Saying goodbye

Today seems the perfect time to wear one of my favourite pairs of socks I've ever made. Simple toe-up socks with a fish lips kiss heel and made from yarn from an outstanding indie dyer.

Today is the funeral for our friend Heather aka Sparkleduck. Appropriately enough for such a big Star Wars fan, on May 4th. I was lucky enough to meet Heather at shows and events over the years and we both shared the same LYS - The Sheep Shop in Cambridge.

Visiting the shop was always a great treat but made even more so by the wall of gorgeous Sparkleduck which greeted you when you walked in. Rifling through my stash after Heather passed away I was struck by how little of her yarn I had. And then I realised that was because I have most of it away. Sparkleduck yarn was always reserved for special gifts because, Well, it was special.

Whilst the news of Heathers sudden passing has shocked us all I take a lot of comfort in knowing that her work will continue to spread happiness and joy for many years to come. As knitters, dyers and other creative folk the work that we do lives on long after we do. Cherished blankets and shawls provide a tangible link between the past and present in a way that other material goods cannot. People years from now will still be treasuring the things we make today and that is such a warm and happy thought. 

So, on this difficult day why not take a few minutes to work on something special and weave a few positive thoughts and happy memories into it as you go. In years to come you never know who might find comfort and happiness in it.

4 ways to support your LYS - without buying yarn

Limited edition LYS Colourway from West Yorkshire Spinners

Saturday May 6th is Local Yarn Shop day here in the UK - seriously one of my favourite days of the year.

I am lucky enough to be teaching a Socks for beginners class at my LYS - The Sheep Shop in Cambridge and afterwards Third Vault Yarns will be doing a talk and Trunk Show which is all very exciting.

We are so lucky to have exciting and vibrant local yarn shops here but I know that there are certain areas of the country where this isn't the case and it's important that we show our LYS's some love all year round - not just on May 6th.

So here a few ways you can support your LYS

1. Buy yarn obviously. I could be preaching to the converted here (in fact I suspect I am) but even though online buying is quick and convenient nothing beats the squish factor. Getting up close and personal with your intended purchases is far more satisfying than through a computer screen.

2. Tell your friends about it. Word of mouth is a great tool in encouraging more people to visit an LYS. Alternatively leave an online review for your LYS to help inform others.

3. When you do visit an LYS - share it on social media. Check in there on Facebook and show off your purchases. It all helps to share awareness among your wider social group.

4. Participate in Knit Nights or other group events in the shop

5. Even if you are on a yarn diet, do you need new needles, stitch markers or scissors - every little helps.

If you aren't local to Cambridge there are some fabulous events going on around the UK. You can find a list of participating stores here.

If I was further north I would most certainly be making a beeline for the Countess Ablaze's new dye studio in Manchester for one of her legendary soirees. Or in London, Anna at Wild and Woolly is hosting a fabulous event featuring The Wool Kitchen and Travel Knitter amongst others.

It's going to be a fabulous day. Whatever you do - even if it is just leaving an online review for your LYS or telling a friend about them I hope you enjoy the day and that you can help to share the love for our LYS's.

Fickle Steps - a new sock design

Fickle Steps by Louise Tilbrook Designs

After months of keeping it under wraps I am really pleased to let you know that I have a new sock design published - in a fabulous new magazine called Rib.

Aimed at men who knit and those who knit for them this is only the magazine's second issue but it has already built a considerable following on Ravelry and on Instagram. They have a wonderful clean and pared back aesthetic and the designs in this issue all have that immediate appeal that makes you want to grab your needles and cast on immediately.
I was so pleased to be able to work with them and also to have to chance to work with some fabulous yarn -Nomade - from Julie Asselin

Fickle Steps is a pattern for a unisex cuff down sock with a design that is fun to work and easy to remember.

There are some great sweater patterns in this issue too and I can see them appealing to both men and women. The Survey Pullover for example would make a great addition to my wardrobe!

I do hope you pop over and take a look at the magazine and I'd love to know what you think.

A new KAL you say? Oh.. go on then...

