New design: Wee Bruton Hoody

Can you believe how adorable these two are?

© Fergus Ford

Sofia and Toby are wearing the latest designs in the Cross-Country Knitting series, Wee Bluebells and Wee Bruton respectively. You may remember our first Cross-Country Knitting adventure that we published just over a year ago (how the time has flown!), well this time the challenge was to design a child's version of one of our adult sweaters...

Kate and I have different but complementary styles, and as soon as we started talking about the project, I knew it would be my Bruton Hoody that got a fresh look. Kate chose to scale down her popular Bluebells cardigan from the wonderful book, Yokes. She's kept the same pretty bluebell motif, from that point when the flowers start to go over and point skywards, but reworked the sweater to a more child-friendly cardigan. Sofia is wearing the age 2 size, and sizes are available from 1-12, but you should definitely check the actual finished sizes in comparison with your intended recipient - kids vary in size ENORMOUSLY!

What a cutie!

I had been of a mind to design a child's version of the Bruton Hoody since it was first conceived. As I worked on the original I had ideas about making a mini-version for my nephew James. Well, it's only taken a couple of years, but Wee Bruton is now here! The adult's hoody is worked in Excelana DK, but to keep the proportions of the Bavarian twisted stitch motif, I have scaled the Wee version down to Excelana 4ply. Both yarns are a joy to knit with, and there are some limited edition colours available in the 4ply at the moment, if you're quick!

When you purchase Cross-Country Knitting Volume 2, you not only get the patterns for Wee Bruton and Wee Bluebells, but also a lovely essay by Rachel Atkinson exploring the significance of childhood handknits. Spoiler alert, there are pictures of Kate, Rachel and me as kids in handknits along with that article! It's a great read. Thanks for joining us on the CCK adventure Rachel!

Kate and I were overjoyed when Fergus Ford (the brother of the TURBO Felix) agreed not only to photograph but also arranged our fantastic models for us. Fergus has really captured the exact look and feel we were hoping for in these beautiful pictures.

If you'd like to know more about Kate's design, head over to her blog to read more.

You can buy a copy of Cross-Country Knitting Volume 2 from Ravelry for £5.95 

 Or alternatively, you can buy a print copy from Magcloud for $12.00

Thank you so much to Kate for persuading me to keep my toe in the design world. I love editing, but it's also great to have the adrenaline rush that publishing my own designs brings. I really enjoy working with you! Here's to the next CCK adventure...

Chocolate Chip and Everything Cookies

I first started making these cookies as a teenager. I used to make up huge batches, trying out all sorts of different combinations of fruit, nuts and chocolate. They didn't last long in the tin then, and they still don't today! I make up a large quantity of dough and then freeze a couple of portions, so that we can have cookies on demand at a later date.

Ingredients

225g butter
225g caster sugar
225g Muscovado dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3 large eggs
525g self-raising flour
pinch of salt
100g walnut pieces
100g raisins
150g dark chocolate pieces
150g white chocolate pieces

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4.

I use my mixer throughout, but you can equally use a mixing bowl and wooden spoon. Mix the butter, sugars and vanilla extract until they are paler in colour and smooth. Add a couple of tablespoons of the flour and mix well. Beat in the eggs one by one. Fold in the rest of the flour, salt, nuts, fruit and chocolate pieces. Mix until all the ingredients are well combined.

Divide the cookie dough into 3 portions. Place two portions in freezer containers and freeze until required. Spoon the remaining portion onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. I use an ice cream scoop and do half-scoops for each cookie.

Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. I like to take ours out when they are still a bit chewy. Cool on the trays until you can move the biscuits without them falling apart. Place on a cooling rack until completely cold, then store in an air-tight tin, or just eat them all straightaway!

When you are ready to use the freezer batches, take them out of the freezer and defrost overnight in the fridge. Then spoon them out and cook as before.

Go mad with the different possible fruit, nut and chocolate combinations! I like apricot, white chocolate and macadamia nuts; dried cherries, walnuts and white chocolate; hazelnut and dark chocolate; date, raisin and milk chocolate; in fact pretty much any combination of what is sitting around in our baking cupboard and needing using!

Happy baking!

FO: Fantoosh

I often fall in love with the knitting patterns that I edit, but it's not that often that a pattern crosses my desk and gets cast on as soon as the pattern is released! But that's what happened with Fantoosh! A beautiful shawl designed by my great friend and awesome colleague, Kate Davies.

It's been a while since I knitted a triangular shawl, and I had forgotten how much fun they are! I absolutely flew through knitting this. Cast on to cast off in under a month (and I got slightly distracted by another shawl in the meantime...)!

When I started knitting I didn't know who this would be for. I love the yarn, but it isn't a colour that I wear much, so I had an inkling that it might be a gift for a friend. I just wasn't sure who! The yarn is some absolutely delicious Touch Yarns Possum Merino 4ply that came all the way from friends in Australia (awesome gift!). It has blocked beautifully - holding the lace pattern well, and the stocking stitch sections are so even and flat. There is a slightly darker halo of presumably possum fibre that sits over the purply-pink of the main part of the yarn. It's really pretty!

