Tag: online knit and natter

Posted in knitting

Knit-A-Long Baby Blanket: Week 2

Posted on by Jackie B

All of us at our Knit and Natter Group are really enjoying the KAL designed by Yvonne. Part of the fun is the anticipation of waiting for her next set of instructions. Welcome to blog follower Liz and everyone else who is joining us for the KAL.

We all got off to a great start with Week One – the garter stitch border, which should look like this.

I’ve chosen white yarn for the border, as did Yvonne for her prototype blanket pictured at the top of the post. It looks great in a colour too – L chose this lovely pink.

As Yvonne explained last week, the blanket should look good whether it is knitted in one colour or you change colour for each instalment of 10 rows. She broke us in gently with Week One, but the next instalment requires a little more concentration.You will end up with diagonal stripes of double moss stitch.

Week 2 Instructions

Yvonne writes, “We have already done our bottom edge and as we go we will do the side edges also.
From now on the first and last 8 stitches will be in garter stitch throughout the rest of the blanket and we will have different patterns in the middle of the blanket.”

So here we go.

The abbreviations for this are: K=knit, P=purl, sts= stitches 

Row 1. Knit the first 8 stitches and begin this week’s pattern, K3 *P1, K1, P1, K4 repeat from * to last 3 stitches K to end.
Row 2. After the garter stitch of 8 stitches continue as follows, P3, *P4, K1, P1, K1 repeat from *to last 3 stitches P3 and garter stitch last 8.
Row 3. K3 *(K1, P1) twice, K3 repeat from * to last 3 sts K3
Row 4. P3 *P3, (K1, P1) twice rep from * to last 3 sts P3
Row 5. K5, P1, K1, P1, *K4, P1, K1, P1 rep from * to last 5 sts K to end
Row 6. P5, K1, P1, K1, *P4, K1, P1, K1 rep from * to last 5 sts P to end 
Row 7. K6, P1, K1, P1, *K4, P1, K1, P1 rep from * to last 4 sts K to end
Row 8. P3, (P1, K1) twice, *P4, K1, P1, K1 rep from * to last 6 sts P to end
Row 9. K3, *K4, P1, K1, P1 rep from * to last 3 sts K to end
Row 10. P3, *K1, P1, K1, P4 rep from * to last 3 sts P to end

This is a vertical zigzag moss st 
Hope you enjoy this pattern and happy knitting until next week.

Yvonne

The garter stitch border carries on up each side so you could continue the 8 stitch border up the sides in the same colour and you did week one – that’s what I’ve decided to do.

You’ll need a separate ball of wood for each side border plus one for the coloured central pattern if you decide to do that. Remember to twist the strands of yarn together at the colour change before and after the 8 stitches of garter stitch to avoid getting a hole.

Enjoy Week Two. I’d love hear how you are getting on with your blanket..

Posted in knitting

Knit and Natter Update: Yvonne’s Baby Blanket – Our First Knit-A-Long

Posted on by Jackie B

Our little Online Knit and Natter Group still meets every week on Zoom for a chat and to look at what we are all busy making.

Recently some of us were inspired to put down the knitting needles, pick up a crochet hook and make the Seaside Stash-Busting Blanket on the Coastal Crochet Blog.

We’ve all thoroughly enjoyed making this (with some of us up to our third blanket and trying out more of Eleonora’s designs) The pattern was originally released as a Crochet Along project and the anticipation of looking up each new instalment was great fun.

I loved the challenge of learning some new stitches too. I think the basket stitch and bobbles were my favourites.

We were discussing our blankets at Knit and Natter a little while ago and thought it would be good to do our own Knit Along (KAL). Yvonne has risen to the challenge and produced a pattern for a baby blanket, which she is releasing in weekly instalments over the coming weeks.

Yvonne writes, “Here it is. Welcome to the Mystery Knit and Natter Knit Along Blanket.It is knitted in any dk wool with 4mm needles.
It can be done in a solid colour or you can add different colours as we go and you will need approximately 160g to complete the project.Happy knitting guys!”

Week 1

Cast on 141 stitches and work 10 rows in garter stitch (knit every row).

I’ll post the next bit next weekend. Meanwhile here’s my completed Week 1 knitting.

Please join in and let me know how you get on…feel free to send photos too. Enjoy!

Posted in Uncategorized

Knit and Natter Round Up: April

Posted on by Jackie B

Over the last month the group have been busy making all sorts of items.

R completed a cardigan in a beautiful patterned yarn in pale blue, fawn and white.

Y made an amazing pink cabled sweater and some trainer socks.

She’s currently crocheting flower hexagons which will be joined up to make a very cute triceratops toy like the one in the picture!

