If you remember from this post, I've been getting things ready for the Noni Knit-a-Long which is happening over the next few months thanks to knitwear designer Nora Bellows. We've all been swatching, comparing notes, needles and yarns and we've finally (or maybe, I've finally) got around to the actual knitting bit.

Here's what my Ella Coat looks like after week two:

As you can see, I've been enjoying catching up on crafty goodness with my NoniKAL homework and issue 10 of Mollie Makes. Speaking of which, have you seen the latest cover?






















Isn't it lovely and inspiring and just down-right ideal for Valentine's Day? Yes, I know, but I can't help it: I'm a bit of a sucker for vintage lace-knit wristwarmers in mint green with vintage fabric backgrounds and bubbling tea oh my.

Okay. Breathe. Moving on.


































The Ella Coat is shaping up well. I made the bodice a bit longer because my natural waistline, it seems, is a bit lower down than Nora's. I also increased the arm holes to match a lovely lady who is knitting faster than me. She's more experienced, and she is making the same size so it's a big help to follow her on Ravelry. I thought that the arm holes looked enormous, but they seem to be the same on all of the pictures that are being posted up, so I'm staying optimistic and keeping an open mind.
















I really like the colour of this yarn. It knits up in a lovely heathery dark purple and has variegated tones that are oh-so-subtle. And while we're here, looking at the lovely knittery that is the front of my coat, do you see my Sheepy Stitch Markers?
















They're part of a set of six I made for the NoniKAL project. I've been working on making buttons to match some of my completed projects, and, after a funny encounter with a ball of goat mohair that I purchased from Prick Your Finger, I thought -wouldn't it be funny to have stitch markers shaped like the animal you get your yarn from? And so these sheep were born, with a set of alpacas on the way, and some general knittery objects for acrylics. I've been toying with the idea of setting up an Etsy shop for some time now, so you will all have to come over there and support me when I finally take the leap!

I've got some serious button-making planned for this week to match a pretty little girl-sized coat I've had in mind, and some other bits and bobs on the go, so more photos later this week, I promise! In the meantime, I look forward to the NoniKAL week three homework... I really hope it won't be arms (my worst!) but I suspect it will as we've just completed the top of the coat. Ah well, at least there's always tea and sheepy stitch markers to see us through the worst bits.