Never not knitting?

Well the past couple of months have been very busy and this blog has been a little neglected so I thought a little catch up was in order...

New Patterns

First up is the exciting news that my first pattern appeared in print. In an actual magazine!!
My design - Skinny Lace Scarf in Boho Spirit yarn appears in the 'Designer Challenge' section of Knit Now magazine this month (issue 67). Submitting this design idea and then subsequently writing up the pattern for publication was a very steep learning curve for me - from swatching with totally the wrong yarn (won't make THAT mistake again) and sketching my idea to trying to create a knitting chart using excel (won't be doing THAT again either now I have discovered the brilliant Stitch Fiddle - a free to use, online chart maker) and writing out the pattern to a very specific set of rules so that it fits in with the rest of the magazine's style.  The whole, apparently simple, project gave me a few days of headaches before I finally let it go the magazine editor but it was worth every second to open up the magazine and see my scarf, beautifully modelled and photographed alongside my pattern in print. My mum even phoned me the other day to say she was knitting the scarf for herself and loving it (although she may be slightly biased...).

 I also managed to publish another pattern on Ravelry. Mind the Gap is simple triangle shawl I designed especially for my 8 year old son who wanted something 'like the ones you wear mum but not so girly'. The body of this child sized shawl is knit from the top down in stocking stitch with contrast garter stripes and the addition of extra long ties to help keep it secure whilst your little one is running wild! I am incredibly pleased with the result, as is my son which is the most important thing...

The pattern is priced £3.00 from my Ravelry store or click on the BUY NOW link under the picture.



It has been very well received so far, so much so that I am currently in talks with a well known yarn dyer/seller about creating a 'grown-up' version that will be absolutely gorgeous!

Another project due for release very shortly is a design I came up with whilst playing with a new yarn in the Erika Knight for John Lewis range. The new XXL wool was released last week and is available exclusively through John Lewis haberdashery departments and online and my pattern uses one single skein of this super bulky pure British wool to create a snuggly textured cowl. More to come very soon...

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Sometimes it feels like I am never not knitting. That's not true, although I wish it were! I have a couple of cleaning jobs and I do all the admin for my partner's motorcycle retail business, not to mention the whole taking care of the family thing (washing up doesn't do itself apparently and the boy is still not old enough to walk himself to school and back!) but this year I have come another step closer to my dream of earning a living creating beautiful things with yarn. I am feeling more confident about pattern design and what I can achieve and I am learning more about presenting ideas to publishers, approaching yarn suppliers and releasing finished patterns to the public. I have so many exciting plans for next year including opening an Etsy store to go alongside my soon to be revamped Folksy store, and collaborating with more indie yarn dyers and manufacturers.

In the meantime thank you to everyone who has commissioned work, trusted me to knit samples and purchased my patterns through Ravelry or supported me in other ways.
Because of you I can keep going, keep pursuing my dream and not get too downhearted when I have to go out and scrub another toilet...