Love is in the air….and I want to share with you my brand new FREE knitting pattern!
Knitting
All things knitting and knitwear, at the heart of what Shortrounds is all about!
Top 5 luxury yarn buys
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!
Shortrounds Knitwear – open for business
It’s official! Shortrounds Knitwear is open for business.
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!
Knitwear photography – blooper reel
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!
“I come from the land of the ice and snow…”
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!
Raspberry stitch mittens – a different take
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…
Shortrounds Knitwear – Etsy Shop
I have some exciting news!
The Shortrounds Knitwear Etsy shop will be launching mid-February.
I’ll be selling beautiful, affordable knitwear made to a high standard and lovingly hand knitted. I promise to use only the best wools and yarns, and offer you an individual, personal service from casting on to your hand-wrapped package finally arriving on your doorstep. I will stock standard pieces of knitwear on Etsy in a wide range of colours, but if you have allergies or sensitivity to certain wools or would like to commission a one-of-a-kind piece, please drop me a line either on Etsy or via my contact page and we can have a chat about creating your unique Shortrounds knitwear!
Hats, headbands and Cowls
KNITWEAR Chanel to Westwood exhibition
So last weekend, I high-tailed it down to London with my lovely Mum and partner in knitting crime Claire. Our main aim was to visit the Fashion and Textile Museum to see the KNITWEAR Chanel to Westwood exhibition, but let’s not pretend that the opportunity for shopping didn’t play a part in this dastardly plan at all.
Cue girly weekend!
Half-and-half scarf – free knitting pattern
I was thrilled to be asked to make another garter stitch hat for my friend Sarah. But as well as a hat, she wanted a matching infinity scarf to be paired with it. Challenge on!
As much as I love garter stitch, you can have too much of a good thing, and I wanted to create something a little more interesting than a plain garter stitch hat and scarf set. Inspired by this pin on Pinterest back in 2014, I set about recreating a bulkier ‘half-and-half’ pattern myself. It’s a lovely mixture of basketweave and garter stitch, which look like they were made to be knitted together in my opinion. The original pin has me yearning for a mint green scarf now, but I have to push that thought to the back of my mind and get on with more pressing things!
Stitch patterns…a few of my favourites
There’s more to knitting than garter and stockinette, and although these stitches form the solid foundation of many of my favourite knits, it’s nice every once in a while to break the monotony and explore! So here are a few of my personal favourite stitch patterns and instructions on how to do them.
