Jen Arnall-Culliford Knitwear

Woolly Wormhead's Mystery Hat KAL

It's time! It's time!

Woolly has opened the sign-ups for her Mystery Hat KAL, so head over and join in: Woolly Wormhead Mystery Hat KAL

I know I'm meant to be finishing my Still Light Tunic, and I really, really will, but this is just a Hat, and what's more, it's a Hat spread out over nearly a month, so it doesn't count at all. Honest!

I enjoyed this KAL so much last year - it was such a manageable KAL, and Woolly's patterns are always SO well thought out and clever, whilst also being great to knit. I've got my place, so what are you waiting for? Head over and sign up now!

The first instalment includes loads of information about yarn choices and what sort of hat you'll make. This year, as there is only 1 design, it's a Hat shape that suits almost every face.

Hats rule in November! I might cast on two, or three, or maybe more... ;)

WIP: Quilt for the latest arrival

So I'm all excited because we have a new niece! She's been spotted resting up with her Daisy Dachshund, and looking adorable, and I'm champing at the bit to go and meet her!

In the meantime, I decided that she needs a quilt...

I'm turning a lovely Riley Blake layer cake into these battenburg-type blocks, and hopefully I'm not too far from finishing it. After all that burst of knitting on my Still Light tunic, I think my arms need a rest from knitting, so I'm at my sewing machine in the evenings instead.

I hope this heralds the return of my sewing mojo, which has been sadly lacking for the last few months...

WIP: Still, still light

Humungous thanks for all of the lovely, lovely replies that Jim and I had to my last post. I'll be posting updates as and when as we progress through the next few months. I spent a chunk of time yesterday on our forms, so all of those good wishes were very motivating!

I'm back to having only a few large projects on my needles, which is always tricky as I do love casting off so much! I really and truly am trying to get at least one project completed. My chosen project is my Still Light sweater dress. I'm not saying I won't cast on anything else until it's done as that didn't work very well last time I blogged that I would stay faithful (I think I've done 2 hats, a pair of socks and a toy dog since them).

I cast it on February! Goodness that is a long time ago!

Sadly Jim is away for the week, so it was either take a rubbish photo in the mirror, or wait another week before blogging. I hope that this photo shows just enough to be worthwhile. I tried to angle the mirror to get as much light in as possible, but it's still pretty poor.

Anyway, hopefully despite the photo you can see that since my last update, I've completed the second sleeve and done all of the pocket and side increases, and have now put the pockets onto waste yarn. I'm on the home stretch, I think!

I've put the body sts onto waste yarn and I'm going to complete the pockets before I go any further. In the same way as I did the sleeves before the main part of the body, I want to do all the annoying frequent turning of the pocket with as little weight of the remaining garment as possible. Once the pockets are complete I only (!!) need to knit another 10in of stocking stitch and then do some ribbing. I'll be wearing my silk-cashmere dream before too long.

The yarn (Fyberspates Ethereal 4ply) is a dream to knit with. Seriously, it's like a cloud of snuggly deliciousness. I really didn't want to take it off again once I had tried it on. I think I'm going to have to build an outside house for the cat to live in so that I can wear this all the time when it's done!

If you hear me muttering about casting on something new, just remind me how amazing this will be when it's complete would you? :D

FOs: Simple socks and a dog!

I got through quite a lot of knitting in Shetland, although perhaps not as much as you would imagine. We did lots of visiting places as well as more chatting and giggling than you could possibly imagine. I did however manage to finish off the second sock for my brother-in-law. He chose some True Blood red Socks That Rock Lightweight from my stash, and I thoroughly enjoyed knitting with this yarn!

The yarn is dense. I can't think of another word to describe it. It's quite tightly spun, but doesn't curl back on itself like Wollmeise does. I just did a totally plain vanilla pair of socks for Ed, but I'd imagine that this yarn would be A-MAZING in cables or twisted stitch patterns. The stitch definition would be unparalleled.

The socks were even finished in plenty of time for his birthday! Now, if I can just manage that with my Christmas knitting... Don't laugh!! Full project details can be found on my Ravelry page.

The next project fresh off my needles is the finished Daisy Dachshund, and I'm really pleased with how she has turned out. Nice pattern Mel!

She was my first toy (I think...) and I was nervous about whether I could do the sewing up neatly enough. But it turned out absolutely fine, and the making up wasn't difficult at all. It did take quite a while though - you can't rush it if you want to do it neatly. :)

I thought you might like this view of Daisy's podgy belly - it gives a good view of how the bits fit together. If you're very eagle-eyed, you might spot that I didn't do the feet pads as per the instructions. I just wasn't brave enough to sew such small pieces in, so I picked up the stitches around the bottom of the leg and then worked in the round, doing decreases, until all stitches were used up.

All she needs now is for the baby to arrive, so that I can send her off!

