Category: 2025

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Autumn Days

There are a few hymns from primary school that I can still remember all the way through, and Autumn Days is one of them. It was one of those songs that I used to sing to myself as I was out cycling or picking up conkers from the big horse chestnut tree around the corner. Many people have told me they don’t enjoy autumn very much, but I do. Perhaps October being my birthday month has something to do with it, but I love the changing colours and the rich reds, greens and browns everywhere. At the weekend Sue suggested we get the autumn decorations out and our fireplace looks really seasonal now with various pumpkins, bats and other items set all around the permanent features.

I spent some of this morning taking photographs of a new design that will be revealed this coming Friday, on October 10th. I am so pleased to have once again been invited to design the pattern for advance ticket holders to the North West Winter Wool Show in Blackpool in February, and you will get to see it on social media in just three days!

As I mentioned last week, I had been hoping to share a new design with you in this month’s issue of The Knitter, but it’s been pushed back to a later issue, so I must be patient for a little longer before I can tell you all about it.

Autumn is also a time of beginnings for me and there are lots of workshops coming up where you can expand your knitting skills and knowledge with me.

Have you ever wanted to learn to do Fair Isle (stranded) knitting? Or do you need a refresher for some top tips? I will be teaching this technique on Wednesday 22nd October at Shaz’s Shabby Chic in Buckley, 6.30-8.30pm.

You will be working on this pattern, learning about colour dominance, how to manage two colours when knitting or purling, how to catch ‘floats’ of yarn on the back of your knitting and how to read a colour work chart.

All yarn and handouts are included for £25. All you need to bring are 4mm needles and a pen or pencil. You need to be able to knit, purl, cast on and off.

Book now

The following week (29th October) I will be teaching my moebius knitting workshop at the same venue. This workshop costs £31 and includes handouts, yarn and the very specific needles you need to successfully create the project with this technique. All you need to bring is a pen or pencil!

These are most of the headbands made during my last moebius workshop at Yarndale. Somehow I didn’t manage to photograph everyone’s.

In the moebius workshop you will learn how a true moebius is constructed from the centre outwards, and discover how this technique can be used to wonderful neckwear and more. You will learn 2 moebius cast on methods and create a simple headband. You need to be able to knit, purl and cast-off.

Book now

Before either of these workshops I will be teaching the technique of Stacked Stitches (as exemplified in the designs of the amazing Xandy Peters) at the WoollyAway Retreat at Manor of Groves hotel in Hertfordshire, organised by Deb of Crates of Wool and Diana of The Crochet Chain. I have been prepping some more samples and decided to experiment with scale a little – my hand in the last pic gives you a sense of the size of the largest sample!

These samples are stitch patterns I have worked out myself using the principles of the technique. The one on the left is what we start with – little increase bumps to begin with, gradually increasing in size as knitters get used to how the technique works! I’ve also been working on a new cowl design using the stacked stitches technique and this should be ready in time for the retreat which is quite exciting!

The yarn in these samples varies from 4ply cotton knitted using 3.5mm or 4mm needles, via DK wool and a wool/acrylic mix yarn on 4mm needles to chunky acrylic on 8mm or 9mm needles! I usually use just wool in my workshops, but I believe there will be some attendees at the retreat who are allergic to wool and I want everyone to be able to handle and explore the samples before they get going making their own, so I’ve made sure there are samples suitable for everyone and I’ll make sure no one touches the ones with wool in without knowing that’s what they’re made from. The yarn supplied by the organisers for attendees to use during the workshops will be acrylic too for the same reason.

I’m grateful not to have a wool allergy myself, though I do have issues with mohair. I don’t think you would call it an allergy, but the hairy fibres from the yarn go up my nose and make me sneeze and I can’t stand the way mohair feels on my skin – it itches like mad and I can’t stand it! So, if you’ve ever wondered why I’ve never done any of those designs where a strand of mohair is held double with a strand of something else – that’s why!

