There have barely been two weeks pass in January and I feel like I’m flying with the knitting and crochet 😎
I’m currently working on the sleeves of the jumper Cobblestone for my son Du.  The pattern is worked bottom up in the round and I’ve reached the part where the sleeves are joined.  I had promised to concentrate solely on the jumper, but I just can’t do it.  I need the satisfaction little projects bring 😉 So I’ve set my deadline to the end of January instead.
So… I’ve also managed to get a quick hat for Kye, my youngest knitted up in the specified burgundy colour as requested.
Using my latest hat pattern Toasty & Textured, I whipped up another hat, this time in Twilley’s Freedom Wool.
Feeling inspired by the yarn I put in the sale I quickly (and it was, even for me) crocheted a half granny square shawl in Rico Creative Galaxy Chunky yarn using a 7mm hook and 3 balls and I l♥ve it!
Drum roll please…
I’m also happy to announce that I’ve completed my first pair of socks for 2015.  To be fair, I’d all but knitted one of them before the end of 2014 but it still counts towards my goal of 6 pairs for the year 😉
I’ve also started working on my next pair too, that’s what the pretty piece of knitting is at the beginning of this post ♥
By the madness I mean the build up to Christmas Day, which I convince myself every year that I’m not going to buy into, only to find on Christmas Day that I have 😞 Maybe though, that’s part of the fun?
Unlike previous years I really didn’t manage to get as many presents knitted or even generally handmade as I would have liked to. Â The year seemed to rush by faster than a speeding car and before I realised it it was the end of November and I’d only knitted the one gift, a Hitchhiker for a friend of mine. Â Of course I’d forgotten to take a proper picture of it before I’d mailed it, so this is one I’d posted on Instagram whilst I was knitting it.
I used a ball of Rico Poem Superba in green and a ball of King Cole Merino 4ply. Â The Poems Superba is variegated, so the greens change as the scarf grows. Â I found it a really lovely pattern to follow, with only 8 rows and by using 2 colours, the stripe effect meant I really didn’t have to concentrate on which of the rows I was on. Â A lovely happy accident.
Nearly everyone that would wear one received a knitted hat of some kind, mostly these ones though. Â The pattern is very basic and I should be able to get it up on here over the next couple of days.
Nostrils shouldn’t be that big should they? It’s obscene 😬
I liked them so much that I’ve even made one for me.
Tate looks rather fetching in Leann’s one too, bless him.
Some friends including my Secret Santa recipient received my crochet baubles, which I loved making once I’d figured out what to do. Â I used several resources to help me, but the circles kept getting bigger because of the trebles. Â After trying a few different things I decided double crochet was the way to go. Â A couple of you have asked for a pattern already, but I’m not sure if I can write it up as a ‘proper’ crochet pattern, so it might end up being more of an instruction sheet?
Last but not least was the jumper I’d been making for my hubby Con in secret.  Many of you will have seen me trying to get a few rows done in the shop; especially if you popped in the few days before Christmas when I was frantically trying to get the sleeves finished.  I’ll write up a separate post to tell you all about it and I might even be able to get a photo of the man himself wearing it 👨
Since finishing the jumper I’ve cast on and started knitting Cobblestone by Jared Flood for Durahn my son.  I’ve also been sticking to my morning walk everyday, regardless of how cold it is and both Kye and myself have been going a bit photography mad with our phones.  This morning’s walk produced some beautiful snaps, all with no filter too 📷
He pinched my hat.
2 of my dogs trying to drink from one of the frozen troughs. The black one usually dunks her head in, but even she’s not daft enough to do it when it’s this cold, right?
No wait…. She really is that daft.
I’ve also been watching far too many cheesy movies including the must see Guardians of the Galaxy which inspired me to make my own mix tape on Spotify.  If you fancy having a look at what tracks I’ve included my profile is lmillar72.  More mix tapes to come me thinks ðŸ–
Wendy yarns have really pulled out all the stops this season, first there was the rather lovely Ramsdale double knit yarn that I spoke about in my last post and now there’s Serenity Chunky.
