Spring into spring with this gorgeous Chic Spring Beret kindly donated to p/hop by talented designer Jane Crowfoot and the staff at The Knitter magazine.

The beret uses four colours of DK yarn and is a good introduction to Fair Isle (stranded colour) knitting. If you’re new to Fair Isle knitting there are lots of good tutorials on the internet including one on the KnittingHelp.com website (scroll down for the video) or just ask in the p/hop group on Ravelry if you need any advice.

If you want to see what the beret looks like in other colourways take inspiration from what others have made on Ravelry.

To read more about the Chic Spring Beret pattern and download the PDF click here. Happy Knitting!

The stunning Dido Shawl and Dido Scarf pattern has been generously designed and donated to p/hop by Åsa Tricosa.

The pattern can be knit as either a shawl or scarf and uses 4ply yarn.

To find out more and download a copy of the pattern in return for a donation to Médecins Sans Frontières click here.

Don’t forget to follow us on twitter or join the p/hop Ravelry group to keep up with the latest news and new patterns. Happy Knitting!

Thanks to the generosity of designer Karen Wessel (aka quesselchen) we have a new p/hop sock pattern.

These gorgeous Stained Glass Window Socks work brilliantly with graduated yarn colours as well as combinations of solid and variegated yarns. Let your imagination run wild…

To find out more and download a copy of the pattern in return for a donation to Médecins Sans Frontières click here.

Don’t forget to follow us on twitter or join the p/hop Ravelry group to keep up with the latest news and new patterns. Happy Knitting!

You may have noticed the rather cryptic hints that something fabulous happened in York last weekend. We managed to get several very important people who have played a major role in setting up this wonderful charity effort all in one place.

We had the fantastic Natalie from The Yarn Yard who set up this whole crazy idea.
Also present were Jane who wrote the Cranford Mitts pattern, (currently the 63rd most popular mitten pattern on Ravelry) and the Karenina Socks pattern, Thimblina who designed the Hop Sox pattern and Elizabeth’s Scarf, CelandonSusan who designed Ruth’s Harvest Socks. And that’s just the designers….

The weekend had come about as a way of getting all the wonderful women who hang out in Natalie’s Garden Shed on Ravelry together. Non- knitters, and knitters alike, come and have a look, the kettle is always on, and you’ll meet the most fantastic group of women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.
Many of us have played a part in the evolution of Natalie’s idea to the current global project that p/hop has become. As well as supporting each other when we dip our toes in to the murky water of pattern writing, we’ve also developed the idea of swapping yarn in exchange for donations to p/hop. Over in the p/hop Ravelry group there is nearly always a yarn swap going on.
A few of us have what might be described as a stash habit, rather less harmful than most habits, as long as you exclude the damage done to your bank balance!

However some stash acquisitions can sometimes lead to feelings of guilt, you bought the yarn and loved it, but your tastes have now changed;  you decided to try lace weight and maybe got a bit enthusiastic with your purchases but discovered you hate knitting with the stuff. Sometimes you’re given yarn that is beautiful, but just not you….

(photo courtesy of Natalie)

We all bought along several skeins of yarn and braids of fibre that fitted those categories (and several books and bags), all beautiful, but just not something we could see ourselves using. The yarn was all piled up on a convenient pool table, and in a very British manner we all picked out our favourite skein.

Keep Calm and Carry Yarn poster from Etsyseller JennieGee

We then carried on picking until all the yarn had gone, it wasn’t a true swap in that some people de-stashed, some people gained stash, and you didn’t have to have put yarn in to take some out.

We’ve all travelled back to our separate corners of the UK, donated what we could afford, fondled our new acquisitions, and told our friends about the swap, and felt good about getting new yarn and doing it for charity!

I’m planning on doing one with my knitting group in Sheffield, if you want to do similar please get in touch with the wonderful p/hop co-ordinators and let them know.

swatches

The life of a textiles designer is ironically often quite frantic, due to the slow and steady nature of the crafts involved meaning some projects can go on for months.

Last week was one of those busy-busy weeks, with lots of long projects nearing completion at the same time.I have had four knitting and crochet projects to swatch, finish making and/or write patterns for, as well as the day job, a launch party, knitting lesson and Christmas market preparation and some embroidery projects to complete. Phew!

