An Accidental Knitter

BREAKING NEWS: I'm an Imposter!

2016-03-04T14:51:00.000+00:00

As I'm coming up to my 5 year knitting anniversary, I've been reflecting a lot on how far I've come since I started back in the spring of 2011. I made a few blogging friends, and I've seen them go from a few followers, to thousands. Having their patterns published in magazines, starting their own (very successful) yarn dyeing businesses, publishing books, and so much more! And it got me thinking, they have come so far in such a short period of time, they've really become experts in their crafts. But, what about me? Sure, since starting this blog I've had a little of success thanks to my wonderful readers, but what about success in my knitting? All my friends are so professional now, you can ask them a question about anything to do with the craft and they can give you pages of tips and advice. Can I do that?

No... I definitely can't. But does that stop people from asking me questions about difficult techniques? Nope! It seems that through my blog posts, podcast episodes and YouTube videos, I've given people the impression that I actually know what I'm talking about.

The truth is, I have no clue what I'm doing most of the time. Sure, I understand the basics of knitting, and I know a few of the more intricate techniques like the back of my hand, but most of the time I have no clue what other knitters are talking about! Especially in patterns, I spend hour researching techniques and pattern slang!

Does that make me an imposter? I'm not sure... But I do know that I can give the wrong impression to people sometimes. I make myself appear more knowledgeable than I actually am, so that my peers don't still view me as that scrawny little 16 year old who knows nothing about the craft. It probably doens't help that I am one of the only knitters in my friend group, so when they ask me a question and I'm able to regurgitate lots of information in reply, they think I'm far cleverer than I actually am - so they hail me as the world's greatest knitter, when in actual fact I'm the complete opposite!

I spend most of my spare time googling knitting references that my peers throw out in their posts, such as famous pattern designers, techniques or just slang. I constantly feel like I have to work twice as hard as everyone else so that I can appear like a half-decent blogger.

But then it hit me. Doesn't every craft blogger go through this phase of their blogging life? You can't dive into a new craft and know everything about it within a few weeks! Most of my peers have been knitting for decades, that's an awful long time to hone your craft. So, why should I compare myself to them? I'm relatively new to the craft & I'm self-taught, so obviously it's going to take me a little longer to catch up to everyone else. And you know what, that knitter whose been crafting for decades had to go through this too. They had to fake their way through until they actually started to understand what they were on about.

What's my point in all of this? I'm not really sure to be honest. But, I do know that we should all remember that no one is going to judge you for not knowing a technique or a famous designer. Don't be scared to ask for help, you'll learn much faster if you can find someone to mentor you. And definitely don't be scared if you make a mistake. Nobody is going to think you're a bad person for mixing brioche and intarsia up, or not knowing who The Yarn Harlot is (but seriously, if you don't know who she is, check out her blog. It'll change your life!). At the end of the day, we're all faking it until we make it. It just might take some longer than others!

Thank you for hearing me out. I'm not sure if I made any sense, but I hope you can see where I'm coming from! And thanks, for sticking with me through the past five years. You've all helped me to become a better knitter, writer and - pardon me while I get soppy - a better person. Here's to another five years together!

Man Hand's

2016-03-03T12:26:00.000+00:00

Instagram has become such a wonderful tool in my life. I can instantly share a picture of something that I am making, and I can get advice from knitters all over the world, helping me to create the best version of my project. Not only can I do that, but I can share pictures of myself and my life, to my friends and family across the world! Even better, though, just by sharing a few pictures, I have been able to make so many new friends around the globe!

One of those friends is Kevin. We became mutual friends on Instagram, and after a little while, he asked me if I wouldn't mind knitting him a pair of mittens in exchange for one of his wonderful paintings. Obviously I said yes!

Now, the funny thing is, I'be never knitted for a bloke before. So, when I logged into Ravelry to find a pattern, I was overwhelmed with the amount of mitten choices I had before me. I already owned a couple of patterns that were unisex, but I wasn't sure what would be deemed too feminine in the eyes of a man (as you can tell, I grew up in a house of all girls, where nothing is too feminine! xD). Fortunately, though, I discovered a pattern called Man Hands by Shireen Nadir. It looked quick, easy, cozy, and more importantly, manly.

Once I had settled on the pattern I had to decide which yarn I wanted to use. I ploughed through my stash, but I couldn't find any Worsted yarn that fitted the bill. So, I had to do a bit of yarn shopping - which is always a chore! ;)

I had recently discovered a new website (to me, anyway...) through Facebook called Love Knitting. Now, I am a Deramores girl, but I do find that they can be quite expensive sometimes (especially their P&P - yikes!), and also their range isn't always as broad as I would like. So, when I found out that Love Knitting was cheaper overall, as well as having an extensive catalogue of yarns, I had to check it out - and boy was that a mistake. Thirty minutes later I had about 5 yarns sitting in my basket waiting to be delivered to my front door. For the actual project, I ended up choosing Wendy Aran with Wool in 475 French Navy, it looked like a nice budget yarn in the manliest colour I could find - dark blue!

The following morning, my squishy parcel arrived. One lovely thing about Love Knitting is that they put your yarn into white draw-string bags, which keeps them clean and looking lovely. I've been keeping the little bags to use as project bags when I'm out and about. But I digress - we were talking about Kevin's mittens, weren't we?

I cast them on the same day, and boy did they work up fast! It used a waffle stitch for the mitten, which I hadn't used for years! It was nice to revisit this stitch, I'd forgotten how easy it was! The pattern itself was incredibly simple, although at first I did think it was going to be too small, but as soon as I tried on, I realised how stretchy it was! My little hands were lost in all that material!

Two days after cast on, I was finished! (I would have been finished sooner but you know me, I get distracted so easily!) I popped them in the post, and Kevin was chuffed with them - yay! I will definitely be keeping this pattern, I can see it becoming very useful in the future (since seeing my Instagram about these mitts, I've had a few requests from my male friends for knitted goodies...). I'll also be keeping an eye on Shireen Nadir's patterns in the future, as Man Hands was such an easy pattern to follow!

While we're on the subject of Instragram, you can find me over there as @roaritscharly, I'd love to get to know you all better - so please leave a little comment on one of my pictures to let me know that you read my blog, and I'll give you a follow! :)

Thanks for indulging me today, I'll be back tomorrow too! Why? I hear you mumble. Well, I am trying to get back into blogging by blogging everyday during March! I'll also be releasing two podcast episodes during the month, as well as churning out a few YouTube videos (if I can find my camera charger, that is!) - so if there's anything you'd like to see in particular (ex. Bringing back the Ravelry tutorial series, or "This Week in Knitting" series), please let me know in the comments below! :D

The Unicorn & the Tabby Cat

2016-03-02T17:39:00.000+00:00

A couple of months ago, my nieces came over to spend the day with me. We played lots of games, ate crisps & binged watched My Little Pony - it was all jolly good fun. As the day began to draw to a close, Daisy and I were tucked up in my bed watching Barbie videos on my iPad. She whispered to me,

"What are you knitting Aunty Lolly?",

"I'm knitting Aunty KitKat a pair of gauntlets."

"Ohhh...", she hushed. "Will you make me something?"

"Of course I will, Pea. What would you like?"

"Ummmmmm....", she mumbled. You could see her brain working away, trying to figure out the perfect thing to ask for. "I would like.... A unicorn!!!"

"A unicorn!" I laughed.

"Yes. I want a white & purple unicorn."

"Okay!" I giggled. At this moment, Tilly wandered in, she'd obviously overheard the conversation on her way up to my room.

"Aunty Lolly, I would like you to make me a, um, cat!" A pink cat!"

