A COAT FOR ME

I love making these colored sweaters and decided I would make myself a long coat sweater.

I found a lovely soft olive green yarn for the yoke - so here it is. I am going to have to stop making these! grin.

I love being able to add colors when I feel like it and will have to figure out a different concept now that I have make 3 or 4 of these - mind you only two of them are here in town. I really like this one -- I am wider at the hips than top and finally figured out a way to work that in a drop sleeve coat -- and I added a collar as well as a Rice Stitch pattern on the yokes and sleeves.

When I am designing it sometimes takes me awhile to get it all figured out.

I incorporate crochet in all of these for the bands and if I need to adjust the width of the

pieces. I also always do a single crochet for the borders and collar - and then knit from that row. I then decide whether to crochet or knit my border. I am finding that a single crochet front border (both sides) is a bit stiffer and works best for this type of cardigan -- I also crochet the bottom border -

I am enjoying creating these knitted garments - I have been doing wall hangings for ll years and hope to get back at them but this is lots of fun for now.

We took a drive last week up to Olds Alberta and dropped in to one of the retreats I always

go to - This year, after all we have been through I felt I didn't want to leave my husband so he came with me and it was great to see my friends from Western Canada who I usually see each year.

I lost a lot of weight this past two years and am trying to keep it off (easier said than done) - so I have been walking a lot - here in the condo and just started walking with friends. My husband is doing exceptionally well and we are very thankful. It is nice to finally start getting back to normal.

I hope you like my knitted coats and sweaters! Shirley

Another one

Here is another of the same design I did for a special person in my life -- her birthday is coming

up and I wanted to do one for her. I used a

grey mottled chunky for the yoke and sleeves. I hope

she likes it - it - she likes my hats so will do a hat in the grey I think.

I'm still knitting

I just finished a cardigan in my 'coat of many colors' (my own design) -- for my sister

who lives on a beautiful lake in Ontario. I do hope she likes it. I love doing these

style sweaters as it is fun to play with the colors.

She is originally from the west and fell in love

with the Ontario autumn colors so I used a lot

of reds, oranges, browns etc. with a green yoke and lighter green border . I am thinking of doing a hat to go with it.

June lst! (hard to believe it)

As you might know from previous posts on my blog -- I belong to a wonderful group

of ladies from all over the world -- that decided we wanted to set up a Challenge group

so that we could 'reach' and learn some new techniques. The latest challenge was

a self portrait -- and what great entries we got today. I went for a straightforward

self portrait using thread painting -- check out Challenging Ourselves to see what

the girls have done. This was fun for me as it is the first time I have opened my

sewing maching since last June - so it is nice to want to work on my quilting again!

I also finished another 'coat of many colors' for a relative's birthday only this time

I knit the yoke rather than do it in crochet.

the pattern is my own design and it is greatfor

using up my worsted yarn that has been lying around for awhile.

I am making leg warmers to go with it for next winter wear.

I love designing my own sweaters and it is so

satisfying when one of my designs works out well.