Tip Top Knits

The first in my series of no fluff patterns is a triangle shaped scarf. Made out of cotton,  it's the perfect cover up now that the summer nights are getting cooler and we move (slowly) into Autumn. If you're lucky enough to be in the Southern hemisphere it might be the perfect scarf to lead you out of the colder days and into the warmer ones too! I knitted up this scarf from cotton wool that was in my stash, sound tracked by a great podcast by Isy Suttie. She is joined by Eliza and Abigale who discuss their work as part of the Lives Not Knives charity. You can find out more about the podcast and the charity here . After creating this scarf using the no fluff stripe pattern I donated the money I would have spent on wool (had I not used my stash) to Lives Not Knives.  I'd encourage you to use this pattern more as a recipe - substituting in a wool of your choosing and adding additional colour blocks to make your triangle the size you want it to be. I hope you like it! Happy ...

  Warning: this post is a departure from my normal knitting content and may be triggering for those who have experienced knife crime. 

 Pattern: Perfect Newborn Socks by Tabitha Gandee | Wool: dk from stash I'm trying my best to work my way through all of my wool stash before I pick up new skeins! After all, the most sustainable wool is the wool you already own right? There are of course a few exceptions to my frugal wool rule - test knits for one - I'm allowing myself to pick up new wool if I've been asked to test knit and have no recommended fibres in my stash (I do love a good test knit!!). But... generally I've been good and because of that I'm frequently on the look out for perfect stash utilising projects. This is how I stumbled on the excellent pattern by Tabitha Gandee. If you're after a satisfying knit which is equal parts quick and cute (why are miniature things always so cute?) then I'd highly recommend giving these a go. It's a free pattern that I picked up on Ravelry here . The result is some lovely cozy socks for my niece. I'm hoping to make some more soon as they rea...

  Pattern: Caress Baby Cardigan by Agasalhos Bugalhos | Wool: dk from stash Agasalhos Bugalhos is my go to for baby knits. Her designs have a pleasing minimal aesthetic and are a joy to knit up because she includes tonnes of hints in the form of images, links to tutorials and really clear instructions. I have never been lost or confused when knitting her designs! Gushing aside then, this is the Caress Baby Cardigan . The pattern comes with two options for the collar, one of which reminds me of a grandad cardi (just too adorable!). I went with the simple v-neck collar option, mostly because I was playing chicken with a small amount of wool left in my stash. It was a bit of a special knit as it's since been gifted to my new niece and it included wool which I inherited from my nan a few years back. Although hugs are off the cards, I enjoyed dropping it off on the doorstep and am hoping it will keep said niece cozy whilst winter does its thing.

So one of my new years resolutions for 2021 was to have a dabble at designing a few things from scratch and seeing if I could get them out into the world (a little bit grandiose for sure, but hey you've got to have dreams when you're staying in). Naturally I've had a slow start so far - January always feels like the worst month for new intentions. But... I'm happy to share my first project! May I introduce you to the Square One Washcloth? Without getting too sentimental about it - this pattern is for anyone who has ever felt like they were plodding along quite happily until something (read 2020-21) caused them to have to abandon their well sketched-out map and start all over again. This is a celebration of feeling like you're back at square one, with all the pitfalls and possibilities that it brings. It also happens to be quite a nice washcloth, perfect for home spa days and made in fair trade cotton so you can reuse it and tread lightly as you piece together plan B...

One of my favourite designers for knitted clothing is Spektakelstrik . I often find myself having a bit of a splurge and pick up more than one pattern at once - mostly because they are all so covetable it makes it difficult to pick! I whipped this one up at the start of summer using some Tina Tape by Wool and The Gang which had been sat in my stash. It's not the recommended yarn so I wasn't sure how it would turn out - but I'm glad I experimented. Tina Tape appears to be a good alternative for silks as it has a similar drape (if slightly heavier in weight) and holds the boxy shape of the top well. The V is a bit more daring than I would usually go for (being slightly height deprived means they often sit even lower than on most - insert shocked emoji here...) but it works well with a simple long length skirt or high-waisted jeans. Interesting fact re: Tina Tape though -it's made from 100% lyocell A.K.A eucalyptus fibre which makes it a nice plastic free vegan alternativ...