30 December 2019

Warm head, warm heart

Frost-Fighter Headband by Anna Ravenscroft, Anna Alway Designs
The last blogpost of the year, and the last in my Autumn Accessories series! Thank you for all the lovely messages you have sent me about the series – I am so glad that you enjoyed this round-up of accessories to start work on now ready for the chilly weather ahead.

So in my last blogpost I was looking at some lovely hats to knit for the Winter season. However, things get tricky when you have a pony tail, don’t they… You want to keep warm but your favourite hat won't fit. You can lift your parka hood up but that still doesn't bring the circulation back into your ears and you start to believe the old wives' tail about losing half of your body heat through your head in winter!

So here's the solution: a cozy headband or ear-warmer. Quick to knit, easy to make and super-stylish, these small accessories are a must for the deep winter. Here are two of my favourites that you can knit now ready for the New Year snows.
Frost-Fighter Headband and Mitts by Anna Ravenscroft, Anna Alway Designs
The two photos above show Anna's Frost-Fighter Headband and Mitts – a super combination to keep both your ears and hands warm. You’ll recognise the fingerless mitts from an earlier blogpost, I’m sure. The headband is worked in the same pattern for a co-ordinated set.

Anna tells me that she especially likes using the headband when she is out on her morning run as it not only keeps her warm but also keeps her hair out of her eyes. The set is worked in one of my favourite yarns, Willow and Lark 'Nest' and the pattern includes two different sizes.
Ribbed Cable from Reversible Knitting Stitches by Moira Ravenscroft & Anna Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Both the headband and mitts feature a lovely stitch from our Reversible Knitting Stitches book. ​This is Ribbed Cable, which is a wonderfully graphic stitch with quite a different look on the front and the back. The pattern has a wonderfully deep texture which really keeps the heat in. The ribs have a wonderfully soft, slightly padded feel so the headband is soft and squishy against chilly ears.
Teversham Headwarmer and Cowl by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Then next is the Teversham Headwarmershown here with the matching cowl which I featured in an earlier blogpost in this series. This is a lovely deep headwarmer and is shaped to the head like an open-topped hat to give a cozy fit for a "messy bun hat" look. The pattern includes three sizes of headwarmer together with the separate cowl which would make a good men's accessory for that all-important couples' look on the ski-slopes.

Both of these are worked using two ends of a DK yarn held together which gives a really toasty result. Holding two ends of yarn together at the same time traps air into every stitch, giving a warmer result than when using a single end of a thicker yarn. The combination of the soft merino mix yarns and the deep, textural pattern gives a winning head-warming combination.
Teversham Headwarmer and Cowl by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Both the headwarmer and the cowl are worked in a textured double rib pattern which is a variation of the Hatfield Check pattern from our Reversible Knitting Stitches book The stitch is easy to work and gives a wonderfully graphic spin on a double rib design. ​
Teversham Headwarmer and Cowl by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Both the headwarmer and the cowl have colour bands which are worked with either two ends of the same colour or a tweedy combo of the dark and light yarns for a snow-speckled effect.

I hope that has given you some ideas for some cozy headwarmers to keep your ears warm in these ultra-chilly days. If you would like to see more ideas for keeping warm this winter, then please click here to go to the start of the Autumn Accessories series.

It's almost New Year so if you have snow where you are, I hope you will enjoy wearing your new cozy accessories while you have fun snow-tubing, ski-ing or having a fun snowball fight!

Until next time – Happy New Year Knitting!

Moira
Reversible Knitting Stitches by Moira Ravenscroft & Anna Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs

Last Blogpost: Hats for the Winter season
Autumn Accessories Series #1: Autumn Accessories
Next Up:
 
20 for 2020

Our book: Reversible Knitting Stitches
My Website: www.wyndlestrawdesigns.com
Keywords: Patterns/Accessories, Autumn Accessories Series,
autumn, #autumnaccessories, winter, headband, headwarmer, textured stitches, Anna Ravenscroft, Anna Alway,

20 December 2019

Hats for the winter season

Twinning Hat by Anna Ravenscroft, Anna Alway Designs
If you have been following my Autumn Accessories blogpost series, then you will already have read about scarves, neckwarmers, fingerless mitts, socks and other items which you can be knitting now ready for the coming winter. When I started the series back in September, it might have been hard to think about this as it was still so warm so late into the season. However, it is much easier to imagine it now!

