A knitter’s diary: 01

April 2025 – climbing rocks, dodging snot and exactly zero finished jumpers

April felt like one of those months that moves in quiet surges between the good and bad. The sort of month where time moves fast but your needles don’t. We had long lunches with old friends (one with a deliciously squishy six-month-old), asked two of our favourite people to be our best man and celebrant at our wedding (they said yes!) and packed the calendar with visits to the park, National Trust wanders and ice-cream catch-ups with the Fantastic Aunties (no Great Aunties in this house, only the Fantastic kind.)

And in amongst all that, there was a family photoshoot with Tom at Old Pine Studios – one of those unexpected, soul-uplifting afternoons. No stiff poses, no “say cheese”, just our little family ambling through the woods collecting pine cones and getting soil in our shoes. I’d dressed our little one in a Hans Sweater I’d made for him using Knitting For Olive Merino in Dark Cognac. We got the photos back last week and they are stunning! We’ve since asked Tom to be our wedding photographer because frankly, how could we not?

Somewhere between all the joy and chaos I climbed the Three Ships at Birchen Edge with my brother and fellow climbing friends. The weather was glorious, the climbing was challenging. I came away with sore hands, bruised shins, but a massive smile on my face.

So while there may not have been much in the way of finished objects this past month, there was plenty of life happening in between.

FOs

Absolutely none. And I’m at peace with that. (Mostly.)

WIPs

Still on the needles and steadily collecting lint:

  • Martin Sweater by Lamana – A slow, meditative knit for my dad in Knitting for Olive Merino, held double in Dark Ocher. It’s one of those knits that feels like a long exhale. A bit more interesting than pure stockinette, but I can still watch an episode or two.
  • Hans Sweater by Pernille Larsen – My third time making this for our little one, this time in Blue Whale. It’s a classic beauty and always gets compliments. At this point I could knit it in my sleep, and I almost have.
  • Storm Sweater Junior by PetiteKnit – A creamy delight in Knitting for Olive Merino in Cream. The idea is to eventually make a matching one for me. Will that happen before 2026? No promises.

That’s a worrying amount of Knitting For Olive there – can you tell I bulk bought from them a few months ago?! I swear I knit with other yarns too…promise.

Yarn acquisitions

Nothing. I know. I am as shocked as you. Not even one cheeky skein. The stash is resting comfortably and, frankly, a little suspicious.

Patterns I’m eyeing up

What I haven’t cast on, but am keeping on my radar:

Notions I’m loving

My PetiteKnit “Put your stitches on hold” stitch holders are getting a lot of use lately. They’re tidy, pleasing to look at, and (unlike my attention span) never snap unexpectedly. Quiet heroes of the knitter’s toolkit.

I’m thinking about getting some tiny snips (inspired by the lovely Woozy By Celine on her podcast). These Cohana Mini Scissors look so cute and pose much less of a stabbing threat in my knitting bag than my huge fabric scissors.

What I’m watching

YouTube-wise, I’ve been bouncing between a couple of podcasts recently.

Amy’s channel, NE Knits, is beautifully structured and her approach scratches that organisational itch in my Type A brain. There’s something very satisfying about her planning process, her clean visuals, her ability to stay on track and hold herself accountable.

On the other hand, Morgan Unraveled offers a slower, more conversational space and her warm, relaxed style feels like having a cuppa with a good friend.

On TV, I finally got stuck into Severance. Absolutely not a background watch unless you enjoy frogging entire sections. But it’s brilliant. Dark, odd and just twisty enough to keep me up at night (knitting? not so much).

What I’m listening to

We’re in renovation limbo right now (dust in places dust shouldn’t be) so I’ve been easing my way through The Ins and Outs Podcast back catalogue. Enough info to feel informed, not so much that my brain melts from overstimulation. It’s the ideal renovation audio.

I’ve been struggling to pay attention to audiobooks at the moment. I keep having a go but nothing’s sticking. Hopefully I’ll have some book recommendations here soon.

What I’m looking forward to

May is my birthday month, and we’ve got a rare child-free dinner planned, a small miracle that I’m so excited about. Then in June we’re heading to France for our first proper abroad holiday as a family. I’m already mentally packing snacks, SPF and a travel-friendly knitting project. Or three.

