My initiation into the world of circular jumpers (and indeed jumpers in general) came with Stephanie Japel’s ‘Angelica‘. I fell in love with it the moment I saw the photo, and stalked Stephanie’s blog until she put the pattern up. It took me 3 days to knit (I was procrastinating an English essay), and I was utterly fascinated by the process. Angelica is knit top-down, in the round, with yo raglan increases and a beautiful, highly unusual neckline. I’ve knit quite a few top-down jumpers and cardigans since then, and it’s definitely become my method of choice, but this is the first time I’ve tried to knit a bottom-up jumper. The main reason I decided to try it was that I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do with the neckline of this jumper. Boatneck? V-Neck? Cowl neck? I was leaning towards the cowl neck, but then I wasn’t sure how much yarn I’d have left to play with. It turned out I had plenty. The yarn is Himalaya Padişah (talk about an incongruous name) which is a Turkish yarn. It’s a 70/30 acrylic/wool blend that’s actually quite nice; fuzzy, but with a sheen, loosely spun and about aran weight. The colours cycle smoothly through blues, purples and bluey greens, creating subtle stripes. My Mum gave me this yarn (she’s more into cotton & linen), which makes it even more special.

I ended up knitting the body three times. The first time there was too little ease, the second time, too much, and finally on the third go I got it right. It just goes to show that you can do the maths and estimations, but you still can’t be sure until you try it out. I decided not to bother with waist-shaping, but I did work a few decreases after the ribbing to prevent the stocking stitch from sagging outwards, as it tends to do, just in the right place to make you look like you’ve got a spare tyre.

I was quite excited by the possibility of raglan decreases instead of increases, and I nicked a trick from Véronik Avery’s ‘Offset Raglan‘ in Simple Style (which I reviewed here): left and right-slanting double decreases divided by two purl stitches. The book doesn’t seem to specify which decreases to use, and I found that a k3tog wasn’t a very good match for the sl1 k2tog psso, so I substituted a double decrease that Mary Thomas mentions in her Knitting Book: sl1, k1, psso, return st to left needle, pass 2nd st on left needle over 1st st. This creates a more clearly-defined right slant, rather than the bunchy-looking k3tog.

I continued the four pairs of purl stitches up the cowl neck, which is almost as long as the body when unfolded. It can be worn unfolded, or folded in half with the right side facing, or rolled down to show the reverse. I think it works really well & it’s just loose enough to keep you warm without choking you.

One of the biggest drawbacks of bottom-up jumpers as opposed to top-down ones, is the need for underarms seams. Seams? On a seamless sweater? It’s a bit difficult to visualise why this is the case, but basically, when you go to join the sleeves, the long circular needles you’re using for the body can’t bend around to accomodate the narrower sleeves. The solution is to put aside (or bind off) a certain number of stitches from both the body and the sleeves, and join them up later on, by grafting, seaming or a three-needle bind-off. Definitely a bit of a drag. I opted to graft mine, which left two circular holes on either side. These I closed up by threading the yarn around the hole, like the top of a hat, and pulling tight.

I love this jumper, and bottom-up construction definitely has its place, but top-down is still my favourite. Here’s a run-down of the pros & cons of each approach. Let me know in the comments if you can think of others!

Bottom-Up

Pros

• The chance to use some decorative decreases for the yoke.
• The chance to defer the decision of what to do with the yoke/neckline until you have a better idea what the jumper will look like as a whole.

Cons

• Underarm seams! On a “seamless” pullover. Tch tch!
• The need for an extra set of circs to join the sleeves onto the body (though their size doesn’t really matter).
• More difficult than top-down to adjust length.
• Lots of balls of yarn/ends dangling about after you join the sleeves.

Top-Down

Pros

• It’s easier to make adjustments depending on how much yarn you have left. Shorter sleeves, shorter body, etc. This is one of my favourite things about top-down jumpers.
• It’s easier to try on as you go along, and get a good idea of fit.
• The chance to use decorative increases (hello yo!).
• Can be accomplished with one pair of circs. As long as you’re happy magic looping.

