Moseley in Spring

Released another new pattern this week - Moseley in Spring!

It's available on Ravelry, Etsy, Craftsy, Folksy and LoveKnitting (phew!)

It's a fitted cardigan with a flattering drape front. Moseley in Spring is knitted from the top down with set in sleeves and neat ribbed edgings. A lightweight, and ever so slightly cropped version of our classic Moseley Cardigan in 4ply yarn with cute stripes. A perfect transitional piece for sunny Spring days. Instructions for 10 sizes are given: to fit bust 32 (34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 48, 52, 56)”.

Here's the knitty gritty:

Garment Measurements 
Across Back Armpit to Armpit: 16 (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 26, 28)”. 
Armpit to hem: 12 (14, 14, 16, 16, 18, 18, 20, 20, 22)”. 
Around top of sleeve: 12.5 (13, 13.5, 14, 15.5, 16, 17, 18.5, 19, 20)”. 
Sleeve length from Underarm: 15.5 (15.5, 15.5, 15.5, 15.5, 17.5, 17.5, 17.5, 17.5, 17.5)”.

Yarn 
Baa Ram Ewe Titus 4ply (50% Wensleydale, 20% Bluefaced Leicester, 30% UK Alpaca; 350 yds (320m) per 100g). 
Yardage: 
MC Bramley Baths 440 (540, 575, 680, 715, 840, 875, 1050, 1140, 1320) yds. 
CC Aire 440 (540, 575, 680, 715, 840, 875, 1050, 1140, 1320) yds. 
Meterage: 
MC Bramley Baths 400 (485, 520, 620, 650, 760, 795, 950, 1040, 1200)m.
CC Aire 400 (485, 520, 620, 650, 760, 795, 950, 1040, 1200)m.

Needles 
One 4mm / US 6 40”/100cm circular needle.

Gauge after blocking 
21sts and 28 rows = 4” in stocking st with 4mm/ US 6 needles.

Extras 
Waste yarn (you’ll need about 1yd/1m), 6 detachable stitch markers, spare 40” circular needle (size 4mm/US 6 or smaller).

And just a wee reminder that the knit-along for Mountain Everlasting Sweater is just getting under way in my Ravelry group, plenty of time still to join in the fun:

Year of Lace Knitting

Three of my oldest and dearest friends turn thirty this year. I've set myself a challenge to knit each of them a truly timeless heirloom piece to mark the occasion. 

For my friend Gill, I knitted Sineabhar, a stunning shawl that looks amazing but is actually quite straightforward to knit. The pattern gives two sizes, for a 50" and 80" shawl. Using only 65 and 35g of yarn for each size, it's the perfect pattern for using up leftover laceweight yarn.

Sineabhar is available to purchase from Ravelry, Etsy, Craftsy and Loveknitting.

For my friend Jo, I have knitted up Northumbria. A gorgeous rectangular shawl with zigzag stripes of delicate lace. This would work just as well as a truly beautiful everyday scarf as it would as a wrap over an evening dress.

Northumbria is also available on Ravelry, Etsy, Craftsy and Loveknitting.

And my third friend? Her birthday isn't for a few more months, so it's still a bit of a work in progress! 

Buchanan Street Sweater

Released a new pattern today! Buchanan Street Sweater is a classic wardrobe staple. It's a flattering longer length with some little tricks for a perfect fit. For example, there are more stitches at the front than the back (I don't know why more patterns don't do this!) and there is extensive guidance on how to change the fit of the shoulders, sleeves and where the waist sits. I really love an "almost plain" sweater, and this one totally fits the bill for me. The pretty stitch detail at the shoulders adds just enough interest without it being overly fussy. 

Here's some pictures!

It's available to download on Ravelry, Etsy and Craftsy.

Asphodel Shawl

I've just released a new lace pattern, Asphodel Shawl:

 

A stunning lace shawl with a geometric design. There are three distinct bands of lace in the shawl, working from larger to smaller diamonds with a lace edge. The shawl is constructed as a traditional triangular shawl, with the lace patterns to the right and left sides of the spine mirror images of each other.

Asphodel is available on Ravelry, Craftsy and Etsy.

