Saturday 29 February 2020

Grr! Wild Thing jumper in issue 113 of Knit Now magazine

I am delighted to share a new design with you today, and doubly delighted that it has the starring role on the cover of Knit Now! Let me introduce, the Wild Thing jumper.


Animal prints have been everywhere for the past few months, and here's my take on the trend: the Wild Thing jumper. The jumper features a large leopard-print heart on the front. You can either make the jumper in subtle, animal-inspired tones, or go all out and choose something much brighter and bolder. I've gone for a combination of bold and subtle: animal tones for the heart and a bright coral for the jumper itself.


The jumper is knitted in pieces that are then seamed, and the heart is created using a combination of intarsia, stranded colourwork and duplicate stitch. The neckband is added in the round once the jumper has been seamed.


I've used Deramores Studio Aran to knit the Wild Thing jumper, a 100% acrylic yarn that is plump and lovely to work with.

Want to knit your own Wild Thing jumper? You can find the pattern in issue 113 of Knit Now magazine, which is in stores now. If you can't find a copy locally, you can order a print copy from the MoreMags website, or a digital edition from PocketMags.


If you’d like to add the pattern to your Ravelry queue or favourites, you can find the Ravelry pattern page here.

All images copyright Practical Publishing. Used with permission.

Wednesday 12 February 2020

ONE DAY ONLY Bobby socks: 50% off and all proceeds go to Down Syndrome International

A bit earlier than scheduled, I've just released my #LotsOfSocksKAL pattern: the Bobby socks. From now until 11:59pm EST, Thursday 13th February 2020, this pattern is available with 50% off using the code LOTSOFSOCKS All proceeds during the sale period will go to Down Syndrome International (if you want to make a bigger donation, just omit the code and all the proceeds wil go to Down Syndrome International). If you haven't heard about the Lots Of Socks KAL, you can read all about it here.



As a child, I used to love reading vintage boarding-school stories, and always imagined that the girls in them would wear cute little ruffled socks while eating their midnight feasts and drinking ginger beer. The Bobby socks are the first in a series of sock patterns: the Midnight feasts collection, which pays homage to these books with a series of cute ankle socks, all featuring a frill around the cuff: show them off by wearing them with circle skirts and Mary-Jane shoes, or let the cuff peep out of the top of a pair of ankle boots for a really cute look. All the socks in the collection are knitted from the top down using a standard heel flap and gusset construction. The ruffled frill and first half of the turned-back cuff are knitted first, then inverted using a short row before knitting the rest of the sock. The foot length of the socks is adjustable to fit.


The Bobby socks are perfect for summer and early autumn: the lace allows your feet to air so they're nice and cool, but as autumn approaches the socks can be worn with shoes, letting the lace frill detail peep out over the top of your shoes.

Instructions are given for both two-colour and single-colour versions. The lace stitch pattern is given as both a chart and written instructions. Tutorials are included for the inversion round and blocking the ruffle.


The pattern is written to be needle-neutral and can be knitted using either the magic-loop technique, short circulars or DPNs, depending on your individual preference. The pattern also features helpful hints for beginners.

Click here to buy the pattern now! Use the code LOTSOFSOCKS to get 50% off until 11.59pm EST, Thursday 13th February 2020, and remember, all proceeds from sales from now until the end of Thursday 13th February (EST time) go to Down Syndrome International.

Reading this and it's not February 13th any more? You can get 20% off with the code FRILLS until 11.59pm GMT, Thursday 20th February 2020, and I'll dontate £1 to Down Syndrome International for each copy sold until the end of February 2020.

If you buy any of my other sock patterns in February 2020, I'll donate £1 per sale to Down Syndrome International. You can find all my sock patterns here.


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Sizes
S (M, L)

Finished sock circumferences: 16 (20, 24) cm \[6.5 (8, 9.5) in]; for the best fit, choose a size that is approximately 2.5 cm [1 in] smaller than your foot circumference.

Leg length to heel: 9 (10, 11) cm [3.5 (4, 4.25) in].

Foot length is adjustable.

Tension
30 sts and 44 rnds = 10 cm [4 in] in both stocking stitch and lace patt worked in the rnd on 2.5 mm (US 1.5) needle(s) after wet blocking, or size needed to obtain correct tension.

Yarn
4ply-weight sock yarn in the following colours and amounts (yardages are approximate as the amount of yarn used will depend on the length of the foot, which is adjustable):

Single-colour version
•    260 (325, 390) m [285 (355, 425) yds]

Two-colour version
•    MC: 235 (295, 355) m [260 (320, 385) yds]
•    CC: 25 (30, 40) m [30 (35, 40) yds]

I would recommend using a dedicated sock yarn that is tightly plied wool and has some nylon content for durability.

