I can’t believe where the last five years have gone. It feels like just yesterday that my friend Claire and I tentatively picked up a pair of knitting needles.
Knitting
All things knitting and knitwear, at the heart of what Shortrounds is all about!
Hessian Baby Blanket April 2016 promo code
To celebrate my appearance in Let’s Knit April 2016, you can get 10% off my Hessian Baby Blanket knitting pattern for the whole month of April over on Ravelry. Just pop on over to the pattern page, and enter HESSIAN10OFF at checkout!
Quince & Co. Scarborough Shrug
This is one of my most favourite knitting patterns that I’ve ever had the pleasure to knit. Simple and effective sequences of yarn overs and dropped stitches create the beautiful lace knit pattern that makes up the Scarborough Shrug by Quince & Co. The end result has been better than I could have ever imagined (having never tackled lace knitting before I was worried about the consistency of my stitches and heaven-forbid dropping a stitch somewhere).
Knitters – Audible is your new best friend
My two main hobbies, knitting and reading don’t really go hand in hand (quite literally). I’ll admit I’m a sucker for seeing a well laid out ‘top down’ view of a squishy ball of yarn alongside a Kindle mid-chapter. I’ve even been partial to posting such images myself, but confession… I cannot read and knit at the same time. I’ve tried and it hurts my brain.
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Ofinn linen hat | A knitting pattern
Ofinn – meaning ‘woven’ in Icelandic, is my latest knitting pattern available to purchase now on my Ravelry store.
Hessian weave baby blanket | A knitting pattern
Say hello to my latest knitting pattern Hessian. So called for the repeating slipped stitch pattern used, which creates a similar texture and weave to a hessian or burlap fabric. This super soft baby blanket knitting pattern is quick to knit, and features a non-rolling edge stitch for a very neat finish. It’s available to purchase on Ravelry and LoveKnitting right now.
Handwashing your delicate knitwear just got easier…
The worst laundry related disaster happened to me this week. I got BEETROOT on a WHITE TOP! But rather than flapping around thinking that my favourite blouse was ruined forever, scrubbing it wildly with anything that I could get my hands on (my usual reaction to the frankly frequent spillages I make), I calmly reached under the sink for my trusty bottle of Soak.
Getting your knitting stash organised
Before Christmas my knitting stash was an unbelievable mess and my two main areas for keeping my yarn and needles were inside a footstool in our lounge, and *shock, horror* chucked behind one of our armchairs!
Something had to change.
For the last few months I’ve been ever so slowly compiling items of furniture and home decor/storage boxes to be used in my perfectly cosy little office. A slow process because I’ve not wanted to just buy things for the sake of it. Instead waiting patiently until ‘the one’ of every purchase came around. This can take time, but one by one I’ve found my perfect desk, chair, desk lamp, lampshade, shelves and storage boxes. In due course I must take some pictures and show you how it all looks, but at the moment it still needs a lick of paint and a blind (just ordered).
However, it is useable. So over the holiday I started using my office space, having a full clear out of my yarns in the process. Here’s how I tackled my dishevelled collection.
Knitting treats to up your game in 2016
Christmas is barely over and I’m already thinking about all of the lovely knitting related things I can get my mitts on now we’re in a New Year!
The yarn embargo is over, I’ve cast off on lots of projects (watch this space for upcoming blogs) so I can now purchase away to my heart’s content. Well, at least they’ll sit on a wishlist until next pay day! I want to up my knitting game in 2016, and with these handy treats available to me I’ll surely be set.
Christmas and New Year 2015
Happy New Year! And here’s to a fantastic 2016.
Last year was a fantastic year for me and Mr Shortrounds. Not only did we shirk 90% of our DIY projects in favour of days and nights out with friends (oops must do better this year!), we travelled to some amazing countries and met some wonderful people!
Christmas was spent cosily with just Mum, Dad and Lil Bro this year. After a walk around the village, we settled in for a fantastic dinner prepared by Michelin star chef – Mum (ok well, she deserves at least two stars in my opinion). Presents were opening, champagne was quaffed and I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in a long time! These pictures capture the perfect moment when my Mum turned her nose up at the champagne (saved for this very special occasion) – needless to say, we drank it anyway, and very nice it was too!