Cons

• Ummm…

Ah, December. Post-autumn, pre-Christmas, prime Knitting Season. It comes after the shooting season, before the London season, and is by far the cosiest and the most fun. I’m exceedingly pleased with my WoollyWormhead Mystery Hat, now christened ‘Everglade’. The gales in Wales almost claimed it, but I ran after it into the wet black night and deftly snatched it back. I’ve lost too many hats on walks, dear knitters. First my pink & black Pirates hat, which I dropped on the beach at Ynyslas, then a navy blue Felicity which I lost on a woodland walk. The latter was particularly annoying, as it went so well with jeans. I refuse to relinquish any more knitted hats to the wilderness!

Anyway, I just got my very first printer, which I am very excited about. Up until now I’ve had to talk nicely to other people to be able to test the KnitLove collection, or scan various application forms. Now I get all the hassle & expense myself. Yay! The first thing I printed was the ‘Get Excited and Make Things’ poster. Actually, I usually reverse that order…

Make things: Mug Jumper.
Get Excited: Nearly 80 faves on Ravelry!

Knitting this won’t take you much longer than emptying the contents of your mug… unless you drink really quickly. Or knit really slowly. And for the moment the pattern only costs 90p. Go on, knit a few. :) What I loved about designing this was that I was able to just sit down with my mug of tea, and ‘unvent’ as I went along.* See what I mean?

I just followed the cables on my mug. I might still be struggling bending notes on the harmonica, but bending a cable is a piece o’ cake. I found this knitty mug at Superdrug a few weeks ago, by the way. It isn’t the most amazingly crafted piece of crockery, but it’s got cables & it’s pink & I love it.

More quick gift-knits will be coming soon. We all know it’s not “last-minute” until we’re in double figures at least. ;)

*I’d write about unventing cables, but Eunny did it much better, and about four years earlier.

Just in time for the weekend, the Hot Water Bottle Cover pattern is ready! It’s an easy peasy pattern and will knit up in no time.

Elizabeth mentioned in the comments that she would start calling HWBs, ‘hotties’ which I think is excellent practice, even if people get the wrong idea when you tell them you’re going to bed with a hottie. ;)

Here’s what you’ll need:

Yarn

• 2 balls Rowan Scottish Tweed Aran
• [100gr; 100% wool; 170m/186yds;
• in shade 027 Lewis Grey]
• or 3 balls Rowan Felted Tweed Aran
• [50gr; 50% merino wool, 25% alpaca, 25% viscose; 87m/95yds;
• in shade 729 Soot]
• or approx. 230m/252 yds of aran weight yarn.

Gauge

• 14 sts / 27 rows
• over 10cm / 4in
• (with 4.5mm (US 7) needles,
• in garter stitch).

Finished Size

• 21cm x 34cm, approx. 8¼ x 13½in.
• To fit a hot water bottle 19cm x 30cm.

(On the subject of hotties,) my boyfriend informed me that he gave in to his urge to put a teabag in his hottie the other day. He said he chose peppermint because you didn’t have to put milk in that. Clever man. Except he can’t get the teabag out now, so if you try this, we recommend loose tea. In fact, we’re thinking of patenting some kind of teapot/hottie combo. Watch out for that one. ;)

I’ll be sending out copies to the “mystery winners” as soon as my flaky internet connection allows me. With the rain & wind tonight I think it’s going to be the perfect weekend to snuggle up with a hottie (both kinds). And if you want a good book to go with it, watch out for my next post. The pattern is just £3.00 on Ravelry, so go forth and knit! Have a great weekend! :)

No one guessed my mystery project, and to be fair, it was a bit mean of me to expect you to. Here it is, modelled in all its rustic elegance by a MAN! Since I first dreamt it up, I thought this design would make a great gift for a gentleman, because it’s genuinely useful, hard-wearing, and cosy in a non-pink, non-fluffy way (though it could easily be made into both these things). I wanted it to be completely unfussy – no buttons, no drawstrings, just a simple fold-over top. There are a few short rows for the pocket to accommodate large hands, but otherwise the pattern is very straightforward.

And if you want further proof that men love this hottie, I got two commissions from builders while we were shooting these photos. I informed them that I actually sell patterns, so they’d have to learn to knit first. I can just see them at home, relaxing after a day’s work with a bit of knitting and a tipple. :)

The pattern will be released sometime next week, and I’ll see if I have time to throw in a little surprise. I’ll send everyone who commented on the last post a free copy, since it was so tricky.

