This may (or may not be?) a very British post. Along with many people around the world, I LOVE a nice “cuppa”! I’m a firm believer in the power of a cup of tea…. Feeling sad? Cup of tea will sort that! Friends round? Get the kettle on!! Feeling cold? ohh a nice cuppa will […]
I’ve finally finished my stripes gone crazy cardigan!! 🙂 yay!!! The yarn is lovely ans squishy and drapes beautifully. I used Cascade Heritage Sock, really love this yarn and will use it again in a cardigan soon. (I’m already working on my design!!!!) So here it is…..crazy stripe…love it! I’ve been a fairly monogamous knitter […]
Yesterday, the weather was cold and wet. Today, Remembrance Sunday, is much nicer. It is a typically cold November morning but the sun has come out. I love sunny winter days, I get to put on my hand-knits and go out for a lovely walk. So lets get started with walking and podcasts Sometimes I […]
Hello crafty friends! I’ve been VERY busy recently knitting away at my one project so I’ve not had much to share in the way of progress. Sorry! On Saturday I had a big family gathering in my (not so big!) house. I’m very lucky and all my lovely family bought wine and chocolates to help […]
Welcome back to my Learn to Knit for Beginners course. You’ve made it to Lesson 6, well done! In this lesson we’re going to learn about how to increase knitting stitches and how to decrease knitting stitches. That basically means we’re going to look at how to add or reduce the number of stitches using […]
I’m feeling the “pull” of a new project. My phase as a monogamous knitter may be over!! Last night I spotted an error that I couldn’t live with (it was an actual hole!) in the sleeve of my crazy-stripes cardigan and had to rip-back 20 rows…!!! I was so sad and a bit cross!! I […]
Its Mid-October in a usually chilly Warwickshire and I’m sitting in the garden, happily knitting away…the only cardigan in sight is the one I’m currently working on! It’s a glorious 19 degrees and the sun is out to say hello! I thought I’d quickly put down my work to share my progress on my “Stripes […]
Hey Guys, I’ve not been away deliberately, I’ve just been VERY BUSY actually doing some knitting and crochet! So much that I’ve been too busy to blog! eek sorry! I’m happy to be able to share my progress today though. Starting with….”a blanket” You’ll remember in these posts here, I confessed my WIP shame for […]
Introducing my Chicken Arabiatta Soup Recipe. “Another soup recipe!?”…what can I say, I love making up new soups. I particularly love the “meal-soup” type recipes. They are great for taking to work for lunch, or as a quick meal in the evening! I enjoyed this Chicken Arabiatta Soup so much that I had to share […]
Last week I shared my knitting WIP shame. As promised here it my Crochet WIP list. This list is MUCH shorter (yay!) but I still feel a little shame-faced! Exhibit 1 (m’lud) What is it?: This a blanket that I use every day, even though its not finished. It still has the ends that need […]
You’ll have seen in this sneak preview that I’ve been creating a new Scheepjes Whirl Pattern. For a few months now I’ve been busy designing and testing a new shawl using Scheepjes Whirl. I LOVE a Scheepjes Whirl pattern! It’s such a lovely yarn to work with! Rough Diamonds – a Scheepjes Whirl Pattern So […]
Welcome back to my Learn to Knit for Beginners course. In this lesson we’re going to explore some of the reasons you may have ended up with a greater or fewer number of stitches. When you didn’t intend to! In particular we are going to look at making a yarn over accidentally. I’ll also show […]
Hello, here is a quick “knit-bit” lesson for you! This post is to describe how to knit a simple cable. It’s REALLY simple, not wizzardry and once you learn how simple I’m sure you’ll be off cabling everything…because other people think you are magic!!! 🙂 For this tutorial you will need a pair of knitting […]
You’ll have seen in this post here that I’ve been designing some new knitted hats. Because I love to share, I thought I might as well share my hat knitting pattern, just in case you wanted to have a go at a knitted hat yourself! This knitted hat pattern is super-quick. Like my other hat […]
This is definitely one of those posts that I’m almost ashamed to write. I have to write it though as I promised CelineDay-Jardinz that I would share her shame and post the WIP lurking in the WIP Graveyard in my house… I have a couple of other genuine WIP projects, which I am working on […]
Welcome back to my Learn to Knit for Beginners course. I’m sure by now you are getting into your knitting and may have been making some easy knitting mistakes. If you’ve missed them, you can find the Introduction to this Learn to Knit course here. In Lesson 1 and Lesson 2 We’ve been learning how […]
