Knitting

Home of Garter Stitch Joy

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It all starts with left-overs. There is a nice contained discipline in thinking – what would be fun to make out of this? I know that I can’t be the only person to see the beauty of making something out of what is left. Then there is the middle of the night, crashingly early morning creative planning. Compelled by a little nugget of an idea I tiptoe towards my yarn stash and with the subtlety of a baby elephant start extracting balls of yarn and some needles or a hook, ‘to have a quick go’. These are special moments.

This time it is the left-over aran yarn I have accumulated from my last book. I love aran weight yarn, but my preference is to knit with it rather than crochet. And let’s not be snobby – a basic garter stitch with even tension and a lovely firm twist is a thing of joy.

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I wanted to slash through the accumulated aran yarns of two colour schemes. To combine the warm peachy oranges which I have used for one project and match it with the blues/duck-egg and greens of another. Not in any way perfect but joyful none the less

Back in my memory and in the depths of my pinterest collection has been the Safe at Home Blanket by Margaret Holzmann. There is something so graphic, so simple about this pattern. Why do little houses bring us such joy? Is it because they are one of the first thing we draw? However simple the pattern, it is the changing colours of the windows and the doors which speaks to me. Even in real life a row of beach huts is so appealing or the joyful cottages on the dock of Tobermory. The small house sat happily, yet contrasting with its neighbour.

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So in amongst a myriad of projects I should finish. I have started a new blanket. You and I both know that a knitted blanket will take me much longer than a crochet version. I could try to replicate that pattern in crochet. I haven’t looked but I am sure it has been done. But sometimes its just nice to follow a pattern and not feel the need to design. I know I will make a few tweaks to the design. I plan just to put 8 houses in a row. I also want to add a strip of plain garter stitch between each row of houses. But that is my preference.

This is going to be a long project. If I get it finished for the autumn I will be thrilled. The pattern is wonderfully simple and if you fancy making your own you can buy it as a downloadable pattern from Ravelry. The windows and doors use the intarsia technique and when I started I didn’t realise that you can put the last stitches from each house front on a holder when you work on the roof. This sets you up nicely for the next house.

Quite a few people have commented on my very first post of the houses, so I wonder if people might like to start their own Safe at Home Blanket. If you do – please tag me into the photo on Instagram.

beach, hut, doorstop, pattern

Looking through my photos I realise that the last blanket I knitted was my Croknit blanket which combines knitted and crochet squares. There you go simple garter stitch knitting again, and in aran. It must be a particular preference. I had also forgotten that I have created many years ago a beach hut door stop. The stripes are a obvious favourite.

Well there you are simple garter stitch home making – good for the soul and excellent for the stash. Happy Weekend. x

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February is made for…hats and scarves

There is nothing more exciting than making an item of clothing that you actually wear…and actually like…and is actually useful. The kind of thing that half way through the day you think to yourself, ‘Well I’m glad I’m wearing that: hat/scarf/mittens…I think I might make another.

February is always my month for making accessories. We are post the Christmas rush and the marmalade weekends of January (see previous post). Now is the time to prepare and make cosy outdoorsy items for bracing walks and mountain views.

Since our little/towering boy was a baby, we have enjoyed a February visit to the lake district. If you have read this blog for a while you might recall February breaks and the hat making that feature in my holiday endeavours.

This year I might have cracked the holiday packing. I have a dream of being a minimal capsule wardrobe-ist. It is an absolute flight of fancy. But this holiday…I think I have succeeded. A base of wick-away dour black and then red…red…burgundy and red accessories. The suitcase was only half full. Hurrah!

Planning ahead I finished my last (I promise) Sophie Scarf from Petit Knit. This scarf has my highest accolade of being a ‘boon’. I adore the garter stitch, I adore the I-cord edging. I am also particularly fond of the red tweed yarn. It is Sirdar Haworth Tweed in West Riding Red. Tweed can feel a little bit itchy, but not this yarn. It is 50% wool and 50% nylon and is very soft and so suitable to wear round the neck. The flecked nature of the twist gives the knitting a lively kick. I know this scarf will be a favourite well into the Spring. It will go well with denim and navy. It is also a brilliant scarf for walking. Small enough tie tightly around your neck and none of the long ends which can be so annoying.

