Thanks so much for all of the good wishes for Toby. He did indeed pass the Custard Cream test and was back at school for the rest of last week with only a slight snuffle. And for those of you who asked, these are Custard Creams – a very British biscuit with a vanilla custard flavoured cream sandwiched between two shortbread halves and Toby’s number one biscuit of choice.

With Toby busy again I’ve been settling back into term time routines and have started pattern writing again in earnest. A couple of people have asked for a hint about which animal I’m working on and all I’ll say for now is ‘squeak’, but I hope to have some pictures to share on progress next week. I’m also working on a little free pattern accessory for the knitted animals which will be a part of my anniversary give-away later in the month, so more of that soon too.

The Fair Isle cuffs that I was working on in the previous post are now finished. I did smile at some of the comments and the fact that people found it funny I would say knitting Fair Isle is an easier alternative than pattern writing knitting. I think the reason for that is mostly due to the fact that I was making the cuffs for myself and so the pressure was off – if I made any mistakes it didn’t really matter. When I’m working on writing patterns I try really hard to get them error free, which takes lots of concentration on stitch and row counting and checking and it can be quite intense. But, I’ll also let you into a secret – Fair Isle knitting looks far more complicated than it really is. Each row has only 2 colours and these are repeated at rhythmically regular intervals. So if you look at the row you are on and note that you work 1 stitch of the first colour followed by 3 of the second colour then you’re free to day-dream or follow what’s on the TV. If you’d like some tips on knitting Fair Isle neatly, I’ve written a post here with how I like to work and there are loads of good video tutorials on You Tube too. Once you’ve got the basics you’re able to tackle any 2 colour knitting and Fair Isle projects are always nice to impress your friends with.

I’ve written up a chart for these which is now available. I hesitate to call it a pattern as I’ve just included a chart and this is simply a tube-type wrist-warmer with no shaping, but it’s there if you’d like to make a pair.

Right, I’m off to do some more pattern writing while it’s quiet here. I’ll be back with an update  soon x

Just a quick post today to say that I’ve finished my little collection of seasonal sweaters which is now available if you fancy making any extra clothes for your little cotton rabbits.

The pattern has 20 pages (with each design in it’s own section so you can print out one rather than the whole thing if you prefer) and contains a range of sweater designs from easy to more challenging knits. There is a Fair-Isle design sweater, a cabled sweater and a reversible top-down cardigan/button back sweater. There are also 3 different styles of simple sweater which can be customised by choosing from eight seasonal designs worked in duplicate stitch. I’ll be writing a proper post with tips for duplicate stitch very soon (it sounds a daunting technique but is really very simple).

The pattern is available on Etsy and on Ravelry if you were interested in giving it a go.

Right I’m off to make some duplicate stitch samples for a photo shoot and will pop back next week with those tips. Thanks for stopping by, enjoy what’s left of your week x

Hello and sorry to have been away for so long.

There has been rather a lot going on here recently in between the day-to-dayness of family life. Of course I’ve been knitting lots and have finished off a few animals which I’m hoping I have time to re-home before Easter. But I’ve also been busy writing, tweaking and compiling patterns and at last have 2 elephant patterns to share – a girl in a frondy frock and a boy in a textured sweater.

I’ve uploaded them to both Etsy and Ravelry if you are interested.

Whilst on the subject of patterns I’ve also published a new  free supplement to the existing animal patterns – this time for a little peter pan collar which you can attach to any of the dresses. It’s my plan to release plenty of free supplements to my patterns, so if you’ve bought any it’s worth taking a look on Ravelry to see what else there is to download. At present there are 2 extra dress designs and the collar but more will be coming.

It’s the school Easter break here at the moment, so I don’t have much time to chat but after Easter I’ll be back properly and now that the latest pattern writing is out of the way I hope to have some more regular posts.

I hope all is well in your corner of the world, see you soon x