I made something for myself!!! This is a momentous occasion. Not that I don’t love making things for anyone else, but it’s lovely to make something and know I’m going to be the one wrapping up in it. So I really treated myself this time. I invested in two massive skeins of amazingly soft, super chunky Cascade Magnum in my favourite colour Camel, which I picked up online from Loveknitting.com
Garter stitch
Knot stitch baby blanket – free knitting pattern
Here’s to baby blankets! Something I can knit on straight needles. No complicated twisting stitches, no double points and intricate yarn juggling! No fuss.
Knitwear from the movies
The silver screen is a great source of inspiration for many things…quotes to throw at your friends, travel destinations, fashion, beauty, hair and makeup….all of the things.
And we can definitely add knitwear to that list, with plenty of knitters and designer/makers providing patterns for our favourite on-screen garments. These little beauties have caught my eye over the years, so I had to share! Some are iconic, others more obscure, but these gorgeous examples of knitwear have had me scouring the internet for replica patterns/garments that I could get my hands on.
Katniss’s hunters cowl vest
Quince & Co. Olga sweater
After finishing the Honeymaker, I enjoyed using Quince & Co. yarn so much, I immediately bought two more patterns to attempt. One of these was the Olga sweater knitting pattern, designed by the very talented Olga Buraya Kefelian. All of Olga’s knitwear designs have a classic and timeless feel, and yet are modern and bring something different and new. Her website Olga Jazzy showcases a number of her inspiring patterns – please go take a look!
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
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.
Bee stitch
Mum’s knitted hat and mittens
I know I’m biased, but my Mum’s awesome. So when it comes to treating her and buying her gifts, I like to put real effort in. This Christmas I took a break from making my own designs and I made presents of her choosing – a knitted hat and mittens set.
Mum chose the Quincy Moebius Hat by Jared Flood for Brooklyn Tweed and the Sherwood Mitts by Pam Allen for Quince & Co. (She’s got awesome taste in knitting patterns too!) I found both of these patterns lovely to work with and learned a good few things to add to my knitting arsenal!
Quincy Moebius Hat – Jared Flood
Firstly, this hat is downright beautiful. The moebius construction seems like it would be difficult at first glance, but it’s actually really easy to make and I love the way the twist sits when you wear it. Here’s a picture from Brooklyn Tweed’s website to show you what I mean.
Josh’s mittens – free knitting pattern
Another Christmas present handmade and gifted – and another free knitting pattern! These gorgeously soft fingerless mittens knit up really quickly using the magic loop method. Even better, this is a great unisex knitting pattern using a combination of staggered garter stitch bands and stockinette stitch. Happy knitting…
Debbie Bliss Paloma – Chestnut winter kit
I’m a big fan of Debbie Bliss yarn, I’ve knitted with all kinds of weights, wools, cashmere blends, tweed, merino – all of them! The Debbie Bliss website is also a thing of great inspiration to me. A soft colour palette, clean and uncluttered, making for the perfect jumping off point when looking to start a project or just browse for new yarns. I cannot wait to start a project with their recently launched Roma yarn – squishy, soft and lovely colours to choose from!