I have almost completely abandoned hat making for loved ones and friends. (Sulking pout). Whilst it is an expression of love on my part…thrusting enthusiastically made hats on friends can be received with an awkward…’Oh thanks’.

However as an absolute knitted swan song, I found the glorious Weekend Hue hat, again by Petit Knit. This pattern has a very ‘now’ shape. When I saw it I knew immediately that I wanted to make it for my fashion maven friend. She always has her finger on the style pulse and is particularly rocking saturated cobalt blue. I loved making this ribbed pattern. There is a generous double folded rib cuff brim. As I hoped she was utterly delighted by her gift and popped it on making it look cool, instantly. Both of us, very happy.

Back to the holiday hat, I chose to bring my Shetland Fair isle Katie’s Kep by Wilma Malcolmson. The pattern was the featured hat for the 2020 Shetland Wool Week. I’m a big fan of fair isle. I find the complications of working the yarn, a relaxing concentration. Working the pattern in pure wool also has lots of advantages. The fibres stick nicely together making it easier to knit. Plus the natural characteristics of the yarn make it almost waterproof.

Out and about and caught in a light drizzle, the hat is fine and less restrictive than a hood. I love pattern. You will have to take my word for it that the crown has stunning star design. It does. But for outdoor fun, my February hat just has to have a bobble…and what a bobble! I think the phrase – ‘a right bobby-dazzler’ is appropriate. If you want to jazz up any hat I would highly recommend a Toft Alpaca bobble. No need for a mountain flare…you can will be spotted miles away.

So I wonder if you are enjoying making hats, scarves and mittens at the moment. When the daffodils appear I think our minds turn to more spring-like pursuits. But for now the bobble hat reins supreme in the rain and the shine.

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In anticipation of rest

Does it start on a Thursday night? Perhaps more frequently around 11am on Friday? The planning, the dreaming of weekend making. It is the agony of choice, decisions…decisions. The joy of mediative stitching is so physical so psychological that it needs planning. Have I got all the yarn I need to complete that scarf? What is my mood? Knitting or crochet? Shall I make that new pattern I spied on Instagram? Friday night knitting is the best.

Don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of projects that I SHOULD be doing. But the start of the weekend is all about kicking back and enjoying the hobby. Poor planning can get you into mad dash territory. If you are particularly passionate about a project and prepare enough in advance then you can order yarn on-line or work in a visit to your local yarn store. I wish I was always that organised. Yesterday I felt a real yearning (yarning) to finish my most recent Sophie Scarf. This is a beautifully simple knitted neckerchief design by Danish designer Petit Knit. I have a burgundy version I have worn ALOT this winter. Last weekend I cast on my second in a red tweed. But…, but I have played yarn chicken * with this project and so very near the end I have run out of yarn.

Yes… yes… I should know better…my goodness I know… but this is why we all have yarn stashes of part used yarn. In the tiny gap between the school run and making supper I dashed to my nearest yarn stockist (not my favourite place) and was disappointed to find their diminishing stock and fairly bare shelves. Darn…Grrr….Mmmm. Plans are scuppered.

Now it is at this point that we need to get our yarn faces straight. Not a disaster…an opportunity. What is the plan?

Sometimes you will be saintly and return to that long languishing WIP (work in progress). Sometimes you might punish yourself with a …’well forget it all together… I won’t knit/crochet at all tonight!’. (Who am I kidding?). More frequently I will do what I did this weekend. Find a different colour and start the same project. Same mediative stitch, same excellent pattern, new colour. Result.

So you are set up now. A little cheeky date with your yarn. The lamps are on. Perhaps you will have a chilled glass of your favourite tipple. Perhaps you will have the last of the Christmas chocolate. Your place on the sofa is calling. What you really don’t want now. I mean really don’t want is that text/message/phone call. ‘Hey we are going out…do you fancy coming?’ Decisions…decisions. Who am I kidding? Break the ball band lets go!

* Yarn Chicken – is where you estimate that you have enough yarn to finish a project. You dare your self to get to the end. Most of the time we lose yarn chicken. Very rarely we win.

The Green scarf is the Sophie scarf from Petit Knit knitted in Stylecraft Grace. The Pink Blanket is my Soft Summer Blanket – yarn recipe in this blog post. The hexagon blanket is my Spring Garden Blanket which I have never written up.

