Time for a Log Cabin blanket KAL

Log Cabin Blanket KAL 2024

New for Autumn 2024 - a shiny brand new knitalong and e-book for you

All about the joys of Log Cabin Blankets.

If you enjoyed my Mitered Square Blanket KAL you’ll definitely want to catch this.

It will run in much the same format over 4-6 weeks, starting in September - and as with previous KALs please don’t worry - I’m not expecting you to churn out a king sized blanket in a month.

Instead the aim is to introduce you to the concept of Log Cabin Style blankets. To the different shapes and styles you can construct and to give you the tools and the inspiration to create a truly unique Log Cabin blanket of your very own.

Each week will feature instructions on how to knit a Log Cabin style square - each of them will be different and will give you an idea of how the basic concept can be used to create a multitude of different possibilities - all from the same building blocks.

The four blocks will work together, so if you want, you can knit each of them and then stitch them into a small, lap-sized sampler blanket as a starter project . Or you can downsize each one and use them as test pieces for your own log cabin adventure.

Why Log Cabin style?

• Perfect for stashbusting and using up random yarns from your stash

• Endlessly adaptable - you can go as large or as small as you like

• A great opportunity to play with colour

• Relaxing garter stitch for the win - no stress knitting here

• An ideal knitting project to keep you company in autumn/winter

Dates for your diary

• After purchase you will receive a pre-KAL information sheet, just so you know what materials you need to get together and what to expect.

• The dedicated Facebook group for the KAL will open towards the end of August so that you can all gather and chat about your plans in advance.

• The first week of our KAL will be Mon Sep 16th and a new block will be released each Monday for 4 weeks.

• There will then be two-week period where folks can discuss their plans for their own log cabin blanket and I’ll be on hand to offer any help that might be needed.

• The Facebook group will remain open as long as it’s needed.

A different kind of social summer

It’s quite common for people to take an Instagram break over the summer, and there are definitely years that I have done just that. Getting back into it in September is always a real barrier though and it can take a while to build up momentum again.

This year I thought I would buck the trend and do something a little bit different - I’m going to go random and post a photo a day - just snippets of my summer. Memories I want to save and things that have made me smile. No pressure, no strategy, no curation or filters. Just happy snaps.

Kind of like how we all posted in 2015/2016 when the biggest decision we had to make was which filter to apply - I was always an F2 girl if you were wondering.

I’ve decided to start with a 30-day challenge to myself and I’ll see how it goes. It might make my Instagram grid look a little weird but does anyone even look at the grid anymore? Probably not.

In terms of writing and more in-depth content then my Substack publication is where it’s at. I’m going to be focusing more on my community there as it’s honestly such a friendly and supportive place to hang on.

Whereas once I would find myself opening Instagram multiple times per day and scrolling stories I now find myself popping into Substack and chatting with people on Notes.

Eyes down for a substack summer: blog post

If you are a Substack reader please do pop over and say hi, and if you aren’t maybe I could tempt you to take a peek. It’s not at all scary I promise and there are tons of fabulous writers (and quite a bit of knitting content too).

You might also enjoy: What can Substack do for you?

Why does no one knit scarves any more?

The Saltaire Summer Shawlouise Tilbrook Designs

As someone who once wrote a blog post entitled Death by Scarf, I could be accused of being ever so slightly hypocritical with this post - but please hear me out.

Whilst I am not, and never would advocate for knitting a 6-foot garter stitch shawl (unless you were going for the full on Tom Bake as Doctor Who cosplay) I do wonder where the strong preponderance for shawls over scarves/stoles came from in recent years.

If you can use Ravelry a quick look through their Accessories/Neck/Torso section is quite illuminating. There are nearly 70,000 shawl patterns listed but only 45,000 scarf patterns - that’s quite a disparity. Especially when you consider that scarves (or stoles - I’m never quite sure of the distinction) to the untrained eye especially might appear to be more forgiving than shawls where shaping is required.

