As soon as I saw photos from Olek’s crocheted room at Tony’s Gallery in East London, I knew this was something not to miss. This is the New York basked artist’s the first UK solo show, for which she has covered walls, floor, furniture and household items in neon crochet. The result is immersive, awe-inspiring, [...]
Finally, I have a new hat. This project took weeks of research, planning, buying of pink yarn, and buying of more pink yarn; but only a few days of knitting. I just love it. It’s based on the ‘Red Palm’ chart from the . I simplified the chart a little. My hat is knitted in a DK [...]
Since my first Norwegian hot water bottle cover was born in December, they’ve been selling as fast as I can knit them – clearly a winning formula. Now you can knit your own! The pattern is available as a PDF download from Ravelry for £2.50. Norway is one of my favourites countries to visit and [...]
With my finished and blocked I can see how the texture of the purl stitches has softened and how the colours blend into one another. I can also tell that my original colour selection is a tiny bit off. Green has to go (that’s a given) and the pale pinks aren’t working. There is too much contrast [...]
These KoolAid dyed Jaywalkers were my first proper pair of socks. Despite not being a fan of the pattern (they have no stretch and had to be re-knit several times to get them big enough to get on and off), I am fond of the socks. I’ve worn them a lot and they’ve lasted well given [...]
It’s not often that knit my own patterns after they’ve been published. After all the test and sample knitting it’s nice to move onto other projects. Enough time has passed since I designed my for me not to mind making another one, so I whipped one up for a friend’s baby girl using the same [...]
I escaped the cold, grey, rainy British January for a few days to an even colder, greyer, rainier, but amazing and inspiring city, armed with brand new camera. Berlin is maybe my favourite city (apart from the fine city in which I live); it’s turbulent and significant history is apparent everywhere, but it’s also overflowing with [...]
The Christmas break has given me a chance to finally sort through the vast collection of vintage buttons I inherited. I posses more buttons that I will ever need and I would prefer them to be put to good use, so I’ve been busy cleaning and photographing them in order to put them in the [...]
Gifts have been gifted and I can now reveal what became of my recently spun yarn. Fingerless mittens turn out to be perfect for accommodating the unevenness of handspun. This pair were knitted from the , they are ridiculously soft. And this pair from the . I’m particularly pleased with the Colinette pair – the [...]
Work is over for 2011, time to relax! I don’t have a Christmas tree, but the pagan tradition of decorating the house with greenery is one that I follow. I created a display for my fireplace with holly, yew, ivy and dried seed heads sprayed gold, all picked from inside the M25, from Epping Forest and my [...]
If you happen to be passing through East London for your Christmas shopping, why not pop in to KK Outlet gallery on Hoxton Square and marvel at their exhibition of alternative Christmas sweaters, Oh Come all Ye Hackers, created by artist Andrew Salomone. The bad Christmas jumper is as much a seasonal staple as dry [...]
It’s been a while in the making (and not helped along by the broken arm) but we now have a proper shop, just on time for Christmas! For now, there are a few handmade goodies and a small quantity of hand-dyed yarn. In the coming months you’ll be able to find everything from hand-knitted accessories [...]
When I saw Fyberspates tweet last week about adding new Sparkle fibre to their shop I was unable to resist. Pretty colours, glitter, merino & silk? Obviously I ordered two batches. It did not disappoint, I have already spun one lot. As usual, I hit no particular gauge, it’s something like a light DK. This is not my best [...]
A little project from earlier in the year I thought I’d share… Knitting blankets in 4 ply yarn is slow going, but when that yarn is Kureyon Sock it’s so worth it. This one took me about six weeks, but I didn’t notice the hours as it was so enjoyable to make. The method was [...]
