Manica and Camaura

I thought I would share the last two patterns to be released for Beautiful Sticks for Beautiful Knits together as they are a matching hat and glove set, Manica and Camaura.

Both the Camaura toque and Manica gloves will keep you both warm and stylish and were inspired by the Beauxbaton studens learning herbology in the palace gardens. 

A buttoned brim, flower buds and twisted stitches adorn this chic hat and glove set.

For Camaura (meaning a close fitting cap,) the brim is knitted in the round and turned inside out to flatter pretty handpainted yarns. Stitches are picked up to form the body of the hat and the twisted stitch pattern leads to a star-patterned crown.

The Manica gloves are constructed in a similar way with the cuff knitted in the round and turned inside out. Stitches are picked up and the twisted stitch pattern runs up the arms to the hand. These long stylish gloves will keep your hands warm whilst practicing wand waves in the palace gardens. We had a lot of fun in the photoshoot getting the photo above which represents the Beauxbaton Magical Academy emblem of two crossed wands.

Camaura and Manica are both knit with two coordinating yarns. The yarn I used for the cuffs is Handmaiden Fine Yarn Maiden Hair which has mohair in it to give a halo effect. The handpainted yarn looks lovely when reverse stocking stitch is used as this breaks up any pooling of colour. The body of the hat and gloves is knitted in madelinetosh Tosh Merino DK which is slightly thicker than most DK weight yarns and works well with the twisted stitch pattern as it gives good stitch definition. 

Beautiful Knits for Beautiful Sticks is available to pre-order here and has the special offer for early birds of 10% off the ebook or the ebook complimentary with the print book. 

Vesperis

Vesperis means evening star in latin and captures the essence of this lovely lacy top.  It was inspired by the glamorous Yule ball and I wanted to design a top that is both elegant and floaty to wear. 

Vesperis is knit at a loose gauge which means the fabric has plenty of drape and also makes it very quick to knit.  It starts with a ribbed cuff to bring the top in at the hips, then expands to give the loose fitting top. A lace pattern at both side seams gives interest throughout and the large boatneck shows of collar bones for elegance. A decorative lace flacon at the front is reminiscent of the french perfume bottles and finally the top is finished by gathered shoulders with i-cord ribbons. 

Overall the effect is simple and glamorous, trés chic!

I used La Bien Aimée merino singles light in Direwolf graffiti which is a lovely lace yarn. The splashes of colour on the silver base seem to shine like  neon lights and it knits up as a very pretty fabric. The majority of sizes can also be knitted with just one skein. 

As with all the garments in the book, the top is sized from 32in to 54in chest and the lace pattern has both charted and has written instructions. The drape on this top means it is flattering for most shapes and easy to wear.

Beautiful Knits for Beautiful Sticks is available to pre-order here and all pre-orders will have the ebook included complimentary with the print book, or 10% off the ebook price.

Florens

Florens is the name I gave to the next pattern from Beautiful Knits for Beautiful Sticks which means flowering in latin. It suits these socks right down to the toes.

Florens have a unique pattern which is inspired by trailing vines and flowers that often climb the walls in gardens of French chateau's. I love wandering around stately homes and gardens, and walled gardens make me wish for my own formal garden. 

Florens socks are knit from the toe up, making it very easy to use all the sock yarn. They have twisted stitch cables running up the sides and come in three sizes to fit all widths of foot. The toe-up construction means that length can be adjusted to fit perfectly. The rib and picot edging just adds a little touch of daintiness. After all, who does not want dainty toes?

I knit Florens in Lichen and Lace 80/20 sock yarn in colour way Beach glass.  The colour is just gorgeous and it reminds me of all those holidays as a child hunting for beach glass at the seaside.  I fell in love with this yarn and the beautiful colours that Megan dyes when I first saw them in a LYS in Halifax, Canada.  I am also pleased to announce that I will be selling this yarn in eight exciting colour ways at Yarndale. It is very beautiful and it has been very hard to not just add it all to my stash. There will be an offer on the yarn if purchased with the book at Yarndale and I have limited supplies so grab it while you can!

Lichen and lace 80/20 sock yarn in colourways (clockwise from top left): Beach glass, Rosewood, Faded rose, Lichen, Baby eggplant, Sweet potato, Wild Flowers and Calm waters.

Beautiful Knits for Beautiful Sticks is available to preorder now with the ebook added free to all preorders. If you wish to collect at Yarndale I am also happy to refund all postage costs.

Happy knitting,

Sarah x

Adoris

It is always hard to choose a favourite pattern from a book, but I think Adoris is mine.  I love playing with colourwork, and Adoris is a pattern that allows so many colours and options for matching and contrast, that it was pure joy to put together.