That’s all from me for today – I’m off to eat an apple picked from our tree this morning. I hope you have a good week, do something that makes you smile and maybe learn something new as well. K x

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Time flies when you’re having fun

Yarndale flew past! It felt like no sooner had we set our stand up than we were taking it down again! Having just one table definitely gave us more room, but there were still people waiting to be able to get in to look at the patterns, so I think we will need a double space another time.

Lots of people admired Crenellate and Lichfield among many other patterns, and about half a dozen folk signed up to my monthly newsletter. Subscribers often get special short term discounts off new releases and are also able to get 10% off all patterns and kits so it really is worth signing up.

We had many lovely conversations during the weekend with friends old and new, and we even had time to be sociable on the Saturday evening which was fabulous and is something we will be making time for again at future shows.

There were lots of mandalas around this weekend, mostly in The Gather (the main entrance part to the show), but I also spotted several on different stands. They were beautiful and made gorgeous shadows as well as looking splendid in their own right. Ronnie made friends with Dolly the sheep too.

My moebius workshop was a lot of fun and there are now more knitters out there who are able to knit moebius patterns. They thoroughly enjoyed the workshop too and several commented on how quickly the time went – and it was a two and a half hour session! I didn’t manage to photograph everyone’s headband, but these are the ones I did take pics of:

If you missed this workshop at Yarndale and would like to learn I am teaching it again in person next month as part of my Autumn series of in-person workshops!

There was almost a problem on Saturday morning as we were getting ready when I realised that I had failed to pack any tights! The Auction Mart at Skipton can be a chilly place and my DMs are not shoes that can be worn with bare feet, so it was with great relief that we discovered a nearby Asda open early that had some tights I could buy. All the same I was very very grateful to get home to my regular Snag tights. If you are a wearer of tights and have not yet tried this brand I highly recommend them! They stay put and their larger sizes are actually wider and not just longer, so they fit really well. This is not an affiliate link or anything like that, I just genuinely think they are brill.

Anyway, back to the yarn! I was very excited to see that Menai is having another moment in the spotlight, this time on the front cover of the German version of The Knitter. A friend who is honeymooning over there sent me this pic!

Next month I am teaching at Woolly Away, a knitting a crochet retreat in Hertfordshire. There may even be a few spaces left if you’d like to attend, but you’ll need to book soon if you do want to go.

I’m also teaching four workshops at Shaz’s Shabby Chic in Buckley, Flintshire, over the next two months:

  • 22nd October – Fair Isle (Stranded) Knitting
  • 29th October – Moebius Knitting
  • 19th November – Introduction to Two-Colour Brioche Knitting
  • 26th November – Introduction to Lace Knitting

All the workshops are from 6.30-8.30pm and full details are on my Events page.

In the middle of these workshops we’ll also be at Stollen & Wolle at RiverKnits’ studio in Weedon Bec, Northamptonshire which I mentioned last week! That’s on Sunday November 16th, 10am-4pm. Susan Crawford (author of A Stitch in Time and The Vintage Shetland Project) will be there a special guest speaker and I’m very excited about it.

And, last but not least, we’ll be at Yuletide Yarnies in Shrewsbury on Saturday December 13th!

Amidst all this I think Issue 220 of The Knitter that comes out on Thursday will have a new design of mine in it, and I’m playing with lots of ideas for more designs! One of the things about a big show like Yarndale is that my brain starts buzzing with ideas, partly through seeing lots of new yarns and colour combinations, partly through conversations had with visitors and fellow vendors. Also, although my lovely wife Sue is not a knitter, she will often plant a seed that it would be a really good idea if I were to design a pattern for xyz… She’s usually right too!

So, this week I will be prepping for the retreat and knitting up some new ideas as well as getting something very special photographed ready for a big reveal on October 10th!

Until next week, take care and do something that makes you smile. K x

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Licenced to Crenellate!

On Friday I will be (re-)launching Crenellate! We had lots of fun at the end of last week taking new photographs and I have been scouring through the pattern to make sure everything is listed in the abbreviations and the pattern is presented as clearly as possible. As the pattern has already been published in a magazine (this was published in Knit Now, Issue 179 in March 2025) this should be easy, but I still like to make sure everything is correct and it all fits my own ‘style’ of layout.

