Category: Knitwear

1. Another cool way of creating 2 coloured knitting

   Posted on 12:00pm Saturday 6th Nov 2021

   If you find "Stranded Knitting" a little too complicated and fiddly or you just want to try a new way of working with 2 colour's then why not try mosaic (slip stitch knitting). I came across this way of knitting colourwork only a few years ago and was totally mesmorised!  and I have ended up creating a number of  original patterns since then.  This technique involves only knitting with 1 colour of yarn at a time, so there is no twisting or entanglement of yarns to worry about and you end up with a professional neatness to the wrong side of your work.  The flower motif pattern I use in my logo is one of my first designs and is still my favourite. If you want to learn mosaic, then I explain how the flower motif pattern is worked in one of my free tutorials here.  There are also some FREE mosaic charts that you can incorporate in to your own designs. How about a plain stocking stitch cardigan with a band of mosaic instead of the ribbing at the bottom.    Today I'm going to share some of my original mosaic designs with you.   A mixture of patterns, kits and finished knits.   My latest design is this original kit which is available in 2 choices of yarn.  1. 6 colours of Stylecraft natural cotton yarn as in the finished blanket    £16  2. 6 colours of West Yorkshire spinners Bopeep luxury baby yarn (wool/nylon)   £27 Want double the size? then order qty of 2 and I'll refund you £3 for the pattern price.   All over mosaic patterns are great on cushions! and a band of mosaic on the Christmas cushion is really fetching.     The 'Slip & Switch' Infiity Scarf knitting Kit. Worked on 4.5mm needles and uses West Yorkshire Spinners ColourLab 100% wool yarn.  Available in other colour combos too. Free UK shipping in my Etsy store Learn Mosaic Slip Stitch Here

2. 156 Pairs of Gloves

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 12th Nov 2020

    

   Probably wondering what ! what is Sandra on about now?  Well today I'm mixing and matching, which is exactly what we all do with our knitted accessories. Pulling similar colours, textures and patterns together as well as making sure that they are functional too.   All the gloves (knitted, kits and patterns) you find in my web store are all fingerless. There are 2 main reasons for this,  I can't knit fingers, they are too fiddly for me. I'm one of those knitters who enjoys knitting large pieces of fabric, fingers, toys, even tiny baby garments can be too fiddly for me, I get in a mess, the needles and yarn become entwined. I know my limit. I prefer wearing fingerless gloves!, yes even in the midst of a cold winter I'd rather have my fingers free.If they get too cold I simply put my hands in my pockets. ISSUE 156 of THE KNITTER (October) had 2 of my designs in it !! If you fancy knitting one of these designs sometime, then if you wait 6 months I will be supplying the individual patterns on Ravelry and on my web site. A sample of the Fingerless Gloves available in Sandra's store Stokesay from Issue 156 of The Knitter is probably my best design to date. I made my own modification to the  lace tulip pattern so that the twisty stems could continue right up the sweater. I love the sleeve lengths and the neckline. If I was knitting this for myself (and I will one day) I would make the body longer, but otherwise perfect. A sample of the Fingerless Gloves KIT's available in Sandra's store.  A variety of cables, fair isle and lace, some knitted in the round, some knitted flat.  Great to knit up for Christmas gifts or why not gift the kit!  Lightwaves from Issue 156 of The Knitter is a lovely slip stitch square cushion. Using natural colours of West Yorkshire Spinner Illustrious yarn in a geometric pattern. Not an easy knit, you do need to follow the instructions row by row but well worth it. Finishes with tassles on the back.