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

Yarn Along......Eden Fells Hat and Scarf.

Hello, how are you all doing? I've been doing some more test knitting for Helen from the Curious Handmade Podcast. This is the Eden Fells Hat and the matching Eden Fells Scarf, the last two patterns from the Dream Big collection.

It's a great unisex pattern, Helen knit hers in grey and looks great on her male model, it can be knit as a more fitted hat or add a few extra rows of the chevron pattern for more slouch. It's knit with a squishy worsted weight yarn, it would be a great Christmas gift as it didn't take too long to knit. I used Drops Nepal in a vibrant red, perfect to add a little colour to the winter months.

This really is my perfect hat, I knit the medium size with the extra slouch, it's just the right amount of slouch for me. I can see myself wearing this a lot over the winter months as it's very cosy even my youngest daughter has asked me to knit her a set, it's the first time she's requested anything knitted!!!!

I knit the scarf to the exact pattern but you could make it shorter or longer, if preferred. After soaking for 20 minutes and removing excess water by rolling in a towel, I let it dry naturally by hanging over an airer. Once dry it measured 75", a good length for me. Helen does recommend steam blocking but the yarn I used needed a good soak to soften it up, it did block well but probably grew more than what steaming would.

The patterns have now been released and as these are the last two Dream Big 2014 patterns, Helen is offering a discount code for a limited time. If you buy any two single patterns from the Dream Big collection, you can add ANY of Helen's other patterns to your cart for free, just add the code DBPARTY at the checkout.

Also on the knitting front, I've finished one of my Leaf Collector Mitts. I'm using Skein Queen Blush in Dipped Rosewater, this yarn is so soft and luxurious.

I've also cast on another pair of mitts for a Christmas gift, they are the Global Nomad Handwarmers by Curious Handmade. I'm also making the most of the free Curious Handmade Knitvent Gift Knitting Planner, this is a great idea to keep track of what you want to knit for Christmas gifts and keep yourself organised. I'm taking part in Little Bobbins Mitt-Along which is keeping me focused and stopping me from casting anything else on.

I've been reading the back issues of my Pom Pom Quarterly magazines for Christmas gift ideas, I'm linking this post to Ginny's Yarn Along and Nicole's KCCO.

Thank you for stopping by, enjoy your week.

xxxxxDebxxxx

 

FO Friday.......Shwook Fair Isle Hat.

BOO!!!!!! Happy Halloween, everyone!!!!!! Caiden is getting into the spirit of his first Halloween and I'm back today to show you my Shwook Hat, finished just in time for the cooler weather we're having.

This is a free pattern designed by Hazel Tindell, who designed it for Shetland Wool Week. I did a Fair Isle workshop at the beginning of the year which I found invaluable but this is my first Fair Isle project and I really enjoyed it. It's not as complicated as it looks and urge any intermediate knitter to give it a go. I think going to a class is a great way to learn but there are also books, my favourite is The Very Easy Guide To Fair Isle by Lynne Watterson or You Tube, my favourite knitting tutorials are by Very Pink.

I used Jamieson & Smith 2ply Jumper weight, if you're interested in the exact colours I used you can find the list here. There are five colours and I'm pretty sure I have enough left over to knit another one, I did use more of the brown but I'll weigh them and work out what I need.

I've also finished the Hermione's Everyday Socks for my friend's birthday, they are perfect for her, Kerry is Harry Potter mad, loves rainbow colours and sparkles. She absolutely loves them and squealed with joy when she opened them.

I used Lang Yarns Mille Colori Socks and Lace Lux, I think the colours and the sparkles are gorgeous but I don't think I'll knit with it again. The yarn was very irregular going from 4ply to chunky to lace where I thought it may even break. It was worth it though as Kerry thought they were wonderful!!!

Have a great Halloween weekend.

xxxxDebxxxx

Yarn Along.....Old Romance.

 

Hello my friends, I hope you all had a great weekend and having a good week. I haven't got much to share this week but thought I'd pop in and show you a couple of things I've been up to.

