New Knitting Pattern Announcement: Lanhydrock Shawl & Discount Code

The best gardens seem to have secret doors!

Some places are full of patterns and shapes, and cannot help but to inspire creativity. Lanhydrock, National Trust stately home and gardens, set in lush green parkland, is one such place. As soon as I first visited and saw the formal gardens, abundant floral borders, and neat topiary I thought 'shawl design'! 

I got to work, settling on some beautiful 4 ply from my stash, and after a bit of thinking and scribbling on graph paper, this design was born: the Lanhydrock Shawl. 

Lanhydrock Shawl in situ...

I really wanted to make use of the formal, symmetrical garden layout in the lace motifs I picked, as well as those giant topiary trees. As in real life, the edge of my Lanhydrock is fringed by a wilder border area.

...inspired by the formal gardens...

I used a full 400m of Artesano Alpaca Silk 4 ply, in shade 'Dolphin'. The shawl is knitted from a tab cast on, and the trim is knitted on, making use of optional beads (mainly to help with blocking).

...patterns are everywhere...

I put the pattern out to test, and have had some really useful feedback, which has helped me refine the pattern quite a lot. Many thanks to all of my test knitters- your shawls look amazing and I really appreciate your patience!

...the shawl is symmetrical...

I am offering my blog readers 25% off the price of this pattern until September 10th, using the code 'pixieblog'- simply enter it at the checkout on ravelry and your discount should appear. 

Cornish blue to reflect the sky

...everybody loves discount!

I have a few more designs in the pipeline- I can't help but be inspired by beautiful Cornwall! Most of them need to be tested. Do let me know if you are interested in test knitting!

Free Knitting Pattern plus Yarn & Needle Giveaway!

'Coast Path' Cotton Cowl

Spring Cotton Cowl Free Pattern:

This cowl is knitted loosely in a shiny mercerised cotton, giving a light and squishy result which is perfect for spring. Not too warm, but great when there is still a little chill in the air, this is a really useful layering piece for under your coat or over your jumper. Will be a perfect transitional piece too, as it could be great for stopping sunburn if you are hiking in the sunnier months. 

Wear in any number of ways!

Instructions: 

Use 5mm 40cm circular needle, and 50g 4ply cotton. 

Cast on 108 stitches. Don't cast on too tightly, and it is preferable to use a stretchy cast on, such as long tail. 

Join in the round, taking care not to twist the cast on stitches.

Round 1: *knit 2, purl 2* repeat to the end of the round. 

Round 2 and every other round: Work as Round 1 until snood reaches about 9" (or desired length).

Cast off in rib and sew in ends. 

Enjoy! 

Don't forget to add this to your ravelry projects too! 

Cornwall-inspired

Perfect for layering

The Giveaway:

To celebrate Easter, I'm giving away a Knit Pro knitting needle, and a 100g skein of this gorgeous cotton yarn in indigo blue: that will make you two cowls if you're careful with the weight. Quite apart from being my absolute favourite, indigo blue is a really hot colour at the moment, and flattering on every skin tone. I also find this size needle is super useful for all sorts of hats and things. 

Win this!

How to enter:

To be in with a chance of winning, just leave me a comment below, and I will pick a lucky winner on Easter Sunday. This is open to all of you, wherever you are in the world- I am happy to post internationally, because I am feeling generous! Make sure you tick the box to follow replies to the comments, so that you will know if you've won. 

Good luck! 

Indigo-blue cotton yarn

Handmade, Homebaked and Cornish

Knitting:

Hello, sock!

I'm excited that this week I managed to do a little sneaky knitting: on this sock, which I started in November. I'm so close now- about half way up the toe. But, it is only the first one, so there will be its partner to make too. 

I'm using Araucania 'Ranco' yarn which is lovely to knit with, in a beautiful turquoise colour (which doesn't show up too well here I'm afraid). I find the brighter colour with minimal variegation a lot easier to work with that some other sock yarns I've tried. Plus of course my trusty Knit Pro dpn's. The turquoise looks like it has sold out everywhere, but here is a link to some other colours, available at a discount on Black Sheep Wools.

Cornwall:

St Michael's Mount

The highlight of my Cornish week was probably this trip to Mount's Bay. There is such a draw to the beautiful mount itself, and the approach around the bay is so full of admiration and anticipation. It really is such a privilege to live in Cornwall!

Baking:

I had prepared an epic picnic, which we were all glad of by the time that we got close to the mount. I included a Saffron & Seed Cake (which I thought was a nice twist on Cornish saffron buns), and I'm delighted that I can share the recipe from Asda here. 

More Cornwall:

But living in this stunning part of the world we are spoilt for beautiful views and exciting skies, so here are another couple of snaps from earlier in the week when a dramatic hailstorm swept in and then out again early one morning. 

Hail Storm Over The Gribbin

Quayside Architecture

Crochet:

And finally, you may remember my crochet bedspread, the one which took me a whole year in between other projects to finish (it is 4-ply after all!)... well, I thought I'd share a snap of it in its new Cornish home. You can see its humble beginnings right back in this old post: here. 

My Happy Place! 

Crafty Cornwall

I'm delighted to be thinking about my blog again!

There are so many hours to be whiled away just looking at the sea (before touching on any of the other wonders of this beautiful place) that having much of an online life has slipped down the list.

I am hoping to bring you news very soon about some craft classes in Cornwall, too.

I have been doing some teaching, but it has been concentrated at the big trade shows. Now that the year has turned, though, I am ready to think about getting back to it. If you have any requests for crochet/knitting/sewing classes, do let me know as I am very open to locations and topics at this stage.

Project-wise I am a little stuck on my Cornish guernsey- it is a much larger project that I had really thought about, and the tiny needles require good daylight. I am almost up to the point where I can join at the shoulders, and then I will consider myself roughly halfway through.  Pictures to follow...