Fuss Free Festival Shawl by Louise Tilbrook Designs

And why not? Its a bank holiday in the UK and a project this simple and straightforward practically knits itself.

We all love a good excuse for a cheeky bank holiday cast on, so why not grab a skein of lovely sock weight yarn and join us. No rules, just lots of fun and garter stitch.

Join us over on the Everyday Knitter Facebook group or use the hashtag #fussfreefestivalshawl on social media so we can all see what you are working on.

The pattern is still free for another week or so if you sign up to my email newsletter so if you haven't snagged a copy yet you might want to while you have the chance.

May Sweater Challenge

May is the perfect month to concentrate on a little bit of sweater knitting. Never mind “Summer knits” and wafty linen tops. We know that the british weather is fickle at the best of times and you can be very glad of a warm woolly sweater on an August bank holiday in this country.

Even if the weather gods smile on us and we have a glorious summer, by starting a sweater now you have a great chance of having a fabulous new addition to your autumn wardrobe.

Sweater knitting also ties in very well with the #memademay challenge. Predominantly an initiative started by sewists this also extends to anyone who makes elements of their wardrobe by hand. There are some inspirational blog posts on the subject and this is a hashtag I love to follow on Instagram, along with #handmadewardrobe and #slowfashion.

If that wasn’t incentive enough there is also #milomay - an annual KAL for the super cute and very adaptable Milo vest - a pattern by Georgie Nicolson. This has been running for a few years now and there are some wonderful examples on Ravelry of knitters who have taken this fabulous pattern and really made it their own.

And just to add the cherry on top of the cake, starting a sweater gives you are great boost on your Stash Dash total. I’ll talk more about Stash Dash in the coming weeks - a lot more as it is a real favourite of mine - but for now just bear in mind that it starts towards the end of May and runs until August. Seasoned Stash Dashers will be already planning their summer knits with this in mind.

So, what are you waiting for? Just a suggestion but these are a few ideas for how you can participate in the #maysweaterchallenge.

• Dig out your unfinished sweater projects and either rip them out or finish them.

• Challenge yourself to knit your first garment - baby knit totally count.

• Cast on a brand new shiny sweater project - yes I know - this is my favourite option too.

• Organise your stash and pair up your ‘sweater quantities’ of yarn to patterns in the queue.

As ever, there are no knitting police. Set your own challenge and be sure to head over to the Everyday Knitter Facebook group to join in the fun and chat. Hope to see you there.

What is a sock yarn swap anyway?

So, what's all the fuss about a sock yarn mini swap anyway?

If you are a member of the Everyday Knitter Facebook group you may have seen that we had so much fun with our last mini swap that we are doing it again. Many of us are knitting sock yarn blankets or scrap yarn projects and as much as we love our own stashed yarn it can be a real bonus to have an injection of colour from someone else's stash.

So, the sock yarn mini swap idea was born. For minimum hassle and maximum knitting time we use an app called Elfster which is an automated gift exchange service. You register and then after the sign-up deadline has passed you will automatically matched up to a swap partner. The swap is reciprocal - ie you both exchange gifts with each other.

If your swap partner has any particular preferences it's good to take these into account when choosing which yarns to send. You can set up your preferences by using the 'wish list' function in Elfster.

You then just need to wind off your chosen yarns into 5g mini balls or skeins. It isn't necessary at all to skein them but if you would like to there is a great tutorial here on how to do it. It's also nice to label the skeins - dyer and colourway - so that your partner knows what they are. It's a great way to discover new-to-you dyers or to get your mitts on something that you haven't had a chance to try out before.

Then just write a little note, pop everything in a Jiffy bag and post it by the deadline. It's a good idea to register on Elfster that you have sent your parcel. As an admin - that makes my job so much easier.

Then, when your parcel arrives please take a little picture and let us know about it on the Facebook Group. You can also record it as received on Elfster. This shows your swappee that their parcel has arrived safely and hopefully that you are happy with the contents.

All that remains to be done is to grab your sock yarn blanket and add your new mini skeins, along with some happy memories of a new knitty friend you've made.