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
The Wandering Cowl: A Shiny New Knitting Pattern!
Would you like a new pattern? Yes? OK then, read on... Twice a year, I head up to Stylecraft's mill in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire, with the other Blogstars. In between gossip, trips out, wine, and knitting, we get to see the new yarns that Stylecraft will launch over the coming months. (Did I mention the brutally tough, lonely, life of a knit-blogger?) Back in February when we last visited, the yarn that caught our attention the most was Linen Drape, the DK-weight linen-viscose blend that I Continue Reading
Linen Drape, A Mini-Review
Well goodness me! Based on your reactions, anyone would think my last post was a joke, instead of the Terribly Serious Piece Of Journalism that it actually was. But thank you for all the acryla-love. Maisie says hi. (It turns out that acrylas can get addictive. You know that phenomenon where people tell a lie so consistently that they start to believe it themselves? Meanwhile, thank you again to Jo Ray for making this gorgeous beast.) Anyway, enough about the serious matter of Continue Reading
It’s The Christmas Crochet Teapot Pattern!
Gosh, judging by your responses to the Adagio giveaway, you lot do enjoy your tea! There are still a few hours left in which you can enter, if you haven't done so already. Good luck! Meanwhile, the crochet Christmas tree seemed to be the most popular of the tea cosies that I designed, so I've written up the pattern for that, and I'll post it below, for FREE! This is the fellow:- It fits a standard two-cup teapot. (You could always scale up or down with larger or smaller yarn and hook if you Continue Reading
Painting By Numbers. Also, A Giveaway Winner!
Hello blog, my fine friend. I've been working on the crochet version of the Hiking Reindeer Cowl. No longer are the trees listing drunkenly to the right. But something in the switch from knitting to crochet appears to have translated the reindeer into a moose. I'm not sure what a moose is doing in the southern English countryside on which the scene is based: it must have been hiking for some time. But the pattern will be done fairly soon, at which point I'll publish it on this site for Continue Reading
Don’t Try This At Home, Folks…
YES! THE LOVELY, YARNY GIVEAWAY IS STILL OPEN FOR JUST A FEW MORE DAYS! ENTER HERE! Meanwhile, would you like to make some super-easy Christmas decorations? See the links under the photos throughout this post. It has been brought to my attention by my children, as well as via the subtlest of hints on social media, that it's nearly Christmas. Now I realize that you and I may be sitting on opposite sides of the table regarding the matter, but personally I have a very strict routine for Continue Reading
If Freud Were A Knitter
The very last thing that I should be doing right now is beginning a new piece of knitting, just for fun. So... you can probably guess what I’m doing. If you're familiar with the Freudian analytic terms, 'superego', 'ego', and 'id', my knitting is, right now, all id. To clarify: your superego is that irritating voice in your head that earnestly lectures you about the wisdom of washing and blocking your gauge swatches before you measure them. Yeah, I tell that voice to shut up, too, especially Continue Reading
The Crochet Cottage Bag Pattern!
Well, here it is, at last. The pattern. The pattern... for the crochet house shoulder-bag that I designed. It's been a while coming. Would you like to make one? It's not that hard, honest, just a little fiddly around the windows. But I've explained everything in the pattern. And if you run into any problems, you can always give me a shout. I'm really very, very excited about this thing. Sometimes a crazy idea in your head just works. And it's free! :-) So without further ado, shall we Continue Reading
The Carnival Bag, And The Stylecraft Giveaway!
Welcome to day five of the Stylecraft Blog Tour! Fancy a free pattern and a chance to win a whole caboodle of yarn, regardless of where in the world you are? Read on, Macduff... So, just for the benefit of anyone who is new round these 'ere parts, (hello at the back, there), a few months ago I co-judged Stylecraft yarn's competition to find a new shade for their range of Special DK. With me were the editor of Let's Knit magazine (who waited very patiently in the car park before we went in, Continue Reading
Scrawlin’ The Scrawl
Hunched up against the howling autumn gales, I've been knitting. A lot. This will come as a surprise to absolutely nobody who knows me at all. I've been keeping one project semi-secret until now, because I'm writing up the pattern for you, and because I'll probably initially be putting the blimmin' thing 'out there' via a guest post I've got coming up soon on the Deramores blog. (But don't disappear: the free pattern will also appear here, too.) Anyway, the idea came from a simple Continue Reading