Original designs

This beauty is Shirley Maclaine in The Children’s Hour. It (the cardigan, not Ms Mclaine) is the inspiration for…

this beauty. Blue Sky Alpaca Silk, in a dot stitch, which is the kind of knitting one wishes would never end. And in my case, waiting for an hour without children to progress it, it probably never will.

Category : Blog &Inspiration &Original designs

For so many months this little cardigan has sat upon Clothilde the dress form, I’m now at the stage that I can’t see for looking. It’s worked in one piece with just a little colourwork (a leaf motif) around the yoke for interest. I’m in two minds whether to take out the neckband and have a slightly lower, wider neck, or just go with it as is.

And the yellow out of grey. I love the combination (the yellow 4ply is held in combination with a strand of gold lurex thread), but fear the two shades may be just too close in tone for it to photograph effectively.

So in summary, I think… I think, pretty. Pretty with a white button down and a dirndle skirt. Pretty for the office, pretty at the weekend.

Category : Blog &Original designs

Of course, with every design, what we hope to achieve is a happy marriage (albeit a polygamous one) between various elements: yarn, stitch pattern, colour, design concept, details. Hoping for them to sing together in harmony, each supporting the other and amounting to a finished piece which is greater than the sum of the individual parts. Sometimes this works better than others – but some elements give one the feeling, right from the start, that they are just right.

Like this combination.

The cream is Blue Sky Alpacas worsted cotton, the grey is Patons Wool Blend Aran (63% New Wool 37% acrylic). An unlikely pairing – an almost accidental one, having fallen out of a stash reorganisation – but it works. The grey marl adds subtlety and interest to the slipped stitch houndstooth pattern, and also ameliorates the sheer weight and density – not to mention the cost – of the piece (this is a transitional season coat, so there’s lots of fabric).

There’s some work to do on this one – the collar to knit, a zip to insert, pockets to add (as an afterthought) – but I’ve high hopes.

Category : Blog &Original designs &yarn

Last winter, I wore my Clapotis all season long. I knew it would be an absolute wrench to take it off in spring. I actually cast on in some pale pink Sirdar silky stuff (bought on clearance at Ally Pally) for a spring/summer version, but at the same time happened to be browsing a Japanese pattern book which had this wonderful stitch – a sort of a hybrid of two perennial favourites, the Clapotis and the Jaywalker.

The pattern was pretty but nothing more in solid pale pink silky… the beauty of the Jaywalker pattern (I’m sure that stitch has a real name?) is that it works so fabulously with variegated yarns. The zigzag just doesn’t show up with a solid. I toyed around with ordering some Handmaiden Double Sea but couldn’t justify the expense. So instead contacted Kirsty at Wharfedale Woolworks about getting some bamboo dyed. The colourway we came up with is a combination of palest pinks, golds and greys, called ‘Raindrops on Roses’.

I love it – for me, this is one of those designs where the yarn and the pattern together become greater than the some of their parts. The bamboo is slinky and slithery, cool to the touch, the scarf is long and wide enough to bunch and drape in any number of scarf-wearing styles. The fringing is, admittedly, a little fiddly to work: but if you know me at all you’ll know we never shirk the fiddly finishing: if you spend 40 hours on a beautiful piece it is worth, I will not be persuaded otherwise, an extra two or three to finish the thing beautifully.

Of course, as with all successful designs, I now wish I could start again with a whole different scheme. This time I would work it in four or six rows of an intense bright followed by two rows of black, inspired by this offering by Missoni.

Category : Original designs

I should have started updating the website six MONTHS ago! What was I thinking? We have all these beautiful new designs to share with you and nowhere to put them! (PS: Be sure to read right to the end of this post because we have a special offer for you which is valid for the whole of spring and summer!).

The archives can wait, because I can’t, not a moment longer, to share just a few of the designs we have waiting in the wings. We had planned to release them all together, as a collection, but time and life and commitments just got in the way, so we’re going to be releasing them one or two a week over the next little while.

There is so much variety, I really think (and hope!) there will be something to please everyone! We have bags (capacious day bags and beaded evening bags), heirloom lace, summery scarves, belts, socks, coats, tops… If you see something you particularly love, let us know and we will do our best to move it up the queue!

Because we have been gone so long, and because we are so excited about all the work we have been doing (and so frustrated because as hard as we try it often feels like wading through treacle), we are running a special sale. Just type the code SUMMERSALE11 into the discount code box when you check out, and you’ll be able to buy four patterns for the price of three. The code is valid now and for the whole of spring and summer, and what’s more it’s valid on all patterns, not just new ones. You can use the same code as many times as you like – every time you buy three patterns, you can pick another one to have free, too!

Category : Original designs

It’s a wonderful thing about the very best designers – you can refer to them and refer to them and years later they are still ‘right’. Sophia was my attempt to interpret the Alexander McQueen (rest his soul) cardigan coat from 2006.

