started out well for you. Not so good here. My husband and I got a virus. Yuck. When they say a virus takes six to eight weeks to run through, they mean it. I think I have a couple weeks to go yet.

What have I been knitting through this? Another blanket. It seems to be my go-to project when things are not going well.

I knit the Jigsaw Puzzle Blanket by Stephen West during several years of taking care of my elderly parents. Having knitting I had to concentrate on at the end of the day was comforting. This blanket uses a ton of yarn. I had been given a large garbage bag of fingering weight yarn which made knitting this even possible. It’s worked double stranded, so I then began to take apart several fingering weight projects that I wasn’t wearing and adding them in too.

I get a lot of enjoyment out of looking at this blanket.

Moving and getting used to a new community can be a challenge which started my next blanket, the Polaris. I joined the Lichen and Lace Rustic Heather Club where I get a package of 2 x 50g of hand dyed singles sport weight wool every month. I love the surprise. So I put that together with the Briggs and Little Sport I already had and had a wonder time knitting this fingering weight wrap as a blanket, using sports weight wool and 5.0mm needle.

All the ends are sewn in now and it sits on the back of the sofa, nice and handy in the evening.

I enjoyed the whole modular knit blanket idea so much that I started another one. Back to Stephen West who does modular knits so well. This is another fingering weight wrap, Modular Inlay Wrap, knit again in sports weight wool with a 5.0mm needle. I am on the last red triangle and am wondering if I need to work a bit more on the sides to make it wider but I may just use it and decide later. The sides are taking quite a lot of yarn to do and I don’t have any to use at present.

I have found making these blankets a ton of fun. I am also using all three of them which is the best!

Just an idea for you, wraps into blankets, all modular, all using up some of my small left over balls and many new balls of yarn. Lots of colour to cheer up a winter evening.

Cheers all, Deb

Any gauge and gauge-free patterns by Deb

Cabin Fever patterns by Deb & Lyn and the cabinfever crew.

Debgemmell435 on youtube when I stop coughing.

Deb.gemmell on instagram

A Couple of FO, Yay.

I’m sure the knitting rule is that if you finish 2 projects you are allowed to cast on 5 more. That’s right, isn’t it? I’m quite sure it is.

So here are my two finished objects. I’m feeling the joy of being at the finish line.

My tea cozy is done. I used an aran weight plus a sports weight held together for the top and 3 sports weight yarns held together for the straight body section. As I had mentioned, I am an incredibly tight crocheter so the funny horizontal lines are because I can’t get my crochet hook under the 2 legs of the stitches to make a single crochet, so I just go into the top leg. It works for me and I like how it looks. Have I inadvertently stumbled on a real crochet stitch?

My second FO is my Reversible Ribbon wrap/scarf. Yay. It is easy knitting but an 80″/203cm long wrap is still a large project. I’m all set for winter now. I’ll wrap this around my neck, outside my coat, to hold my hood in place and cover part of my face. I am already warm and toasty just thinking about it.

I added a second contrast colour and am really happy that I did. I’m sending an update for the Reversible Ribbon out with the finished photos in it.

Does a little sweater that still needs to be blocked and the buttons sewn on count as a FO? Sure it does.

This is going to be called the Build A Better V, a baby/child sized garter stitch cardigan. It is a redo of the Build a V without the pointy bit at the bottom. I used left-over DK weight yarn (from the rainbow sweater). The extra bonus is that the different colours show the different parts of the cardigan. Four buttons to sew on and I’m done.

Now I am in a dither. What to cast on?! Maybe that, wait this would be good, wow, look at that. You know how this goes.

I made one decision.

I cast on Winter’s Finery by Romni Hill. I wanted to try some rustic sport weight wool I have from Lichen and Lace. I want to see how it works for a shawl. The pattern is written for fingering weight yarn, so with the sports weight I’m using a 4.5mm needle. What a relief to be using a larger needle. Everything else I’ve been knitting lately has been with 3.25mm needles. I’m really happy to be zipping along with this one.

Now, back to ravelry to contemplate some new projects. See ya, Deb

Cabin Fever patterns by Deb & Lyn and the cabinfever crew

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

Deb.gemmell on instagram

Debgemmell 435 on youtube