Daisy Hat Ta - dah!!

 So here she is, my beautiful Daisy Hat! She came together very quickly and I've tried the original black and white version (see previous post), a rainbow version, plus a stash busting multi colour version that used a different colour on virtually every row!! I call that one Summer Meadow.

There are some long floats which might affect your tension (it did with mine! 😄), so there are two sizes available  - regular and large. The brim is the same size on both, as is the length but the main body has an extra 12 stitches. That doesn't sound a lot but it's enough to make a noticeable difference. 

You can click on the link at the top of the page (in blue), or click on any of the pictures, to take you to Ravelry. 

And don't forget to share your version with the hashtag #daisyhat  - I love to see my designs in the wild!! 

Happy Knitting everyone!   T  xXx 

A new hat design!

 My absolute FAVOURITE flower is the daisy. Doesn't have to be a big fancy daisy or a pretty colour. Just the common or garden daisy that grows amongst the grass. 

I often think it would be nice to design a daisy hat and it's Finally underway! 

It needs some tweaking - and there will be two sizes, a first for me! - but should be ready soon! 

Here's a sneak peak of version one  - 

More updates later! 

Happy Knitting 😊   T xXx

Introducing Bellamy, a Fairisle Hat

 I'm very late writing this post... again! I actually published my latest hat pattern back on May 1st, started writing this post on May 8th, and finally finishing it now, May 25th... Better late than never though, I suppose! 

Early in 2020 I heard that David Bellamy had died. If you were a child of the 70's & 80's in the UK, then you will probably be familiar with the great man. 

He was a botanist with an enthusiam that was infectious and made a great many childrens programs on the subject. He was definietly a childhood hero of mine, and I looked forard to watching him.

It was his influence that made me realise how beatiful the world around me was, especially if you took the time to get really up and close and personal with nature.

I wanted to design a hat in his memory/honour and actually started it immediately after publishing Hope Springs Hat. But it wasn't quite working the way I wanted, so I put it to one side for later. It turned out to be MUCH later - but finally I got him finished. There were a few tweaks along the way, mainly around the fruit/berrries between the big leaves on the crown. They changed shape several times - I wanted ginkgo leaves to start with but changed them to clover leaves. Then maple leaves.. then cherries, and finally, simple fruit/berries. Work them in brown and they could almost be nuts!1

But I'm very happy with him now and he was well received when published I think. Here he is, in all his glory - and if you click on the first picture, you'll hop across to the pattern on Ravelry.

I've gone a bit overboard on the number of colours used! But then the natural world is full of colour! The hat on the main photo had 17 colours I think - the pink themed one below took slightly less. But I have also tried using just two colours and that was Very effective too (scroll down).

I hope you like my tribute to a very great man and should you choose to make it, I'd love to see your version! I wonder what colours you would choose to use??.... Don't forget to use the hashtag bellamyhat

Happy knitting everyone!   T  xXx

Bluebell Walk 💜💜💜

 It's that wonderful time of year when the woods are full of glorious, beautiful bluebells! 

I really missed being able to go and walk amongst them last year  - we were still under  full lockdown and weren't allowed to travel anywhere for our daily exercise. And the best wood I know is 15 miles away....

But this year there was no way I was going to miss them! 

I got up early last Saturday to go with a friend (actually, I was so excited I'd been dreaming about it and was awake at 5am! I got up at 6 and we didn't leave it until 9!!!) and we headed out to Micheldever Wood, just northeast of Winchester. 

We knew it would be really busy, hence the early start and we were at the car park before 9:30 only to find it was virtually full already! We squeezed into the last space and then  crossed the road and went into a different wood, not Micheldever! 

We discovered 3 or 4 years ago, chatting with a dog walker that actually, the best walk for bluebells is across the road in Itchen Wood. It's literally opposite - but hardly anyone goes there! Admittedly, there's no car park, just a little pull in at the edge of the road but oh my, the bluebells! The wood faces a different direction and is a well managed woodland. You won't find fallen trees and overgrown brambles. And definitely no pine trees! And you can't hear the motorway either! 

Some areas are on a slight gradient and as you approach from the bottom edge there's just a bank of shades of blue and purple in front of you. Simply beautiful! 

And the fragrance was divine! And I have a poor sense of smell! 

I took a million photos, like you do, on both camera and phone but trying to get them onto my tablet is hard work! But here are just a few. 

And if you would like to visit them yourself and you're in Hampshire in the UK, just look up Micheldever Woods and when you get there,  park in the car park if you can,  then walk back out to the road, turn left & cross over, walk 100 yards and the entrance to the wood is just there, on the bend of the road. 

Tardy Ta - Dah !!!

 I'm only about two months late with this post.... You may have seen it already but I designed a hat based around a previous love - Patchwork & Quilting.