The shawl was kindly admired in the playground when I was working on it, and I instantly knew where it would be finding a new home, once it was complete. I hope you enjoy wearing it once it's cool enough, Jo!

For those of you who enjoy a more geeky photo - here is my blocking picture. I tend to use my blocking wires, and a metre ruler. I thread the wires through all of the yarnover holes along the top edge, and then down the centre spine. I sprayed it liberally with starch, and then left it to dry completely.

Next up is another shawl, from another pattern I recently edited...

For more details on my Fantoosh!, see my Ravelry project page: JenACKnitwear's Fantoosh!

FO: Harvest Cardigan

Well this one knitted up so quickly that I didn't even remember to take a photo of it while it was in progress!

This is the Harvest Cardigan from the Tin Can Knits Simple Collection. The Simple Collection is a free learn to knit series of patterns that you can download from Ravelry or the Tin Can Knits website. 

I made the 6-12 month size for the anticipated little one of my lovely hairdresser. I figured that it was probably a good plan to make something for the new baby to wear during the winter months, rather than when it arrives in July. I hope it will get plenty of wear! I love the clean lines of this design.

I used New Lanark Aran 100% Wool in the Cherry colour way, and this teeny size took just 133g of yarn! The cardi starts at the back neck and you then pick up around the rectangle of the collar, and work down to the hem - stopping along the way to separate out the sleeves. This might sound a bit adventurous for a beginner knit, but the pattern is spectacular. Alexa Ludeman and Emily Wessel (the brains behind Tin Can Knits) have really knocked it out of the park. The pattern includes simple diagrams to walk you through each step of the construction, the pdf is helpfully linked to tutorials on their website wherever the techniques are interesting, and it's just really clearly written.

You can choose whether to make buttonholes as you go, or whether to use a brooch for fastening the front of the cardigan. As this is for a little one, I found some ace chunky poppers at Millie Moon (my local haberdashery) which finish off the front neatly.

The pattern is written for sizes from tiny baby through to adult, and I'll admit that I'm more than a bit tempted to make another larger one for myself. Or I would be, if I weren't busy dreaming about all the other brilliant Tin Can Knits patterns that I want to cast on RIGHT NOW! One of the things that I really like about Alexa and Emily's designs, is that the majority of the garments are sized (as Harvest is) from baby to adult in a generous range. It's a real skill to design in a way that works from tiny to large, and I think that Tin Can Knits nails it.

If you haven't tried a pattern from Tin Can Knits, then I can only say, go and buy one (or more!)! If you're unsure of paying for a pattern from a designer you're not familiar with (and my recommendation isn't enough!!) then I would highly recommend heading over to their website and having a look through the impressive range of tutorials and free patterns, available to download from Ravelry. It's also well worth signing up to their newsletter as they often have offers and sneak peeks at new designs (you can sign up at the bottom of this page: About Tin Can Knits). I've just bought their new collection, Max and Bodhi's Wardrobe, and I'm looking forward to seeing the remaining patterns in the book, as they are released.

I hope to be back soon with other knitting and some of the projects I've been working on recently...

(I've not been paid to rave about Tin Can Knits today! I just feel enthusiastic about their patterns! I hope that's clear. :) )

FO: Another POP! Cardigan

I seem to be having a phase of knitting the same patterns over and over again. It probably says something about where we are at the moment, but I'm too tired to think about it.

I've finished my second Pop! Baby Cardigan by Rachel Atkinson. If it's possible, I enjoyed knitting it even more the second time around. It basically flew off my needles. I used a skein of Skein Queen Blissful Plump that I bought at Unravel, in a lovely shade of denim blue. Do I get extra points for using up yarn promptly?

I used some adorable elephant buttons from Textile Garden - also picked up at Unravel. I do love the Textile Garden selection of fun buttons!

Generally I don't knit the same pattern more than once, so I think you can tell that I've enjoyed knitting POP! I'm sure I'll knit another POP! soon, but I've actually got a different kids' cardigan on the needles right now. I'll show you that next week...

FO: Another pair of Daves

Apologies for the radio silence... Work got busy and home has been busy too. There simply aren't enough hours in the day sometimes! Anyway, I figured it was better to knit and have something to blog about when my time was less limited, than to try to write, but have no material!

Here are the next pair of Daves:

This is a pair of Dave socks, from Rachel Coopey's latest book, Coop Knits Socks volume 2. I've made them from a lovely skein of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight, which Rachel gifted to me a while back. They are the most incredible shade of zingy lime green, with shots of blue, teal and purple. I may never take them off.

This truly may well be the year of the Daves... I already have yarn wound ready for the next pair! This time it's some beautiful Lorna's Laces that another friend gave me for Christmas last year.

There's something about the gentle simplicity of Daves - the perfect soothing project. Thanks Rachel!

FO: A Quilt

I started this quilt at a quilting weekend back in July last year. It then languished in my sewing bag for months, waiting to be quilted. I finally got around to quilting it on a dedicated quilting day in October. And yet again, it languished, needing only the binding to be slipstitched, for months!

