Sunday, February 02, 2014

Scrumptious blog tour winners!

...And the blog tour winners for a copy of The Scrumptious Collection Volume 3 are...
Jennifer Aves and Kate Blackburn!

I'll e-mail you for an address to send the book to.

Plenty of other prizes at Fyberspates, too!

Friday, January 24, 2014

Blog Tour: Scrumptious Collection Vol 3

Those of you who have followed my knitting know that I am a huge, huge fan of Fyberspates' yarns, especially the very appropriately named Scrumptious. In fact, some of my earliest designs were supported by Jeni, using Scrumptious. So when offered the chance to contribute to the latest pattern collection, well, as you'd expect, I jumped!

The Scrumptious Collection Vol. 3 is out now. I have a copy in my little hands and oh my! Like the other collections from Fyberspates, the production is just beautiful. I'm overjoyed to introduce Hamble.

Photo: Jesse Wild
  
Hamble is an easy-to-wear, simple-to-knit pullover. Knit from the bottom up with a circular yoke, it is seamless and comes in 10 sizes. If that isn't enough, the body and sleeves are knit in the round in garter stitch (I did tell you I was obsessed with garter stitch!) and so are easy to adapt if you fall in between sizes or need to change length. Split hems at the body and sleeves give this a casual look, so it's a go-anywhere-and-everywhere sweater.

The stand-out detail here is of course the yoke. The idea for this came about because I was struck by how necklace-like this garland stitch pattern is, and I adapted it so that the yoke shaping is incorporated right into the stitch pattern. To enhance the effect, you could add beads or jewels to the drops from the garland. It would be a great take on the embellished collars I've been seeing on knitwear and tops recently.

Photo: Jesse Wild

This collection has 13 gorgeous designs, and Iwerne is exploding in popularity on Ravelry, for good reason. It's beautiful and wearable, and my fingers are starting to itch...Where is my stash of Scrumptious...?

Photo: Jesse Wild

The other stops on this blog tour can be found on Fyberspates' blog. With me today on the tour are Nic Blackmore and Louise Zagg-Bangham, and there will be lots of other contributors so please go check them out. There's also a KAL challenge prize- get your needles ready!

Even better, Jeni has been really generous, and I have two copies of the Collection to give away. The designs in the collection are photographed in Lyme Regis and named after British rivers and coastal towns. In a related personal twist, I have just submitted my application for British citizenship (oh my God, the paperwork). For a chance to win a copy of the Collection, please leave a comment suggesting where in the gorgeous UK you think I should go to celebrate this. (Is Hamble too obvious?! And remember I will be armed with knitwear, so I scoff at the weather!) I will randomly select the winners on January 31st.
The Scrumptious Collection Vol. 3 is available in print and download for £12 (US$26) through Fyberspates or Ravelry. The Scrumptious yarn and pattern range are available from shops and online retailers worldwide.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Hello again!

I know. It's been a while.
But life just...takes you away sometimes, doesn't it?

But I am back to talk about a couple of new patterns.




Moreish Mitts
(Yarn: Fyberspates Scrumptious high-twist DK (yellow); Rowan Pure Wool DK (pink); Sirdar Supersoft Aran (blue and grey))
I released this pattern a few weeks ago, and it is perfect for the weather. The pattern is written so that you can use any weight yarn from DK up to bulky, and for any hand size. I named them Moreish because I seriously couldn't stop knitting them, as you can see from the pictures. I think I knit all three pairs in something like a couple of weeks.
These are awesomely simple to knit: the main part is knit in one piece and grafted; the thumb is worked as you go in short rows; the edges are picked up for the cuffs. Weave in the ends, and you're done!

 
They are available as a download over at Ravelry, of course, and I'll add them to the website soon.
They're so easy! And they look great. I am still in love with garter stitch.

Also! I have yet more exciting news. Fyberspates Scrumptious Volume 3 is coming out and yours truly was absolutely thrilled to have a chance to contribute to it. I have a pullover pattern in it and will introduce it during the blog tour next week. Keep an eye on this space!