The picture above shows some grey garter stitch, which is a sample of the cowl we shall be knitting in a beginners class coming up this weekend, a mock houndstooth fairisle knit coming to a magazine near you very soon and a couple of crochet swatches for throws. The nice thing about working on so many different projects is that you don’t get bored, or suffer so acutely with RSI or tennis elbow due to the differing patterns of your fingers when working crochet and knitting or chunky and fine yarns.

I have also been planning more adventurous projects, dreaming up and sketching wonderfully glamourous knits for a possible new book, here’s a little exclusive preview of a fringed number. Have been wanting to make this for what seems like forever, perhaps now will be the big chance!

So glad that this week is panning out a little more relaxed so I have finally had a chance to blog and direct people to the fantastic p/hop cause; hopefully all you generous knitters will get huge pleasure from knitting something from the site and be able to take the time to enjoy the process as well as the donating.

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Thank you very much Claire. You can read more from Claire aka Montyknits here.

Remember you can get all the blog-a-long updates by following p/hop on twitter and in the p/hop Ravelry group.

So I have just been on holiday to Ghana! Went to visit my friends Zak and Anna, who are there doing work for a development organisation called AACO (don’t tell MSF). Had a wonderful time and did a lot of knitting. Made a couple of videos for p/hop, one I’ll post now and one in a week or so as I am off to France on Friday (it is my 30th this month so I have used it as an excuse to go on 2 holidays

Loads of boys in Ghana crochet by the way but I saw no other knitters.

More on my return from France and the next one is a bit special…..

What did I say? I said, “I will take a pic everyday (as long as I can) and post them here.”

This I have not done. However, I have been knitting! Which is the point… Been a crazy couple of weeks, including a football tour to Florence where we beat the Italians on penalties in the final. Then a week working from the MSF office in Brussels (great people, great beers, a lot of fun). Then a final football competition in Belgium, which we got knocked out of in the final on golden goal. Hence, not much photo taking and blogging, but………………………….

………………… lots of knitting (for me anyway). The only days I knitted nothing were the three days of football in which I was either playing, celebrating, commiserating or sleeping. Change of colour wasn’t too hard, although I have a funny line of white running through the red. Something to improve on I guess. Suggestions of what went wrong welcome…

Not sure how this happened....

And, unfortunately, my first hole. At least it’s a good one. I lulled myself into a false sense of security thinking I could watch Che at the same time as knit. Wrong!

Blame Che Guevara

Now things have settled down, I will begin charting progress again. I’m getting there though. Soon be time to get your cheque book out Steve!

The Without Borders Sock pattern has been kindly donated to the p/hop project by Katie Weston. These lovely socks were inspired by the Endpaper Mitts.

To download a PDF version of the pattern click here.

Don’t forget to make your p/hop donation once you have finished! Easy to donate at justgiving….

Less productive tonight – played 5-a-side, then the boys came round afterwards…. But, didn’t break the pledge and did two more rows while they battled it out on the playstation. They were a little bit surprised when I pulled out the wool and needles, but I only had to endure ten minutes of ribbing before I reminded them that it was my house and they were quite welcome to leave via the first floor window

Day 3

Got tickets for the Arsenal youth cup final with my friend Marie (also of MSF), so at least we might see the gooner kids win something this season!

Thanks for all your words of encouragement yesterday – really overwhelming! Not sure if Natalie’s competition is still open but feel free to comment here or with everyone else on yesterday’s post.

See you tomorrow and thanks again….

Alice Yu of Soctopus is hosting the Mad Knitter’s Charity Bingo on Friday the 8th of May 2009 from 6.30pm to 10pm in London. It will be held at the Soctopus shop – Studio 9, 132-134 Lots Road, London Sw10 0RJ (entrance from Tetcott Rd)

Alice has kindly offered to donate proceeds from ticket sales and raffle to MSF.

Tickets for bingo cost £5 and are available to purchase on the Soctopus blog here.

If you can’t make it on the night, there will be an Out of Sight raffle. Raffle tickets are going to be p/hopped. It’s £5.00 per entry. Once you have made your p/hop donation, email Alice missmalice@mac.com with the amount and she will enter you into the draw.

To have a look at some of the fantastic prizes on offer click here

For further information on the Mad Knitter’s Charity Bingo get in touch with Alice +44 (0)20 7349 7226