Jen Arnall-Culliford Knitwear

FO: Woolly Wormhead Mystery Hat 2013

I feel stupidly happy that I managed to keep up with the Woolly Wormhead Mystery Hat KAL this year. It was the perfect project! Now all I need to do is to find a recipient for it, as I have an already overflowing hat drawer...

I have done the simple brim option, slouchy length and the basic crown shaping too. Keeping things straightforward is definitely the key at the moment! You can see more pictures over on my Ravelry project page here: Jen's Mystery Hat 2013.

I adored knitting with the Fyberspates Vivacious DK (which was the yarn recommended for the design). I can't wait to knit up some kids garments in this yarn. The colours are fab and it's just ace for texture and a pleasure to knit with. I know I'm totally biaised about Fyberspates as I've worked with Jeni for some years now, but this yarn really is a dream of a superwash bouncy merino.

I loved how there were a number of different options within the one design this year. Woolly puts so much thought into the Mystery Hat KAL, and really considers how to give knitters the best possible experience of the KAL. Given the complexity of pleasing hundreds of people when they don't really know what they are signing themselves up for, she works absolute miracles.

I'm also having fun with the cables on my Freccia, which should be finished before too long as well... Watch this space!

FO: Willowherb Socks

They are off my needles! I seemed to sail through the second foot without really noticing that it was the second one. Some people really struggle to make it through the second of a pair (socks, mittens, sleeves and so on), but I think by then I can see the end and I just want to be wearing the finished item.

These are the Willowherb socks from the ever-wonderful Rachel Coopey's Coop Knits Socks that I worked on at the start of the year. My parents-in-law gave me the yarn for my birthday, and I feel ever so virtuous in having knitted it up so quickly. Nice yarn can linger in the stash for a long time if you're looking for the perfect project for it, but I asked for the yarn for this pattern and here we are! I'm going to do a picture of my sock drawer one of these days as it is really shaping up nicely - I rarely need to wear shop-bought socks!

The Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply is just perfect for texture and lace. It has great stitch definition, and my pair of Budleigh socks has been worn constantly and they are holding up brilliantly! I'm clearly on a Fyberspates kick at the moment, but this Vivacious is just impossible to put down.

Apologies that the photos aren't perhaps as good as I would wish. At the moment, it's really a choice between getting a quick snap and getting on with it, or waiting for someone to take some better pictures and perhaps never getting around to blogging! I'm sure that regular blogging is the way forward.

See you soon with some hats!

Book Review: The Rhinebeck Sweater

As soon as I saw the previews of this book on Ravelry, I knew I had to have it! Ysolda has brought together a stellar cast of designers all inspired to create a sweater for the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival (aka Rhinebeck). The book is interspersed with essays, beautiful photographs taken on location at the festival, and even a recipe.

© Ysolda

I have been browsing yarn possibilities for at least three of the sweaters, and there are a few more that I fancy too! First up is Gudrun Johnston's Pippin - a snuggly warm jumper with an eye-catching cowl neckline. I love Gudrun's designs anyway, but this sweater looks particularly perfect for keeping warm in a cold house over the winter. I was thinking about some New Lanark Aran for this, as I will undoubtably wear layers underneath, making the more rustic wool very wearable. As a side note, it's just £4.00 for 100g which is a complete bargain!

© Ysolda

Ysolda's own design is Pumpkin Ale - an intriguingly constructed cardigan. It features a cable panel down the back, with sideways knitted fronts and three-quarter length sleeves with cable details. There are generous pockets in the fronts - a fantastic addition. I love a pocket! I can imagine wearing this cardigan all the time over the winter months and into spring. This too is a worsted weight project, so will knit up satifyingly quickly. I'm looking at some Cascade 220 (the antithesis of the intended small local yarn producer, but a very affordable worsted weight yarn option in the UK) from Get Knitted - at £5.50 for 100g it's hard to argue with! As this cardigan is worked in multiple directions, matching stitch and row gauge is going to be vital, so I'm matching the yarn as closely as possible. One of the lovely features of The Rhinebeck Sweater is the detailed information about the qualities of the yarn required for each design.

© Ysolda

I knew the name Amy Herzog, but it wasn't until I clicked through to view all her designs on Ravelry that I realised how much I love her aesthetic! I've been admiring her designs for years, but hadn't really put them all together in my head, if you know what I mean. I think I love Maple Cotton Candy even more for the fact that Amy just looks so happy in the photos. The sweater has a flattering scoop neckline and pretty details at the cuffs and hems. The allover texture stitch pattern adds just enough interest without being as painful to knit as moss stitch would be! I can imagine this being a go-to jumper for autumn and spring (with plenty of wear the rest of the year as well!). As this design is fitted, I'm looking at something a bit more luxurious in terms of yarn - perhaps some Tosh Vintage? I think this will be on my Christmas wishlist!

The print book costs £24 and comes with a unique download code for a digital version - perfect for printing out patterns to shove in your project bag. Altertnatively the eBook alone is £18, but I would highly recommend purchasing the print edition as it is a beautiful thing in its own right. The paper is heavy and the photography sings out in lots of detail. The colours are glowing, capturing the essence of autumn in New York State.

As a true pattern geek I've done some reading through the patterns and I'm impressed with the clarity of instructions and charts. Each design has a full schematic with a comprehensive array of measurements, without being too cluttered to read clearly. The patterns are sized generously, starting from around 30in up to 55-60in. Not all designs have the full range of sizes (probably due to the constraints of the designs themselves - not everything lends itself to be scaled up indefinitely), though all go to over 50in, so if you are at either extreme, do check the individual pattern information on Ravelry before you purchase.

