Hello, my Fine Fibrous Friends. There's a pattern coming next post, but this one's a rambly ramble. It's one of those posts where I open the little flap in my brain and waggle my head so that the contents spill out on to the page. Consider yourself warned. Happy new year... although if the past decade-plus has taught us anything, it's that any new year with the audacity to show its face around here should be handled with caution and appropriate PPE. Try not to let it sense your fear. You Continue Reading
Weirdly Wintering In August
I've just completed winter. Not actual winter, since it's August and we're in the northern hemisphere, but the chilliest colourway of the four-season cowl design that I'll be publishing shortly. But as I said in my last post, this is a British winter, so discard any notions of sparkly white snow against a blue sky, and instead embrace the dank and soggy undertones of sludgy reality. They're quite pretty once you get used to them. The yarn is Stylecraft Highland Heathers DK. Next up on my Continue Reading
Rollercoasting
I am calm. I am serene. I am not going to fling this ball of yarn across the room in a fit of temper. I am calm. I am serene. I am not going to... Oh! Erm, hello! Didn't see you there. Oops. Please don't mind me, I'm just having a little... trouble with a scarf that I'm designing. The sort of trouble that involves unravelling several hours' knitting and muttering darkly at my yarn whilst I rework the whole thing. This happens a lot, but I've learned hard lessons about how it's never ever Continue Reading
Cowls Against Brexit
OK, own up. Who was it? Who invoked that ancient curse, 'May you live in interesting times'? Because if it was you, please understand that by this point some of us have had quite enough interestingness, thanks very much, and could really do with a bit of tedious, safe, predictable, stability. TIA, yeah? In a week when my beautiful old nation might just hurl itself off a cliff whilst yelling about how fun it feels to be flying through the air, I'm struggling to concentrate on normal stuff. I Continue Reading
Cardigan Design
When normal people - whoever they are - want a new cardigan, they probably go to a shop and choose one to buy. I dunno, but I'm guessing that's approximately how it works. Some people knit or hook their own, of course, and those folk will definitely have the upper hand come the apocalypse. I decided to go one step further. (I always decide to go one step further - even if it's over the edge of a cliff.) Having rejected every extant cardigan known to humankind, I decided to write my own Continue Reading
A Free Scarf Pattern!
I have a free scarf pattern for you, ably modelled by my headless friend:- But first, may I briefly direct your attention to the TV? That's not a sentence that I write very often (I don't even own a television). But tonight, my chair and I are appearing on the BBC programme, 'Make'. The (brief) interview was filmed last October, and I blogged about it here. (And I blogged about the chair here, in case you're curious.) The programme will be on BBC4 at 9pm UK-time tonight. Given my lack of Continue Reading
Ahem.
For better or worse, it's fair to say that I am very British. I queue like a pro, I'm sometimes jolly in the face of adversity, I would rather gnaw my own arm off than discuss money, and if I murmur that I'm 'slightly dismayed' by something then what I really mean is that 'THE SHEER AWFULNESS OF THIS THING FILLS ME WITH BURNING RAGE!' In the hope of uncovering some more interesting heritage, I did one of those ethnicity DNA tests recently, wondering whether I'd uncover roots in Senegal, or Continue Reading
Would You Like Some Tea?
So I was contacted by Adagio Teas, who sell all sorts of luscious tea-based loveliness in various parts of the world, plus the equipment with which to make it. "Help!" they said. "Quickly, please!" I was puzzled. "Huh? I'm a knitting/crochet blogger - I'm not sure how I can help you..." "But it's an emergency!" they insisted. "The weather has turned freezing, and..." "Yeah, tell me about it: you should try living in this house." (Here, for the record, is what this house looks like at the Continue Reading
Free Colourful Cowl Pattern!
OK, would you like the free pattern for this fairisle cowl that I designed? You would? Well there's a link to the pattern near the bottom of this post. Enjoy! It's a fairly generous one size, that would fit an adult or teen. The version in the pictures was made using all 16 shades of Stylecraft Batik, but of course you could use fewer colours, or indeed a different DK/light-worsted yarn entirely. The cowl is worked in the round, so although you'll have a fair few ends to weave in, Continue Reading
The Ivy-Covered Camera Knitted Camera Strap That Sneaked In Ahead Of The Post About Crocheted Christmas Decorations
I know, I know, I said the crochet paper chains were coming next, but this post sort of barged in front. How very rude! Apologies on its behalf - it was badly brought up and has no manners. So, have a seat and tell me, are you ready for Christmas? You are? Ooh, you’re well ahead of me – I’m so disorganised. I’ve got a good present idea, though, that you could knit for the photographer in your life. Or maybe you’re keen on photography y’self, in which case you might be able to use one of these Continue Reading