Speedwell Scarf

Naming patterns is hard. I really struggle to think of a name that "suits" the pattern. I've picked up a habit lately of naming things after places that I associate with the pattern, but I worry that these names won't resonate with many people. So, I'm moving on to wildflowers (mainly because I picked up a secondhand collins-gem guide recently...) 

And here's the latest scarf pattern. It's a lovely bright blue, so, I look at the index for blue flowers and find sheep's scabious, viper's bugloss and speedwell. I think it's got to be speedwell: this pattern isn't really edgy enough to be called "viper's bugloss scarf"....

Yarn : Regia Hand-Dye Effect, 1 ball (=420m)

Needles :  4.5mm/US 7 needles

Gauge:  20sts and 28 rows in stocking stitch

Size: 6" x 52"

Extras: Four buttons.

Notation: 

k = knit

p = purl

sl = slip purlwise

wyf = with yarn held forward

wyb = with yarn held back

CO = cast on

RS = right-side

WS = wrong-side

Directions

Garter Slip Stitch Pattern:

Row 1(RS): 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 scarf: CO 45 stitches. Work in Garter slip stitch pattern until scarf measures around 50", ending on row 8 of the pattern (a wrong-side row). Now work in garter stitch (i.e. knit every row) for 10 rows, again ending on a WS row. Work buttonholes as follows:

Buttonhole Row: k3 k2tog yo k10 k2tog yo k11 yo ssk k10 yo ssk k3.

Now work 8 more rows of garter stitch, ending on a RS row. BO all stitches on WS. 

Sew four buttons on the RS of the scarf, equally spaced about 1" up from the CO edge. Weave in any loose ends and you're done!

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!

Handspun Yarn on Etsy

So, my thesis is finished now and I have a few months to relax before starting a PGDE course. So obviously the natural course of action is to spend those months playing with fibre. I've been handspinning with a drop spindle for a wee while now, but for my thesis-finishing present to myself I bought an Ashford Joy spinning wheel. I love it. I am glued to it. How I managed without a wheel for so long is beyond my comprehension.

To cut a long story short, I am going to start selling some handspun yarn in my etsy shop (at least those skeins I can bear to part with). First up is a beautiful fluffy white cloud of a skein of Falkland yarn. It's pretty similar to merino, and I'm leaving it undyed so you can dye it the way you like (or leave it plain and simple). As you can perhaps see from the pictures, it's a wee bit thick and thin, a little fluffy and somewhere between worsted and chunky weight. Delicious. 

Also, to sweeten the deal, I'm going to give you guys a 10% discount on everything in the shop this week, just enter the code MMMHANDSPUN at the checkout. 

Twisted Reversible Hat

Knitted this one up for my mum's birthday. It's a less girly version of my Pirouette Hat in that it has one too few stitches in the round, which makes the pattern spiral as you work it up. The pattern itself is incredibly simple, until you get to the decreases, you're just working knit 2 purl 2. The fact that the number of stitches in a round isn't divisible by 4 means you don't get 2x2 rib, but a lovely spiral pattern. It's reversible too, in fact, I reckon the wrong side is the nicer of the two. This yarn is really gorgeous too, the soy fibre gives it a lovely sheen and I love the gradual colour changes. Hope you enjoy the pattern!

Yarn : Rowan Tapestry, one ball (=120m)


Needles : Four 4mm/US 6 dpns

Gauge:  22 stitches =4'' with 4mm/US6 needles in stocking stitch.

Size: To fit an average 22'' head.

 

Notation: 

k = knit

p = purl

ssk = slip two stitches knitwise, then knit the together with the left-hand needle

CO = cast on

Directions

Spiral Pattern

Just keep working *k2p2* !! The number of stitches in a row isn't divisible by four, so you won't end every row with "p2", but just keep going and you'll get the lovely textured spiral pattern shown. If you have any questions about this please either leave a comment below or email me at d.j.winn "at" hotmail "dot" co "dot" uk. 

 CO 87 stitches. Work in k2 p1 rib for 1 1/2 inches (or around 10 rows). Now work spiral pattern until your hat measures around 7 1/2 inches, ending with a row that ends "k2 p2". Now work decreases as follows:

After knitting a row that ends "k2 p2":

Row 1: *ssk p2 k2 p2* to last 7 stitches, ssk p2 k2 p1.

Row 2: *k2 p2 k2 p1* to last 6 stitches, k2 p2 k2.

Row 3: *ssk k1 p2 k2* to last 6 stitches, ssk k1 p2 k1.

Row 4:  k3 *p2 k4* to last  2 stitches, p2.

Row 5: *ssk k2 p2* to last 5 stitches, ssk k2 p1.

Row 6: *k1 p1 k2 p1* to last 4 stitches, k1 p1 k2.

Row 7: *ssk p1 k2* to last 4 stitches, ssk p1 k1.

Row 8:  k1 *p2 k2* to last 2 stitches, p2.

Row 9: *ssk p2* to last 3 stitches, ssk p1.

Row 10:  *k2 p1* to last 2 stitches, k2.

Row 11: *ssk k1* to last 2 stitches, ssk.

Row 12:  *ssk* to last stitch, k1.

Cut the yarn leaving a 10'' tail. Thread this through the remaining stitches and pull tight. Sew over the hole a couple of times (keeping it neat on both sides since this is a reversible hat), and weave in the loose end (on right or wrong side, but keep it hidden!). I wove the end of the yarn in and out of the stitches in the line of  ssks, this kept things pretty neat.