Happy New Year Everyone. Before we launch headlong into 2011 I’m going to take a few moments to look back over 2010. What a year it was, we were here there and everywhere meeting hundreds, if not thousands of friendly and generous knitter, but you know all that (well you do if you read the blog). One of the things I love about p/hop is when people are inspired to make a difference and raise money which will enable MSF to provide vaccines, midwives, nutrition and other life saving care to people who desperately need it.

Take for example IsobelM who asked for a collecting tin and some info on p/hop and MSF to add to a display on knitting in her local library in the Isle of Man.  Or Shelia who always makes a donation through Just Giving whenever there is a birthday in the family, remembering those who have very little in life at times of personal celebration. Or Rhoda who knitted tea cosies to sell for MSF at a local craft cafe and gallery. Or the anonymous knitter who donates for a pattern.  Or Rooknits and Picperfic who coordinated the 2010 raffle blankets and all the individuals who donated their knitting time to make squares to create beautiful throws. All these acts of kindness make a huge difference.

Jacqui, modelling her Flowers in the Rain design at Woolfest in July

You’ve helped Dr Ekdahl deliver two healthy babies to Haseena and Jamila in flood striken Pakistan.You’ve helped prevent, control and treat cholera outbreaks in Haiti. You’ve helped vaccinate thousands of vulnerable people in Niger against meningitis. You’ve helped raise nearly £22,000, over US$4000 and 1,500 Euro for MSF since p/hop started.

Good eh? If you helped p/hop raise money for MSF, in any way, no matter how small, in 2010 give yourself a pat on the back, a nice cup of tea,some knitting time, and start thinking about what we can do in 2011.

Photo from MSF UK

Thank you.

Added at 10pm: After I wrote this the UK fund raising total went over £22,000! What a brilliant start to 2011. Don’t forget you can also donate in US dollars, Euros or make a donation in your local currency to your country’s MSF office.

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!

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!

Hello all, this is half showing off ( I was in the gorgeous Lesotho), half proving that I am still doing the knitting and half a little reminder of why p/hop exists. I know that is three halves, but that’s because p/hop just keeps on giving.

My trip to Lesotho was amazing. As I said it was for the BBC Lesotho diary projects, which can be found here. I will let you know when the next instalments go up and you can check out the handywork.

The Cranford Mitts pattern has been kindly donated to the p/hop project by Jane Lithgow.

As the title suggests, the inspiration for this pattern came from the BBC adaptation of Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. Jane says, ‘This gentle drama, both humorous and touching took us into the lives of gentlewomen of certain age living in reduced circumstances. I noticed that many of their costumes included delicate mitts which they wore to ensure warm fingers in their draughty houses. I have adapted this idea to create some warm but delicately lacy mitts to take the edge off chilly spring mornings.’

To download a PDF version of ‘Cranford Mitts’ click here

We hope you enjoy knitting this free pattern and don’t forget to give it a p/hop rating!

“Come to the little knit meeting we have in Golders Green” said Jane over the phone.

Lovely, thought I. In a coffee shop, a couple of people around to chat to and get tips off. And, most importantly, no pressure….

Wednesday rolls around and I turn up at the the cafe. THERE ARE 19 KNITTERS! Small group? Suddenly I am immensely nervous. I walk straight through the cafe and order a medium black coffee and pop to the loo. I wash my face and return. The coffee is waiting for me – this must be an American style coffee shop as my medium coffee fills a vessel the size of a small bucket. I take a sip and, as casually as I can, stroll over.

Of course I am being ridiculous! The knitters are lovely and Jane and introduces me to the other 18. I forget each name as I am introduced and get my wool out.

Going so well.....

Jane is a great teacher and I am soon finishing a first row of twenty! This is easy! As I round the bend and start my second row, I am in very high spirits. Admittedly, I cannot knit and do anything else – such is the concentration I am devotingto the needles in my hands, but I am making progress…

Four rows in and Jane calls for a stop. This is a practice – the scarf needs to be much wider, so gotta do longer rows. ‘Piece of cake’ thinks I (also secretly glad that I get to “frog” so early in my knitting career).

I am a natural!

I tie my slip knot and off I go again. But something is different… It seems that the wool is tighter on the needles and I am having trouble maneouvering them properly. I begin to get stressed and tense (not helped by my two litres of thick, caffeine filled beverage)  and Jane wisely tells me to lower my shoulders from around my ears. But it’s no good, something has gone wrong. It seems like the needles are tiny and each movement restricts my movement more and more.