"Pink? Okay.... I'm not sure if I have pink but I'll try my best."

"And I would like it to, um, look like a, ur, cartoon. Like a cartoon cat, but pink!"

Once they had settled on what they wanted, I set to work trying to find patterns for these unique requests. A couple of clicks later, & I had bought Pegacorn by Phoeny (who is an avid toy designer, I highly suggest you check her out, I've already added a few of them to my queue!). After a dig through my stash, I found Wendy Peter Pan Double Knit in 3003 (purple) & 3000 (white) - perfect! I had noticed on the cover page of the pattern, that a Raveler by the name of Loopylooloo, had made a white & purple unicorn called Margaret that was exactly what Daisy wanted! So I decided to copy hers (sorry Louise, I hope you don't mind!).

The pattern itself is incredibly quick and simple! The next day I had a really big Marvel marathon, and by the end of it I had knitted a unicorn! :D The tricky part was stuffing & sewing it all. Anyone who has been reading my blog for a while will know that I suck at sewing (I am so bad at sewing, that when I did Textiles at school, I would end up sewing myself to the sewing machine EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. It was so embarrassing!), but I am trying really hard to get better.

Once I got into the swing of it, I really started to enjoy myself! Until it came to the horn - and then I just wanted to throw it all in the bin! I ended up sewing the horn in the wrong place (it's in the middle of his head, rather than on his forehead), and I couldn't unpick it. I took a few deep breaths, sewed on the hair (which I didn't sew enough off - doh! So now it's a balding unicorn!) and put it on a high shelf so I couldn't see it.

Then it was time to start on the cartoon cat! I couldn't find a pattern that was the spitting image off what Tilly wanted, but I did manage to find an anime cat pattern which looked pretty close! And that came in the form of Amineko Cat Pattern by Chiwaluv Amigurumi Critters. It was originally a crocheted pattern, but it was so popular that she ended up designing the knitted version - yay! I'm realising though, that if I want to make the best toys for my girls, I need to learn how to crochet! The patterns are so much cuter.

Anyway...so once I had the pattern I had to find the yarn. After pretty much emptying my stash, I realised I, a) didn't have enough pink yarn to make a cat, b) couldn't buy anymore because my stash was at bursting point. So, I had to improvise. I remembered that a few months before (maybe even a year? I'm not sure...), I had randomly bought a skein of Robin Double Knit Print in 197, and it has sat in my stash for so long, because I couldn't find a pattern that would be perfect for the yarn. Until now! :D

The pattern itself was so simple, which made it a perfect TV knit. Now, the problem is, I get incredibly bored with stockinette. I'm okay for about half an hour, but I start to get really, really bored. So, I ended up setting it down a lot & working on something else, like Brenna's Disney Blanket or my Beekeeper's Quilt. So it wasn't until five days later that I actually finished all the knitting of this little kitty cat & had sewn it all together!

I'm really relatively pleased with how they turned out, & the girls are chuffed to bits with them! Which is all I could ask for! :D

All in all, I really enjoyed these projects and would highly recommend the patterns if you have some little ones in your life! ^-^

Little Mitts for Little Hands

2016-03-01T13:25:00.000+00:00

A few months ago my sister, Sara, asked me if I could make some red mittens for her eldest, Tilly. Obviously I said yes, and obviously I had to whip up a red pair for her youngest, Daisy, too!

I decided to start with Daisy's mittens, as they would only take me a couple of hours. I decided to use the pattern Easy Kids Hand Warmers by Samantha Goodin. They are only tiny, but I thought they'd be relatively easy for Daisy to put on herself when she gets ready to go to school. I knew that Daisy would want sparkly red mittens just like her big sister, but unfortunately I didn't have enough Galaxy DK for her mittens, so I decided to use Stylecraft Special DK in Red and Wendy Peter Pan DK in 3000 (white). Now she has sparkly Where's Wally mittens!

They were such a quick & easy knit, and I highly recommend them if you need a quick knit. Because they're so quick to make, it doesn't really matter if you lose a mitten, as you can make another one in about an hour! Yay! The best part of this project was that Daisy loved them! She put them on straight away and said: "Aunty Lolly (that's my cute little nickname), I love them. I never wanna take 'em off! I'm even going to wear them in bed!". She's just too cute!! :D

If you would like to checkout my notes for this project, Click here!

I remembered I had a small amount of King Cole Galaxy in Red, so once I had found that in my stash (that was a job and a half, but that's another post for another day!), I headed over to Ravelry to try and find a suitable pattern. It took me about half an hour of searching, but I finally found the perfect pattern - Lina Mitts by Amber Bertram. "Lina" is a lovely little cabled mitt encased in twisted rib, which means it'll stretch to fit those growing hands!

The great thing about this pattern is that it fits ages 2-10, which means Tilly will get at a couple of years use out of them before she has to pass them down to her little sister. The pattern was written really well, and the mittens knitted up in no time at all! I started them late in the evening of the 16th of December, and by the morning of the 18th, I had two little sparkly mittens!

I always enjoy using Galaxy yarn, it is so soft to work with (although I urge you to use bamboo needles when you knit with it, I found my stitches always slipped off when using metal needles, as the yarn is so soft), and it's always fun to watch how the sparkles are going to look against the different stitches. All in all, I really enjoyed this project, and I will definitely be using Lina as my go-to kiddie mitten pattern (I say "kiddie", but my hands actually fit into these mittens. When I say I have child-size hands, I actually mean it! I'm going to be making myself a pair of these for walking the dog!). If you would like to see my project notes for this pattern, please click this cute little link!

Tilly absolutely loved her mittens, yay! Unfortunately I didn't get chance to snap a pic of her wearing them, as she was playing Minecraft at the time (I have a sneaky suspicion that she's going to be an incredibly popular gaming YouTuber when she's older....), but I hear that both her & Daisy have been wearing them when they're out on their adventures! :)

Thanks for reading, I'll be back tomorrow to talk about the toys I knitted for them both! Have a lovely day x

Rainbow Through the Clouds

2015-12-14T14:42:00.000+00:00

Lately I have had a flood of requests from friends and family (not that I'm complaining - I love it! It keeps me busy), most of them being for fingerless mittens. Although I do enjoy making them, sometimes I find the simplicity of them rather mind-numbing. So, when Mum asked me to make her a pair, I decided to test myself by trying a more complicated pattern. At first I chose Gabriella by Dana Berry, but as soon as I reached the cable chart I realised I was far too tired, or stupid (probably both) to understand it, so I quickly frogged it and had another dig through Ravelry. I then discovered one of the most beautiful patterns I had ever seen on Ravelry, IX Mitts by Rebecca Blair.

Colourwork has always had a soft spot in my heart, in fact a fair isle mug hug was one of the first "proper" projects I ever made when I started knitting (unfortunately I can't find any pictures...), so this project seemed like a lot of fun! My Mum asked for a pair of fingerless mittens because she suffers from arthritis, and as she has to do an awful lot of driving, her hands hurt a lot. I decided to make her a pair of convertible mitts, as this meant she could drive in them, and stay really warm when she's wandering around Plymouth.

I casted them on Sunday, November 22nd, using Sirdar Snuggly 3ply in 303 Cream, which was a really kind gift from my Nana. And boy is it soft! It's probably one of the softest, and coziest yarns I've ever tried! For the contrast colour, I decided to use a skein of Scheepjes Invicta Colour in Cold Fire (957), which I bought from Deramores just a couple of weeks before.

