When I walked into a knitting workshop a few weeks ago that had been arranged by my local knitting group I was totally surprised that one of the group members was offering some lovely mohair yarn for sale mega cheap. Seems she hates knitting with mohair , whereas I simply love it! , so I snatched it up immediately. It was a mohair brand that I wasnt familiar with but the colour was an amazing subtle purple / lilac colour which I loved and knew that it would blend in perfectly with a lot of items in my wardrobe.

The yarn was Louisa Harding's La Salute , it's a fuzzy worsted of 79% mohair and 21% nylon. It is available in colors from pastel to bright.  The tension is 20sts x 28rows when knitted on a 4mm needle Comes in 25grm balls 105mtrs. Apparently the yarn is now discontinued , but can be found on ebay and ravelry if you do a little digging.  If you want the lace pattern to be more prominant , then any yarn that knits up to the same tension will do the trick.

Anyway It sat at home for a few days before I decided to have a little play. 

I started playing with a lovely lace pattern I had found on the web a few weeks previous, of course I had to put my own twist on the pattern, it wouldn't be me if I didn't. I loved the effect I achieved with it. The mohair being a really fuzzy type did hide the pattern a little but I carried on with it regardless.

Within no time at all I had knit the back of a cardigan and lots and lots of scribbles and mathematical workings out later I had knit the fronts too. It was a simple design as I wanted to concentrate on the lace rather than armhole shaping's , so there is none ! I just simple increased for the arms and carried on knitting. The lace I worked into the sleeves too and across the back just underneath the neckline. 

This cardigan I love ! I have worn it a few times so far and always have had such lovely comments. This is probably the first time in my life I'm waiting for the weather to cool down a little so I can wear it more often.  You can find the pattern here - Lace Boxy Cardigan 

The photo was taken on one of our dog walks round our local reservoir. Wonderful views in the background, don't you think. 

So what do I do, when my fingers get tired and my mind gets a little dumb from all the calculations that make up a knitting pattern? 

Well I have a little play with all the old wool sweaters I have picked up from charity shops over the years. I love the feel of these old sweaters once they have been felted to the hard wearing fabric they can be. Nothing can touch them then, no fraying of the edges, no bobbling of the wool, no shrinkage in the wash. 

And as it was coming up to July , the time of the year that the big shops start showcasing their new Christmas Products I thought I show you my simple little snowflakes , snowflake garlands, snowflake ornaments and even snowflake coasters.  All constructed from these recycled wool sweaters and scarfs.

Perfect.

The finished products can be found for sale in my Etsy Shop . Get your Christmas Goodies here during July. Use CouponCode ETSYCIJ15 for 10% off and don't forget to check out the clearance sale too for a massive 50% off.

 Over the coming months other colours will come available, so please keep coming back.  If you love these and want some making up in a specific colour scheme then just contact me. I'll rummage through my stash and find the perfect colours for you.