Knitters Christmas Wish List

Hand Painted Yarn from Shunklies

What every knitter wants...yarn...bags...notions...books...cards...needles...
Just a few lovely knitting finds.

Hand Dyed Yarn from Shunklies

Peppermint Babushka Knitting Needles from Sail On Baby

Sheep Knitting Bag from Slipped Stitch Studios

Sheep Knitting Needle Gauge from Girl on the Rocks.

The Knitters Tool Tin by Sarah Wilson

Heirloom Knitting Shetland Hap Shawls by Sharon Miller.

Coastal Knits book by Alana Dakos and Hannah Fettig

Knitting theme cards by Julie Nelson Rhodes at Tilly Flop Designs

Before and After

After only a few weeks of wear and a couple of washes these hand knit socks have pilled all around the ankles and do not look their best. Made in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino which is very soft and comfortable. However, using this yarn for a pair of hiking socks is taking it's toll. A few weeks ago I purchased one of those gadgets for 'strimming' off the dreaded pills. I have never owned one of these before so was slightly sceptical about it's claims to transform knitwear to it's former self. I use it now all the time. Here's the after effect on the socks (with the careful aid of scissors on the worst areas).....

My only criticism is with the fluff compartment. It is prone to coming loose and distributing it's contents at just the wrong moment. Rather than return the item for another with probably the same issue, the tape bandage has been introduced and problem solved. This one came from a well know website more famous for selling books - but seems to sell just about anything now.

Red Roof House

Looking out across a loch in Scotland surrounded by mountains there's a little red roof croft house. Soon available as a knitting pattern from Hand Knitted Things - due to be published November 2011. Click here to see more pictures on Flickr.

Weekend Cable Beret

 

£2.50

A flattering style women’s hat. This beret knits up quickly in chunky weight yarn. The headband is knitted first to fit the head circumference. Stitches are picked up from along the head band edge to make the crown which is knitted in the round on double pointed needles. 

The pattern includes photo tutorial instructions for the cable stitch.

This PDF Pattern will be available to download immediately after purchase.

Yarn Suggestions
Louisa Harding Millais 50g x2 balls
Sirdar Click Chunky 50g 2 balls.
Debbie Bliss Luxury Donegal Tweed Aran 50g x3 balls. Hold two strands together to obtain gauge.
Debbie Bliss Rialto Chunky 50g x2 balls

You will need
x5 6.5 mm (US 10) double pointed knitting needles (dpn’s)
x1 cable needle (or spare double point needle)
Blunt tapestry needle for sewing/weaving in ends.

Size
To fit womens head circumference 19 - 23 inches (48 cm – 58 cm).


To Purchase
Click on the 'buy now' button.
You will be taken to an order summary page and the option to login to Paypal.
After payment you will be directed to a link where you can download your pattern.

Would you like to purchase in a different currency?
My patterns are also available from the Etsy website where your preferred currency can be selected.

Contact Julia by email if you have any problems with
the checkout or downloading your pattern.

mail@handknittedthings.co.uk

Garter Stitch Demin Shawl Free Download

This Hand Knitted Things pattern is available as a free pdf download. Click here to go to my pattern section website.

Cranberry Kisses Tweed Reversible Cushion Cover

The latest addition to Hand Knitted Things PDF pattern collection. Cranberry Kisses is a reversible tweed cushion cover with crochet details. Follow the link for more pattern details. Click here.

Long Days of Light

Some sunny yellow flowers from the croft field.

Have been enjoying the very long hours of daylight and particularly good weather this summer here on the west coast of Scotland. The picture below was taken at 10pm on the evening of 20th June when the sun was still setting and casting light on the hillside opposite. Although it's still light at that time, now in early August, it's not enough to see for reading and knitting.

The long awaited 'Fleece and Fibre Source Book' by Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarios has arrived by post. I'm still perusing this weighty publication and will share more about it soon, just to say it has been worth the wait.

There's at last been some produce from the garden - perpetual spinach has been prolific. It goes very well with bacon and mozzarella on homemade pizza.

The courgettes are also starting to develop, the cold start didn't help these at all.

Lots of left over ends of yarn about 9 metres in length in various colours were used up to make this circular crochet scarf. The rows are alternate single and double crochet.

And finally I'm going to spend some time learning to using a spinning wheel. This lovely piece of machinery has been very kindly loaned to me for as long as I want to use it. So when the evenings start drawing in this will help keep me occupied.

lemon drizzle cake

Found this easy straight forward recipe here while looking for mixtures for 2lb loaf tins.

Note added 30/ 5/ 2011. Here's a link to a conversion chart for grams into ounces, hope this helps converting from the metric into imperial. Click here.

Ingredients

225g softened butter
225g Castor sugar
4 eggs
225g self raising flour
finely grated zest 1 lemon

For the topping
85g Castor sugar
juice of 1 and a half lemons

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then add the eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through. Sift in the flour, then add the lemon zest and mix until well combined. Line a loaf tin (8 x 21cm) with greaseproof paper, then spoon in the mixture and level the top with a spoon.
2. Bake for 45-50 mins until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the lemon juice and sugar to make the drizzle. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle - the juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping. Leave in the tin until completely cool, then remove and serve. Will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.

Hand Spun Cheviot Wool Blanket

After quite a long break from doing any spinning I pulled this project out of it's hibernation bag for another go at finishing. There's just over 1kg of cheviot wool roving for this blanket. It's intended to be uneven in texture and so far approximately 130 grams is producing about 124m of hand spun knitting yarn. I'm knitting as the yarn is produced and just about keeping ahead of myself using the drop spindle. There are 145 stitches on the size 7 mm circular needles (not using in the round) and the pattern is a combination of moss stitch with rows of knit stitch with extra wraps to make the open texture and hopefully gain extra length more quickly.

Red Black and White Mosaic

1. red, white, and blue, 2. Private !!!, 3. Black & White Living Room, 4. Black - White - Red, 5. Black & White... & Red, 6. Black, white and red, 7. What's black & white & red all over?, 8. black & white, 9. Black & White & Red Wallhanging

Random images

...from around home today.

Turquoise Grey and Raspberry Colour Scheme

A small crochet garland (started back in April here ) is finished and now decorates the bedroom wall in the cabin. The motif's are a combination of circles and squares turned on edge. For the circles I used this pattern from Attic 24 as the base and for the squares I used 'Willow' from Jan Eaton's book 200 crochet blocks but omitted the final two rounds. I used a mixture of cotton and wool yarns as follows;

Turquoise = Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino #340031
Grey = Kon Tiki Cotton DK slate #1456
White /cream = Kon Tiki Ivory Cream #1443

Embroidered bed linen from a well know Swedish furniture shop.

The crochet Granny Square throw just about covers the bed - details about this here.

Summer Issue UK Handmade Magazine

Just a quick post to mention this latest magazine issue. Click on the picture to view the Summer 2011 edition. Included are lots of features and an article about social media and creativity by Anna Stassen pages 36-37 with reference to the Creature Round Robin which Hand Knitted Things participated in last year and mentioned in more detail here.