After a few inches of rib, I started on the fair isle pattern. Don't let looks fool you, the actual fair isle chart is very easy to follow. After a few repeats you then begin to work a thumb gusset chart as well, slowly increasing for the thumb while you maintain that lovely pattern. Once you put the thumb onto hold, you work a few more repeats of the main chart before you grab some waste yarn and knit some fake palm stitches. These "fake" stitches will later be pulled out, and you will be left with live stitches which you can then use to create the palm flap.

Once you had knitted the fake stitches, you then continue knitting to create the mitten top. After you have casted off, you then move onto the thumb. Fortunately I had remembered to save a few yards of the colour I was using when I put the thumb stitches on hold, this meant that the thumb stayed the same colours. After that, I knitted the palm flap, before finally reaching the last part of the pattern - the fingers. If you wanted just a normal pair of mittens, you could just leave out the fingers and finish knitting the thumb and the palm flap. However, I wanted the full convertible mitten experience, so I set to work on the fiddly fingers.

Just like I did for the thumb, I saved a few yards of yarn from the colour I was using underneath the fingers, this meant that that same colour flowed from the palm, up through the fingers and then into the mitten top. When I knitted the fake stitches on the palm of the mitt, half of them were used for the palm flap, and the other half were the base for the fingers. I transferred the new live stitches onto my needles, then using the cable cast-on method, I added an extra 29sts. After a couple rounds of simple knit, I had created the foundation for the fingers, and it was time to split the stitches. After putting a bunch of stitches on hold, I slowly made my way round knitting each finger. It was very fiddly, but I managed it!

After a week long hiatus (I had to whip up a pair of mittens for my friend, and I also had a couple of no knitting days), I picked up my project again and knitted the left mitten. I have to say, I am really chuffed with how they turned out!

Would I knit them again? Probably not in a hurry... but I would definitely like to make myself a pair at some stage! I really love how the yarn pooled, it looks like they were painted (which is a happy coincidence, as my Mum is an artist)! Mum is over the moon with them - hooray!

So, that is what I've been up to since I last wrote you. I do have some more projects to show you, but they'll have to wait 'til later in the week. Until then, take care, and happy knitting!

Autumn in the Ozarks

2015-11-20T11:06:00.001+00:00

Good hello everyone! I can't believe it has been so long since I've written to you all! It's been a crazy year, and I'm so pleased I'm back. I won't go into the details of why I was away, because I'd be here all day, but let's just say that things have been very difficult, however now they're getting easier and I finally have the mindset where I can return to the lovely world of knitting.

Talking of the wonderful world of knitting, let me tell you all about what I made this week!

It has finally started getting colder here now, so people are wrapping up in every knitted item they can find. My lovely friend Selena is always out in the cold, and I never see her wearing hats or mittens, so I thought I'd solve that problem by making her a matching set!

After a dig through my stash, I found two skeins of King Cole Woolmix DK in the 9 colourway (red). They were a gift from my Nana, when she was clearing out her stash. Who knows how long she has had them in her possession, as Woolmix is now discontinued! Selena looks wonderful in red, so this seemed to be the perfect choice!

One enjoyable stroll through Ravelry later, I settled on the Foliage Hat by Irina Dmitrieva. This simple beanie has a lace leaf design through the entire piece, making it perfect for late Autumn knitting! I used my Addis Click Lace circular needles in size 3.75mm for the ribbed brim, and 4mm for the main body of the hat. I love using these needles, especially for lace projects. The stitches elegantly slip off the needles, and the project gets done in no time at all! Which is just happened with this project - within 2 days I had knitted up a lovely lace beanie!

After I casted off Selena's Foliage Hat, I returned to Ravelry to find a matching mitten pattern. It didn't take long for me to find Autumn in the Ozarks by Amy H. Aymond, which is fingerless mitten pattern with a similar leaf design running through the mitt, while being encased in a sea of purls.

I knitted the pair up in three days while watching Dr Who, and I have to admit, it wasn't the most enjoyable of experiences. The pattern was written very well, and is definitely worth the money... unless you're a complete plonker like myself. Instead of knitting them using magic-loop, I used DPNs. Which is fine, except instead of splitting the stitches onto three needles (using a fourth to knit with), I only used two needles (using a third to knit with), as the pattern instructed me to (but only because I was supposed to use magic-loop... I have no common sense!!). Which resulted in there being two big loose stitches running up either side of the palm of the mitt - it looked terrible. I think I also should have gone down a needle size when I got the palm, as it turned out a little baggy.

By the time I casted them off and tried them on, I just wanted to frog them and start again. However, when Selena came to visit, my younger sister forced me to show her the set I was making. Selena loved them, and insisted that they were perfect and I should hurry up and knit the other one, rather than ripping them up. Reluctantly, I casted on the second mitt and knitted away, this time making sure I split them onto three DPNs!

Within a week I had managed to knit up both projects, which I am rather pleased about! Normally I get distracted and "treat" myself by making something I want in between projects, but I stayed focused and made sure I got these done as quickly as possible. Yay!

I have definitely learned from my mistakes, and I hope you did too! But on the whole, they didn't turn out too bad at all, and the main thing is that the recipient loves them - which she does! It's good to get back into the knitting game, and I've already finished a pair of socks which I'll show you in a couple of days time. Until then, I hope you have a lovely weekend! x

New Project Excuses

2014-05-21T16:37:00.000+01:00

a little note from Future Charlotte: This post was written on my "rebound blog", when I thought I could be all fancy and have a proper website. Long story short - running a website is expensive & time consuming, and I just couldn't do it. After a little bit of grovelling, my blogger allowed me to come back - phew! So, just as a warning, this post might reference & link to said rebound blog, and you can click here to be check it out if you so desire. Now I'm going to hand back to past Charlotte...

I've been spending a lot of time lately creating content for the website (I'm blogging daily, as well as releasing podcasts & YouTube videos), so I've been spending very little time knitting. This week I'm trying to get myself more organised so that I get more knitting done!

So, this week I actually have a couple of projects to share with you! First up we have a Mitered Blanket.

As I said in last weeks podcast, I saw the wonderful Tami post a picture of her mitered blanket on Instagram. Now, this doesn't happen very often, but the moment I saw it I wanted to make one myself. I quickly logged into Ravelry, had a dig around, and managed to find myself a pattern called Knitted Patchwork Blanket by Martine Ellis. This pattern uses leftover sock yarn to create cute little diagonal squares!

Ok, so you might be think, "but Charly, you already have your Beekeeper's Quilt waiting to be finished," and you'd be right... but...(quick pause while I think of an excuse for casting on another project) ...but...I don't have any stuffing for my hexipuffs! So, I can't kit anymore until I get more stuffing (lame excuse, but hey, it works in my mind!)

So, back to the blanket, I am making it for my lovely dog, Lilo, as she loves to cuddle up in a blanket and she doesn't have one of her own yet (shocking! bad knitter). As I said, I am using sock yarns from my stash to knit it, and I am really liking how it is turning out!

I am using 2.75mm bamboo needles (which I bought in a 11 piece set for £3 - bargain!), so each square measures about 2x2 inches. This project is going to last a little while, which is great because I'm really enjoying working on it. It is great for when I'm not feeling well enough to follow a pattern!

The project I have been working on ferociously this week is my Leaf on the Wind socks (which I briefly mentioned yesterday). These are for the Sock Knitter's Anonymous May 2014 KAL, and the category I chose to knit was Flora & Fauna. I instantly fell in love with this pattern by Purrlescent, and casted it on straight away. It is a toe-up pattern, which I must admit frightened me a little bit, but it turns out knitting toe-up is really simple.

I love the leaf lace pattern that grows up the foot and eventually swirls around the leg. Knitting these has proved to be a great aid in taking my mind off of my pain, so I will definitely be knitting more lace socks in the future.

