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Getting Organised

January 29, 2017

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Knit, Crochet, Create with Lynne Rowe

Lynne Rowe: Hi and welcome to my blog. I'm Lynne and I love to knit and crochet here in The Woolnest (some would say I'm obsessed!!). I'm a knitting and crochet designer as well as an author, tutor, technical editor and podcaster. Contact me at LPP10@sky.com if you have any knit or crochet questions.

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"Bracken" Men's Scarf - free knitting pattern and colour change tutorial

I had great plans last year to make lots of handmade Christmas presents. I didn't make lots, but the few I did make were lovely and really well received, especially this stylish men's scarf that's super easy to make.

All you need is 100g of chunky yarn in a solid colour plus 100g of variegated chunky yarn (so that's 200g in total). You can use either 5.5 or 6mm needles. I used 5.5mm needles.

I only had 200g of yarn in my stash, but it was the perfect length - great for tucking into a coat. Of course you could make it longer if you have more yarn.

The houndstooth check appearance is made by knitting a broken rib pattern and working 2 rows in the variegated yarn followed by 2 rows in the solid colour. So it's really simple and great to work on whilst your watching the TV or listening to the radio. Plus, the great thing about ribbed patterns is that the back looks just as good as the front.

I found 4 x 50g balls of yarn in my stash:
2 skeins of Noro Silk Garden Chun…

Explaining Crochet Tension

In Episode 3 of The Crochet Circle Podcast (link is here), we chat about Crochet Tension, so I thought it would be helpful to follow this up with a dedicated blog post, as it's something that I'm often asked about when I'm teaching crochet. Crochet tension, (sometimes referred to as gauge) is the number of stitches and rows using a particular stitch or stitch pattern in a defined square of crochet fabric, usually 10cm (4in). It is determined by the size of hook and yarn you are using, and can even be influenced by the way you are sitting, or by your mood. So if you're feeling stressed for example, you're more likely to crochet tightly which can affect the size of your stitches. The tension required for a pattern will be listed at the beginning of the pattern, and you need to match it to get the correct size. It's important to remember that every crocheter works to their own tension, so there's no guarantee that yours will match that of the pattern. It's …

USE IT OR LOSE IT #3 - YARNDALE FLOWER BROOCH - A FREE CROCHET PATTERN

My stash busting project is going well and I now have a crocheted shawl that I'm halfway through, a little pile of books for selling and I've made around 15 small flower brooches for the ladies on my Yarndale trip (which is only a few weeks away - yippee). I still need to buy the printed ribbon which will say "YARNDALE 2015" on it, and the idea is that the flower will act as a little momento of our trip.

I've been using up the remains of 3 skeins of British Gotland DK, which is perfect. The natural fibres create a slightly fluffy effect and the yarn changes colour ever so slightly throughout, due to the hand-dyeing.

I love the colours I'm using too which all have such great names - 'Sunset over Chequers' (pink), 'Monkstone Beach Sands' (mustard) and 'A Touch of the Blues' (blue).

The yarn was left over from a design commission, and was provided by The Little Grey Sheep. They produce the most beautiful yarn and you can see their product…

Yarn Review - Manos del Uruguay Marina

Last month, Rooster Yarns sent me a gorgeous sample of Manos Del Uruguay Marina yarn to review. For those of you who haven’t heard of Rooster Yarns – they’re a family run business based in Cheshire, UK, and they are distributers of their own brand of Rooster yarns and also Manos Del Uruguay yarns. You can see their full range of yarns here: Rooster Yarns
Manos Marina is a Manos del Uruguay yarn, which is produced by a Fair Trade, not for profit organisation aimed at providing jobs for women in rural areas in Uruguay. The women spin and dye the yarns and every skein includes the name of the artisan who made it. The wool is local and the dyes are made in small pots heated by wood or gas. It’s a sustainable process and means that the artisans are able to provide for their families without having to move to the larger cities.
You can read all about the Manos del Uruguay organisation here: Manos del Uruguay

About the Yarn: Manos Marina is kettle dyed which means that the skein is laid out in a …

A Yarn Review of Shropshire Ply DK produced by Ewe and Ply, Shrewsbury - Thrifty Knitting & Crochet #2

When I was given 28g of yarn to test for review recently, I have to admit I was a little bit flummoxed as to what I would make with it, other than just crochet a test square and make notes on how it felt, handled and crocheted up. However, with my "Thrifty Knitting and Crochet" hat on, I wondered if there was something useful I could make out of this small amount of yarn. I have lots of half balls in my stash and they come in really handy for colourwork - I love a good crocheted stripe or a bit of knitted Fairisle.

The yarn was sent to Fay as part of a Crochet Circle podcast yarn review, from Ewe and Ply in Shrewsbury and it comes in a great range of shades. It's called Shropshire Ply DK. Becca and Teri who own Ewe and Ply have started to produce their own yarn from local pedigree Shropshire Sheep and the yarn is spun and dyed in Yorkshire. So for those who like to use British wool, this is a great option. It retails at £12 per 100g/247m.
Up in The Woolnest, I have a cut…