A Fresh Start

Hello everyone!

I am delighted to introduce to you my new pattern - the Fresh Start Hat - just in time for the colder months.  A very quick knit which takes around 150 - 200 yards.


A Fresh Start Hat is a simple unisex design offered in two sizes - Small, to fit child or small adult and Large which will fit a medium to large adult.

Sample shown here is in Small.
S - To fit child or small adult: 22 inches/56cm
L - To fit med/large adult: 24 inches/61cm
Gauge:
22 stitches & 28 rows over 4"/10cm square using US7/4.5mm needles
Material
Worsted Weight yarn (sample knitted in Plucky Knitter Worsted)
150 yards/140 metres for small version
210 yards/195 metres for large version
Double Pointed Needles:
1 set US6/4mm
1 set US 7/4.5mm
OR for Magic Loop:
1 US 6/4 mm 40"/100cm circular needle

1 US 7/4.5mm 40"/100cm circular needle

Find it HERE on Ravelry and don't forget to show me your finished hats - would love to see them!



Who does not love a Pom Pom!


Its that time of year again - yay for SOCKTOBER!!

Hi everyone, so its the 1st October today and you know what that means don't you! SOCKTOBER is upon us!

Last year I did a post on socks you could knit for Socktober (you can find it HERE ) and I really enjoyed putting that post together so I thought I would make it an annual thing and so today I bring you my top 5 (well with full disclosure, actually there are more than 5.....) socks that I am loving for this Socktober!

1. Of course firstly I have to include the fantastic designs by Clare Devine.  Although not part of Socktober because I finished them in September...... you will know if you follow me on Instagram and Facebook that I have knitted the London Skies socks.  These are great socks and I really loved the twisted cable detail which makes the socks INCREDIBLY comfortable.  Knitted in Townhouse Yarns Grafton 4 ply in the colourway Cherry Cola they are my current faves!  London Skies is part of a collection called the Travel Trio which Clare put together on her mammoth move from the UK to Australia and her designs are based the start of her journey to the end. I loved knitting them and I am sure you will too!

Further details are on my project page on Ravelry : Louiseluvsyarn's Red Sky at Night Socks

The e book for three patterns is £7.00 and can be found here on Ravelry

My Red Sky at Night socks


2.  Next is another set of sock patterns from my fellow expat Mina Philipp from the Knitting Expat Podcast.  Believe it or not I first met Mina when she was a newbie knitter and she has gone from strength to strength in an incredibly short time!  Mina is quite famous for the amount of socks she can churn out - I believe she has made about 75 pairs already this year - yes I did get that right!

Anyway Mina has a real talent for taking the plain and simple and making it, well less plain and simple and more wow!

Recently she has published two e books called Beyond Vanilla - and they are exactly that, the next step on from vanilla socks!  Perfect for those people who are new to sock knitting and want to take the next step.  My personal favourites are Riverbend - but there are lots to chose from!

You can purchase individual patterns for $3.00 and the e books are $9.00 for 4 patterns which I think is great value.

Find Mina's Beyond Vanilla 2 collection here on Ravelry

These are Mina's own Riverbends!



3.  Next, if you are looking for something to challenge you a little more, you can find the perfect pair of fancy socks over at Louise Tilbrook Designs.  I featured Louise last year and since then she has published some more fabulous pairs to get your grey matter working - but not working so much that you are driven crazy!

My faves for Socktober are the Malala socks.  I love the pattern obviously but also my son's house system at school recently changed and his house name is Malala.  What an inspiring young lady she is.... Be sure to check out the story of the name on Louise's pattern page

These socks have just the right amount of detail and I adore the little cables.

You can find the Malala socks here on Ravelry and the pattern is £3.30


Louise's Malala Socks


4.  Ok so next is a pattern which is very very new and a fab take on colourwork - this is from the talented Dieuwke van Mulligan.

I love this take on colourwork  - something different - and I currently adore anything which is Ombre!  Reminds me of when I was dancing years ago and we used to make costumes by dip dying leotards and tights with Dylon - it was a long process and the colour pallet was pretty limited but it was great fun!

Hurry over and get the pattern today though because there is 80% off until tomorrow! AND there is a KAL going throughout October so this makes the Dip Dye the PERFECT Socktober sock!


Fabulous Dip Dye!


5.  Finally I have something new for me.....Crochet socks!  Now I have never made crochet socks but when I saw these I thought.....hmmmm why not?  Especially with the description saying that these socks were made for 'Cosy nights in with a good book' - well yes please.......aircon is quite chilly now!!

These socks are from a great new collection called Raw, which has been put together by the Crochet Project - which is Joanne Scrace (of Contour Shawl fame) and Kat Goldin.  There are 6 patterns in the collection - all crochet - all really really wearable!

The socks are called Mamble and remind me of the New Year we spent in Yorkshire a couple of years ago when we rented a tiny little cottage where I could snuggle up around a little wood burning stove - bliss!!



Yummy Mamble!

I hope you found something to inspire your sock knitting this October - now for me to choose........