This morning I finished sock 1, and after I've published this post I'll get stuck into casting on the second one. I don't want to develop Second Sock Syndrome with these beauties.

I am using Stylecraft Life 4ply in Aqua, which is a wonderful budge yarn I have plenty of in my stash! I am knitting these for my Mum, and she doesn't know it yet, but she has been helping me with the colour choice and fit the entire time! So hopefully they will be a perfect fit for her. I won't show you what the finished sock looks like yet, you'll have to wait until I've finished the pair... (oh, the suspense), but this is what it looked like halfway up the leg!

So, that is it from me this week! If you want some more WIP Wednesday fun, why don't you check out these other posts by wonderful knitters and crocheters around the world!

Until tomorrow, then, my lovelies. Have a great day! x

Looking Back, Looking Forward

2014-05-18T10:36:00.000+01:00

a little note from Future Charlotte: This post was written on my "rebound blog", when I thought I could be all fancy and have a proper website. Long story short: running a website is expensive, time consuming, and I just couldn't do it! After a little bit of grovelling, myblogger allowed me to come back - phew! So, just as a warning, this post might reference and link to said rebound blog, and you can click here to check it out if you so desire. Now, I'm going to hand you back to Past Charlotte...

I was unable to take part in Knitting & Crochet Blogging Week last year, due to family circumstances, and I was absoloutely gutted. KCBW is the highlight of the blogging year, in my opinion, and not being able to take part was highly disappointing. Later in the year, though, I will complete last years topics, so I can at least say I did it, despite being a year late.

So, let's have a look at the coming year for An Accidental Knitter. When I write Year 6's version of this post, I hope my crafting will have improved ten-fold. I tend to be drawn towards smaller projects, such as hats, socks, etc, so next year I hope that I will have several large projects completed. Such as shawls and cardigans.

My Nelumbo shawl, blog post coming soon.

In terms of skills, I'm hoping to learn how to do Entrelac and improve my Intarsia (which, to be rather blunt, sucks at the moment). With those skills in mind, over the coming year I'd love to make Entrelac Socks and Stitch Surfer Socks (I love making socks, did you know that?).

There are a few things in my Ravelry queue I would love to finally make this year, the first being Birchwood Mitts by our host of the week, Mimi Hill (A.K.A - Eskimimi Knits). I've been pining (no pun intended) to knit these ever since they were released, and this year I'm finally going to get myself organised and make them

With FROZEN taking over the life of my myself and my nieces, making these awesome Elsa & Anna dolls is a must. They would be a perfect addition to the Toy Box when Tilly & Daisy come to play. As I am a huge Disney fan, I'd love a FROZEN item for myself, and that will come in the form of Princess Anna's mittens, from the movie. I'm really looking forward to wearing them this winter.

When it comes to the blog, I feel like I've already made a lot of progress this year. I have a shiny new website, which I love. It feels so much cleaner, and having such a nice space inspires me to log in everyday and write.

My eventual goal is to blog every single day, whether I will reach that this year, or next, I'm not sure. But I'm going to work as hard as I can to achieve it. Once I get a new computer (this one is very old and broken now, it doesn't allow me to do much at all), I will be able to ge myself back into Podcasting & YouTubing. I am most excited for the latter, to be honest. I have to so many ideas for blogs, comedy sketches, tutorials, etc, all to do with knitting and crochet, I can't wait to share them with you all.

So, in conclusion then, I wanted to say a huge thank you to Mimi for hosting this wonderful week once again. I can't tell you have much I appreciate the work you put in to create such a fun experience for us all. I'm so pleased I was able to take part, and I hope that I never miss a year again! I'm sad that it is drawing to a close already, but I have learnt so much this week, and been struck with so many blog post ideas for the upcoming weeks.

Thank you again, Mimi! And I will see you all at the same time tomorrow morning.

In this, the final post of blogging week, I was tasked to look back on the past
year, and to write my hopes and dreams for the year to come. This is what I came up with.

Views of Others, Views of Yourself

2014-05-17T10:35:00.000+01:00

a little note from Future Charlotte: This post was written on my "rebound blog", when I thought I could be all fancy and have a proper website. Long story short, running a website is expensive and time consuming, and I just couldn't do it. After a little bit of grovelling, my blogger allowed me to come back - phew! So, just as a warning, this post might reference and link to said rebound blog, and you can click here to check it out if you so desire. Now, I'm going to hand you back to Past Charlotte...

Which Knitter Do You Admire?

Stitched Together's Whipporpoorwill Shawl

You don't have to be a reader of my blog for long to know that I am a huge fan of the blog, 'Stitched Together.' I began reading her blog back in the summer of 2011. Within a year, Chrissy started reading and commenting on my blog as well. I have to admit that made me incredibly excited, as I esteem Chrissy as one of the best knitters and bloggers on the Internet.

There are many reasons why I love Chrissy and her corner of the Internet, but I'll try and compress them into a few short paragraphs.

Firstly, her writing style. She writes as if she is just chatting to you over a cup of tea, and that, my friends, is a sign of a good writer.

Secondly, her projects. Chrissy is incredibly talented when it comes to making things from yarn, and making yarn itself. She has tried her hand at knitting, crochet, sewing, spinning, pattern design and yarn dyeing. Which is, you will admit, a great collection of skills to have. I love all of her projects, but I especially love her knitting and spinning.

I have to admit, there is one thing that brings out the green-eyed monster when I'm reading Chrissy's blog, and that is her stash. She has such a diverse collection; sock yarn to chunky, bright to soft colours, hand-dyed to commercially dyed. I want it all.

Last year Chrissy launched a new endeavour, her Podcast! I love to listen to it while I'm working away on my own little projects. Her podcast in fact is what inspired me to start my own (which will be coming back soon, I promise!)!

If you aren't following her, I highly recommend you do so. I promise you won't regret it!

What Do Others Think of Your Knitting?

My eldest niece, Tilly. Photo by @sarebegara on
Instagram

I never truly believed I was good at knitting, despite having people lovingly tell me so. If anyone does ever compliment me on my knitting, I always brush it off, saying, "Oh, thank you... it's very easy to make. If I can do it, anyone can!" Which is quite a rude response, I've come to realise. Someone is complimenting me, so by me brushing it off, I am basically saying their opinion is wrong, which is incredibly rude!

I finally realised this towards the end of last year, and since then I have been trying my best to just accept the compliment graciously.

For the most part, I have a good response to my knitting. Occasionally I will get someone who doesn't appreciate the craft, and teases me about it. But, I don't mind. That is just their opinion. If they get cold in the winter because they find knitting is stupid, then so be it.

I do have two big fans though, when it comes to knitting, and they are my nieces, whom I absoloutely adore. Tilly is 6 (this month), and Daisy is 2. They are my favourite little humans in the the entire world. Both of them ask me for knitted gifts, but mostly they ask to help me with my knitting.

My youngest niece, Daisy. Photo by @sarabegara
on Instagram.

Daisy is the most interested of the two, and though I will endeavour to teach them both how to knit, I think Daisy will be the one to adopt it into her everyday life. She loves it. Whenever we talk on the phone, she always wants to know what I'm currently making. I take her to the yarn shop with me every now and again, and if she could, she would stay there for hours. She'll give her yarn recommendations, and what she thinks I should make with it. If there are other customers in the shop, they'll always "ooh", and "aww" over her enthusiasm for the craft. The first time I ever took her with me to the yarn shop and needed to leave, she began to cry because she wanted to stay and look at patterns.