As the name would imply the yarn is a standard chunky weight and suitable for patterns using a tension of 14 stitches to 20 rows on 6.5mm needles.  Made from 20% Fine Alpaca, 10% Wool and 70% Premium Acrylic the yarn is super, squidgy soft and due to a some kind of manufacturing process the Alpaca is thrown to the surface of the yarn which gives it a fantastic lustrous look.
There are 13 autumnal shades to ‘oo’ and ‘ahh’ over, if you’re anything like me that is?  Each 100g ball contains a generous 140 metres and costs €5.90 making it a very reasonably priced yarn for al your chunky projects.
As you might have already guessed I’ve been frantically knitting garments to display the new yarns in the shop and at this time of year there tends to be a good few of them to get through.  As a result I looked around for a small persons garment to knit using the Serenity Chunky and decided to go with Snug by Hinke.  The pattern costs €4.50 to download however, there is also an aran weight version of the pattern available and you can purchase both versions as an eBook for €6.
(I should point out I haven’t blocked my little Snug cardi in these photos)
The cardigan has been cleverly constructed to have minimal seaming at the back of the neck and over the shoulders and contains references to all of the techniques included, which include using a provisional cast on and grafting. Â There are 4 sizes – newborn to 4 years and the stretchiness of garter stitch knit sideways will ensure the cardigan is nice and roomy, so it will last for some time. Â The design element of the fold back cuffs also means they can be rolled down as little arms grow.
I made the second size and used about 2 and a half balls of the Serenity Chunky. Â There is a little finishing up along the front borders in crochet which I took up and around the hood because I like the look of it..
Last but not least are the oversize toggles, which I couldn’t resist sewing on with lime green yarn for a little bit of extra interest (not that it’s very clear in the photos).
Overall it’s an interesting little pattern, great for learning new techniques if you’ve never used them before and as there are over 1500 projects on Ravelry it’s obviously quite a popular choice too.
I’ve been so busy trying to plan for our refurbishment that it’s ended up being a couple of weeks since I wrote my last post, despite having tonnes to tell you all about.
My needles and hooks have come close to combusting with all the use they’ve been getting. Â I’m currently mid way into at least two projects for the shop and I’ve just started another. Â I’ve been baby knitting for my friends first grandchild and another friend has just had a baby too :-0 and then I was trying to crochet up a few bits for The Craft Club Yarnbomb, oh and I’ve been crocheting for the shop too. Â (I’m so excited about the refurb, sad I know)
I thought you might like to see the little cardi I knitted up for baby Sean as it’s one of my all time favourite patterns.
Beyond Puerperium by Kelly Brooker is going to set you back about €4.20 via Ravelry here  and it’s worth every cent.  The pattern includes sizes newborn to 2 years with options for using 4ply, double knit or aran weight yarn.  If you have time I recommend looking at what other knitters have made on the project pages as there are some great colour combinations and pattern modifications.
There is a free double knit version of the pattern available too in newborn size, if you want to try before you buy, but I guarantee you’ll be hooked.
I’ve used a lovely vintage green Sirdar Snuggly DK with multicoloured buttons from Rico this time but I’ve made several of them now and am happy to report Dina has too, she’s actually making a lovely candy pink one at the moment (we’re sharing the buttons, I used the boyish ones she’s using the girlie ones). Â I’ll see if I can persuade her to let me post a photo or two here when she’s finished.
I’ve just sent all the yarn bomb goodies off so my next post will be a photo explosion of crochet creativity.
On Thursday I posted up a photo of the present Kye made for his favourite resource hours teacher Mrs McCarthy, today I thought I’d share with you the little gift I knitted up for all of the teachers, secretary, special needs assistant and resource hours teachers including the very special Mrs McCarthy. Â Don’t panic it sounds like I’ve been knitting for a bus full when in fact there’s only 6 ladies in total as it’s a very small school.
