Pathfinder

This is the Pathfinder hat. Inspired by maps and fair isle motifs. Grid lines and squares represent the distance measures on a map and diagonal directions on a compass. The repeating fair isle style design uses four colours. A contrast colour is used part way through the pattern to create additional interest. Concentric rings reminiscent of contour lines rise up the crown, topped off with a colourful pom pom. Shown above and below in wool from Jameson's of Shetland DK, accent colours are Pumpkin and Caspian.

The pattern also includes instructions for a thee colour version. Shown below knitted in West Yorkshire Spinners Bluefaced Leicester DK - colours, Burnt Orange, Honey and Olive.

Full pattern details for Pathfinder can be found on Ravelry. 

Shetland Wool Week 2015

Shetland Wool Week is 26th to 4th October 2015. Again, I'm not able to attend this event. As a substitute, as such, I ordered a copy of the Shetland Wool Week Annual: Volume 1 which arrived in the post at the weekend. This is a new publication full of patterns, inspiration and essays. Designers and contributors include, Ella Gordon, Hazel Tindall, Kate Davies, Outi  Kater, Gudrun Johnson, Donna Smith and others. Donna is this years patron and designer of the hat on the cover, the very popular 'Baa-ble Hat'. I'm enjoying reading the articles about knitting and it's importance in the Shetland Isles and browsing the knitting patterns for future projects.

I first picked up a copy of the pattern for the Baa-ble Hat at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival in March. It's also included in the Shetland Wool Week publication and is available to download free via their website. 

A few weeks ago I made a start on the hat project. I had a selection of un-dyed yarn from our Shetland sheep and wondered if I could use the colours to make this hat. Black, grey, brown and white provided enough substitute shades and contrasts. This is a lovely pattern and easy to knit. It's a fun hat for both adults and children. The instructions are for the adult size but you can find a guide to knitting a child sized version on Donna Smiths blog.

Here's a few images of my Baa-ble Hat project...

A Yorkshire Yarn

Having a relaxing time down in Yorkshire, drinking tea and knitting. Not only drinking 'Yorkshire' tea but knitting with yarn spun in Yorkshire too. The people at Yarn Stories have sent me some samples to try out from their mill in Huddersfield.  This small town was once at the centre of the Yorkshire woollen industry before the decline in the mid 20th century. However, there's a strong continuing tradition in the town for textiles and a resurgence of woollen products. Here's what Yarn Stories say,

"In a Yorkshire mill, steeped in history and tradition, a new brand has been created. Yarn Stories takes a unique approach to spinning, creating the highest quality yarns from superior fibres.

Our yarns have been shared with talented designers drawn from all over the world in a truly collaborative relationship. In turn, the designers have created collections of patterns unlike any other – designs that promote fashionable hand knit and crochet to a discerning audience."

Yarn Stories is currently offering a free shade card and free digital pattern until 1st July 2015. The shade cards have samples of 4ply, DK & Aran weights, in merino and fine merino with baby alpaca. Patterns feature international designers including, Carol Feller and Tanis Gray .

My yarn samples in 'Duck Egg' and 'Burnt Sienna' are fine merino 4ply. I've been working with a lot of Shetland and Blue Faced Leicester yarn recently which is very soft. But this merino is really fine and soft, it's also in a good range of colours. 

I chose to knit a pair of fingerless gloves with a simple Fair Isle motif called Junko by Katya Frankel. The pattern can also be found on Ravelry.  I knit these without printing out the instructions, just using the digital PDF version on my tablet. The pattern is very well written, nicely presented and easy to follow, also there are instructions for a matching hat. 

The finished gloves are a perfect fit and feel very comfortable. They'll be travelling back north with me, I'll probably need them, it'll be summer up in Scotland!