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Rialto Lace or other laceweight yarn. Two skeins = 840 yards / 768m.

Gauge: 21 sts = 4” with 4mm / US 6 needles after blocking. Exact gauge isn't crucial though.

Needles: One 40”/100cm 4mm / US 6 circular needle.

Extras: Two stitch markers, crochet hook and yarn in a contrasting colour for provisional cast on, 4.5mm/US7 needle for bind-off, pins and a large towel for blocking.

Dimensions: makes a triangle 58” across

and 29” high after blocking.

Caora Fibres

I've started a new Etsy shop, Caora Fibres, selling my own range of spinning fibre. It mainly sells batts, but also some handspun and knitted items from my own batts. 

We aim to carefully select and blend top quality fibres by hand to give you the best possible materials for your spinning and felting. We love producing beautiful semi-solid, jewel tones; subtle gradients and luxurious blends of natural, undyed fibres.

Please pay us a wee visit, or pass this link on to any friends who spin!

Birch Cardigan

Just released a new pattern! Birch Cardigan is a seamless, top-down knit with instructions for 10 sizes.

Available to purchase on Ravelry, Etsy and Craftsy.

Hope you like it!

 

Winter Warmers

Two new patterns out at the moment:

Snowcloud Cardigan

A soft, warm cardigan to keep you toasty when the snow starts falling. Featuring chunky cuffs and wraparound front in double moss stitch for extra cosiness. Seamless construction and aran yarn make this a quick and satisfying knit. Available to purchase from Ravelry and Etsy.

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran 8 (10, 11, 13, 15, 16) skeins at 91m / 100 yds per skein
Needles: One 5mm/US8 100cm circular needle, four 5mm/US 8 dpns or one 16” 5mm/US 8 circular needle. 
Gauge: 18 stitches and 24 rows = 4” in stocking stitch

Dimensions: 
To fit bust 32” (34”, 36”, 38”, 40”, 42”)
Sleeve length: 14” (14½”, 15”, 16”, 16½”, 17”)
Cuff Circumference: 10” (11”, 12”, 13”, 14”, 15”)
Upper Arm Circumference: 11½” (13”, 14”, 15”, 16½”, 17½”)
Back Width: 16” (17”, 18”, 19”, 20”, 21”)
Length Armpit to Hem: 14½” (15½”, 16½”, 17½”, 18½”, 19½”)

Buachaille Scarf

A cosy winter classic. Knitted up in chunky Bluefaced Leicester yarn for the ultimate in warmth and comfort. This is an easy knit, but lace stitches and cables keep it interesting. This design uses “fake cable” stitches – they’re much easier than using a cable needle but practically indistinguishable! Full instructions for all stitches are included in the pattern. Pattern available on Ravelry and Etsy. 

Yarn: Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds Chunky (Bluefaced Leicester) 3 skeins = 330m in total.
Needles: 6.5 mm / US 10 ½ 
Gauge: 12 stitches = 4” in stocking stitch
Dimensions: 8” x 70”

Rainclouds and Forest Walks

Here in Scotland, Summer has been over for a while now (since June if you're interested), so I'm thinking it's high time to break out the autumnal knitting patterns. And here they are! Both are knitted up in Shilasdair Luxury DK, which is an absolutely gorgeous yarn naturally dyed on the Isle of Skye. It's fantastic value too, the skeins are giant!

First up is the Raincloud Cardigan. I really love this one, it has become my number one wardrobe staple. I am glued to it. It's cosy, but the single fastening and three-quarter length sleeves mean you don't overheat. It's available to purchase for $3 from Ravelry and my Etsy shop. Sizing details can be found there too.

Next there's my Forest Walk scarf. I knitted this one up as a birthday present for a friend. It's a quick knit but looks very impressive. It uses just over one skein of the Shilasdair luxury DK, but you could squeeze one out of a single skein. My version is around 6 feet long so it'd be fine to make it a bit shorter. I made both the cardigan (smallest size) and the scarf from 3 skeins. Again, it's available to purchase from Ravelry and my Etsy shop.

What to do with art yarn...