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Snuggling under your hobby

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Right I am just going to say it – sometimes I just like making for making. Sometimes I have no intention of making a project into a published pattern and then it just becomes such a joyful make that I can’t help sharing it with you.

This is true of the Cosy Croknit blanket. Like many of my most favourite designs, the idea came following a few conversations and a little bit of necessity. I had received some Aran weight yarn in the post and I began making a few garter stitch squares to see how it behaved. There is something so tactile about aran and garter stitch knitting. So satisfying and joyful. I am not eloquent enough to explain. But if you know – you know.

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Then I remembered a conversation with my Granny. She often collaborates with friends to create blankets for charity. They work on different squares, some crocheted and some knitted. Due to tension and style, the squares can be a bit challenging to align and sew together. It got me thinking…. could I write a pattern which combined both crafts? Could I create a pattern with an easy size guide, a basic colour scheme and plan which would include both crafts?

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My mind began to whir… And that is how I began to work on the Croknit pattern. I have used the juicy Highland Heathers Aran from Stylecraft. If you are a knitter…you can just knit all the squares… if you are solely a crocheter why not just have a blanket full of granny squares. I have enjoyed combining both skills. I flitted between both crafts as my whim took me.

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It wasn’t easy for me to decide how to join the squares. I had several aborted attempts. Then I landed on a zig-zag slip stich join. The crisscross motion allows for just the right amount of ease between the differing drape of the knitted and crochet squares. I also went for a linen stitch edging which is just intricate enough for interest but doesn’t detract from the beautiful jewel like colours of the squares.

The finished item has a pleasing amount of heft. So much so, that it is being argued over most evenings! Stanley is winning.

So whilst the pattern is very simple I have written it up for you with hints and tips on how to collaborate to get your squares to match. You also get the colour schematic and the edging stitch pattern.

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Whilst it is important to give yarn suggestions for published patterns. In my mind, this pattern was always intended for stash busting and the pattern has stitch suggestions for DK yarn too.

Well I hope you like it. The Cosy Croknit Blanket will not be leaving our house I am afraid it is far to snuggly for that.

What do you think about patterns that combine knitting and crochet? There don’t seem to be many about. When you are working as a team…or a yarn bee, what are your handy hints or tips to make sure your blanket squares fit together? I would love to know.

**** I am hosting an instagram live about the blanket at 11am GMT on Sat 14 Jan 2023 if you would like to join me ***

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Quick – quick- slow projects

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You might think that after completing 40 knitted squares for my latest blanket…I would have had enough of garter stitch. But, Oh no this simplest of stitches is not out of my system yet. If you learnt to knit at all, you will have knitted garter stitch, the bumpy ridges created by making a plain knit stitch on every row.

Your memories of childhood garter stitch might mean that you are haunted by limp stretchy knitting and can’t ever imagine to returning to this basic pleasure.

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The simple can really be beautiful. I find that a thicker yarn and larger needles really brings out the texture of this stitch. For my recent blanket I have knitted the squares in an aran weight yarn with a 5mm hook. Looking at this photo, if you are not a knitter – you will say…’hang on a minute, what have you done there. its on the squiff?’ Yes, you are right it is knitted diagonally and doing so makes it both more interesting but also a more stable square.

It is also possible to elevate garter stitch even further by slipping the first stitch of every row, which provides a nice neat edge and really well defined places to sew the squares together.

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So at the beginning of this week I attached all my blanket squares together and completed my edge. I’m hoping that I will be able to release it as a pattern soon for those who are interested.

Before I embark on my next project – or indeed return to an abandoned project, I have cast on a few accessories.

I have used the left over Stylecraft Grace to make a few quick and easy beanie hats for friends. This yarn appears very light and airy but is pleasingly an aran thickness and so knits up quickly. I work a seamless pattern in the round. As the weather cools quick and easy beanie is invaluable as an emergency hat. Small enough to pop in a handbag or workbag – just in case.

On Friday I made a version in the sumptuous claret tones of ‘Hip’ and then thought…’Wouldn’t it be fun if I made a neckerchief scarf to compliment the scarf’. The pattern I use is a classic design. You can find photos of the design from the 1930’s and it has also been reproduced as a costume staple for Miss Marple. There are reasons why some things become classics – usually because they just work. I always return to the same pattern which is available on Martha Stewart’s website. It is a great pattern because you can adjust the instructions to match the yarn you have available.