Indeed, it’s almost time for ski season – that magical time of year when you actually welcome a cool, crisp blue-sky day with fresh powdery snow waiting for you. 

And even if the ski slopes are not calling to you, then the coldest months of the year are approaching fast! So now is the time to don your best snow outfit and top it off with a colourful hat to keep you super cozy.
Twinning Hat by Anna Ravenscroft, Anna Alway Designs
So here are some suggestions for hats to cast on today so you can keep yourself fashionably warm in the coming months.

The first of these is Anna's Twinning Hat, which is a super-colourful hat with sizes to suit both men and women. I love the wide turn-back to keep your ears warm and the colourful pom-pom on the top. The ribbed cable pattern is fun to work and gives a lovely warm, textural result. 

Make two in different colours and hit the ski slopes with a colourful couples' look!
Moon Hat by Anna Ravenscroft, Anna Alway Designs
Then next is another of Anna’s designs, the Moon HatThis features a fine twisted pattern and a super-deep turn-back to keep your head insulated against the worst of the winter storms to come. The main part of the hat has broad, colourful stripes and a fun gathered top for a contemporary look.

Both the Twinning Hat and the Moon Hat are worked in a DK yarn and can be worked with just 2 or 3 balls of yarn, so they don’t take long to knit.
Northstowe Beanie Hat by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Madingley Beanie Hat by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
If you prefer your beanie hats to be without turn-back cuffs, then here are two hats that might fit the bill.

The one above on the left is the Northstowe Beanie Hat which is a comfortable, easy-to-wear men's beanie. The hat features strong textural details with wide ribs intersected by garter stitch bands. 

And just as the Twinning Hats can be made in a his-and-hers styling, here's another pair of hats where you can team your couples' look. The Madingley Beanie Hat shown above on the right has a lovely feminine double-banded rib pattern to co-ordinate and compliment the more rugged look of the Northstowe Mens' Beanie. Both of these are worked using two strands of a soft DK yarn held together to give a real chill-beating finish.
Delamere Hat by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Delamere Hat by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
So far I have featured hats which are worked with DK yarns either held singly or doubly, but here's a hat which has been knit in a warm Worsted-weight yarn. This is the Delamere Hat which features an elongated chevron pattern from our Reversible Knitting Stitches book. This has a wonderfully deep texture which holds the heat really well. The central crown shaping gives a dynamic rounded star motif and the hat has a wide turn-back brim for extra warmth around the ears.

The pattern includes six different sizes ranging from 45cm/18 ins head size up to 60cm/24 ins so you'll be able to make hats for all your family!
Glacier Hat by Anna Ravenscroft, Anna Alway Designs
Glacier Hat by Anna Ravenscroft, Anna Alway Designs
And lastly here's a hat which has been knit in a super-soft chunky yarn. This is Anna's Glacier Hat and is worked in lovely winter colours of ice blue and white. Big, bold and super-cozy, this hat can be worn as an oversized slouchy hat or with a turn back to fit more snugly. The Glacier Hat needs just 1 ball of yarn in each of the colours so is very quick to finish. If you start one now before you head off on your Christmas holidays, it might be finished before you get back home again!

I hope those have given you some good ideas for hats for the winter season. Many thanks to Anna for allowing me to feature several of her lovely hats alongside my own. Please check out her Ravelry Store for more details of all her lovely colourful patterns.

Next time, I will be posting the last in my Autumn Accessories series with a look at head-bands and head-warmers. If you would like the read the whole series, please click here to read the first post, then follow the links at the bottom of each page until you get back here again.

Until next time – Happy Holiday Knitting!

