The latest issue of Knitty has been released and as ever there are some truly beautiful patterns so be sure to go and have a look for yourself.

My three favourites in this issue are:

Lunatic fringe by Jennifer Dassau is a beautifully, quirky shawl knitted in Terra by The Fibre Company which is an aran weight yarn. Knitted from the bottom up, creating the fringe as you go to form an unusual, asymmetrical shape.

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEss13/PATTlunaticfringe.php

Easy As Pie is a technicolour blanket by OneHandKnits and is knitted in Sirdar’s Baby Bamboo which is a standard double knit yarn. Clever use of short rows and colour work creates this vibrant, funky blanket.

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEss13/PATTeasyaspie.php

Last but not least and one that I have had to add to my ever extending ‘to knit’ list is Buttonbox by Elizabeth McCarten. This beautiful waistcoat is knitted in one piece using Brooklyn Tweed’s Shelter yarn which is an aran weight. The shaped waist and shawl collar make it a very flattering style, whilst the little box stitch pattern adds enough interest to the overall look of the knitted fabric.

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEss13/KSPATTbuttonbox.php

If these patterns haven’t been enough to tempt you (why?), it might just interest you to know that there is a new coloum in the magazine – ‘Techniques with the Neurotic Knitter’. Kristin Fraser aka The Neurotic Knitter has a look at cast ons this issue via videos. The techniques she covers for Spring/Summer are the Backwards Loop, Cable, Knitted and the Long Tail methods. Great if you only know the one cast on method.

i also urge you to check out the Templeton Square Competition Winners to see just how ingenious some knitters are.

Happy knitting!

Knitting Finished, Time to Sew

April 18, 2013 LeftFootDaisyLeave a comment

The lovely little chunky Grandad cardigan I was knitting is now all finished except for the sewing – which I hate.

I know I’m not alone in this and i also know it’s only a baby cardigan, but I should probably also get on with some of the other sewing up that’s been waiting before getting on with my next project.

Happy Knitting!

When Knitting Gets Messy

April 12, 2013 LeftFootDaisyLeave a comment

OK, I have a small confession to make……..

My knitting is running away on me, to be more precise it’s the amount of projects that is getting out of hand.

I did manage to finish the Rico Fashion Summer Print top that I was knitting for Dina.

012 — Dina reluctantly modelling the new top

Then there’s the Abbi Jumper that I’ve finished today, it still needs the ends sewing in and blocking.

Not too bad so far but there’s also my Game of Thrones, Winter is Coming shawlette that I haven’t had time to get on with.

Ahem…. and the little chunky Grandads cardigan that I started today for the shop.

There is also the Moody Blanket but it wouldn’t be fair to include it as I only have to complete 2 rows a day as planned.

My intention this weekend I think you’ll agree should be to concentrate on getting some of my projects completed. We’ll just choose to glaze over the cardigan and waistcoat still waiting to be sewn up since last year. There might also be a scarf lurking somewhere that I’ve started for one of my friends and there’s the jacket that I’ve knitted the back and the sleeve of, etc, etc, etc. If that wasn’t bad enough I’ve deliberately hidden the two hanks of lovely Lornas Laces yarn that arrived for their Ravelry KAL and then there’s the Poolside jumper pattern on Ravelry that I’ve been lusting over since I discovered it this week.

I don’t know about you, but I think I might need some serious, outside help?

Happy Knitting!

Stash Dash Ready

March 4, 2013March 5, 2013 LeftFootDaisyLeave a comment

As you can see from the pictures the shop is now Stash Dash ready for Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th March. There is sooooo much lovely yarn included that I will have to try to control the urge to buy it all myself.

Of course if we’re going to be honest then I shall have to admit to having selected several balls (slight understatement possibly?) for some of the projects I’ve cued…….. Who could blame me?

So will I give you an idea of what to expect when you come in for your 20 minutes?

Spring/Summer is supposed to be coming so it stands to reason that there will be chunky yarns, including –

Shades of Wendy Merino Chunky, Rico Galaxy, Bergere de France Duvetine, Twilley’s Purity & Sirdar Folksong to name but a few. We are also clearing Wendy Celtic Chunky & Wendy Norse.

In super chunky were clearing Sirdar Denim Ultra & Big Bamboo, shades of Sirdar Big Softie and there’s a few packs of Rico Super Chunky Tweed there too.

In aran weight there’s Wendy Traditional Aran, Rico Country Aran, shades of Sirdar Supersoft Aran and several lovely cottons from Araucania.

As you might expect there’s loads to tempt you in double knit yarns – shades of Sirdar Baby Crofter & Snuggly dk, we’re clearing King Cole Riot, Shades, Moods, Moods Duet, Baby Alpaca & Haze. Sorrento from Wendy is also included to clear as is Tiny Tots from Sirdar. There are also shades of Wendy Merino Dk, King Cole’s Splash, Rico’s Cotton dk and Sublime’s Egyptian Cotton.

In 4ply and lace there is Sirdar Countrystyle to clear and Rico’s Romance, there’s also sock yarn, shades of Comfort 4ply and loads of odd balls and hanks.

There’s also scarf yarns from Sirdar, Rico & Tivoli, shades of Reflection from Rico, Snowdrops from Sirdar and loads more yarn in lots of lovely colours, too many to mention.

I’m looking forward to having another look myself and hope everyone that’s coming finds something they like.

Don’t forget your list.

Happy Knitting!

Countdown Beginning……………..

