Beachy Head and Birthdays....

Hello - how are you? Thanks for stopping by....

It's been a busy time for me recently what with having my latest design to finish and publish, then coping with the death of one of my all time favourite people Prince, then it was my birthday, then the birth of a lovely baby girl to a good friend, then my eldest son's birthday ... my emotions have been up and down like Tower Bridge!

My latest design is the Beachy Head Shawl which is a simple garter stitch crescent shawl with a pretty lace edging. I gifted it to my Mum (who is the model on my Ravelry page) and since then she's worn it almost every day! I love seeing something I've made being worn and loved so much. Reminds me of why I love knitting so much .... here are some pics

I'm really happy with how it turned out and I think it's one of those garments that will be a great "go to" item in my wardrobe. I'm now thinking of making one in two shades of green ..... or charcoal and aubergine ..... or plum and gold (possible Gryffindor shawl???).....the possibilities are endless.

Then the unthinkable happened and news broke of Prince's death. I still can't believe it. He was so much a part of my youth and growing up - his songs are like pages in my diary, so representative of many events in my formative years. I couldn't even listen to his music for the first few days and when I did, it was like saying goodbye to a very special friend ..... RIP Prince, those doves are crying now....

Then it was my birthday and I was very spoilt by a dear friend who treated Mum and I to a gorgeous lunch at a local restaurant high on a hill called Tumbledowns. Don't you think that's a wonderful name for a restaurant? I do.

We had a lovely meal and I chose a Hot Apple and Cherry Cup for dessert .... yum...... My friend had told the kitchen staff that it was my birthday so they did this as a surprise! I thought it was really sweet....

My birthday was followed by the birth of a rather gorgeous little girl called Jessica to a good friend of mine. She already has two boys (as I do) so having a girl has been exciting for us all! In my opinion, there is nothing quite as beautiful as a newborn ....

And then (if all that wasn't enough) it was my eldest son's birthday. He turned 17 this year and I still can't quite believe that it was 17 years ago that we took this......

Why does time go by so fast??? I wish I knew.....

I'm hoping for a quieter week next week so I can get on with some serious knitting. I have a purple scarf planned in honour of Prince and I've already chosen the name .... Paisley Park of course.

Have a great week.....

Til soon.

xxx

♥

Hollybank

Hello! Welcome ... how are you?

I've been meaning to write this post every day for the past week but somehow it just didn't happen - I'm sure you understand those kind of weeks...

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you about my latest pattern release which is the Hollybank Shawl and here she is ....

Thanks to my beautiful Mum for modelling in that last shot!

I'm so pleased with how this turned out as I had no real plan except a sketchy diagram and some colour combinations running around in my head.

It's a very easy pattern and would be a great stash-buster. You can use any fingering weight yarn (4ply) and even though I used four plain shades, it would be stunning with a variegated yarn thrown into the mix! The sky's the limit!!!!

I hope you like it. I hope you'll make it and love it as much as I do. If you have any queries about the pattern, feel free to email me at luluknitts@yahoo.com.

Thanks for stopping by.

Til soon.

Happy knitting!

xxx

♥

Canning Street Hat

Hello....

Here's my 2nd design!!!! Free on Ravelry too. It's a hat (just in case you didn't get that from the post title!).

I decided to give mosaic (or slip stitch knitting) a go as it's been on my Knitting Bucket List (doesn't everyone have one of those?) for ages. After a few horrendous attempts I came up with this and I'm pretty happy with it I have to say.

Let me know what you think.....

Canning Street Hat

what you need:

4mm circular needles

2 x 50g DK weight yarn (1x50g in Main shade and 1x50g in Contrast shade)

Gauge = 22sts to 30 rows = 10cm

Approximate measurement – snug fit (not tight though) for 58cm head

abbreviations:

sts                   stitches

K                      knit

P                      purl

K2tog              knit two together

RS                    right side

WS                   wrong side

the pattern:

Cast on 120 sts and join in the round. (Careful not to twist the stitches!)

Place a stitch marker to show the beginning of the round.

Work 20 rounds in K2 P2 rib.

Commence brick pattern:

Round 1:               Using M - Knit

Round 2:               As Round 1

Round 3:               Using C - *K5, sl1p – repeat from * to end of round

Round 4:               As Round 3

Round 5:               Using M – Knit

Round 6:               As Round 5

Round 7:               Using C – K2, *sl1p, K5 – repeat from * to last 3sts, K3.

