Final Part of The Christmas Jumper

Hello Everyone, 

What a busy time it has been! I did my last two craft fairs of the year, which was great fun. I need to seriously replenish my stock in preparation for next year. However, before I do that I need to knit up my jumper and a baby blanket.



It took a lot of time but I am proud to announce that my jumper is completed and ready for Christmas. For my first ever jumper, I think it doesn't look too bad. The pattern was from Sue Stratford's Christmas jumper book and the pattern was easy to follow and really tested my skills. This is the first project where I did a tension square. I practiced my intarsia, which was fine until I managed to knot the wool repeatedly :s. I also practiced weaving the wool into my work so it was tidier on the back. I also finally learnt how to ptbl. I avoided it for years but I finally watched you tube and now get it :). I like the technique suggested for M1 which involves wrapping the yarn round. I found this much easier to work with and will use this method in the future. I also learnt the importance of reading instructions before jumping ahead. I had to do the bottom of my jumper twice as the first time I did a 1 x 1 rib instead of a 2 x 2 gggrrrr. I had to adapt the pattern as I found the arm lengths too short. I decided that each time I increased I would add an extra row to ensure it is long enough. I am happy with the project and I am sure it will bring much festive joy.

I attended the Knit Night held at TOFT. It was a good evening as we all gathered to try and completed Christmas Projects. At the time I was working on my jumper but I did learn two new stitches. As I had learnt how to ptbl, I was able to learn how to do a twisted rib stitch. This looks lovely and I can't wait to incorporate it into a project. I also learnt about crocheting into the front and back of the post to create a stitch equivalent to the knitted basket weave. It was a great evening and I would recommend attending a knit night if you get the chance. You also have to check out their huge mugs. They are great as they come with a knitting pattern on it :) 

My Christmas knits are completed and wrapped and I hope everyone enjoys them. I will be able to post what I made after the big day. One project that I can post is the one I made for my mum.....as she has already opened her present. This was the first time that I had used the yarn specifically for scarves. It looks complicated but once you get your head around it, it's quite easy to use. I liked the project as progress could be seen quickly. I hope my mum enjoys it as I was happy with the end product.

I also began the mission of tidying my yarn stash. I had been avoiding it so long as I had needles, mixed with wool and mixed with crochet hooks :s. After two hours, I was able to untangle it all. One of my New Years resolution is to keep the draw tidy. 

I have had 3 great knitting gifts. The first was a knitting mug from my school friend Becky (many thanks). I use this every morning for breakfast :). I also have a new knitting mug for work. This was given to me by Secret Santa, thank you by the way Frankie :) The final gift was a Knitting Loom. I have read a lot about these and wanted to get hold of one. A colleague at work gave it to me and I was really chuffed. Amy (my colleague) said that she had seen someone create a rug. This sounds great and If I can get large enough yarn, I like to give this a try. 

You have been updated with my adventures. I will shortly begin work on the blanket for my sister. I wish you all a Merry Christmas.....and if I  do not post between Christmas and New Year, have a safe and Happy New Year :)

Thanks all and happy holidays :)

Knit's Not Perfect 

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@knitsnotperfect

Hobbycraft show and Christmas Jumper part 3

Hello all,

It is again a busy week for the merry land of Knit's Not Perfect. I have spent the first part of the week creating more Christmas decorations in preparation for the craft fairs. I have now designed three different decorations. The first being mini stocking, the second was a snowman and the final was a snowflake. For these projects I used Patron 100% wool which just added a more festive feel. 

I then had the opportunity to begin my Christmas jumper :) The new batch of yarn arrived. It is Drops, which is a blend of alpaca and wool so is nice and thick. I did my tension square and found that I need to use a 5mm needle as opposed to a 4.5mm or my jumper would have been tiny. I decided to start with the sleeve as I have two of them to make and I can get bored if I do two one after the other. I found the pattern to be simple and it worked well. I have adapted it by adding an extra row after each increase row to ensure that it is long enough. I would recommend Sue Stratford's book to anyone looking to make their first jumper. 