A friend of mine told me that in the medieval period a licence from the king was needed to be allowed to add crenellation to a property. I didn’t know this, but find it very interesting and will definitely be reading more about it, especially since I’m finding my recent audiobook listening is becoming a lot more historical fiction based.

As it happens, much of my Crenellate design is very straightforward. Sue had a look at the printed pattern and asked, “Do the charts really only use these symbols?” Yes they do, because it’s a textural pattern with no lace.

In fact, here is the chart key:

Crenellate just uses knit and purl to create the textural design, with yarn overs (yo) creating the increases for the shaping. The blue and red outlines show the sections of the chart that you repeat. That’s it. And, of course, if you’re not a fan of charts, the pattern is also written out in full.

The textural design is one of the aspects of Crenellate that make this design one of my easier patterns to knit. It’s a top-down triangular shawl with the body of the shawl simply increasing in size until the border. The border is also straightforward, even though it has a very fun shape! The border is all garter stitch, with the crenellated shaping created through casting on and off to change the length of the rows.

If you are a newer knitter there are three things in this design you may not have encountered before.

The first is the ‘garter tab’ that begins the shawl. Lots of top down shawls begin this way and I’m going to be recording a little video for my website and youtube channel to show how it works. Essentially, you cast on a few stitches (usually about 3), knit a few rows of garter stitches (often 6, giving three garter ridges) which creates a tiny garter stitch square (or tab, hence the name). You then knit one more row, but instead of turning and knitting back, you pick up some stitches down the side of your little square, then pick up some stitches along the bottom from where you cast on. This means you’re now working around three sides of the square and it becomes the centre top of a triangular or semicircular shawl!

The other two possibly less familiar things are both included in the border. One is a wrap and turn short row, which is used four times in the whole shawl and is described step by step in the abbreviations. I’m going to add a new video on my youtube channel for this as well. The last is the joining stitch to join the border to the body of the shawl as you knit it. That sounds more complicated than it is – it just means you knit the last stitch of the border together with the next stitch of the body of the shawl. As these are in different colours it’s easy to know when you’ve got to that point in the row – you’re knitting two stitches together, one of each colour.

Crenellate is worked in DK yarn so it’s ideal for the cooler weather we’ve started to experience. The original sample was knitted using West Yorkshire Spinners Elements DK which is a wool and Tencel mix, but it would work very well in other fibres too, including pure wool for a super cosy version.

Newsletter subscribers already have their exclusive discount code for Ravelry and Payhip which lasts for 48 hours from 10am on Friday until 10am on Sunday. The sample and printed copies of the pattern will also be at Yarndale this weekend. The timing is a bit of a gamble as I’ve not done an online launch at the same time as a yarn show before and I’m hoping that the two events will boost each other, rather than cancel each other out.

All the patterns are now printed and ready for the show and I now just need to plan the layout for our spot. We are in D5 this year, which is very near the Wharfdale entrance, and almost as far away from where we were last year as we could be!

think we may well be one of the first stands people come to if they come in this way to the show so we will need to make sure the stand is attention grabbing. We may well need extra woolly layers to wear as well being near the entrance, but that’s not going to be a problem!

There are still a few spaces left on my moebius knitting workshop on Saturday 10.30am-1pm. We will explore the unique structure of a true Moebius ring, where the knitting grows from the centre outwards, and discover how this technique can be used to make wonderful neckwear and more. You’ll learn two Moebius cast on methods and create a simple headband. From there you can tackle a range of moebius designs! Go to the Yarndale website to book your place if you’d like to learn this amazing technique – it’s a whole lot more than casting on and then twisting your knitting before you join it!

Who is coming to Yarndale at the weekend? Do come and say hello if you are there. Remember, we are on Stand D5.

