So if you didn’t already know, I am one of the worst blog updaters in the world! So, here’s a picture heavy update on the things I have been working on in the last few months…

First up is one of my own designs. I made a chess set for my son for Christmas and posted pics among some of my online friends one of whom requested one for himself. They are quick and fun to make even if there are 32 pieces in total. Of course the pieces I enjoy making the most are the Queen and the King of which there are only 2 each.

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Commissions give me an opportunity to play with new patterns and techniques as well as new yarns. This one tested me. I am not a colourwork knitter for many reasons – I lack the patience for it, my tension is questionable when carrying the yarn through the work. Mostly these things are because I do not take the trouble of practicing the necessary techniques. that being said, I enjoyed the exercise that was making this sweater to fit my customer.

This sweater is based on the one worn by the character Sarah Lund in the tv show ‘The Killing’. It’s knit in Austermann’s AlpacaSilk yarn (which is beautiful and soft and gets softer as you work with it) and in the reverse colourway. The sweater pattern is of a seamless construction instead of using raglan sleeves.

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This Snuggle Penguin is another commission but was also an opportunity to test a pattern for another designer. I named her ‘Molly’(for no other reason than I like to name personified characters).

Though this pattern is meant to be knitted in an eyelash yarn (like Sirdars ‘Snowflake’) I had planned to knit her in a feltable yarn but instead chose to knit her with Austermann’s Merino 125, a soft, machine washable, pure merino.

The original commission asked for a penguin wearing a scarf. After choosing this pattern, it was agreed that without shoulders it would be difficult to keep a scarf on her. So I gave her a pretty button and bow instead. Molly stands roughly 10 inches tall and took less than a week to make.

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The colourway of reds, yellows, blues and blacks is called ‘Songbird’ and is the first yarn spun on my spinning wheels larger flyer. Dyed by LimeGreenJelly here in the UK, this wool yarn was spun in a fat single then plied with an orange polyester cotton thread to give it a wavy look and a new name – Sunbird.

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There are few things I have not done with knitting. One of those things was to finishing knitting a pair of socks. Not only did I manage it this year, but they fit and I even wear them but the most awesome thing about them is that they are Doctor Who socks!!! Knit Picks produced a colourway caled ‘Time Traveller’ in their Felici sock range, coloured with 6 of the 7 colours featured in the Fourth Doctor’s iconic scarf. I added the missing green at the cuff and the toe and used a TARDIS shade of blue for the heel.

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I love sock yarn. Some of the most beautiful colourways I have even come across have been in sock yarns, particularly in Schoppell-Wolle’s Zauberball range. Last year I made this mitred-square shawl using three balls of this yarn in the colourway ‘Tropical Fish’. If I wear this shawl to knitting related events, I have a lot of trouble leaving with it still in my possession.

Since adding Zauberball to the Studio’s stock I have been eyeing the fucshia colourway – in deep purples, oranges and yellows it’s like a sunset in yarn! When i came across the pattern for ‘Wingspan’ on Ravelry, I knew exactly which yarn needed to be knit into this shawl.

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Lastly, this winter has been bitterly cold and therefore unkind to my RSI-addled hands. In an effort to let them rest some but to continue to create I have taken up patchworking. Yes, I know, I have enough crafting hobbies already and really don’t need another but this one allows me to stretch my hands instead of clenching them around needles and hooks.
During a phone conversation one day I asked my mother if she would like a patchwork quilt. She knows me well and asked ‘knitted, crocheted or sewn’. She said yes before i finished saying ‘sewn’. I chose and ordered fabrics. when they arrived she said she’d prefer a tablecloth. It’s not quite finished – needs an edge and backing yet, but here it is so far. It is far from perfect but I am pleased with it regardless. It’s all a bit like assembling a puzzle really.