Adventures in knitting, sewing and stuff like that...

Archive for October 2008

Blog: Snuggle-up in soft pastels this autumn

Delicate mohair, lightweight cashmere, and pastel hues take a soft spin this autumn…

That’s according to British Vogue, and who are we to argue. The November 2008 issue features the photo-story ‘Postcards from the edge‘, presenting pale, dreamy knits juxtaposed with a backdrop of stark, Hungarian architecture. Downy textures are complemented by simple, classic silhouettes. Read full post…

Blog: High street knitwear inspiration

Winter is well and truly on the way, which thankfully means the high street is full of lovely knitwear. Many of the current trends translate easily into hand-knitting.

French Connection are going boxy – chunky, unstructured pieces are adorned with geometric patterns. Over-sized belts balance out what would otherwise be a difficult silhouette to carry-off. For a hand-knit alternative, look no further than Kim Hargreaves’ ‘Storm’ cardigan.

The batwing shape is echoed in finer knit dresses and sweaters. French Connection also have interesting sideways-knit garments including large-cabled sweaters knit from sleeve to sleeve. Read full post…

Pattern: Dream shrug

A lacy mohair shrug with elbow-length sleeves and deep ribbing. The simple ripple pattern makes the most of colour-change yarn. Suitable for novice knitters who want to tackle new skills, this is a great introduction to knitting lace and working in the round.

Pattern: Stash-buster cushion

This is a great way to use up aran-weight leftovers from other projects. Each coloured row used no more than 5g of yarn. The front of the cushion cover is knitted in an slip-stitch pattern which is easy and fun. Instructions are given for a fabric back with zip fastening.