Until next week, take care and do something that makes you smile this week in this mad, mad world. K x

Posted on by — Leave a comment

All Fired Up

Yarn Gathering went really well on Sunday. We had plenty of visitors despite the rain, and everyone commented on what a good range of vendors we had. It was a shame that one of our number (Tecstiliau) was unable to make it on the day, but hopefully they will be able to join us next year!

I’m really only properly tidying up the study after Yarn Gathering today, as yesterday was a trip down to the midlands to visit Mum. Fortunately my car is sturdy enough that we didn’t feel too much buffetting from the wind! Part of the tidy up process after a show involves analysis of sales, what went well and what stayed on the shelves – and then a look ahead to what needs printing for the next show!

One of the more popular patterns on Sunday was Fiery Dragon Skin Cowl. It’s a design that gives you a lot back for what you have to do and that makes it ideal for newer knitters who want to try a new skill, like slipping stitches with the yarn at the front or trying the ‘knit 1 under’ stitch where you put the right needle underneath the strands of yarn to create the wonderful textured effect of the fabric.

I had an email from Anthony last week, who had previously shared his gorgeous multicoloured Fiery Dragon Skin Cowl with me, and had allowed me to share it with you, with an update on the cowl. He had entered it at his local show the day he emailed – and came away with first prize for the knitted or crocheted item class! How fantastic is that? He also told me that his mother, who taught him to knit, had entered the jumper she knitted for him (which he is wearing in the picture below) the previous year in the same show, and she won second prize! A talented family. Anthony’s mother no longer knits so it is now up to him to maintain the family tradition. I think they both deserve a resounding hurrah! Many thanks to Anthony for sharing this wonderful news and for allowing me to share it with you all.

If you have any exciting news of items you have knitted from my designs please do share it – even if the exciting news is simply that it’s finished! You don’t have to have won a prize – I’d love to hear about your knitting progress.

Some news of my own: I’ve decided to mostly wind down my kits. I’ve got about a dozen left at the moment. I will continue to keep a few pride flag kits in stock as they are great little gifts and ideal for beginners and maybe some Bryn or Twisted kits, but for the most part, I am aiming to focus on just patterns. Yarn shows have plenty of yarn options for folk to buy once they’ve chosen a pattern from me and I always think choosing your own colours is a large part of the fun! This will simplify things quite a lot in terms of packing the car (and be a lot lighter too) and it will mean less space is taken up in the house with storing the kits, tins and yarn. Also, many of the shows I apply to are in a ‘pattern only’ capacity, so it will mean that what you see from me at different shows is more consistent. I will bring the kits I’m not going to continue with to shows until they are sold and you may even see a few ‘last chance’ offers on some! If you’re coming to Yarndale, keep an eye out for a bargain!

Speaking of Yarndale, there are still 5 spaces on my moebius workshop. So if you’d like to learn this amazing mind-bending cast-on technique (which is a lot easier to do than you might think!) have a look at the Yarndale website and maybe book yourself a spot. The workshop runs from 10.30am – 1pm on Saturday and, as well as the class handout, you will receive approx 60g of aran weight wool (100% wool) to use in the workshop.

This afternoon my Crenellate shawl sample arrived home! There was the quietest tap on the door and when I opened it I found a packet leaning against the wall with my shawl inside. This is wonderful as it means I can take some new photos and get the printed version of the individual pattern ready to re-launch. I should have it with me at Yarndale in a couple of weeks! I’ve got some ideas about where to do the photographs – tied in to the name of the shawl. I wonder if you can guess where in my corner of North East Wales we will be heading to snap the new shots? These photos are of the shawl in a bit of a heap on my desk – I promise the new shots for the printed pattern will look a lot tidier! The colours on the right are the most true to life.

Until next week, take care and do something that makes you smile. K x

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Gathering Together

This week sees the final lot of planning and organisation for Yarn Gathering which takes place in just five days! We have been making last minute tweaks and refinements and continuing to promote the event on social media and in our local area. Things that can’t be done until just before the event are setting up the venue with tables as requested by each vendor, marking out and labelling each vendor’s space, putting the signs up, and (most importantly) putting the snack basket together!

