Autumn new releases preview - Cirro

Tomorrow is new release day so I'd better get caught up and tell you what's coming!

Cirro is your perfect cosy winter Hat, complete with giant bobble. Knit up in bulky yarn, it's a super quick knit, making it perfect for gifts. And with 4 sizes included, it'll cover just about every head.

Designed for Cloudborn Fibers Merino Bulky Splash, it's been available as a kit from Craftsy for a few weeks, and tomorrow sees it available as a single pattern for the first time. The recommended yarn is a super lush soft and squidgy bulky merino which is absolutely perfect for winter Hats!

The pattern is ideal for adventurous beginners or experience knitters alike - you'll want to be able to knit in the round and be comfortable with a moving-the-marker direction, but otherwise it's all increases and decreases and that's it! The pompom is of course optional but how could you not?

There's just time to squeeze in one last blog post before release date, about the 3rd pattern. Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter if you haven't already?

It's been a strange week here as I've slowly been moving over everything from my hard-drives and ageing laptop onto a brand new shiny PC. It's a job that's needed doing for quite some time and right now might not seem the best time to do it, but it's best to do it before the laptop gives up completely, and right now I've very little work in progress that needs the machine... so circumstances dictate. It's a bittersweet thing to be moving onto a machine that's less portable but it does feel very good to be giving my filing system a very thorough tidy up!

Autumn new releases preview - Sagitta

Come 31st October, I'll be releasing 3 new single patterns. I've been sharing a few posts on Instagram and will explain a little more about each here.

You'll remember this one from a few weeks ago, when I needed some help naming it! Thanks to Satu, it'll now be known as Sagitta - the name suits it perfectly, as not only does the name refer to the arrows within the pattern but also to the geometry, too.

Sagitta is knit sideways using a garter stitch lace pattern that's very easy to memorise. Because it's worked sideways with narrow panels, it's also easier to size than most Hats - you can simply work more or fewer panels. The depth of the panel is best adjusted by gauge, as the stitch pattern isn't quite so forgiving if you remove a stitch repeat.

The pattern comes in written and charted format, and includes illustrated tutorials for all relevant techniques. It is a quicker than you think knit with it's oh so easy to memorise stitch pattern and narrow panels, and you'll find it hard to put down!

The Hat is designed for Miss Bab's Yummy 3-ply and it will be one of their recommended patterns for their November Hat-a-long, so it's absolutely ideal if you want to join the KAL and try something different!

Sagitta will be published on 31st October, next Tuesday, along with the other two new releases for this autumn. Newsletter subscribers will get a little something dropping into their inbox, so if you're not signed up you may want to fix that now.

Scourie - a special collaboration

Today I'm introducing a new design that I've worked on with Ripples Crafts yarns. Together we thought it'd be pretty cool to do something special for Loch Ness Knit Fest and here it is.

Scourie is sideways knit, with short row colourwork. With this design I wanted try something different with this technique to show that short row colourwork isn't just intarsia - it can be stranded, too. Several of the Elemental Hats use stranded techniques but not obviously so and not to this extent, and so I started to explore shapes and details that could look effective as well as not be too tricksy to knit!

This pattern will have you changing colours at short row points, but given a little practice with tension, it's not something that should trip anyone up. Don't tug the yarn too hard, but similarly don't let it slacken off too much - firm and gently is the right approach, and you'll find it easier than you think.

The instructions are provided as a panel map - a method I first put to use with the Elemental Hats that has proved to be pretty popular. It's a directional map, so the symbols show you which direction you're knitting and how many stitches are worked in any given row, to make it easier to keep track of the short rows. I've a blog post about this method of charting in the works, so do keep an eye out for that.

Scourie will be available in print only initially. As this is a special project for LNKF, we thought it best to offer it in print only for a limited time. Helen will have plenty of yarn on her stand to put together for kits, and I'll be ordering plenty of copies of the pattern.

Fear not, though - Scourie *will* be available as a digital single pattern in due course! I've the MKAL coming up (our 10th!), and another special pattern for another KAL (busy is an understatement) and I don't want to release Scourie and have it lost in the crowd. I will let you know as soon as it's available, I promise (and if you haven't already, do sign up to the newsletter)

Did I introduce you to Molly yet? We've only started working together in this last week and it's already clear that not only does the camera love her, but also that she's a natural at modelling. Molly grew up around these parts and I'm really pleased to able to work with her.

Scourie uses Ripples Crafts merino sport weight, which is such a lovely yarn - such bounce and definition, and it takes the dye beautifully. Different sizes in the pattern are achieved via panel repeats, but gauge can also help play a part - with a finer gauge, a short Hat can be achieved, and vice versa. The panel width is pretty narrow so you can repeat it until it fits just so (that try-it-on-as-you-knit aspect of sideways Hats is pretty dandy)

And there we have it! See you at LNKF?

ps/ there are still some places on my workshops, so do sign up now if you want to take a class with me - all events need a minimum number of bums on seats to run classes and it helps everyone to book in advance.

Introducing Parallelo

I've another new design to talk about today! (it's going to be like this for some time... I promise that life is still going on and I'm getting some rest and sleep)

Parallelo is a design using short row colourwork, and was the very first design I did with the Bloomsbury DK that I used for the Elemental collection.

When the idea of working colourwork sideways hit, and wanting to use short rows to achieve those colour changes, the collection was going to be more minimal and graphic in style. I had the photoshoot planned out, a good 3 or 4 designs mapped out. And then I designed Toph and that all changed.

This Hat was already a written pattern and knitted sample when things changed direction, so here it is. It gives an intro to the techniques used in the Elemental collection, and is a great pattern to start with if you're a little unsure about diving in. It's also a different style - Hat shape wise as well as design wise - so if slouchy organic forms are not for you, Parallelo might be just right.

Parallelo is available as a single pattern from me through my usual outlets, but it's also available through the Yarn Collective where you can buy a kit with the Bloomsbury DK.

Like the Elemental Hats, this one is graded through gauge. There is room to make some adjustment within the plain panels - something I'll talk about more on the forum for anyone interested. It also has a bit of a mix and match feel to it - there are two panels charted, and any combination of them will give you a finished Hat - so you can mix up those stripes or have a solo striped panel amongst the plain ones.

Those other graphic designs I'd planned have been parked, but not for long. I have So Many Ideas for this technique that I can't write them down quick enough! In the meantime though, do have a go at Parallelo, and I'll let you know how the other ideas come along.

(so many Hats, so little time)

Elemental is now live!

Yey! I'm really excited to release Elemental into the world!

I'm going to have a short break this afternoon, then you'll find my back online in the Ravelry group, helping everyone work their way through these Hats :)