White + Rose

This is yet another Wool and the Gang pattern I've completed. You can find the pattern for the crown hat here free of charge on their website.  This particular hat was a collaboration with Vivienne Westwood. She's one of the designers I admire. I thought I'd tackle it because I had an extra skein of Crazy Sexy Wool, which I intended to use for a different hat, and some extra yarn left over from my  Wonderwool sweater . Wool and the Gang is a great source of knitting projects, yarns and tools for the beginner or novice, or even the occasional knitter who wants to do a knit-along. However, if you are a thrifty knitter, you might find these patterns and yarns aren't worth your money because they are a little overpriced. They have a very "designer" look that would fit right into instagram, and you really do pay for the convenience of knitting kits. Wool and the Gang also released a video tutorial on their channel, so if you were at the very beginning of you...

Ten years ago, the first instalment of the Twilight Saga series of movies was released. It sparked my interest in Ruth Cross because Bella's Long Cable Mittens came from this designer. Ruth Cross had since closed her store for ready-to-wear and made-to-order knits but released this pattern afterwards. Unfortunately, the website ruthcross.com is no longer up (it was still up a few months ago) and I'm unsure how you will be able to obtain the pattern. There was an influx of copycat patterns after the release of the film. Nancy Fry's pattern is arguably the closest to the original pattern, as it is knitted flat and stitched together. I used Subliminal Rabbit's pattern the first time, which was already a huge learning experience because I had to learn how to knit cables, knit in the round, increase/decrease stitches. Prior to that, I only just for the hang of knitting stockinette scarves without accidentally decreasing or increasing stitches. On the rare occasion, ...

I've had my eye on Wool and the Gang's range for a while, and plunged in when they offered 30% off in their Spring Sale. For the experienced knitter, Wool and the Gang is probably not going to appeal to you. I'm an amateur and I don't necessarily have all the tools I need for a particular project. It's a great starting point for beginners or occasional knitters such as I, who wish to have a one-stop-shop. It's also for the fashion savvy as they have collaborations with designers such as Vivienne Westwood , and brands like & Other Stories and I love Mr Mittens . Overall, my shopping experience was pleasant. The personalised label was adorable and I was surprised to see that it was packaged in a box because I typically get yarn mailed either in envelopes or mailing bags. Shipping to Australia took the usual time to arrive: about 2-3 weeks. As for the price, Wool and the Gang does not offer it cheap. Nevertheless, the quality is good and you get wha...

I've had my eye on Quince & Co for a while. I like their simple aesthetic and their ethos -- slow fashion, not fast fashion. They offer patterns that are timeless. I selected the Dejeuner bag by Pam Allen and followed the pattern to a T -- even using their Swallow yarn in Sans (undyed). I wanted something practical that I can gift. The pattern is not complicated to follow and the trickiest part is stitching up the bag. It was my first time using interchangeable needles -- the pattern did not call for it but I chose to use interchangeable ones. I wasn't keen on the needles unscrewing themselves but I liked the advantages -- that you can lock them in on the cable and have multiple projects going on at the same time. Work in progress Over a couple of months, I've been knitting on-and-off and finally the end result: If there's one thing I'd go back and fix up, it'd be the handles. It is quite thin, and I messed up a bit. Nevertheless, I'm...

I love Ruth Cross' designs. The use of lambswool in muted colours and stag/ox horn buttons give the pieces a lovely rustic effect. There are individual patterns sold on the web shop, along with ready-made and made-to-order garments and accessories. I decided upon the hot water bottle cover. The only patterns available as of currently are for home. If you'd like to knit one for yourself, you can purchase the pattern at  http://www.ruthcross.com/ I planned to make this during my mid-year break, so I had something to look forward to after my exams. It has been a while since I've knitted anything - my last project was the chunky scarf. I picked up the same yarn used in their sample (Rowan Big Wool in Concrete 061) because I love the colour. I find it distinctive in that I see a hint of beige within the grey. Actually, I just went along with the whole colour way and chose a similar coloured ribbon too. This was not the easiest pattern to knit with - especially with...

Debbie Bliss released this pattern a while ago and I thought I'd pick it up. It can be found  here.  Although it is called a turban, it's definitely not one - it's a bandeau. It's a fairly simple pattern to knit and you can easily decorate it with a brooch or a decorative button. Bandeaus aren't my kind of accessory but I thought this was a beautiful pattern - simple and easy. Yarn and needles  Fibra Natura Inca in Ecru (43034) - 100% wool This pattern is suitable for a beginner. The knitting is very basic, consisting only of the moss stitch and stockinette. It's a nice alternative for beginners - if you don't want to knit a scarf, you could have a go at this. Knitting in progress - moss stitch My yarn isn't the correct weight for this project but I thought I'd increase the size of the needles and weight of the yarn and reduce the number of stitches. So instead of the 4.5mm needles suggested in this pattern, I used a 6mm needle (la...