A note on life

Knitting’s taken a bit of a back seat this month. Work’s been full-on, our little one’s had chickenpox and our cat’s hit a rough patch too. There’s been very little time, and even less energy. I’ve been working hard on fuelling my body (a phrase that sounds much more virtuous than “remembering to eat lunch”) and not adding to my own overwhelm. Small wins, like a decent breakfast or a walk in the fresh air have kept me grounded. First-time mums – I see you.

Comfort corner

At the beginning of the year, I made a promise to myself: no more cheap coffee. I don’t drink much, I don’t go out often and I’m certainly not impulse-buying handbags, so if I’m going to have a coffee it better be good. Postpartum, coffee’s become quite ritualistic to me. In my mind if I’ve had the time to brew myself a cup of coffee, it usually means I’ve found five minutes just for me. And that feels quietly radical.

I’ve had a Two Chimps Coffee subscription since December and absolutely love it. They’re local to me, focused on sustainability and reliably delicious. It turns up every couple of weeks with a new flavour, and honestly feels like a small treat that I’ve gifted to myself. Favourite flavours are “The kipper is out of the bag” and “The donkeys nicked all the strawberries”.

Snapshot of the month

Me, my brother and fellow climbing friends at Birchen Edge, Peak District – grinning at the Three Ships. The wind in our faces, arms aching, cheeks hurting from laughing too much. The kind of moment you want to bottle. Or turn into a yarn colourway.

Your turn

What have you been up to this month? Any exciting cast-ons, yarn splurges or background watches that turned into obsessions? Drop me a comment below. I’d love to hear what’s been on your needles.

Beth x

Back on the blog: knitting plans, sustainable projects and wedding patterns

After an embarrassingly long hiatus (no really, let’s not count), I’m gently tiptoeing back into the Shortrounds blog. The past few years have been a lot, and that’s not to say I haven’t been knitting through it, but life most definitely got in the way. As it tends to. As it probably will again. But for now, I’m feeling the urge to write and share my little corner of this knitting world – I’ve got stories to tell, yarns to squish and knitspiration to share.

So what have I been up to these past four years?

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Another reading challenge?!

I was in two minds as to whether I should share yet another reading challenge for fear of running over old ground. But I had such success with my 2017 reading challenge, I had no reservations continuing in the same vein for 2018. Once again Popsugar released yet another inspiring list of 40 book prompts to broaden your literary horizons and I jumped thoroughly on board at the start of the year.

Seed stitch blanket - Shortrounds Knitwear Continue reading

Yarn buying enabler extraordinaire

I’m sorry in advance for putting such lovely yarns right under your nose. But I’ve been fortunate to find some absolute beauties in recent weeks and just had to put them all in one handy place. Ready for a pay day / ‘Yes I made it through Dry January!’ / ‘Darn I messed up Dry January, oh well, I’ll make myself feel better by buying some gorgeous new yarn!’

There’s a mixture of luxury and more affordable yarns in here, that I’ve earmarked for upcoming projects. The colourways are stunning and very wearable. I’m desperately searching for a supersoft striped yarn to use for my Weekender sweater by Andrea Mowry, but the right one hasn’t crept up yet (any suggestions, please let me know)! But without further ado, here are the yarns I’m ogling right now.

De Rerum Natura Gilliatt Caramel - Shortrounds Knitwear Continue reading

Hessian Shawl – a mono version

It’s been six months since the release of my Hessian Shawl. (Woah, I blinked and half a year went by!) I’d always planned this pattern as a two colour project, with a feature panel to really play with hand dyed, speckled yarns. So I’d never considered I’d make a single colour version. But second time around, when it came to the point where I should switch yarns and begin the contrasting section…I just kept knitting. And I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Hessian Shawl Shortrounds Knitwear

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#2018makenine

Happy 2018 everyone!

If you haven’t already discovered this amazing #2018makenine doing the rounds on Instagram, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

I think this is a great alternative to setting resolutions for the new year. When do we ever really stick to them?

So I’m 100% jumping on this bang wagon and setting myself nine ‘makes’ for 2018. With the benefit of experience from last year’s reading challenge, I know my goals/projects change and adapt throughout the course of a year, so expect this list of nine to mould and transform across the next 12 months. But for now, here are the nine I’m hoping to tackle and complete this year!

Which nine projects are you hoping to tick off your list in 2018?

Instagram 2018makenine | Shortrounds Knitwear Continue reading