I’m a regular reader of the blog Simply Notable, which is written by Carli and her mum.  I spotted her post on The Almost Lost Washcloth Pattern and was delighted because it was just what I was looking for.  Have a look at the blog here Simply Notable or you can find the pattern through the link on Ravelry here.
The Spiral shape is created by using short rows, much easier than it sounds, you knit 14 points in total and sew the cast on edge to the cast off edge and gather in the centre with a running stitch.
I made 8 of the washcloths in total, the first was more of a trial one to see if I liked them, the 8th was to use up the yarn and I can gift it to someone else later. Â The yarn I used was Rico Essentials Cotton Aran and I knitted two washcloths out of the one ball.
I bought some lovely handmade raspberry soap from our local health food shop Well & Good and wrapped the bars up with the washcloths and a bit of organza ribbon. Simples!
I know we’re smack bang in the middle of trying to get all of our lovely stockings knitted for the Knit Happens campaign but we’ve been asked for help via Instagram by The Craft Club who are busy preparing for a ‘magical’ yarnbomb in the gardens of The Little Havens Hospice. Â The Havens Hospice cares for children from across Essex in the UK with life-limiting illnesses by providing respite breaks, managing pain and caring for them at the ends of their lives.
Helen Thomas, Gabby Atkins, Kelly Holcombe, Claire Whitehead, Becky Burton and Emma Curley are seasoned yarnbombers, they understand the joy of collaborating on projects which raise a smile or inspire others to have a go.
The Little Havens yarnbomb is inspired by children’s book The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton and the group hope to create their version of the land at the top of the magical tree in crochet.  In doing so the team hope to break a Guinness World Record for Largest Display of Crochet Sculptures which currently stands at 4061 crocheted items.
The finalised project will be displayed on the 25th August 2014 in the Little Havens  garden which is an event for the parents and families but it will be covered by the regional press  and there will be loads of photos up on Facebook, etc.
It is hoped that the attempt will consist of over 1,000 individually crocheted items including rabbits, hedgehogs, owls, pixies, trolls, fairies and characters from the book. Â For an item to count towards the world record it has to be made in crochet, but if your strictly a knitter only, then The Craft Club would still love to receive something bright and cheerful to add to the garden.
There are loads of suitable patterns available on Ravelry, many of which are free.  You can also find a few ideas on The Craft Club’s Pinterest board here and if you stumble upon any suitable patterns it would be lovely of you to share them on our Facebook pageÂ
You can keep up to date with what’s going on with the record attempt on The Craft Club’s Facebook page too.  They regularly post  photos of the items they’ve received and they’re often linked to patterns and blogs.  As I’m not the best at crochet I’m going to whip up a few Teeny Tiny Flowers from Attic 24’s blog like these that I made before.
It’s come around rather quickly again this year, technically it’s actually a  week but we’re celebrating on Saturday 21st.  The Saturday knitting group is scheduled to take place on the 21st anyway, so it would be lovely to think the sun might be shining.  Sunshine or not we can still knit can’t we?
As a little incentive to get a few more of you into the shop armed with your knitting and crochet we’ll have the market stall set outside as we did for Yarn Shop Day. Â For those of you that missed it before, there will be packs of yarn, books and maybe some other bits and bobs all at discounted prices.
Come and join us for a for a bit of open air knitting fun (fingers crossed anyway).
I thought I’d quickly share this knit with you before I wrap it and send it off to it’s new owner.
You might have seen the photo of the blanket I started for our friends new baby in my last post.  The pattern is from  James C. Brett, number 173 and uses their Flutterby yarn which looks really pretty but (confession time) I’m not so fond of knitting with.
I’ve used Hayfield Baby Chunky and the blanket which is pram size only used 2 x 100g balls. Â The garter stitch border adds definition and there are only 4 rows to the lace pattern which becomes very memorable after a few repeats. Â This really was a quick knit and I can see it being a pattern I’ll use again and again, great for last minute knitting.
The blanket dimensions are approximately 30″ x 20″
Best of all the colour (406) is almost identical to the rosy pink I used in the Gidday  Baby Cardigan and the hat.  Lets hope the baby’s parents aren’t allergic to pink.
