Bake Day Wednesday 2016: Week 6: Botanical Bakes

It's week six of Bake Off, and apparently my baking mojo has run out. I just don't want to bake, which is terribly unusual for me. It might have something to do with the theme for the week, which is botanical bakes, and I'm not feeling at all inspired. Hopefully I'll feel more like baking after watching the show this evening as I have a bake sale at school on Friday that requires contributions of cake (followed by purchase of cake; it's a hard life). For the time being I have purchased supermarket bakewell tarts, and will have a think about what to bake for Friday.

While I'm here, the winner of the Barley Twist competition is Sara Roberts (there were six entrants, and the third person to comment was selected via random number generator). I shall be in touch very shortly to work out how to get your prize to you, and thank you to everyone else for entering.

New pattern: Barley Twist baby cardigan (and a competition)

Alongside my Hedgehogs and Hoglets baby blanket, the latest issue of Knit Now magazine (issue 65) also features my Barley Twist baby cardigan. The cardigan is a top-down raglan, with simple four stitch cables running between the yoke increases. The pattern is written in one size (0-3 months), but with 5 cm negative ease, it should fit beyond 3 months (and is modelled on a slightly older baby), and can be knitted with just 100g of the beautiful Milla Mia Naturally Soft Aran (100% merino, and it's machine washable), which is wonderful to work with.


Barley Twist cardigan. Image copyright Practical Publishing

I'm giving readers of my blog the opportunity to win a copy of Knit Now issue 65, two balls of Milla Mia Naturally Soft Aran in Cherry Red, and 7 wooden apple shaped buttons (6 should be enough, but a spare button is always welcome!). If you'd like to enter, just leave a comment below, telling me what's currently on your needles; make sure you leave some way for me to contact you (e.g. Ravelry or Instagram username).*

Here's what you could win!

*Entries need to be in by 23.59 GMT on Sunday 25th September 2016 and the winner will be selected by random number generator from all entries submitted. By commenting you confirm that you are over 18. I will pay for the prize to be shipped to the winner (including internationally), but any customs fees and associated charges are the responsibility of the winner.

Unbelieva-wool!

It's been a bit quiet round here lately, life seems to have got in the way of blog writing (as has a commission that ended up taking much longer than it should - one of those projects that just didn't work. I finally finished it yesterday, when it should have been at the publisher...).

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that Unbelieva-wool had a sale on Facebook, and while I'd said I don't need any more yarn, the sale featured a few gradient blanks, which I've been wanting to try for a bit, so caved and bought one, and a skein of sock wool with a bit of cashmere in it in colours I couldn't resist.

And who can resist Unbelieva-wool's logo. Isn't that sheep just adorable!

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And I'm delighted to announce that Amy H is the winner of my birthday giveaway. I shall be in touch shortly to arrange delivery of your prize.

Happy Birthday to me! Part 4, a little giveaway

I had a birthday last month, and to celebrate, I thought I would have a little giveaway. Last month I was given a 400 g ball of Hayfield Bonus Aran, the yarn I used to make my Pargetry baby blanket. Rather than push it into the overflowing stash cupboard, I thought I would give it away to one lucky blog reader, along with a set of cable needles, some stitch markers and a pdf of the pattern for Pargetry - everything you need to make your very own Pargetry baby blanket.

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment below, including some way for me to contact you should you be the winner. The yarny part of this competition is only available to blog readers in the UK, but if you are overseas you can still enter and I'll let you choose one pattern from my Ravelry store - so when you comment, please say whether you are in the UK or overseas. The competition will close at midnight BST on Monday 11th May 2015.

And the winner is...

Thank you to everyone who entered my competition to win a copy of my Christmas pudding hat pattern; it's always nice to know that I'm not just talking to myself! The winner (using a random number generator) is Noodles & Poodles (RavID: Dadouz). I shall be in touch shortly with your prize. Happy knitting!

Indie Design GAL 2014: Christmas Pudding Hat

The knit and crochet along part of the Indie Design GAL on Ravelry is in full swing (there are prizes to be won; see here for full details, note that you will have to be logged into Ravelry for the link to work), and I've been knitting one of my own patterns, the Christmas Pudding Hat, as my latest project in the KAL. The Christmas Pudding Hat was the first pattern I published, just over two years ago, and is still one of my most popular. I was hoping that my daughter would be able to wear the prototype that I knitted for my son, however, my daughter is much smaller than my son ever was, so that hat is massive on her! So I hunted through the stash and located the leftovers from Can't Catch Me (Wendy Merino DK), which are the perfect colours for a rustic pudding, as well as being lovely and soft and warm - perfect for winter.

The hat was a pretty quick knit; I finished it in a couple of days. The hat itself is knitted in reverse stocking stitch - I enjoy purling, but know it's not everyone's cup of tea, so you could just as easily knit the hat in standard stocking stitch, then turn it inside out. The sauce is knitted separately, then stitched in place as I liked the three-dimensional effect that gives, then the leaves and berries are knitted and attached at the end.

All blocked and ready to wear now! Just need to wait for December to start, then it shall be worn pretty much constantly!

Competition time!
Do you want to knit a Christmas Pudding Hat too? The pattern is available in my Ravelry store, and is written for 5 sizes from baby to adult male. Also, in the spirit of the GAL, I'm giving away one copy of the pattern. If you'd like to win it, leave your Ravelry username or email address in the comments section by 11.59pm GMT on Sunday 30th November 2014 and I'll draw a name from the (metaphorical, possibly even actual) hat sometime on Monday. The winner will be announced on my blog and contacted via email or Ravelry messenger.