Category: General Yarnings and Wanderings

Knitters on Two Wheels

July 17, 2018

Creased and kept among the owner’s knitting patterns, this magazine pull out from a 1950s edition of Good Taste magazine, provides the pattern for a zip up cycling jacket which can then be embroidered with cycling related motifs. Some of the motifs were charted in the magazine on a later page and others could be obtained by ‘sending off’ to the Magazine. This was my starting point for today’s post which looks at the history … More Knitters on Two Wheels

The Grand Départ: An Assemblage

July 7, 2018

There are many reasons to be cynical about the Tour De France but despite that it continues to capture the imagination, or mine at least. Whilst much could be said about the history of the race, the nature of the endeavour, the competitors, teams, sponsors etc. the real attraction for me is the incredible landscape through which it passes. It’s a landscape that acts as a draw for cycling enthusiasts, the people who cycle for … More The Grand Départ: An Assemblage

The Vintage Shetland Project: Vaila

June 1, 2018

Today I want to share my experience of knitting my Vaila cardigan from The Vintage Shetland Project by Susan Crawford. This was my first all over colour work garment with steeks, so was both a joy to knit and a definite learning experience. I’m not entirely new to colour work. I knitted the samples of the Twageos hat and Stromfirth Socks for the book, along with a few lace sleeves for other patterns to help finish … More The Vintage Shetland Project: Vaila

Hiya Hiya Europe’s Best Travel Patterns on the Web

May 15, 2018

A few weeks ago Hiya Hiya Europe contacted me to ask if they could feature my Something to Declare pattern on their blog in a post on the best knit patterns for travel. I was thrilled and said ‘yes’ instantly. Their blog post was published yesterday and the full post can be found here. These luggage labels were inspired by the vintage leather address labels I used when I first started travelling overseas many years ago. Fun … More Hiya Hiya Europe’s Best Travel Patterns on the Web

Decompressing: Edinburgh Yarn Festival and Beyond…

May 8, 2018

Wow, I can hardly believe it’s now 8 weeks since Edinburgh Yarn Festival and I’ve just got round to thinking back on the experience, or perhaps emerging from the thinking and trying to articulate a response. Initially it was just so overwhelming that it took a while to decompress and begin to organise my thoughts. Immediately after the event there was a deluge of reflections from some of my favourite podcasters that enabled those of … More Decompressing: Edinburgh Yarn Festival and Beyond…