A couple of weeks ago, along with their Mum (my eldest sister), they came over for tea. They both proceeded to take me by the hand and lea me to my room and knit with me for about 45 minutes while watching Barbie's Dreamhouse. During that lovely time, they told me that I was the Knitting Princess of the world. They originally decided upon Queen, but they came to the conclusion that Queen might be too much responsibility.

So, on the whole, people like my knitting. More importantly though, I love my knitting. it is such great fun :D

Today I was given the task of writing about my favourite crafter, &
why I love them so. I also had to write about what others thought about
my knitting. This is what I came up with.

How to Be: A Knitter

2014-05-16T10:06:00.000+01:00

Today I was tasked with making something completely different for my blog.
I realised I had never made an infographic before, so this is what I came up with.

A Conversation Between Needles & Their Owner

2014-05-15T10:02:00.000+01:00

"Hi Charly!"

"Oh, hi guys. What are you doing out of the drawer?"

"We miss you Charly... we want you to play with us!"

"I'm sorry guys, I can't at the moment. I'm trying to knit a huge lace shawl, and I'm afraid I already chose a different set of needles."

"Ugh! You aren't using those Addi Clicks Lace needles, are you?!"

"Well, yes I am actually..."

"But why?!" They're such snooty noodles. They parade around the drawer as if they own the place, and they such posh accents, they talk as if they're the royal family!"

"They are posh needles, though... Have you seen how expensive they are to buy?"

"Oh, yes. It is all they ever talk about, 'Oooh we're so luxurious, we cost £100 to buy brand new. Oooooh.' Why are you using them anyway?"

"Well, it is a large lace project, and that is what those needles are designed for, so..."

"Oh, so we're not posh enough for you, eh?!"

"Oh, c'mon guys, you know perfectly well that you are my favourite! But, you're just not as well trained as the Addi's to knit lace, that's all!"

"Perhaps we would be 'as well trained', if you didn't keep breaking us!"

"Those were both accidents! I would never harm you maliciously! ... Okay, you guys are perfectly right, you need training n the art of lace, why don't I switch you with the Addi needles?"

"YAY! Oh, thank you Charly!"

"You're welcome, but you guys need to keep quiet, as I want to finish reading The Fault in Our Stars!"

"So, this afternoon, Charly switched us with the Addi Clicks Lace (you should have seen their snooty little faces, it was a picture to behold!) and we listened to an audiobook as we knitted away. Charly ended up weeping into her knitting, as "the book was so beautiful, and said", so we comforted her."

"Today was a good day."

This post was apart of KCBW2014. Today I was given the task
of writing a conversation between myself and one of my tools. This
is what I came up with.

Experimental Photography

2014-05-14T09:44:00.000+01:00

Today we were challenged with editing a photo of our knitting. I had an awesome
photograph idea, but due to a family emergency I couldn't take it :( So, I'll have to
do it next year instead. This was my back up plan!

Ice Cream's Dating Profile

2014-05-13T09:28:00.000+01:00

Hiya, my name is Ice Cream! Wow, so much to tell you, so little webpage. Okay, where shall I begin...

Well, lets start with the basics. I am 11 months old (my 1st birthday is coming up soon, I'm so excited!) and I currently reside with my owner of 10 months in the South-West of England.

I was created by a knitter called Charly, for her elder sister, Sara. Charly made me using an incredibly simple sock pattern, but she made up for that by using a fun yet luxurious yarn called Happy by Wendy.

If I had to describe myself in one sentence, it would be: "A happy, fun par of socks to be around, who aren't afraid of acting a little crazy."

There are so many things in life I love, so it is going to be hard to fit it all in one paragraph, but lets give it a go. My all-time favourite interest in life, is playing Rounders & Tennis during the wonderful Summer days. If the weather restricts me to inside the house, I love to curl up on the sofa with my owner & watch The Shaytards on YouTube.

Despite being quite a loving knit, there is one thing I really hate, and that is slippery floors. As I am made from Bamboo yarn, I am silky soft to touch. Pair me with a slippery floor, and I slip and slife all over the place! This can be both amusing and dangerous.

As my striping suggests, I embrace change. In five years time I hope to be trekking across the GR20 in France. This demanding 15 day trek has been on my bucket list since I was 3 months old. You trek across a multitude of different landscapes; forests, glacial lakes, snow-capped peaks, plains, grainite moonscapes, and much more.

I'm looking for a partner who will happily join me on adventures around the world, but who is also perfectly content to relax at home in front of the TV. I'm ideally looking for a piece of Knitting or Crochet who lives in England, and isn't afraid of a bit of crazy fun in their life.

Today I was asked to write a dating profile for one of my F.O's.
This is what I came up with.

A Day in the Life of Polly Jean

2014-05-12T11:45:00.000+01:00

This post was apart of KCBW2014. In this post I was given the task of
writing about a fictional day of a WIP. This is what I came up with.

Screams and shouts of people in pain echo around the room, occasionally interrupted by an announcement over the tannoy. Unable to bear it any longer, I spring up from my hard plastic char and, with my head down, power my way through the maze of waiting rooms. Finally finding the revolving doors, I burst through them. I'm thrust into shockingly cold air, which finds its way through every gap of my clothing until I'm left shivering to my core.

I roughly place my hand onto the wall, and my nails dig ino the shoddy brickwork. My other hand rubs my chest, which feels like it might implode at any minute, and I try to calm my breathing down. Once I'm no longer panting like a boiling labrador, I slide myself down the wall until I land flat on my arse.

I must look like a crazy person. My thick brown hair is sticking out in all directions, and I have the complexion of a dying vampire. I probably look like I'm on drugs; my eyes are as large as saucers and it doesn't help that they're darting around like a paranoid rabbit. My eye "bags" are more like suitcases and I haven't showered in 2 days.

As my bum slowly freezes into the snow, I attempt to make sense of the events of the past 24 hours.

It had started like every Tuesday does, with the realisation that I have the day off from work. After a quick celebration in the kitchen while making myself a cup of tea, I snuggled back into bed and pulled out my latest WIP, Polly Jean by MJ Kim. With spring well on its way, I was using a zesty lime coloured yarn, which never fails to cheer me up. I knitted away on the foot for a couple of hours, while listening to the Stitched Together Podcast.

At about 10am, I got a phone call from my Mum. She sounded really panicked, and said that there was an emergency, and I needed to get to her house as soon as possible. She refused to give me any more details, so I was freaking out on the inside as a torrent of possible awful situations flooded my mind. Getting dressed in a panicked manner was difficult to say the least. I managed to get myself tangled inmy jean, spun around and then fell flat on my face. I lay there for a minute to catch my breath, and make a mental note to Vax the carpets at some stage.

Grabbing my large handbag, I ran around stuffing things inside it that be needed in this vague emergency. Make-up and knitting were a priority, of course, as well as keys and a banana.

Just before running out of the door, it struck me that I hadn't fed the dogs yet, so with my panic rising, and to the dog's delight, I just poured a mountain of biscuit in the middle of the kitchen floor.

Bursting through my front door, I slipped and slid down my garden path, trying to walk as fast as I could without incurring my own emergency. Five minutes after the phone call from Mum, I was in my small Ford Ka, speeding off towards her house, which was about 20 minutes away, as she lived on the other side of the Tamar River.

I zoomed down the dual carriage way, music blaring so I could concentrate on that rather than the fact my Mother's house might be on fire, flooded, or they might be held at gunpoint by some crazed Cornish recluse. Finally, reaching the Plymouth Toll Bridge, I flung my £1.50 at the rather suprised toll collector who had the sense to raise te bar before I rammed it down myself.

It was when I was on the bridge that the trouble really started. Towards the end of the bridge I could see a queue beginning to from but despite this, I still had my food down trying to get to my family as quickly as possible.

