New designs: Reach for the Stars cushion and children's jumper

I have two new patterns for you, both on a astronomical theme: the Reach for the Stars children's jumper and cushion. Both items are from my Reach for the Stars collection, and go with the baby blanket that I released last year. Each item in the collection features a brightly coloured space rocket with a fiery trail, inspired by one of my children's favourite toys.

Both patterns are suitable for intermediate level knitters, and the intarsia section is provided both as charts (in greyscale and colour for your preference) and as written instructions.

Reach for the Stars cushion

 

The cushion features a large intarsia rocket, is fastened with four buttons across the back and is designed to fit a 46 cm (18 inch) square cushion with a little negative ease to ensure a nice plump cushion. The cushion is knitted flat in one piece, starting at the middle of the back with a ribbed button band, then the first half of the back, the front and the second half of the back are knitted in stocking stitch, and finally the ribbed buttonhole band is worked. The cushion is seamed down the side edges using mattress stitch.

The cushion sample is knitted in Paintbox Yarns Simply Chunky* [100% acrylic: 136 m (149 yds) to 100 g] in Midnight Blue (MC, 337), Buttercup Yellow (CC1, 322), Blood Orange (CC2, 319) and Pillar Red (CC3, 314).

Reach for the Stars children's jumper

 

The Reach for the Stars children's jumper is knitted in pieces from the bottom up; the neckline is picked up and knitted in the round after seaming the shoulders of the jumper. The rocket motif is incorporated using the intarsia technique.

The jumper is knitted in aran weight yarn, and has a casual fit with approximately 9 cm [3.5 in] positive ease, making it perfect as a cosy extra layer in the winter, or an outer layer as the weather starts to warm up.

Sample shown is knitted in size 4 years, in Paintbox Yarns Simply Aran* (100% acrylic, 184 m [201 yds] per 100 g ball) in Midnight Blue (237, MC), Buttercup Yellow (222, CC1), Blood Orange (219, CC2) and Pillar Red (214, CC3).

The pattern is written in 6 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 approximately 9 cm [3.5 in] positive ease.

Introductory offer

If you'd like to pick up either pattern, why not make the most of my introductory offer? If you buy any of the patterns from the collection: the cushion, children's jumper or the blanket, there's 25% off until 11.59pm BST, June 24th 2018, no code needed. The patterns are also available in an ebook, which is also included in the offer – it's a bargain as you get all three patterns for the price of two – perfect if you're thinking of making more than one item.

All the patterns are available now in my Ravelry store.

*Affiliate link.

The Yarnometer: January 2018

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to keep track of how much yarn was coming in and out of my house, and what I was knitting. So here’s a new blog feature, the Yarnometer!

Projects finished

Selbu Mittens

My first non-design project if the year: Selbu mittens. This was a easyish foray into colourwork mittens with the hope of knitting some more complicated designs later in the year. The mittens are lovely; I’m pleased with how my colourwork turned out; they fit me; they’re super-cosy and great in the snow; but it turns out I don’t like wearing mittens... I might wear them a few more times this winter, but they are likely to be re-homed at some point. You can find out more about my mittens in their FO Friday post.

Rocket jumper and cushion 

I also have two new designs to give you a sneak peak of: my Rocket jumper and Rocket cushion.* Both these patterns have been a long time in the works - I wrote the pattern for the cushion last summer, but only finally started it over the Christmas holidays. Both the cushion and jumper feature a brightly coloured rocket,** and my three year old has insisted they are both for her, which might not have been quite the plan, but never mind, she’s certainly excited about them!

Something secret...

Shhh... I’ve also spent this month working on a secret commission, which I really hope I can tell you about soon, but for now, all I can tell you is that it used 228 g of DK weight yarn across seven colours. Hope that’s whetted your appetite...

The ins and outs of yarn

Yarn in

West Yorkshire Spinners Essential Aran in Rum Paradise and Cream

1200 g aran weight yarn for a design

100 g sock weight yarn for a design

Yarn out

Destashed

670 g to my mum

730 g to Knit for Peace

100 g to my friend Sam

Knitted

79 g for the Selbu mittens (Artesano British Blue Faced Blend DK and Erika Knight for John Lewis Double Knit)

229 g for the jumper (Paintbox Yarns Simply Aran)

260 g for the cushion (Paintbox Yarns Simply Chunky)

228 g top-secret commission

Total

Yarn bought: 1300 g
Yarn used: 2296 g
Total: -996 g

An excellent start to the year!

