Friends, it all started innocently enough, with a scarf cast on. I had a few balls of Lopi and the newest MDK Field Guide, and the Destination Scarf was going to do double duty as a tutorial sample and a bit of relaxing telly knitting.

Before my scarf was halfway done, I found I’d cast on for a Trinket Mitten, which practically knitted itself, and soon I had a pair. I started casually scouring UK online yarn shops to see who had Lopi in stock and, a few days later, my few balls of Lopi had become several, and Tabitha and I were putting together colour combinations for Jaunty Beanies for the whole family.

Did I know I needed half a dozen Lopi projects in my life? No, no I didn’t! But that’s the magic of a really great pattern collection from a top-notch designer. Mary Jane Mucklestone just knocked it out of the park! The accessory patterns have that magical mix of easeful stocking stitch and moreish colourwork, making them engaging and quick to knit (I can’t speak from experience for the garment patterns … yet!) I’ll certainly have plenty of entries for MDK’s Lopi knitalong, which runs until the end of April!

I knitted a Jaunty Beanie, but it’s the Trinket Mittens that have got into my head, and I’ve got another pair on the go. This time I’ve done a Field Guide – Confident Knitting mash up, and made my Trinket Mitten with a folded hem. I simply cast on with the crochet provisional cast on, worked the same number of rounds in stocking stitch, as I intended to work in the cuff section, and then worked the colourwork cuff with a purl round at each end. Folded the hem up and worked a joining round. I’m super happy with how it looks! If you fancy trying your hand at a folded hem, you’ll find instructions in this YouTube video.

What’s keeping your needles occupied at the moment? If you’re looking for a lot of inspiration in a little package, we have a range of fabulous Field Guides ready to go in the online shop!