In other knitting, I've been really concentrating on working through my Still Light Tunic. I saw a lovely version while I was in Shetland and decided that I need to be wearing mine now! I'm not far from separating off the pockets, so I just need to keep knitting...

Cloudy Apples: Yarlington and the full eBook

I can't believe it's time for the final Cloudy Apples eBook release already! The last month has just flown by.

Kyoko and I are so grateful to everyone who has bought the book, or patterns, or talked about them online or at knitting groups. We have been blown away by the support we've received. At the bottom of this post you'll find a list of links to reviews and mentions - do let me know if you've spotted others and I will add them here.

Kyoko's blog is still being worked on by the techy-types, but in the meantime you can see her new designs on her Ravelry page (along with a couple of gorgeous new shawls that she's got in the latest issue of Knitscene...). Do also pop in to Kyoko's group on Ravelry, which is where we are hosting Cloudy Apples discussions: Cotton and Cloud.

So, here is my final design: Yarlington

© Jesse Wild

The hat uses 2 skeins of Rowan Kid Classic - one of my all-time favourite yarns. It was one of the first nice yarns I used when I was learning to knit, and I still love it. The halo and drape are just perfect for a cosy slouchy hat!

© Jesse Wild

The crown shaping is highlighted within the stitch pattern and the instructions are written out in full, to ensure you get the same effect. The textured pattern is the same as the background pattern on my Puffin Apple hat - I want to make some matching mittens now as well - it's such a satisfying simple but effective stitch pattern.

The hat is knitted in the round, and the pattern is given in written form only (no charts - the stitch pattern is so simple that it doesn't need it). Yarlington comes in 3 sizes to fit heads from 40-55cm/15.75-22in, so will fit children to adults. A perfect hat to knit as a Christmas gift (yes! I did just say the C word - it's creeping up quickly now for knitters...).

I knitted a second sample when we were at the proof-reading stage, to double check the shaping. I think I might keep this one for me - the first sample was Kyoko's to keep as she modelled it so beautifully.

So that's it! The whole eBook is out in the wild - if you want to glance at the 9 patterns included, then pop over to the Cloudy Apples page on Ravelry.

Yarlington can be purchased individually for £3.50 by clicking here: 

And the full eBook can be puchased for £9.00 by clicking here: 

As promised, here is a list of the review mentions that we've had...

• Kate Davies gave us a sweet mention on her blog back when we released the first patterns: Surfacing
• Dunkerton Sweet gets a lovely mention on The Fat Squirrel Speaks videocast (at around 20 minutes in) episode 32: Woolly Woolly Sheep Heid
• Eskimimi Makes talks about my Puffin Apple hat on her blog here: Treats and New Projects
• Rachel Coopey knitted Puffin Apple while we were in Shetland, and has blogged about it here: Holiday Hat No. 1 That link includes a great way to block a hat, so it's well worth a visit!

Shetland's Stunning Landscape

We really weren't expecting much in the way of good weather for our 6 day stay in Shetland. I'd had such luck in the summer, that I thought it was too much to dream of more of the same. And yet...

This is the view across the tombolo to St Ninian's Isle! The sky was deep blue and the sea was all sorts of sparkling blues and greens. We simply couldn't believe our luck.

It was plenty warm enough to wander around the island without coats, and we sat and ate our lunch on the grass overlooking the most amazing cliffs.

No, it wasn't boiling hot by any stretch of the imagination, but for early October, we couldn't complain! The cliffs were covered in gulls, swooping in and out as they fished for lunch.

We spotted a wide variety of mushrooms - does anyone know what type these are? They were really red in colour, with orange around the edges. When we got back to the car, a group of birdwatchers had monoculars set up and were looking out to sea. I cheekily asked what they were looking at and was allowed to have a look. I got excellent views of a Great Northern Diver, and we also saw some seals swimming off the shore of St Ninian's. What luck!

In the afternoon we took the audioguide round Jarlshof - an incredible collection of buildings dating back from the late-neolithic era right through to the 1600s. The site had been featured on a BBC programme about the Vikings the previous week, and it was brilliant to see in person. The wheelhouses were almost snug against the sea and wind.

I am constantly fascinated by lichen, and there was LOTS on the stones of the site.

Our luck didn't hold out for the entire stay, and our trip to Eshaness on Saturday was a lot less nice...

That's the view out of the front windscreen into the driving wind and rain. Eshaness is definitely on my list of places to return to another time. It was spectacular and the violent weather added a level of rawness to the landscape, but it would be nice to be able to get out of the car and wander around without risking being blown off the cliffs!

I took fewer pictures of food this holiday than I normally do, but this new discovery definitely warranted a shot:

We dubbed it Shetland Breakfast - fried scallops with bacon and scrambled eggs. Oh my word! These were DELICIOUS!