Moira
Keywords: Patterns/Accessories, Autumn Accessories Series,
autumn, #autumnaccessories, hat, hats, beanie hat, ski hat, cables, Anna Ravenscroft, Anna Alway, winter, wool, reversible stitch, reversible knitting,

12 December 2019

Keep those toes toasty warm

Druidstone Socks by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
If you have been following my Autumn Accessories blogpost series so far, you will know that I have been looking at small items that you can knit now that will make a big difference when the cold weather really starts to bite. So far we’ve looked at cowls, scarves and fingerless mitts but there’s a big gap so far – and that is socks.

Socks are so important when winter comes along. Having the right pair of socks between you and the cold ground below makes an enormous difference between feeling just-about-OK and feeling good. Socks cushion you from the worst extremities of cold and keep your feet toasty warm even when the snow is lying deep around your boots.

So here are two patterns that can be interpreted in multiple different ways to give you a whole range of socks!
Mentmore Socks by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Mentmore Socks by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
The first of these is the Mentmore Socks, which produces a wonderfully warm pair of socks with a shaped instep, neatly rounded heel and a fold-down cuff for extra warmth around the ankles.

The socks are also worked in a slipped stitch pattern called Slip Rib, which produces a toasty warm, cushioned sock which is perfect for winter walks and snowy hikes. The warmth and squishiness of this pattern comes from the fact that the slip stitches have brought in extra pockets of air, bringing both insulation and mini air bubbles to walk on. So the socks are both comfortable and cozy.

​Both of the ones shown above have been worked in Austermann Step Classic yarn which is a lovely soft merino/nylon mix. The socks on the left are in the blue “Jeans” colourway while those on the right are in “Tuerkis” which is a lovely aqua shade.
Mentmore Socks by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Mentmore Socks by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
The same pattern can be used with other types of yarn too. For example, working these with a space-dyed yarn can give a stained-glass window effect as you can see in the photo on the left, while self-striping yarns can produce some wonderfully patterned socks as in the photo on the right.

The socks on the left have been worked in the wonderfully artistic Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino yarn and the pattern has really brought out the painterly qualities of this yarn. The three pairs of socks on the right have been worked in the now discontinued Knit Picks self-striping "Memories" yarn and I love the way the pattern has blended the yarn stripes to give a real Fair-Isle feel to the socks.
Druidstone Socks by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Another sock pattern that can be worked in multiple ways is the Druidstone Socks. In the photo at the top of this page, you can see this pattern worked in several different colours and all of them are super cozy.

In the photo above, our daughter Anna bravely managed to jump onto a stepping stone in the middle of a stream to model the socks in a lovely black and charcoal colourway. These are worked in Wide Rib from our Reversible Knitting Stitches book. The stitch has a nice gentle grip and is very slimming. The socks have extra shaping at the instep for a lovely fit around the foot and have a neat turn-back cuff for extra warmth around the ankle.
Druidstone Socks by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
The pattern can also be worked with a straight leg instead of the fold-back cuff. In the socks above I have used a single grey colour with a black contrast-coloured trim. This gives a smooth fit under an ankle-boot or suit trousers.

What is interesting is that just two patterns can produce such a range of socks… A new yarn, a different colourway and the socks will look completely different. I like making socks from the same pattern as you can really get into the 'flow' of a design. Then you can make socks for both yourself and for friends and family and everyone can have a different ‘look’!

For more details about the Mentmore Socks, please click here and for the second pattern, the Druidstone Socks, please click here. Both patterns are available for immediate download from the site.

There’s just two more blogposts to go in this Autumn Accessories series, and for the next one I’ll be looking at hats. If you would like to read the whole blogpost series, then please click here to go to the first post and follow the links at the bottom of each page to get back to this point again.

Until next time – Happy Sock Knitting!

Moira
Keywords: Patterns/Accessories, Autumn Accessories Series,
autumn, #autumnaccessories, mens socks, women’s socks, colour, color, grey, gray, black, blue, turquoise, red, multicolour, cuff, sock cuff,

04 December 2019

Fingerless Mitts for frosty days

Frost Fighter Mitts & Headband by Anna Ravenscroft, Anna Alway Designs
I always have cold hands. I don’t know why but my fingers are always icy and I find myself searching for gloves or mittens as soon as the weather starts to turn colder. So I thought I would continue my Autumn Accessories series by looking at some of Anna’s lovely Fingerless Mitts.