© Ysolda

When I took the book to SnB on Tuesday, this design got a whole lot of love too - Artichoke French by Laura Nelkin. The flattering shaping up the shoulders, and thumb holes at the end of the sleeves were all admired. I've only held back on queuing it as I think my knitting queue for this season is full!

From the beautiful pictures of designers wearing their own sweaters, to the essays brimming with a love of wool and knitting, this book will more than earn its place on your shelves. If you haven't already don't pause, just go and get a copy!

The Rhinebeck Sweater £24 / $38 (print) or £18 (eBook) Published by Ysolda Teague

(I purchased my own copy and am reviewing this simply through enthusiasm!)

Pattern available: Redlynch Shawl

I'm delighted to launch the first of my autumn knitting patterns - the Redlynch Shawl.

© Jesse Wild

Inspired by the need for something to layer with long-sleeved T-shirts, or blouses, but not too heavy, Redlynch is named after a very pretty Somerset village. It's technically a cape or capelet, but I find that a rather off-putting description for a garment that I wear heaps and heaps. I tend to think of it more as a large shawl that doesn't need wrapping around your neck. You just slip it on and it stays put!

Redlynch is knitted in SMC Select Highland Alpaca Fino, which is a blend of 50% alpaca and 50% wool single ply yarn. I would describe it as a light 4ply weight yarn (it has 250m per 50g), but Ravelry has it down as a sport weight. It blooms nicely, so is a versatile yarn. You could certainly substitute anything between a 3ply and sport weight yarn, depending on how light you would like your Redlynch Shawl to be.

© Jesse Wild

The shawl is knitted in a wide rectangle, before dividing into two halves to create the neck opening. Each half is worked on separately, and then joined together either by grafting (which gives the neatest finish) or by casting off and sewing the two ends. The neck and body edgings are then picked up and an i-cord is knitted on. The lace has patterning on both RS and WS rows, and the finished repeat reminds me of pairs of wings.

© Jesse Wild

We took these photos back in April on a fun shoot with Jesse, and some help from my great friend Maz. She never stopped making me giggle, so thank you for ensuring that I had genuine smiles all day long Maz! Many thanks also to Kim Hobley and Rachel Atkinson for sample knitting for me. You are stars!

Here is all the technical information you might need:

This design was first published in The Knitter, Issue 45 under the name Vita, but the rights have now reverted to me, and I'm now releasing it for the first time as a single pattern download.

Size 
UK size: 8-10 (12-14, 16-18, 20-22, 24-26, 28-30) 
To fit bust: 81-86 (91-97, 102-107, 112-117, 122-127, 132-137)cm [32-34 (36-38, 40-42, 44-46, 48-50, 52-54)in]
Actual neck opening: 25 (30, 35, 35, 40, 45)cm [9.75 (11.75, 13.75, 13.75, 15.75, 17.75)in] 
Actual width: 69 (69, 82, 95, 108, 108)cm [27.25 (27.25, 32.25, 37.5, 42.5, 42.5)in]
Actual length: 40 (42, 44, 46, 48, 50)cm [15.75 (16.5, 17.25, 18, 19, 19.75)in]

Yarn 
SMC Select version shown in Red (07301) 3 (3, 4, 4, 5, 5) x 50g balls

Needles and Accessories 
1 pair 4.5mm (UK 7/US 7) knitting needles (circular needles may be required due to number of stitches) 
2 sets 4mm (UK 8/US 6) circular needles (1 set 60-80cm long and 1 set approx. 100cm long) for i-cord edgings 
Waste yarn, 4ply cotton would be ideal

The pattern is available to purchase as a pdf download from Ravelry for £3.00 by clicking here: 

Hat Season is Here!

It's 1st November, which means just one thing in our house...

HATS!

I am signed up and in the process of casting on my Woolly Wormhead Mystery Hat KAL (KAL = knitalong) for the year. I've taken part in the KAL for the last 2 years - you can see my finished hats for 2011 and 2012 by clicking through on those links - and it is always a blast. The hats are always brilliant to knit, and at this time of year if they don't perfectly fit in my wardrobe, there is always a happy recipient at hand.

I have previously waxed lyrical about Woolly Wormhead's hat designs, but I'm happy to repeat it. She is accurately described as a hat architect, and her patterns are a joy to work from. I am super-fussy about patterns, and Woolly's are always amazing. They are clearly written and full of useful hints and tips. The hat KAL is a great way to learn a new technique or two as there are heaps of other knitters on hand to give advice and share ideas. I have also found that at this time of year, it's really helpful to have a pattern delivered in manageable bites. It never seems to be too overwhelming at a time of year when there is so much else going on!

I'm using the recommended Fyberspates Vivacious DK for my Mystery hat, as I helpfully had some wound in my stash already. Handy, that!

Not content with casting on the Mystery Hat, I have also pulled some Knit by Numbers DK out of my stash to cast on Freccia from Woolly Wormhead's Twisted Woolly Toppers. It's time to keep the little ones warm, and Woolly's patterns are generally sized to fit children through to adults. We sifted through my vast pattern collection, and about 10 of Woolly's patterns were shortlisted. After much uming and ahing, we finally narrowed it down and Freccia was the winner!

In non-hat related news, I'm on the foot of my second Willowherb sock, so I'm hoping to have a finished object to share quite soon.