So, those of you who follow this blog will be aware that I've been spending a lot of time spinning and dyeing lately (at the expense of coming up with new knitting patterns, sorry about that!) And now that I've spun up a large pile of beautifully coloured yarn, I need to come up with something to do with it. This is a tricky task for all those early skeins of thick-n-thin "art yarn" that I've amassed. And here's what I came up with, a one skein cowl made from my handspun merino. It's a little crazy looking, but that's kind of a given if you're working with art yarn. Also, if you like the colour but are looking for a more sensible yarn, there's a skein of bluefaced leicester yarn in my Etsy shop in the same colourway.

Needles : 10mm / US 15 needles.

Yarn: 100 -150m or so of thick and thin art yarn (check out Etsy for handspun, thick n thin goodness!)

Gauge:  15 sts = 4'' in stocking stitch on average (but with thick and thin yarn gauge varies).

Size:  21'' around and 8" across

Notation: 

k = knit

p = purl

sl = slip purlwise

wyb = with yarn held at the back of your work

wyf = with yarn held to the front of your work

CO = cast on

Directions

Garter Slip Stitch Pattern

Row 1: knit

Row 2: knit

Row 3: k1 *sl1 wyb k1* to end of row

Row 4: k1 *sl1 wyf k1* to end of row

Row 5: knit

Row 6: knit

Row 7: k2 *sl1 wyb k1* to last stitch, k1

Row 8: k2 *sl1 wyf k1* to last stitch, k1

To make the cowl, CO 29 stitches. Now work in garter slip stitch until your work measures just over 20", ending on row 8  of pattern. Knit one row, then bind off on wrong side. Turn cowl onto wrong side and sew cast on edge to bind off edge using whip stitch (art yarn looks crazy enough that you'll never notice the seam). Weave in loose ends and you're done!

Now for the shameless advertising. There's a couple of skeins in my Etsy shop that I think would be perfect for this, although they're not as crazy as some art yarns, they'd give you a more wearable cowl. There's a lovely blue skein here, and a white skein for all you dyers out there here.

More Yarn on Etsy!

I have a confession, my spinning and dyeing obsession is starting to get out of hand. So, I've started putting stuff up on my Etsy shop. Just in is a beautiful green number, some supersoft worsted weight bluefaced leicester yarn. This stuff is soft. And green. I dyed it with a mix of green and teal acid dyes and it turned out just how I wanted. Take a look!

Summer Hols & Handyed Yarn

That's me just back from my Summer Holidays, camping in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland. Climbed some hills (see above), ate good food, spun some yarn and generally had a good time. And while I was away, some hand dyed gems were drying out in the flat...

Just up in my Etsy shop, is this beautiful skein of handdyed, handspun Dorset horn yarn. 

This is a gorgeous bright, bright blue skein of Dorset Horn yarn, handspun and handdyed by me! Dorset Horn wool is pretty similar to merino, definitely "next to skin soft", and it's from a rare breed bit so you'll be doing your part to help preserve this endangered sheep. It's dyed a beautiful shade of blue using professional quality acid dyes, varying from an almost creamy sky blue through to deepest indigo. As you can perhaps see from the pictures, it's a wee bit thick and thin, a little fluffy and somewhere between a heavy worsted and chunky weight. Delicious. 

This skein weighs around 75g and is just over 100m in length. It'd knit up beautifully on 6mm/US10 needles, and is enough for a hat or pair of mittens.

Lace and Cable Mitts

Just put up a new pdf knitting pattern on Etsy and Ravelry. A beautiful pair of lace and cable armwarmers. 

They're  a gorgeous pair of mitts in a lace and cable pattern, with fisherman's rib on the palm. These are very cosy, knitted in a supersoft cashmere blend yarn. Having said that, any aran/worsted weight yarn would do - substitute your favourite! They would make an ideal gift, or a special treat for yourself. 

Design uses 'fake cable' techniques, i.e. left twists and right twists. They are both much easier tp knitthan using a cable needle and practically indistinguishable. It also uses lace stitches k2tog, ssk and yo. Full instructions are included in pdf.  This pattern would be suitable for any knitter from an adventurous beginner upwards!