New designs: Can't Catch Me! and Waddle

Vikki Bird Designs has been in overdrive for the past few months, and today I'm launching two new patterns with a festive theme.*

First we have, Can't Catch Me!; this jumper's star is a smiley gingerbread man. This jumper was inspired by a cuddly ginerbread man towelling bath toy I bought for my son a few years ago, which was a surprise hit. My son loved the cuddly gingerbread man and took him to bed with him every night, so it seemed appropriate that I should design and knit a gingerbread man jumper. I named the pattern Can't Catch Me! after the children's fairy tale The Gingerbread Man.

The jumper is knitted in DK weight yarn, making it perfect as a layering piece over the festive season. The sample is knitted in Stylecraft Life DK** (75% premium acrylic, 25% wool, 298 m [325 yds] per 100 g ball) in Navy (2313, MC), Copper (2312, CC1), Cream (2305, CC2) and Fern (2311, CC3).

Can't Catch Me! is written in six sizes: 2 (4, 6, 8, 10, 12) years, to fit chest sizes 53 cm [20.75 in], 58.5 cm [23 in], 63.5 cm [25 in], 67 cm [26.5 in], 71 cm [28 in], 76 cm [30 in] with 5 cm [2 in] positive ease. The sample shown is knitted in size 4 years.

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Second up is Waddle, an aran weight jumper knitted featuring a cute and cuddly penguin. This jumper was designed for my daughter, who loves to have things knitted for her. Penguins are one of my favourite Christmas motifs, so it seemed obvious to include one on a jumper.

The jumper is knitted in aran weight yarn, and has a casual fit with 7.5 cm [3 in] positive ease, making it perfect as a cosy extra layer over the festive season. The sample is made from MillaMia Naturally Soft Aran** (100% merino wool, 80 m [87 yds] per 50 g ball) in Sky Blue (226, MC, blue version), Ochre (240, CC1), Slate (200, CC2) and Ivory (221, CC3).

Waddle is written for the same six sizes as Can't Catch Me!, but has a more relaxed fit, with 7.5 cm [3 in] positive ease.

Both jumpers are knitted in pieces from the bottom up, and the neckline is knitted on in the round after seaming the shoulders of the jumper. The motifs are added using the intarsia technique; the pattern for the intarsia section is provided both as a chart and as written instructions.

Introductory offer

As a special introductory offer, you can purchase either of these patterns from my Ravelry store with a 15% discount by using the code FESTIVE. This code is valid until 11.59pm BST, Sunday 15th October 2017.

Christmas KAL

Both of these jumpers can be knitted as part of the Vikki Bird Designs' Christmas KAL, which I am hosting in my Ravelry group. If these aren't your cup of tea, why not check out my other festive designs.

*These patterns were originally featured in Knit Now magazine. The self-published versions have a wider size range and some shaping details have been altered.

**Affiliate link.

Yarning Along: Penguins in August

This week sees me looking as relaxed and sunkissed as I ever am, having just come back from a long weekend in North Wales with friends. We spent a day on the beach, one at the zoo, and one at the Grosvenor Museum, which was a surprise hit with the kids. But the nights are starting to draw in, the weather is starting to turn autumnal, the kids are back at school next week, and I am starting to look forward to a little bit of time on my own to get on with things.

On the needles this week is a Christmas jumper; you may remember that last year I published my Waddle jumper in Knit Now? The pattern has had a re-write, and this will become the new sample. I have done the sleeves and back and am now onto the front, which I always save until last when knitting intarsia jumpers as it's my favourite bit. I'm using Milla Mia Naturally Soft Merino Aran,* which is glorious, so this knit is a bit of a treat.

Last night was the first in the new series of The Great British Bake Off, which I got very excited about when the trailers came out last week. I had contemplated stopping watching it when it moved to Channel 4, but I did watch, and enjoyed it - while the presenters have changed, little else has. Except for the adverts, which I could do without... Watching hasn't inspired me to bake in the same way as previous series, but I will be dusting down a few recipe books in the next few weeks as part of a grand clear out we're having; if I haven't used a recipe book in five years, I probably don't need to keep it! But just to be on the safe side, I'll be baking a recipe or two from each book, just to check that I'm not missing something I'll love.

It turns out my summer holiday reading time is up: I am still reading The Miniaturist, and fully expect to be doing so for the next few weeks. I'm enjoying it, but haven't felt a need to pick it up and read it over doing other things.

Linking up with Rachel for Yarning Along. What have you been reading this week?

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