Selkie's Crochet

I had written a blog update earlier but it seems to have got swallowed up into the ether and I can't find where it has gone, so here we go again....I'm just about to get ready for bed but I am still trying to sort through my holiday photos; there are just SO many of them that I'm going to try and incorporate them in my general blog updates or maybe write a post on a theme (like the beautiful snow covered graveyard we visited in Reykjavik that was full of trees and peace and quiet).

Anyway...before I ever learned how to crochet, I used to knit instead! I took my knitting everywhere with me - I'd bring it on walks, down to the beach and when I'd go and see bands when I lived in Cork I'd bring my knitting :)

Peter and I have known each other for just over 25 years now and this jumper must be pretty much that old by now

This is him modelling it next to a statue outside our favourite coffee house/cafe in Reykjavik! He originally asked me to knit him a big baggy/slouchy jumper and I think I chose the colour :) I'm pretty sure that he must have given me the money for the yarn though as I was in college then and didn't have the spare money for wool!

I can remember still that I bought it from the Springwools in Cork city - I used to love that shop so much though I never had any money (being a poor starving student!). It's funny that all these years later I'm still a Springwools customer - since I moved back to Ireland and started with my crochet I discovered their website and order from them online. They are only based in Dublin now though sadly so I've only been able to go to their shop once in recent years.

It's holding up pretty well despite being so old! I love the colours in this yarn so much -- I was trying to remember what make it was (and the composition too) -- I'm pretty sure it was made by Tivoli but that's all I can remember.

And here we have Peter modelling his other vintage jumper (also in Iceland!) This one was entirely made with scraps/left overs and bits and pieces that I had bought from assorted charity shops when we were first living in England.

It must be at least 20 years old! I had started out making these jumpers as part of a charity appeal I'd seen on British television. They wanted lots and lots of handknitted jumpers for children in Africa - I can't remember even what country it was for but it touched my heart and I sent off for the simple pattern (it was just two 'T' shapes that you joined up to make a jumper) and decided that the ones that I was going to make would be the most unique ones that I could make.

I made them in every colour! I even saw not one but two of my jumpers on the television programme! I can still remember how happy that made me feel - I saw a child wearing one of my jumpers and another shot of one of my jumpers in the warehouse, ready to be shipped out to Africa. :) :)

Peter had liked all the multi-colour effect so I promised to make him one too - much bigger and with a proper pattern - and this was it!