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The Thirteen Problems

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How could I resist the very first tales about Miss Marple; the original murder mystery knitter who we have all come to know and love?

The Thirteen Problems is a collection of short stories by Agatha Christie. I decided that it was time for me to read them as they are almost 90 years old; they were first published individually in various monthly magazines between 1927 and 1931.

The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie

As well as being the earliest tale about Miss Marple, the first story (The Tuesday Night Club) also introduces the writer Raymond West (Miss Marple’s nephew) and ex-police commissioner Sir Henry Clithering.[Read More]

How to Match the Colour Pattern on Fingerless Mitts and Socks

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“Could you please tell me the best way to match the yarn for the second sock so you have a lovely matching pair?”

This is a question I am asked quite regularly.

KnitPro Karbonz Double Pointed Needles

I am busy knitting fingerless mitts for my niece as part of her Christmas present. I used a now discontinued Regia sock yarn (other beautiful sock yarns are available in the Yarn Shop) and 2.75mm KnitPro Karbonz double-pointed needles (which I really love using).[Read More]

Neptune’s Ocean Socks

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The last time I wrote about the Fish Lips Kiss Heel and Toe was in June 2014 and I thought it was time to revisit this wonderful heel and toe construction in my Neptune’s Ocean Socks.

Neptune's Ocean Socks

Fish Lips Kiss Heel is designed by Sox Therapist and is available on Ravelry.com. I read through the detailed instructions and watched the two stitch techniques on Youtube and then decided to use the heel construction with my normal basic sock pattern.[Read More]

Dragonfly Socks

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Hedgehog Fibres is an Irish artisan yarn dyeing company based in Cork, Ireland. The owner Beata Jezek created her own line of beautiful yarns in the gorgeous colours, ranging form rich and dark to vibrant, that she wanted to knit with, wear and live with.

Dragonfly Hedgehog Fibres Socks

I wanted a skein of the Dragonfly Socks yarn as a reminder of a wonderful walk that Neil and I had in Brittany in 2009. We walked through the woods for hours and then we sat for a couple of hours by a quiet pool near a waterfall surrounded by trees. We watched the dragonflies flitting around just above the water and as we sat, they landed on our arms and knees while we just sat quietly watching their beautiful iridescent colours. This was an extraordinary and magical experience that has stayed with me all these years on…One of my presents from Neil last Xmas was this gorgeous skein of Hedgehog Twist Sock in the Dragonfly colour which had long been on my wish list! [Read More]

A Shetland Colour Story – Crofthoose Hat & Fingerless Gloves

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When we visited Shetland in September 2015 we both took a huge number of photos. Since then I’ve been using my photos as colour inspiration for fair isle projects. Normally, I show photos of the finished items when I’m wearing them but the series A Shetland Colour Story will explore how I use my photos to help create a colour palette for the project I want to knit.

Shetland Colour Inspiration 1

I always start by creating a collage of photos that create a sense of place, colour and bring back memories of our visit.[Read More]

Three Bags Full

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When their shepherd, George, is murdered, his flock believe that one of the villagers carried out the deed. And they are determined to uncover his killer. But to find the murderer means delving into the murky world of the humans, in Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann.

Three Bags Full

One beautiful morning, in the small Irish village of Glennkill, a shepherd’s body is discovered pinned to the ground by a spade. Now George Glenn was very good to his sheep (despite the fact that he wore sweaters made of Norwegian wool) and was a devoted shepherd. He even read stories to them each and every evening. And it is one of these tales, a detective story, which inspires his flock to discover who killed their beloved master.[Read More]

Baa-ble Hat Number 2

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The first Baa-ble Hat was for my husband Neil and he didn’t want a pompom which mean’t I still had some of this gorgeous Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran yarn leftover…

Baable Hat 2

and having finished knitting his hat, I knew that I really really wanted a Baa-ble Hat for myself! So it wasn’t long until I was casting on Baa-ble Hat Number 2. This gorgeous hat designed by Donna Smith for Shetland Wool Week 2015 is an addictive knit![Read More]