Several years ago I was a slave to the cutting board and sewing machine and would spend many, many hours creating quilts and quilted items. Eventually, it started to play havoc with my back and I had to look for something else to do, and ended up with a new passion of crochet!!

Time has moved on again and now I have a passion for fairisle hats. While chatting with someone about my last hat, Boanny Starns, I mentioned that one of the stars on it looked like a quilting block - and that was a light-bulb moment!! A fairisle hat based on my favourite quilting blocks and before you knew it, I had designed 'Quilters Delight'!

In true patchwork style, it's a real stash buster as most of the colours used take just two grams of yarn or less. And there are quite a lot of colours!!

Rather than have just one star as the main motif, I devised eight different centres - and it's surprisingly easy to work those different centres following the simple instructions in the pattern.

As I made each sample with different colours, I kept changing the pattern on the crown until - finally - I was happy with the result. This one -

I tried to use all my favourite quilt blocks - flying geese, stars, pinwheels. And the corrugated rib is a play on a colourwash/bargello quilt. Although I must admit to never having made the Dresden plate that features on the crown...

As you can see from my samples, you really can use whatever colours you have to hand for a truly one-of-a-kind hat.

If you don't like sewing in the ends, I explain how to weave them in as you go!

Click on any of the photos to take you to the pattern.

I'm already working on the next design and the pattern is being written as we speak!! To be honest, I've been working on it on and off for over a year now and finally reached a point where I was (almost) happy with it. 

This one will also feature lots of different colours, although there's no reason why you couldn't make it with a more limited palette if you prefer.

I'll try and make sure to pop back and show you when it's published, rather than two months later!! For now, here's a little sneak peak.

Happy Knitting!!

Introducing Boanny Starns

 May I introduce Boanny Starns, my latest fairisle style hat design? (Although I haven't had time to make it in several colours rather than just two yet! 🤦‍♀️)

I had barely finished adding a project to Ravelry, with all the relevant details so I didn't lose them, when Lorraine, a lady in the Shetland Islands who has tested for me, saw it and sent a message. 

I think I had called it Unnamed and she wanted to know why there wasn't a name yet but it looked very interesting. I said I had only just finished designing it and would she like to name it? She came straight back with Boanny Starns! She said it's Shetlandic for Pretty Stars -  a very pretty name that I liked very much! 

Only it had a flower motif in the middle row... How could I call it Pretty Stars if there was a Flower?!

So when I came to make it again in the reverse colours, I swapped the flower for a different star - as you can see in the photo above. The ivory background is all stars. 

This is the original  -

I put pictures of both on Instagram and asked opinions and there were several people who liked the original. And several who liked the 'all star' version. 

So I decided to do two separate patterns, one with the original flower included which I called Boanny Flooers, and the Boanny Starns version. A proper 2-for-1 offer! (Also known as a BOGOF!)

You'll find it in my Ravelry Store, along with my other hats, blankets, shawls, scarves and poncho. 

Click HERE to go straight to it, or click any of the photos.

It has a very pretty crown too!

My next design is already well underway - I just need to start the actual writing! 😄

Have you made one of my designs? I'd love to see a picture if you have. Even better, if you're a Ravelry member, perhaps you could create a project and link it to the pattern so everyone can see it? 

Happy Knitting!    T   xXx

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

 I do hope you managed to celebrate together, either in person or virtually. 

We had a quiet day at home, which was actually quite nice. 

We had had the bad news from the government that we would be entering 'Tier 4' on the south coast today, so I made my Hope Springs Hat free for Christmas  - well it had been free during the first lockdown, so it felt like the right thing to do. 

It proved very popular again and I was delighted to see this today  - 

Woo Hoo! I had seen it gradually climbing up during Christmas day but at some point during the night it got to the top! It isn't there anymore but it got there and I managed to grab a screenshot!!

If you would like a free copy too, click the link in the sidebar to pop across to Ravelry and use the code Hope at checkout. 

Be quick though, it's only valid until midnight tonight, UK time. 

And please consider linking a project of your version so we can all see it 👀 . If you would prefer to buy a ready made hat, there's also a link to my Folksy Shop in the sidebar too - there's a pink version of Hope Springs Hat still available. 😊🎅

Here's to a MUCH BETTER 2021! Stay safe everyone ❤❤❤

New Folksy listings!

 I have finally taken the time to list some of the hats I have made on Folksy - I was delighted when two of them sold the same day! 

I still have some more to list, and naturally, I'm knitting another! So you might want to take a look regularly 😉. 

Hope you find something you like! 

New Design - Finding Balance Hat

 I have just published a new hat design!!! Really happy with this design at last, although it was a long time in the making...