I'm not a massive garment knitter, preferring smaller accessories, I think because I'm impatient. I do love the whole process of knitting but do like the instant gratification of a shawl, a pair of mitts or a hat. I've had my eye on a couple of sweaters though for myself by Joji Locatelli, Old Romance and Japan Sleeves, after much consideration I decided on Old Romance, a loose fitting, boxy cardigan.

It's knit in 4ply yarn and I was looking on different websites for the perfect yarn, the pattern is knit in a wool/silk blend. While I was deciding on the yarn, I had an email from Wool Warehouse about the Drops Alpaca Party where there is 25% off all alpaca blends.

I'd used Drops Alpaca before and liked the quality but saw they did an alpaca and silk blend which was what I was looking for and it was down to £2.50 per 50g ball. Bargain!!!! I decided on the Grey Purple for the main colour and Off White for the lace panels. All I will say about it is WOW!!!!!! I can't believe that it's a budget brand, it is gorgeous to knit with and very high quality, it's nicer than some more expensive yarns I've used.

I'm only on the first lace panel, it's a very unusual construction where you knit the panels then pick up stitches. It will be a long term project but I think the finished cardigan will be worth it.

I've made some progress on my Leaf Collector Mitts by Sarah Knight, it seems this week I haven't had much knitting time. Jodie was down for the weekend with baby Caiden and we had non-stop visitors popping in to see him.

I had to share these photos from the weekend, Aunty's Paige turns into a witch after dark, Caiden didn't bat an eyelid!!!!

 

I'm still reading Anne of Green Gables but again I haven't had much time for reading either. I'm linking to Ginny's Yarn Along and Nicole's KCCO

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your week.

xxxxDebxxxx

Yarn Along........Shwook Fair Isle Hat

Hello, my friends, normal service has resumed, I'm back home after spending nearly four weeks with my daughter and grandson. I'm missing them like crazy but thank goodness for Skype and FaceTime.

This week I've cast on the Shwook Hat by Hazel Tindall in honour of Shetland Wool Week and is a free pattern which you can find here. Melody has created a Ravelry group for a Shwook Hat KAL which started on the 1st October so I'm a little bit late starting but better late than never.

I did a Fair Isle workshop a few months ago and really enjoyed this traditional form of knitting and couldn't wait to cast on this project. It's not as complicated as it looks, it maybe a bit off putting when you see all the different colours that make up the pattern but traditionally only two colours are used in a row. I also find it a lot easier to knit Fair Isle in the round, I was taught to purl but I was very caggy handed and prefer to just knit if I can.

I'm using Jamieson & Smith 2ply Jumper weight in Light Aqua (75), Dark Brown (5), Mustard (121), Dark Aqua (FC34) and Off White (202).

I think the hardest part of Fair Isle is choosing the colours, this pattern calls for three dark and two light or three light and two dark. They can't be too close in colour tone as the pattern won't show up, I knew I wanted aqua, brown and mustard in my colour scheme. I looked at the colour range and looked to see what would work with these colours and decided on off white and a dark aqua, which seemed to work well together.

I picked up a great tip to make sure the colours would work for Fair Isle knitting over on Jared Flood's blog, you take a photo of your yarn and change it to mono with photo editing, as I did in the above photo. If you can see that they are all different shades on the black and white photo, the pattern will show up nicely, if the colours are too similar the pattern will fade into one.

Coincidently, I listened to Curious Handmade's latest podcast episode, yesterday and it was all about colour theory. If you want to learn more about choosing colours that work well together and a more in depth lesson about colour, check it out, it's very informative, I learnt a lot so definitely worth a listen.

This is the inside of my hat, you don't want the floats between the colours too tight as it will pucker but you don't want them too loose either. Practice makes perfect and I think the tension and how tight you hold the yarn becomes second nature after a few rows, if its your first time doing Fair Isle try knitting a swatch first just to get the feel for the tension.

I've been reading The Very Easy Guide To Fair Isle Knitting by Lynne Watterson, it's full of great techniques and photo tutorials broken into bite size lessons. There are Fair Isle designs starting from very simple to the more complicated that you can practice before starting a full size pattern, though there are some gorgeous projects too. I would highly recommend it if you wanted to try your hand at Fair Isle knitting.

