The Comfort Blanket KAL is back for 2024

Back by popular demand - the Comfort Blanket knitalong returns for what I think is the fifth year running. We started in 2019 and although we may have lost a year somewhere in the pandemic we are still going strong.

For the unitiated this is a KAL for those who have bought my e-book 'How to knit a mitered square blanket'.

On purchasing the e-book you get a link to a new-for-2024 dedicated Facebook group. The link to the Facebook group is on the back page of the e-book. The e-book also contains the pre-KAL information on yarn choices and blanket square sizes so that you have a little time for plotting and planning before we get started on May 13.

The KAL originally ran over a 4 week period but don't worry, I'm not expecting you to knit a blanket in a month. Instead each week we focus on a different aspect of knitting a mitered square blanket, giving you time to experiment and plan what will hopefully be a long-lived and much loved project.

If you are new to the joys of mitered square blankets allow me to pursuade you of some of the benefits:

  • perfect for stashbusting

  • allow you to play with colour

  • squishy garter stitch

  • no need for seaming - squares are joined as you go

  • endlessly adaptable - go as large as you like or make a small lap blanket

Convinced yet?

If you have any questions please just email me or pop a comment below and I’ll do my best to get back to you as soon as possible

Returning KAL’ers

If you took part in a previous years KAL or if you’ve bought the e-book before and are yet to get started, you are more than welcome to join the group too. Just keep an eye on your emails (the email you used when you purchased the e-book) and I’ll let you know as soon as the Facebook group is open for business.

5 ways knitting can help your brain

As knitters we all know of course that it can be wonderfully relaxing, but did you know that there is a wealth of scientific evidence out there to show that knitting or crochet is one of the best things you can do on a daily basis to improve your mental health?

  1. The slow, repetitive movements associated with knitting can actually cause the release of serotonin in the brain? Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which is important in mood regulation amongst other things. The mindful, repetitive movements can bring about a state of relaxation akin to those associated with yoga, making it ideal for those who are seeking to bring about a more meditative state of mind. Speaking personally I often struggle with traditional meditation exercises which require visualisation techniques. But I can often achieve a relaxed, happy state of mind by knitting, in the same way as I can by going for a long, slow walk in nature.

  2. The act of following a pattern is associated with an improvement in focus and in memory.

  3. Knitting improves fine motor control - knitting has been used as a therapy to help patients with Parkinson’s Disease improve motor control. Knitting, unlike a lot of other therapies requires use of a lot of different parts of the brain at the same time - Frontal lobe (planning and paying attention), Occipital lobe (processes visual signals), Parietal lobe (sensory and spatial information) and the Cerebellum (in control of precision and timing).

  4. Being part of a knitting group (whether in person or online can contribute to combating feelings of isolation and loneliness.

  5. It can help with breaking old patterns of behaviour - giving up smoking for example - and in forming new healthier habits. A lot of people report that knitting can help to occupy the hands/brain and combat cravings.

I’m sure there are a lot more benefits than this - but these are just some of the wildly reported positive benefits of knitting, so much so that NHS Occupational Therapy departments are looking at knitting/crochet as a possible treatment option alongside more conventional therapies

According to the Mayo Clinic, seniors who engage in crafts (including knitting) are about 30-50% less likely to have a “mild cognitive impairment” than those who don’t.

Further reading

Stitchlinks: If this has sparked your interest you might like to check out Stitchlinks - the home of Therapeutic Knitting and the brainchild of author and knitter Betsan Corkhill who has lead the way in this exciting area of research.

Knit and Health for Wellness by Betsan Corkhill

PIN FOR LATER

Three tips for speedy socks

A stripy sock in yarn from The Yarny Octopus

It’s no secret that I love knitting stripy socks. Give me a self stripe yarn and my book or a Netflix series and I’m definitely in my happy place. For socks such as this there is no rush, I’m happy just to proceed at my own pace and let the socks be finished when they are ready.

But, let’s face it time and birthdays wait for no man. So there are times when deadlines press and a pair of socks need to be done, with ends woven in and everything.

So here are my top 3 tips for speedier sock knitting:

  1. Sharp tips. These needle tips are Hiya Hiya sharp interchangeables and I love ‘em, especially if there are any cables or twisted stitches to be knit.

  2. Magic loop. Being able to scoot staright across 32 or 36 stitches in one swoop without having to stop and readjust definitely saves me time. Yes, there is a little cable wrangling at the midway point but I find I can get up quite a head of steam as I work my way across each needle tip.

  3. Continental knitting. Keeping the yarn as close as possible to the left needle tip and wrapping it tight around my tensioning finger helps me to keep excess movement to a minimum. This keeps each movement efficient and reduces the potential for RSI.

What’s your best tip for speedy sock knitting? I know some people swear by DPNs for speed but for me I always seem to get in a tangle.

Feel Better socks

Most of my sock designs are written with magic loop in mind - such as these colourful, slightly cabled Feel Better Socks. Tap the button below to see the full range of sock patterns I have for sale.



What gets in your way?

Yarn is from Eden Cottage Yarn. project bag is from Eldenwood Crafts

What stops you from casting on?

