I can finally talk about my latest FO now the latest issue of Olann and has been published. It’s the Nellie May Shawl designed by OfBlitheSpirit aka Alitzah Grant and I’m sure you must have all seen it by now, as it’s gone viral.
Tag: Ravelry
Happy Friday
I thoroughly enjoyed my morning dog walk, it was beautiful out there and has now turned into the most glorious of days. Spring is definitely in the air, which has really helped us as we had our Olann and photo shoot earlier. I’m really excited about this coming issue and I know I’ve said that before, but it really is getting better every time (well I think so) I’m not sure if it’s because we’re more knowledgeable about the process, or whether we’re just more comfortable with what we’re doing? Whatever it is, it feels very much like it’s working.
I Can See a Rainbow
Quick, quick, quick as there’s knitting group to go to tonight and serious cake eating to do. Not that I’m supposed to be eating wheat, but bugger it anyway, Victoria Sponge is one of my favourites.
Wow! How Have I Missed This?
So.. I was checking out a few things on Ravelry, as you do when you’re trying to decide (avoid) what you’re going to do next and I stumbled upon something I never knew you could do.
Before I go any further, I should point out that you’ve probably been able to do it forever and I’m just late to the party as per usual.
As we all know my newly discovered obsession is weaving, well that and sewing, spinning, etc, etc. Anyway, for the purposes of this post it’s weaving.
I love Ravelry, it’s an invaluable tool for so many different aspects of fibre crafting and I know there’s weaving on there, but I’ve only been able to find it in the past, by looking at the finished projects from people signed up to the groups I’m in.
Until today that is.
I’ve just discovered that I can look at all of the finished weaving projects listed on Ravelry☺️🎉 ✌️
Here’s how –
Click on to the people tab along the top of the Ravelry home page and you’ll find yourself here. Where you will find lots of useful places to explore.
There’s your Friends Activity, where you can check out what your Ravelry friends have been up to.
The section – A Random Assortment of People’s Favourites or their ugh’s (projects people they’ve scored with the lowest satisfaction) is great for inspiration, or not as the case may be.
There’s show us your FO’s and lastly at the bottom there is a section called ‘Your Neighbours’. This is a great feature because these people and you have some of the same patterns in your libraries, therefore must have similar tastes. I often begin a search here first if I’m looking to knit something new, as there’s a good chance one of my neighbours might already have a design listed in their favourites or their library that I’ll like.
The section we’re looking at today is the ‘Show us your FO’s’.
Click on the search the finished FO’s tab.
Here you can click on the weaving projects and 💕 voilà 💕 – access to all of the finished weaving projects on Ravelry.
Better still, you can search the colour scheme of the piece.
The weight of yarn used (great for stash busting)
and what the project was, eg clothing, accessory, etc.
Of course you can also search peoples knitting, crochet and machine knitted finished projects too.
The only problem I can see, is that I’m going to be so busy looking at other peoples work, I’ll get none of my own finished 😳
Back to Ravelry, ehm… I mean work 😉
Happy Knitting!
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Not Sure How I Missed This?
I did sit down to write a very different blog post this morning, but whilst checking my emails, Facebook messages, Instagram, Pinterest, etc, etc. I spotted something on Ravelry that I’m surprised I haven’t noticed before and as it appeals to me, I don’t doubt some of you will also find it handy.
I’m a massive fan of Ravelry and as mentioned, I’d check it at least once a day, if not more. For me, it probably goes without saying, that it’s an invaluable tool for the shop, I also love the way it helps me organise my library, projects and possible future projects. It’s a great way to learn techniques, hear about up and coming community projects and most importantly meet and interact with other fibre crazed individuals, even if it’s just to 👏 gawk 👏 at their amazing creations.
As noted in previous posts, I haven’t gone so far as to catalogue my stash on Ravelry as it would be a whole heap of 💀 scary 💀 and there’s no real benefit to me to list my hooks/needles for obvious reasons (anyone that knows me, knows I own enough needles to open a shop with). 😜😜😜
Anyway, enough about me. getting back to this clever feature.
Hopefully, most of you when checking through the patterns on Ravelry use the option ‘add to favourites’ on the top right hand corner of the page, if you find something you’d like to be able to find again later? Better still, you’ve added tags to help you narrow your search down next time too?
Now Ravelry is letting you make ‘Bundles’, I guess they’re really the same kind of thing as ‘tagging’ except they’re laid out like Pinterest Boards making them much more user friendly (why fix something if it ain’t broken?).
So how do you catalogue all of your ‘favourites’ into bundles? I’ve got some 400 odd in mine 🙈
To begin – Click on the my notebook tab on the top left hand side of the Ravelry home page to open up the different tabs.
Select ‘favourites’ from the drop down menu.
