beginnings of a homeware empire

I've been making pot holders and oven gloves from the stash of material I've been building up. I came home from the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace with quite a bit more, mainly from the wonderful Eternal Maker stand.

The elephant fabric is Svenskt Tenn, left over from a roman blind made for Betty's bedroom. The car fabric is Echino.

october allotment

These are just about the last of my tomatoes. Seven different varieties; Roma, Marmande, Cuor Di Bue, Scatolone, Astro Ibrido, Principe Borghese and Lilliput. I love having a glut of tomatoes. It's such a treat to be able to chop up a few kilos and slowly roast them in the oven with a head of garlic. I push the soft sweet mush through a sieve and freeze in tubs for soups and sauces.

I've also harvested all my various squashes, as the weather is turning cold now and I didn't want to risk being caught out by a frost. The bumpy ones are Rugosa Friulana, and I also sowed Avalon, Potimarron and a Bottle Gourd. They store for months and should keep Betty in her favourite meal of butternut squash risotto for quite some time.

a warm cardigan

I've finally finished this cardigan for Betty. Doesn't garter stitch take ages? It's a dense stitch that uses quite a bit of yarn; four balls for this size. So the resulting cardi is a warm one and fairly heavy. The pattern is a free one and is from here. It is knitted sideways, casting on along the front left edge and casting off the front right edge, and uses short row shaping to flare out the waist. I'm pleased with the finished result.