It’s no McQueen, but by my reckoning a pretty successful version of a cabled cardigan coat. The yarn is Jaeger EFM Chunky (I’m sure I’m not the only one still mourning the line – yes there are good substitutes for fibre content and twist, but not for the colour range). I’m a big fan of chunky yarns for larger pieces like this or Flicca. It puts them within range of reasonable knitting time – probably no more time consuming than a 4ply sweater.

I know that bobbles divide knitters. Personally I am pro, but respectful of other positions. For the anti-bobblists, I’d suggest filling those medallions in the cable pattern with a little patch of moss stitch.

My final word on this piece: it is warm. The great big collar effectively gives a double layer of fabric over the shoulders – where I feel the cold most. Wear with a sweet little slip of a dress and boots for winter fashion style – or over fine knits, chunky socks, long johns and thermal undershirts for when winter really digs in and chic is a consideration for more clement times.
More pictures, and the pattern, soon.

Category : Original designs

It’s an adventure sending things away to be knit. ‘Will those instructions I wrote, and sent off with some balls of wool and a packet of beads actually come back as a garment?’

As you can see (thanks to the wonderful Pat, who, may I say, could not resist trying on the sweater and modelled it with great élan), they did. I love the semi-solid Handmaiden sock yarn as a background to the strong, black ‘jewellery’. Yes it’s pink, but quite a masculine pink, if you can imagine such a thing – it leans toward the grey/mauve. The inspiration was a catwalk piece, possibly Armani, which had beads or sequins appliqued onto a fine knit pullover. Once I’ve woven the ends in I will try and get some shots of me in it – the pattern is already written and sized, and if I hurry it may even be possible to make one in time for the party season ahead. If I were to make another, I’d love to see it in a watery, pale blue-green… or in dove grey, with silver beads… or cobalt, with bronze…

There’s another beaded sweater in my sketchbook, with beads falling down the sleeves to land in a thick, heavy layer at the cuffs. I’m so pleased with how this one turned out, it may be the motivation I need to go in search of the perfect yarn and bead combination once more.

Category : Original designs

I love those Mason Dixon girls. Their books make me wish I had only just learned how to knit, so I could experience the wonder of all those possibilities opening before me. But what am I saying? I’ve been knitting for by far the greater portion of my life, and their books still have that effect on me.

December 2006 I went to meet Ann on New Years’ Eve, she was visiting London, and I was completely honoured when she invited me to come up with a pattern for the new book, published yesterday. I received my copy a week ago and have been wasting hours of valuable time, poring over the pages when I could be knitting. It has had me visiting online yarn shops, filling my virtual basket over and over again, before sternly reminding myself that I have far too many unfinished projects awaiting attention to justify any more new beginnings, and navigating away.

The Errant Socks, which you will find on page 48, were originally conceived as fraternal twins, a non-matching pair, but space limitations brought the eventual published number of errant sock possibilities down to one. But in the wonderful world of web, there are no such limitations! So here is the prodigal Chart 3. To make your Errant socks even more errant, complete Sock 1 exactly as written in the book, for Sock 2, replace the second paragraph of instructions under the Foot section thusly:

&c from pattern. Enjoy the mismatchiness – which is after all the nature of handknit socks; and the movement from chaos to order – the nature of knitting.

Category : Original designs

I saw a jolly hunter
With a jolly gun,
Walking in the country
In the jolly sun.
In the jolly meadow
Sat a jolly hare,
Saw the jolly hunter,
Took jolly care.
Hunter jolly eager -
Sight of jolly prey,
Forgot gun pointing
Wrong jolly way.
Jolly hunter jolly head
Over heels gone,
Jolly old safety catch
Not jolly on.
Bang went the jolly gun.
Hunter jolly dead.
Jolly hare got clean away,
‘Jolly good’, I said.

Charles Causley

Category : Original designs

Well hello!
It makes my day to have a moment to write, and the wherewithall to think straight.
First of all, Helen, Gabrielle, Maud, Sophy, Katie and Noo made my day by awarding me the singular honour of being a blogger who makes them smile. These really are the most charitable women, given how sparse the smiles have been recently, and the least I can do in return is urge you to pay them a little visit.

And then! Did you see! Jeong-A told me, and Leslie sent me a link… it’s someone you might recognise, meeting the doyenne of craftwomen (less than 4 minutes in)! And the old dear (the jacket, not Martha, nor Barbara) didn’t fall on his face, or say anything to embarrass me!

So you can see – my days have been made in many ways.

And to everyone who made my day by enquiring after a pattern for a baby blanket (immediately below this post), I will make your day by writing up the recipe (really, it couldn’t be simpler) and having it up here in the next few days. Bearing in mind that our definition of ‘a few days’ is somewhat looser than it once was.

Category : Original designs