Select one of your saved designs and if you hover over the picture three icons will appear, click edit.
A window will pop up giving you the option to select a bundle or enter a name. Click on this box, adding the term most relevant to you. In this case I’ve chose to call my bundle – shawls 4ply, as I have rather a lot of favourite shawl designs and will need one for dk, aran , chunky and lace too.
When you enter a new category, a tab will come up underneath saying create – be sure to click this. You’ll notice you have the options to add comments, if you like. For me, I’d find this an incredibly useful way of remembering which yarn I’d like to use to complete the project. You’re original tags (if you used them) are also displayed and you have the option to add more or delete them. At the bottom of this pop up there’s a tab that says Save Changes (sorry it’s not on my photo), remember to click this if you’ve added anything else to the comments or tag boxes.
After creating your ‘bundle’ when you next click on your favourites, click the bundle tab, you can see you’ll have all your patterns organised and easier to access. If you like, just as with Pinterest you can change each boards cover photo.
You can create bundles for anything and everything from socks and jumpers to dishcloths if they’re your thing.
One tip – I have favourite designers that I like to refer back to, it’s a handy way of comparing the designers patterns. If you’re fond of a garment, chances are you’ll like others created by the same person too.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
To add a new pattern to your bundles, click on the add to favourites tab on the top left hand side of the design page as you would normally do.
Once you’ve clicked a pop up will open on the left hand side of the page and you can choose to add the pattern to one of your existing bundles or create a new one.
Don’t forget you can also look at your friends bundles too (I’m not sure I ever thought I’d say that).
Happy Knitting!
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Adding A Project To Ravelry
As I mentioned in the last post, following on from the success of the These Islands Book Launch Sara from Smudge Yarns thought it might be a good idea to run a KAL with the Beaker Shawl pattern from the book.
There has been such a fantastic reaction to the book, both at the launch and online that we thought it might be fairer to extend the ‘cast on’ deadline to Sunday 19th April, to give everyone an opportunity to be entered into the draw for the ‘special’ hank of hand dyed lace weight yarn from Smudge Yarns.
All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning, is to add your Beaker Shawl project to Ravelry 🏆
After speaking to a few people in the shop, I’ve discovered that not only are there Ravellers that have never used this feature, there are still fibrey people that have yet to hear of Ravelry (I know fibery isn’t a word, but).
So if you’ve still to learn the joys of Ravelry head straight over to ravelry.com and sign up now. Thy’ll ask you the usual questions, name, email address, etc and then they’ll forward on one of those ‘confirm it’s you’ emails and once you’ve followed the link you’re in 👍They never email you after that, no spam.
If you’re new to Ravelry you should expect to feel the tingle of project power flow from your fingers and eyes to your brain quite quickly after logging in. This timid little sensation will increase steadily until it reaches the level of teeth grinding, nervous twitching fibre related insanity, as you begin to navigate your way round the many features Ravelry has to offer.
Some features like the ‘my stash’ option are best avoided in my opinion. Not only would it be a task of gargantuan proportion, it would also eat into my valuable knitting time and then there’s the ‘confession’ element of recording my entire stash. Not only would it be out there in the realms of the online world for all to see, I’d have to see it too 👀 Much better that it stays the way it is – sorted into 10 large plastic crates, 3 duvet bags, 2 chests of drawers and countless other baskets, bags and boxes
Anyway, back to the real reason for this post.
You’ll notice when you hover over the my notebook tab at the top left of the Ravelry page, Projects is one of the options on the drop down menu.
Click on this to bring you to the next page and here, at the top left of the page again, click the ‘add project’ tab.
This will then lead you to the ‘New Project’ page for you to begin uploading the details.
I’m not great at naming my projects, so I tend to go for something simple, in this case I’ve called my shawl The Book Launch Shawl (’twas almost lunch, until I spotted the spelling mistake) . The pattern is taken from a book and it’s called the Beaker Shawl from the These Islands book (just in case).
When you hit the continue button, Ravelry does some kind of voodoo magic and if it’s been added to their database, the next page to load, will have the details of the pattern on it. Click on the ‘choose this pattern’ tab to continue.
Here you’ll be asked to record everything about your project. The name of the yarn (Ravelry magically links it if it’s on their database), how much yarn you’re going to use, the size of needle/hook you’re using and with both of these items there’s an option to include additional yarns and needle sizes.
Working down the page, you’ll notice there’s the option to pop up where you purchased the yarn, if it’s from me in the shop, you type in Knit which brings up loads of us as you might expect, so you need to scroll down through the stockists until you find me
The notes section is used by people in different ways. Some people might note whether they had to change their needle size or made modifications. Others like to record for who and why they’re making the project. There are also fibre people that record any issues they might have come across whilst working on the project, in order to highlight things to watch for others attempting the design. These notes, like most thinks on Ravelry are there to help you and the other members, in fact when you look at other people’s projects you’ll notice there’s a tab underneath for you to check if you found the notes useful.
