Cross stitching birthday cards

If you follow my Facebook page you probably already know that I like to cross stitch in my spare time, not that I get much spare time, but still.  I have an aunt and two uncles who are soon to turn 70 years old and I wanted to do something different and more meaningful than just buying a birthday card from the shop.

I designed my own cards, using information about their interests, and the Jane Greenoff Cross Stitch design software that I've had for years.  I had the idea of adding their name across the design using sparkly thread but I couldn't get the software to do this font and add it over the top so I had to print out the design I'd made and then print out the name in the font and size I wanted and do the old tracing paper trick to physically put it on the design where I wanted it.

I think they've come out great and the Twilley's Goldfingering name over the top really sets it off.
Alan has always been mad on The Beatles, Christine loves gardening and Michael loves his car and Formula 1.

Alpaca and Silk Lace Shawlette - Design A197

Straight on with the next little shawlette, this time with one of my very first handspun yarns.  This is some Alpaca/Silk that I spun up back in 2012, although I have re-plied the yarn since, and you can read about the Alpaca and the yarn here.

This is 97% Alpaca, 3% Mulberry Silk and is aran weight.

This is heavy compared to the other two mohair shawls but its really soft and silky.

Its washed up and blocked really well.

Dark Red-Black Lace Shawlette - Design A197

That was such a quick little shawlette to make that I have sorted out the yarn to make two more.  This one is some vintage mohair with sparkles running through it.

This is Paris by Wendy Yarns, long since discontinued, and its 81% Mohair, 11% Wool, 8% Nylon and the colour is called Antibes.

As I was knitting it up the colours reminded me of something and then I realised what it was.  About 15 years ago I worked at Birmingham International Airport for Alpha Retail, the company that ran the Duty Free shops, and although I worked primarily behind the scenes in the offices I knew most of the products that we sold.  It reminded me of Dior's Fahrenheit bottle, not for long though, it soon changed into a more stripey pattern.

Because of the long colour changes in the yarn it made it difficult when it came time to join in the next ball of yarn and I had to wind yarn off and cut and join in the right place to try to keep the colour sequence flowing.  I've done that before with a baby jacket!

The photos really don't do this shawl justice and its so much nicer in real life.

Salmon Mohair Lace Shawlette - Design A197

Its starting to get a little colder and so I have switched to working with some thicker yarns for a while to get some good snuggly type shawls in the shop.  This one is worked with Aran weight yarn.  I like the lace pattern but I don't like the garter stitch edging in the original pattern so I've changed that to flow better with the shawl and continued with stocking stitch.

The yarn is some good quality vintage mohair that I bought off Ebay ages ago in Salmon Pink.  You can tell if its good quality mohair by the fibre content.  A good quality mohair yarn will have somewhere around 70-85% mohair, a poorer quality/bargain basement mohair yarn will have around 35% mohair.  This one is 78% mohair, 13% wool, 9% nylon.

My phone camera is hopeless when it comes to true colours but with my main camera pretty much out of action, limping along on its last legs I am having to rely on my phone camera for work-in-progress photos.  I am trying to save up for a new camera, I know which one I want, but its difficult to get the funds together at the moment.

I'm not sure what has happened with the colours in these photos, the shawl looks almost radioactive, glowing, but in real life its not that bad.  Yes its quite bright but if you see the original photo of the yarn that is more true to colour of this shawl.

A nice quick little knit that I will be making more of I'm sure!