Blog & features

Projects re-united

30 January 2013

A couple of weeks ago I went to visit some friends in Cornwall, and spotted a cushion I’d made for them some years ago. As someone who loves to give handmade gifts, it’s odd to… Read more

Christmas sweater contenders

18 January 2013

I have identified the need for a Christmas sweater. You know the kind – something warm and cosy that treads (and likely crosses) the fine line between festive and tasteless, almost certainly through the medium… Read more

Putting a positive spin on it

8 January 2013

I just completed probably my best ever spinning. It started life as Fyberspates Sparkle Fibre dyed top, a luxurious blend of merino, silk and glittery stelina, in ‘grey and mauve’. It’s pretty, evenly spun, evenly… Read more

The evolution of the hot water bottle cover

7 January 2013

Who’d have thought there was so much life in the humble hot water bottle cover! Not only has the Nordic Ski Sweater Hot Water Bottle Cover quickly become my best selling pattern, but the ones I knit for… Read more

Exploring Colour in Knitting

5 January 2013

I was lucky enough to receive a new addition to my knitting library from an office secret Santa; Exploring Colour in Knitting by Sarah Hazell and Emma King. Clearly this was a Santa who knows me very… Read more

FO: Bohus mittens

1 January 2013

2012 didn’t quite end the way I planned it, I was struck with bad luck in the form of a fracture to my right arm obtained during some festive ice skating. I suffered a more… Read more

Socks of random coincidence

1 November 2012

First there was 100 g of strange-looking fibre; a mix of wool, angora, trilobal and my nemesis, mohair. Obtained in a fibre swap, this ugly duckling languished in the cupboard for some time. One day,… Read more

A new (old) coat

23 September 2012

Summer is a great time for thinking about your winter wardrobe, if you can face it. A few weeks ago I picked up a fantastic, long, military style, wool coat in a local charity shop.… Read more

Stripes and ribs

7 June 2012

You could be forgiven for thinking that not much knitting has been happening at Sparkle Towers, but this is not the case. I have a new pattern in development (more about that soon) and a… Read more

Stitch London Stitch Crawl 2012 - this Saturday!

7 June 2012

Stitch London’s annual Stitch Crawl takes place this Saturday, 9 June, to celebrate the Jubilee and World Wide Knit in Public Day! Pop along, win marvellous goodies including our Nordic Ski Sweater Hot Water Bottle… Read more

Olek exhibition at Tony's Gallery

23 March 2012

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… Read more

FO: Pink Bohus hat

21 March 2012

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… Read more