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…

Every morning for the last four five weeks I’ve woken up with the best intentions. I would write a blog post. A blog post of such searing erudition and delight that every knitter who read it would never more see knitting in the same way. A blog post of such hilarity that there would be knitters everywhere giggling at the most inopportune moments of daily work, causing chaos in traffic and disrupting important meetings. Every day I’ve been blindsided by trivialities such as driving lessons, dentist appointments, gardening, a trip to the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth, several inspirational TED Talks, guitar playing, the snooker, bright shiny objects, impromptu cinema visits, too many good books, etc, etc. Which only compounds my belief that it’s the small, insidious, day-to-day things that you need to watch out for, and be on your guard against. And now here I am, writing this rather humble, vaguely uninteresting post… But thank you to all you lovely readers who wrote to inquire after my absence; it was entirely unintentional!

Penelope & the Suitors by John William Waterhouse

When I haven’t been very blatantly procrastinating, I’ve been a bit like Penelope (excepting the suitors, oh and the weaving), knitting by day and undoing it all by night. I’ve been pretty patient about it though, and I presumptuously attribute this to the fact that I am now no longer a “beginner”. Ripping out huge chunks of knitting, or knitting an enormous swatch just because you don’t feel like stopping – these are not actions that non-knitters or “persons who knit”, seem to understand. They stare at me in horror when I tell them it’s all got to go. All that lovely work! So I’ve taken to ripping alone and unseen, because I’m a little bored with explaining… “No really, it’s OK. It’ll save me work in the future. Besides, this is one of the best things about knitting!” I secretly suspect that Penelope loved the process of weaving as much as she loved Odysseus, or why would she hit on such a solution?

As to why my knitting wasn’t working out… It was really amazingly simple, when I stopped trying to do it the wrong way. Fortunately, Rowan Scottish Tweed is a hardy yarn that doesn’t mind a good deal of frogging and re-knitting. It’s also very rustic & well-suited to keeping warm in the country. I’m testing it right now. :)

I took some shots today and the pattern should be up soon. It will be a perfect present for gentlemen (or ladies) for whom you can’t easily find gifts. If you can guess what it is, you can get a free copy! ;)

November is a busy month. There’s National Novel Writing Month, for a start. Writing a 50,000 word novel in a month is a feat I’ve accomplished twice before. It’s utterly mad, and utterly fun; you must join if only to receive the pep talks from Chris Baty & other famous authors. And if you do, don’t forget to add me as your writing buddy! Also in November is the illustrious WoollyWormhead’s Mystery Beret. How exciting! I think these two challenges will complement each other perfectly, and help me forget about the increasing gloom of winter…

Here is the latest Laylock design, taking a well-earned rest on the lawn. I wanted to design a versatile everyday shawl with DK-weight yarn, because those are the shawls I use most. Lace shawls are very pretty and enjoyable to knit, but when the chilly breezes blow (as they frequently do in Britain, winter or summer), this is the shawl I’d want around my shoulders. I loved knitting it because the garter stitch is so quick and simple that you can knit while you read and finish it in a weekend! The way the lace edging fits together reminds me of a dovetail joint, and of course I had to knit it in ‘dove grey’. The pattern will be available soon, though if you’re interested in being a test knitter, email me and you could get it sooner. Thanks, test knitters, I’ll be in touch very soon! I think the shawl would also look lovely with a wider border, or with a border of a different colour. Perhaps even striped garter stitch with a plain coloured border. Seeing as the heat wave in the UK is forecast to end tomorrow, I think I’ll be needing my Dovetail Shawl very soon.

I’ve said goodbye to Wales for a few months. On my last day I had the perfect pleasure of the first ripe strawberry of the year, and a glass (or two) of rosé. Mmm…

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.

This post is in celebration of the last row of Houses, a simple slipover knitted in the round, and the last line of Close Knit, the novel I have been writing for National Novel Writing Month. I wrote my 50,000th word while wearing the newly finished and blocked Houses Slipover (or vest if you prefer), and I can vouch for its cosiness. It is knit in 4 ply wool, as I have mentioned before, which makes it thin and drapey, while warm, and perfect for layering. I am in love. I have yet to finish writing up the pattern, mainly because I started thinking about pattern design, but it will be available very soon. Subscribe to the blog via Bloglines or Google Reader or email to be updated when it’s available. In the meantime, here are some photos (more will soon be available on Flickr), and some basic information.

Houses Slipover / Vest Pattern

• Requires 3-4 balls of Rowan Pure Wool 4 ply.
• Worked from the bottom up in the round.
• House patterns on a reverse stocking stitch background.
• Garter stitch square neck.

Welcome to the Laylock blog. The purpose of this blog is mainly to keep you informed of what’s going on behind the scenes at Laylock. Please remember to subscribe via your feed reader to receive updates on when new patterns are made available.

That said, I am finally beginning to knit and write up designs I have had in my mind and in my notebooks for months, or in some cases for years. They will be available as PDF downloads, and grouped into ever-changing collections. The first collection will be knit in greys, blacks, whites and lilac accents. You can see the beginnings of a swatch for the first pattern above, in delicious Rowan Pure Wool 4 ply. Any guesses what it might be? :)