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

Miss Lemon, or what to wear in a Cornwall February

Colours for Spring:

I'm not sure whether it is my penchant for bright-coloured gym stuff seeping into my everyday life, my new found body confidence, or just a hankering for spring (probably a combination), but I have found myself inexplicably drawn to brightly coloured clothing.

As a life-long devotee of indigo-blue, grey, and just a few contrasting accents in my wardrobe, this has surprised me.

Where to buy bright colours:

I was overcome by the urge to go bright when browsing in 'Mistral'; I tried these beauties on, and simply couldn't leave them there. Ok, so I did have to check first with my trusty adviser that I didn't look like a crazy lady, but I just love them! 

I can't find the yellow on their website, but they have other colours, so you can click: Mistral

Seasalt Stripey Sailor Tops:

You may have guessed from my last post that I am a devotee of the Seasalt stripey sailor top. When I saw this cyan colour in their new collection I could not resist! 

I have been teaming it with my Dickies dungarees for a real rustic landgirl-inspired look.  The super-soft organic cotton is a so comfortable. This colour, which they call Poseidon Ecru, manages to  combine being bright with also being completely wearable.

 You can shop for this beautiful T-shirt here: Seasalt if, like me, you can't resist!

Week in Paradise

This was the view on Tuesday: a rainstorm out to sea. Once again we succumbed to the pull of the shore and headed out to the beach, despite the fact that it was actually pretty cold. We were hoping for interesting debris in the wake of Storm Imogen, but either there was none on this beach, or we were not early enough to find it. 

I was planning to have a jog up and down the beach too (this is my favourite running beach), but the fact that I had just been to the gym, and the freezy temperature both enticed me to stay and consume the hot coffee and picnic thoughtfully brought along in the car instead.

We shared our lunch with some friendly rooks. They might look aggressive, but actually they were pleasant lunch-mates, and highly entertaining. The feeding of seagulls is totally frowned upon here in Cornwall, but these blue-black beauties were very endearing.

The sun did show up for a while this week, and I was grateful to be able to hang my laundry out in the hypnotic Cornish sunlight. I couldn't resist a picture of these beautiful stripy shirts, both from Cornish company Seasalt. I adore stripes, and these tops feel practically like uniform in this part of the world.

Working on Workshops

I have some upcoming crochet workshops later in the month, in Falmouth (Cornwall). The first one is detailed below.

There is so much that you can do once you are confident crocheting a humble granny square, and after we have gone over some basics I am quite open to where we go with it. Pictured are some options: we can look at how to make slippers, bags, blankets, even this lovely shawl is based on the humble granny.

If you're not sure the workshop is suitable for you, or you'd like a little more info please contact me, or if you'd like to book please contact Sweetpea & Betty (or pop in- it's very easy to access in central Falmouth).

February 16th,
Sweetpea & Betty, Falmouth

'Learn to Crochet Granny Squares and Beyond'

Description: If you are a complete novice crocheter, are just branching out into crochet projects, or are a bit rusty then you are welcome at this class to learn how to make granny squares, and get some inspiration about what to do with them next! Be it a blanket, slippers, a bag or a scarf... once you can granny the possibilities are endless! And if you can granny confidently already I will show you how to make a beautiful pair of slippers. All basic materials included, 10:00-1:00, £30pp