Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone!

We're celebrating with a 50% off sale on all our self-published patterns in our Ravelry store - use coupon code HAPPY2018 for half price patterns!

I really love welcoming the new year as a time to look back, take stock and make goals for the year to come. I've got into a bit of a habit of a new year blogpost, I think it's good for me to publicly make a statement about what I hope to achieve.

2017 was a year of a lot of ups and downs personally as well as globally. I started a new job back in the classroom teaching at a new school, finished my first year as an associate lecturer with the Open University, and got a crazy but very, very lovable rescue dog - all of which made 2017 a year of very low knitting productivity. Seriously, I only released two patterns last year which is my lowest ever in the 6 years or so I've been designing.

She's a very good girl, but there's not much time left for knitting!

But this year should hopefully be much calmer. I'm settled into my new jobs, and have three designs already knitted and at various stages of writing up. I would really, really love to go part time at my "real" job in 2019 and after crunching some numbers it's not too unrealistic. Even based on last year's numbers where I basically did nothing with my knitting business things are looking positive.

Some sneak peeks of 2018 patterns!

So basically, my new year's resolution is to knit more, design more and write lots more patterns!

It would be great to hear about everyone's crafting resolutions in the comments - and I hope a 50% pattern discount will help!
 

Black Friday Sale

 Our Black Friday Sale is now on!

50% off all our patterns on Ravelry with coupon code BLACKFRI50

Valid until midnight GMT on Monday 27th November.

Summer Sale

We're having our annual Summer Sale! All our patterns are available at a 50% discount with coupon code Summer50.

Summer Travels Inspiration Part Three - Russula Shawl

 So it's been a long time since Part Two of this series was released, and certainly a long time since last summer! I had planned on releasing one new pattern a month between the summer and Christmas but life got in the way a bit.

Things have been pretty much non-stop hectic here - I've started tutoring a Maths course with the Open University, which has eaten up pretty much all of my spare time and I was doing a lot of evening work as part of my day job. However, the OU course is nearly finished now and I've just started a new job which is much closer to home and should hopefully leave me with much more free time for designing. Moving one step closer to the dream of going part time in my "real" job and having more time to knit and write patterns.

Anyway, better late than never, this is the third in a series of patterns inspired by my travels last Summer. The first was Abriachan Cowl, inspired by the beautiful colours in the forest at Abriachan. The second was Fiacaill Cardigan, inspired by the Fiacaill Ridge in the Cairngorms. The third pattern is inspired by bright red Russula mushrooms, which were just starting to appear in the forests in late Summer:

You often find them in shady pine woods. At this time of year they look like something from a fairy tale, an eyecatching flash of colour in dark, gloomy surroundings. There's something a bit magical about mushrooms, especially unusual ones, and the Scottish climate seems to really suit them. Here's a few we've spotted through the years:

This shawl was designed to have the same effect as the bright red russulas, a flash of cheery colour that will stand out against Scotland's often dull and dreary weather. Russula is a pretty, crescent shawl with a stunning diamond pattern and pointed edging. It begins with a wide crescent in garter stitch, then work a zig-zag edging of diamond lace. The lace pattern is very simple, and looks much more complex than it really is.  

Available to purchase on:

Ravelry

Craftsy

Etsy

Loveknitting

20% discount on Ravelry with coupon code SUMMERTRAVELS3 until end of December 2017

Details are as follows:

Yarn: Cloudborn Wool Fingering Twist
Colourway Scarlet Heather (100% Fine Highland Wool, 368m/402yds per 100g)
Two 100g skeins (you won’t need much of the second skein) = 384m/ 420yds

Dimensions: 150cm (60”) wide and 40cm (16”) deep at widest point.

Needles: 4.5mm/US 7 40”/100cm circular needle (for working flat) 6.5mm / US 10.5 needles for bind off only.

Gauge: 17sts and 32 rows in garter stitch after blocking.

Extras: Tapestry needle for weaving in loose ends, mat and t-pins for blocking.

 

 

New Year Sale

Happy New Year!

We're celebrating the new year with a pattern sale! All our patterns on Ravelry will be 50% off until Friday with coupon code "HappyNewYear".

One Million Hits Sale!

We've reached a milestone 1,000,000 hits on the blog and we're having a sale to celebrate. All our patterns on Ravelry will be available at a 50% discount with the coupon code "Million".

Summer Sale

All our patterns are on sale! Visit our Ravelry store before the 10th July - all patterns half price with coupon code "Summer50". 

Happy Knitting!

Quick Knits Sale and a Chunky Cowl Pattern

Christmas Gift Sale Part Three

Our last sale of 2015 is for Quick-to-Knit patterns - a December essential! This week I've been knitting lots of little gifts: worsted weight socks, bulky slippers and hats, and a superchunky cowl (more on that below!) And I know I'm not alone, lots of knitters across the globe are putting the finishing touches on handmade presents. But for those of us who have left things to the last minute, not to worry! Our last sale is for super quick knits, either small projects like hats or mittens, or larger items in chunkier yarns. Get 30% off in our Ravelry Store with coupon code "QuickKnit" until Saturday 19th December. 

King's Park Cowl 

Our latest pattern is a superchunky winter warmer. Made up of a pretty collection of textured stitch patterns, it looks much more complicated than it really is! And as it certainly falls into the category of quick knits, it's also available at a 30% discount until Saturday with the coupon code "QuickKnit". Available to purchase from Ravelry.

Cabled Pattern Sale and Indie Design Gift-Along

It's the busiest time of year for knitters, when we're all trying to make the perfect handmade gift. This year we're trying to make things a little easier by running  four different sales. Two weeks ago it was lace, now it's cables! (basic patterns and quick knits are the next two themes!) All our cabled patterns in our Ravelry Store will be 30% off with the coupon code "XmasCables". 

It's also the time of year for the Indie Design Gift Along on Ravelry. This is a great knitting event where hundreds of independent pattern designers offer a discount on their patterns, and more importantly we all get together to knit, chat, and inspire one another. This year I'll be looking for a chunky sock pattern to knit for one of my brothers and a couple of hat patterns to knit as gifts for my boyfriend's sisters. And of course I'm always on the lookout for a stunning lace design. This is a really lovely thing for knitters of all abilities from across the globe to take part in, with a real sense of community.

Christmas Sale Part 1 - Lace

Time to start knitting for Christmas!

I'm not sure how everyone else is feeling, but I'm starting to panic about my Christmas knitting. I'm aiming to knit eleven gifts by Christmas and haven't started one! So as an act of solidarity with the knitting community, I'm offering a 30% discount on lace patterns for the next two weeks to make things a little bit easier!

Coupon code is "XmasLace" and all my lace patterns can be found in a Ravelry Bundle.

Hate knitting lace? We'll be running sales on cabled, basic and quick-to-knit patterns too. (Thought having quick-to-knit patterns last and fancy lacy ones first was the most sensible order!)

Birthday Sale!

It's my thirtieth this week, so I'm having a sale in my Rav Store to celebrate!