St.Patricks Day.........

A few days late, but this was my entry to the Etsy Shredwear St. Patricks Day competition - a cosy clover cowl. Knitted in seed stitch, with gorgeous kelly green wool. A knitted leprechaun outfit would have been even cooler - maybe that will be next years entry !!!

Dropping Stitches

I learnt a new stitch - and I am very excited by how it looks. Its called a 'drop stitch'.

Combining the drop stitch with a garter stitch formed this toasty tube scarf !!

Its super easy to do - knit each stitch as normal, but instead of wrapping the wool around the needle once, wrap it 3 times. Repeat on all the stitches across the row. On the next row, knit each stitch, dropping the extra wrap off the needle as you complete the stitch.

To make the tube scarf as seen, I used size 15 mm straight needles (US 19), garter stitch for 8 rows and then one row of drop stitch, repeating this sequence until in was long enough to wrap around my neck twice. I then cast off using the 'three needle bind off technique'. Dropping stitches has never been so fun !!

Wear it long or wear it wrapped multiple times around your neck to keep you extra snug !!!

ETSY Shredwear Team Member

Etsy Shredwear has officially become an Etsy team - and immidesigns is an official member!!

Check out the blog - and learn about the other members who are handmaking clothing & accessories for all you snowboarders and skiers out there. I'm loving the bandanas from Cyanide Stitches - too cool !!

Florence

My beautiful niece Florence Grace Bellairs was born on December 3rd 2009 !!!! I was lucky enough to spend her first Christmas with her in the UK, and it really was the best Christmas in a very long time !!!

Flo in her festive Christmas outfit with Auntie Hels

I decided the birth of my very first niece was a great excuse to knit a really awesome baby outfit and perhaps follow a complicated knitting pattern for the first time too !!!!!! I found an adorable pattern in Pipsqueak Knits. This wonderful 'Sleepy time - sleep sac' pattern looked great. Ideal for little Flo to kick her legs around in, whilst still keeping nice and snug in her very own sleeping bag.

This is how it looked in the book

.........and this is the finished product with Flo looking delicious !!

The knifty knitter hat, which I also made, kept her lovely little noggin warm - albeit with a bobble that I might even have to agree was a little too big !!!!!

So darn cute it almost makes me want to have one - and then I remember my poor sister being a sleep deprived, 24 hour milk bar, with those poor swollen ankles............and I'm swiftly reminded that there REALLY is plenty of time for all that !!!!!!!

Knit yourself to good health !!

Who would have thought knitting would get so much good press and be so good for you? Interestingly I just stumbled across not one but two articles published by the BBC about how knitting is good for your health.

The first article claims knitting can delay memory loss, and reduce the risk of memory impairment by 40%. While the second article talks about how knitting relieves the stresses of modern life and how the repetitive action can create a trance like state which creates general relaxation and helps to reduce stress. So all this knitting not only makes me happy and relaxed, but also is stopping me from losing my marbles. Fantastic!

It is actually really interesting to read this because I cannot agree more with the second article and just hope the first one is correct. I would say knitting is like meditation but for someone who has a little ADHD. I couldn't possible sit still, meditating and humming to myself - I have too many things whirling around in my head - but with knitting, if I am counting stitches and repeating patterns I do get into a relaxed state and can empty my head of all the whirlyness !!! (not sure thats a word - but you know what I mean !!). Furthermore the joy of having made something from nothing is so delighting, that I'm sure the happy hormones are in over drive. So what are you waiting for - grab your needles and a delicious ball of scrummy wool and knit yourself to good health !!!

Move over Martha!

Having religiously watched Project Runway over the past few months I was inspired to spread my craft wings and learn how to sew. Luckily for me I got an amazing sewing machine for my birthday, so I got right on the band wagon and blindly jumped in. As someone who isn't proficient with using a sewing machine I fortunately stumbled across a great website - sew mama sew - and found my first project - rice therapy bags. As a Physiotherapist I use heat and cold therapy a lot - so these were the perfect thing for me, and as someone who suffers with frozen feet 95% of the time - I now use the heat bag an abnormally large amount of time - I even stick it in my bed at night to keep my toes nice and toasty !!! Not so great for Chris as he isn't a massive fan of the smell - but if my feet are warm - life is good !!! I used lemongrass essential oil for the heat bag and peppermint for the 'boo boo' bag. These are going to make great Christmas pressies too. Now all I've got to do is decide what my second sewing project will be.......................?? Move over Martha - here I come..........

Knit your very own hat....

Snowboard season has arrived !!! Woo Hoo !! My favorite season of them all. On Friday I got to dust off my boots, bring out the new triple goose down mittens, and hang out with my lovely friends whilst making some turns at A-Basin . It was all that I remembered it to be - even with the big tumble I took because my jelly legs weren't prepared for the undulating terrain !!!! (Note to self - hit the gym before next winter season!). Probably should have been wearing my Bern helmet - but couldn't resist wearing my purple 'STIFFY' immidesigns hat - it goes so well with my pants !!!!

The 'STIFFY' hat is the easiest hat to knit - as long as you know how to cast on, knit, and decrease (check out 'you tube' for instructional videos if you don't know how to do this already).

You'll need 7mm straight needles, a wool needle and some lovely chunky wool - I like to use Lambs Pride Bulky yarn because it is super soft and warm.

My 'STIFFY' hat pattern is:

• Cast on 50 stitches.
• Knit 30 cms /12 inches in a simple garter/plain knit stitch (in this picture I knitted 20 rows in hot pink, 20 rows in limeade, and 20 more rows in hot pink, but you could do just one colour - like the purple stiffy).
• For the last row, knit 2 together, repeating this all the way till the end of the row - you'll be left with 25 stitches on the needle.
• Cut the yarn, leaving approximately 80 cms / 30 inches to cast off and sew the hat up.
• Thread the wool needle onto the remaining length of yarn, then thread through each of the 25 stitches left on the needle.
• Pull all stitches off the knitting needle, and pull the thread tight, so the top becomes gathered.
• Make sure the hat is inside out and begin sewing the hat together along the two edges. If you have done stripes (like in the picture) - make sure you line the stripes up accurately.
• Once the hat is completely sewn up - turn it inside out.
• Make a deliciously big bobble - either with a bobble/pom pom making kit - like this one from purl soho, or go 'Blue Peter styley' and make your own.
• Sew it to the top of the hat - looping the thread through the bobble and top of the hat several times to ensure a strong attachment.
• Put it on, stand back and admire your handy work - alternatively - if it looks bad buy one from immidesigns!!