I do like fingerless mitts as they allow you to text, access your handbag or sort out coins for the parking meter – all of which are much more complicated when you’re wearing traditional gloves. They are also much easier to knit which is an added bonus!
Fingerless Mittens by Anna Ravenscroft, Anna Alway Designs
​Anna has three different patterns for fingerless mitts and they are all wonderful. This first pair is worked in a lovely angora/wool DK yarn in contrasting colours of silver grey and burgundy. They feature a long ribbed cuff and a neat shaped thumb to keep you cozy warm.

Fingerless mitts are not only easier to knit than gloves, they also need a bit less yarn too. For example, in the Fingerless Mittens here you only need about 32gm of the main colour and 12gm of the contrasting shade. That means that you can often make good use of oddments left over from a previous project.

The mosaic colour patterning is really interesting to work and brings extra warm into the hand area so the mitts are both stylish and comfortable. For more information about the Fingerless Mittens, please click here.
Winter Warrior Mitts & Cowl by Anna Ravenscroft, Anna Alway Designs
Then this next pattern is the Winter Warrior Mitts and Cowlwhich you will probably remember from the first blogpost in this series when I was chatting about cowls.
Winter Warrior Mitts by Anna Ravenscroft, Anna Alway Designs
These mitts have a lovely slim fit and feature a beautifully textured pattern which gives an extra degree of insulation and warmth around the hand. They are worked in Milla Mia Naturally Soft Merino, which is a 100% merino wool sportweight yarn. This is a gorgeously soft yarn so the set is super comfy to wear.

You will need about 1 ball of yarn for the mitts and another 2 balls if you want to also make the matching cowl. For more details about the Winter Warrior Mitts & Cowl, please click here.
Frost Fighter Mitts by Anna Ravenscroft, Anna Alway Designs
​Then lastly, here are Anna’s Frost Fighter Mitts. The pattern features a wonderful reversible cable stitch from our Reversible Knitting Stitches book, so you can select whichever side you prefer for the mitts. The pattern includes two different sizes of fingerless mitts and a headband too so you can keep your ears warm. I will be including that headband in a future post in this series, so watch out for more information about that soon.

The mitts are worked in one of my favourite yarns, Willow & Lark Nest which is a super-toasty wool and cashmere mix. I wrote about that yarn here when I was introducing the Grayswood Scarf, and also earlier this year when if you had been in Cornwall you might have heard a knitter furiously knitting at 2am in the morning of her daughter’s wedding!

The Frost Fighter Mitts are worked flat and then seamed together leaving an opening for the thumb. This means that the mitts can be worn either way up, which is useful for cyclists. For more photos and information about this cozy headband and mitts set, please see Anna’s Ravelry store here.

Next time, I will be changing my focus from fingers down to toes to look at some socks to knit for the winter days ahead.

Until then – Happy Knitting!

Moira
Keywords: Patterns/Accessories, Autumn Accessories Series,
autumn, #autumnaccessories, mitts, fingerless mitts, cable pattern, reversible cables, reversible mitts, zR-231114

28 November 2019

How much yarn do I need for a scarf?

Lamberhurst Scarf, Cambourne Scarf, Grayswood Scarf & Karlskrona Scarf, by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
We have reached the start of winter, with heavy snows falling in the Boston area. Even further south, the cold weather is sure to have everyone looking for a scarf or hat to keep warm. If you have been following my Autumn Accessories series so far, you will know that I have been looking at cowls, neckwarmers and other small items to knit now ready for the coming winter.

However, we can’t leave the topic of neckwear without mentioning scarves – that absolute necessity for any wintry clime. So if you fancy knitting a new scarf either for yourself or a loved one as a gift, then how much yarn will you need?

