Selkie & PWT pre-release

The third pattern from Playful Woolly Toppers have just been published.. meet Selkie!

Using two colours of Lornas Laces Shepherd Worsted - one solid and one multi - this great little earflap Hat uses a modified version of a classic ripple stitch, and is knit in the round and bottom up. You can really have fun with colours with this Hat, especially mixing a solid and multi. And the Lorna's Laces colours are so deep and rich, and the Shepherd Worsted so soft!

The pattern is available in a full range of 5 sizes, covering newborns through to large adults. In this photo you can see how the ripple stitch creates a lovely effect between the two colours. The deep garter stitch keeps the Hat snug and the earflaps provide warmth.

And now that the 3rd pattern is ready, Playful Woolly Toppers is available for pre-order!

As with previous pre-releases, the eBook will be available in instalments in the run up to the publication date. Each of the patterns will be available individually as well as in the book, and as each is ready, the eBook will be updated to include the latest pattern. I've set a publication date of July 2013 for release of the book, and when it's ready the complete file will be available for you to download. As always, an update notification will be sent via email to the purchase email address, and you'll be able to access the latest file(s).

Álfur and Kabouter will both be part of the collection, and customers who have purchased these patterns will have received a coupon to the value of the single pattern which can be redeemed against the purchase of the eBook. Further more, during the pre-release period the eBook will be on offer at a special price of £7.50, and once published in July, the PWT eBook will be the same price as the other Woolly Toppers collections at £9.00.

The newsletter will be going out shortly, and after that, those customers who have purchased both previous patterns will receive a special coupon (to the value of both patterns) via email, so do check your inboxes.

This possibly isn't the final cover for Playful Woolly Toppers - we've a few photoshoots booked, starting this coming thursday - and I've a few shots in mind that I'd like to (try and) get. Wish us luck with that.. kids and photoshoots rarely make for a great combination!

Black, anyone?

Knowing my want to dye lots of things different colours, especially black*, Tom nabbed these old washing machine dyes, left in the recycling/reuse area of our communal house, for me yesterday.

And, well.. they seem to have a bit of a novelty factor... being somewhat displaced from their place of origin..

* so yeah, the wearing black thing. Much as I get lots of flack about it, I like wearing black. It's no excessive goth tendency and perhaps there's a mild hint at the my depressive nature, but for the most part, it's practical. I like colour but I don't like to wear it. Colour complicates things. Black goes with everything. Clothes don't have to be separated at laundry time when it's all dark. I can grab whatever off the shelf and know that it goes with whatever else I pull off the shelf. Simples. Black is also a particularly good disguise and an incredible blank canvas.

I don't iron, either. Not a single thing. Life's too short.

And if I'm honest, sometimes I get tired of the digs & jokes. Sometimes even a little pissed off by them. And I've never really understood the need that some people have to tell you what to wear.. 

Introducing Forest Imp

I've another pattern in Simply Knitting this month, as well as an interview!

© Simply Knitting

© Simply Knitting

The Hat pattern comes in 4 sizes, ranging from 14in through to 22in. The coloured trim makes it an ideal stash buster too, and the textured stitch pattern is interesting enough to keep your attention, but not too complicated at the same time.

Here's a few shots I took of Aran last winter before the Hat was sent off to Simply Knitting..

The pixie point is very subtle; it's almost not a pixie Hat! This sample was knit in Araucania Aysen, and you could happily use any yarn that gives a gauge of 20sts to 10cm/4in (i.e. worsted, heavy DK or light Aran). It's also ideal for those variegated or patterned yarns that you might have in your stash, as the textured stitch is simply enough to work with lots of colours.

There'll be more patterns published with Simply Knitting in the coming months, a bunch of Hats were sent only a few weeks ago. Looking back, it's been a busy 6 months with patterns published in books and magazines.. in fact, there's more patterns published with 3rd parties than there are self published patterns of late!

