I posted a photo today on Instagram of some Hats gently blocking before a photoshoot, and it hadn't occurred to me that this might be something that others might want to know or not already know about! (I know)
They're small beach balls. Sturdy and reusable.
I don't always use these for wet blocking - they don't come in a huge range of sizes, and you can't control the final diameter - balloons offer a much better range, so it would depend on the size of the sample.
These were originally purchased for taking to shows, so that previously blocked Hats that'd been stored in boxes and normally a vacuum bag prior to travel, would have a way of being refreshed and de-decreased and bought back to their beautiful selves ready for the show. And as this is something I do a lot, I didn't want to waste that many balloons (though as you'd imagine, I do have a few black helium balloons just in case)
I ordered two different sizes - and this is where you have to be careful, as the measurements for the beach balls are of the beach balls as if laid flat, which is equivalent to half the circumference, so do take care when ordering. I picked up 10 each of the 9in and 6in balls.... I couldn't find a 10in or 11in in black, but that's kinda OK, as these are better off being the finished size of the Hat, rather than the fit to size, as I don't want to be stretching the Hat each and every time - I just want the creases nudged away. The 6in size is great for small kids Hats, like the samples in Playful Woolly Toppers (which I knit two of each, so the baby sizes could be seen!) and the 9in is pretty good for adult Hats, which often have a finished size in the region of 18in diameter.
And where did I get them from?
beachballs.com of course!
I went with black as I wanted them to match the rest of my exhibit kit, as all my folding wig stands are black, and 'cos I'm like that. If you're less fussy about colour, you can probably find an even better range that you can use for wet blocking (if I can get over my rather strong dislike of beach ball colours, I plan to do just this. IF)
They're sturdy and reusable and far less wasteful than balloons. I guess it depends how much blocking you do, but if you're someone like me that has hundreds of knitted Hats stored away, they're rather a good idea.
Support
As always, if you have a question about this technique or need some help with it, leave a comment below! I’m afraid I’m unable to offer help via email or private message but you’re welcome to post in our forums.
Knitting into the row below is a variation of Brioche knitting, and creates a wonderfully textured stitch pattern on what is a garter stitch ground. It is used in my Muratura, Kourserb and Rainbow Warrior patterns, and it isn't as yarn thirsty as other brioche stitches (knitting into the row below doesn't use quite as much yarn as creating a yarnover)
The usual abbreviation for knitting into the row below is 'K1b'. This stitch is usually worked on alternate stitches, and is offset on RS rows to create the pattern.
1) Knit up to the stitch that has the K1b instruction.
On a piece of knitting worked flat, the 1st row is usually *K1, K1b; rpt; the 2nd & 4th rows are knit across. The 3rd row would then be *K1b, K1; rpt.
When working in the round, the 2nd & 4th rounds would be purl across.
2) Insert your needle into the stitch below the one on the left hand needle, as shown.
3) Bring your yarn around and perform a knit stitch
4) This is the completed knit stitch, with the worked stitch still on the left hand needle – here you can see clearly how you have knit through both loops together.
5) Then slip the worked stitch off the needle, and done! It's much simpler than it first seems.
Support
As always, if you have a question about this technique or need some help with it, leave a comment below! I’m afraid I’m unable to offer help via email or private message but you’re welcome to post in our forums.
Muratura is the last Hat of 2016 to be published, and I reckon it's a good finish to the year!
Muratura is knit sideways in aran weight yarn. The pattern is garter stitch based, and so the brim is ribbed (as that's what garter stitch becomes when it's turned sideways), and it uses a garter stitch graft to finish.
The stitch pattern is a variation of brioche, which provides warmth and texture without making the Hat too thick or heavy. And given that it's knit in aran weight, you can make one in afternoon - ideal for gifts! (worth mentioning, as gifting season is here ;)
The yarn the Hat is featured in is BFL Aran from Snail Yarn. I first met her at Swiss Wolle the other year, and her colours are gorgeous - she was fairly new on the scene then and did a roaring trade! It's worth having a browse through her Etsy shop.
If you're not able to get hold of any of the featured yarn, you can use any aran weight yarn that gives the same gauge - given it's texture I think Muratura will look just as lovely in a plain dyed yarn or lightly variegated colourway.
If you are thinking of subbing yarn, you might be interested to know that a KAL for this Hat starts this Friday (9th December) and runs through to 31st December! There'll be lots of advice on hand, tips and tricks, and adjusting the pattern for size or gauge is one of the things we'll be discussing. There will be a few special prizes, too.
