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...

I want to knit ALL the shawls

I never thought I'd be a shawl person.
Then I knit a Hitchhiker and was hooked.
Shawls are a great way to showcase those beautiful hand dyed skeins that accidentally fall into your basket everytime you spend more than a few minutes browsing Etsy. Or is that just me?
Anyhow as I can rarely afford to buy sweater quantities of these yarns my single skeins stash is ever growing and, as I promised myself earlier this year that I would not buy any more random skeins until I'd used what I had, I have been drawn more and more to shawl patterns.

Last month I finally found a pattern worthy of my two special skeins of Blacker Yarns' Cornish Tin.

Helen Stewart of Curious Handmade released a lovely shawl pattern named after the Lake District home of Beatrix Potter -  the Hill Top Shawl is a cosy large crescent featuring wide bands of garter stitch alternating with bands of simple lace.  Helen's shawl was knitted in one colour but I knew there wouldn't be enough yarn in one skein so I decided to knit the garter in the Levant Grey and the lace panels in Dolceath Turquoise. If you want to knit a two colour one like mine i have listed exact quantities in my Ravelry project notes. The shawl knit up really quickly and with Helen's unique percentage method of pattern writing keeping track of progress, and yarn requirements, super easy.

wearing my Hill Top Shawl at Hill Top!

I love it so much and when Helen announced her new project I couldn't wait to jump in!
The Shawl Society is a series of six brand new shawl patterns released over six months. There are no previews - each pattern is a surprise - but a quick look through her back catalogue of patterns has convinced me that these will all be shawls I want to knit (her Pebble Beach has been in my Ravelry queue forever!) and I signed up there and then.  A Ravelry chat thread has been set up in the Curious Handmade group and there is a real buzz of excitement around the Shawl Society already with lots of speculation about pattern possiblities and yarn choices. I for one can't wait till the first pattern release and I am working hard to finish what I have on my needles so I can cast on straight away.

So maybe this year I will get to work through my single skein stash. Which means I don't need to feel too bad when another gorgeous hand dyed skein accidentally drops into my Etsy cart...

If you want to join the Curious Handmade Shawl Society there's a special earlybird price of £9.95 (+VAT) for all six patterns if you sign up before the first pattern release on 9th June 2016. You'll receive a few emails from Helen with hints about yarn choices and quantities but each pattern is top secret until it's release date.


I'd love it if you could join me in The Shawl Society. Do let me know if you decide to sign up and we can knit all the shawls together!