One of our friends has recently had a little baby girl so my needles have been smoking a little with shades of pink and oatmeal.
True, I could have been sensible and just knitted up a few different garments in gender neutral shades and themes and been ahead of the game, but where’s the fun in that?
I’d spotted the Gidday baby cardigan by Tikkiknits on Ravelry a little while ago and have been looking for an excuse to knit it up. Â You might remember I popped the link up on the shops Facebook page? Â If you missed it you can find it here.
It’s a fantastic little double knit pattern and this free version has instructions for 2 sizes, newborn and 3 months.  If you’d like to make larger sizes the full pattern contains 15 sizes from newborn to 12 years and costs $6AUD or a little over €4, which is a bit of a bargain.  Find the full pattern here.
I love the way the yarn overs that make the increased stitches on the yoke add a little extra interest. Â You can always increase your stitches with a M1 if you’d prefer not to have the little lacy holes in your garment.
I’m rather pleased with the finished cardi, although when knitting it again I think I’ll knit an extra 2 rows of the garter stitch yoke in the main body colour in order to try and overcome the ‘jog’ that happens when knitting stripes.
Look closely and you can see the jog at the bottom of the stripes on the border.
The little wooden flower buttons add that little bit of extra charm, buttons are so important, at least that’s what I keep telling myself to explain away the tins of them I’ve amassed 😉
I used Sirdar Snuggly DK because I love the feel of the finished fabric, it’s machine washable and the range of colours is vast. Â The cardigan used a little over one ball of the oatmeal (344) Â and barely any of the rose pink (Lolly 420) so I thought I’d be proactive and try and use up a little more of the yarn rather than just pop it straight into my ever growing stash.
The pattern I used for the hat is from Stylecraft Yarns number 8794 , but I still have yarn left. Â Maybe some booties too?
Trouble is I’ve already started this for the baby (oops!)
So for those of you that missed it Saturday 3rd of May was Yarn Shop Day.  It was great to see so many of you out to support us and good fun was had by all (I hope) despite the rain 😦
After all the fun and games I have some competition and raffle winners to announce.
The raffle winners are as follows –
Sock Yarn – Mary Healy
Scrumptious Lace Weight Yarn – Fiona Ryan
Snuggly Dk & Pattern – Deidre McArdle
Bambeanies by Woolly Wormhead – Edwina Cole
Erika Knight – Molly McSweeny
Lucy Neatby, The Brand New Knitter DVD – Sadie Foley
Knitpro Symphonie Interchangeable Starter Set – Susan Macfarlane
We also had a ‘Guess the Number of Buttons in the Jar’ for our younger visitors on the day.  The winner receives a €5 gift voucher for Auntie Nellies Sweet Shop and a woolly goody bag donated by the good folks over at Stylecraft Yarns, for the knitter in their life.
Can you guess?????
252
None of the children guessed correctly, but the nearest was Jasmine Jennings with 258. Â Well done Jasmine the Auntie Nellies Gift Voucher is yours and I’m guessing your mum or your sister might like to receive the goody bag.
Last but not least.
There was the competition to find our fastest Knit Happens stocking knitter.
The stocking had to be knitted in two colours and this mind blowing time was achieved by Mary Murphy, who wins 4 balls of Sirdar Bonus Dk for her effort, which she whipped up with smoke rising from her needles in a little over 10 minutes..
The second fastest stocking knitter was Mary O’Donovan with a little over 12 minutes. Â Mary wins a ball of King Cole Splash for her speedy needles.
Those of you that didn’t make it won’t have had a chance to see our yarnbombed rocking chair, which definitely helped entice passers by in. Â We’ll be taking it with us, along with lots of our Knit happens stockings to the Midleton Mid May Festival on Sunday 18th at The Square (near The Granary). Â Why not come and see it and lend your support to this new festival
You can find out more about what’s happening over the weekend hereÂ
Confessions of a Fibre Strumpet 