I really wanted to knit a stranded colourwork cardigan, but from the top down rather than the usual bottom up. Adoris starts with the yoke pattern and then separates for the armholes. It has gentle waist shaping and a button band to fasten. 

The yoke on Adoris has a snowflake pattern, whilst the body and sleeves have coordinating and repeating flower and heart stranded patterns. Adoris is knit in Rowen Felted Tweed DK yarn which is soft and has a fabulous range of colours to choose from.

Adoris to me means love and it is hard to not be in love with this cardigan from casting on to finish. The colour patterns mean that every row is new and it knits up quickly. Wearing it is like having a wooly hug wrapped around you, soft and warm. It conjures dreams of looking over the Beauxbaton palace gardens on a wintery cold sunny day.

Adoris is the third pattern from Beautiful Knits for Beautiful Sticks book and is currently available to preorder. All preorders will include the ebook free. 

Elegantia

Elegantia, meaning elegance in latin, perfectly describes this jumper that is the next pattern to be released from Beautiful Knits for Beautiful Sticks.

Inspired by the close-fitting elegant clothing the students at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic wear, this top is easy to knit and flattering to wear. I love the photo above. It was taken at Temple Newsam park in Leeds which has this ornate fountain in front of the house in the formal gardens and for me it was like we were shooting at the Beauxbaton palace itself with the Nicolas Flamel fountain. Joelle did a great job with the shoot.

The jumper is knit from the bottom up in the round with A-line shaping. It has an empire waist that is gathered in pleats, with a braided cable detail. Picot edging on the hems ensures a dainty look. A zip fastening at the back ensures it is easy to get off and on and gives a professional finish. Adding zips to knitwear appears frightening but are very easy to do, look great and so I have uploaded a tutorial here. 

This jumper was one of the first designs for the book and was partly inspired by the yarn. I used Baa Ram Ewe Titus which is a light but warm fingering weight yarn with alpaca, Wensleydale and Bluefaced Leicester wool. The Aire colourway (named after a Yorkshire river) is a perfect match to the colours of the uniforms the students wear in the Harry Potter films. I just knew I had to use it in the book and I am very thankful to Baa Ram Ewe for their yarn support.

Beautiful Knits for Beautiful Sticks is available to pre-order in my shop with a special offer of a free download of the ebook with the print book (normally extra). Delivery will begin on the 24th September with Yarndale.

Beautiful Knits for Beautiful Sticks

I am very pleased to announce that my next book is available to pre-order! 

Beautiful Knits for Beautiful Sticks is a collection of seven patterns all inspired by the palace of Beauxbatons (translation: Beautiful Sticks) from the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling.  It will be available in both print and ebook format, and the print book will have a special offer of including the ebook free for pre-orders.  The book will be released at Yarndale (24th -25th September) and orders posted out and available to download the week after. 

The Palace of Beauxbatons is home to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and is thought to be a wondrous, glittering palace located in the Pyrenees in Southern France. Its whereabouts are hidden to protect its magical secrets but, despite this, I have been waiting for my owl to deliver a letter of acceptance for the past sixteen years.

In preparation for my years of study with their chic and elegant students, I have created this collection of knitwear so that I might have a wardrobe suitable to wear. This collection comprises three garments and four accessories, ranging from a warm winter cardigan to a lovely lace top for the Yule ball. Whatever the season, these beautiful knits will have you dressed to impress at the palace of beautiful sticks.  Each pattern casts a magic spell as you speak its Latin name, weaving beautiful yarn with the wands of your knitting needles.

The cover pattern is Frondis (latin translation: leaves, foliage), a lacy scalloped shawl that is very versatile as it can also be worn as a wrap and scarf. 

Knitted in aran weight yarn, I used five balls of Sublime Evie, a cotton yarn that is very soft and drapes beautifully.  The shawl is worked from end to end with a gentle curve with a leafy lace border and a simple lace-patterned body.  The pattern uses a percentage system and can be adapted to make the most of any amount of aran weight yarn. The aran weight yarn means that this shawl knits up quickly and the lace pattern makes it warm, yet light to wear.

The inspiration for this pattern is the cloaks that are worn in the films by the Beauxbaton students and the idea that the students are serenaded by wood nymphs whilst they eat their meals in the halls of the palace.

Zip tutorial

The above photo is from my next book, Beautiful Knits for Beautiful Sticks, which will be available to pre-order from the 12th September.  The pattern is Elegantia, a jumper that has a braided empire waist shaping and zip fastening. 

I have always been a little afraid of inserting zips into my knitwear, and yet I love wearing knitwear with zips. This has made me determined to find an easy way to add zips to my knits. I have looked at several techniques and this is the one I used to insert the above zip and was very easy.