I've also cast on the Leaf Collectors Mitts by Sarah Knight, a pretty, delicate fingerless mitt pattern. I'm using Skein Queen Blush in Dipped Rosewater, a beautifully soft merino and cashmere blend. They are knit flat and then seamed rather than the traditional knitting in the round.

I'm taking part in Little Bobbins first KAL which is a Mitt Along, Dani has just started video podcasting, she is such a sweet person and I love all her projects, she has very similar tastes to me. I really recommend you check out her podcast, she's on episode 7 but she keeps them quite short so can quickly be caught up with.

I'm also going to cast on another pair of the Global Nomad Handwarmers as part of the Mitt Along, this time in two tone colours. I've decided to knit them in black and grey as part of my niece's Christmas present, she's going through the teenage faze of wearing everything black so I'm sure she'll like them.

In the knitting world, Anne of Green Gables seems very popular at the moment with lots of references and patterns relating to this story. I never read it as a child so decided to buy the collection for my Kindle, the ten books cost 77p, it also has links to the audio version so I've been switching between the two. I'm only a few chapters in but really enjoying the simplicity of the story, it's comfort reading and the vivid descriptions of Avonlea transports me to a place of times gone by, just beautiful.

I'm linking to Ginny's Yarn Along and Nicole's KCCO.

Here's my little man wearing the Small Cable Cardigan by Vibe Ulrik Somdergaard, that I knit for him, isn't he a cutie?

Thank you for stopping by, have a great week.

xxxxDebxxxx

 

Yarn Along.........Global Nomad Handwarmers.

Hello my friends, I hope you're all having a good week. I'm still staying with my daughter, spending as much time as I can with them, though I think by next week I will be back home. I'm still doing lots of knitting but it's test and sample knitting so can't share until the patterns are released.

This is one of them that I've knit, they are the Global Nomad Handwarmers by Helen Stewart and the pattern has been released as part of the Dream Big Collection.

The pattern is now available to purchase separately and to celebrate the launch, Helen is giving 50% off the pattern until midnight tonight, so you need to be quick, the discount will automatically be taken off at the checkout.

The pattern is written for a colour block pair but as I have limited supplies up here, I did mine in just the one colour which is Rowan Cashsoft DK which is beautifully soft and warm. After seeing Helen's though, I will be definitely doing some colour block ones for myself and Christmas presents. I had to share Helen's photo, isnt the mustard and grey a great colour combo?

They will make perfect gifts, they are very quick and easy to knit, it took me two evenings to finish mine, Jodie has claimed this pair, the colour matches the pram, perfectly.

This week I'm reading To Kill For by A.J. Carella, I haven't read too much of it yet but the reviews are very good. It's a series of books, this one been the first, at the time of me writing this post, it is free on the Kindle at, here in the UK, I'm not sure about else where in the world.

I'm linking to Ginny's Yarn Along and Nichole's KCCO.

Have a great week and thank you for stopping by.

xxxxDebxxxx

 

Whispering Pines Shawl.......

Hello my friends, I hope you are all well. I'm still in Stoke with my daughter and beautiful grandson but I have been able to do some knitting, this week.

I've cast on Whispering Pines by Molly from A Homespun House, I fell in love with the design as soon as the pattern was released but wanted to finish some WIPs before I cast on another project.

The main part of the body has a subtle texture and the border has a beautiful lace panel, it's so pretty. I'm using Sparkleduck Galaxy in hot pink which has little subtle colour but it's a bigger shawl and takes more than 100g. I had the Sparkleduck which is 150g in my stash so decided to use that, the more I knit though the more I like it in this colour.

I'm still reading The Dress Thief by Natalie Meg Evans, it's a very enjoyable read and I'm 70% through it.

I'm linking to Ginny's Yarn Along and Nichole's KCCO.

Here's a photo of little Caiden, rockin' his Nana's hand knits. Have a great week and thanks for stopping by.

xxxxDebxxxxx