Curtains - aargh!

Aaargh indeed.

"I know," said the knitter bravely, "I'll make the lounge curtains over the bank holiday weekend. That's a nice weekend-sized project." "Good idea" said the lovely husband, "after all, it's only a few rectangles".

"Oh yeah!" said the curtains.

Perhaps my suspicions should have been awoken by the lovely husband's shock at how much fabric we needed. Suffice to say we have plenty! We have a little window and a set of patio doors in our lounge and I thought I'd make the small ones today and the patio ones on Monday.

I present to you this:

Curtain chaos and the net result of the whole of today. I have cut, cut again and seamed the material and lining for both small curtains and I have mitres two corners (sewn one of them), sewn one side seam, slipstitched most of the hem and pinned the other side. This is quite enough. My revised ambition is to finish one curtain by the end of tomorrow. Seriously revised aim!

However, the curtains will look lovely when finished - here is the pattern

I am alternatively hating it or loving it depending on whether or not I need to cut along the nice straight lines or match the pattern!

On the knitterly front I have been a little industrious. Yesterday we went to visit some equally crafty minded friends from university (I love visiting other knitters/crafters - it seems completely normal to have a WIP with you and friend just picks up her quilt and keeps quilting it!)

ANYWAY... The Rowanette Project Exchange is now upon us and whilst I haven't started the main gift I have done a little something. Voila!

It's a dishcloth with little houses on it which just about fits a Hearth and Home theme perfectly. The pattern is here and I found it through the Knitting Pattern Central Dishcloth Directory. It is knitted in Rowan Handknit Cotton (254 flame) on size 4 bamboo needles. My recipient says she likes orange and pink as a favourite colour combination so now I just need the pink to match! The dishcloth still needs blocking but otherwise I'm very pleased with it. The only alteration I made was to change the border from garter stitch to moss stitch.

Aside from time to sit, chat and knit, the other great thing about visiting friends is swapping project tales (and books!). Lovely friends had a copy of the Autumn Interweave Knits which they weren't planning to knit anything from (and I now am) and a great book on socks, the Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook. Guess who borrowed it and now has serious plans to dye some yarn........

Must finish curtains first, must finish curtains first, must finish curtains first

(Yeah right, who am I kidding!)