Knit one, read two

Pattern: mini toe-up Christmas stocking

December 18, 2011February 18, 2012 SusanLeave a comment

As promised, here is the pattern for the mini stockings. They are worked from the toe up with a short-row heel. Some experience with short rows and toe-up cast-ons would be useful but I’ve included links to good tutorials on both if you need some extra help.

This pattern hasn’t been edited or tested by anyone but me yet so let me know if you have any problems.

Materials

2.75mm needles
small amounts of 4 ply yarn in two colours
stitch marker to mark beginning of round (optional)
tapestry needle (for weaving in ends)

Toe and foot:

Using main colour, cast on 6 stitches using figure of 8 cast-on and knit 1 round. (See this article in Knitty for details of the figure of 8 cast-on.)

Round 2: * K1, m1, k2. Repeat from *. (8 stitches)

Round 3: Knit all.

Round 4: * K1, m1, k2, m1, k1. Repeat from *. (12 stitches).

Rounds 5-10: Knit all.

Heel:

Row 11: Knit 11 stitches. Wrap last stitch and turn work. (See this Purl Bee tutorial on short rows for details of how to wrap stitches.)

Row 12: Purl 4 stitches. Wrap next stitch and turn.

Row 13: Knit 3 stitches. Wrap next stitch and turn.

Row 14: Purl 2 stitches. Wrap next stitch and turn.

Row 15: Knit 2 stitches. Pick up wrap and knit next stitch. Wrap next stitch and turn.

Row 16: Purl 3. Pick up wraps and knit next stitch.

Row 17: Knit 4. Pick up wrap and knit next stitch. Wrap next stitch (leg stitch).

Row 18: Purl 5. Pick up wrap and knit next stitch. Wrap next stitch (leg stitch).

Row 19: Knit 6 stitches (back to end of row).

Round 20: Knit all stitches, picking up wraps on 1st and 6th stitches.

Leg:

Rounds 21-30: Knit all stitches.

Cuff:

Change to contrasting colour and turn work so that you are knitting in the opposite direction.

Rows 31-35: Knit all stitches.

Cast off: Knit 2 stitches, place two new stitches back onto left-hand needle and knit these two together. * Knit one stitch, place two new stitches back onto left-hand needle and knit these two stitches together. Repeat from *.

Weave in any ends.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

December 17, 2011 SusanLeave a comment

… which is somewhat unfortunate since I would swear November was only moments ago! A combination of illness, craziness at work and just no energy whatsoever (see points 1 and 2) has meant that I’ve done very little except work, eat and sleep for the past month.

I do have quite a lot of knitting to show you though, starting with my current addiction: mini toe-up seamless Christmas stockings.

It’s hard to tell from the picture but the stockings are about 1.5″ tall with a foot length of about 1″. They’re adorable on the tree and look just as good on a handmade Christmas card:

They’re my own design and, if my brain cooperates, I’ll put the pattern up sometime tomorrow.

A bit of a jam *

November 15, 2011 SusanLeave a comment

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the Make Lounge and the latest workshop that I attended was no disappointment. Steven and I spent Sunday afternoon at their Jam and chutney making class, thanks to a birthday present of vouchers from Steven’s mum.

The class covered the whole process of making jams and chutneys, and included lots of hints and tips on ingredients and equipment to use. We got to try our hands at making four different jams and chutneys: blackberry & apple jam, plum & orange jam, red onion chutney and a sweet chilli jam.

They all taste absolutely delicious and, since both Steven and I both went, we have plenty of each for future consumption as well as the recipes so that we can make more when we finally run out. I’m almost disappointed that we have so much since it means there isn’t much point in us making any more any time soon. Although, I can think of a few people who might appreciate home-made chutney for Christmas!

* I tried really hard to resist a pun in the post title, honest, but there are just so many jam-related puns that it was impossible not to use one.

I wouldn’t normally do this kind of thing

November 8, 2011November 8, 2011 SusanLeave a comment

Early autumn was glorious here in London and, one weekend, Steven and I took advantage with a walk in Greenwich Park. As we walked we collected chestnuts and acorns and leaves.

From left to right: horse chestnut, sweet chestnut, acorn.

The chestnuts and acorns just because they were there and the leaves to try making this autumn leaf bouquet.

I wasn’t really sure what to do with all the chestnuts so I stuck them in a vase for the time being.

Then the leaves dried out before we got around to the bouquet but we decided that they looked pretty just as they had dried.

For want of anything better to do with them, I stuck both the vase and the leaves on top of the shoe cabinet in our hall, which seemed appropriate since we already had a dish with a couple of pine cones in it sitting there.