With her first grandchild due later this year, A is busy making baby clothes in a range of colours and white.

Last month L completed her sweet pea blanket. She’s using the left over yarn to make another smaller blanket.

She’s also making a cardigan for her granddaughter, made in one piece, which alternates rows of white with a rainbow of colours

C is working on a blanket for her dog. He’s a very lucky boy!

I’ve been continuing with a cardigan in dark brown Suri alpaca and some alpaca socks

I wonder what the group will be working on next month.

Posted in Uncategorized

Knit and Natter Round Up – March

Posted on by Jackie B

The group continue to knit, crochet and sew all manner of beautiful things. Here are a selection of their makes.

L has now completed her colourful Sweet Pea Blanket (pictured above), by adding the border.

This was a kit she received from her daughter at Christmas.

L has also been loom knitting this hat.

R has been making herself a cardigan in a self patterning yarn in soft shades of blue and beige.

She’s also been continuing a patchwork project that has been on the go for many years ands wondering how to do the border.

L came to the rescue with some advice as she’s made hexagon quilts before, including this lovely pink one.

That’s the beauty of social knitting/crafting. All that pooled experience means that there is seldom a question that cannot be answered.

We also put our heads together on this project that Y has been working on.

This is one of a pair of gentleman’s kilt stockings in a cable design made in very fine yarn. It involved purl twisted cable, which took some working out! Y is definitely the Sock Queen – she also made these colourful self striping socks, with bright shades alternating with black.

It took me longer to make my alpaca socks than she took to make both of these pairs!

C has made these lovely blue baby bootees….

…and has been working on a pink teddy bear!

A has been crocheting baby blankets, including this one in pretty pastel shades.

She also asked someone skilled in amigurami crochet to make this bunny – isn’t it lovely?

Another crafty friend, who is not in our online knitting group – showed me something she recently completed from a kit: a crocheted Harry Potter! The kit included the tiny broomstick!

Have you made any toys recently? I’d love to hear about them.

Posted in Uncategorized

Knit and Natter Round Up – September 2021

Posted on by Jackie B

Our online Knit and Natter Group members have completed a number of projects over the last month

Y is such a prolific knitter. She completed this commission – an adult sweater in a deep raspberry shade, with a complex cable design

She’s also nearly finished making this man’s sweater – just the neck and the side seams to go….and probably finished by the time I write this.

She’s also been working on a Childs sweater – it’s a project from her Knit In A Box subscription.

If all that wasn’t enough, Y has been spinning too and recently made this beautiful black (Welsh Black Mountain) and white (Dorset) yarn. She spins in the grease and it looked quite yellow when it was first spun but now it’s washed the white has come out really bright. It’s stunning!

R has been making squares for a blanket. These are knitted in different designs, either textured or multicoloured, using a palette of red, green, gold and white

L finished a crocheted blanket for her step granddaughter, in black and grey with a touch of sparkle.

A has been working on a waistcoat for herself in this lovely soft grey yarn.

I finished the scarf I’ve been knitting on Friday. I used my handspun, hand-dyed alpaca yarn. I wore it over the weekend and it’s lovely and warm.

I also started spinning some black Shetland wool.

It’s always fun to see what everyone is working on.

Posted in Uncategorized

New Year Knit and Natter

Posted on by Jackie B

Friday was the first meeting of the year for our online knit and natter group. As always there were some lovely projects in progress.

My fellow spinner finished these pretty striped socks during the session.

Before Christmas she was running out of yarn for a green sweater she was knitting for her son – she ended up having to spin 200g more, but got it finished. She’s also been crocheting some cute little dolls to go in a dolls house.

She is selling one of her traditional spinning wheels and I am very tempted to buy but I really need to think about space and weight before I buy a traditional wheel – I’ll stick to my little Electric Eel Wheel Nano for now. It easily fits in a drawer so no storage problems.

Having made a load of Christmas decorations in December this member is now back to her waterfall front cardigan in this gorgeous pink shade.

This blanket is progressing well in beautiful vibrant raspberry shades – it’s a really stunning variegated yarn.

I’m finishing off a cabled hat made from my handspun alpaca. I just need to attach the pompom – I’ll used a press-stud so it can be removed for washing. This is going to be lovely and warm to wear.

It was good to see everyone after the Christmas break. We talked about how well the COVID vaccine is being rolled out in this area – local sessions are working really well. Jane from the Social Prescribing team at the GP practice, who runs our Knit and Natter sessions has been helping to run the immunisation sessions. I hope that everything goes to plan and those concerned are able to work through the different age/risk groups and get to me – I can’t wait!