There will be 15 vendors this year, four of whom are new to Yarn Gathering and they cover a wide range of fibre arts. 11 vendors are downstairs and 4 (including myself) are upstairs. If you are coming to Yarn Gathering and you can’t manage the stairs, do ask to see the videos we will be taking at the start of the day once everyone is set up. This is so you can see what is up there and, if there is an item you want to see in more detail or buy, we can bring it down for you.

I promised to show you my progress on my 4-ply version of What Do Points Make? this week.

On the right hand side I’m almost ready for the next short row corner, then everything gets quicker as I work towards the top right hand corner point and the rows get progressively shorter. Then I will return to the stitches on the left hand needle, rejoin the second colour of yarn (the darker purple) and work the left hand side.

My progress on this project has been slower than anticipated, partly because I have had some secret knitting/designing to do at the same time, and partly because I have been under strict instructions from the osteopath not to overdo things again and risk returning to the pain I was experiencing in mid-July. I’m being more careful now about my posture when I knit, knitting for shorter periods of time (30 minutes in a row, then stop for a bit and stretch rather than 3 hours without moving) and I’m paying attention when niggles and aches do arise – and stopping! It might mean I don’t complete projects quite as fast, but if it means my back, neck and arm are not trying to gang up on me, that is fine!

One of the new designs I’ve been working on will be getting its ‘big reveal’ fairly soon. What I can tell you now is that I am once again designing the exclusive pattern for advance ticket holders to the North West Winter Wool Festival. Their instagram post yesterday gave a great teaser:

“Something special is sailing in for our advance ticket holders at the North West Winter Wool Festival ⚓✨ A free exclusive pattern designed by the talented @kath_andrews_designs will be waiting for you… but we’re keeping the details under wraps for now.

Think cosy, think seasonal, think a touch of the sea 🌊❄️

🎟 Advance tickets are your passport to this secret treasure. – don’t miss out!”

Do you remember I told you about my lovely wife and her sister climbing Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) overnight? This is a ‘before’ shot of them taken in the bar of the hotel I was staying in overnight while waiting for them to navigate the mountain safely.

They completed this epic challenge at about 7am on Sunday morning, having set off about 12.30am, alongside nearly 140 other people, who had all gathered together to challenge themselves and raise money for Macmillan in the process. Not everyone who started completed the walk/climb, but everyone did as much as they could and over £31K was raised!

Sue and Katie completed the whole walk, and were able to reach the summit as the winds had dropped by then. I am in total awe as I wouldn’t even be brave (or fit) enough to try this walk in daylight, let alone at night. It does make me want to be able to get to the top of Moel Famau again though. The last time I went with Sue I managed about two thirds of it, which wasn’t too bad for my first attempt in over 8 years.

If you don’t make it to Yarn Gathering on Sunday, I’ll tell you all about it next week. But if you do come, please say hello!

K x

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Milestone

So, this is post no.250! I had no idea when I started this blog that I would still be writing 5 years later. I’ve missed a few weeks along the way, but not many, and a lot has happened during this time.

The main post photo shows Sue and me at Rhos at the weekend – it’s been a while since we were there and it’s still a wonderful place to be and to walk. And we love the newly sandy beach – I even had a paddle!

During the past few years, as well as increasing my adventures to yarn shows and publishing quite a few patterns, I’ve also been getting increasingly involved with music once more. Now I sing in one choir and lead another. I have instrumental pupils again as well as teaching knitting. This pleases me.

My lovely wife is walking up Snowdon at the weekend. At night. They register at 11.30pm and there is a big list of stuff they have to have (including a head torch!). She’s not going alone; her sister is walking up too, along with about 140 other people. They expect to be back down at about 6.30am. My role is to drive them there and home again afterwards and that is fine with me – I’m better at walking in the daylight! The walk is being organised by Macmillan. If you feel like making a donation to a very worthy cause, then here is the link:

https://defeatthepeaksnowdonatnight2025.enthuse.com/pf/sue-finch: Milestone

Next month I will be back in the learning seat as I take a week-long introductory course in tech editing knitting patterns. It seems only logical to put my attention-to-detail brain that homes in on any error (unless it’s my own, in which case I can be quite blind to it) to use!

