Now that’s right up my street. Something simple, but oh so effective. Enter [SIMPLE little SOMETHING] offered by Wendy Chapman Blue Dog Workshop The perfect present for a young lady, just turned 20, an age in France as significant as our 21st. She and her family have received knitted bookmarks, key rings, egg cup cosies – all the essential things in life – already. Such a simple pattern, producing this eye-catching texture, but with enough to think about to retain…
Four weeks is the norm. Five, I can manage. Six weeks, no, that’s a week too far. Seven weeks, with ten weeks likely, is a nightmare in prospect. I’m talking haircuts, of course. I’ve a short style, the key word being style, which grows out, unless it is re-styled. The dread of meeting up with friends for coffee, going to a party or bumping into colleagues in the supermarket meant I’d adopted the sensible action of booking the next appointment…
What do you give someone who has everything they want? I’ve given gin, jam, marmalade, more gin, chocolates and indoor plants. A mug, a tea cloth, an egg cup cozy, all patterned with daffodils. Whatever the gift, it’s always been accompanied by a bunch of daffodils. Did I mention she loves daffodils? It’s great to have a theme for presents and cards for a special person, and this year I was wandering, lonely as a cloud… through pages of patterns…
Aah, one year old. Where has this year gone? How can she have become this little person with her own personality, likes and dislikes, choices and demands so quickly? With my fingers itching to start on this special project, dishcloth patterns came to mind. So easy to follow – 35 or 36 stitches on no 7 needles with cotton yarn. Bright colours, her initials and birthday number one on cloths for all purposes. To clean sticky fingers. Wipe a muddy…
I’ve always preferred knitting novelties, items for fun as well as practicality, and items of clothes that are no more time-consuming than a scarf, a head band or some hand warmers. And when the opportunity to knit something for baby came along, bootees were the obvious choice. Strictly speaking, I did once make a coat for a 4” doll from a pattern for a Christmas jumper tree decoration, a pair of Mary Jane shoes and a cardigan for an 18″…
How fashions change. I am amazed by how a simple item is re-invented over and over by a tweak here, a tuck there, then hey presto it’s a must-have of the modern wardrobe. Take cardigans. We’ve all worn a cardigan at some time in our lives, if only when at school. It might have been shop-bought or if you were lucky, or unlucky, depends on where you stood in your family group, hand-knitted and handed-down. Made unique by choice of…
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…blah, blah, you know how it continues. We all probably know at least one fan, and have bought or made a Star Wars-themed card present at some point. Would I be able to find something to knit along those lines, I wondered? Ha! Oh, ye of little faith. Surely, by now I had realised that the knitting community has a pattern, a design or just an idea of absolutely ANYTHING I…
I wanted something simple, seasonal and novel for my Christmas gifts this year, something quirky that would knit up quickly. I found it with this very simple pattern for a Knitted Napkin Ring by Shellie Wilson. All those paper napkins, used and abused at Christmas lunch and tea, could last well into Boxing Day if looked after properly. A good linen serviette could last for days. I had some appropriately coloured craft string, so got cracking. Did I say simple? …