As always, rights will revert back in about 6 months time - in the meantime, do pop over to The Making Spot, where this pattern is featured and details of how to buy the digital magazine are given ('fraid it only seems to be available for Apple devices tho')

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ETA/ it would seem that the Araucania Aysen has been discontinued somewhere between this design coming off my needles and this issue hitting the shelves. Suitable subsitutes would include Malabrigo Merino Worsted and Fyberspates Scrumptious DK (the original Scrumptious)

A loss of two friends

Tuesday was a very sad day for us all, as my Mum lost two of her animal friends.

Maeve was taken very ill - an infection from a complication was slowly poisoning her - and the difficult decision had to be made. Mum adopted Maeve from a rescue centre when she was around 8yrs old, and she'd almost reached the grand age of 15yrs. Maeve was one of the most loyal and obedient dogs I've ever had the pleasure to meet, and one that also loved to play! Aran was particularly fond of her, as she always protected him when he was a baby and would spend hours catching anything that he was willing to throw for her. 

Remember this little cat that we were trying to rehome, the one who turned up at my Mum's cottage one day?

Well, rehoming proved difficult; rural Ireland seems to have more than it's fair share of animals needing new homes, and slowly but surely, he made his home with my Mum. Mum named him Woody. She wasn't keen to adopt another animal, as she lives on a busy road, and with two rescue dogs already, welcoming a cat wouldn't normally be a good idea. Yet Woody and Chikka, Mum's younger Border Collie, played together all the time and he had such a lovely, gentle nature. He was friendly and loyal, and happy to have finally found a home.

Sadly, Mum found Woody after returning from the vets having just lost Maeve; he'd been a victim of that busy road. She buried them together.

I'm so very sad for my Mum, to lose one pet is hard enough but to lose two within the space of an hour or so is cruel. Mum - I hope you don't mind me posting about this, but I just want to say that we're thinking of you, and that we hope Chikka and yourself are able to move forward together and slowly rebuild.

Bye bye Maeve and Woody, thank you for sharing your lives with us. We will miss you.

A Trio of Hats

Issue 18 of Knit Now saw another Woolly Wormhead pattern published!

A Trio of Hats are 3 Hats with similar characteristics, namely a deep garter brim and a delicate trim on the body.

Firstly, we have the square top, which really, isn't a true square top as it flares out ever so slightly as you edge towards the crown (which is a shape I *love*). Above we have baby Urban modelling, and below we see baby Reuben in the samples that were sent to the magazine. We took the shots of Reuben last summer before the Hats went in the post, and the Hats Urban is wearing I whipped up the other week on my trip to the UK, just for him.

A set of Hats wouldn't be complete without a pixie Hat, eh? And it's a pretty decent pixie top, too; nice and pointy.

And finally, we have the beanie version of the set. Simple in shape yet the little details make it more interesting than a regular beanie cap.

The Trio of Hats aren't just for babies, even though they're modelled on them here! In my usual fashion, I've sized them all the way up to teenagers/small adults, and with 5 sizes included and being easily adjustable with a heavier gauge yarn, this is a pattern for the whole family. The set is written for DK yarn, yet subbing with a worsted will take the size range even further.

Unfortunately an error has been found already, which is totally my fault, as I managed to omit 2 lines of the pattern then copy and past that error throughout :( As written in the magazine the pattern will work, however, to get the effect of the detailed textured strip as shown, you'll want to purl one round either side of the eyelet round. My apologies :)

The rights for the pattern will revert back to me 4 months from the publication date, and we've been having fun trying to get as many different photos of the different samples on different babies as we can! The pattern will be republished at the beginning of June (and the error noted above will have been corrected, too) but in the meantime, Knit Now have gone digital with an iPhone app so you can get the issue there (tho' us Android users will have to wait a little longer)

ps/ I think this blog post needs one of those captions that you used to see in the old catalogues (and maybe still do?) -"cabled cardigan is model's own". 'Cos I know *someone* is bound to ask!