February 19, 2013February 19, 2013 LeftFootDaisyLeave a comment

For those of you that have been before you’ll know what it’s all about, the rest of you would probably best to read this previous post here http://knitmidleton.com/2012/07/23/everybody-keeps-asking-me/

Basically, we cover up all the shelves and lay out as many tables as we can fit into the shop; on top of these we put all the yarn we’re discontinuing. There could be whole ranges of yarn, shades of yarn and some you might not have seen before. There will be odd balls, several balls and packs of balls, no matter what, all balls are €3 each.

There are things to consider: you have to book your slot, you only have 20 minutes (you’re timed), you have to prepare, dig out the patterns, check your favourites on Ravelry, make sure you know how much double knit/aran/chunky you need. Have a look at the post linked above if you’re not sure and make sure you book your place quickly before they all go.

This is what you should be expecting.

Let the mayhem begin!

For 38 Days I’ve Been Moody

February 12, 2013February 13, 2013 LeftFootDaisyLeave a comment

I thought it was time to update you all on how my Moody Blanket is progressing.

The first thing I should point out is that it’s definitely taking longer to complete the two rows than it was when I first began. I think it’s largely to do with the increasing size of the blanket, which means there’s more fabric to move along the needles. I’m finding I need to allow at least half an hour to complete the two rows now and I expect the time to increase as the blanket does.

Unfortunately I had to use the flash on my camera to take these photos and it’s made the colours much starker than in reality. The colour changes are (I think) far less noticeable and seem to flow into each other rather nicely. By using the cream Sirdar Bonus Tweed Aran continuously and only changing the one strand there is a continuity of colour that adds to the blanket’s charm.

One of the best things about knitting the blanket is that it’s warm, even at the size it is now – all 13.5inches of it. However I guess that might not be so appealing in June, or at least we hope so.

I am really enjoying being able to look over the diary of the last few weeks and am pleased to report that so far I have had :-

2 Tough days

18 OK days

13 Good days

6 Really good days

Not bad considering it’s been dark dismal January.

Happy Knitting!

Super Chunky Mistake Rib Cowl

January 31, 2013January 31, 2013 LeftFootDaisyLeave a comment

Having managed to persuade my usual model to pose for a picture, you can no doubt see how she feels about it.

Mistake rib is a great stitch pattern to use for scarves/cowls as it gives you a double sided fabric rather than one with a definite front and back (like stocking stitch). The easiest way to remember the pattern is to cast on an odd number of stitches, in this instance I used 17. With an odd number of stitches every row of your scarf will be the same.

We managed to wrap the cowl around Dina 3 times, but the friend it was made for is very tall and tends to wear it wrapped round her neck twice. if you want to make it wider and a little shorter cast on 2 extra stitches (the pattern remains the same).

Cowl Dimensions

Length 180cm/70″

Width 23cm/9″

Materials

5 Balls Sirdar Big Bamboo

10mm Needles

Darning Needle

Abbreviations

k – knit

p – purl

st(s) – stitch(es)

Pattern

Using thumb method cast on 17 stitches.

Work every row as follows – knit 2 stitches, purl 2 stitches repeat these 4 stitches to last st, K1

Work until almost all of your yarn has gone ensuring you save enough to cast off loosely (approximately 3 times the width of your knitting).

Sew cast on edge to cast off edge in order to make a large ring and sew in ends.

Tip – When joining in a new ball of yarn try to do this somewhere along the row rather than at the beginning of a row as usual. This will help to keep the edges of the cowl tidy and means your ends can be better hidden.

Autumn/Winter Goodies Are Starting To Arrive

September 5, 2012 LeftFootDaisyLeave a comment

We took delivery of some of the new yarns we’ve been expecting in last week including Folksong and Faroe from Sirdar.

Folksong Chunky is a multicoloured yarn made up of 51% Wool and 49% Acrylic
There are 75metres/82 yards in every 50g ball. It’s a standard chunky and knits to a tension of 14stitches to 19 rows on 6.5mm needles.
There are 8 fantastic shades all of which are very wearable, my favourite is the orange blend.


There are 8 lovely designs to knit with the yarn including accesories however, you could use the yarn as an alternative in most chunky patterns. Our favourite design is this great basic jumper, which really highlights the beauty of the yarn.

Faroe from Sirdar is a new super chunky made from 60% Acrylic, 25% Cotton and 15% Wool and for each 50g there are 43metres/47yards. Faroe knits to a tension of 9stitches to 12 rows on 10mm and will work as a substitute yarn for many super chunky patterns.


There are 6 gently blended colours and 8 patterns that have been designed especially for using Faroe. All of the designs are quite simple and would make very quick knits. Our favorite is this lovely waistcoat with the cable detail around the neckline.

In addition the the 2 new yarns from Sirdar we also received 4 new shades in Click Chunky – Brown, green, silver grey and dark grey, all have a tweedie fleck.

4 new shades of Bonus Aran

and 2 in Bonus Tweed

There were also 4 new shades in Snuggly Baby Double knit and we took 2 of the new shades in Baby Crofter as I wasn’t too keen on the others. There was also 3 new shades in Bonus DK and more stock came in in all of our favourite shades including the missing purple Snuggly DK that you all love.

As always there were lots of new patterns and books to come in from Sirdar too, we’re particularly fond of the 2 new books The Big Book of Little knits – Knit Christmas and Knit Pretty.

More about these books to come in a separate post. I’m sure like me you’ll be eager to get knitting with the new yarns, the only dilemma is which one to start with?

Happy Knitting!

Confessions of a Fibre Strumpet

Tag: Sirdar

Knitty Spring+Summer is Out

Knitting Finished, Time to Sew

When Knitting Gets Messy

Stash Dash Ready

Countdown Beginning……………..

For 38 Days I’ve Been Moody

Super Chunky Mistake Rib Cowl

Autumn/Winter Goodies Are Starting To Arrive

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