Last week I finished the poppy I was knitting and did some more on my 4-ply version of What Do Points Make? I will photograph the latter for next week’s post. For now, here is the completed poppy. It isn’t the same pattern as those being made at Mum’s care home, but I don’t think they minded too much.

I am currently working on two new designs. One uses four colours and will be revealed soon – I’m knitting up two samples in different yarns. The other one is a submission involving cables and the softest yarn I’ve used for a while. I can’t tell you any more about that at the moment as the yarn hasn’t even been launched by the company yet, so I’m extra lucky to be able to experience it in advance – it’s a bit like a film critic being able to see a film before the release date, I suppose.

I got my contributor copy of The Knitter today and saw the gorgeous photos of my Lorelai wrap. It looks super and Issue 218 is still available in the shops! There are a host of gorgeous designs in this issue – well worth a read.

If you are anywhere near Mold and enjoy yarn based crafts, do come to Yarn Gathering on Sunday September 14th!

We will have dyers, weavers, spinners, designers and more at the Daniel Owen Centre in Mold with lots of amazing things to see, learn about and buy. Entry is free and Yarn O’clock is likely to be opening her shop for a couple of hours too!

I realise today’s post has a lot of different things in, but that’s because today my head has a lot of things in it! I promise to show you the progress on my What Do Points Make? next week and you could show me the progress you are making on your knitting or other creative endeavours in the comments – I’d love to see!

Until next week, take care. Kx

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Poppies Bloom

The past week has included updates from my Mum about the activities she engages with each day at her new care home. It has been lovely to hear her talk about painting in the garden and taking part in a variety of exercise classes. This morning I have added a small project to my needles because I want to join in with one of her activities. She has started knitting a poppy for a Remembrance Day display. Last night I was able to give her a couple of top tips about how to make sure her stitches were not too tight when she asked me what the term was for ripping back a couple of rows. I am not sure she used to call it frogging, but I heard her say “Well yes then, I have frogged a couple of rows and will carry on with it again tomorrow”. I am pleased she is going to finish it and will take her a crochet hook to help her pick up dropped stitches more easily on future projects. Since she was the one who taught me to knit all those years ago it feels good to be knitting something alongside her which will be part of a larger whole.

The pattern for my knitted poppy is from ‘100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet’ and I have to say the knitted field poppy pattern is a lot easier to follow than the crocheted oriental poppy pattern. I tried that one a couple of times and it really wasn’t working for me, so I’ve stuck with the knitted one.

In other projects I am still working on the 4-ply version of ‘What Do Points Make?‘ and look forward to wearing it at some point! My time knitting per day is still reduced from what it was and I am being very conscious of my posture while knitting. On a related note, the osteopath is pleased with my progress and my appointments are down to one per week.

We saw an elephant hawk moth caterpillar in the garden when we went to deadhead the roses yesterday and I knew Sue would take a photo of it because she has been waiting to see if there would be one this season. I turned round to take a breather to see Sue sitting next to it on the ground talking to it and watching to see where it was heading. Last year we could see it each day on a slightly different place the fuchsia bush and this year it has headed for the border and can no longer be spotted.

Sue has been noting her countdown to her 100th blog post (and she would love people to sniff the air where they are and tell her what it smells like!) and it made me wonder how many posts I’ve written. I recently had a notification of my 5th anniversary of my website (I got things done during lockdown!) and I know that I started my blog in September 2020. Checking my dashboard tells me that I have 248 published posts and this one in draft. So next week must be my 250th blog post! Crumbs.

There are a few more events this year that I need to remind or tell you about:

14th September, Yarn Gathering, Daniel Owen Centre, Mold, CH7 1AP. Free entry. I’m one of the organisers and also an exhibitor.

