I love commissions!

Although I am still making my sock monkeys, the majority of my work this year so far has been via commissions (and most of them knitting ones!). I have a couple on the go at the moment and a couple in the pipeline. I love working on commissions, the back-and-forth with my customer to choose what they would like, the visualising of the project, the research to get the final look just right. But most of all I love the way that it brings variety to my work and often introduces me to new techniques and materials that I've not had the chance to try out before.

This is one of my current commissions, a pair of Gryffindor Pride socks:

Gryffindor Pride designed by Ann Kingstone

New techniques learned here - knitting cuffs with knitting in elastic (very odd stuff!), and my first attempt at intarsia in the round. It's not that hard actually, just looks impressive! Quite slow to knit though; this is about 10 days' progress. I'm hoping I pick up speed.

My other commission on the go today is some bunting for a fabulous friend Bronwen in the States who makes nappy cakes for baby showers. She sent me some divine flannel material, which I have augmented with a lovely yellow design I found which I feel complements her work fabulously!

Just look at that cute fabric with the babygrows!

So I sat in my kitchen this afternoon, with my i-pod tuned to Radio 3, and cut out some bunting:

As you can see, not ironed yet!

You can probably just make out in the picture my scribblings for the design. You can almost guarantee I will lose that bit of paper before I finish. On the right are my treasured pinking shears, which once belonged to my granny (and I think to her mother too). I lost them for about 14 months and truly mourned them as I thought they had gone for good. They are wonderful scissors. Any seamstress will know how valuable good scissors are (and how attached you get to them!).

More past projects tomorrow :o)