Helena Callum

Ermintrude fingerless mitts

2012-01-31T18:47:00.000Z

Ermintrude fingerless mitts by Helena Callum
My Ermintrude fingerless mitts pattern has just been published on the p/hop website.

p/hop stands for pennies per hour of pleasure, and the p/hop website is a knitting fundraising programme for the charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Although patterns on p/hop can be freely downloaded, the idea is that once you've enjoyed using the pattern you return and make a donation. This can be done in pounds, US dollars or Euros here.

The Ermintrude pattern is for a pair of fingerless mitts with a patterned thumb, long decorative cuff and plain hand. The mitts have a peasant thumb and are worked, in the round, from cuff to fingers. They provide just enough warmth and add a cheerful splash of colour to an outfit.

The pattern includes two sizes: Small/Medium (Medium/Large) - to fit an adult woman's hand of circumference 18 cm /7" (20 cm /8"). Tension / Gauge: 26 sts and 36 rows to 10 × 10 cm / 4" × 4" in stocking stitch / stockinette stitch.

The mitts are worked in DK-weight yarn. The mitt pictured above was made using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK (a blend of 55% Merino wool, 33% Microfiber, 12% Cashmere, giving 110 m / 120 yds per 50g ball), though other DK-weight or light worsted weight yarns will also work well.

The main colour used was grey (18024), and the three contrast colours were dark green (18038), duck egg (18028) and bright green (18011).

If using stash yarn, then you'll need roughly 115 (135) m / 125 (145) yds of the main colour, and up to 55 (55) m /60 (60) yds each of the three contrast colours.

There are all sorts of possible colour combinations. The above colour scheme is spring-like. For autumn, perhaps something along these lines?

An alternative colour scheme
The colour work uses slip stitches, so there is only one colour of working yarn in use in any round. The slip stitch instructions in the pattern are given both as charts and as written directions

Find out why the mitts are called Ermintrude mitts here!

This is a link to the ravelry pattern page.

My second, third and fourth Muckle Mitts

2012-01-22T14:00:00.000Z

My first pair of Muckle Mitts

My first Muckle Mitt was introduced in an earlier post. Now I have finished the second one, and have my first pair of Muckle Mitts. This pair used my souvenir yarns from South Uist.

Delighted with them, and having purchased 200 Fair Isle Designs: Knitting Charts, Combination Designs, and Colour Variations by Mary Jane Mucklestone ( available in the US as 200 Fair Isle Motifs), I carried straight on to make a second pair. This time I followed the principles described in the book to replace the chart in the original pattern with a slightly different one.

My second pair of Muckle Mitts, using design #173 from 200 Fair Isle Designs: Knitting Charts, Combination Designs, and Colour Variations by Mary Jane Mucklestone

Design #173 on my second pair of Muckle Mitts

The original chart was based on design #172 in the book, and I didn't move very far to source my variation, which is based on #173. This has a different number of stitches in each repeat from the original, but as the repeat still fits into the number of stitches in the mitt, it works well. This was such an easy change to make - it makes a great first step towards Fair Isle designing.

I'm also pleased to have used some of my own handspun (it was starting to pile up) and have moved on to make some patterned mittens using the rest of the skein. The yarn (Ravelry Link - login required) was spun from prepared BFL & Sparkle dyed by Felt Studio UK.

Blue and green checked weaving - results

2012-01-22T13:11:00.000Z

Green and blue plaid weaving - finished.

Green and blue plaid weaving plan. "Thread View" design generated using WeaveDesign software. See original post

Although my fabric looks a bit wonky when compared with the perfectly square design, these pictures show that the software approach can give a good idea of the appearance of the fabric. I had to flip the plan image to match the order of the colours in the fabric, so I think I did not do the warping and wefting exactly in the order they should have been. The yarns used were: Texere Yarns Pure Lambswool 4 ply (natural), Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino in Tropical storm (blues) and Araucania Ranco Solid in 108 (Green).

My intention is to make a credit card wallet from this, fairly short, piece of fabric. I ran out of the blue yarn (lack of weaving experience here, if I'd thought a bit harder I'd have made the warp considerably shorter!), and the rest of the fabric has green replacing the blue in the weft, as seen in the image below. Some of this remaining fabric may eventually be made into a sunglasses case.