27-28th September, Yarndale, Skipton Auction Mart, Skipton, £17 + £2.50 booking fee for a day ticket, £32 +£2.50 booking for a weekend ticket. I’m teaching a moebius workshop on the Saturday and exhibiting all weekend.

18-19th October, Woolly Away, Manor of Groves hotel, Hertfordshire, £495-£595, including meals, accommodation and ‘toolkit’ for the weekend including items for all the workshops regardless of which ones you select to attend. I’m one of the guest tutors at what promises to be a smashing weekend retreat.

13th December, Yuletide Yarnies, Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, SY1 2SZ, £5 in advance, £7 on the door.

That’s all from me for today – catch up with me next week for blog post no.250! Take care, K x

Posted on by — Leave a comment

What to Wear?

It’s been quite a week and it’s only Tuesday!

The Pop-Up Wool Show on Saturday at Hulme Hall in Port Sunlight was lovely as always, with the most popular design of the day being Lichfield. Last year it was What Do Points Make?.

I had a fab conversation with someone who was partway through their What Do Points Make? and wanted a little reassurance that it was looking correct and what part of the garment they were working on. They had the project with them and it was wonderful to see the design being knitted up in that knitter’s own hand-spun yarn, a bit thicker than 4-ply and creating the most amazingly soft and textured fabric. I was glad to be able to say it was all perfectly on track and I could compare it to the sample I was wearing to show them what part of the garment they were working on and how the construction ‘worked’. One of the amazing features of What Do Points Make? is that you can make an entire garment from less than 100g of laceweight yarn (or 150g for the largest size as shown in the picture with the blue and purple sample).

Lichfield is a garment that really catches the eye. It might be the colour, it might be the design or the fact that it’s waist-length, but it always gets comments. Some people love a seamless garment, some folk like to knit a garment in pieces and seam it. Lichfield is made in pieces, which are then blocked, the shoulders joined and stitches are picked up all up one front edge, along the neck and down the other front edge in order to knit the neckband. Sue has become really good at saying to folk that if they want to increase the length they just need to add multiples of 4 rows to the length before the armhole (that way the pick-up rate for the neckband is unaffected).

I find that one of the most common questions I get is about the sizing – possibly because the sample size on display is small. It’s Size 2 in the pattern which is to fit Size 8-10. Yes, the pattern is designed for UK4 – UK42. No, not 42″, Size 42. I’ve started giving the inch measurements as well, as people tend to be able to relate to that more immediately. So, the largest size is to fit a 64-66″ chest, with a finished garment size of 68.25″, without including the opening at the front of the jacket. Which makes it more like 70″+ finished chest. I know that still won’t cover absolutely everyone’s requirements, but it’s a pretty good range I think. When it’s cooler weather and I’m wearing my version in a larger size it’s easier for folk to see how the design scales up and imagine how it might fit them.

This is the info on the front page of the pattern:

The day after the Pop-Up Wool Show we travelled down to the midlands to start packing Mum up for another move, which took place the following day. She’s only moved 2 miles, but any move is an upheaval. I think she’ll enjoy the new place a lot once she gets used to all the new stuff. We drove back home again last night with a very heavy bed frame in pieces in the car. Needless to say, that stayed in the car until this morning! If today’s post has any typos that I’ve missed – I apologise in advance…!

Our next show is going to be Yarn Gathering! I can hardly believe that it’s coming round so quickly, but it’s now less than 4 weeks away.

Do come! One of the risks with a free entry event with no tickets is that we have no idea how many visitors will come through the door on the day. We’ve been lucky so far that folk have responded to our social media advertising and posters in local shops and other venues and I would love it if this year is just as good. Anne from Yarn O’clock and I are working on the floor plan this week which will be fun. The first thing is to work out which floor each exhibitor will be on – I know straight away that the large floor loom for the Iron Age weaving demonstration will need to be on the ground floor! 

