New Year

Hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas and New Year. I enjoyed mine though glad to be back to some semblance of normality.

I’ve got a few projects to share that I gave as Christmas presents.

Actually, the first one wasn't a present but I didn’t get around to blogging about it. This one was for me.

I started on a weekend away as I thought it would be one of those really easy travelling projects. It was a very simple pattern. I worked it in one colour but I’ve seen some nice multi-coloured versions about.

The yarn is Posh Yarn Martha Sock and the pattern is Dotted Rays by Stephen West. There’s something about it that bugs me a bit but you’ll have to spot it for yourself. Here’s my Ravelry Project Page.

This little one was a Christmas present for my new godson. I’ve made this one before for another friend and it went down well. I did it in about a week before I had to give them the presents so was a bit rushed. The pattern is a Sirdar one and the yarn is Rico Baby Classic DK. Here's my Ravelry Project Page.

I only managed to snap this one photo of the mitts. I’ll try and get some modelled ones but Mum got these for Christmas. The yarn was one I got two Christmases ago from my Mum and I think she picked her favourite colour, so it was only fair to make something for her and give it back!

The pattern is Tatara by Olga Buraya-Kefelian. It has short rows around the wrist section that allows the fabric to rib up. It’s very clever and interesting enough to knit. The yarn is Loft by Brooklyn Tweed which is very nice and creates quite a spongy fabric, though you have to treat it gently because the style of yarn means it does break if you give it a tug. Here's the Ravelry Project Page.

This was the big hit of Christmas. Mum absolutely loves it and has been showing it to everyone.

It’s the MKAL by Westknits and I kept seeing all these stunning photos of shawls around Instagram. I had no intention of doing it as I was a bit under pressure work wise but I was tempted in the end. I ended up stash diving and using some yarns that were intended for other projects but they went so nicely together. The green is Drops Alpaca, the beige is the original Baa Ram Ewe Titus and the lovely dark brown is Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply. Doodler by Stephen West. Here's my Ravelry Project Page. I kept a list on my project page on how much I used of each yarn in each section, which might be useful to those planning on making one (Nicki!).

The final project was for me and it’s my Christmas socks. The yarn was the limited edition Christmas one from West Yorkshire Spinners and the pattern was free with the yarn. Here's my Ravelry Project Page.