A lot of people explain car accidents as happening in slow motion, and that is exactly what happened. Once I reached the middle of the bridge, a small blue car two cars in front of me, braked suddenly, skidding across the lanes, finding himself on the other side of traffic. Thi was when the slow motion kicked in. Stomping my feet on the brakes, I swerved into the car in front who had done the same, creating a domino effect behind me.

As the air bag deployed, I closed my eyes, my last thought being of my Mum.

I drifted in and out of consciousness for the next couple of hours. I became aware of firefighters cutting me out of my car, who reassured me that I was going to be okay. My next memory was of having my eyelids pulled open by a young Dr, who, while shouting to wake me up, shone a bright light in my eye. I proceeded to sob for my Mother as they tried to restrain me from jumping off my geurney. My head flew back and I was once again thrown into darkness.

I woke up to the beat of my heart monitor a few hours later. Feeling a presence in the room, I opened my eyes to find my Dr scanning over my notes. She explained to me that I suffered a concussion, whiplash and I'm covered in huge bruises. Other than that, she said I was incredibly lucky, and I would be able to go home in a few hours.

I was given my handbag, and immediately pulled out my knitting to work on my socks. It wasn't until I was discharged that I remembered about my Mum and her emergency.

So, here I am now, outside Derriford Hospital, frozen in the snow. Pulling my phone out, I find many missed calls and text messages from my Mum. I click 'return call', and as I do so I hear my name being called.

"MUM!"
"Oh Charly, what on earth happened to you?! Are you OK?!" she asks as she flings her arms around me.
"I was in a bag car accident, but I'm OK. I'm incredibly lucky." I reply, nussling my head into her shoulder.
"No, oh no, this is all my fault, I should have just told you that I had a surprise for you, I'm so, so sorry." She says through heavy tears.

So, we stand there, embraced under the snowfall. Happy to be safe in each other's arms.

THE END.

Green Eyed Monster

2014-05-11T11:24:00.000+01:00

I am not a jealous person. In fact, it is quite rare that I feel jealousy towards someone. If I ever do feel a twinge of envy, on the whole it is because the person in question has children, and I really want kids. Lots of 'em. Now, I'm not saying I am jealous of every single person on the planet who has children, definitely not. What I mean is that every now and again, when I'm feeling low & I see a lovely, happy family I think to myself, "Man, I wish I had that."

But now, though, I have noticed something else bringing the green-eyed monster in me, and that is knitter's stashes.

No, not that kind of stache, silly.

This is Stitched Together's stash (A.K.A Chrissy), so I'll be writing a
post all about her next week. So stay tuned!

This kind of stash.

I don't have to scroll through someone's stash on Ravelry for very long before I begin to feel a little envy for what they have. Especially if it is hand-dyed yarn. Honestly, I swear that stuff is a knitting drug. Once you try it for the first time, you just want to spend all your money buying more.

Like most knitters and crocheters, when I first started with the craft I didn't see any point in having a stash. I used to just decide on what I wanted to make and buy the yarn/

That logic lasted for all but one project. I soon came to realise that knitting the project was not the only enjoyable part of the process, actually buying the yarn was fun too!I quickly discovered that the best way of going about choosing a project to make was to choose the yarn first, then find a pattern to use.

I recently got a new bed, and it has three huge drawers underneath of it. One of them is not being used for yarn and, guess what, IT IS FULL! It makes me very happy to pull it open and see all this yarn before me, knowing that I have so much choice in terms of what projects I can make.

Most of my yarn is cheapie acrylic stuff, but as long as you pick particular brands you do get some lovely yarns. Stylecraft has really upped its game, and its Special 4ply & DK ranges are among my favourites to knit with. When I get a bigger budget, I'd love to be able to start stashing away hand-dyed yarns from places such as Candy Skein and Gnome Acres. Also to buy more expensive commercial yarns like Arteseno.

Until then, however, I'm perfectly happy with my stash. I'm looking forward to seeing how much it'll grow over the coming year, perhaps even a few hand-dyed skeins will make their way in there.

So, dear reader, do you have your own personal stash? If so, what is your favourite yarn hidden away in there?

I'll see you guys at the same time tomorrow, when Knitting & Crochet Blogging Week kicks off - wahooooo! I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to it! If you aren't joining in, I highly recommend you do so, it is a bundle of fun!

Lookin' Out of My Back Door

2014-05-10T11:03:00.000+01:00

There are a few factors that are involved in my choosing of what to knit that day, the biggest one for me, is the weather. This may sound weird, but please, hear me out.

I have a lovely window right by my bed, which looks out onto our back garden and a few fields (this is the country - there are fields everywhere!). So, as soon as my eyelids flutter open in the morning, I open the curtains to admire the weather for the day. Now, if you don't already think I'm weird enough, I love any kind of weather. If I had the health to do so, I'd be out all day every day, rain or shine. I just love being outdoors.

Unfortunately, at the moment my health is at the point where I can only leave the house once or twice a week. As I am inside the house all the time, the weather doesn't affect my day at all.

So, one day last year, I decided to work on a project that complimented the weather we were having outside. "WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!" I hear you ask. Okay, so this is how it works.

In the early years of my life, I watched the Teletubbies so
much that I thought that was what the sun *actually*
looked like...

If the sun is shining and its warm outside, then I'll work on a bright coloured project, or one that has some kind of link to summer. For example, working on a strawberry baby hat fit the bill as it is both bright, and a fruit that is most readily available in the summer.

Why do people in RomComs always kiss
in the rain? You'll catch pneumonia, since
when was that sexy?!

Now, if it is raining, cloudy or windy, you have to knit a comfy project. Either it must be a warm/soft/chunky yarn, something big (like a blanket), or a project that you would wear in such weather (ex- working on a scarf).

Now, you may think that it is an insane way of picking up a project, and that's fine if you think so. I do know others that do it though, so I don't feel as crazy as I probably should do.

How do you go about chosing a project to knit (or crochet!)? Tell me in the comments below! I'll see you all at the same time tomorrow, until then I'm off to watch The Notebook...

Knitting Hats in the 1920s

2014-05-09T10:35:00.000+01:00

a little note from future Charlotte: This post was written on my "rebound blog", when I thought I could be all fancy and have a proper website. Long story short - running a website is expensive & time consuming, and I just couldn't do it. After a little bit of grovelling, my original blog allowed me to come back - phew! So, just as a warning, this post might reference & link to said rebound blog, and you can click here to check it out if you so desire. Now, I'm going to hand back to past Charlotte...

I recently got my haircut, about 12 inches to be precise, and I have found that with my new 'do', I suit hats! Yay! For years I've made all these hats that I wanted, but could not wear, and now I can keep them all for myself - mwuahaha!

Ahem. That took a rather dark turn rather quickly, didn't it? Anyway, back to hats. So now I can adorn my small head with hand-knits, I was overwhelmed with the choice on Ravelry. I could not decide what to make. It then occurred to me that there might be something in my Ravelry queue that a 'past me' wanted to make.

knitting the hat inside out

It was then I laid my eyes on my favourite hat pattern of all time - Regina by Carina Spencer. This 1920s style cloche was right up my alley.

I dove straight into my stash, and found two skeins of Stylecraft Special DK in Magenta & Camel. I was dubious at first of pairing them together, but decided to take the risk.

The construction of this cloche was incredibly interesting, I learnt so much from making it. It does sound complicated, but I assure you, it is easy when you are actually knitting it. First of all, you don't need to do a gauge swatch. Amazing, right?! You begin the pattern by knitting an i-cord, then pickig up stitches in a certain way so your i-cord becomes a loop. Using that loop, you kit the band of the cloche. You do this by simply working a thin length of rib. Once you have done this, you increase in a certain manner so as to create a fan.

