Hi! I hope your summer has been a good one. This year's weather has been a bit of a wash out here, and the good weather we usually have in July arrived early, coming in around May and June and again for a week in September, while July and August were filled with rain and dull weather for most of the two months!
I was lucky enough to go on a knitting retreat with friends into the Peak District (on the one good weekend in July) which was a lovely break and gave me lots of chatting and knitting time. Due to changing work patterns it's not always easy to get to a knitting group and I do miss the interaction that comes from these groups, so the weekend away was a welcome treat. The Peak District is only a hour's drive away too; and is one of the largest National Parks in the UK, almost on our doorstep!
I've spent some of the summer working on a few new patterns and a new fair isle design which I'm really looking forward to starting next month. Knitting in the round rather than knitting flat is my preferred knitting method; and I've been knitting in the round for all my projects over the last six months. It feels as though knitting in the round makes it quicker to complete projects; but I think this comes from there
being no side seams to sew up and no purl rows to slow me down if I'm knitting in stocking stitch.
I've also worked on two pairs of my Welsh mittens - one for a friend and another pair for moi (eventually!!) These have been knitted in my staple favourite - Jamieson and Smith 2 ply spindrift. I love the 25g balls that J&S supply and the variety of heathered, marled and pure colours they provide, the choices are so endless! This wool works so well for fair isle designs too so it's my regular 'go to'.
I prefer to use the magic loop method for knitting and if you've always knitted flat then I would definitely recommend trying to knit in the round for a project. It's maybe easier to start with a smaller project such as a hat, mittens or socks, as these projects lend themselves really well to knitting in the round and don't take so much yarn to complete or the commitment needed for a larger project. The most important point is to ensure that the cast on edge stitches of your project are all facing towards each other. If they aren't facing each other your project will be twisted and you'll end up knitting a moebius (infinity loop). I think of the cast on edge stitches as the 'teeth' of the zip - so they face each other rather than twisting away from each other. You can find a few smaller projects in my shop including a freebie, which can help develop your skill for knitting in the round so what have you got to lose? As always, do let me know how you get on!
My current WIP is an adaption of my lace ribbon top which I'm adapting to have long sleeves for the coming colder weather. Knitted in a wool/alpaca mix the lace has a soft haze and should be super warm and cuddly when finished. Perfect for the coming autumn!
I've spent a big part of the summer shopping for vintage knitting patterns and I'll post my latest finds soon - there's some real gems!!
Until next time - happy knitting!
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