Of course the other mystery that we’re all excited about is WoollyWormhead’s Mystery KAL. Here’s my progress. I don’t think it merits a spoiler warning yet. The yarn is Sirdar’s Country Style DK which isn’t ideal, but it was all I happened to have. Anyway, I like the colour and I’ve finished the first installment. Now I’m eagerly awaiting the second…

I hope the name Mary Thomas produces little ‘ah’s of recognition, or even a reverential silence from my readers. She may not be as popular as Elizabeth Zimmerman or Barbara Walker, but.. she should be! In case you haven’t heard of her, or haven’t quite got around to reading her books, let me give you a little guidance. Mary Thomas published two books on knitting in the 30s and 40s (before EZ & Walker hit the scene), called Mary Thomas’s Knitting Book and Mary Thomas’s Book of Knitting Patterns. She writes in the Preface to the first book:

At first I had hoped to present the whole story of knitting in one volume only, but this eventually proved impossible, as the subject was too vast. So, with the greatest reluctance, a division had to be made, leaving the fascinating art of fabric construction, which rose to such heights of beauty in the brocade and lace periods of knitting, and which is now rapidly being multiplied, for a later book. This is already in preparation.

The similarity in the names of the books is confusing; when I was buying my copies I spent some time trying to figure out whether they may not in fact be re-issues of the same book. Well, as Mrs. Thomas’s preface indicates, they’re two unique books, complementing and supplementing each other, even though they could be taken as complete works in their own right. Mary Thomas’s Knitting Book begins with the history of knitting, information on implements, yarn, gauge and tension, and continues with the foundational techniques – knitting, purling, casting on and off, etc. This is no mere instruction manual for beginner knitters though; Thomas delves into ‘knit movements’ and ’selvedges’ with amazing detail, discussing, for instance, the English & Continental methods, in addition to several varities of ‘crossed’ and ‘uncrossed’ stitches (the ‘Eastern Uncrossed’ method is what is now often called ‘Combined Knitting’). There are then sections on increasing and decreasing, and several ornamental techniques. The last few chapters are on garment construction, shetland shawls, gloves, socks and stockings, and all are very thorough and enlightening.

The second book, Mary Thomas’s Book of Knitting Patterns, deals with the creation of knitted fabric and surface ornamentation, and how it can be used effectively in design. Her short introductory chapter on ‘The A.B.C of Design’ should be essential reading for any ‘Beginning Knitwear Design’ course. It’s worth noting that ‘Knitting Patterns’ aren’t, as we might assume, full instructions for creating a specific garment, but rather Thomas’s instructions for patterning the knitted fabric. In essence, most of the contents are ‘knitting stitches’ (or ’stitch patterns’). Thomas’s practicality is almost unsurpassed. Both books have comprehensive indexes, and the second not only includes French and German knitting terms, but also has a ‘Texture Index’ which lists the stitches according to the projects they’re suitable for. What thoughtfulness!

I think you’ll agree that Mary Thomas was ahead of her time. Even today few books are so comprehensive or enjoyable to read – ‘textbooks’ of knitting. She was also an early proponent of charting, though many of the symbols she uses won’t look especially familiar to knitters today. I couldn’t find any information on Mary Thomas on the internet, but the Ravelry Group mentions that Richard Rutt’s A History of Hand Knitting (UK) has a brief biography of her.

As a knitter I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I love these two books almost as much for their darling little illustrations as I do for their content. They’re by Margaret Agutter, and each is based around a clever pictorial pun.

I hope I’ve been able to clear up some of the confusions that might arise from the titles of these two seminal books, and have convinced you that they are worth reading cover to cover (first of all), and later referred to frequently. The Dover editions are still in print and aren’t too expensive, though I’ve noticed their prices have been going up! The Book of Knitting Patterns isn’t quite as cheap, but it’s still a bargain for all of the information it contains. But I bought the Knitting Book from Abebooks for… 64p! As I write this there are 2 copies going for 61p. Isn’t that the knitting bargain of the century?

