Dotted rays shawl

 Dotted rays shawl 

The next blanket

 The next blanket is here.

R2 fuzzi felt blanket C58

 The next blanket is here.

Account for 2020

 Last year was of course dominated by lockdowns.  My knitting continued without major changes.  I did about the same number of standard blankets as in previous years.  But, now I started going systematically and chronologically through my spreadsheet of yarn purchases finding uses for each one in turn.  Since aran and thinner years go into my standard blankets most of those left were chunky and superchunky yarns and for these I made non-standard blankets.

It was satisfying that my method decided which yarn to use next.  It was exciting to find a suitable pattern for it, and to find other yarns to combine.  There were also some thinner yarns that were so nice that I had saved them for special projects that never happened.  Now they went into standard blankets.

So, overall I knitted 27.8 kg of yarn, nearly 5 kg more than in previous years, and this was mostly due to chunky blankets, quickly knitted.

The lockdown meant the closure of charity shops and fewer opportunities for temptation.  I did find 650 gr of Habu yarns, silk and cotton, last winter.   In total I bought about half compared to last year.  As treats I bought expensive hand dyed yarn on the internet, but I still spent less than before.

As for 2021 it remains to be seen what happens.  I will continue knitting.  I feel I am achieving something by using up yarns that have been lying around for years.

The next blanket

 Blanket #220; more details here.

Elizabeth Bradley Cyclamen tapestry cushion

 

I was pleased to find a kit by Elizabeth Bradley in a charity shop.  This was a cushion front, named Cyclamen from a series called Botanical Garden.  It could be made into one block for a rug, but since there was just one it became a cushion.  The instructions were for cross stitch, so that is what I did, although as a cushion tent stitch would have been hard wearing enough.

The kit was thoroughly packaged in a box, with the yarn clearly separated and attached to a labelled strip.  I particularly like charts, and this one was very clear.  The background yarn was black, and it didn't appeal to me.  The instructions said that you could return it exchanging to a different shade, but I doubt that a request some 20 years later for a kit bought second hand would have been welcomed.  I searched my yarn store for sufficient substitute tapestry wool for the background, and the most suitable I could find was this green Anchor grounding wool.  It had to do, but I would have preferred something paler.

The stitching was fine, with the help of the chart.  Nevertheless I managed to get some green in the bottom right hand corner wrong, with a knock on change necessary on one or two others.  It is not obvious unless you know about it.  I do like the detail of the distinctive leaves.  I omitted the name of the plant as not necessary on a single block.

Cross stitch took a long time, doing each stitch twice.  I wanted to try it, and now I have.  It took a long time to make it into a cushion, because I mislaid the canvas, and it took some time to reappear.

It is a delightful design, and I am very happy with the cushion.  These kits are very expensive, so I am unlikely to afford another.

Stitched  25 November 2017 to 14 November 2018; finished cushion 22 August 2020

Noro Lace Yoke Sweater C39a

 My Noro Silver Thaw sweater.