After casting off, it is time to change to the main colour. Pick up the stitches so that you are knitting the hat inside out (thi saves you having to purl constantly, making the pattern that much faster). After you have finished knitting the hat, turn it rightside out and sew the fan onto the hat (this was the trickiest bit, in my opinion).

Then - ta dah! ou have yourself a wonderful 1920s cloche. I can't tell you how much I loved making this, and wearing it. I love it so much that I knitted a newborn baby version of the hat, which I will show you after Mimi's Blogging Week has come to an end.

My version of the Regina. The camel yarn didn't photograph as well
as I had hoped. It comes out as a Mustard colour in these pictures.

I would love to make a few more of these in different colours... I'm hoping this winter I will have plenty of hats for myself. Perhaps even a few cotton berets for the summer. Oh, goodness, now I want to knit a hat. I'll see you guys tomorrow, for now why don't you head on over to Tami's place and check out more FO Friday posts?

Gloves for Genevieve

2013-10-09T14:52:00.000+01:00

I really hate the fact that my blog has been so neglected over the past few months. I'm not going to promise any over night miracles, where I blog every single day, and I finish projects every week etc etc... all I'll promise is that I'll try to get it all back on track. My depression has been getting worse since June, and now it is very bad indeed, so I've lost interest in absolutely everything. Knitting? meh.... Blogging? certainly not. Spending time with my friends? hmm if I have to.

And I hate that I feel that way. Just this spring I was so excited about casting on new projects, finishing and gifting projects, and writing all my escapades down on this blog so you could share my joy and excitement. I want that feeling back, so I thought if I sink my teeth into blogging again, perhaps the constant writing about knitting will get me excited about the craft again.

So, today I am going to tell you all about a pair of lacy mittens. Ooooooooh!

My friend, Gene (Genevieve - such a beautiful name!), has been such a lovely friend to me over the past year. So, to say thank you, I am making her a little parcel of goodies. In that parcel is going to be a pair of mittens, as not only is the cold weather on its way, but she also suffers with quite severe arthritis so keeping her hands warm is very important!

I found a pattern called Della Mitts by Holly Terrell, which is a really cute mitten with a variety of stitches. If I tell you the honest truth, I was originally making these for my friend Sarah, for the Hand Warming Swap I am hosting over on the Ravelry group Wish Upon a Star, but I then decided perhaps they weren't for her, and continued them for my friend Gene.

I'm using two yarns: Life 4ply by Stylecraft in Melon, and Sirdar Town & Country 4ply Sock Yarn. The former is leftovers from the Delicate socks and Horseshoe Lace Cowl projects I made last year, and the latter yarn is a very small skein that my Nan gifted me from her stash. I thought these two yarns complemented each other well, and gave this pattern a bit of a 'twist'.

The pattern is very simple, and the only modifications I've made is that I accidentally did two garter ridges rather than three, when separating the lace cuff and the lace hand, and that I used two colours rather than one. Other than that, I have been following the instructions to the letter. I'm now onto the body of the second mitten, and I'm hoping that I'll have them finished by the weekend! :D

Until tomorrow, dear friends. Until then, why don't you check out some wonderful posts by the rest of the WIP Wednesday gang? I promise you won't regret it!!

The Cheater's Guide to Gauge Swatches

2013-09-19T23:30:00.000+01:00

This guest post is brought to you by the lovely folks from the 30 Day Sweater Challenge (which I'll tell you more about this weekend, so stay tuned!!).

Ask any knitter that has ever tried to knit something in a very specific size (like sweaters) if gauge is important and you'll get a resounding "YES!". However, most knitters grimace at the very mention of the 'G' word.

Personally I think we have it all wrong! The gauge swatch is like our infantry, the little guys that get no love for their service. They go ahead and scout what it might be like to move ahead. The swatch tells you if you have the ideal conditions to commit and how successful you'll be when you decide to go for the whole shebang. He is our first line of defense against a poorly fitted sweater. When we swatch it is like sending out the scouts to see if that yarn is really the perfect one for your project. Maybe your little swatch is just trying to tell you that you don't like the way the yarn feels when it's knit - but instead getting a big thank you just rip him apart. Perhaps he is trying to tell you that the coast is clear and everything will turn out perfectly. This little guy has got your back.

Or maybe you should think of swatching as going out on a date with your new yarn, getting to know each other a little bit before you commit. I just like to think of swatching as an extra opportunity to play with yarn. Who doesn't love to play with yarn?

Now let's get realistic, there are ways you can "cheat" at knitting gauge swatches by making the process simpler but in general you can't cheat your way out of knitting a swatch entirely (unless you want a poorly knitted sweater). Knitting a gauge swatch is important because it plays a huge role in the size and fit of your sweater and how the fabric itself feels and drapes.

Today we'll look at correcting gauge and predicting if you'll need to go up or down a needle size, using alternate blocking methods to get knitting faster and learn which projects gauge is imperative for (and which projects you can skip the swatch).

For those of you who have never knit a gauge swatch before, check out this tutorial over at New Stitch a Day.

If you are one of those fortunate knitters that get the exact gauge you're looking for at first, congratulations! This almost never happens for me so here is how to adjust your gauge so you do get the perfect gauge.

If you're not getting the correct gauge it doesn't mean you are a bad knitter or even that you are doing anything wrong. It just means that you and the designer of the pattern do not knit at the same tension.

I get a lot of new knitters asking if they should just try knitting tighter or looser to get gauge. Quite simply, you do not need to change your knitting, as long as you are knitting the stitches correctly, you shouldn't worry about knitting tighter or looser. Knit how you are comfortable knitting and how you will be knitting the for rest of your project. Trying to correct your gauge by knitting tighter or looser might work for a while but tends to be very inconsistent over the course of an entire project.

The easiest way to get correct gauge is to switch the needle size you are knitting with. When a pattern suggests a needle size it is just a suggested start. It means that the designer used that size of needle to get the specified gauge for the pattern. But if you knit tighter or looser than the designer you will need a different size of needle to get the same gauge.

If you are not getting enough stitches per inch that means your stitches are too big. Try going down a needle size.

If you are getting too many stitches per inch that means your stitches are too small. Try going up a needle size.

As you work on your next few projects, make a note if you had to go up or down a needle size. If you are consistently going down two needle sizes from what is recommended I suggest you might try swatching with the smaller needles first on your next project. You may be pleasantly surprised to find yourself with spot on gauge first try. I find that I almost always need to go up one or two needle sizes so whenever I check gauge I start with the needles one size larger than recommended and I usually end up with almost perfect gauge.

One step a lot of knitters like to skip is washing and blocking your swatch before you measure your gauge because it takes some time. Luckily there are a couple of ways of blocking that can make this step go a bit quicker. I do recommend fully washing and blocking like you will treat your finished garment but if you are knitting with delicate fiber or a fiber that you will not be getting entirely wet you can try spray blocking or steam blocking. These methods dry faster and you will get on your way quicker than wet blocking.

So you may be asking, "is it ok to not make a gauge swatch?"

Technically you should always swatch. However, for some projects the gauge is less important like scarves and baby blankets since they don't need to be a specific size. Or if you often knit with the same needles and the same yarn, you may not need to check your gauge as it will be the same. However, if you plan on using the "same needles, same yarn" route I would recommend checking gauge every so often as your tension can change over time or even depending what mood you're in.

There you have it, three ways to simplify the swatching process to get knitting quicker! You can use your recent projects to predict which needle size you'll need, use an alternate blocking method to speed up the process or choose a project where gauge isn't imperative.