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In order to ring in the changes and avoid being too matchy-matchy, I worked two strands together. I combined the Grace ‘Hip‘ with Stylecraft Special DK in Lipstick. (I had this left in my stash). The combination of the two yarns creates a satisfyingly robust fabric. The mohair ‘Grace’ adds softness and the Special DK provides a pop of colour. The shape of the neckerchief is effortlessly chic at the neck – plus very cosy without dangly scarf ends.

A couple of observations – I think I should always combine two yarns together to make this scarf, it creates the ‘just right’ texture. Secondly…oh my word I was playing ‘yarn chicken’ at the end of this project. This is all the ‘Grace’ I had left. That is too close a call. Finally, you know you are pleased with a project when you contemplate not giving a gift away and start making convincing arguments in your head that the recipient might not even like it…is it their colour anyway? There is only one thing for it. Cast on another and see if you can satisfy that garter stitch knitting bug with one more project.

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Yarn Chicken is when you risk finishing a project with the yarn you have left…there is that sense of impending jeopardy. Will you be able to finish without having to buy another ball of yarn!

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Mists and Mellow garter stitch

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I have definitely seen the change in the season? This morning I think I felt it more crisp outside and the light was low and golden. There are a few trees starting to turn… and guess what? I have found a gleaming conker on the pavement. I hope I never get too old to feel the thrill of this annual treasure.

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How many projects do you have lined up in your head? None? One? Or perhaps 3-4 like me. These last few weeks I have had a yearning for simple stitches. Simple patterns with lovely thick aran yarn. We had a few days away before the new term started and I grabbed 2 balls of aran weight yarn I had in my stash (Stylecraft Highland Heathers).

But even in the last week of the summer holidays, my mind had turned to autumn projects. I had just finished my Stargazer Blanket and it was edged and folded. I placed it next to me, a constant companion as I wrote up the pattern. But pattern writing does not preclude the beginning of a new project.

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Perhaps my favourite two stitches to knit in aran are moss stitch and garter stitch. I went for the pure simplicity of garter stitch. Every row a happy knit row. There is something firm, weighty and textural about a simple garter stitch knitted square. It shows off subtle tones of a tweed yarn beautifully. I used Highland Heathers DK quite a bit in my last toy book ‘Cute Crocheted Woodland Animals’. The natural fleck in the yarn suited the homely character of the animals. I really like the weight and the finish of the same yarn in Aran.

So here I am throughout September making square upon square in cosy yarn. When I travel I do love to grab a short double pointed needle as it is economical on space and I have carried on using one as my pile of squares have increased.

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What will it be? Well I have an idea to combine both my yarn crafts together in one project. I’m not a slow knitter, some would say quite fast – not Shetland fast – but quite fast. But to be fair my crochet is the speediest craft. My plan is the create a blanket for collaboration – the love of the crocheter and knitter together. We will see. I am half way through and will need to make all the squares before I know it will work.

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What is your favourite stitch and does it change with the seasons?

Thank you to all of you who have loved my Stargazer Blanket I am so encouraged by your support. Please do send photos if you have success with the pattern. I love to see them.

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Forget-me-not top and Me-made May

It has been a while now since I made some clothes for me. When I say this – what I really mean is finishing clothes that I started knitting. Back in February you might remember I wrote a blog post about two cardigans I was making. One that was a complicated pink fairisle which was actually not that difficult, but requires concentration. Another a pretty blue cardigan, which is actually not that difficult – but I couldn’t get my head round the German short row shaping for the sleeve.

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Well after many commissions and secret designing I have finally come back to my cardigan. I have used the Aileas pattern by Isabell Kraemer. It is very very popular and if you search for it on Ravelry you will find lots of pretty version. Because I was unsure of how it would work out I chose to make my first version in an inexpensive yarn – I bought King Cole Subtle Drifter in Ice Blue. It’s got a nice cotton-ish finish with a little bit of a slub texture.

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When I bought it I was thinking about cold weather. There is something quite festive about the soft pastel shades in the dark days of winter. But it has taken me so long to finish – that it will be a good transitional piece for Spring.

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My good friend Christine from the Winwick Mum blog put me onto a great short row shaping tutorial and I was able to finish off the project. I love the ‘fake’ cable detail. Especially under the arm. Honestly I think I would make one size up if I made it again. I am not sure if this yarn will pill – so we will see. If I make a second, I will invest in a slightly more expensive yarn. But then I should really finish the pretty pink fairisle cardigan I began last year before I embark on another project.