I did a craft fair in Bedworth on Saturday and it went very well. I took along some of my older projects and books that I wanted to get rid of. I found that this town did appreciate the products made out of natural fibres. Key rings, phone cases and the Christmas decorations went down well so I will have to make more up to replenish my next fair (which is on Sunday 17th)

On Sunday I went to the Hobbycraft show at the NEC. This was the first time that I attended a show like this. I was prepared slightly as I remembered to pack a bag to put my goodies in. Just as a warning the car park was £10 (ouch). There was a great range of stalls on the day including many papercraft and beading ones. However, I had to make sure that I stayed focused or I could have spent all of my money, very quickly. All the usual magazine publishers were there so I picked up a great number of older Knitting and Crochet magazines and the current ones at a reduced cost. I had three favourite stalls there. The one begin good old TOFT, the second Bulldog Krafts and the final Hobzy

TOFT's stall was beautiful, they had all of the amigurumi animals suspended from the ceiling which made the stall stand out from other. There was a great range of products and I was able to check out their new wool. TOFT is a company that sells luxury yarns that are made from natural fibres and are not dyed. They firstly began with Alpaca yarn (As they are an Alpaca farm, well worth a visit if there is a tour). They have now broadened the range by selling yarn made with 100% blue face Leicester wool, which is very yummy. For more details look at their website www.toftalpacashop.co.uk

Bulldog Krafts was a company that I had not heard of until I went the show. They sell bamboo needles, hooks and Tunisian crochet hooks at a reasonable price. I was able to buy 9 Tunisian crochet hooks for only £10 which I thought was a bargain. they also sell lovely 100% cotton yarn in beautiful colours. The yarn is a good quality and you get a great length out of each skein. John was the man I spoke to there and he seemed very friendly and genuine. His partner (who is the keen knitter) is also lovely and approachable. You are able to buy nice kits from their website. I am tempted with the baby blanket kit as I have a family member who will be in need of it soon. Please check out their Facebook page and website www.bulldogkrafts.co.uk

The final find of the day is a website called Hobzy (www.hobzy.com) This is a website where you can sell your own products online. Unlike other sites, they do not charge you to upload your items but will only take payment once you sell it. I was informed on the day that this is 15%. It is a website intended to help smaller business sell their products so I may give it a go. 

I have three orders to work on this week. This Friday is Knit Night at Esquire's Coffee Shop in Coventry. Here is great as you can watch great acts such as comedians, singers and poets for free whilst knitting :) The group runs 7pm - 9pm and any skill level is welcome. Please remeber to bring your own yarn and needles as these are not provided on the day. On Sunday I will be at Ashby St Ledger's Village Hall for a craft fair. It runs from 2pm-5pm and it should be great. I will be there with my friend from Kazam jewellery so come on down if your free. check out my Facebook page for more details. 

That's all for now

Happy crafting

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@knitsnotperfect

Busy Busy Busy

Hello all,

This has been a very busy week. I have had more minions to make, 4 orders for scarves and a craft table to think about :s

First of all a quick update on my Christmas Jumper, I have yarn :). I ordered it from www.woolwarehouse.co.uk. the prices on this website is great and my order arrived the next day. I would recommend this to anyone. There is the option to buy acrylic and natural yarns. I have worked out as well where I can add rows to make the sleeves fit me better. The next step is to knit a tension square, which will be on hold until next week.

I attended the Wool Party at TOFT on thursday. It was nice as we could see some of the new yarn which is made out of wool as opposed to alpaca fleece. It was a great evening as there was tea and cakes and a great group. We tried to catch up with our UFO's but tea and chatting took over. I would advise you to attend a knit night at TOFT so you can meet the gang and also look at the great range of yarn available.

Knit night at Esquires Coffee shop went well last Friday. I had a lovely group who were knitters and crocheters. I even had someone interested in learning basic Tunisian Crochet. My group is special as we have some Deaf Sign Language users. I am fortunate that I am a signer so communication is not an issue. 

I had two orders where I did not have the correct colours. I was fortunate that I went to Derby and came across a knitting shop called 'Wren's' The staff are friendly and there is a good variety of yarn colours. You can even buy neon colours if you like. However, I was most impressed that they held pretty much every colour available in the Style craft range. I was able to get the colour needed for my bespoke cowl and also I got some acrylic wool to make a scarf that is in the colours of West Brom football club. I would recommend a visit.

I have been working on the West Brom scarf first as I know it will take the longest. I decided that since I have brought DK wool, that I would double it up to make it chunkier. However, this is proving to be difficult as the yarn keeps knotting up. Meaning this project is taking longer that anticipated.aaarrrrggghhh

I have now added to my stall stock winter headbands. They are made out of Rowan Big Wool so are lovely and warm. Speaking of my stall, I have two events this weekend. The first is in Nuneaton and the second is in Rugby. For both of these events I am sharing a stall with my friend Kazam Jewellery (www.kazamjewellery.co.uk) who makes lovely pieces of work. check out her website for more.

The craft fair at Nuneaton is Saturday 10am-3.30pm at the Nuneaton URC Church, Chapel Street, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 5QH. there are about 15 different stalls and entry is free.