The quilt is made from 64 blocks, so it's a really good size! I added a filet around the edge, and decided against adding anything in the way of a border - it seemed like the quilt needed to be kept simple! I quilted a foot width out of the ditch, in long lines, just inside each block. Again, keeping it simple. I'm not great at any other type of quilting!

Last week I finally pulled it out of the sewing bag, and set to work on the binding. It didn't take long to finish it off! These things never do - WHEN YOU ACTUALLY WORK ON THEM!!!! Ha! Why do I never learn this lesson?!

Many thanks again to Mélanie for the lovely charm pack and fat quarters. They've made a great quilt, which will be loved for many years to come. :)

WIP: Everybody needs a Dave

I believe that I've written a few times about how much I love knitting plain socks. They are the perfect portable project, and don't require too much concentration when you're low on energy. Rachel Coopey's new book, CoopKnits Socks Volume 2 contains a plain sock pattern called Dave. I love the name Dave. One day I'd like to have a cat called Dave!

I'm really enjoying my second pair of Dave socks. They have a lovely deep ribbed cuff, and a slipstitch heel flap. I'm using a skein of Socks that Rock Lightweight in a great zingy lime green, with flashes of teal and purple. It's a mill ends skein and there are a couple of broken sections - perfect for contrast toes on another sock perhaps...

I'm trying hard to maintain my monogamy on this project, but another POP! Cardigan is biting hard on its heels as I need to have it done before a week on Friday. There's probably time to finish the socks first, but the little voice in my head would like to get going on the cardigan just in case!

Unravel 2015 round up

We had a day out on Saturday. I took eldest to a yarn show for the first time, and the great news is that it was a big hit! I've been to Unravel three times now, and it's been great every year.

I was pretty restrained in purchasing terms. My main splurge was at the Textile Garden stand. You've already seen the red rockets and the blue buttons I've used on my recent cardigans, but I also picked up a few more sets for the button tin.

              

Birds! Octopuses! Elephants! Owls! You can click on the pictures above to get a larger version. And if you're feeling button inspired, then head over to Textile Garden for hours of candy store fun!

I limited myself to one skein of yarn, which was some pretty Skein Queen Blissful Plump in a denim-y shade of blue. This is going to be knitted up pretty quickly, as it's planned for another POP! cardigan, probably teamed with the blue owl buttons above. I also couldn't resist another tin of stitch markers from Fripperies and Bibelots. I think I've bought a tin each year I've been to Unravel. They are my preferred stitch markers, but I have a habit of gradually losing them.

As ever, I almost completely forgot to take pictures of the show itself. I always get too caught up in enjoying the moment (probably no bad thing)! But I did manage one picture of Rachel and her gorgeous CoopKnits stand, with the new Sock Book (more on that another time...).

Of course going to a yarn show isn't just about the purchases... It's mostly about catching up with friends! As well as the many lovely stall holders that we chatted to (far too many wonderful friends to list - just check out the vendor list online!!), I was delighted to finally meet Anna Maltz (aka SweaterSpotter) - keep your eyes peeled for her GORGEOUS new collection! And I was also lucky enough to kidnap the wonderful Bristol Ivy and talked the hind legs of a donkey off her over lunch. Then to top it all off, we had dinner with Rachel, Nez, Felix and my publishing comrade Nic! By the end of the day my inspiration levels were sky high, and I was itching to get my needles and my editing pen going again. Luckily we didn't leave too late and eldest slept all the way home. Hurrah! Now to plan the next show... Possibly Ally Pally if we have the stamina!

FO: POP! Cardigan

See?! I'm steaming through these projects, finishing things left, right and centre!!

This is a teeny tiny 3-6 month old baby cardi, which I've knitted for the first child of a very old friend. One of those friends we played in the road with as kids. We've not been in touch that much of late, but a little one arrived at just the right point in my knitting, and this cute little cardigan just sort of slipped off my needles!

The design is the POP! cardigan by Rachel Atkinson (aka Knittingtastic), and I've made mine using just two 50g balls of King Cole Merino Blend DK. The yarn is just lovely - affordable, soft, and pleasingly rounded. It is a great match to this pattern - the superwash-ness is perfect for a baby cardigan, and the stitch definition is fantastic in the garter stitch yoke and edgings. And did I mention before, it knitted up REALLY quickly?!

I had spotted these lovely red rocket buttons on the Textile Garden Instagram feed a few days before I finished the cardi, so I was delighted to realise that they were exhibiting at Unravel. I have visited Unravel 3 times now, and it's a really lovely yarn show. There was so much inspiration to be had! Not to mention all the lovely people I bumped into. But that's for another post...

As well as being super-cute, these buttons were particularly perfect for this cardigan, as the rockets remind me of the Tintin story, Destination Moon, a book I'm fairly sure my friend enjoyed as a kid. The rockets are perhaps more similar to the Wallace and Gromit rocket from A Grand Day Out, or maybe they are a hybrid between the two... My memory is going hazy...

If you know someone who's expecting, then I'd highly recommend this little cardigan. It's a fun knit!

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of the POP! Cardigan for free, after I provided Rachel with a picture of my favourite Christmas bauble. I also work with Rachel from time to time. It's still a great pattern, and I would happily have paid for it.