A corner to corner blanket: Free pattern

I knit this simple garter stitch blanket last year sometime and published it as a free pattern on Instagram for those who follow me there, with the full and certain intention of adding it to my free patterns page here too.

I have no idea why it fell off my to-do list, I can only assume that life, combined with my butterfly brain conspired against me.

In any case, I wanted to add it here as it’s such a lovely, straightforward knit. Ideal for a beginner or for those times when you just want a bit of relaxing, stress-free knitting. I knit this small lap blanket with DK yarn on 4mm needles but you could easily adapt it to work with fingering weight yarn (suggested 3mm needles) or worsted/aran (on 4.5/5mm needles, respectively).

It produced a perfect little square blanket - ideal for baby knitting as well in an appropriate yarn.

You can find the blanket over on my free pattern page, or it’s written out here (below) as well if you wanted to bookmark it for later.

Reading Corner Shawl

The Reading Corner Shawl

If you find yourself with some DK leftovers or small 10g mini-skeins this is the perfect shawl to use them up. The Reading Corner shawl combines 2 x 100g DK skeins and 5x10g minis in a simple stripe and eyelet design. Designed for minimal counting and maximum ease.

The Reading Corner shawl is an elongated triangle, knit mainly in garter stitch with contrast stripes, with an eyelet detail. As it’s knit in DK weight yarn it’s wonderfully warm and squishy, perfect for draping over your shoulders while you read, or the elongated ends mean that it also works well as a wearable, wrappable shawl on colder days.

Perfect for stashbusting and adapting to the yarn you have, each contrast stripe uses just under 10g yarn. You could use a single contrast colour for all the stripes, or mix and match with leftovers from your stash.

Women hold up half the sky

Women hold up half the sky -Cowl pattern available on Payhip

“Women hold up half the sky” is a quote famously attributed to Mao Zedong. I came across it recently online and it has really resonated with me in the aftermath of my dad’s sudden death.

This pattern is dedicated to all of the strong women in my family.

It's been a difficult time, to say the least but together with the women around me we've got through it with tears, with laughter and with a gentle but indomitable strength.

We’ve looked back through old photos, we’ve remembered happy times together and we have supported each other, unfailingly in our darker moments.

Women everywhere, do indeed hold us up.

This cowl is knit in some glorious yarn from Black Stag Yarn & Fibre in a colourway called ‘Hat full of sky’ - a wonderful Terry Pratchett reference.

As soon as I saw it I knew it had to be something sky/star related and I hit upon this star stitch pattern, which I think looks fantastic spaced out across the stocking stitch background - like stars in the night sky.

The cowl is knit flat from a provisional cast on and grafted closed at the end. As I like my cowls quite snug there was a generous 40g yarn leftover from this one - probably enough for a short pair of fingerless mitts - but if you prefer something with more drape simply keep knitting until you’ve achieved the circumference you are looking for.

If you subscribe to my newsletter, please check your inbox as there should be a little discount code waiting for you there.

Socially Distant Socks

Socially Distant socks - on Payhip

I cast on for these wonderfully vivid socks a while ago using some fabulously named Pineapple Pyre yarn from Gamercrafting.

I had in mind a simple pattern, with no counting and no fuss but one that made the most of the brilliant variations in colour tone.

All the way through the knitting of these socks I knew they reminded me of something and my brain kept focusing on train tracks or tram rails. Then just as I was finishing them off it hit me - they reminded me of social distancing. Specifically the 2m distanced queues that we have become so used to seeing and being part of. Everyone together - but yet apart. Together but separate.

Talk about a metaphor for our times.

So here we have the Socially Distant socks - for your knitting pleasure. Toe-up, minimal counting and low stress. I don’t know about you but that’s been all I can manage in the knitting department of late.

If you subscribe to my newsletter please do check it out for a discount code, alternatively there’s the code SD25 which will get you a 25% early bird discount until Sunday 13 Sep.

The pattern is available on Payhip as well as on Ravelry.

A Payhip pattern sale

As I've talked previously I now have an alternative platform for pattern sales - on Payhip

All of my popular patterns are there now and by way of a road test I thought I would have a summer sale over there. If you use the code SUMMER50 you will get 50% off any pattern of your choice.

The checkout process is super quick and easy with no registration needed - and if you do want to add the pattern to your Ravelry library you can do so at a later date.

You can't upload the actual PDF, obviously but you can record in your library that you own it and - more importantly - where you stored it.

Anyway, if you do decide to try it out please do let me know what you think of the platform - constructive feedback is always welcome

Moving forward

Fuss Free Festival Shawl

At the time of writing we are now 2 weeks since the launch of the new Ravelry site. Apart from a very inadequate non-apology no substantial progress has been made on accessibility and a significant number of people are either unable to use the site or have to use extensive modifications (using 3rd party coded skins, browser modifications or ‘classic Ravelry’ - note that the latter still has issues and is most definitely not the true ‘old’ Ravelry.)

So, we are where we are. Ravelry have issued a readability survey to selected users and have also issued a general feedback form (the latter is available on the homepage).

That’s about it. No acknowledgment of the impact this has had, or apology to the many people for whom the site is now unusable. But at this point I’m of the view that I have expended enough energy on this. Ravelry will either listen, apologise and implement meaningful change in an appropriate timeframe or they won’t.

I, like many other small-time designers have had to make alternative provision for pattern sales for customers who can’t or won’t use the site.

All of my most popular patterns are now available on Payhip - a clean and simple web interface for buying digital or physical products. It allows for the use of coupon codes so I’ll be able to conduct pattern sales in the usual way and also for the issue of revised files in the event of errata or pattern changes. It also takes care of the EU VAT system automatically, which was always one of my main reasons for sticking with Ravelry.

In terms of my day to day activities, all of my marketing links and links within my blog will be directed to my Payhip site rather than my Ravelry store. Until such time as the site is deemed safe for people with epilepsy/migraine to use I do not want to run the risk of a link from my social media inadvertently triggering a reaction in an unsuspecting knitter.

My Ravelry store is still intact and open for use should people wish to use it. I have taken the decision to use the site purely as a commercial rather than a community-based one however. I have left the groups I was previously a member of (albeit a very inactive one) and deleted my personal projects. My projects and stash will now be cataloged on a personal Airtable page - although I will share links to this as and when appropriate.

Do I want Ravelry to fail? Absolutely not. It remains an invaluable database and repository of information. Do I want to take part in it as a community member? No, or at least not in it’s present form.

Communities should be available for everyone, especially one which proudly badges itself as inclusive. And at present, Ravelry isn’t.