If you follow Laylock on Twitter, you may already have seen that I’m holding KniTwit Wednesday every week. The idea is simple: I tweet knitting patterns that are less than 140 characters. You can then knit them, re-tweet them (just add ‘RT @laylock’ to the beginning of the pattern I tweet and people will know where you found it), or write your own succinct little patterns so I can re-tweet them. I’ve written a few of the patterns already and find it a great thinking & knitting challenge, so I strongly urge you to give it a go!

For convenience I’ll link to all the KniTwit Wednesday pattern tweets here:

1. Knit Bracelet (Re-Tweet)
2. Lace & Shell Scarf (Re-Tweet)
3. Dishcloth (Re-Tweet)
4. Shawl (Re-Tweet)
5. Scrunchie (Crochet) by @DesignsbyKN (Re-Tweet)
6. Pencilcase (Re-Tweet)

I was appalled to read this morning about how Tesco ripped off one of Little Cotton Rabbit’s adorable bunny egg cosies. I’ve admired Julie’s work from afar, and been delighted by her sweet creations, many of which she shares the patterns for, for free! For a corporate giant like Tesco to so blatantly copy her work is depressing, and I hope that this will be brought to the attention of the media. Update: Julie has taken the original post down, as it had attracted too much attention. Perhaps it would be a more meaningful silent protest for us knitters to knit one of her bunnies instead.

I’ve been meaning to participate in Abby’s Five Senses Friday for a while now, so here’s a little sensual insight into my day:
Smelling: Body Shop Tea Rose Perfume. Mmm. I’m not even sure what a tea rose is, but it certainly smells pretty. The (now sadly discontinued) Kidsilk Spray colour ‘tea rose’ is rather tempting too!
Hearing: J.J. Cale, ‘Money Talks’. Rockingest man around!
Tasting: Shiraz.
Seeing: John Seymour’s The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency on the table.
Touching: RYC Silk Cotton in ‘bloom’. Hmm, wonder what this will be? ;)

There are buds on the lilac.

Spring is nearly here. Snowdrops abound, several daffodils have opened their sunny selves, and I have seen hawthorn on the very brink of bloomage.

I am designing a pair of knee-length cabled stockings, which I am enjoying immensely. Cabling is always more fun than I remember. I’m considering naming these ‘Country Stockings’, as I think they will be perfect for wearing under skirts on country walks, or even as wellie socks, and besides they have a (pleasant) ‘peasant heel‘. I also thought of ‘Cottage Stockings’, but I think it’s time to move away from the ‘house’ theme a little. The yarn is Rowan Pure Wool DK; soft, lofty, superwash, and comes in a wonderful variety of colours! My boyfriend already has his eyes on them, but I have ribbon garters in mind, to trail in the wind.

I hope you make time to go for a nice, long walk this week.

I found out via the Berroco Design Blog that a group of Ravelers are celebrating Vest-uary, by knitting a vest (or slipover for us Brits) during February. Punning is obligatory. I am working on the baby version of the Houses Slipover, but the temptation is great to knit another slipover for myself. They are very versatile and I wear mine constantly.

In between knitting, I have also been working on starting my latest adventure, the Laylock Press, a private electronic press, charged forthwith with publishing Laylock knitting patterns. The aim is to give the PDF-design side of the Laylock patterns the attention it deserves, while providing an outlet for publishing various other pieces I have in mind. I will be posting postulations about pattern layout over there, so I hope you will take time to visit & subscribe.

I was playing around with knitting some house-shaped coasters/ornaments the other evening, but I realised they would involve cutting and rejoining the yarn quite a few times. I was feeling lazy and I began to wonder whether I could knit them in one piece, so I would only have to weave in two ends. It turned out to be a bit more complicated than I could work out at the time, but I have been thinking about it ever since as a sort of challenge. It reminds me a bit of the trick of drawing the envelope without taking the pen off the paper. Here is the shape I was trying to achieve. I used garter stitch, but you don’t have to. The only stipulation is that you don’t cut and rejoin the yarn, dimensions are entirely up to you. Can you do it?

Post a comment here or on the Ravelry forums if you find a solution; all the better if you knit it up and take a photo. I will post my solution next Sunday. Have fun!