I've been inspired by the whole Natural Kei/ Mori Girl aesthetic so I decided to knit a scarf and keep the colour natural. Originally, I was hoping to knit a chunky scarf inspired by the one that I wore during my travels before... back in 2011-2012. An example of Natural Kei - it has a whimsical quality to it. It was this scarf I was referring to, in its basketweave glory.  As for the yarn I had chosen, I decided to work with a pure and undyed alpaca yarn. I love my wool but I was hoping for a little bit of a change. Wool can be quite itchy and I've never been fond of woollen jumpers or scarves. Alpaca is lovely to knit with and definitely a great alternative for those who are allergic to wool. I particularly like it because it's softer than pure wool and lighter in weight. The only thing I'm put off about pure alpaca yarn is the amount of shedding. I had alpaca fibres all over me while knitting. Three skeins of alpaca yarn As for the design, it ...

Hello there, So I've been knitting lately, trying to occupy the free time I had after my exams have finished and I've finished knitting a piece using the same angora/lambswool blend yarn I had used to make some mittens in my previous posts. I'm not very pleased with the quality of my finished product, merely because I didn't have enough yarn to properly follow the pattern I was using: All-Day Beret Rather than a beret, I've made a pseudo-beret/beanie. It was originally supposed to be a gift but I'm not sure whether to give it anymore. It's small enough to fit a dog, if dogs wore berets. Here's a picture showing how small it is as I've placed it on my cow plushie (who I call うし、which is 'cow' in Japanese [pronounced ushi] but it also has an English name Daisy because a girl I know insisted that it should be called that) Well, it's small enough to fit a big dog like a labrador, or a German shepherd.

I'd like to mention a few things first. Firstly, there aren't a lot of pictures. Secondly, it's the end of the holidays, so I won't be posting much anymore. I'm lucky if I can post once every week. I believe I have mentioned before in a previous post but I have a strange habit of knitting in the summer and for the rest of the year, I hardly do any knitting. So this post won't have a lot of finished projects. In fact, I've only have one. So the yarn that I had used was handspun by Shadyside Farm Studio: here. It was the yarn called Bunny Hug, which is 40% angora rabbit and 60% lambswool. Enchanted by the of angora rabbit but knowing that angora fibres weren't very elastic, I chose a blend (I didn't make the purchase myself, because I can't). It isn't as fuzzy as pure angora but it still has that bit of fuzziness. I had turned the skeins of yarn into balls. It's not exactly very neatly done but it made it easier to knit with. I...

My favourite seasons to dress up are autumn and winter. It's the time of year for layering and adorable knits, elegant coats and boots. So, it's summer in Sydney ... and the rest of Australia and I've got all the time in the world to knit ( almost ). Now some people think it is strange to knit in summer (namely my friends) but I say that knitting sooner will keep you warm . I don't tend to knit during the winter because it is the time I want to be warm and not knitting with frozen fingers. Here are just some of the things I have knitted. Above: This is a cable and bobble hat I have recreated for my friend, Flora. I've also knitted the same hat for another friend for Christmas. I double-knitted this so it's perfect for really cold winters.  Pattern available here   (The hat I made has some alterations) This is the mint herringbone cable bangle I had made. The yarn is 100% merino, so it's not itchy. I know that this isn't much of a winter knit but ...

For those who don't know me, I'm a knitter . It's definitely not winter in Australia but I had to express my love for oversized and chunky scarves. Even in winter, Australia isn't a very cold place so there really is so need for such thick scarves. When I saw this cover for 07 Ghost, I couldn't help but to admire the scarf that Teito (the boy) wears. Sure, it's pink but I think it's adorable. The scarf reminds me so much of Evan Biddell's Fall 2009. Yes, I know it's a little late but knits are always in fashion during winter. It's like the scarf came to life except Biddell's scarf is black. It's definitely a scarf suitable for Canadian winters, or anywhere else where the winters are very cold. This project would definitely be on my list of things to knit someday. If I were to knit this, it would be with very, very large needles and wool roving/tops. It's just a simple scarf, probably stockinette. It would probably be very ...