Green and green and blue plaid weaving.

My first Muckle Mitt

2012-01-12T14:38:00.000Z

I am excited about these mitts! I read about the Muckle Mitts pattern here on Mary Jane Mucklestone's blog, and saw another finished product at the end of this post on Kate Davies' blog.

The pattern uses motif #172 from Mary Jane Mucklestone's book 200 Fair Isle Motifs ( available in the UK as 200 Fair Isle Designs: Knitting Charts, Combination Designs, and Colour Variations). The pattern was a New Year gift from the designer and can be downloaded free until 16 January 2012.

When I was on holiday on South Uist last summer I bought two souvenir balls of yarn, each very different from the other. One is wool from a flock of pedigree Hebridean Sheep that live on the island, it is natural black and very springy. The other is handspun on the island from non-local merino wool, in a colourway called "Uist Landscapes - Atlantic". This yarn is full of beautiful blues and greens and is very soft. I had not really thought about using the two yarns together, but when I saw the Muckle Mitts pattern realised that this was the perfect opportunity to make myself a reminder of South Uist that took advantage of the qualities of both yarns.

I made the first one in a couple of evenings, and am doing well with the second. I think I shall probably make more, perhaps using my own handspun, and perhaps incorporating another of the motifs from the book. If you like the Muckle Mitts, then have a look at the Mucklemuff, the Muckle item that preceded the mitts.

Book Review: Knitting 24/7

2012-01-10T19:00:00.000Z

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Knitting 24/7. 30 projects to Knit, Wear, Enjoy, On the Go and Around the Clock.
by Véronik Avery
Stewart, Tabori & Chang 2010
ISBN: 978-1-58479-844-6

This book is very clear about its intended readership: "Busy, passionate knitters". The idea is to provide projects that are portable, for those who like to knit whenever a brief opportunity presents itself. Furthermore the stitch patterns are relatively simple so that they can be easily memorised, and constant reference to a chart is not required. There are also one or two larger items, which make up for their lack of portability with ease of knitting.

At first I thought that this book probably wasn't for me, as I am not the sort of knitter who must always have busy hands and loves to knit in the queue in the Post Office. However, it turns out that while the patterns are great for passionate knitters, they are also great for less fervent ones. The qualities that make them suitable for grabbed opportunities mean that they are also ideal for those who like to relax with some knitting in front of the TV.

The book is divided into three sections: a.m., p.m. and weekend, according to when you are likely to use or wear the result. This is a fairly arbitrary division, and a case could be made for including most of the items in any of the three categories! The book contains 30 patterns. There are five hats/headbands, four scarves/shawls, four pairs of socks, two bags, five mitts/mittens/gloves, five garments, a cushion cover, a bookmark, a tea cosy and two variants on a pair of slippers. All are attractively stylish. The books contents page is pictorial, with a photograph of every item. This is a good looking feature that also makes the book easy to use.

The photography is wonderful. There's a clue that it will be good on the cover, as the photographer Thayer Allyson Gowdy is named. The photographs not only show the designs well, they hint at a desirable lifestyle - I'd like to live in this book! The atmosphere is enhanced by including photos that don't include the knitting - the model stares dreamily out of a train window or orange juice and a crossword puzzle glow in the morning light. Yes, I want to live there!

My favourite patterns are the Heilo Mittens (p105), which have a very simple but very effective colour scheme and the Cabled Gloves (p117). The Elemental Pullover (p67) is simply delightful - so elegant. I was also taken enough with the Pinstripe Slouch Hat (p77) to make one. I found the instructions complete and easy to follow, though I did decide to work the hat inside out compared with how the pattern was written to reduce the amount of purling required.

The author owns St-Denis Yarns, and St-Denis yarn is suggested for a few of the patterns. Overall however, yarns from a wide variety of companies are suggested. Some of the yarns are obtainable in the UK, and composition and yardage is given which will aid substitution. Several different weights of yarn appear. The designs have written instructions but patterns, such as cable and colourwork, are given only in charts. The charts are clear and legible. The book seems to be relatively well proof-read, with only a few errata listed on the publisher's website (http://www.abramsbooks.com/stc_craft_errata_knitting247.html).