I still need to pick the raspberries that are ripening fast at the bottom of the garden, but as I said, it’s been a busy few days. I read very recently that a lot of fruit is ripening early this year, not because we are having an early autumn, but because the trees and plants are under stress from the lack of rain and the multiple heatwaves. Ripening fruit early is an insurance plan in case the main plant doesn’t make it.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

It’s (not at all) grim up north

The North East Wool Show in Newcastle was a lot of fun and Angel of the North got a fair bit of attention – certainly more than usual! Everyone we spoke to during the weekend was so friendly and enthusiastic about what we were doing, even if they weren’t knitters themselves. We had time for walks in the evening and learnt a fab new phrase: ‘nae bother’. We even stopped by the actual Angel of the North on the way home and were struck by how absolutely enormous it is, but unfortunately, due to the way everything was packed in the car, we weren’t able to photograph the shawl with its namesake – I will plan ahead better next year as I really hope to come and do this show again!

If you came and said hello or bought a pattern or a kit during the weekend – thank you! We really appreciate it and we hope you enjoy your knitting! Our stand was not quite as large as the Angel of the North, but it was fairly immense at 6m x 1m and we loved filling it up! There’s a bit of overlap in the pictures here, but hopefully it gives you an idea of the fab space we had.

My brioche workshop was good fun and I’ve been impressed to see on social media that some knitters have already finished their swatches and even started on the projects they bought. From little to no brioche experience to this in just under two hours is pretty cool!

This weekend sees us at a show much closer to home. The Pop-up Wool Show in Port Sunlight was my first ever yarn show as a vendor and it holds a special place in my heart as a result. This show is held in Hulme Hall on Saturday 16th August, 10-4, and tickets are £4 on the door or online.

I can hardly believe that it’s less than 5 weeks until Yarn Gathering! Our lovely vendors are going to have some wonderful things to share with you on Sunday September 14th. We are once more in the Daniel Owen Centre from 10-4 and entry is still free! As the show does not coincide with the Mold Food and Drink Festival this year, there will be lots of free parking available around the town.

I have a new design out in the world! The latest issue of The Knitter mag has a lace wrap in called Lorelai that I designed. I hadn’t realised it was being published this month, so it was a really nice surprise to see the pic on Instagram yesterday. Here’s their instagram shot (photo credit: @theshed_photostudio):

I used Jamieson’s of Shetland Ultra Lace for this which is a gorgeous laceweight ‘toothy’ wool that I haven’t used for a while, but adore. It’s a yarn with personality and holds a stitch pattern incredibly well.

The colour is reminding me that there are lots of raspberries at the bottom of the garden that need to be picked, so I’m off to do that.

Take care this week and do some stuff that makes you happy. And if you come to the Pop-up Wool Show, do say hello! K x

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Angel of the North

One of the key things to do in preparation for a yarn show is to review the patterns and decide which ones are being packed into the carry cases. I can predict which patterns are the stalwarts of the collection and therefore sell well at each show, and I also like to have something new to share. It is important to me to make sure I have patterns to appeal to knitters of different levels of expertise and interest. A range of brioche for those who like this technique and the wonderful possibilities it has, hats that range from simple stranded knitting to more complex patterning. A baby blanket to welcome in a new addition to a family and the larger Nevern blanket which can be made in any size .

It is exciting to think that Angel of the North will be on sale this weekend in its home town at the North East Wool Show. As a shawl it makes a clear statement of the inspiration for its origin in the colour way and shape. I am looking forward to displaying it alongside my other shawls and seeing whether it feels different sharing it in Newcastle compared with sharing it at other events.

I have been enjoying preparing my materials for the sold-out brioche knitting workshop and if you are coming to this I am excited to meet you and share knitting time.

At home there has been time set aside to reorganise the lounge. This has involved a good sort through of mine and my wife’s books and the local charity shop has well-stocked shelves as a result of our decisions. It’s a bit like a belated spring clean, but is also attributable to the fact that we have ordered new chairs to be delivered in a few weeks time. It was fun to seize the moment and sit on a lot of different chairs in a number of different furniture shops in order to identify the kind we wanted. We knew what we didn’t want as well as what we did, and had to laugh when online searches often recommended riser recliners to us.

Until next week, take care. K x