I started out wanting to make another fairisle style hat with several colours but kept getting stuck with my colour choices... I wanted to use Shetland Sprindthrift again but with only online ordering available, some of the colours I chose didn't go together as well as I had hoped... There was a lot of re-jigging and eventually I gave up!

I decided to concentrate on getting the balance of the motifs right first, working with just two colours - and then re-introduce more colours. But once I had the motifs just right I really liked the look with just two colours. Really really liked it! So I wrote the pattern with just two colours and called it 'Finding Balance', as the name seemed to fit not only with stripping it back to the basics to 'find the balance' between the motifs but also trying to find a way to balance all the crap this year is throwing at me and everyone else... I'm sure crafting helps us all find a way to find balance.

I made my first sample using Drops Nord, a gorgeously soft and squishy alpaca/wool/polyamide mix. A 50g ball in each of two highly contrasting colours is enough to make two hats.

It's available on Ravelry here - Finding Balance Hat 

It's available on Ravelry here - Finding Balance Hat 

I have decided to support the Shetland MRI Scanner Appeal, so until the end of 2020, I will be donating 20% of my sales of the pattern to them.

Although they have raised enough to buy the MRI Scanner, they still need a building for it, train the staff and all the associated running costs. It's a massive project for a small community.

 UPDATE:   Finding Balance proved to be quite popular and I sold a few of my first hat design Hope Springs as well. I was able to make a donation of £51 to the Appeal. 

If YOU  bought the pattern, then THANK YOU!  

Please pop across to Ravelry and take a look -  Finding Balance Hat 

Happy knitting!!!!  Tina xXx

The Allsorts Blanket is PUBLISHED !!!!!!

 After a lot of time and effort - plus some fabulous tech editing and testing - 

The Allsorts Blanket

 is finally published today!!!! (That's a clickable link too, or click the photo below!)

It's only on Ravelry so far, although I will probably add it to Lovecrafts as well when I have time.

This is the fully written and updated version of the Tooty Stripey Blanket, with computer generated charts and plenty of photos to help you along the way.

You can make it any size you like, in any thickness yarn and in as many or as few colours as your heart desires!!

For the new sample, I used 7 pastel rainbow shades, plus cream but it would also look good in a host of vibrant colours. Or go minimal with just 3 shades perhaps??

I designed and wrote the pattern with the relatively new crocheter in mind. An opportunity to learn one or two new techniques and stitches; practise calculating your stitch count from a tension square; play with your colours to get a satisfactory repeat; straighten wonky edges with steam blocking; add a simple border, or even a fancy one.

And if you are unfamiliar with charts and how to read them, then have the written instructions and the chart side by side as you work. Read the instructions and then look at the charts - can you see the same stitches there, in the places where you will work them?? With just a little practise, the chart will begin to make sense.

One of my testers did just that and this is what she said - 

Best compliment EVER!!!

This design has been on quite a journey over the years. It started with 'Emma's Blanket' way back in early 2013. Inspired by Little Woollie who was making a mixed stripey blanket and writing up the pattern on her blog as she went - I needed it finished in a hurry though and couldn't wait for her, so very (Very!) quickly went completely freestyle and designed my own blanket. 

Years later, in 2017, I made another blanket on a similar theme but this time it had lots more texture and was also designed to be reversible. Due to the colours I used it came to be called The Tooty Stripey Blanket. (It has it's own page dedicated to it if you'd like to read more? It's up at the top of the page there.)

The Tooty Stripey was only a hand drawn chart when I published the pattern. I always meant to go back and write up the written instructions but never found the time. Not until lockdown came along that is!! I have an office job so was able to work from home for the whole of lockdown but without wasting time commuting every day, I managed to make a start and keep going back and adding and tweaking and re-writing.... until finally it was ready to show to someone else!

I got in touch with some ladies on instagram and they did a wonderful job of finding every single typo, missed space, missed stitch - just everything!! Fellow crafters are the best!!

Finally, last night, I made the last amendment - and was then up early this morning for a final check over before publishing!!!

Woo Hoo!!!!

You know, it only dawned on me last night that I haven't taken any full length photos of the blanket, only close-ups - my favourite being the flat lay at the top of the screen. Want to see some more close-ups?... Although I may have shared these before....

I warn you though, when you make your own blanket, be ready to stitch in all the ends!

There are lots and lots (and lots!) of ends....

Click the link at the top of this page, or click HERE, to hop across to Ravelry to buy your copy. There's no need to be a member as your pattern will be emailed to you. And please do share some photos of it as you make it and once finished and add the hastag #theallsortsblanket so I can see it too!!! I LOVE to see what others have made from my designs!! I still get a thrill knowing someone used my pattern and I don't think that feeling will ever wear out!

HAPPY HOOKING!!  TINA xXx