This is a lovely book full of easy and attractive patterns. Avoid it if you want only challenging patterns, want more garment patterns or are an absolute beginner hoping for learn-to-knit instructions.

Disclosure: I purchased this book

Weaving started at last

2012-01-01T15:23:00.000Z

Green and blue plaid weaving in progress.
Yesterday I warped my Cricket loom with the design I posted about, with the image below, many moons ago. Scanned yarn, blurred scanned yarn and two "Thread View" designs generated using WeaveDesign software. Collage made using Picasa.
I had rather less of the blue variegated yarn than I thought, so will have only a short length of the design exactly as planned, but otherwise I'm happy with how it is turning out.

Happy Christmas!

2011-12-24T10:00:00.000Z

Reindeer, ball 49
from 55 Christmas Balls to Knit by Arne & Carlos

Wovember photo competition

2011-12-21T18:37:00.000Z

"Goldilocks"
My photo taken at Masham Sheep Fair 2010, and a prize winner in the Wovember competition

Wovember was the brainchild of Kate Davies and Felicity Ford. Their idea was, for the month of November 2011, to celebrate wool and its unique qualities. They aimed to make people aware of what is special about wool, and perhaps to bring about changes in how garments and textiles are described. Too often the word "wool" is used for a fabric when the fibre content includes little or no sheep's wool.

There were many thought-provoking, finely illustrated and well crafted articles posted on the Wovember blog, see for example "Wool is ... " and "An end of Wovember story". And the masterful Hall of Shame showing examples of misleading marketing.

There was also a Wovember photo competition, where entrants were asked to submit photos that, for them, encapsulated the idea of 100% wool. There were lots of entries, and they can all be seen in the gallery. I sent a couple of my favourite sheep portraits, taken at the Masham Sheep Fair last year (my post at the time). Yesterday I was delighted to learn that one of my entries had been selected as a runner up in the sheep category! You can see all the winners here, and this post is a great one, giving an insight into the judging process: it is splendid to see the short-listed photos grouped together into categories.

I've won a voucher to spend at Blacker Designs, which will be fun. Thank you!

I think the sheep in my photo is a Lincoln Longwool: can anyone confirm that? or perhaps you know better?

Floodlit Fountains Abbey

2011-12-21T09:00:00.000Z

The cellarium at Fountains Abbey
Floodlit for Christmas, 18 December 2011

Kindle cover pattern updated

2011-12-11T13:17:00.001Z

I have today updated my Kindle Cover pattern to include instructions for a cover to fit the smaller Kindle 4 (16.6 cm by 11.4 cm) as well as for the Kindle Keyboard 3G model (19 cm by 12.3 cm).

Huddersfield Festival of Light 2011

2011-12-05T20:47:00.001Z

16 ft tall tulips. f8, 1/6 s.
at the Huddersfield Festival of Light 2011.

Yorkshire Light Garden. f10, 1.3 s.
at the Huddersfield Festival of Light 2011.

No longer a scarf

2011-11-20T12:00:00.000Z

Button made from handwoven fabric. Natural lambswool and mohair boucle from Texere; handspun made from merino silk fibre from Old Maiden Aunt
Earlier this year I posted about my plans to weave a three-colour checked pattern on my Cricket loom. During the summer I did the weaving. I enjoyed the process and was pleased with the feel of the finished fabric, but just wasn't keen on it being a scarf as originally planned.

Last week I took the plunge and started cutting up the fabric. I have made two cushion covers - each has a strip of the handwoven fabric on one side and three covered buttons (as shown above) on the other. I used iron-on interfacing on the back of the fabric before covering the plastic button blank, and am pleased with the results.

Book Review: 55 Christmas Balls to Knit

2011-11-07T18:47:00.000Z

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55 Christmas Balls to Knit: Colourful Festive Ornaments * Tree Decorations * Centrepieces * Wreaths * Window Decorations
by Arne & Carlos
Search Press 2011
ISBN: 978-1-84448-781-3

This book was first published in Norway in 2010 and was a huge hit. Under the title Julekuler it sold 37 000 copies, and was on the Norwegian bestseller list for four months. To follow up this success, versions of the book are now (October 2011) available in Finland, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, France, UK and USA. So, what's the appeal?

