I'm back with a bang!

Wow it has been ages since I've posted! So much has happened between now and then. I've taken on knitting commissions more, and even started on my own designing.

The knitted Caving Helmet is now a reality, and at a recent event won a Merit in the Art Salon.

I've started knitting for a local craft fair, where I am hoping to sell Unisex Baby/Toddler Sailor Jumpers, Large Ladies Cowls and some fun Children's toys, all of which I'm sure to blog about!

I'm also hoping to expand on the success that the Caving Helmet received (I've now got lots of orders!) and include lots of other novelty/one off items. Stay tuned to find out more!

Knitted Ties : What is this craziness?

Whilst working a few days ago, a customer came and asked for a knitted tie pattern.

A knitted TIE pattern...

Now I thought that there was some strange patterns out there, knitted knickers and bikinis seem pretty weird, and some balaclava patterns make the wearer look rather odd as well. However, I have since done some research on this 'knitted tie' and it seems that it was very popular some time ago and is coming back. Not only that, but somebody is trying to sell one for over £1000 online...redonkulous.

So, my plan is, maybe I should make some up to sell? Or maybe even as a gift for Fathers Day to make up for all the socks at Christmas time.

And as far as selling goes, I'm actually thinking about making some creations up to sell on this blog, would anyone be interested in this? Not as a major thing, but, for when I decided to do a pattern that I can't give away or have no need for, and if you follow the creation of it, one of you might appreciate the end result :).


In other news, we've passed the 400 mark for views, which is shocking as I thought that no one would ever read this! Also sorry for the lack of posts, but the dreaded exam season has hit and I've been rather bogged down. Happy Knitting readers :)

Patterns and Wool - Common Mistakes

So you've found that perfect wool. It's the right colour, a nice thickness, the right wool content and just perfect. Well, here is your new problem, finding a pattern that will compliment both the wool and look good, at either the right thickness or in something you'll actually wear. Here is my answer. Buy the pattern first. It is far cheaper and it takes up far less space to hoard patterns than wool, and then you can just match it to your wool as and when you find it.

Another common thought is that you have to have the wool that the pattern says. This is utter rubbish. As long as you follow these few simple guidelines you can use almost any yarn for your pattern:

1. Ensure that it is the right thickness, if no thickness is stated you can usually take an educated guess from the size of the needles it suggests. On the ball of wool there is also usually a suggestion as to what size of needle that likes, so matching these is a good start. Remember if you are using an older pattern the needle sizes have changed.
2. Check the tension. This should be on both the pattern and the ball. If they're almost the same then that should do, but the closer the better.
3. Check the yardage. Yarn A may have 100 metres in a 100g ball, whereas Yarn B may only have 80 metres in 100g. This means that even though the pattern suggests you should need 500g of Yarn A, you will have to buy 600g in Yarn B for it to go just as far. You'll regret it when you have half of a sleeve to do and they've decided to release a new dye, or have discontinued the yarn.
4. Don't be afraid to ask. Most decent wool shops will be quite happy to help you out. You should also be able to contact online shops to ask for this information if they haven't displayed it already.
5. Remember: one of the reasons why that wool is used in that pattern, is so that instead of getting just a couple of pounds off of you they get far more. The outcome may differ slightly from the original, but it could be nicer on your wallet and its now in the colour/style you want.

I know that is a lot of information for just a simple switch, but the closer it looks to the pattern the better you'll feel about it :)

I hope that this helps some of you out when it comes to making wool/pattern decisions. Is there anything you would like to ask about or see in my next post? Just comment below :)

We've also gone over the 200 views mark :D A big thank you to everybody

My First Idea - Is it too unique?

For this post there will be no photo, as I'm going to use it as a broadcast for an idea that I have yet to perfect and finish.

I absolutely love crazy hats. I have so many that I could almost wear one every single day of the year! On the other hand, my partner doesn't have a single one...He is however very into Caving, and one day I was looking at his caving helmet thinking 'hey, I could knit that'.

So far I have managed to knit the hat part (after much measuring/unpicking/shouting) and I've just started on the light. I still plan to knit the battery and the wire between them both.

In the end it should look something like this (minus the straps):

Am I crazy? I've looked to se if this has been attempted before and it looks like it hasn't, so here goes!

Also I'd like to give all my readers a big hug for helping me reach over 150 views! I'm shocked as I've only posted 3 times, but I hope that number keeps on growing :)

Cable/Cabling - Is it really that easy?

When most new knitters, (or knitters who have never done it before) see cable alarm bells can sometimes ring. I was the exact same when I first tried cable, but it wasn't as bad as I thought.


Cable uses knit and purl stitches, just in a quirky way with the aid of a cable needle. If you approach it like that, it does seem so much easier. For example the picture to the left (which is a more complicated don't panic!) shows these knits and purls off really well. The cable itself and the two 'cords' either side are all knit stitches, and the space in between is all purls. Cable is usually used to add decoration, and there are many different types, which all depend on how many stitches you Use each time. I find it nearly always works best with a plain yarn, usually in a lighter colour. The cabling you see here is part of one of my current projects, which will come to light later on.

A common stitch used in cabling is C*B/C*F, with the * being the number of stitches, and in this pattern has created the 'cord' either side. Used with more stitches or in a different way this can create a kind of spiral cable. This pattern also uses stitches such as T*B/T*F, which feature where the cable weaves together.

For more help and tips about cabling, just ask in the comments below :)
Also thank you for helping me reach 100 page views :D

Where Did I Get To? - Endless Headache

So, a while ago I saw this amazing pattern for a baby blanket. It was in 4ply, which I'd never knitted with, and it was a stitch that I've never used before. I thought 'oh great that'll be a really good challenge, it can't take that long can it?' How wrong I was...

After 3 re-starts and countless unpicks I've just about got to the half way mark. It does look lovely so I'm rather proud of it. This is a rather sunny picture of what it looks like so far:

Its feather and fan stitch, on a 6 row pattern repeat. In other words, a headache when you start, but it definitely gets easier as you go along. I've also decided to knit it on circular needles, going back and forth, as it makes it easier to transport, and it can cover my knees and keep me nice and warm. I'm on my 4th ball out of 6, so there will be some updates still to come. Hope you like it so far!

Introduction: Nerves Kick In

Well this is a bit crazy...never thought of Blogging before, but I decided that I wanted to share my thoughts and creations with  the world :D, so I have to start somewhere...

I'm a self confessed knit-a-holic, and I mainly knit for friends and family as well as for myself. I also use my knitting as a kind of therapy for both my Dyslexia and Dyspraxia (yes I have spelt those right) and also to just relax.

As well as knitting from patterns I have just started to design and make my own patterns, for either one off creations, or just a simple 'I wonder if that has ever been done in wool?'

In this blog I really hope to express these designs as well as share my current works, and also bounce ideas around with readers.

So this is my Blog and I hope that you enjoy it!