If ever proof was needed of the speed that time passes by, then I have it here with my little Christmas stockings.

 

 

A long time ago I was asked to knit some little stockings for a shop window display and I scribbled some notes to myself whilst making them. When I started the blog in 2006 the Christmas stocking pattern was the very first one that I wrote up to share with others and I hastily took some rather fuzzy photos so people could get on with the pattern and planned to upload some better ones in a few weeks. But, here we are 9 years later and I'm a bit ashamed to say that the same out of focus, poorly-lit photos are still there!

Every year I've thought that I must dust off the pattern, take some decent pictures and produce a proper pdf file that people can download and this year I have finally managed to do just that. The pattern has been tweaked very slightly:

• a change of decrease direction at the start of the heel shaping,
• an extra instruction about picking up a stitch at the join between the sides of the heel and the top of the foot and knitting it together with it's neighbour, which is aimed at eradicating the gap that often appears there
• and 5 new charts to add to the existing 3 which have also had a makeover.

You can download a copy of the new pattern here download now. (I've left the original pattern untouched too).

It's still free and shared with my thanks for supporting my work and in the hope that you enjoy using it to make decorations for your home, gifts for your family and friends or for charity fundraising. It makes me very happy to think of my little pattern helping to spread a little pleasure and happiness out there.

Right, now I've got to go and seam this little lot, which should keep me busy for a while!

 

 

 

 

Autumn has been mild so far but is starting to bring some cooler breezes that seem to find their way up my sleeves and down my collar, so it's time to dig out the woollies. I'm enjoying wearing light-weight shawls and scarves, they're just right for keeping out those pesky drafts. This is my most recently finished one, knitted from Helen Stewart's lovely pattern 'Pebble Beach' in 'silex' Walk Collection Delicate Merino. The yarn is beautiful and you can see here how much the colours change in response to the light – in dull conditions the greys and cooler tones stand out but in full sunlight the warm mustard and ochres glow. Full project details on my Ravelry project page.

 

 

 

 

 

I've also finally blocked the shawl that I made much earlier in the year from Janina Kallio's 'Crescendo' pattern. Blocking is a bit of a chore but it's definitely worth the investment of time because the way that it transforms things is pure magic. I have a friend who is a master blocker and her beautifully finished projects always inspire me to reach for the blocking T pins.

 

 

 

 

 

Along with a shawl to keep my neck warm I wear wrist warmers or arm warmers most of the autumn and winter, even inside on the coldest days and I have quite a big collection now…

 

 

Still, I think there's probably room for a few more and I'm enjoying perusing my yarn stash to find the yarn that tells me it wants to become my next pair of wrist warmers!

Keep warm where you are (or cool if you're in the Southern Hemisphere and things are hotting up for you). See you soon x

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PS: I'm now on Instagram, or at least attempting to be, having a decidedly un-smart phone and an ancient tablet complicates uploads but I'm learning and hopefully will post fairly frequently once I find my feet!

 

 

 

Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to enter my giveaway. It's been lovely reading all of the comments and the fact that so many of us get such great pleasure from the small things in life and the presence of those we love and treasure strikes me as a very special thing.

The winners from the draw have been notified and have selected their prizes (you can see their comments and winning numbers at the end of the post about the draw). Catherine has chosen Saffron and Denise is having Candice. Here they are getting packed up and ready to travel.

 

 

 

 

It's interesting that both winners have chosen cats. This is the first time that I've made cats so it's nice to know they are a welcome addition to the little cotton rabbit clan. I have a few more cats along with a mouse, a trio of foxes and a bevy of bunnies which I'm going to list for sale as soon as possible. I'm just sewing on the last buttons and writing out their descriptions ready for making labels for them. I hope to have them ready for new homes in the next few days. You can see all 20 of them in detail (minus Saffron and Candice of course who will shortly be on their respective ways to New Zealand and the USA) over on my flickr photo stream or follow the links below.

I'll email the mailing list once they're ready and update facebook once they are listed for sale.

 

 

1. cinnamon, 2. coco, 3. pepper, 4. maemi, 5. aisling, 6. hudson, 7. bowie, 8. marmalade, 9. marmaduke, 10. rosalba, 11. mairi, 12. wyeth, 13. bennett, 14. fantine, 15. calico, 16. tabitha, 17. lucia, 18. finnea, 19. felipe, 20. jack

 

Autumn has definitely arrived here and I'm enjoying the feel of it. Will pop back soon with some pictures from the last few autumny weeks,

see you then x