Knitvent 2017.........Tchaikovsky Hat and Mitts.

Hello, my friends and Happy Thanksgiving to my friends in the U.S. Today is the third week of Knitvent 2017 and behind the third window are two patterns!!!

First up is the Tchaikovsky Hat, a beautiful, textured hat in four sizes, perfect for chilly, winter days. 

I knit matching, mommy and daughter hats and added some big, fluffy pompoms, you could knit one for the whole family.

They are knit with DK weight, a great stash busting project, I used John Arbon Knit by Numbers in colour KBN79. The adult size used 46g of the 100g skein and so had plenty left to knit the baby size which used 38g.

The next pattern is a pair of matching mitts, a simple, textured wristwarmer. I used Norah George MCN DK in Orchard, I can't tell you how soft this yarn is!!! It is so cosy, I can imagine myself walking around the Christmas markets with my matching hat and mitts, sipping mulled wine.

They come in two sizes, child and adult, I used 50g in total for the adult mitts so I have enough leftover for the matching hat, both of these patterns are really quick knits so perfect for gift knitting. I did go down a needle size to a 4mm to get a better fit for my hands, they are easily adaptable to get the perfect width or length.

 While I had my camera out, taking photos of my mitts, these two little monkeys wanted to get in on the act. They are my world and are growing up so quickly, both are such little characters and bring lots of laughter into our lives.

Have a great weekend and happy knitting.
xxxxDebxxxx

Tulle Shawl........Knitvent 2017.

 Hello my friends, I hope you've all had a good week. I've updated the look of my blog since last week, it has stayed the same for many years so thought it could do with a change. I really like it and think it suits my style more now that I'm more of a knitting blog, I hope you agree.

I'm back to tell you that the second window from Knitvent 2017 is now open, it is a stunning one skein shawl with the most perfect name, the Tulle Shawl.

I used The Wool Barn in Ballet Slipper, I knew straight away that  I'd be using this for the Tulle Shawl, with the colourway name and The Nutcracker theme, it had to be done. There is also the option of adding beads, just for that extra sparkle over the holiday season.

This shawl was such a pleasure to knit with a simple garter stitch body and then a delicate lace border. A little tip, when knitting on the garter stitch section, use a progress keeper just so you know which is the right side of your work. I used this gorgeous, beaded Christmas tree from Eva Faith Etsy shop. She has so many beautiful handmade stitch markers and progress keepers, each one perfectly handcrafted and the quality is superb.

I did add the beads to my shawl, I used clear so it's very understated but still has that bit of sparkle. I used size 6 beads with a 1mm crochet hook. Helen gives a very clear explanation on how to add beads so don't be intimidated with beadwork.

How pretty is the border? The lace isn't too complicated and is very intuitive, after the first row you will know if you've made a mistake before getting too far as it all lines up. I think this would be a perfect first project for those who want to give lace and bead knitting a go.

I think this will make the prettiest accessory over the Christmas festivities, it would also make a great gift for someone special.

Last week, Helen Stewart released this amazing Nutcracker kit with a bag from Louleigh, a skein of yarn from the The Wool Kitchen and a progress keeper from Eva Faith.

The kit sold out within minutes but there are pre-orders over at The Wool Kitchen for this delightful yarn, also Eva Faith has some of the toy soldier progress keepers and coordinating stitch markers in her shop update on Friday 17th. Both are them are perfect for this shawl project.

Thanks for stopping by and happy knitting.
xxxxDebxxxxx

Two FO's and the winner is..........

First up I would like to announce the winner of the Knitvent 2014 collection, the winner is............. Amanda Hurrell. Congratulations Amanda, if you could get in touch with me please, with your Ravelry name and I'll get Helen to send it to you.

I've been busily knitting away on some Christmas gifts, my first FO are the Global Nomad Handwarmers by Helen Stewart, that I've knit for one of my niece's. I only ever see her wear black so I've gone with black with some grey thrown in, just to add a bit of colour ;-)

I used Drops Lima which is a wool/alpaca blend, it's an economical brand which you can find on offer at the moment, that makes it even better value. I buy mine from Wool Warehouse which is based in the UK, they give a great service with quick delivery and as an added bonus they pack their yarn in a gorgeous organza bag which is great to use as a project bag. Even though this was an economical yarn, it's fab quality, very warm and squishy.