The concept is very simple. The book contains just one pattern - the shape of a knitted ball to use as a Christmas decoration - presented as written directions. Then there are 55 different stranded knitting motifs that can be worked on the basic shape. These appear in charts, which also show the basic shape. This simplicity hints a one aspect of the phenomenon - people get hooked. You make your first ball, then just have to get started on another one with a slightly different design.

The way the book is presented also adds to the enjoyment. We meet Arne and Carlos, a pair of knitwear designers who live and work in the Norwegian mountains (this video is worth a look). The book is full of photographs of their knitted balls artfully arranged around their home, or together with related items. I especially like the photo on p115. I thought a first they'd made a very large ball - but it turned out to be a normal sized ball inside a dolls house. As well as photographs, there are quotes from seasonal poems and even a little story from Arne's grandmother.

The introductory material assumes some experience with knitting in the round and stranded colour work, but includes instructions on how to increase and decrease and how to stuff and finish your ball. Then the different motifs are presented. They have been arranged into 16 chapters of related designs, e.g. "Reindeer" and "Hearts", and many are traditional designs. Most of the motifs are accompanied by a comment on the source of inspiration or a little seasonal reminiscence.

Arne and Carlos note that they could have come up with more variations, but chose to stop at 55. Clearly they recognise that once people have worked a few of these they'll be coming up with their own designs - there's an empty chart at the back of the book, ready for when inspiration strikes!

I've made one ball from the book - so far! The instructions were clear, it was easy to knit and took just a couple of evenings (faster knitters can produce two or three a day). The yarn used in the book is a sport weight (100 m to 50 g) yarn, but any yarn can be tried - the ball will come out smaller or bigger. Just choose a needle size to give a tight fabric so the stuffing doesn't leak out.

So. Avoid the book if you just want to knit a Christmas ball - other patterns are available. But get a copy if you like the tactile pleasure of books, great photography, traditional designs, winter scenery and the charm of something just that little bit different.

I loved it.

Disclosure: I purchased this book. My review is of the Search Press paperback edition.

Shoe last for felted clogs

2011-10-28T21:00:00.000+01:00

My personalised shoe lasts. See here for the instructions I used.
I have been thinking about buying a pair of polystyrene foot lasts (from here or here for example) to help get good results when making felted slippers. A few years ago I made several hats from this great Chicknits pattern, and know that the robust blocking of the wet, fulled garment is the most important step in getting a happy result. Here's one of my hats.

Felted Bucket Hat. It was blocked on a paint can. See here for the pattern.
But the polystyrene lasts are expensive, especially if you aren't making many pairs of slippers the same size. So, I had a quick Google and found this useful page: Make your own shoe lasts for felted boot projects written by Sally Pointer in 2004. Luckily I had some of the necessary silver tape in the house, so I went ahead and made some lasts.

Because I was planning to make slippers not boots, I didn't include the piece of card to give a flat sole shape. This may or may not have been a good move, but once I've worn my slippers for a while I'll know what to do the next time!

I used the lasts as I would have used my own feet - at the drying stage, when the slippers had been completely fulled in the washing machine. I'm happy with the results, and it was certainly easier than wearing wet slippers. With hindsight it might have been a good idea to make the toes rounder, as that part of the slipper wasn't stretched enough by the lasts.

If I find my new slippers comfortable and easy to walk in, I may still invest in a polystyrene set of lasts - I like the idea of using them in the washing machine for the last step of the fulling process. My home made lasts are a little squishy and I'm not confident about their water resistance.

Book Review: Northern Knits

2011-10-23T16:50:00.000+01:00

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Northern Knits. Designs inspired by the knitting traditions of scandinavia, iceland, and the shetland isles
by Lucinda Guy
Interweave Press 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59668-171-2

Lucinda Guy has written a number of books focused on designs for children, but this book, published in 2010, is very grown up. The content is inspired by traditional designs and techniques associated with the north European regions of the subtitle, and the whole book has a cool colour scheme and stylish layout to match.