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I thought I would also share a little crochet cotton tank that I have made for summer. When it was really hot in April I was inspired to make this little T-shirt that would go over a vest top. It didn’t take long to make and I know it will go with quite a few skirts and shorts in the summer. It will either look quite cool and be very useful, or look very frumpy and I won’t wear it that much. We will see. By the way…crocheting summer clothes is so much faster than knitting. But then you will want your cotton crochet to be light and lacy.

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When I finished the top it go me thinking…could I make it into a lovely beach dress? Something to throw over a swimming costume? Yes probably. So this is the project currently on the hook. I am making it in black…which is not very photogenic, but when I finished it I will share a photo. My plan is to add colourful embroidery to each square, that will make it look very tropical and summery.

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I really enjoy making my own clothes. Always these days knitted or crocheted. But I don’t have the hutzpah to make for anyone else. Today is a little bit chilly in Britain and when I go out this morning I think I will wear my new cardi. We will see how it feels. I would be fascinated to know if you crochet items of clothing for yourself in the summer? Or do you keep your garment making just to shawls and scarves?

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A souvenir hat and ruining perfectly good knitting

Around this time, every year I have a yearning to make a hat. Sometimes it is for me…other times it is for our son or my husband.

I am sure it is due to a number of circumstances. The February half term is a time that we take time to be outside and frequently enjoy an outdoorsy holiday. The winter knitting designs are every where and something usually catches my eye. Finally we have a number of winter birthdays in our family – making a hat seems like a quick and easy project that provides an exciting woolly accessory gift.

It does worry me that a bit like our cat Stanley, my knitted hat making is the woolly version of marking our family territory. These hat wearers belong to me!

But the hats act as souvenirs of those holidays – there are photos of each one and they mark a year, a place, a time. Each has its memories.

In previous years on this blog I have shared my favourite makes. Fairisle wonders from Juliet Bernard or Shetland Wool week. The pink and blue hats are the Diamond Hat by Juliet Bernard and the Red hat is also by Juliet – Torshavn

This year I came upon a lovely design by the gorgeous design collective Tin Can Knits. Their Snap design is great for sock yarn stash busting. By combining 3 or 4 strands of sock yarn together you can create a marled chunky weave which knits up really quickly. I planned to make 2 hats one for my hubby – another for my nephew. I enjoyed them no end. All well and good. The pom-pom was made and sewn on.

I then decided to add a little luxury… and in doing so made one hat totally unusable for their recipient. And yes my friends I should have known better.

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You see my boys…they like a fleece hat. They are intolerant of itchy wool and previous hats have to pass a very high standard of comfort.

No matter I thought… I will sew in a fleece lining. Ha Ha…..You will be delighted. It was done neatly and successfully and I even used my sewing machine. Two hats made and lined ready for our chilly break. Alas I failed to take into account that the thickness of the fleece would really reduce the circumstance of the hat…Silly silly silly girl. One hat proved so tight it was deemed unwearable and very headache enducing. Darn.

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I don’t mind telling you that this little mistake made me really rather cross with myself. I should know better. Really should.

No new hat for walking adventures. I share this with you just to admit that even though I knit a lot of things, I design a wide range of objects – I can still make the same mistakes that everyone can make.

The consolation is that as a crafty person there is a joy in the giving, but (with a glint in our eye) the real joy is in the making. With a few weeks off doing other things I will return to this pattern. Remake it again, after taking proper measurements. The hat can have a new life and there will be a new make. Although mistakes are made, nothing is unredeemable and trying again is part of the fun.

The question is do I add in the fleece or not this time?

Have you made a last minute adjustment which you wished you hadn’t? What will you never do again to your knitting or crochet?

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Catching up

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So let’s get the formalities out of the way – sorry. I have been away from this little blog for a while. Not a huge ‘I’m giving up’ amount of time, but much longer than I would have liked. The absolute ‘LAW’ of blogging is to be consistent. Blog monthly – weekly – daily if you must, but at the same time, on the same day and with regularity. Yeah… well that ship has sailed. However with all the mea culpa done and dusted – here I am.