Needles
•    2.5 mm (US 1.5) DPNs, 15 cm [6 in], set of 5, or
•    2.5 mm (US 1.5) circular needle, at least 80 cm [32 in] in length to work magic loop, or
•    2.5 mm (US 1.5) circular needle, 22.5 cm [9 in] in length

Notions
•    Stitch markers x 5

Pattern notes
The instructions are for the smallest size, with larger sizes in parentheses: S (M, L).

If you are using a multi-coloured or self-striping yarn:
•    You can make two matching socks by starting both at the same point in the colour repeat of the yarn.
•    To avoid the colour jog that may occur at the transition between the leg and the foot, work the heel flap and heel turn from the opposite end of the ball of yarn.

The sample details are as follows:

1. Multi-coloured, single-yarn pair: Stylecraft Head Over Heels (4-ply, 400 m per 100 g ball, 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon) in 3102 Olympus. Knitted in size M.

2. Blue pair with white ruffle: West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply (4-ply, 400 m per 100 g ball, 75% wool, 25% nylon) in 325 Cornflower (MC) and Drops Fabel (4-ply, 205 m per 50 g ball, 75% wool, 25% polyamide) in 100 Off-white (CC). Knitted in size L.

The version in Knit Now contains the pattern, but not the tutorials.

The Midnight Feast Collection will be released over the course of 2020. The Bobby socks pattern is the first pattern in the collection.

This pattern was first published in Knit Now issue 90.

Pattern edited by Jo Torr.

Wednesday 5 February 2020

Twist and shout: the Contorto socks are live!


One of my favourite ways of showcasing stitch patterns is to knit them into socks; by the time you've got to grips with the stitch pattern you are ready to tackle the heel, so socks always have something interesting going on, even if the pattern is the same throughout the sock. I found this stitch pattern in a stitch dictionary while looking for something else entirely and couldn't get it out of my head! I've named the socks ‘Contorto’, which is Italian for twisted, after the beautiful twisted cables in the stitch pattern.


The Contorto socks are knitted from the toe up and use a gusset and heel flap construction, shaped with short rows, and with a slipped stitch pattern on the heel flap for reinforcement. The gusset length is affected by your row/round gauge, so a table of gauge-dependent lengths is included to help you achieve the perfect fit. Toe-up with a heel-flap and gusset is my favourite sock construction, but it's been a while since I've made any socks from the toe-up. I know that a lot of people shy away from toe-up socks as they're concerned about the fit; I'm confident that if you follow the instructions in the Contorto pattern you'll finish up with a beautifully fitting pair of socks - there are plenty of hints and tips throughout, and links to helpful tutorials for the cast on and cast off, the wrap and turn technique and on choosing what size socks to knit.


This pattern was originally published in Knit Now, but I've added an extra size, and additional options for knitting your socks, so you can now choose between:
•  Having the Contorto pattern on top of the foot and round the leg, with either cabled or 2 x 2 rib for the cuff
•  Having the Contorto pattern on the top of the foot and the front of the leg only, finished with 2 x 2 rib for the cuff
•  Either fully matching-socks, or mirrored, fraternal socks

The pattern is needle-neutral and the socks can be knitted using DPNs, short circulars, or long circulars using the magic loop technique.

The Contorto pattern is available now, and until 11.59pm GMT Wednesday 12th February 2020 you can have 20% off with the code TWISTED. Until the end of February 2020, I will also be donating £1 from each copy sold to Down Syndrome International as part of the #LotsOfSocksKAL.


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Full pattern details can be found on the Ravelry pattern page, but here are the essentials.

Sizes
S (M, L, XL)

Finished sock foot circumferences: 15.5 (19, 23, 26.5) cm [6.25 (7.75, 9, 10.5) in] designed to fit with 2.5 cm [1 in] negative ease. These are the sizes of the finished socks; for the best fit, choose a size that is approximately 2.5 cm [1 in] smaller than your foot circumference.

Finished sock leg circumferences:
•  Fully-cabled: 15 (19, 22.5, 26.5) cm [6 (7.5, 9, 10.5) in]
•  Simplified: 15.5 (19, 23, 26.5) cm [6.25 (7.75, 9, 10.5) in]

The stitch counts for the cabled portions are modified so that the cabled panels are the same width as the stocking stitch sole, this results in the socks fitting the same as a regular stocking stitch socks with a stitch count of 52 (64, 76, 88) sts.

