I've two new premium patterns due to be published this thursday, and there's the first of them: Ponderosa.

This is one of my favourite new designs! I love the subtle and striking stitch pattern, and I'm really pleased with how it works with the yarn within this design. It's simple yet oh so satisfying.

The featured yarn is Delice DK from The Mulberry Dyer and it's a delicious blend of alpaca and silk. The colours within the yarn softly shimmer and it is just beautiful.

There are 4 sizes included within the pattern, covering 17in to 23in heads. The Hat is worked bottom up and in the round. As always, illustrated tutorials are included to help you through the techniques.

I'm also really chuffed with these photos. dark and moody is my default setting yet it's really hard to achieve here, where the natural daylight is so harsh. We're currently planning a sort of mini photographic studio to be built within my new studio (more about that another time) so that we don't have to wait for the narrow window that the light affords us at dusk.

And there we have Ponderosa!

Not only does the pattern remind us of pine cones, but ponderosa also means "thoughtful woman" in Italian, and it sums up both the Hat and the mood of the photographs perfectly.

I've one more new release to share tomorrow :)

The folks over at LoveKnitting launched a new yarn towards the end of last year, and I was lucky enough to get a sample to try. And I turned those yarn samples into a Hat (because none of you were expecting that).

The yarn is Willow & Lark Ramble, a yummy British Wool DK, that comes in a good range of colours. I'm not working with mill dyed much these days as my heart belongs to hand-dyed, but I did enjoy knitting with this yarn. It's got good bounce and stitch definition.

Sequential is a striped beanie in DK with a difference - the stripes are based on Fibonacci. The sequence is worked and mirrored and I really like the way the pattern plays out.

I don't have a great deal of photos of this one as somehow we didn't quite manage that in the shoot but this one is enough - it shows the pattern. The crown is a simple spiral decrease with a soft line.

This is due to be published free later in March but members of The Woolly Hat Society will find it in the newsletter going out this thursday, 1st march. Go sign up! There's some good stuff coming in this issue.

It's become a bit of a thing that for Aran's birthday, I publish a new free pattern.

As I was going through my hard-drives recently I found these photos that we took when Aran was ill with chronic kidney disease and I realised that I'd not published this pattern yet! So I've dusted it off and got it ready to go on 13th March.

Members of The Woolly Hat Society get exclusive early access to free patterns, and as the next newsletter is going out this coming thursday (2nd March) you may want to sign up if you haven't already. It's going to be a bumper issue this month!

Can't believe these were 4 years ago - he's grown so much, and is so much better. He'll be 10 this year :s

Gotta love a nicely fitted crown, no?

The Hat comes in 3 sizes and is the sample used about 2/3 of a skein of Malabrigo Merino Worsted.

There's another freebie to come - details tomorrow!

Edinburgh Yarn Festival is drawing ever closer, and here's a reminder of the homework for each of my classes.

An Introduction to Hat Design

In this class we'll cover a couple of basic styles - beanies and slouchies - and for this you'll want a yarn that knits up pretty quickly (Aran weight or heavier), needles to give you a firm-sh gauge (go down a needle size or two if you're not sure) and an idea of your gauge. Needles should be DPNs, short circs or whichever method you prefer for knitting in the round.

A swatch would be fantastic but failing that, we'll use your ball band gauge (which may mean a less well fitting Hat)

An Introduction to Kitchener Stitch

A few balls of oddments - 50g each or so - and needles to match; DK weight or heavier. A tapestry needle is essential. Needles can be any tpe.

Please also knit two swatches of stocking stitch, and two swatches of garter stitch. Swatches can be any size, minimum 20 sts and 20 rows. Don't cast them off, leave them on the needles or waste yarn.

Extras: crochet hook and a few metres of waste yarn.

An Introduction to Short Row Colourwork

At least 2 x 50g of two different coloured yarns of the same weight - DK or heavier. Needles to match. The more colours you bring, the more interesting your swatches will be! Needles need to be able to take 40sts at gauge.

A crochet hook will also be a big help, as would hooked markers or the safety pin variety.

Advanced Kitchener Stitch

This class is flexible in that you can bring along whatever you want to practice grafting on. However, to get the most from the class, please bring the following swatches:

Two swatches of 1x1 rib; use a standard cast-on and work for 5cm; an odd number of sts, starting and ending in K1 on RS; live stitches kept on spare needle or waste yarn
Two swatches of 2x2 rib; use a standard cast-on and work for 5cm; a multiple of 4+2, starting and ending with K2 on RS; live stitches kept on spare needle or waste yarn
Two swatches of moss (seed) stitch; use a standard cast-on and work for 5cm; an odd number of sts with each row starting and ending in K1; live stitches kept on spare needle or waste yarn
One swatch of 1x1 rib, started with a provisional cast on, worked to around 10cm in length; an odd number of sts, starting and ending in K1 on RS; live stitches kept on spare needle or waste yarn
One swatch of 2x2 rib, started with a provisional cast on, worked to around 10cm in length; a multiple of 4+2, starting and ending with K2 on RS; live stitches kept on spare needle or waste yarn
One swatch of moss (seed) stitch, started with a provisional cast on, worked to around 10cm in length; an odd number of sts with each row starting and ending in K1; live stitches kept on spare needle or waste yarn
If you're feeling adventurous, swatches of your favourite cables!

I hope this covers everything! Leave a comment below if I've missed anything. See you there!

So, I don't really do awards. I never win things, though admittedly I never enter things, either.

You may remember that I was nominated for designer of the year (knit) in the British Craft Awards? Well... I won. I didn't go to the event as it was a long way to travel and all non-urgent travel is cancelled for the time being and I honestly did not expect to win being the outsider indie and all that.

Erm, yeah. Me in front of the camera. • Thank you! #britishcraftawards • #instavideo #woollywormhead

A post shared by Woolly (@woollywormhead) on Feb 22, 2018 at 2:21am PST

I really don't know how to process this at all, but I know the important thing is to say thank you for all your support and votes! A video is also good practice at taking myself out of my comfort zone, and it's all fine as long as I don't have to watch it.

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Yup, it's been quiet around here. The blog posts I wanted to share of our trip to India never happened as the blogging app went wonky. Coming back I was pretty poorly with jetlag and tracheitis (seems my sulphite allergy has changed and now it gives me trouble breathing. Joy). And then I needed to dive head-first into writing all the handouts for the brand new workshops I'll be teaching at Edinburgh Yarn festival and Woollinn.

I'm coming out of the other side of this now (although still coughing) and I'm not quite sure where I am... it feels like I've lost a few months in time but the snow today is telling me otherwise. I'm learning to sleep properly again and eat properly again (yey for adjusting to another new diet) and I really can't wait for winter to bugger off. My right shoulder is improving but my left shoulder is now deteriorating rapidly and I'm learning to manage all that all over again, too.

And there, I've broken the ice.