On Sunday come to The Rugby Hotel, Sheep Street,  CV21 3BX 11am-2pm. This is again a free event so come on down and support local crafts.

Hopefully I will see you at the weekend at the craft fairs but if not, happy crafting until next time :)

Sarah Coad
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@knitsnotperfect
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Winter's Coming

This week I have been playing with chunky wool to make scarves :). I have found a great yarn for this to be Rowan Big Wool. I particularly love the orange and purple in this range. I wanted my items to be made with one ball of yarn to keep costs down. 

The first design is a moss stitch scarf. I knitted it on straight needles, which was no problem. As I feel that my sewing is a not a great strength, I attempted to knit this on the round. I did not realise that you do not knit on a knit stitch and it is actually the opposite way round. I kept on making errors and ending up with a rib stitch instead so reverted back to the straight needles.  It is a shorter scarf in size but it is really warm and snug to wear.

After this, I decided to make a scarf that was longer in length. I was missing my crochet hook so though I would crochet one :) I have grown to like a wavy chervon pattern so that is what I have used as the pattern on my scarf :) I think this turned out well and I am happy with it. I have attached pictures of my scarves

I am off on holiday tomorrow to Weymouth with the family. It is apparent that my addiction is still present as I have already begun making a list of the local wool shops to visit :) Hope the family haven't made too many of their own plans :s I may also stop at a shop in Salisbury if I am lucky as my brother lives there and we are collecting him :) I hope I am not the only knitter who does this :s

Whilst away I will hopefully have 3 project. The first a commissioned one the second is knitted spiders and the final is Christmas items ready for my next craft fair. I still can't decided if it is took soon from Christmas good in an October craft fair but we will see. Can't wait to work on them all.

I am sure that I will have a lot to write about when I am back. So until then, happy crafting :)

Sarah 

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Knit One Leicester

If you are like me, in that when you design, you first find wool and then think about what to make, then Knit One is a great shop. For my designing I love using Merino wool and other natural fibres. Knit One has a fabulous range. It stocks Sublime wool, which is a brand that I tend to go towards, but today I was introduced to Rico Essentials. I am glad that I have found this brand as it is a chunky yarn made from Merino wool. I already have a good idea what I am going to whip up, so watch this space.


Knit One has many other natural fibres and hosts many great names such as Debbie Bliss and Erika Knight. You can tell that the colours have also been carefully selected, as each brand has a range of colours that compliment each other. The shop assistant is great as she will let you browse independently or if you need advice she will share her expertise. She is also very talented as there are samples made up of different projects using the yarn. This helps you visualise how it would knit up.

The shop also has some yarn bombing outside which is great to see. I have also used the service online ordering service as I unfortunately live a little away from the shop. It is easy to use and I recieved my order by the next day.

I love this shop and will take every opportunity I can to visit. Check it out for yourself or look at the website www.knitone.uk.com

I have attached a picture of the shop, so you can see how lovely it is even from the outside and a picture of my new yarn to play with.

Flowers and Minions

I am currently undertaking two projects:

The first is I have been invited to do my first bit of yarn bombing. To do this, it will involve me crocheting/knitting loads of flowers. This is great as when I have a spare 30 minutes, I can whip up a flower or two. I have one original pattern for a flower but I would like to think of more. This is something to work on when ........I have more free time.......:s

The second project began as I had a friend who wanted me to make a minion inspired toy. I went to Raverly where I found a great free pattern. Here is a link http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/minion-inspired-softie. It is easy to follow and the end product does look like the picture. I decided to adapt the eyes as I dislike working with felt. I tend to find that I keep taking massive chunks out so I end up with no eyes. Just something a bit odd looking. I think it worked well with crocheted eyes instead. As my friend wanted two, I found I got to the point where I thought I was happy to move onto a new project.

A picture of my end result was posted on my page (www.facebook.com/knitsnotperfect) and I got a record number of likes. So I have learnt that cute and cuddly things are a hit. I will keep this in mine when I begin to design more original items.

You may wonder what I am going to do next........make three more minions as they were popular. Oh dear maybe next week I will find more free time to design again. Can't complain really as I am still doing what I love :)

Hello

This is the first time I have ever posted a blog online. My name is Sarah and I have been a knitting and crochet addict for approximately 5 years. It started when I wanted a new hobby and I had a friend who knitted. She showed me the basics and I was hooked from that point onward. I found a great beginner book to be Knitty Gritty and I have developed from there. I have progressed and I am now creating original designs and setting up a knitting group in Coventry. I hope you enjoy my blogs and that I learn how to use this soon.

I am on facebook and twitter (@knits not perfect)
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