Recently, whilst playing around with a swatch idea for a shawl I got a little carried away and accidentally knit about 10 inches of a scarf. Please tell me I’m not the only one who can lose myself in a meditative piece of knitting and reruns of New Amsterdam on Netflix.

I was having so much fun and the pattern was slowing so beautifully that I decided to just carry on and lo - the Saltaire Summer Stole was born.

Seriously though - the humble scarf does have a lot to recommend it in my opinion. For example:

1. It’s a lot easier to tell when it’s long enough - just stopping knitting and hold it up.

2. It makes estimating yarn usage a breeze as each row repeat uses the same amount of yarn.

3. No pesky shaping to throw off your stitch count.

4. There’s no risk of a 400-stitch bind off.

5. Easily customisable - want a wider scarf (or even a blanket) - just add repeats.

What’s not to love?

If you are a member of my paid Substack community you can access a free copy of the Saltaire Summer Stole over there - and if you aren’t, please just tap the link above to check out my Substack and take advantage of a 7-day free trial.

Something old...something new KAL

The Fuss Free Festival Shawl - skip to the end for the sale information

I’ve always been fascinated by my ability to be distracted by new shiny things, much to the detriment of older, less shiny projects. Projects that still need finishing but that my brain seems resolutely determined to ignore. There is a sound scientific basis for this apparently which is good to know

It turns out that seeing or experiencing completely novel images or situations helps our brains to develop and continue to grow, even into later life.

It helps me to feel a little better when I overlook the 100s of knitting patterns I already own in search of something new I saw just that day. But in my heart I know that those older patterns still have tons of value.

Just because I first bought and downloaded something five years ago doesn’t mean it’s any less of a valuable pattern. I still like the item and would ideally like to own it and wear it. But it’s so tempting to overlook it in pursuit of something brand new (to my eyes).

Something old, Something new craft-along

With this in mind I thought a ‘something old, something new’ craft along might be fun this summer - to go along with the Summer of Books and Yarn.

We could cast on something new alongside something that we’ve had in our pattern store for a long time. Scratching our novelty itch (as it were) alongside the pleasing thriftiness that comes with using something that we already have.

Or alternatively, you could pair a new pattern with an old yarn from your stash (or vica versa).

What do you think? We could start on July 22nd to coincide with the start of the Summer of Books and Yarn, using the hashtag #NewAndOldKAL on Instagram - there will also be posts on the Everyday Knitter Facebook Group and in my Substack community

Pattern Sale!

To go along with the KAL I thought I’d have a 20% sale on my patterns - by way of brightening up our rather dull and cold summer (so far). Until the official start of the KAL and readalong on Jul 22nd you can get 20% off all of my patterns on my website or on Ravelry.

Use code NewAndOld for the 20% discount to be applied at checkout

Never knit with green yarn...and other knitting superstitions

This article was first published on my Everyday Knitter Substack on 19 June 2024. If you’d like to find out more about my Everyday Knitter community there and join in the conversation please tap here to find out more: See what’s on Substack.

My Nana who taught me to knit was a font of all knitting knowledge but was also raised from a strong Irish Catholic background - and as such she had some deep rooted and ‘interesting’ superstitions that she wasn’t shy about sharing with us.

She was scandalised for example when I wore my fabulous new pair of red shoes on my graduation day - as red shoes were a well known sign of a fallen women, apparently. When my Dad took photos she insisted that he crop my feet out of shot.

Showing a similar colour bias she would also refuse to knit with green yarn on the grounds that it was unlucky. After doing a bit of reading around this it does seem to be a widely held belief, especially in Ireland that green is a colour worn by faries - and for humans to do so is considered ill luck, especially when knitting for babies.

She did make an exception for my bottle-green school cardigans however, presumably on the grounds that, that particular shade of bottle-green was so ugly that no self respecting fairy would want to wear it.