*Both designs will be released later in the year. If you want to find out when they’re launched, why not sign up to my newsletter? People on my mailing list always get an exclusive launch discount for new patterns, and a discount code for 10% off all patterns in my Ravelry store, all year round.

**You might recognise the rocket as it featured on a matching blanket last year. You can pick up the blanket pattern from my Ravelry store, and if you know you want to knit all the items in the collection, you can pick up the ebook at a special discounted rate until I add the next pattern.

New Design: Reach for the Stars baby blanket

In the autumn a close friend announced that she was expecting her second baby. I had knitted a hat and blanket for her first child, but every new baby requires a special present, so I decided that I would knit a blanket for this new baby too. The design is one that has been in my head for a long time, and may be familiar to anyone who has been following my work for a while: a zooming rocket with a fiery tail! The rocket motif first appeared on my Reach for the Stars baby jumper, which appeared in an issue of Knit Now a few years ago, and I had always had a blanket in mind for the same motif.

The Reach for the Stars baby blanket is knitted in a single piece with a large moss stitch border surrounding the central stocking stitch panel; the moss stitch border makes the blanket lie flat, and means that blanket requires minimal finishing. The rocket motif is knitted into the blanket using the intarsia technique. The chart for the rocket motif is split vertically across two pages to maximise the size of the individual squares, while you only have to work from one chart at a time.

Chunky weight yarn is used in this design, allowing it to be knitted up quickly. The sample is knitted in Paintbox Yarns Simply Chunky, an acrylic yarn that comes in a huge array of colours, so you can mix and match as you please. This yarn also has the advantage of being machine washable, so is perfect for new parents.

The pattern is available now from my Ravelry store at the introductory price of £3 until 11.59pm GMT Tuesday 14th March 2017, after which the price will increase to £4.

The Reach for the Stars baby blanket will be joined by other designs featuring the same rocket motif over the course of 2017, including a cushion, baby/toddler jumper and children's jumper. If you know now that you would like to have access to all the patterns, you can buy the ebook for the introductory price of £7.50; the additional patterns will be added automatically as I release them. The ebook will increase in price to £10 as soon as the second pattern is released.

*This post contains affiliate links. See the Disclaimers and policies page for more information.*

A week in the life: 10th February 2017

This week hasn't been the best (hence the long delay between posts). We had the death of a close family member last week, and I had an job interview that I didn't get. I'm trying not to dwell on either of these things, but the week hasn't been as bright and sunny as I'd have liked.

The week hasn't been all bad though. Friends have come to my support, and a lot of my knitting work has been sample knitting with friends in pubs and cafes. This means I have finished the new sample for my Lynda socks (the pattern is currently out for testing, and the pattern will be available from my Ravelry store very soon), and am very near the end of the first sock in the second design of the collection.

Lynda socks in my size!

I've been working on a new blanket design too, and am now 40 rows from the end of the charted section and am delighted with how it looks. I'm really hoping to get the blanket finished by the end of the weekend (and then for some better weather so I can take some decent photos; it is sleeting as I write this and has been all morning).

New blanket design in progress

The socks of doom are off the needles and only need their ends to be darned in before I declare them complete, and I have finally cast on a pair of socks for my husband: I had started knitting him socks in this yarn (a self-striping yarn by Mothy and The Squid) last year, but the second sock came out smaller than the first, so I'm knitting these two at a time in the hope that they will match!

My socks so far this year

The next few weeks may not be the easiest, but I have a few things to be looking forward to, including spending half term with my children, so it's not all doom and gloom.

What have you been up to over the past couple of weeks?

Quick and Easy Baby Knits

Every once in a while the team at Knit Now publish a compilation of knitting patterns that have appeared in their magazine. The collections are always themed, and the latest is quick and easy baby knits, and features four of my patterns: Elephant Parade, Barley Twist Cardigan, Reach for the Stars baby jumper and Hedgehogs and Hoglets.

Elephant Parade. Image copyright Practical Publishing.

Barley Twist cardigan. Image copyright Practical Publishing.

Reach for the Stars. Image copyright Practical Publishing.

Hedgehogs and Hoglets. Image copyright Practical Publishing.

The magazine also features an excellent selection of baby knits from other designers. My favourites include Lucy Lamb by Barbara Prime and Beach Hut Cushion by Kim Dickinson.

Lucy Lamb by Barbara Prime. Image copyright Practical Publishing.

Beach Hut Cushion by Kim Dickinson. Image copyright Practical Publishing.

The collection is available at many newsagents and supermarkets, or can be ordered online, and is a bargain at only £7.99.