Ever suffered from “second-glove syndrome”? That feeling of “hurrah!” when you’ve finished knitting the first glove, which quickly wanes as you start the second one?
This is an extreme tail of second-glove syndrome, those with a delicate sensibility may wish to stop reading here…..
I’ve recently released this simple brioche rib cowl pattern. I’ve pulled together this accompanying tutorial to show you how to brioche rib “in the round”. I want to persuade you all that brioche knitting really is simpler than is looks, so go on, go get the pattern (its free until 10th Feb 2019!) find some […]
Last year, my friend decided that she wanted to learn to knit. That meant that I had to rack my brain to think about what she might need in terms of a knitting kit to get her started. Obviously, all she really needed was a ball of yarn and a pair of needles. But it’s […]
I’m so excited to be able to announce this new knitted bobble hat pattern! Those of you that follow me on Facebook or Instagram will have seen the sneek preview of this hat that I posted last week (too excited to keep it to myself any longer!). After a final test yesterday (and a quick […]
This super-simple free knitting pattern for a knitted shawl looks effective in any variegated yarn. Knitted using stripes of garter and stockinette stitch with sections of eyelets, this asymmetrical triangle shawl is simple to knit and easily adjusted with two size options given!
I’m really loving this May – the weather has been brilliant all month and I’ve been able to get a LOT of garden-based crochet and knitting done. I’m currently working on my Last Dance in the Beach (Last Dance in the Garden) blanket… I’ve got three rows joined so far and am working on joining […]
For those of you that have been following my blog for a while, you’ll probably have noticed that I get bored if I’m doing the same thing over and over….If you’re new to reading what I’m up to, hello, welcome to the mad-house! 🙂 After my foray into fillet crochet, with my “Rough Diamonds” shawl […]
Earlier in the week I shared my challenge in choosing a brioche pattern to knit. I opted for this pattern called “Briochealicious” by Andrea Mowry. Its a fairly simple pattern, with brioche stripes interspersed with sections of garter stitch (I hate garter stitch so I hope that I can live with it once completed!) At […]
I posted a couple of weeks ago that I was learning Brioche Knitting, using this fantastic I found this beautiful bandana cowl by Lavanya Patricella. It turned out to be a super-quick knit, I managed to get it finished in just 5 days…! I’m also pleased to report that Brioche knitting isn’t really as hard as […]
Slip Slip Knit (SSK) is the “sister stitch” to K2tog. Both decrease the number of stitches you have. Like most knitting stitches, “Slip Slip Knit (SSK”), describes what you do…to reduce a stitch this way, you will carry out the following steps: Slipping “knitwise” simply means putting your needle under the stitch as if you […]
In this post I’m going to show you how to Knit two together (K2tog) and Purl two together (P2tog) These are both “decrease” knitting stitches. These techniques will help you reduce the number of stitches that you have. Your pattern will usually tell you which to use. How to Knit two together (K2tog) This is […]
I love Brioche, especially the chocolate kind….but this post isn’t about the bread brioche, its about the knitting brioche! Brioche knitting is a kind of one or two (or more?) colour knitting technique which uses yarn-overs to create a thick textured, multi-coloured fabric. Like this fabulously intricate shawl (“Sizzle Pop“) by Lesley Anne Robinson Or […]
How to Make 1 Left (M1L) and Make 1 Right (M1R) I’m going to show you how to M1L and M1R. These are increases made on the knitted side of your work. Not sure what I mean by “knitted side”? check out this post here To make a M1L or a M1R, you will use […]
Knit Front and Back (KfB) and Purl Front and Back (PfB) Knit front and Back (KfB) and Purl front and back (PfB) are the easiest ways (in my opinion) to increase the number of stitches you have when knitting. To make this increase stitch, you simply have to knit or purl the same stitch twice. […]
In pretty much everything you knit, you will at some point need to learn how to count rows and stitches. This is especially important if you’re making something that needs to be a certain size, as you will need to make sure you knit in the same “gauge” as the designer. If you’re not sure […]
In this post, I’m going to talk about “gauge” and specifically, how to use a gauge swatch to measure your gauge. Why is “gauge” important? The pattern will describe the “gauge” the designer used. This simply means the number of stitches and rows in a specified measurement. Gauge is normally measured over either 4″ or […]
I was going to share an update with you on Wednesday but..I was sooo close to finishing this, I really just wanted to get it done. I put the last stitch in on Thursday night….although I was playing some SERIOUS yarn-chicken for the last few rows! This was how much I had left as I […]
Hello, for those that have read some of my other posts, you’ll know I don’t like knitting sleeves. I am however focussed on my January 2018 Goals, one of which is to complete this Everything Nice Hoodie. I finished the body last week and so I had no option BUT to knit the sleeves… When […]
There are so many types of yarn to choose from. If you’re just starting to learn to knit or crochet, you might find this a bit confusing…I know I did!! I’m hoping this post will help you with which yarn to use for your next project! Whether you crochet or knit, yarn is yarn and […]
Hello! Can you believe its 2018 already? This decade is going so fast! This year, I decided, rather than setting goals for a whole year I’d set myself some smaller goals for each month. So that they can be achievable, I’ll set them at the start of each month. Now, I know the clever ones […]
Earlier this week I shared some of the projects I’ve been working on in 2017. In this post I thought I’d look back at some of the tutorials I’ve shared, just in case you missed them! It started in February, when I shared this Magic Loop technique for crocheting in the round. In May, […]
So, you lovely lot! I hope that you have had a good “between Christmas and New Year”. Some of you will have had to work I know, I hope its not been too tough! Others (like me!) will hopefully have had a break from the day-to-day. I’ve not had an awful lot of time for […]
In this post I’m going to show you how to knit the purl stitch. I’ve taken this from my “Learn to Knit for Beginners Course”. Because I thought you might want to have a handy reference guide for different technique, I’ve split my course into a series of specific posts like this one too.
In this post I’m going to show you how to knit the knit stitch. I’ve taken this from my “Learn to Knit for Beginners Course” which you can find here. Because I thought that you may want to look at specific techniques, I’ve broken it up into a set of posts like this.
We are fast-approaching the anniversary of my Jo-Creates blog, coming up mid-January. Thanks to all of you who read and follow my ramblings. All of your comments and support are greatly appreciated and spur me on to create more!! Without you there would be no point to what I’m doing!! 🙂 🙂 To celebrate my […]
I know “WIP Wednesday” is traditional but I’m not always one to follow the rules, so here is “WIP Monday”! I thought I’d share my progress on my current WIP’s with you. I’ve been a bit absent from blogging recently, but thats because (along with many Christmas nights-out!) I’ve been concentrating on knitting. WIP 1 […]
Last night was our work’s Christmas party. Its always a good laugh, filled with dancing, a late night and possibly slightly more then the strictly recommended intake of alcohol….I decided to take today off to recover!! I went “steam punk” so please forgive me for the black fingernail polish…it was all part of the costume!! […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