Green Gable Socks - probably my Nana’s knitting nemesis

There are other superstitions which she held which I think are more widely known among knitters in general.

Never to stab your needles through your ball of yarn is quite a common one - as it’s said to cause bad luck. Similarly she would never hand knitting needles to me directly, she would always put them on the table in front of me and have me pick them up. And if she dropped a pair of scissors on the ground she would always cross herself.

After reading various online knitting forums over the years I’ve also come across a number of other knitting superstitions, some of which include:

• Knitting a strand of your hair into a garment for a loved one will tie them to you.

• Never knit socks for a loved one or they will walk away from you - I think after years of knitting socks for my husband I can safely debunk that one.

• It’s bad luck to start a knitting project on a Friday

• Every knitting project should have a deliberate mistake to keep you safe from the fairies

• The boyfriend sweater curse is well known too - although I have never tried this out in practice.

Have you ever come across any knitting superstitions in your crafty endeavours?

I don’t particularly hold any myself although I do refuse to knit with black or navy yarn.

Though this is less to do with long-held superstitious beliefs and much more to do with declining eyesight.

Tips for success with circular needles

I have to be honest here and say that it’s been so long since I used straight needles for anything that they feel distinctly odd and alien to me. Despite the fact that I grew up learning to use straight needles - knitting flat now, for me, always involves circular needles.

I find them to be much more comfortable as they spread the load of the knitting more evenly. As well as that they are much more portable - easily tucked away inside a project bag.

Knitting on public transport can be a little cramped at the best of times and no one needs long straight needles further antagonising the ‘armrest wars’.

That being said, there are a lot of people for whom knitting is synonymous with straight needles and when they do try to change the habits of a lifetime it can feel uncomfortable to say the least. I often see comments on forum posts where people are trying out circular needles for the first time. They try once or twice and then give up as they find it too difficult.

Changing any kind of established movement or habit is hard work. Our brains are hard wired to prefer the comfort of familiar routines, they take less thought and we can almost do them without thinking about it.

If you are in any doubt about the power of muscle memory try folding your arms the ‘wrong way’ and see how alien it feels to you, how hard you have to concentrate on the movements. And that’s just a simple thing like crossing your arms. Imagine how many more neurons and muscles have to be recruited when you try to hold knitting needles in a different way. You literally need to rewire your brain - and that takes time.

The good news is that by developing new neural pathways like this you are developing your neuroplasticity - something which is linked to staving off age-related changes in the brain such as dementia. SO it’s well worth persevering with. If it helps here are a few things that I have found worked for me and those I teach.

How to get to grips with circular needles:

1. Choose a good quality brand - the best you can afford. Look for needles with a smooth join between the cable and the needle portion. Cheaper, plastic needles often have a rough join which will just catch and snag on your stitches. Tugging the stitches over a rough patch won’t help your enjoyment of the knitting.

2. Cast on for a simple project first, something like a hat where you can just focus on the process.

3. You don’t have to knit in the round at first if you don’t want to. Just practice using the circular needle to knit flat, knitting back and forth as you would normally.

4. When you do decide to knit in the round knit flat for a few rows first before joining. This helps you to avoid accidentally twisting your stitches and you can stitch up the little gap at the end with the tail of your working yarn.

5. When knitting in the round try to use the tips of your fingers more than your palms. When using straight needles much of the weight (and control) rests through your palms/wrists - this is the reason for many RSI-type injuries. With circular knitting most of the weight is distributed through the cable and you are just using your fingertips to manipulate the needles.

6. Practice daily. Aim for 5 to 10 minutes every day on your ‘in the round’ project. Try not to do more, especially if you are finding it frustrating. It will take time to develop your new skill but you will gradually find it easier and easier as you reprogramme all those little neurons.

Practice really is the key here - little and often - and in no time you will surprise yourself with how much you are managing to knit.

What aspects of circular knitting do you find challenging? Why not let me know in the comments and I’ll see if I can help.

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