Yarn
Dedicated 4 ply sock yarn in the following amounts:
•  Fully-cabled version: 260 (390, 550, 740) m [290 (430, 610, 810) yds]
•  Simplified leg version: 220 (330, 460, 620) m [250 (370, 510, 680) yds]

Needles
•  2.5 mm DPNs
•  or a 2.5 mm circular needle at least 80 cm [32 in] in length
•  or a 2.5 mm 20 cm [9 in] circular needle

Notions
•  Stitch markers x 4
•  Cable needle
•  Tapestry needle

This pattern was first published in Knit Now magazine, issue 84.

This pattern was tech edited by Jo Torr.

Remember, you can get 20% off the Contorto pattern until 11.59pm GMT Wednesday 12th February 2020 with the code TWISTED. Until the end of February 2020, I will also be donating £1 from each copy sold to Down Syndrome International as part of the #LotsOfSocksKAL.

Tuesday 4 February 2020

The #LotsOfSocksKAL is live!

The #LotsOfSocksKAL is live!

I wrote about the KAL on the blog last week, but just in case you missed it, here are all the details...

Last year I was involved in the #LotsOfSocksKAL, and between us we raised a phenomenal $21,164.88 for Down Syndrome International! I'm very excited to announce that I am a participating designer this year as well! The Lots of Socks knitalong (KAL)* is being organised by Lisa Ross of Paper Daisy Creations, and will run from February 5th*** until March 21st 2020. 


Have you heard of the #lotsofsocks initiative? On March 21st every year, people are encouraged to wear two different brightly coloured socks to highlight the uniqueness of individuals with Down syndrome and to show their support for the Down syndrome community. Why March 21st? People with Down syndrome have an extra copy of chromosome 21, so the date 3/21 was selected. Lisa started the Lots of Socks KAL to create LOTS of socks, and at the same time generate support and awareness for a great cause! 

There's a sale!  
On each day from February 5th*** to 19th 2020, a different designer has been selected to offer a pattern on sale for 50% off. Some of these are new designs and some will be existing designs… each day will be a surprise! ALL proceeds from the highlighted design on the designer's given day will go to supporting Down Syndrome International. To be notified of the sale patterns, either sign up to Paper Daisy Creations' newsletter via her website or follow @paperdaisycreations on Instagram. The designers participating are: Lisa Ross, Mary Hull, Megan Williams, Shannon Squire, Tracie Millar, Sarah Jordan, Vikki Bird, Anna Friberg, Mara Catherine Bryner, Tiina Kuu, Dawn Henderson, Jessie Ksanznak, Marce Smith, Kay Litton, and Cori Eichelberger.  

In addition to my sale day, I'll be donating £1 (GBP) from every sale of one of my sock patterns in February 2020 to Down Syndrome International! All my self-published sock patterns can be found here.**

What does the KAL involve? 
Starting on February 5th,*** cast-on ANY sock design from ANY of the participating designers (no works in progress, sorry!). For each single sock that gets knitted (this might be the perfect opportunity to finish up some lonely socks - I know I have some from last year's KAL!), you will get an entry for prizes. If you use yarn from one of the sponsors (a list of sponsors can be found in the first post of this thread*), you will get an extra entry. When you finish your sock, post a photo of it in the FO thread, remembering to include the pattern name, designer, and yarn used. If you used sponsor yarn, include a photo of the ball band or tag to get a bonus entry.  

Lisa will keep a running list of sock entries in the prize thread. After the KAL has ended, prizes will be drawn based on the entries listed (if you've finished some socks but they haven't been included on the list of entries, send a message to Lisa before the end of the KAL).  

On March 21, 2020 (World Down Syndrome Day), be sure to wear your socks and spread the word! You can post your socks on Instagram using the following three hashtags #lotsofsocksKAL, #lotsofsocks, and #WorldDownSyndromeDay AND tag @paperdaisycreations. You might also want to tag the designer and include hashtags #WDSD20 and #WorldDownSyndromeDay.  

When you're knitting your socks for the KAL, feel free to make the socks your own: you're allowed to modify patterns from toe-up to cuff-down and vice versa, switch out heels and toes to your favourites, or to make modifications for fit. However, you must use the minimum stitch count listed in the pattern and at least 25g of sock yarn for a single sock.  

What could I win?  
Lisa has done an amazing job of sourcing prizes for the KAL - you can find a full list of prizes in the first post of this thread.* 

Where should I head for more details and to join in? 
The KAL is being hosted in Lisa's Ravelry group,* so go there to join the chat and to show off your projects. I cannot wait to see what everyone knits! 