The book is divided into four main chapters on Iceland, Shetland, Norway and Sweden. Each chapter contains four or five patterns, and starts with a two page introduction to the history of knitting in that region. The designs are worked in yarn from the relevant country, with URLs supplied for the original manufacturers, which should allow readers from around the world to identify a suitable stockist. These are designs that will benefit from using the specified yarn, or something very carefully chosen as a substitute. I can imagine only disappointment resulting from any attempt to substitute with acrylic!

The patterns include eight pullovers and tops, two cardigans and jackets, two shawls, three gloves/mitts/mittens, two socks, two hats and a bag.

My experience with Icelandic yarn and patterns dates back some 25 years. I made a few jumpers then, one or two in traditional style and one in a sideways-knitted 1980s design that I still love. However I rarely wear them as they are so incredibly warm. It is notable that although the Iceland chapter does include a thick Lopi jumper (Unnur), there is also a beautiful thinner pullover (Hulda) knitted using a laceweight yarn. This would be worn more than once a year! My favourite design in the book is the Yrsa Laceweight mitts, which have a calm and subtle colour scheme.

I also like the Sweden chapter. This includes the cover pullover (Pia) which is another laceweight garment worked on 3 mm needles. This chapter also includes designs that use the "twined" technique, and though neither of these designs appeals to me particularly, the notes about the technique here would make it easier to work a twined pattern from elsewhere.

The Shetland chapter includes designs using both Shetland lace patterns and Fair Isle colourwork. There is a cap (Nell) that would be a good pattern for the novice Fair Isle knitter. The designs in the Norway chapter all include folk patterns that you'll either love or hate. Notable here is the long knitted cap (think Wee Willie Winkie), which I can see being worn happily in a ski resort, if not in the local railway station (Inger).

The book contains charts for the colour work designs and for most of the lace work; where charts are given, these are not duplicated with written instructions.

This book will be appreciated by intermediate to expert knitters interested in the knitting traditions and the special yarns of these northern lands, but perhaps not yet wedded to one tradition in particular. It is more likely to appeal to those who like to thumb through knitting books, without necessarily following more than a pattern or two.

Disclosure: I received this book from a magazine as a free gift when I took out a magazine subscription at a show. I suspect it was the magazine's review copy.

Callisto Glove

2011-10-14T18:30:00.000+01:00

Callisto: lined cuff
Callisto is another striking glove design from the talented Asa Tricosa. You can find the pattern on ravelry. I've finished the first glove of the pair. The cuff is lined by working a 4 cm hem. I like the refinement of this very much, and am glad I chose to make it a different colour from the rest of the glove.

Callisto also features a single striped finger.

Callisto:left glove

Callisto: one striped finger
Click on the r to see my ravelry project page (login needed), for details of the yarns used.

Mini Book Review: A School in South Uist

2011-10-08T10:33:00.001+01:00

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A School in South Uist: Reminiscences of a Hebridean Schoolmaster, 1890-1913
by F.G Rea
Birlinn Ltd 1997
ISBN: 1 874744 87 4

I very much enjoyed reading this book. I was slightly surprised to enjoy it so much, as I had been afraid it might be rather dull and worthy, but it was in fact warm and readable. I bought the book before going on holiday to South Uist, thinking it would be good to read something based in the area while I was there. In the event I didn't read it until I was back home again, when I was delighted to discover that the school at which the author had spent many years was in the same corner of the island as I had spent my three days. The subtitle - "Reminiscences of a Hebridean Schoolmaster, 1890-1913" is accurate. The book is made up of reminiscences, and reminded me of the sort of story told by an older relative or friend, full of awareness of the foibles of their younger self. The author was only twenty one when he took up the schoolmaster post.

The book has been edited, and it is worth reading the Foreword, Introduction and Addendum as they help to set the reminiscences in context. I found that the editorial comments added to the charm of the book, as the editor corrected the errors and tried to sort out the more deliberate obfuscations (for example, to protect identities) of the author. The book paints a vivid picture of the island and its people at the time. Overall the book brought home to me just how much times have changed, especially regarding communications - both cars and phones have utterly transformed how we live.

My excuse for including a review on this blog is that spinning and weaving are indeed mentioned in the book, as you'd expect for a book set in the islands in this period.