Round 8:               As Round 7

Repeat Rounds 1-8 three more times. (Use the tick boxes to mark off as you go.)

□ 1     □ 2            □ 3            □ 4            □ 5            □ 6            □ 7            □ 8

□ 1     □ 2            □ 3            □ 4            □ 5            □ 6            □ 7            □ 8

□ 1     □ 2            □ 3            □ 4            □ 5            □ 6            □ 7            □ 8

Using M, knit two rounds.

Begin decreases:

Round 1:               *K10, K2tog – repeat from * to end

Round 2 and every alternate round:               Knit

Round 3:               *K9, K2tog – repeat from * to end

Round 5:               *K8, K2tog – repeat from * to end

Round 7:               *K7, K2tog – repeat from * to end

Round 9:               *K6, K2tog – repeat from * to end

Round 11:               *K5, K2tog – repeat from * to end

Round 13:               *K4, K2tog – repeat from * to end

Round 15:               *K3, K2tog – repeat from * to end

Round 17:               *K2, K2tog – repeat from * to end

Round 19:               *K1, K2tog – repeat from * to end

Round 21:               *K2tog – repeat from * to end

Thread yarn through remaining stitches and pull tight.

Weave in ends.

ENJOY!  ♥

Henrietta Road Shawl

YIPPEE!!! I have published my first shawl design and it's FREE on Ravelry!!!

It's called the Henrietta Road Shawl (the reason for the name is given in the pattern).

You can download it here.

Some pics....

You can use any DK weight yarn and it would be a great stashbuster as the body is a 2 row pattern so can be knitted in different yarns. I used a plain grey alternated with a self striping that I had left over from another project. I love how it turned out.

I really hope you like the pattern and that you decide to make it. 

If you do, please let me know and I'll link your project pages...

Til soon.

xxx

Something for a friend....

Hello there! How are  you? I hope well.

All is good on this side of the World, schools are winding down for the big Summer holiday (Dec thru Jan) and as a teacher, I'm looking forward to lots and lots of stress-free, quiet and sun-filled days....sigh.

I thought I'd show you my latest FO. It's a farewell gift for a friend so I can't say much but I don't think she sees my blog so I might get away with it.... Here are some pics...

Isn't she a beauty? A bit of a monster I have to say but a stunning monster! Really quick and easy to knit and the kind of pattern I enjoy because just as I'm getting tired of knitting one section, a different stitch begins and boredom disappears!!! Perfect.

She's the Hiraeth pattern by Rae Gronmark which you can find here on Ravelry and I would really urge you to give it a go. She's a real drapey scarf/shawl/wrap thingamajig (there must a word for that sort of garment - any ideas?) and I know my friend will get a lot of wear from it. I've stuck to the 3 colour option in the pattern but I think you could use more colours if you wanted to. The possibilities are endless!!!!

Anyway, that's me for now. Thanks for popping in.

Til soon.

xxx

Bag Lady ...

Hello! How are you? Thanks for dropping in .....

I had a few scraps of fabrics lying around so I thought Amelia (my sewing machine) and I would have a go at making some drawstring bags. What do you think? I'm quite pleased with how they turned out. I made a blue one first. It's small but perfect for a sock knitting project.

It's lined and everything!

Then I made a pink one. This one is 2" bigger all round.

I'm really pleased with them and I'll definitely be making more. If you'd like to give them a go, I used this tutorial from In Colour Order which was excellent.

Have a great week!

Til soon.

x

The Longest Time....

I haven't been here for the longest time. Sorry. Every time I thought of blogging I just couldn't find my mojo so it didn't get done. No stress.

Been doing quite a lot tho. I made this.

It's my first shawl design so I'm just ever such a bit proud! It's called The Rockey Street Shawl and I'm in the process of writing up the pattern which I'll make available as a freebie on Ravelry. I may get a couple of test knits done beforehand so if you're interested in test knitting for me, please leave a comment and I'll contact you.

I've wanted to try my hand at designing a shawl for ages and I really enjoyed the process. It came out really well and I went a bit mad with pics ....

It's really snuggly and warm and I can see myself making another one soon but bigger. More beautiful woolly warmness.

Til soon.

x