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 [...]
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’ve had my eye on this book by Wendy Keele since discovering Bohus sweaters on the Bohusläns Museum website. I don’t remember how I came across it but was particularly taken with ‘Grey mist’ and ‘red palm’ sweaters and the subtle colour-work transitions. Now that I’ve got the book, I can reveal that the secret [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
I have a little project to share that bore fruit just before my accident – a knitting needle gauge I designed. Frustrated with the ones I own either being too big to carry around or not having all the sizes I need I designed my own some time ago, but it was too expensive to [...]
All my crafting endevours were abruptly halted on Friday when I had a bad accident. I’ve got a few minor injuries and one more serious; my left forearm is broken in three places. I spent eight hours in A&E having the bones manipulated back into place and cast in traction, twice. This is an experience [...]
My were pretty good but with my latest pair I have well and truly nailed the perfect sock, and proved that simple is best. No more baggy-toe, foot-wriggling-into-too-tight-sock, heel-slipping-down – just comfy socks. Here is the updated recipe (assumes familiarity with sock techniques): Using a standard 4 ply weight yarn (I used Fyberspates Sheila’s Sock), with 2.25mm [...]
A while ago, Jessica, one of my partners in craft, mentioned that she wanted some drapey, lace-weight yarn in a bright, light green for a summer shawl. I happened to have a bargain cone of bouclé cashmere and silk lace-weight without a purpose so I offered to dye some for Jessica. With unusually poor judgement [...]
My quest for the perfect-fitting sock pattern may have come to an end, quite by accident. After previously following , I had a go at Knitmore Girls Vanilla Sock by Jasmin Canty. What’s good about this pattern: It’s well written; it’s written for circular needles; it has variations included in the pattern. What’s not so good about [...]
My sock yarn blanket is finished! In the end it took more than the 250 g Colinette Jitterbug creative pack, I used up some other sock leftovers and Mooncalf kindly supplied me with an extra 20 g of Jitterbug to finish it off. This is my first piece of modular knitting, I’m very happy with [...]
