Barn Door Cowl

Barn Door Cowl

Heavens, the last few weeks have been a bit full-on haven’t they?

I have to confess that I have been off line a little more than usual, trying to dissolve my anxieties with hot drinks, warm baths and my knitting. I’ve also been reading at a pace I don’t think I’ve managed since my teenage years. There’s something therapeutic about losing yourself in a good book - I’d quite forgotten how it can take you out of yourself and your worries and put you in a whole different mindset.

This cowl has been patiently awaiting publication for a few weeks now - it flew off the needles back in October and I’ve been wearing it pretty much constantly ever since.

It’s knit in DK yarn (the sample is Eden Cottage Yarns, Hayton DK) and 1 x 100g skein is sufficient for a single loop cowl.

It is knit in the round using a fun textured stitch - which is surprisingly easy once you get the hang of it. I have included links to two short videos in the pattern though just so you can see where the yarn is supposed to go, when you get to the tricky bit.

In line with my policy of transitioning all pattern sales away from Ravelry, this pattern is available for purchase on Payhip. There is a pattern page up on Ravelry for this design but the purchasing link will take you across to Payhip. If you buy the pattern and would like a copy for your Ravelry library please do let me know and I can gift a copy to you.

What is Payhip anyway?

So what is Payhip anyway? I've had a few questions about what Payhip is and I realised that I probably haven't explained it very well.

So here's a few things that might help. First and foremost, it's a place you can buy digital products (also physical ones, should I ever have any).

It works exactly the same as Ravelry from the purchasing perspective. You add a pattern to your cart, you enter your email address and then pay using PayPal with either a credit/debit card or a PayPal account. A download link to the pattern is then emailed to you.

A few things to note:

1. Payhip is not a marketplace like, say Etsy. You can't search it for knitting patterns. You'll need to know the URL for the designer you want to buy from.

2. Check out yarndatabase.com for an A to Z listing of designers who are selling using Payhip (and other non Rav platforms)

3. Payhip doesn't require you to sign in and doesn't hold your details. If you want to follow a particular designer tap the blue follow button in their profile. Then, when they upload a new pattern you'll get a notification

4. As with Ravelry, you don't need a PayPal account to buy a pattern. You can use your credit or debit card through the PayPal site.

5. Payhip doesn't have a library function. The PDF is sent to you to store as you wish. I use Evernote to store mine as it's search function will find text even in images or PDFs so I don't need to worry about tagging

6. If you do want a copy of a pattern for your Ravelry library, please email me at the support address on the bottom of your pattern and I'll gift you a copy.

I hope this helps but please let me know if there's anything I've missed

You can find my Payhip store here

Time for a Socktober Sale

It seems like as good a time as any to have a Socktober sock sale. I haven’t managed to transfer all of my sock designs over onto Payhip yet, but all of those that are there are available with a 25% discount from now until the end of the month.

Just use code SOCKTOBER (don’t laugh, I don’t have the energy to come up with a cunning code today) and it applies to as many designs as you would like.

Thank you and happy sock knitting

xx

Tips for perfectly matched stripy socks

#SocktoberTips #2
Top tips for perfectly matching stripy socks - without the hassle of knitting 2 at a time

1. Wind yarn into 2 X 45g balls before you start - with 10g left for heels/toes. Or use 10g of contrast yarn.

2. I prefer to work toe-up as I find it easier to get a good match.

3. Work a short row heel to avoid longer rows (and thinner colour bands) over the heel. The Fish Lips Kiss heel works well.

4. If you like your socks to match perfectly look for indie dyers who sell matched 50g skeins - @muststashyarn is a favourite. And here in the UK Needle and Fred also offers this type of yarn as does Ripplescrafts, although they always teens to sell out very quickly

Socktober Tips #1: It's all about the yarn

https://payhip.com/LouiseTilbrookDesigns

Of all the countless articles and endless advice written about sock knitting I feel that the one thing which should be top of the list, rarely is.

What am I talking about? The yarn of course.

You can have the perfect stitch pattern, the perfect needles and create socks that are the perfect fit with amazingly matchy stripes. But none of that matters at all if the yarn isn’t up to the job.

A lot is written about so-called sock yarns - often taken to mean a 4ply or fingering weight yarn which usually (but not always) is a wool blend with up to 25% nylon. This often leads to the assumption that this is the only type of yarn suitable for sock knitting. But in reality it is perfectly possible, desirable even, to knit a sock in 100% natural fibres.

Nylon is added to give strength to a yarn, a job it does admirably. But the same effect can be achieved by adding another fibre such as alpaca or mohair to the blend.

If you want to read more about this and maybe experiment with some nylon free socks for yourself, this article by the Wovember team in conjunction with Sue of Blacker Yarns is a great place to start.

Another crucial factor which is often overlooked is the matter of gauge. People often complain that their socks wear through quickly, especially in high friction areas and may blame the yarn. If this is a problem for you it might be worth switching down a needle size or two. Friction is reduced considerably when the fabric has a tighter weave - the fibres literally have less room to rub against each other - and the resulting sock will be much longer lasting. Knitting socks on 2.5mm needles used to be my default but increasingly I have noticed much better results (and increased longevity of heels/toes) by switching down to 2.25mm needles.

Whilst no one wants a bullet proof sock*, aiming for a slightly denser fabric than you might usually go for could work wonders.

* This reminds me of when, as a sock newbie I decided to knit a DK weight sock on my regular 2.5mm needles. What could possibly go wrong I reasoned - surely you always used ‘sock needles’ to knit socks.

The end result was a pair of booties that quite literally stood up by themselves.

And that’s never a good look.

To sign up to receive these #SocktoberTips as emails, please use this link

Socktober Tips

As October is breathing down our necks already I thought I would do a series of Socktober Tips during the coming month, with some tried and tested tips for levelling up your sock knitting game.

I can't quite promise daily tips but I'm aiming for a few short tips and tricks each week, interspersed with a couple of special offers on some of my sock patterns.

I'll be adding posts to my various social media channels - mainly Twitter and Instagram as well as adding them to the blog as well, but if you want to make sure you don't miss anything please click this link to sign up to a dedicated Socktober Tips newsletter - just for the month of October.