The holiday was then topped off completely with a display of the Northern Lights on Monday evening. Sadly I have no pictures as my iPhone just wasn't up to taking shots of something so subtle. I've always wanted to see them, so it really just rounded things off nicely.

On my next trip to Shetland, I'm hoping to see either otters or whales... Is this asking for the moon on a stick? I'm not sure!

We pooled our photos, so some of these were taken by me, and some by Rachel Coopey. Thank you m'dear!

Woolly Adventures in Shetland

What do you get when four knitters stay in a flat in Shetland, within walking distance of Jamieson & Smith? I think that the answer, LOTS OF YARN, is hopefully fairly obvious. We visited J&S almost every day of our stay.

Just look at the effect it had on us...

By us, I do of course mean Nic...

How could we not get carried away? There was just so much inspiration. I kept spotting more and more colours that I wanted to knit with... and they weren't all teal!

Well, not quite anyway...

Ella and Sandra gave us lots and lots of help and encouragement with chosing combinations. They really are fantastic!

Many thanks to Ella for taking this lovely picture of us against the wall of yarn. Left to right we are: Jen (that's me), Nic, Sarah and Rachel.

Rachel and I were also lucky enough to have a brief chat with Oliver Henry about the grading of the Shetland clip. He talked us through the qualities of Shetland wool, and showed us how it's all sorted by hand. It was absolutely fascinating!

Finally, on Monday I taught a lovely class all about pattern writing, as part of Shetland Wool Week. It was great to work surrounded by all the delicious yarn, and the class were brilliant! Thank you all!

I didn't take any photos at Kate's trunk show - I was too busy picking colours for the hoodie I'm planning to make from her new book. There will be more on that when my yarn arrives in the post (no spare space in my luggage!). I'm dreaming of my next (as yet unplanned) visit already.

We pooled our photos, so some of these were taken by me, and some by Rachel Coopey. Thank you m'dear!

Behind the scenes on a photo shoot

Organising a photo shoot is something that I NEVER thought I would have to do. I struggle to put together my own clothes and always have to find a kind shop assistant when I'm looking for an outfit for a specific occasion, so I think it's fair to say that I'm well outside of my comfort zone with this kind of thing.

Having said all that, I was lucky enough to go on a few shoots when I worked at The Knitter, and since then I've organised shoots for Fyberspates and now for Cloudy Apples. When it really comes down to it - it's something I can do if I need to! Here are a few tips, just in case you ever find yourself needing to organise a shoot!

First up, get the best photographer you can. I had worked with Jesse Wild previously, and knew that he is not only an amazing photographer, but is also really good at putting me at ease (this was very important as I'm even less of a natural model than I am a natural photo-shoot-organiser). Having a confident photographer who will help you to capture the look and feel that you want makes a MASSIVE difference. Make the budget work to have the best photographer you can.

Find a location. This doesn't need to be complicated. You just need a simple area with good light and not too much in the way of distractions. We were lucky to be able to borrow a friend's house, so we had outside and inside spaces, in case of bad weather.

Choose a model. We chose to model our designs for Cloudy Apples. This has many benefits, not least that you can check that the samples fit properly and that you have suitable clothes for styling. If you're not keen to be in front of the camera yourself, then find a willing friend to help out. Many knitters comment that it's nice to see garments on real people, so don't feel that your model has to be professional. It's more important for your model to be comfortable with having their photo taken than it is for them to be the next supermodel.

Find some helpers. You can't keep an eye on everything yourself. The photographer may need someone to hold reflectors or diffusers, and you certainly need someone whose only job is to keep an eye on clothing and hair. They need to be ready to jump in and straighten hems, smooth fringes, and check that you've not worn the hat inside out (it's been done - don't laugh!). Finally, someone to make tea and coffee and provide regular snacks will keep everyone else in good humour. So be sure to have a couple of friends on hand to help!

One of the next tasks is to decide what to wear with the samples. Collar someone to take bad snapshots while you try everything on. The right outfit for a photoshoot isn't necessarily the outfit you would normally pick for yourself. I'm quite a matchy-matchy person, but for a shoot, you want your sample item to stand out, rather than fade into the rest of the outfit.

This is my puffin apple hat with one of my favourite Boden t-shirts. Jim says I look like a burglar in this photo! Look at the difference when I popped a jacket on over the top...

Breaking up the stripes makes all the difference! This then transforms into a lovely picture, once you use a great photographer and natural light...

© Jesse Wild

Having organised yourself ready for the day, the last thing to do is to get a good night's sleep. Don't stay up until all hours finishing the knitting on the final sample. Ahem!

In the morning, get to the shoot location in good time and find somewhere to use as a base. We laid out all of the knitwear along with the outfits in an upstairs room.