You will need:

• Cutting mat (or any mat that is flat and will not be damaged by pins)
• Four blocking wires
• Pins
• Sewing needle and thread
• And of course, the zip

Step 1

The first magical step is to block the knitwear. This makes sure that all edges are lying flat and have been pinned out to the correct size.  If the zip is inserted before blocking, there is a risk that the zip will not lie flat after being sewn in.  

Step 2

Starting with the first side, the blocking wires are threaded through the knitwear.  Elegantia has a two-stitch garter border edge for the zip attachment. The first blocking wire is inserted in the gap between the first (closest to the edge) garter stitch and the second garter stitch.  Try to not push the wire through the yarn threads, but between the stitches. I weave the blocking wire in and out every 3-4 stitches.

The second blocking wire is inserted the same way but 3 stitches further in or the width of the zipper tape.  When inserting the wires, try to keep the wire between the same column of stitches.

The blocking wires help hold the knitting flat whilst the zip in sewn in.

Then repeat the same process for the other side.

Step 3

Next, put the cutting mat inside the jumper and line up one edge of the zip along the edge of the garment.  The zipper teeth should be just visible, but not the zipper tape.

Pin the zipper tape to the garment between the two blocking wires all the way along.  The cutting mat helps ensure the pins do not pin the tape to the other side of the garment.

Step 4

Using the sewing needle and thread and on the wrong side, do a running stitch along the zipper tape.  I found it easiest to sew along the teeth edge of the zipper tape first starting at the bottom of the zipper, and then back down along the edge of the zipper tape.  Fold the top of the zipper tape over and sew into place just under the cast-off edge of the garment.

Try to make sure the needle comes up between two columns of stitches each time and then back down a row or two above so that when finished the sewing thread will disappear between the columns of stitches and not be visible.

Do not remove the blocking wires yet!

The back of the work looks like this after the first side:

Step 5

Now repeat the same process for the other side.  Put the cutting mat back into the garment, align the zip and pin the second side of the zip (with the zipper closed) to the other edge of the garment.

Sew the second side of the zip the same way as the first side.

Step 6

The zipper should now be in place.  For garments that need a coat-style zip (one which opens completely), you should now be done.

Elegantia uses a dress-style zipper that remains closed at the bottom end.  If the zip is longer than the zip opening this will leave some zip hanging below.  Usually these types of zips have a metal clasp at the bottom that stops the zip going down any further.  My mum taught me to recreate these little metal clasps by sewing over and over the zip teeth with the needle and sewing thread.  The excess zip can then be cut off.

And there you have it, an easy zip insertion.  After learning this technique I am not going to be frightened of adding more zips to my knits.

An Elven Reckoning Update and Sale

I am nearly ready to announce the release of my next book of knitting patterns and the excitement is starting to build. The pages have been sent to the printer, the ebook is ready and draft pattern pages are waiting to be launched on this site!

It has reminded me that some of the patterns in my last book, An Elven Reckoning, have yet to be released as individual downloads.  This weekend I have set myself the task of updating all the patterns and adding them to my website and Ravelry and Etsy (yes you can buy my patterns on Etsy as well!).

Each pattern can now be purchased as an individual pattern, and for those of you who have the ebook, each pattern is also available as a separate pattern for you too, you will receive an update email if you have purchased the ebook.

Eryn is the first pattern, a great sweater for Autumnal weather with its three quarter length sleeves and lace pattern travelling up the front. The A-line shaping is figure flattering and it is knit at a loose gauge for drape.

The next is Faradrim, a pair of slipped stitch fingerless mittens. These can be knit in long or short versions and knit up quickly.

Maethor is a sweater has cables travelling up the sleeves to the hood. It is a lovely and cozy sweater to wear in winter with an integral pocket to keep your hands warm.

The another winter knit is Nînim. This scarf has buttons so it can be worn as a cowl or wrap. It's double sided lace pattern means that there is never a wrong side to show no matter how you wear it.

Nórui was one of the most popular knits at Yarndale last year. This pretty sweater has i-cord edges, corrugated rib cuffs and a sunburst stranded colour work yoke.

Randír leg warmers are perfect for changing weather to wear over tights or under boots. They have an easy lace pattern and a stretchy cuff.

Gilgalad is probably my favourite pattern. I love the loose fitting cardigan with its wide hood and deep pockets.

The other patterns in the book have already been released as individual patterns. Rhien, Amrûn, Imloth, Rhovan and Míriel can all be purchased individually.

To celebrate the start of Autumn and the beginning of knitting season I am including all of these patterns in a September Sale. If you purchase two or more patterns from this collection, a 25% discount will be applied at checkout (no coupon needed).