The Global Nomad Mitts are a fairly quick knit which is ideal for gift knitting, I didn't time myself but I'm guessing at about 8-9 hours. It's mostly rib with with a small lace section, just to give it a bit of interest, I'm pretty sure my niece will be really pleased with them, they are very much her style.

My next FO are the Checkerboard Mitts another pattern by Helen Stewart, this pattern is from her Knitvent 2013 collection which you can purchase as an e-book or as a separate pattern. The pattern is given for a mans average size hand but it tells say how to knit them larger or smaller to suit you. I cast on 36 stitches and they fit my hand fine, I would say I have an average size hand.

This pair are for my other niece and are knit in Aran weight, I used Rowan Pure Wool Aran in Cloud, a pretty shade of blue. I did time myself whist knitting these and they took me six and half hours so can easily be knit in two to three evenings, comfortably.

I love the texture on these mitts which make them even more warm and snugly, they are also very squishy. That's all for today, I'm off to do some more Christmas knitting and hope to finish another project today.

Here's a little sneak peek of what I working on today, it's Mr Bakery Bear by Kay Jones, he's "legless" at the moment so he's stopping in my favourite Bakery Bear bag also made by Kay.

Also my favourite knitting magazine arrived yesterday, it's the Winter 2014 issue of the Pompom magazine so at some point today I'll be reading this. It's always full of patterns I want to knit and also great articles including a seasonal recipe. I hope you all enjoy your weekend and congratulations to Amanda on wining the giveaway.

xxxxDebxxxx

 

Christmas Knitting......and a Knitvent 2014 Giveaway.

Hello my friends, yes, I'm trying to be organised and I have started my Christmas gift knitting with the help of Helen from Curious Handmade and her free Holiday Knitting Planner. I have lots to show you as I have quite a few things on my needles, all fairly quick projects, ideal for Christmas gifts.

Helen has also just released Knitvent 2014, a collection of patterns that are ideal to knit for yourself or to give as gifts. The first Knitvent was released last year and was a great success, it came from the idea of an Advent calender where you get to open a window each day but instead you receive a new pattern each week for five weeks. They will be accessories that are quick to knit and will include different sizes so you decide how much time you want to spend on each project.

The first pattern is the Candlelit Shawl, perfectly named, it's a gorgeous shawl with beautiful twinkling beads, it comes in two different sizes and the option of with or without beads.

I've cast on the small, one skein version with beads, last night as I had the ideal beads in my stash that matches perfectly with this gorgeous Juno Alice in Ethereal. It's a match made in heaven, this is a gift for me as I really don't think I could give it away!!!!!

As well as the release of this year's Knitvent Collection, there will be a Knitvent KAL over on the Curious Handmade Ravelry board with weekly prizes and a grand prize at the end.

To celebrate the release of Knitvent 2014, Helen is giving the Knitvent 2013 collection FREE when you purchase Knitvent 2014 until Sunday 16th November, just add both to your basket, no code is needed.

Also, Helen has very kindly offered me the 2014 collection to give away to one lucky reader, if you want to be in with a chance of winning just leave me a comment by Saturday 12am GMT, telling me what you like to knit for Christmas gifts. My favourite things are mittens and hats as they are quick and easy especially in a heavier weight yarn.

I cast on the Checkerboard Mitts yesterday afternoon whilst watching Christmas films, as you can tell I'm getting into the Christmas spirit!!!!! These are really quick to knit and would make a great last minute gift, they are from the Knitvent 2013 collection. I've only got the rib to finish at the bottom of the mitt and the thumb and it took me less than two hours to get this far.

I'm knitting the Ardvasar Hat for my sister, it's from Pom Pom Quarterly Issue 6 and is one of my favourite hat patterns, it's the third one I've knit.

I've cast on the Vanilla Latte socks, a free download on Ravelry, these are for my husband, he's been driving me mad asking me to knit him a pair of socks. I'm using Trailing Clouds Mind the Gap, he probably won't like the pink but the other colours will make it less noticeable.

I've also bought this yarn for more Christmas projects, watch this space!!!!! I haven't had much time to read this week. I've started reading In the Woods by Harlan Coben, I can't say I'm enjoying it that much and was tempted to start a new book. I'll carry on for now to see it gets any better.

I'm linking this post to Ginny's Yarn Along and Nicole's KCCO, don't forget to leave me a comment if you want to be entered into the draw to win the Knitvent 2014 collection. I will pick a winner from the teacup on Saturday, don't forget you've got to be in it to win it!!!!!!

Have a good week.

xxxxxDebxxxxx