At the right hand side of the project page there’s places to add all manner of things, including how far along you are, when you began and if you’re enjoying it. Underneath you’ve also got options to record more detail about your take on the yarn and the design.
Whilst it’s lovely to be able to add positive comments, I’d always suggest contacting the supplier/designer first if you have any criticisms. The hopes and dreams of companies, in particular the small, independent ones, can easily be dashed with a harsh word or two.
Save your work now if you haven’t already.
Nearly there now. Next it’s a good idea to add a photo or two, even if it’s just of the yarn for now. At the top right hand corner click on the tab marked ‘add photos’
There are several options for adding your pics, including Flickr, Photobucket and uploading from your computer. Just select your file and press the upload button.
Your photograph will often need adjusting to fit the frame.
You can tweak it by hovering your cursor over the 4 little arrows and moving your mouse in either direction. You can upload several photos if you want including ones where you’ve zoomed in to show a particular part of the design.
Once loaded up, there’s no need to save them as Ravelry seems to do this automatically.
Remember you can edit your project at any stage, even if you decide to frog it years later.
Happy Ravelling!
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The These Islands Book Launch – Come See
Come and have a look at what you missed if you couldn’t join us and if you were there it’s time to see the photos.
It was all hands on deck to set up between the shop closing at 5 and the launch starting at 7.30pm but we managed and it was lovely to be able to see the design samples knitted up.
The Happy Out Mitts that Sara had knitted up looked fab in the the Cinnabar shade of Smudge Yarns 4ply.
The Hip Hop Hat sample shown here is knitted in Smudge Yarns double Knit. The beautiful blue shade is Cairn, whilst the lime green is Fuggles, a name you just can’t say without smiling 🙂
Confession time now, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the Crosshatched Cowl, it didn’t really appeal to me. However, I’m a convert, seeing the knitted sample in the shop last night really changed my mind about this piece. The colours in the Pencil Roving really pop with the Herringbone Stitch, it tempted quite a few people too, judging by how much of it was sold.
As I mentioned in the previous post about the book launch. There were kits for the Beaker Shawl Knit Along available last night (I also have a few available here in the shop). Much discussion was given over to choosing the complimentary colour for the KAL and as you can see from the photo, the choice was a made harder by the sheer scrumminess of shades available in the lace weight.
Don’t forget that if you ‘cast on’ your shawl via Ravelry by Sunday you’ll automatically be entered into a draw to win a hank of Smudge Yarns Laceweight yarn. (I’ll pop up a quick post later today on how to this for those of you that haven’t ever done this before.)
I kicked things off with my usual chit chat, minding my p’s and q’s a little and then handed things over to Sara so she could share with us how the book came about.
Sara handed the gauntlet over to Evin to tell us a bit more about the book and the ethos behind the yarns used, before we moved on to the socialising, laughing and general merriment.
The turnout for the launch was fantastic, it’s great to see fibre folk coming out to offer their support and better still when it’s for local knitterly people.
Dina my lovely and ever suffering daughter, went round with the camera gently persuading everybody to smile. Having reviewed the photos, it evidently meant she wasn’t in front of it at any time. Does anyone have photographic evidence that she was there?
See those smiles. Fiona, Rachele, Sadie and Lee Ann seem to be enjoying themselves.
As do Noreen and Liz.
Hilda and Catherina posing for the camera (I think I spy a KAL kit there). Isn’t Catherina’s crochet Granny shawl beautiful?
Smiles all round from Joan, Erin, Sara and Carol.
Clare and Michelle doing a great job of enjoying themselves and plugging the book at the same time.
I managed to get in on the action too, laughing of course with Orela and Edwina.
How lucky am I? My best friend Snadra was over from England too.
I know some of you will be eager to hear about the raffle prize, but I’m not quite ready to tell you yet.
It wouldn’t be a book launch, without a book signing or two as demonstrated here by Sara and Evin.
Having roped the lovely Carol Feller in to draw the winner I’m really happy to say Noreen won the hamper of goodies, can’t wait to see what she makes with the ‘special edition’ yarns.
I know you’re probably wondering…..
Yes, I did.
Happy Knitting!
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These Islands: Knits from Ireland, Scotland, and Britain Book Launch
It’s all been confirmed, we’ve sat down, deliberated, cogitated and digested and I am now happily able to announce that the These Islands book launch will take place on Thursday 9th April from 7.30 to 9.30pm
These Islands includes eight never before published patterns for hats, a cowl, shawls, fingerless gloves, and boot cuffs using locally-processed wool made from the fleece of Irish, Scottish, or British sheep with names. The patterns are designed by Sara Breitenfeldt, Suzanne McEndoo, and Evin Bail O’Keeffe.