The folks at Knitters Pride have very generously offered some prizes for the Muratura KAL! First prize is a Karbonz Deluxe Interchangeable Set and the second prize is an Assorted Needles Case in Aspire. Pretty tasty prizes, I'd say!
All you have to do to qualify is knit-a-long with us in my Ravelry group, post your project to Ravelry and tag it with 'knitterspride'. They're happy to ship internationally, and everyone is welcome to join in.
The code 'knitterspride' will also not only get you 20% off the pattern (applicable on my website in ££ and Ravelry in $$) but it will also give you 20% off any other single patterns you might want to buy at the same time! In theory, the promotion should also give you 20% off any single patterns you buy during the promotion period, even if you buy them after purchasing Muratura. Promotion is valid until midnight 21st December GMT.
Look out for the fresh tutorials that I'll be posting on Instagram, to the Tutorials section and on the Knitters Pride blog.
Our 9th annual Mystery Hat-a-Long came to a close last weekend when I was in Lyme Regis for the final stop of my teaching tour. Full copies of the patterns were duly sent out, and the name and photographs revealed to MKALers.
Armley Beanie, front view
This year's MKAL consisted of 3 styles, split across 2 patterns. The first pattern consists of the beanie (shown above) and the slouchy beanie (shown below), which is best described as a comfort fit rather than full on slouch.
Armely Shouch, front view
The 3rd design, and the 3nd pattern, is the Armley Beret, shown below.
Armley Beret, front view
The beret is the original design, and the beanie and slouchy came into being some time after. The name comes from the day I spent at Armley Mill with Ann Kingstone and Susan Crawford, on the photoshoot for Ann's Lace Knits book.
During this time, Babylonglegs was facing one of the hardest things life can throw at you. As most of you know we're very close, and she wanted to spend some time with woolly friends and I wanted to give the hugs I could offer. And so she came along to our shoot, and with her she bought the skein of Mesmerino DK that you can see used in the beret design above. It was a brilliant day. It rained some (hey, it's Yorkshire in October!), we laughed, and between us we took some great photos. The series of Hats is named for that day spent with 3 friends at what was once the world's largest woollen mill, supporting each other, and giving Sarah the love she needed.
As well as Babylonglegs offering yarn support, Fyberspates were very kind to offer support for the beanie and slouchy versions of the pattern. Their Vivacious DK is the perfect weight for the pattern and the colour blends lend themselves perfectly to the design.
The patterns are now available at the regular price, and if you put both in your cart (or if you've already bought one) the system will detect this and charge you the bundle price (if you've already bought one, the system will deduct what you've already spent - clever!)
This MKAL has been really enjoyable, and I hope everyone is happy with their new Hat - rather seasonal, wouldn't you say? I'll also add that Tom did the photos for these, and I think he did a cracking job (that beanie shot is my favourite :D)
I've been resistant to increasing prices on any of my products, but sometimes needs must. The single patterns will remain the same, and from the 1st January the eBooks will have a new pricing structure:
eBooks with >10 patterns: £15/$24
eBooks with 10 patterns: £12.50/$20
eBooks with <10 patterns: £10/$16
eBooks with <4 patterns: £7.50/$12
Single patterns will remain priced at: £3.75/$6
There are a few reasons for the need to increase - some of it is to do with the exchange rate and currency fluctuations, which doesn't look to settle or improve any time soon and this has a knock-on effect on my costs (sometimes this works in my favour, other times not). This increase also allows me to add in an extra price point, as I've a few collections planned that have less than 10 patterns and I want to maintain a good balance between value of the collection vs the value of the singles. I also want to keep my prices generally in line with market price, as I don't want to feel like I'm undercutting, underpricing or undervaluing. When the EUVat kicked in I didn't change the prices of the eBooks that much, and I'm now earning less on these as I was (eBooks are the most costly items to produce). And given my current health my costs are increasing overall, even without these additional factors, as I'm outsourcing more and more work, and I have to try to keep things balanced this end.
Pricing is hard.
I still believe the eBooks offer excellent value, given the amount of patterns and tutorials included, and especially given the market as it is. The current set up that allows you to buy the bundle and have the amount you've already spent be deducted will continue, and I will still continue to offer both currencies to give you the choice and best value for money.
I know I don't have to justify any of this, but I do like to be transparent so you can see how your money is being spent!
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