Happy knitting!

Magic Cast-On Tutorial

I have been working on a new tutorial for a cast-on method that I use on several of the designs in my forthcoming book. It can be used for toe-up socks or tubes of knitting, such as a band on a hat or cuff of a glove.

A toe-up sock

Toe-up socks are one of my favourite things to knit. I love that I can try the socks on as I go, there is no grafting of toes needed and you can use all of the available yarn for the leg.  To start knitting the toe I prefer a cast-on that allows me to begin knitting in the round straight away.  I use the fantastic Judy's Magic Cast-On developed by Judy Becker with a variation.

With Judy's magic cast-on method the stitches on one needle end up with the wrong 'leg' of the stitch in front, meaning these stitches are twisted if knitted normally, or have to be corrected by knitting through the back loop.  My variation means that all stitch 'legs' are the right way round and avoids the twisting.

You will need a circular needle or two double pointed needles to begin.

To start, have a tail of yarn that is long enough to make all the stitches on one needle and a tail to weave in once finished knitting. Hold both needles together and drape the tail of yarn over the back needle. This forms the first stitch on the back needle.

I put my left index finger and thumb between the two strands of yarn and hold the rest of the yarn out of the way with my left middle, ring and pinky finger.

1)  To make the first stitch on the front needle I bring index finger yarn under the front needle, over the top of it and then down between the two needles.

2)  To make the second stitch on the back needle I bring the thumb yarn up between the two needles and over the top of the back needle.

3)  To make the second stitch on the front needle I bring index finger yarn under the front needle, over the top of it and then down between the two needles.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the required number of stitches are on each needle.

To finish off, wrap the tail of the yarn over the yarn attached to the ball (working yarn) to secure the last stitch.

The wrong side of the knitting has the purl bumps.

Transfer the needles to the left hand and knit along the top row of stitches. When you get to the end of the row, turn the knitting upside down and knit along what was the bottom row of stitches, pulling the yarn tight at the side.  This is one round of knitting.

Keep knitting round as the pattern describes. For toe-up socks this might be with increases at either side, or for a hat band the stitch numbers may stay the same.

I have also made a video of the technique and this can be viewed below or on my YouTube channel.

Happy knitting!

Orenburg Lace - a Knit and Crochet Guild Talk

I have to confess that I had never heard of Orenburg lace until it was the topic for my local Knitting and crochet guild meeting for May, but now I have an urge to buy the thinnest and softest yarn and cast on with the tiniest needles!

Marie, one of the committee members of our guild meeting put on an amazing talk about the history and folklore surrounding Orenburg lace. She also produced many swatches to show the different types of patterns and layouts, as well as ordering a supported spindle and the traditional fibre from Russia to show us.

Orenburg fibre and yarn

Russian supported spindles for spinning (top) and plying (bottom)

The fibre (down hair from Orenburg goats) is the thinnest in the world – 16-18 micrometer (in comparison Angora goats (mohair) is 22-24 micrometer) so it is very soft, light and warm. It was traditionally spun on a supported spindle and plied with silk. This swatch was knitted in the traditional fibre and it is so fine and like a cobweb.

Swatch in traditional fibre

The Orenburg shawls (or "Orenburgskyi Platok" in Russian) are traditionally square. The lower border is knitted first on the side. Stitches are then picked up along the top and then the main body is knitted in one piece, including the borders. Once the top is reached, the top border is worked sideways picking up stitches along the top of the square and then Russian grafted together. Marie included some great photos of the construction in her talk.

Honeycomb pattern

The lace stitch patterns are very simple and there are only a few traditional ones, but arranged together they make the most intricate and beautiful patterns.

An all over strawberry pattern

Snowflake pattern

5 diamond layout

There are many patterns for Orenburg lace shawls and other garments and accessories that are less traditional on Ravelry, such as those by Russian Lily.

Stole

We also had a real Orenburg shawl owned by Angharad who was given it as a gift from Russia. It really is very beautiful and very warm to wear. This would be a winter shawl as the centre is garter stitch and it was probably machine knit.

Orenburg shawl belonging to Angharad

Orenburg shawl label

There is also a book of Orenburg lace stitch patterns and shawl designs where more information on this traditional knitting can be found:

Gossamer Webs: the history and techniques of Orenburg Lace Shawls by Galina Khmeleva and Carole R Noble, Interweave Press

My favourite part of the talk though was this youtube video of a Russian choir singing a traditional song about an Orenburg downy shawl. The lyrics are a daughter who knits her mum an Orenburg shawl and wraps it around her shoulders to keep out the cold harsh winter. It is a beautiful song and I love that all the choir are wearing Orenburg shawls!