As a champion procrastinator I can put something off for weeks, even months. Or if I have that certain spark of motivation I can cast on almost immediately.

I've had this yarn kit (@edencottageyarns ) and pattern (Kismet sweater by @unwind_knitwear ) for months. I love the yarn, I love the pattern....have I started it....nope.

My main barriers are:

🌿 Winding the yarn. Lacking a dedicated craft space means that my set up is always a little cobbled together and I need the house to be quiet.

🌿 Getting the first few rows in. Especially if there is a complicated set up or lots of markers are needed.

🌿 If lots of counting is needed at the start. I can't do that when the house is busy.

The common factor here is the need for quiet. So of course I decided that yesterday afternoon with both boys at home and husband doing DIY loudly upstairs was the perfect time to start.

Do I never learn.

Of course I managed to mess up the increases so l be starting again today - hopefully when things are quieter. What get’s in your way and stops you from starting a project?


Scrappy socks and sunshine

It’s a Finished Object Friday, I have some new socks and after what feels like weeks of rain we have some sunshine. It’s a good day!

This isn’t the first pair of scrappy socks I’ve shared here and it certainly won’t be the last. There is something so satisfying about knitting socks out of sock yarn leftovers that I don’t think will ever get old.

Partly it’s the fun of being able to use up scraps from other projects, partly it’s the way you get a chance to play with colour and design your own self striping colourways.

These purples and greys had been sitting around in my workbasket for ages looking for a home, and I still have lots of grey left over so there’s plenty more for other pairs - or maybe a pair of striped wrist warmers instead.

In case you are wondering about the ends - never fear. I used the Clasped Weft Join method which means there are no ends to worry about. It’s so quick and easy to do, and with me scrappy sock count well into double figures at this point it hasn’t failed me yet.

Scrappy socks have to be the ultimate feel-good project and they make ideal travel projects too. I’ve never been able to embrace the fully random colour selection - mine always have to be regular spaced stripes or at least to have some kind of regularity to them - but I have huge admiration for those who can.

Given the amount of leftover yarn I have I was thinking about knitting a long tube - like a sock snake - but making it into a looped cowl by grafting the two ends together at the end. It could be a fun project and will hopefully make a substantial dent in my leftover yarn stash - watch this space for details - I’ll let you know how it goes.

Other blog posts you might like:

Super Sock Snake

Try a different toe increase


The way to a knitters heart

It’s been a fun few weeks in social media terms. A glitch or some kind of random spanner in the works meant that I found myself locked out of my own Instagram account for a few days. That wouldn’t have been too bad in itself but I was trying to let people know about a flash sale I had going on - thanks Meta.

Luckily, my trusty email newsletter meant that most people were aware of it anyway - let’s face it - Instagram reach is so poor these days that we consider ourselves lucky if anyone sees our posts at all. This is a great reminder though, if you aren’t already, to sign up to my email newsletter (and that of other people you follow on social media for that matter).

We never know when the Instagram gods will decide to pull the marketing rug out from under us, so email is really the best way of ensuring that we can stay in touch and you don’t miss anything vital. And if you did miss the sale - huge apologies - I’ll do another one shortly so keep an eye on your inboxes.

I was grumping slightly that I wouldn’t be able to share my post yarn show haul online thanks to the IG ban but then it dawned on me that I have this - my very own if slightly neglected blog.

So with my Instagram grumpiness fresh in my mind you can expect to see a little more blog action from me moving forward and a little less reliance on the capriciousness of Meta.

East Anglia Yarn Festival 9-10 March 2024

If there is anything that brings a smile to a knitters face faster than the prospect of a yarn show, then I don’t know what it is. The thought of a few hours, happily squishing yarn, chatting with friends and generally being among people who ‘get it’ is one of the nicest ways I can think of to spend a few hours on a rainy afternoon in March.

This was my second visit to the East Anglia Yarn Festival and it’s definitely one of my favourite shows to attend. Masses of parking, lots of space to move around and really well organised. It’s a real treat to attend and I always end up spending far more money than I originally intended.

It’s always nice to attend a yarn show where the vendors are genuinely enthusiastic and happy to be there. Everyone was very relaxed and it just generally made for a lovely chilled out afternoon.

My husband came with me for a change and he commented that it was a long time since he had seen quite so many smiling faces in one place. He’s a non-knitter (but a very appreciative receiver of handknit socks) and even he enjoyed the yarn fume filled atmosphere.

So, without further ado let’s cut the chase.

The obligatory post yarn show, on-the-bed haul photo. Actually when I spread it out properly it doesn’t look as big as I thought. And there definitely seems to be a colour theme running through it.

Clockwise from left:

I also managed to score a skein of the beautiful Folk yarn - the special, limited edition yarn produced entirely within East Anglia. I’ve no idea what I will make with it (or any of my haul to be honest) but I’m going to have fun dreaming of it’s potential.

I intended to buy some more DK to balance out my stash but what can I say, I fell for all the pretty 4ply yarns. Always a weakness.

And of course, as we all know - sock yarn never really counts as stash anyway.

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