Time for a Log Cabin blanket KAL

Log Cabin Blanket KAL 2024

New for Autumn 2024 - a shiny brand new knitalong and e-book for you

All about the joys of Log Cabin Blankets.

If you enjoyed my Mitered Square Blanket KAL you’ll definitely want to catch this.

It will run in much the same format over 4-6 weeks, starting in September - and as with previous KALs please don’t worry - I’m not expecting you to churn out a king sized blanket in a month.

Instead the aim is to introduce you to the concept of Log Cabin Style blankets. To the different shapes and styles you can construct and to give you the tools and the inspiration to create a truly unique Log Cabin blanket of your very own.

Each week will feature instructions on how to knit a Log Cabin style square - each of them will be different and will give you an idea of how the basic concept can be used to create a multitude of different possibilities - all from the same building blocks.

The four blocks will work together, so if you want, you can knit each of them and then stitch them into a small, lap-sized sampler blanket as a starter project . Or you can downsize each one and use them as test pieces for your own log cabin adventure.

Why Log Cabin style?

• Perfect for stashbusting and using up random yarns from your stash

• Endlessly adaptable - you can go as large or as small as you like

• A great opportunity to play with colour

• Relaxing garter stitch for the win - no stress knitting here

• An ideal knitting project to keep you company in autumn/winter

Dates for your diary

• After purchase you will receive a pre-KAL information sheet, just so you know what materials you need to get together and what to expect.

• The dedicated Facebook group for the KAL will open towards the end of August so that you can all gather and chat about your plans in advance.

• The first week of our KAL will be Mon Sep 16th and a new block will be released each Monday for 4 weeks.

• There will then be two-week period where folks can discuss their plans for their own log cabin blanket and I’ll be on hand to offer any help that might be needed.

• The Facebook group will remain open as long as it’s needed.

Join me for (another) summer of books and yarn

Last summer I really enjoyed the Summer of Books and Yarn challenge that I ran - not least because it really helped to kick start my flagging reading mojo.

If you have been feeling in need of a bit of invigoration - whether in the reading or knitting department (or both) then the readalong/knitalong might be just what you are looking for.

Starting when schools break up* and running for the six weeks of the summer holidays I thought it would be fun to have a modest reading challenge.

• Six weeks

• Six books

• Six reading prompts (optional)

• A six-week long KAL for any of my patterns

Obviously I would love it if your chosen pattern for the KAL was one of mine, but of course WIPs and other projects are very welcome too.

As a little incentive though I'd like to offer an exclusive 20% discount off any of my patterns with the code SUMMER2023

*I know that school holidays are different depending on where you are in the world but for practical reasons I'm going off the English school system where I am located.

The list of book prompts and suggestions will be sent out next week but if you don't want to miss anything you can sign up for the dedicated 'Summer of Books and Yarn' email list by tapping the box below.

And if you’d like to browse patterns and use the 20% discount code you can see all of my designs on my website - or on Ravelry.

Join the Sassy Stripe KAL

It’s no secret that I love a good striped shawl, especially one knit in lovely relaxing garter stitch. There are just so many things to love about stripes, not least the opportunity to play with colour and to stashbust into the bargain.

As it’s been far too long since I had a good, chilled out knitalong I thought now would be the perfect time for a shawl KAL, specifically a stripy shawl KAL.

We will start on 1st June and it will be hosted both in the Everyday Knitter Facebook group and also on Instagram with the hashtag #SassyStripeKAL.

As a little thank you for taking part I’m offering a 25% discount on selected shawls from my website, all of which were either knitted with stripes, or lend themselves well to some stripe love. No code is needed for this, just use the button below to shop the sale shawls and then look out for the KAL posts on Facebook and Instagram.

As for me - I’m thinking I’m going to reknit my I Heart Stripes shawl which is in dire need of some new pattern photos. I just need to ferret through my stash first and dig out the perfect yarn.

How about you, can I tempt you?

The Comfort Blanket KAL is back for 2023

I'm delighted to be able to announce that the Comfort Blanket KAL is back for 2023. It ran very successfully in 2020 and 2021 but last year I missed it due to the death of my Dad.

The year doesn't seem complete without my most popular KAL event though so I figured it was a good time to dust it off and relaunch it for another year.

Tell me more...

The Comfort Blanket KAL 2023 is a 4 week KAL which walks you through every step of planning and getting started on your mitered square blanket journey. I say journey because these blankets - typically knit from leftover yarn are generally considered to be long term projects. No one is expecting you to knit a blanket in 4 weeks - please don't worry.