In chapter 4 the author was out on a hillside as darkness fell, "... when I heard a weird sound rising and falling with a certain queer rhythm on the night air." He goes on to describe waulking from an outsider's perspective.
In chapter 17 Rea describes how his neighbours produced a web of cloth from naturally dyed and hand spun yarn, after he had picked the colours " ... a soft quiet grey with just a suggestion of blue.". This chapter also includes a folklore story about a tailor and cloth.
And there are links to present day South Uist. In chapter 8 the walled garden at Cille Bhrìghde / Kilbride is described. The wall still stands and now encloses the Hebridean Woolshed.

Highly recommended!

Disclosure: I purchased a used copy of this book

Read all about it! Legible blogs on mobile phones

2011-10-04T20:39:00.006+01:00

Preview of the mobile/smartphone template view

Recently Blogger, the host for this blog, introduced an option for displaying a cut down version of a blog on smartphones. You get the posts, but not the extra material displayed in columns at the sides. Because there's less material there, the posts are actually legible on the small smartphone display without scrolling and zooming! The blog author needs to enable the feature first (in the Template menu of the new interface, or via Dashboard > Settings > Email & Mobile tab in the old one) - and when they do this they will see a preview, like the one shown in the picture above.

Once enabled, the new display will work automatically on many smartphones - but not all. If it doesn't appear automatically, you can encourage the mobile template to kick in by appending ?m=1 to the URL. I've added a link at the top of the right hand column of this blog - this includes the ?m=1 and should give the smartphone display to those for whom it didn't work automatically.

Gorgeous bark

2011-09-27T18:52:00.000+01:00

Bark on Prunus Serrula, at the RHS Harlow Carr garden

A few days on South Uist

2011-09-04T19:45:00.003+01:00

Snapshots from a Hebridean Holiday

The brown one - Spun from the fleeces of pedigree Hebridean sheep from the Howmore River Flock, bought here

The blue one - Handspun merino wool in colourway Atlantic, by Denise Bridge, Hebridean Woolshed

Book Review: Power Cables

2011-08-15T19:01:00.003+01:00

Power Cables: the ultimate guide to knitting inventive cables
by Lily M Chin
Interweave Press 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59668-167-5

I was attracted to this book (published in 2010) having seen an extract on reversible cables, a technique for which the author Lily Chin is justly famous. Reversible cables are useful on items like scarves, where both sides are on display, and one would like the back to be as attractive as the front. The book is a strong introduction to this area, leading the reader from an understanding of why a “normal” cable looks different on each side to the point where s/he could design their own the-same-on-both-sides pattern.

The book has two key features. Firstly, it is the definitive work on reversible cables. This is much more than a stitch dictionary. Secondly, it introduces Lily Chin’s novel way of charting cables. This method is not really intended to replace a conventional knitting chart, as detail at the stitch by stitch level may be omitted, but the book demonstrates that the method is a superb aid to the visualization and understanding of the construction of cable designs.

There are nine chapters in all. The first is an introduction to cables in general and is essential reading even for the experienced cabler. It includes tips on generating complex-looking patterns from a single cable operation by mirroring or using the half-drop; how to cable without a cable needle (two ways, one of which was new to me) and introduces Chin’s cable charts which are used throughout the book. Each of the next seven chapters concentrates on a particular cable technique and includes at least one knitting pattern using the cable in question. Cable types included are textural cables, travelling stitch cables, coloured cables, raised wale cables and phony (or mock) cables. The last chapter is on cable integration and includes suggestions for using cables in your own designs.

The book is attractive to look at with well-photographed project photos, and clear photos of swatches (although the book is more than a stitch dictionary, it can still be used as one!). There is thematic colour coding throughout, for example all the swatches in Chapter 3 are grey and all those in Chapter 4 are gold. The dependable Interweave Press pictorial glossary is included at the back.

There are 15 knitting projects in the book, with patterns for both men and women. The most appealing to me are the spectacular XOX Raglan Turtleneck pullover on page 59 () and I love the look of the Bi-color Brioche Stole on page 118. However, I am most likely to knit the Reversible Cuffs Hat (Page 126). All patterns include both written and charted (in conventional style) instructions.

You’ll love the book if:

You wish to gain confidence in understanding cables, so that you could substitute in an existing pattern or develop designs of your own

You simply enjoy cabling!