Have a good look around the location and make a basic plan of what you will shoot where, and which order to shoot in. There's no point in having your hair done and then doing all of the hat shots first! Finally, have some coffee and a snack before getting to it!

Try to enjoy yourself as much as possible - I think it really shows in the photos when a shoot was enjoyable.

Don't be afraid to try something. If it doesn't work, it doesn't matter! And finally, you can never anticipate exactly what's going to happen next. In our case, who would have expected a samba band to come marching down Catherine Hill?

Many thanks to everyone who made our shoot a success!
Photographer: Jesse Wild
Behind the scenes shots & general assistance: Steph Boardman
Models: Kyoko Nakayoshi & me
Chief knitwear interferer and awesome multi-tasking helper: Nic Blackmore
Locations: Pepita's house and Bramble & Wild florist
Taker of outfit snapshots & general advice: Jim 

You can find the Cloudy Apples eBook on Ravelry: Cloudy Apples

Cloudy Apples: Knotted Kernel Cowl

Greetings from Shetland!

We are having a great time - enjoying all the yarny heaveny stuff here, and hanging out with the knitting goddesses (Nic Blackmore, Rachel Coopey, Sarah Hatton)! There will be more Shetland-y news later.

Here is this week's Cloudy Apples release: Knotted Kernel

© Jesse Wild

This cowl uses a variation on the Hearts of Oak stitch pattern - it is completely reversible, which is great for a cowl pattern. You start by casting on with waste yarn and working a tube in the stitch pattern. The cowl is cast off with an i-cord cast off. The waste yarn is then removed from the cast-on edge, and you work an i-cord cast off along that edge as well. This means that both ends of the cowl are the same.

The pattern comes in 3 sizes, so you can have the simple cowl that Kyoko is modelling, or a medium size version that wraps around twice, or the large, which will easily wrap 3 times round (I'm modelling this below).

© Jesse Wild

I've chosen two yarns with great stitch definition for this pattern - Fyberspates Scrumptious Aran (available from Lantern Moon in the US) shown above in Teal (modelled by me) and Quince & Co Osprey (I got mine from Loop in London) shown in Parsley (modelled by Kyoko). They both work brilliantly to show off the texture in the stitch pattern, and are lovely and soft next to the skin.

Kyoko's pattern for this week is the lovely Underleaf Mitts. Her website is being reworked at the moment, so she will blog next week once the site is up and running. In the meantime, here is one of my favourite pictures from the photoshoot.

© Jesse Wild

The matching Underleaf Hat pattern will be forthcoming...

So that's the penultimate pattern release from the Cloudy Apples eBook. The final patterns will be released on 16th October.

Knotted Kernel and the Underleaf Mitts are also available to purchase individually for £3.50, or you can buy the whole eBook for £9.00. If you purchase the eBook, then you will receive all of the remaining 5 patterns as they are released. The eBook also contains a photo gallery and introduction. The final patterns will be released on 16th October 2012.

To buy the whole Cloudy Apples eBook, click here: 

To buy the Knotted Kernel cowl alone, click here: 

To buy Kyoko's Underleaf Mitts alone, click here: 

We have had the MOST glorious weather today, so we headed out to St Ninian's for a walk and some bird-watching. More to follow...

You won't believe your eyes...

...but I'm knitting a toy. And it's a toy that needs lots of sewing up!

© Mel Clark, Collins and Brown

I fell totally in love with this cute Daisy Dachshund pattern when I reviewed Knitting Everyday Finery by Mel Clark earlier in the year. The following weekend we visited Loop, and I picked up a skein of Brooklyn Tweed's Shelter yarn to use for Daisy.

Fast forward a few months, and my brother-in-law and his wife are expecting their first child any day now, so out came the yarn and needles and I cast on. Fortuitously, Mel is also hosting a KAL (knitalong) in her group on Ravelry, so I've been able to share progress and encouragement with others as I work on her. My top tip for making this type of project... Block the pieces before trying to sew them together:

This is my left and right bodies blocking, along with the head gusset. The pieces were curled and uncontrolable before I blocked them, but afterwards, they were much more well-behaved! I've now joined the tail, sewn in the head gusset and done the leg seams, and she is starting to look quite a lot like the picture, isn't she?

I must have written the instruction to "block all pieces to measurements" into hundreds of patterns, but it's something I rarely take the time to do. I know, I know! It was a revelation though, and not a step I'll omit in future. Full details of my project are as ever on my Ravelry page here: Daisy Doggy.

Thank you to everyone who favourited and queued, and even cast on Puffin Apple over the weekend. I'm delighted to say that 2 knitters have already finished theirs!! We unfortunately discovered a couple of annoying errors in the written instructions for the cable chart, so please check the errata on the Ravelry pattern page here, if you're planning to cast on this week (the chart is correct, it's just the written version). An updated pdf will be sent out with the next batch of Cloudy Apples patterns at the end of the week.