Uh-oh...

And they are kicking us out of the cafe.

I cannot believe I have learnt to knit and forgotten again in the space of two hours…I was so close.

But I am not easlily beaten and I will be back to Golders Green knitting group – at least I’ll have a chance to remember some names!

If you already offer a free pattern on ravelry would you consider offering it as a p/hop pattern?

p/hop patterns use “generic” yarn. Yarn which is not linked to any particular company, dyer or business.
If your pattern uses “standard” sock yarn, or a laceweight yarn which gives 700m/100g or 1000m/100g (or any other weight), or “everyday” DK, then it could be a p/hop pattern.

It’s very important that p/hop is not seen to promote a particular brand, obviously we all have our favourites, but p/hop is not about making money for yarn companies.

It’s obviously OK that if there is a photo, it can say “knitted in The Fabulous Yarn Company’s Splendiferous Sock yarn. But in the section where you write about quantities, gauge etc, it should say “Use any yarn which has 400-420m/100g or to get gauge”.

If a knitter can download a pattern and then go and dig in their stash for a skein (or ten) of yarn then that’s perfect.

Patterns must be your own design, and they must have been test-knitted by someone independent.

If you think you have a suitable pattern already, or would like to design one, please contact Pete or Louise for the code you can insert on your pattern to make it a p/hop pattern.

Your original pattern is unchanged, but it will then include brief information about MSF, and about where a donation can be made.

Please get in touch!

If you have visited the Justgiving donations page lately, you will notice there’s more to p/hop than just knitting free patterns. Swapping. Books, Yarn Harlot calenders, spinning wheels, you name it. In return - a small donation to p/hop. How much joy did you get from your new goody!

If you are looking for something in particular why not post a message here on the blog or in the p/hop group on Ravelry (if your not already a free member of Ravelry, you will need to sign up to see this group).

We would love to hear about your swaps! Write us a message or send in some pics.

Crocheted Twirly Scarf by Pixeldiva

You can now join in on a knitalong for the p/hop Flowers in the Rain pattern created by karmastitch on Ravelry.

Jacqui Walker, designer of Flowers in the Rain, writes about the online phenomenon of knitting and knitalongs!

Knitting used to be a solitary activity. You bought the pattern, chose your yarn and off you went. The only feedback you would get was from the recipient of the finished design and, if you were lucky, maybe you could ask your mum or gran for help if you got stuck and didn’t understand something in the pattern.

Not anymore! The internet and the rise of knitting forums like Ravelry have changed all that. Knitting is now a social activity. Not just on line but in the non-virtual world too. Knitters meet in cafes and bars to share their knitting and fondle each others yarn.

They also Knitalong!

A ‘knitalong’ turns a new knitting adventure into a shared journey. Lots of knitters all working on the same pattern at the same time means lots of help and companionship. Knitalongs are especially helpful if you are attempting a new knitting technique like lace knitting for example.

The first pattern donated to the MSF p/hop project is a lace scarf or stole. Many people find lace knitting intimidating. Knitting with very fine yarn on small needles and using charts for the first time can seem daunting. If you knit the pattern with someone with more experience you can pick up useful tips and tricks to help you master the skill necessary to successfully complete your first project. Knitters share their experiences and receive encouragement to keep trying and to overcome the initial set backs that learning a new technique often involves. Additionally there’s a ready made audience who appreciates the time and dedication needed to complete a long project and who will offer the feedback and praise the novice lace knitter needs and the experienced lace knitter deserves Often a knitalong makes the difference between an unfinished project languishing unloved and a jubilantly completed one.

These posts on my blog may help with lace knitting.
lifelines
swatching
blocking

Flowers in the rain by Jacqui Walker

Welcome to the p-hop project!

We are now up and running so please feel free to download the free knitting patterns, read up on the project, leave your comments and send in p/hop stories and photos.

We’d also love to see your finished p/hop projects and to post them up here, so once you have knitted and p/hopped, please send us a photo and tell us what you thought…

For those of you new to p/hop, it is a knitting fundraising project for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). We will be hosting free knitting patterns available to download here and on the MSF website. The first pattern, Flowers in the Rain, is now available and has been kindly donated by Jacqui Walker.

A big thank you to everyone who has contributed to the p/hop project so far. We have already received many generous donations – £353.13 to date!! In particular, thanks to Natalie of the Yarn Yard for starting the wonder that is p/hop and for all of her support for MSF.