This book is a real resource and I can envisage referring to it for many years to come.

Disclosure: I purchased this book

Another Woolfest purchase (and knitted brains)

2011-08-04T19:38:00.015+01:00

Key rings in various stages of production. Pattern by Sheepfold
I love to buy relatively inexpensive trinkets in gift shops. This is why I have a great collection of souvenir ballpoint pens. It is a similar story at fibre festivals. I will get just as much pleasure from a small purchase as from a large one. A few years ago my favourite item was a kit to needle felt a family of penguins, from Twist Fibre Craft. I've just looked and they still have them! - on this page. And some tempting alternatives too.

Anyway, getting back to the point, at Woolfest 2011 my small purchase was a kit to make a keyring from Sheepfold. The kit included the pattern, a small amount of wool yarn and a metal keyring. You just knitted up some wiggly bits of knitting, sewed them together and fulled the result in the washing machine. From a distance the result looks like an oversized felted bead. But close to you can see the interlocking swirls. It is a very satisfying ball shape, though as it looked a bit like a flower before it was felted I wonder if perhaps this design was the result of a happy accident!

Sheepfold mini-kit keyring in Light Grey Welsh DK

The swirls reminded me of the folds of brain tissue, so I had a quick search online, and of course, found several examples of knitted brains!

There's a famous one by Karen Norberg - it is the second one down on this page. With a newspaper write up here.

Sarah Maloney's two knitted brains are included in this article

This crocheted hat by Pamela Wynne is just superb. It is also in ravelry - have a look at the projects page: some wonderful photos!

And a knitting pattern for a toy brain from Alicia Williams

Woolfest purchase

2011-07-29T22:02:00.007+01:00

I had vowed never again to fall for a gloriously hand-dyed plait of fibre. Oh no. I'd been disappointed before. After spinning, the contrasty colours would look either muddy or clownish. Or, worse, they'd run together when you tried to set the twist.

So what did I come home with from Woolfest? Yes:

70% BFL, 30% sparkle Fibre from FeltStudioUK

Well, it looked gorgeous.

The singles looked nice too:

70% BFL, 30% sparkle singles

But I knew I was running a high risk of spinning mud .... I didn't! It turned out beautifully. I'm delighted with this!

My finished yarn. About 13 wpi.

Limestone Pavement Beret

2011-07-15T16:13:00.006+01:00

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Limestone Pavement Beret by Helena Callum

My Limestone Pavement Beret pattern was published in Knit magazine, Issue 40, September 2011!!

The magazine is/was available to buy from newsagents (from 15 July to 17 August 2011), and can be ordered as a digital magazine or single back issue from the publisher's online shop.

The pattern is for a hat that was inspired by the natural stone–like appearance of the Limestone colourway of New Lanark yarn. The beret includes stitch patterns chosen to represent the clints and grikes that make up the geological feature known as Limestone Pavement. The beret has a neat folded hem which grips reassuringly, and a slouchy textured top part, which can be blocked on a dinner plate to a classic beret shape. Viewed from above, the decreases and the stitch patterns have a multi–point star appearance.

Limestone Pavement Beret by Helena Callum

The stitch patterns on the body of the hat are given in a chart and as written directions.

SIZES
One size to fit head circumference 53-58 cm / 21-23 in

TENSION / GAUGE
18 sts and 28 rows to 10 × 10 cm (4 × 4 in) in stocking stitch (stockinette stitch)

YARN
New Lanark Aran, 100% Wool, 161 m / 176 yds, 100 g ball. Limestone, 1 ball

Other wool-rich Aran weight yarns should also work well.

NOTIONS

4.5 mm (US 7), 40 cm/16 in long circular needle

Set of 4.5 mm (US 7)dpns

4.0 mm (US 6), 40 cm/16 in long circular needle

or size needed to obtain correct tension / gauge

Tapestry needle

Stitch markers

This is a link to the ravelry pattern page.

Puffins. Inner Farne May 2011

2011-07-03T15:20:00.007+01:00

Puffins, Inner Farne 19.5.11

Every year I try to visit a puffin colony to photograph these delightful little birds. These are my favourite shots from my 2011 trip.