Instead the KAL is intended as a springboard to get you started, with ideas and inspiration as well as practical tips for planning and construction.

The KAL will start on May 1st and each Monday for 4 weeks you'll get an email with that week's topic. The information will also be available within a dedicated Facebook group where you will be able to hang out with fellow Comfort Blanket KAL'ers and chat about your various projects.

And at the end of the KAL you’ll get an ebook containing all the information from the 4 weeks, along with a few other tips and tricks.

Previous year’s participants

If you took part in the previous KALs sit tight, as the joining instructions to the Facebook group and your automatic invitation will be heading your way soon. 

We all know that these blankets are a labour of love and you are welcome to come and join us again to add some more mitered squares to your work-in-progress. Or if you are a finishing superstar and you want to join in with another - because one mitered square blanket is never enough - it would be lovely to have you on board too.

From Socktober to Wovember

Contours shawl - buy here

It’s a busy time of year for Knitting bloggers as we transition seamlessly from Socktober into Wovember. The month-long celebration of all things woolly took a bit of a break for a year or two - let’s face it, there’s been a lot going on. But this year it is back and carrying on the good work.

Wovember was originally set up as an awareness campaign to promote the use of 100% wool and to counter some of the myths and received wisdom surrounding wool - it’s not ‘all scratchy’ for example even though this is often an accusation levelled at it.

This year the Wovember campaign is mainly taking place on Instagram as @WovemberWool and Twitter via a series of daily prompts. You don’t have to do a daily post or anything, you can just dip in and out as you please. or you can just scroll the hashtags #Wovember and #Wovember2022 for lots of wool-based inspiration.

Over on the Everyday Knitter Facebook Group we are having a month long KAL - the only rule is that the yarn you use must be 100% wool. It can be a long standing WIP or a brand new project and it doesn’t matter what size it is - it can be a coaster or a blanket. The main thing is that we celebrate wool in all it’s gloriousness.

If you are looking for a pattern to make the most of your lovely woolly stash I have listed a few of mine which might fit the bill - details below. And if you are looking for a bit of further reading on the Wovember project and some of their older blog posts (still just as relevant today) I have listed a few at the bottom of this post under ‘Further Reading’

Happy Wovember.

Contours Shawl

£6.50

Log Cabin-ish blanket

£6.50

Hebridean Hap

£6.50

Further Reading

Yarn that tells the story of Uist

Hebridean seafaring sheep in the UK

Between producers and consumers of wool

Summer reading and reflections

My reading choices for the Summer of Books and Yarn challenge

It’s been an odd sort of summer in many ways and I’m still not quite sure how I feel about it all. It’s been a time of highs and lows. Some wonderful times spent relaxing as a family, and time spent with other family members. Coupled with a lot of driving around the country and a lot of emotions as we deal with grief and inevitable upheaval that happens when people die.

I’ve been really grateful to have the time to spend with my boys, especially as we are now staring University open days in the face, and I’ve really loved both taking part in and running the Summer of Books and Yarn challenge.

No-one was more surprised than me to find me blitzing my way through all 6 books that I had planned - although losing my knitting whilst on holiday in Greece (it’s a long story and I eventually found it) certainly helped me with my reading target.

It’s been lovely to see all the great feedback in the Everyday Knitter Facebook group as well - it seems that I’m not alone in having a ball with it. And there have been lots of calls to have a repeat challenge, maybe even to make it a seasonal event and I’m definitely putting that on my to do list for the next few months.

There were so many good book titles shared that I promised I would do a little roundup of some of the popular book titles, and true to my word, you can find a list below of the titles that seemed to crop up repeatedly in people’s reading lists and which got good reviews. I haven’t hyperlinked the titles as everyone has their own favourite place where they like to buy or borrow books.

• A thousand ships by Natalie Haynes

• How the light gets in by Louise Penny

• The salt path by Raynor Winn

• City of Friends by Joanna Trollope

• Tidelands by Phillipa Gregory

• The Thursday murder club by Richard Osman

• Everything I never told you by Celeste Ng

• Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

• Where the crawdads sing by Delia Owens

• The miniaturist by Jessie Burton

• River Kings by Cat Jarman (non fiction)

• The midnight library by Matt Haigh

• The kite runner by Khaled Hosseini

• Endeavour by Peter Moore (non fiction)

If you aren’t already a member of the Everyday Knitter Facebook group do please come over and say hi. We are a really friendly bunch, I promise and if you are interested in another reading challenge that will be the best place to follow along with it.