If you want to make sure you don't miss out when my pattern is on sale, sign up to my newsletter.  

Of course, it's always possible that you might already own all the sock patterns you want. If you'd like to donate directly to Down Syndrome International, you can do so via their website.

*Ravelry link; you need to be a member of Ravelry to open this link. Membership is free.

**Note that this offer only applies to single sock patterns, not to ebooks. 

***Yes, the KAL has started a few hours early, but you are free to cast on as soon as you read this.

Saturday 1 February 2020

Coming soon: #LotsOfSocksKAL 2020!

Last year I was involved in the #LotsOfSocksKAL, and between us we raised a phenomenal $21,164.88 for Down Syndrome International! I'm very excited to announce that I am a participating designer this year as well! The Lots of Socks knitalong (KAL)* is being organised by Lisa Ross of Paper Daisy Creations, and will run from February 5th until March 21st 2020. 


Have you heard of the #lotsofsocks initiative? On March 21st every year, people are encouraged to wear two different brightly coloured socks to highlight the uniqueness of individuals with Down syndrome and to show their support for the Down syndrome community. Why March 21st? People with Down syndrome have an extra copy of chromosome 21, so the date 3/21 was selected. Lisa started the Lots of Socks KAL to create LOTS of socks, and at the same time generate support and awareness for a great cause! 

There's a sale!  
On each day from February 5th to 19th 2020, a different designer has been selected to offer a pattern on sale for 50% off. Some of these are new designs and some will be existing designs… each day will be a surprise! ALL proceeds from the highlighted design on the designer's given day will go to supporting Down Syndrome International. To be notified of the sale patterns, either sign up to Paper Daisy Creations' newsletter via her website or follow @paperdaisycreations on Instagram. The designers participating are: Lisa Ross, Mary Hull, Megan Williams, Shannon Squire, Tracie Millar, Sarah Jordan, Vikki Bird, Anna Friberg, Mara Catherine Bryner, Tiina Kuu, Dawn Henderson, Jessie Ksanznak, Marce Smith, Kay Litton, and Cori Eichelberger.  

If you're feeling a little impatient, and want to purchase a sock pattern *right now*, I'll be donating £1 (GBP) from every sale of one of my sock patterns in February 2020 to Down Syndrome International! All my self-published sock patterns can be found here.**

What does the KAL involve? 
Starting on February 5th, cast-on ANY sock design from ANY of the participating designers (no works in progress, sorry!). For each single sock that gets knitted (this might be the perfect opportunity to finish up some lonely socks - I know I have some from last year's KAL!), you will get an entry for prizes. If you use yarn from one of the sponsors (a list of sponsors can be found in the first post of this thread*), you will get an extra entry. When you finish your sock, post a photo of it in the FO thread, remembering to include the pattern name, designer, and yarn used. If you used sponsor yarn, include a photo of the ball band or tag to get a bonus entry.  

Lisa will keep a running list of sock entries in the prize thread. After the KAL has ended, prizes will be drawn based on the entries listed (if you've finished some socks but they haven't been included on the list of entries, send a message to Lisa before the end of the KAL).  

On March 21, 2020 (World Down Syndrome Day), be sure to wear your socks and spread the word! You can post your socks on Instagram using the following three hashtags #lotsofsocksKAL, #lotsofsocks, and #WorldDownSyndromeDay AND tag @paperdaisycreations. You might also want to tag the designer and include hashtags #WDSD20 and #WorldDownSyndromeDay.  

When you're knitting your socks for the KAL, feel free to make the socks your own: you're allowed to modify patterns from toe-up to cuff-down and vice versa, switch out heels and toes to your favourites, or to make modifications for fit. However, you must use the minimum stitch count listed in the pattern and at least 25g of sock yarn for a single sock.  

What could I win?  
Lisa has done an amazing job of sourcing prizes for the KAL - you can find a full list of prizes in the first post of this thread.* 

Where should I head for more details and to join in? 
The KAL is being hosted in Lisa's Ravelry group,* so go there to join the chat and to show off your projects. I cannot wait to see what everyone knits! 

If you want to make sure you don't miss out when my pattern is on sale, sign up to my newsletter.  

Of course, it's always possible that you might already own all the sock patterns you want. If you'd like to donate directly to Down Syndrome International, you can do so via their website.

*Ravelry link; you need to be a member of Ravelry to open this link. Membership is free.

**Note that this offer only applies to single sock patterns, not to ebooks.