Pot holder

I needed a new potholder for the kettle - the metal handle gets very very hot when it's boiled - the blue and white one on the left is the result.
The smaller red, green and cream one was knitted by me when I was about 10, so is now 38 years old, and was used every day by my aunt (now deceased). I knitted the new one from the same pattern book, albeit a newer copy, that I used for her present. Hope my new one lasts that long!

More vintage patterns

We arrived home yeysterday morning to find a friend of mine just leaving, having deposited a large carrier bag of knitting patterns in the porch - very much appreciated, and I've twice spent half an hour looking through them. Admittedly, there are some shockers from the 80s among them, but a lot of them are true vinatge - beautiful coloured pictures of men with cravats and pipes and 4ply slipovers; women with headscarves and wrap over collared mohair jumpers. Several quite old ones in black and white for children's/baby's patterns, including a apttern of two 2ply shawls, one circular, which I haven't had a pattern for before. Bean has earmarked a rather nice little shruggy cardigan from what I estimate to be the 1950s, so I'll do that one, and there's a nice looking pattern for bed socks too which I might give a go, on two needles in garter stitch. Several good, basic ones too, for adapting, so all in all, little dross to be got rid of, but a bigger pattern box is needed!

Mrs Beeton square finished

All done. I'm actually very pleased with it, but would find it extremely hard work to do enough for a bedspread, or even a cot cover.......... Nice pattern, though, I'll use it again.