If you'd like to learn more about making a gauge swatch and the other steps that go into preparing a sweater, download our free Sweater Planning Guide. In this guide we talk about choosing a suitable yarn, how much yarn you to buy and how to plan a sweater that you love! Did we mention that its free?

Exciting News!

2013-08-27T14:30:00.002+01:00

Hi guys, it is so great to be back for good! :D I have loads of projects to share with you, plus a secret project that involves YOU and knitters around the world... but I can't tell you anything about that until September! (ssssh, don't tell anyone I told ya that much already! ;)) Today though I am launching a new endeavor!

drum roll....

I launched my podcast! I've been thinking about the idea for a long time now, and finally I have the time to make it a reality. It is called An Accidental Knitter's Podcast (guess how long it took me to come up with that one!) and it will be a weekly audio show. I won't be spamming you all with the shownotes of each weekly episode on this blog, instead I have made a blog just for the podcast and the episodes shownotes. At the moment you can only listen on the blog and via RSS feed, but iTunes are currently reviewing the show and you should be able to download via iTunes by tomorrow night :)

The pilot episode (like all pilot episodes) is a little shaky, but I really hope you'll stick with it and in time the show will become more polished as I practice. Today I am going to create a Ravelry board for those who read the blog, listen to the podcast and who knit my designs so we can all hang out together, have a chat and hopefully do a KAL/CAL together :D

I'll be back tomorrow for WIP Wednesday for a 'proper' update, I have a really pretty project I'm looking forward to sharing with you all.

Have a great day guys, and THANK YOU to everyone who listens to the pilot episode, I love you all xxx

Can I Have One?

2013-07-09T15:00:00.000+01:00

Hi guys, I hope you're all OK! Today I thought I would do something a little different... so here is my Vlog post! I am hoping to do a Vlog post a couple of times a month ^-^ Enjoy!

Back in Town

2013-06-26T14:59:00.000+01:00

Well hello there, my lovelies. I'm sorry I haven't stayed in touch over the past couple of months. In March, my little sister who you all know is in and out of hospital, became seriously ill and had to be rushed to a specialist hospital in Kent. After a couple of weeks, they managed to find her a place in a specialist hospital near us, and that is where she still is. She has improved, but is still very poorly, and will be in there for at least another 2 months, most probably she'll be there until the end of the year.

So, that is the reason behind my disappearance.... I stopped knitting in March, and didn't pick up my needles again until the very end of May. I just couldn't seem to concentrate for long enough. Now that I know that she is a little better, my concentration has improved and I've been able to start knitting again - yay!

In the couple of weeks I've been knitting again, I've knitted a pair of socks, a kindle cozy, lots of hexipuffs, 1 plain sock, 1 nutkin sock, and a fingerless mitten. Not bad for 5 weeks of knitting, eh?

To get me back into the swing of things, I knitted a few hexipuffs, and after that I started a pair of plain socks. The pattern used was 8 Stitches per Inch by Ann Budd, from her book, Getting Started Knitting Socks. Which is my most loved, and used, knitting book :) The yarn I chose was Nina by Zettl. A cotton/wool sock yarn given to me by my eldest sister Sara, a year or two ago. The yarn came in a pack of 4 (you could buy this yarn at the supermarket!), which meant I had over 800 yards to play with!!

I've finished the first sock...

And am now onto the second...

Hopefully by Friday I'll have a pair of finished socks to show you! I probably won't be around for WIPW next week, as I'll be working on two super secret projects - a test knit for my incredibly lovely friend Fleur, and a gift for my friend! For now though, head on over to the lovely Tami's for more WIPW posts :D

xxxx

This Spring's Hot Trends

2013-03-05T07:00:00.000+00:00

This Spring season contains a wealth of new fashion trends, many of which you will find hidden away in your wardrobe. Here are 5 of the latest Spring 2013 fashion trends, and their knitted or crocheted partners.

BLACK AND WHITE CHECK

Star Pattern:

Check Slouch by Triona Murphy

Another great pattern is Envy Checked Mittens by Sarah H Arnold!

BOMBER JACKET

Star Pattern:

Bomber Jacket to Knit by Val Love

Another fantastic pattern is Bomber Baby by Patty Davis!

WHITE SHIRTS

Star Pattern:

Bel Air by Anne Hanson

©knitspot

Another great pattern is Windsor by Marie Wallin!

FEMININE HANDBAGS

Star Pattern:

Knitting Needle Knitting Bag by Pam Allen

Source: ©mma

Another great pattern is 98-54 bag with cable pattern in Eskimo by DROPS design!

ORIENTAL

Star Pattern:

Seamless Kimono Sweater by Jacki Kelly

Another great pattern is the Kimono Wrap Cardigan by Hilary Smith Callis!

So those are just 5 of Spring 13's fashion trends, I hope you've found some inspiration for future knitting and crochet projects. Pop on over on Saturday for the article "Knits You Need in Your Wardrobe this Spring!"

Knitwear of the 50s

2013-03-04T07:00:00.000+00:00

The 1950s has to be my all time favorite decade. I love it for it's films and music, but I love it most for it's fashion. Dior challenged the world with a 'new look', which focused on women. He got rid of the military-like clothes, and brought in full-calf length voluminous skirts, strapless boned tops with full skirts, fitted jackets and straight fitted skirts to the knee called pencil skirts.

Coco Chanel introduced the Chanel Suit, which played an important role in 1950s fashion. The boxy jackets and slim skirts gave the wearer a slim silhouette. One of the largest trends that emerged in the 50s was the circle skirt. Teens embraced the bright colours and prints, layering a stiff, crinoline petticoat underneath to make the skirt stick out.

The main staple of the 1950s though, was the twin set. It compromised of a short or long-sleeved sweater and a matching cardigan. The actress Lana Turner brought sweaters back into fashion when she was nicknamed 'sweater girl' after her role in the film 'They Won't Forget'.

This season Pringle (the fashion designers, not the crips!) have said it is inspired by the 1950s sweater girls; such as Grace Kelly, Lana Turner and Margaret Lockwood. So we can expect twinsets to come back into fashion - yay! And do you know what that means? More knitting projects!

This is the Twin Set - Cardigan pattern by Patons UK, which was originally released in the June 1952 issue of Stitchcraft. It was knitted in lace (!) weight yarn, on 3mm needles. Can you imagine how long it would take to knit that?!

Scouring Ravelry I found some lovely 50's inspired twinsets, but with a contemporary twist, such as:

by meghanballog Flickr

#15 Twinset by Mari Lynn Patrick

Spumoni Tank and Cardigan by Sandi Rosner

I can't wait to get started knitting Molly's cardigan, which is also 1950s inspired! If you haven't seen it already, I'm going to be making Peggy Sue by Linda Wilgus using Stylecraft Special DK in Emperor (1425), as Molly looks gorgeous in purple!

After looking at it for a little while, I am starting to worry that you won't be able to see the cables because of the yarn colour, but we shall cross the hurdle when we get to it! I can't wait to cast this project on, it'll be my first "adult garment".

So, question time. What is your favourite fashion era/decade, and why? x

And the Winner is...

2013-03-03T12:10:00.001+00:00

Last week Lisa Millan and I held a giveaway for one knitty person to win a washcloth pattern of their own choice. The giveaway is now closed, and the winner has been chosen thanks to www.random.org.

And the winner is...

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S T O D E B B I E !

Well done Debbie, you will be the proud owner of Angel Kitty washcloth pattern, I hope you have fun making it! I will message you on Ravelry with the details on how to receive your prize.

Big thank you again to Lisa for allowing me to ask her questions and offering the giveaway, it was very kind of you!