New pattern: Corona Beret

November 3, 2014November 4, 2014 | Elanor

I have just released my Corona Beret, a slouchy, warm ray of sunshine for Winter.

Corona Beret is available to for £3.

This oversized regal beret in gorgeous Skein Queen Blush yarn is slouchy, soft and warm. The interesting stitch pattern is made using just knit and purl stitches. The textured effect on this hat will look especially well under oblique winter light. From different points of view, the Corona Beret can look like a star, a crown or a flower.

The gold colour of this skein of yarn inspired this knit. The idea was to create a crown of stitches, but to emphasise the softness of the yarn I made the beret oversized and slouchy. It was only when I started the decreases that I realised the back was going to look like a multi-petalled flower. I’m delighted with the end result and I hope you are too.

Sizes

Head sizes vary widely. These measurements fit average sizes for Baby (Toddler, Child, Small Adult, Medium Adult, Large Adult).
To Fit Head Circumference
35.5 (40.5, 45.5, 51, 56, 61)cm/
14 (16, 18, 20, 22, 24)in
Finished Circumference
34 (38, 42.5, 46.5, 51, 55)cm/
13.25 (15, 16.75, 18.25, 20, 21.75)in
Finished Length (Brim to Crown)
14.5 (15.5, 19, 19.5, 23, 26.5)cm/ 5.75 (6.25, 7.5, 7.75, 9, 10.25)in

Tension

28 sts and 38 rows to 4in/10cm over stocking stitch using larger needles.

Yarn

Skein Queen Blush (4-ply (plump); 80% merino, 20% cashmere; 400m/100g skein)
Gold 1 x 100g skein

Needles and Accessories

1 set 2.75mm (UK 12/US 2) circular needles
1 set 3.25mm (UK 10/US 3) circular needles
1 set 3.25 (UK 10/US 3) DPNs

Abbreviations

DPNs Double pointed needles
inc Increase/increasing
K Knit
K2tog Knit the next two stitches together
Kfb Knit into the front and back of the same st
P Purl
Pfb Purl into the front and back of the same st
rep Repeat
Rnd Round
st(s) Stitch(es)

Abbye Cardigan and Hat

March 26, 2014October 23, 2014 | Elanor

Last October, @edencottage tweeted that they had some free tickets for the Ally Pally Knitting and Stitching show. All I had to do was RT. I nabbed the last one, I think. Lo and behold, the day arrived and I tripped along to the show armed with business cards and golden bribes (aka honeycomb, one of my few culinary successes). I had a great time meeting the yarnies that I had been in contact with over the year; and tried to put names to the faces of people who had provided me with yarn support. I also stopped by the Eden Cottage booth to thank them for the free ticket. Victoria and David were there and we got to chatting about my designs.

I followed up some time later with a proposal for a girl’s cardigan and Victoria very generously sent on some Bowland DK in a lovely soft colour, “Driftwood”.

I had a whole bunch of commissions for various publishers on all Winter, but I tried to work on Abbye when I could. The next trick was to find a model! Oh my goodness I don’t know what was in the water around North West London about a year and a half ago, but there were hardly any babies of the right age in my circles, or even extended circles! It actually took so long to find one that the ones I dismissed at the beginning of the project for being too small had grown into it!

So my friends loaned me their precious bundle for half an hour, and she was a dote. Not a peep out of her even though I was constantly fidgeting at the cardi and the poor mite was teething. We had a lot of tongue shots!

I posted the patterns last night, and they got some attention. Then this morning I woke up to the hat in the top 5 and IT’S BEEN THERE ALL DAY! It’s so exciting, I’ve been sitting here for ages just hitting refresh on the hot right now home page. Well that, and writing this blog, but you know what I mean. Right now it’s at number 2. Can you believe it? And the cardigan’s at number 15! And the lovely comments are so heartening. I am reminded once again of what a lovely community knitters make.

Abbye Hat is free for the time being; once interest tapers off a bit I’ll charge £1.25 for it.

Abbye Cardigan is available to buy for £3.75, and the hat is included.

Roxbourne

December 3, 2012December 4, 2012 | Elanor

Well, it’s live! My first pattern for sale that I’ll actually earn money from! (Fingers crossed) (and toes and legs and hair and teeth)

Roxbourne Hat, now available for download!

Roxbourne Hat, Ready to Test

November 22, 2012November 22, 2012 | Elanor

I would greatly appreciate your help in testing my latest pattern, Roxbourne.

This beanie-style hat features crimped welts that give it some interesting shaping. The body of the hat is a stocking stitch panel, which you can decorate however you want. I’ve included charts for the skull-and-crossbones motif if you like pirates!