Well, this will depend on a number of factors but the main variables are: 
  • how wide the scarf is
  • how long it is
  • the depth of texture
  • and the yarn density​
Lamberhurst Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
So let’s look at a few examples, starting with one of my favourite men’s scarves, the Lamberhurst ScarfThis can be worked in either a DK yarn or with two ends of a sportweight yarn held together, which gives a thicker Winter-weight scarf. However, I’d like to start by looking at just the lighter-weight versions, as in the example above. This has been worked in a soft merino DK yarn and has what I would term a medium texture.

There are two lengths of DK scarves included in the pattern and the shorter version measures 23cm/9 ins wide x 130cm/51 ins long. This gives a neat, draping style. The sample I worked used 198gm/7oz of yarn which is 474m/518 yds of wool.

That left almost nothing from 4 balls of yarn so I would suggest that you would be wise to have a 5th ball of yarn on hand, especially if you might want to add a little bit more to the length of the scarf.
Lamberhurst Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
The longer DK version of the scarf is 173cm/68 ins long, which is great for wrapping around the neck to ward off those pesky winter winds. However, it is also a little slimmer with a width of just 19cm/7.5 ins. The combination of a slighter slimmer width but longer length means that it only uses a bit more yarn, 210gm/7.4oz which is 499m/546 yds. 

This is, of course, all to do with the total area of knitting. I was mentioning Maths a couple of blogposts ago, and it’s back again!
  • The small Lamberhurst is 23x130cm = 2,990cm²,
  • but the larger one is 19x173cm = 3,287cm²,
  • ie the area of knitting is not much more even though is over 40cm/16 ins longer.

So this is a good way to make your yarn go further. If you know you would like a lovely long scarf, then you might want to plan for a slimmer width.
Elizabeth Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs – 4 Four-Way Wrap
Let’s look at another scarf – this time for the ladies: the Elizabeth Scarf. This is a slim scarf but worked with a good length so you can wrap it around your neck several times or work an elaborate fold for a fashion look.

The scarf shown in the photo is worked in a DK weight and measures just 16.5cm/6.5 ins wide but has a lovely length of 185cm/72 ins. It used 198gm/7.0 oz of yarn which is 452m/487 yds, so very similar to the Lamberhurst Scarf examples even though it is much longer.

So, you can probably see that if you have perhaps 4 or 5 balls of a DK yarn (so about 200-250gm/7-9oz), you should get a good-sized scarf. With 4 balls, it would perhaps be a bit more of a skinny scarf or a slightly shorter one, but 250gm/9oz should give you a nice length or a bit of a thicker texture.
Beckenham Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Now let’s have a look at thicker yarns. Another man’s scarf that I like to work because it has such a dynamic pattern is the Beckenham Scarf. I have made a number of these and although it is nominally a man’s scarf, I have actually worked this one for ladies too with good results. Again there are two versions, a Worsted-weight and a chunky, and each of those can be worked in 3 widths.

Concentrating on the Worsted-weight version for the moment, the widest of these is 21.5cm/8.5 ins wide and 185cm/72 ins long. This used 237gm/8.4oz of yarn, which is 475m/520 yds.

This is 5 balls of yarn, but again you might be advised to have an extra ball on hand just to make sure you have enough to complete the design. The pattern has quite a long repeat, so it would be very annoying to run out of yarn at the end. 
Beckenham Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Now let's turn our attention to the chunky version of the Beckenham Scarf. The photo above shows the wide version of the  pattern, with the grey scarf in front worked in Worsted-weight yarn while the green scarf behind is in Chunky. The thicker scarf is the same length (185cm/72 ins) as the Worsted-weight version, but now measures 28cm/11 ins wide and used 385gm/13.6oz of yarn.

However, here’s a surprising thing: when I checked the yardage I found this was exactly the same as for the Worsted-weight version, 475m/520 yds! Now, although at first that surprised me that the number should come out to be identical with the Worsted-weight scarf, somehow once I thought about it then it wasn’t so surprising after all. Indeed, it is often said that it is better to think about how many metres/yards of yarn you need for a project rather than the weight or the number of skeins. 