Suzanne currently lives in Edinburgh so won’t be able to make the launch however, both Evin and Sara will be available for book signing, laughter and fun.
A Cork resident, Evin is the author of the 2014 Blog Awards Ireland award-winning craft blog EvinOK.com. In addition to being a busy mum and her blog, Evin also managed to find the time to write and release her book Bake Knit Sew, which showcases a year of creativity in baking, knitting, and sewing. The book offers a complete year of projects! With over 50 full-color photographs shot on location here in scenic Cork. To find out more about Bake Knit Sew or to order your copy head over to the Anchor & Bee website here.
Many of you will already have heard of Sara, now a Midleton resident too, as is the creator and owner of the hand dyed yarn company Smudge Yarns. Sara’s beautiful yarns are available to purchase via her website or in a handful of shops around Ireland, including mine 🙂 There is also a Smudge Yarns Facebook Page here and a Ravelry Group too for you to join should you want to show you’re appreciation.
The gates open at 7.30pm for the book launch, with everything kicking off ♥ proper ♥ at 8pm. This will be a ticketed event due to the size of the shop, so spaces are limited. There will be refreshments, book signing and all ticket holders will be automatically entered into the craft hamper raffle (more details to follow later, watch this space).
Tickets are €5 each and can be purchased in the shop with me or via the Smudge Yarns website here
In addition to the book, Sara hopes to have some of her yummy yarn on sale to tempt you, she will also officially launch her Beaker Folk Shawl Knit A Long on the night. Kits will be available to purchase at the launch and we hope to get as many of you casting on for the KAL as possible.
As a special incentive to get involved, everyone who “Casts On” the project on Ravelry before midnight on Sunday 12th April will be entered in a draw for a special limited edition skein of yarn.
The shawl can be knitted in one of two sizes, either as a smaller shawlette, or as a larger wrap. The photographs shown here have been taken from the book and have been knitted using Smudge Yarns Hand Dyed Lace Yarn and 5.5mm needles. The featured colourway if you’re interested, is the beautiful denim hues of 💙 Beara 💙
If you’d like to have a closer look at the Beaker Folk Shawl, we’ve a sample garment on display in the shop at the moment.
I’m really excited to be able to showcase this brilliant book and hope some of you will be able to join us on what promises to be a great, fibre related evening.
Happy Knitting!
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Psst…
I’m really excited to announce that we’ll be hosting a book launch for the fantastic book These Islands: Knits from Ireland, Scotland and Britain by Sara Breitenfeldt, Suzanne McEndoo, and Evin Bail O’Keeffe soon.
As you can see from the photo above the date is still to be confirmed, but is likely to be sometime over the coming fortnight.
Watch this space
Happy Knitting!
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Stylecraft Malabar
Summer yarns aren’t as popular for us as you might think? After 10 years in this business I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s several reasons for this.
- Many summer garments are fashion rather than classic and this can be off putting to even the most dedicated knitter amongst us.
- Lots of knitters are also gardeners, so they switch loyalty when the sun begins to make an appearance.
- Summer yarns usually means double knit or 4ply traditionally = a lot more knitting.
- Our summer isn’t too long, so the garment you’ve lovingly created doesn’t get worn much. Fine if it’s a classic piece but refering back to the first point I made….
At last it would appear the big yarn companies have started to listen and this year we’re seeing a good few summer yarns in aran weight 🙂
I’ve had a play with some of the main releases and have decided to go with Malabar from Stylecraft so far.
As I’ve said, it’s an aran weight yarn, a blend of 22% silk/78% cotton, fantastic for €6.75 per ball. There’s approximately 180yds/165m in each 100g ball and the suggested tension is 18 stitches x 24 rows to a4″/10cm square on 5mm needles. Did I mention there’s 12 colours too?
The good folks at Stylecraft Yarns have released lots of accompanying patterns, including the crochet shawl at the top of this post, which is likely to be a favourite of everybody’s because it’s just so pretty. I’m quite smitten by the summer shrug/cardigan on the accessories pattern leaflet here in cream ♥
Truthfully though, I’m thinking of knitting Mimic by Veronika Jobe for myself in Malabar when I’ve finished a couple of my ongoing projects. In the mean time I’ve run up a little Yoked Cardigan by Hannah Fettig aka Knitbot as a mini display garment for the shop in the fabulous summery, turquoise shade.
Interesting fact for you all, turquoise is meant to be the one colour that we all look good in regardless of our skin tone, eye colour or age, it’s universal.
Happy Knitting!
Confessions of a Fibre Strumpet 