And breathe

Sitting down at the laptop after a break of almost 2 weeks feels very strange indeed. I made a deliberate decision to leave the laptop at home during our recent travels and I'm so glad that I did. A total break from routine and clear space in which to think was really refreshing. It does mean of course that I have come back with a head fizzing with ideas, with inspiration and with Big Plans. All of which is jumbling around in my head with the usual 'back to school' chaos.

The trick at this time of year I have found is not to get too stuck on trying to do everything. Too many fresh starts and too many new projects on the go can rapidly lead to overwhelm. So I am taking it steadily and yes - making many lists.

During September the thoughts of most knitters turn towards colder months and the all important sweater knitting. I'd like to cast on another sweater (after my recent stash dash successes) and so I was thinking of making the September challenge a sweater related one.

After reading about so many local yarn shops closing I'd like to do a bit more to promote our fabulous indie suppliers this coming month too. I have lots of ideas buzzing around on this one so keep an eye out for more news soon. If I see one more Deramores advert on my Facebook timeline I might just scream and I think the time has definitely come to redress the balance and starting singing the praises of our LYSs, our online independent stockists and our yarnies.

For now though, I'm just going to deal with the school uniform mountain and then reward myself with some stripy sock knitting. Hopefully by the end of the day I can tick off some items from the never ending 'list of doom' and get cracking on some fun knitterly projects instead.

Starting today - a special offer and a prize draw

August is a big month for me as it marks my birthday and this year is especially exciting as it is my 10 year knitting anniversary.

To celebrate I am going to be offering a 21% discount on all of my self published patterns - I'm not 21 anymore but a girl can dream, right?

In addition, to mark my knitting milestone I have put together an exciting prize package from my (ahem...) extensive stash. Each use of the exclusive discount code - 21TODAY - will earn 1 entry into a prize draw for said lovely package.

I'll be sharing details of the prize over the next few days but it includes yarn and notions from some of my favourite indie people - ideal for sock knitting on the go.

So, keep an eye on your email inboxes over the next days to make sure you don't miss out.

Until the end of time

The rational part of my brain tells me that I'm almost done. That just 15" of stocking stitch in the round (and a bit of ribbing) is all that stands between myself and a finished Breathing Space sweater.

My knitters brain points out that between the narrow stripes, the frequent colour changes and the endless untwisting of both sweater and yarn - I'm going to be knitting this sweater until the end of time. Or until hell freezes over. At least I'll be glad of a warm are when it does.

Sleeves truly are my nemesis and next time I firmly resolve to knit them first once I've separated for the body. In truth I would have done this in this project except for the fact that I was worried about striping in the 2nd skein of grey as it was quite different to the other. Well that, and the fact that I forgot to.

The thought of boosting my stash dash total really is the only thing keeping me going at the minute. Well, that and cake. Please send tips for how you see deal with sleeve island. 

Snacks would be nice too 😀

Being brave

Sometimes you just need to take a deep breath and go for it, whether it's applying for a new job, making that dreaded phone call or tackling your next big project.

If you've followed me for a while you'll know that I'm no stranger to the fine art of procrastination. In fact it's probably fair to say that I could procrastinate for my country if it were ever to become an Olympic event.

For ages now I've been wanting to do a Facebook Live in my group (Everyday Knitter). I've planned it, rehearsed it, imagined it but never actually taken a deep breath and done it. Various excuses have included "I'll just wait until I've had my hair cut" and "I need to find the right shawl to wear".

Yesterday I listened to the very inspiring Making Good podcast with Jen Gale. There was a whole episode about making more out of Facebook and using it to best advantage. Jen is so down to earth and practical that I just thought - "why the heck not".

I was going to wait for the right time (I even scheduled it in my diary) but then I found myself with 10 child free minutes and just took a deep breath and went for it. I was very nervous but people were very kind with their comments and I'll definitely be doing it again. I'd like to do a weekly slot where people can ask questions and each week I'll pick one at random to answer.

Sometimes you need to take leaps of a smaller scale too. This skein of gorgeous yarn from Goldings Yarns has been sitting patiently in my stash. It came in the Mystery Gems package from The Little Grey Girl a while ago now and I've been saving it for that "perfect project".

But in the interests of "just going for it" and as an antidote to the horrible grey weather we are having at the moment, it's going on my needles today.

Bright, cheery, fearless socks are on the way.

3 tips to power up your knitting

Now I like a nice meditative knit as much as the next person but there are times when you do just need to power through something. Whether you are knitting to a deadline or whether you have 10" of plain, grey, stocking stitch sweater to plough through there are times when you just want to put your "foot to the floor" and knit as fast as humanly possible.

The next time you find yourself in that situation why not try these few simple tips to speedier knitting?

Use super slick and shiny needles: As slick as you can get away with without your stitches flying off the needles. I like Addi Turbos in particular for lots of stocking stitch. The points aren't the sharpest but they really are super speedy.

Front load your stitches: Scoot as many stitches as you can to the tip of your left hand needle. That way you don't have to pull the next stitch to the top of the needle - it will already be there.

Knit at the tips: Knit each stitch right at the tip of the left hand needle - but be sure to wrap the yarn fully around the wider part of the right hand needle as this is what determines the tightness of each stitch.

Set your timer for 10 minutes. Eyes down and why not see how much you can knit when you really put your mind to it.

Yay for new socks

Toe-up socks in yarn from West Green Loft Yarns 

There's truly nothing better than new socks, finished just in time for #FOFriday and the weekend. Being able to gift them to a friend is an added bonus. This is one of those projects that I'm almost sorry to see finished.

The yarn was from the summer yarn club by West Green Loft Yarns and is a joyous mixture of bright pastels. I really love knitting with this type of yarn where you have more colour than just "pops" but not enough to have longer colour runs and cause all types of issues with pooling. I have no idea how Vykky does it, but I'm just pleased that she does.

These socks have been riding around in the car with me for weeks now as my in-car travel project and we've become good friends. But I know that my friend will love them and I get to rummage in my stash for my next plain vanilla pair of socks in waiting.

Happy weekend one and all

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