This is especially true with heavier-than-usual yarns. Yarns can vary enormously in their density, as I found when I used to do more hand-spinning. The yarn was lovely, but garments I made from hand-spun tended to be much heavier because the yarn was denser. To be honest, that was probably my inept spinning and you might get lighter yarns than I did! However, you still need a certain yardage to make a scarf or sweater, even if the yarn weighs more. 

So looking at the metreage/yardage for the above scarf examples, you could say that about 500-550m/550-600 yds of wool will make a fairly slim, medium-long scarf with a medium texture.
Grantchester Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
Another thing that affects the amount of yarn used will be the depth of the texture. So to illustrate that, here is the Grantchester Scarf. This is a deeply-textured scarf also worked in a Worsted-weight yarn. Because of the deep squishy texture, you don’t actually need to work such a long scarf for the same amount of cushy warmth.

The scarf pictured here is a neat style suitable for cycling. This is just 20cm/8 ins wide and only 120cm/48 ins long, so is quite short when compared to the previous examples. However, it is super cozy as there is 166gm/6oz of wool packed in there. This is 340m/365 yds of yarn.

Let's translate that into a direct comparison with the Beckenham Scarf. That measured 21.5x185cm/8.5x72 ins and needed 237gm/8.4oz of yarn (475m/520 yds).

If we worked a Grantchester Scarf with those same dimensions, then we would need 275gm/9.7oz of yarn, or 561m/605 yds, so the rich texture has used yarn up at a much faster rate. 

Again from the Mathematical point of view, that is logical – we are, after all, knitting a 3D object! So although we have spoken about the area of knitting above, it would probably be more accurate to say that we should think about the volume (width x length x depth). So a richer, deeper texture will need more yarn.
Cambourne Scarf by Moira Ravenscroft, Wyndlestraw Designs
These are then, the main factors that will determine how much yarn you need to have on hand to work a scarf: 
  • A skinny scarf will use less yarn than a wider one. 
  • A longer scarf will need more yarn than a shorter version. 
  • And a deep, well-textured scarf will use yarn up faster than one with a medium or fine texture.

So it follows that you will need to use more yarn if you wish to create a big-volume scarf which is wider, longer, and/or has more texture.These are all factors that will increase the amount of yarn needed. If we look at the Cambourne Scarf, then you will see that this ticks all three of those boxes! It has a lovely deep texture and the largest scarf is 190cm/75 ins long and a generous 26cm/10.25 ins wide.
 
The Cambourne Scarf is worked lengthwise and has a feature contrast coloured stripe at one side. For the largest size, I used 322gm/11.4oz of the Main Colour and 60gm/2.1oz of the Contrast Colour, so a total of 382gm/13.5oz of yarn, 688m/752 yds. So if you would like to make a larger and/or wider scarf for that multi-wrap fashion look, then I would suggest you allow about 650-750m, say 700-800 yds of yarn. 

Of course these are just guidelines and the actual amount you need will depend on the particular yarn, the fibre content and so on. The above examples are all in wool or wool mixes, and you may well find that cotton or other fibres may not work quite the same.

In any case, it’s always a good idea to have extra yarn on hand just in case you find your knitting uses yarn up at a faster rate that in the pattern – everyone’s knitting is unique, and what works for one person may not work for you. You can always make a hat with the leftovers!

If you would like some more suggestions for scarf lengths and widths then please see my earlier blogpost, "How long shall I make this scarf?".

I hope that has given you some good ideas for using your stash or recent sale yarn purchases for some fabulous new scarves. Then you can go and play in the snow! If you'd like more information about any of these scarves, then please have a look at my pattern store here. All the patterns are available for instant download so you can get knitting straight away.

Next time I’ll be back with a look at some fingerless mitts to keep you warm on frosty days.

Until then - Happy Knitting!

Moira
Keywords: Pattern Notes/Scarves, Autumn Accessories Series,
autumn, #autumnaccessories, scarf, scarves, meterage, yardage, yarn, wool, DK weight, worsted weight, chunky yarn, zR-231114

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