It's getting towards that time again!

With summer almost here we are thinking about lovely summery knitwear and, of course, BCUK! I'm busy knitting sparkly things and my Mum is churning out hoodies at an alarming rate. With this is mind we are getting ready to reopen the shop and we are also going for an image overhaul as I just didn't feel happy with the last one.
I will post here with updates about the shop and anything else knitting related I'm getting into!

Polly Makes - Febuary Flirty dress pattern

Polly is doing a free pattern every month and this dress is Febuary's. Pop over there (the link is in my sidebar) and take a look at the goodies on offer.
This is a super simple pattern to knit. You need 2.75mm needles and sock wool or 4ply as I always use :-P
You need to be able to cast on, rib, stocking stitch, increase in the front & back of a stitch and cast off. Simple!
I added a picot hem to this which turned out to be really unruly despite being blocked twice. I ended up popping a running stitch through the hem to calm it down.
This is a simple and satisfying project to have a go at and I would say beginners should manage this no bother.

Ravelry Pattern - Parasol Doll Shrug

Another Ravelry pattern (Have you joined yet?) and this is a lovely one! Shrugs and kisses by Maggie Baird aka Parasoll Doll is a delight to knit, simple and very cute. This pattern is also free so hop to it!
You need sock weight or fingering yarn, I used 4ply as I don't have sock yarn (shcoking oversight on my part) and you'll need 2.25mm needles. Again I didn't have these so I used a 2.5mm and it didn't make much difference.
To make it you need to be able to cast on, do moss stitch & stocking stitch, increase by knitting in the front and back of a stitch, and cast off. Easy peasy!
I admit that I had no clue how this would work from the picture as I usually need to see something 'in the wool' before I can figure it out. Once made I folded it and had the light bulb moment, yes I am that daft.
I would recommend this for beginners and anyone who wants a lovely shrug!
Maggie also has patterns on her website here, enjoy!

Ravelry Patterns - The Fishnet Lace Dress

This pattern took me ages. Not because of the pattern but because I was a lace knitting noob and knitting with such fine wool almost drove me insane.
Anyways you can find this pattern over on Ravelry and you need to register (it is an amazing knitting resource though so why not?) It costs $5 and you need lace weight yarn (fluffy is good) and 2mm needles or whatever that translates as. Why must there be so many variations of needle sizes hmm?
To make it you need to be able to cast on, knit & purl for the stocking stitch, do yarnovers, knit 2 tog and cast off.
My main problem with lace knitting is that I knit tightly so I found it very hard knitting 2 together as required by the pattern, it took me at least 2 goes before I got it just right. Once you have the lace knitting sussed this pattern is easy & quick to make. The instructions are clear and the finished dress is just sheer knitted wonderment.
I would suggest trying some lace knitting before having a go at this though!
Also - I don't knit with markers at all as they drive me mad. I just made sure I kept count (mostly)
Sarah, of Blythe Princess Designs, has these for sale in her shop and there are more patterns over on etsy if you fancy it.
Happy Lace Knitting!

Lace knitting project, how it turned out!

Check out the Lucy Line in the post below this one and then check out how it turned out!!

First up here's a blurry close up of the lace pattern on the hood. I went for a falling leaves pattern as it matched the green, the hood took quite a while as I only lace knit when my kids are both at school. That gives me 2 days a a week! It went really well until two thirds of the way through when I realised I had dropped a stitch somewhere on a purl row (the yarnovers can be hard to spot) and the pattern is ever so slightly off as a result.

I knit the body of the hoodie with very little alteration from my usual pattern apart from some extra moss stitch on the sleeves and front. It is far too plain so I will be altering the pattern for my next go. The body could also do with being slightly longer, must remember!

And here is the final result. I left a gap in the back for the hair & pull string so it sits nicely on Robin's head. often when the doll has lots of hair it can pull the hood off with its weight. I added a leaf button as decoration and used a popper to fasten it as I didn't want to risk knitting buttonholes just yet.
I am really pleased with it but I am already looking forward to doing version 2 in a different colour. Lace knitting is oddly addictive!

The Lucy Line

I was picking through my lace knits book the other day when I spotted a tiny bit at the bottom that suggested putting a thread through your knitting so you can frog back to that point. Genius! Did I do it? No. Instead I tortured myself by starting Sarah's lace knit dress and frogging it not once but twice, argh!
I have now popped a 'lucy line' in my current lace knit project and yes, I am going to try the dress AGAIN. With a line in it for the inevitable frogging.