All things knitting and knitwear, at the heart of what Shortrounds is all about!
I love cables! My last post on the ‘Honeymaker‘ may tell you otherwise, but I do really love a good cabled knit.
One of the first things I ever knitted for my mum was this cowl by Pickles with lovely cables to twist the entire fabric, creating a really elegant effect! But this post isn’t about that cowl (maybe another time)…
Three years on, and I found this little gem of a pattern on Ravelry. And bonus…. it’s free!
7 long months…
6 skeins of Osprey…
5 separate attempts…
4 temper tantrums…
2 cramping hands…
1 very understanding boyfriend.
This has been a long time in the making…anyone who follows me on Instagram will know I spent many of my evenings over the last few months pouring over this epic cabled jumper by Quince & Co. It’s taken me even longer to take images for this blog post, because me and this jumper needed a time out!
I chose the Honeymaker knitting pattern to challenge myself, keep my attention, teach me a thing or two – I wanted something that wasn’t just stockinette stitch. Well this certainly delivered! Continue reading
Natural fibres will always pill and bobble to a certain extent, it’s simply an unavoidable fact. Some mistakenly believe that the more you spend on clothing, the less you’d expect this to happen. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but regardless of how much you spend on woollen clothing or accessories, this will still occur where certain fibres are concerned. From designer to high street, from mass produced to handmade, it’s universal.
Don’t despair! Luckily there are plenty of things you can do stop this from happening. You can even revive tired, old worn out garments with the help of some handy wool care tips and a few fantastic products.
Pilling and bobbling occurs when fibres rub together, so think underarm areas and perhaps where you sling your shoulder bag over your knitwear. This is particularly common with softer, chunkier yarns and fibres that are often spun more loosely. When pilling happens, this can make your knitwear look shabby and ready to throw out. But I’m pleased to say, with the right wool care and a little preening your garments can look good as new.
Here’s how I go about reviving my knitwear. I hope you find at least one of these recommendations helpful! And please comment if you have any handy tips to share 🙂 sharing’s caring!
Last week I shared my ‘Top 5 Luxury Yarn Buys’ with you, now this week I’m looking at the opposite end of the spectrum and indulging in my ‘Top 5 Budget Yarns’. Don’t assume low cost means cheap and nasty. Think more cheap and cheerful – as the yarns I’ve selected (in my opinion anyway) combine both value for money and quality. There’s absolutely no point in paying next to nothing for yarn if it’s not going to do the job.
And on the flipside, let’s be honest – I know I’m not alone in having paid a small fortune for supposed ‘high-quality yarns’ before and been bitterly disappointed with the outcome. It’s good to get the balance right, so these two blog posts are all about finding the best yarn for the job!
If you feel differently to me on any of these yarns, or have any other suggestions, have your say and please comment – I’d love to know what your favourite yarns are!
Love is in the air….and I want to share with you my brand new FREE knitting pattern!
With the sharp sting of Christmas spending well behind us, it’s time for a good dose of luxury yarn indulgence.
I love trying out different yarns. That isn’t to say that I don’t have a few firm favourites that I constantly revisit. But this does mean that I do a lot of exploring. I like to pick different brands, thicknesses, textures, fibre types and colours and I always get excited when I’m knitting with something completely new! During my yarn travels, I’ve stumbled upon so many lovely skeins both affordable and what could be classed as more ‘luxury’ brands and they each have their own merit. I’ll be exploring budget yarns later on, but for now I’ve picked out my ‘Top 5 Luxury Yarn Buys’.
These luxury yarns are by no means the most expensive on the market, as I don’t rate quality products by the price they’re charged at. They’re just downright indulgent!
The virtual doors are open and all of my handmade knitwear is available to buy on Etsy right now! Standard sizes are available to purchase immediately and custom orders are more than welcome. I’d love to hear from you, so please get in touch with me right here if you have any feedback or you’d like to conjure up your very own, unique, hand knitted piece.
The designs you see are just the beginning, there’ll be more to follow over the next few months, available in a range of styles, sizes and ages. So fill your boots and take a peek at what’s online now, and keep your eyes peeled for more Shortrounds Knitwear to come!
It’s just a few short days until Shortrounds Knitwear launches on Friday 20th February! And I had such a blast photographing a selection of the knitwear I’ve been stitching recently, I just had to share a few ‘bloopers’ with you!
It was so much fun, and what’s even better – my lovely friends were involved, so my images have a real personal touch to them and always make me smile.
They say never work with children or animals, well…during the two days I snapped a few pics we had both. But far from being a distraction and a nuisance, it provided some much needed comic relief!
Where does a self-confessed knitaholic choose to go on holiday? Why, Iceland of course!
No relaxing on the beach for me and Mr Shortrounds this time round. Early in February we scooted off to Reykjavik and southwest Iceland to explore and take in the natural beauty that this stunning landscape has to offer! From geysirs and waterfalls, to black beaches and glacier walking – we weren’t disappointed. We were so lucky, we even got to see the Northern Lights!
It also offered the perfect opportunity to product test my soon to be available knitwear. Because what’s the point of making something that doesn’t work, right?! I’m pleased to report, that in temperatures of down to -10°C I kept wonderfully toasty. I may have had a freezing nose but I don’t suit a balaclava, so I had to make do.
Now I’m back, it’s full steam ahead to get Shortrounds Knitwear up and running. I’m just getting the final pieces together, so look out for an announcement on the launch very soon! In the meantime, without further delay, here’s a few snaps from our sub-zero mini break. See you soon!
In January, I posted about the Raspberry Stitch Mittens I had made for my friend Su. These winter warmers were made using Debbie Bliss Paloma chunky yarn. They have been so well received and I’ve had some lovely comments about them (which was a nice surprise). So much so I had a request to make them in aran weight yarn, with a bright contrast thumb!
Leon wanted ‘his and hers’ fingerless mittens, a pair for him and a pair for his wife. The only difference, the colour on the thumb! So I set about recrafting my pattern to suit the different yarn weight. Here’s the free knitting pattern for you to try…
