The squares of my Fly Away Blanket by Tin Can Knits are being completed bit by bit…
Today’s post includes a video tutorial on seaming blanket squares.
Read moreWelcome to our #virtualwonderwool stand!
We might not have been able to pack the van and head to Builth Wells for Wonderwool, but we’re super delighted to be taking part in #virtualwonderwool this weekend. While nothing can quite replace the fun and excitement of a knitting show, it’s really lovely that so many UK festivals have come up with creative ways to carry on in the circumstances. And the silver lining is that, whether you were planning to come to Wonderwool in person or not, you can peruse vendor offerings over on Wonderwool’s Facebook group or Instagram by following the hashtag #virtualwonderwool … and the special festival deals that we would have been offering are now available to you from the comfort of your favourite knitting chair! So step right up to our virtual AC Knitwear stand and have a peek!
Read moreLittle lessons: Weaving in ends in garter stitch
I have been experimenting, and it turns out that I can film a basic tutorial video all on my own! Jim is at home with the kids, so I’ve lost my cameraman as well as my producer and film editor, but there were things I wanted to show you, so with some advice from a friend, I’ve got a set up that will do.
I am launching a series of short (hopefully!!), straightforward videos on basic knitting techniques, called Little lessons. I’m filming these in one shot with no editing, graphics or any of the fancy stuff that we normally do. This means that while they may not be quite as polished as our normal offerings (no shot of me at my desk at the start!), I can continue to film things, and hopefully you will continue to learn new techniques.
Read moreOn my needles...
I managed a good chunk of knitting time over the Easter weekend, which has done wonders for my general mojo. I hope that you are all getting some knitting time amongst everything else too!
It has been absolutely lovely to be able to sit out in the garden to knit. I love my garden – I ran a gardening business before I started work as a technical editor on The Knitter – but I don’t often sit outside and enjoy it. I suffer from hayfever for a large chunk of the time of year where it’s warm enough to sit out, so it was an extra treat for it to be warm, but not too pollen-y last weekend.
Read moreRefresh
The very early morning view across our local park last week.
The transition from winter to spring seems particularly noticeable this year. We are spending more time in our garden, and I’m taking time to notice the changes in the shrubs and trees while I slog my way around the park getting my early morning exercise. Our experiences of early 2020 will vary enormously, but nature is continuing to do its thing regardless.
It seems particularly apt that the latest Mason-Dixon Field Guide should launch today with the theme “Refresh” – focussing on seasonal transition and the perfect knitting to accompany that change. Field Guide No. 14 Refresh contains four beautiful patterns from our great friend, Carol Feller.
Read moreRavelry how-to: Advanced Searching
I’ve been doing a lot of project planning in the past few weeks and have found myself using Ravelry’s advanced search function quite a bit. It occurred to me that perhaps not everyone knows about this really powerful tool, so here’s a little photo tutorial showing how you can use filters to narrow down your Ravelry search results!
Read moreComfort Blanket Patterns
What sort of knitting are you doing at the moment?
I’m craving a mixture of things so simple I can’t possibly go wrong (those are famous last words of course!)… as well as projects that are a little more absorbing. I’m being a knitting butterfly and flitting between projects, doing a little of what I fancy as and when.
Read moreAccepting our Limitations
Two weeks ago when it became clear that things were getting serious I announced I’d run a comfort blanket knitalong and use our techniques videos to put together squares for a design.
Gosh, that was naïve of me!
I had an idealised picture of what I wanted this time to be like, and the reality is far from it! We now have the kids at home, and they are needing pretty much our full attention every hour that they are awake, which doesn’t leave anything very much for self-care (which is massively important), let alone work. So thinking that I would be able to design (design?!? that’s something I find hard at the best of times!) a blanket, knit it, write it up clearly enough for others to follow, and write blog posts, was utterly crackers! I’m sorry, but in order to get through this, I need to do a bit less, not a bit more!
Read more#SpringintoColourKAL pattern inspiration
Our #SpringintoColourKAL is in full swing over on Ravelry and Instagram, and I think we’re all finding lots of joy in some colourful knitting! If you've not joined us yet, or perhaps are looking for a second or third cast on, today we’re bringing you some patterns big and small that would make for great entries!
Read moreComfort socks
Today’s blog post is about my happy-place knitting, socks! It includes links to tutorials to get you started as well as what I’m planning for our blanket.
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