Suddenly, it struck me: I had accidentally succumbed to seasonal decorating! I’m not really a seasonal decor person (other than at Christmas). I barely manage to arrange and display the various ornaments, prints, pictures, etc. that I have without trying to rotate through seasonally appropriate ones and yet, somehow, I’ve ended up with seasonally appropriate decor. I’m sure I don’t need to worry though, I’m pretty sure they will be sitting there long after autumn has passed!

Story of a design – The Hill House Scarf

November 5, 2011 SusanLeave a comment

Considering that this turned out to be the quickest I ever managed to get a design from initial idea to published pattern, this design came very close to not happening at all.

I grew up in Glasgow surrounded by the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and, if I’m honest, had grown a little jaded with it by the time we moved to London thanks to the proliferation of Mackintosh-inspired tea cosies, tea towels, fridge magnets and place-mats. When I saw the brief for the Glasgow School of Yarn design competition, I was sure I wouldn’t be able to come up with something that I thought was worth entering but I couldn’t stop mulling it over.

Then I thought about how much I had always loved the simple elegance of his furniture and, in particular, the chairs. A little online research led me to the tall, narrow ladderback decorative chairs that he designed for The Hill House in Helensburgh. Click here to see a picture of one of the chairs in its original location.

Initially, I was going to use the geometric pattern in a sock but, much as I loved the pattern, I just couldn’t get it to work as a sock. A scarf was the obvious alternative and the two-colour pattern immediately suggested double knitting.

I used Malabrigo Sock in Natural and Chocolate Amargo for the sample and it’s wonderfully soft and snuggly. The double layer also makes it very warm, perfect for autumn and winter in Glasgow!

The Hill House Scarf is now available from Yellow Ginger Designs and Ravelry.

Glasgow School of Yarn and a new pattern

October 20, 2011 Susan2 Comments

The Yarn Cake in Glasgow is a year old this month and to celebrate they’ve organised “The Glasgow School of Yarn” — two days (this Friday and Saturday) of classes, demos, shopping and cake.

I can’t make it to Glasgow for the event itself but I do have an entry in their design competition. Run in conjunction with the Charles Rennie Mackintosh society, the brief was for any designs inspired by the life or works of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. After my exam at the start of the month, it was a bit of a rush to get the pattern together and the sample finished, blocked and posted in time but it all came together in the end. (Remind me never to attempt to learn a new technique, design something using said technique and write up and publish the pattern in less than a month.)

You can see (and vote for!) the Hill House Scarf in person at the event or the pattern is now available on Ravelry.

What must the neighbours think?

October 16, 2011 SusanLeave a comment

I know my neighbours about as well as most people in London do, if not slightly better. I know the names of all of my immediate neighbours and I chat with them and the people in the other flats in the block whenever we happen to bump into each other.

Some of them know that I’m training as an actuary from when we had the obligatory “and what is it that you do?” conversation. Some of them will have seen copies of “The Actuary” magazine being delivered each month. None of them, as far as I’m aware, know that I design knitwear in my spare time.

Which makes me wonder what they must be thinking when, like this morning, I carry my mannequin, camera, and other bits and pieces down three flights of stairs, into the communal back garden and start photographing knitting.

Most of the time I’m out early enough that I just convince myself everyone else will still be in bed and not looking out their windows wondering what on earth I’m up to. Every so often though, I turn around and realise just how many windows overlook our garden:

Oh well, someone has to be the crazy neighbour, right?

Little blue box

September 22, 2011 SusanLeave a comment

For Steven’s birthday, I gave him a little blue box that travels in time and space and is bigger on the inside. No, not that one, this one:

Believe it or not, this box contains the next four issues of McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, which is quite impressive for such a teeny little box.

Magazine subscriptions are difficult presents to wrap but the ever creative McSweeney’s team had a wonderful suggestion – an origami box with details of the subscription on a scroll inside:

You can find the instructions for the box on their website. I used origami paper that I already had so I think mine came out a little smaller than if you print out and use their page.

Feeding the habit

September 17, 2011 SusanLeave a comment

I currently have a brain filled with ideas and inspiration but no time or energy to work on anything complicated so instead I’m compensating by laying in supplies in preparation for getting stuck in after my next exam (17 days and counting!).

Just arrived: a skein of Malabrigo Sock in Natural and some Addi needles destined for a new scarf.

Grey inside and out

September 10, 2011September 22, 2011 SusanLeave a comment

Outside:

and in:

A simple lace scarf in leftover Fyberspates thick nef lace yarn. Easy to pick up and put down, which makes it perfect for relaxing between study sessions. Speaking of which, time to get back to the books!