With the weather turning slightly cooler, my mind has turned to winter and Christmas. I love making something to give to friends and family. I really don’t have a lot of time though so I want them to be “quick-knit” type gifts. This knitted hat pattern is super-quick, you can easily make one in an […]
I’m sorry…I can’t wait any longer to show you this new Scheepjes Whirl shawl pattern that I have been working on. It’s been a looong time in the making and after several failed attempts, I finally have something that I’m REALLY happy with. Anyone who has been following or reading my blog for a while […]
I hate to say it…but winter is coming. Not in a scary “Game of Thrones” kind of way. A more real, “its a bit chilly in the mornings and the evenings are drawing in” kind of way! To get you through the autumn / winter months, try this yummy minestrone and bacon soup recipe. This […]
Welcome to this Lesson 3 of the Learn to Knit for Beginners course. In this lesson we’re going to look at how to read a knitting pattern. I’ll also share my favourite place to find knitting patterns and how to decide if the pattern is right for you. I’m using the pattern for a knitted […]
Hello. I’m hoping you’re here to find the details on the free scarf pattern that I’ve been promising in the Introduction, Lesson 1 and Lesson 2 of my Learn to Knit for Beginners course. If you’ve stumbled in here by mistake then welcome anyway. Fancy a free scarf pattern? You’re welcome to join in with […]
Welcome to lesson 2 of my Learn to Knit for Beginners Course. One of the first things we will learn in this lesson is the difference between a knit and purl stitch. We will start learning about the different knitted fabrics you can create using knit and purl stitches. We are also going to look […]
Welcome back to my Learn to Knit for Beginners series. This lesson we are going to start to learn how to knit! If you missed it, I put an introductory post here describing the course and the equipment you will need to learn to knit. If you didn’t already, please check it out! For this […]
Welcome back to my Learn to Knit for Beginners series. In this Lesson we’ll be learning how to knit! If you missed it, I put an introductory post here describing the course and the equipment you will need to learn how to knit. If you didn’t already, please check it out! For this lesson you […]
Hello! Welcome to my Learn to Knit for Beginners series of posts. In the next few posts I’ll be exploring the basics of knitting. I’ll also provide some hints tips and tutorials to help you learn to knit. What’s this all about? In this introduction to the Learn to Knit for Beginners course I’ll describe […]
I’m very very excited to announce that Freddie the Field Mouse (my free knitting pattern – available here!) has got some friends! Thanks to my test-knitters Hennie and AnneDoug (on Ravelry!) First there was Mulberry. She came with an AMAZING poem written by the brilliant Hennie who made her. See the Ravelry post here. Isn’t […]
Photo Tutorial showing you how to Dye your own Yarn at home. Create self-striping yarn at home, using Acid Dyes or Food Colouring
I decided I wanted to learn about dyeing yarn using the immersion dyeing method. I’d seen a technique for adding different colours to get semi-solid shades. Tying up mini-hanks for practice dyeing yarn Because I was experimenting with dyeing yarn and thought it might go wrong! I decided to wind one hank into three smaller […]
Is your yarn piled up and shoved in a box (like mine used to be!)? Or are you super organised and neat (like I’m trying to be!). I’m the furthest thing from “neat” that you can imagine, much to the exasperation of my other half. As a result, I’m always looking for craft storage ideas!
I’ve recently been experimenting with yarn dyeing. Step 1 was lots of googling and research, I thought I’d share what I learned about yarn dyeing on my first trip down “dye-street”. Why 11? I dunno, just the number I ended up with!
Instagram, for those times when you don’t have a whole lot to say, but the picture is pretty….!
Late last week, we decided that a few days away would be a nice idea. I blooming LOVE Cornwall, so we decided to brave the holiday crowds and head down to Cornwall. Not fancying spending thousands on a hotel, or getting soggy in a tent for four days, we managed to bag ourselves a static […]
Today the sun stayed out long enough for a visit to the local “Art in the Park” festival in Leamington Spa.
Strange title for a post I know, I don’t really have anything to say but I’m interested in your responses. I’ve used Ravelry for a while and LOVE it. I’ve not explored the groups / forums side of it though and to be honest I’m not sure where to start. There seem to be so […]
Welcome to this Jo-Creates “knit-bit” lesson. In this lesson I’m going to show you how to knit an i-cord. This is a super simple technique for knitting a cable / cord. It has a sort of “rope” effect and is often used in knitting patterns.
