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...

For a little while, I had been working on a moss stitch blanket as a gift. With all the leftover yarn from my bag of FibraNatura Lima, I decided it was enough to make a small blanket to cover the lap of an adult, or used a baby blanket. The project I used this yarn previously for was a knitted turban headband that you can read about here . All there was left to do was to get started. The moss stitch is very basic and all I had to do was cast on enough stitches for it to be wide enough and go. At first, I was worried about whether I'd have enough yarn to finish it off but as I progressed, it seemed pretty clear that I would be able to finish it with the dimensions I had in mind.  It is designed to be a very quick knit but I took my time.  I debated whether I wanted to line the blanket with fleece or not. It was heavy enough as it was with the wool. In the end, I decided against it.  Moss Stitch Blanket What you need: Bulky Yarn, 12ply (I used F...

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...