Honestly, any absence from this little space is mostly due to busyness in other areas. Work has been…let’s say…busy. Christmas is always a time where preparations and family are a priority. But in the background I have been writing and designing my next book. I am very excited about it and I apologise in advance that I cannot do any show and tell.

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With any large design project there has to be trial and error, mostly error. Some ripping back, starting again. Some walking away from a pile of abandoned yarn. The first few designs flew off hook, my theory was to design the ‘easy’ projects to get my eye in. But like an errant student the later pieces got harder and harder. Any exponent of modern ‘to-do’ list philosophy will tell you to tick of the most difficult projects first and then the rest of your list will become a dream. All well and good – hurrah for you and all that but that’s not how it works is it? Why then would we have so many books on time-keeping and to-do lists?

So like a very pedestrian and cosy suspense movie the clock clicked towards the deadline. Luckily I got all my homework in on time. There are very few people I can celebrate that milestone with. No ‘whoop whoop’ on social media here. My yarn blogging pals are happy to accept a random picture. They are very patient.

I do wonder about what our son will say in years to come…’It was rare to see my mother without yarn and hook in her hand and I do remember that most of my childhood she would thrust a cactus/rabbit/campervan in my face and say…’Look! What do you think? Do you love it?’….it was best to say ‘Yes its wonderful!’ – in the hope she would stop obscuring the telly’. Poor lad.

Almost immediately after finishing the book project list I had an urge to make a auricula. I can’t say why. I love their graphic look and I have a few plants potted up in our garden. It was a bit of design whimsy that just had to be pursued. Then back to the commissions – a rather gorgeous soft blanket which is now being blocked before the final finishing.

But when all the designing and pattern writing is completed – what then? Well I usually have some guilty WIP’s (works in progress). First a glorious fairisle cardigan in 2ply jumper weight – and then another cardigan in a soft aran. Both are for me – one dominates in its pink tones and another in light blue. These are both colours I enjoy wearing in my silver years.

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I have fallen out with both these projects – we are not speaking to each other. Lets talk about the light blue aran first – the top of the sleeves have short row shaping. Using a the German method. If you are a knitter you might know what I am talking about – this is not a natural technique for me and I need to do more research to embed the process in my head. If you NOT a knitter reading this and you are thinking – wow that sounds complex… I’ll skip over that….YES YOU ARE CORRECT! AND YES… THAT’S WHY THE CARDIGAN IS ABANDONED.

We are still not speaking.

I have however picked the first project back up. This is a fairisle project using the glorious Wiola design by Kristin Wiola Odegard. It is so so pretty, but taxing for me. The knitting is pleasurable, but you need to keep you eye on the ball.

The main body flew off the needle. It is knitted in the round and will be steeked to create the cardigan. I began the sleeves, but combining the increases with the pattern really was a little challenging – plus I really do need a smaller circular needle – say 25mm. Annoyingly I packed this project for our half-term get-away and the lack of a good circular needle has made the progress frustrating.

We are friends again and my head is in the game. I determined that this garment will be completed for next autumn. Forward planning if ever there was.

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I have also been designing a new toy project. If you follow me on Instagram you will know that I have been playing around with a doll design. At this stage we are in the prototype phase. I am trying out limb length, yarn weight and colour range.

My thinking so far is that this will be a downloadable pattern for the basic doll with one outfit – but then I would add clothes and accessories. If you would like to get involved and suggest items I should add, please do. The comments are always welcome.

So there you go – a few knitting projects and a crochet experiment. Now were are my circular needles…. and shhhh…I’m counting.

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Cheeky Christmas Cosie

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Are you getting in the festive mood yet? Even though I am a winter baby it does take me to mid-December before I am ready for the trees, the decorations and the carols. Designing for Christmas in the middle of summer, can mean that I need to get myself excited when the season actually comes round. However this year I feel more jolly.

I have written up a cheeky wee pattern for you which will be a quick and easy gift to make and will bring a smile to your mulled wine or Christmas cup of tea. This design means your mug can wear its own Christmas jumper. Make in the traditional candy stripes or perhaps just go for a plain design. I know you will able to customise this design yourself.

I have used some oddments of yarn left in my stash – Stylecraft Special DK in Lipstick, Cream and Bottle.

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Only the basic knitting skills are required. I have popped the pattern over on my shop and it will be free download for the rest of December 2021. If you do make one please do tag me into your photos – I would love to see them. Happy Christmas!

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