My first socks!

I always thought socks were hard. You know, like the Mount Everest of knitting - only for that secret club of super talented knitters. Turns out I was wrong, wrong, wrong - if you have a handful of basic techniques mastered, like Magic Loop and Judy's Magic Cast On, then knitting socks is a breeze!

These were such a fun and easy knit that I am already casting about for my next sock project. Perfect TV knitting, these ones were. And being able to make socks in whatever colour combo I want - I'll never again need complain that socks are only available in boring colours!

Project Notes:

Yarn: Wren & Ollie sock in Smitten Kitten for main colour, Jawoll sock in #119 for contrast.

Needles: 2.25mm (I went a size down from the pattern for a snugger fit on my narrow foot)

Pattern: Simple Socks by Emily Bolduan

All the other details can be found on Raverly!

Birdie cardigan

It's fuchsia! It's got sweet mini eyelets! It's perfect for layering over cardigans! It's my new favourite cardigan - Birdie!

I am VERY happy with how this turned out, and can't stop gazing at the magnificent colour! The pattern is by Louisa Harding's knitwear label, Yarntelier and as per usual this wonderfully talented designer has come up with the goods. Sweet, feminine, yet a wardrobe staple, I could have one of these in every colour and still never tire of their cardigan perfection.

I used Australian Superfine Merino to knit this up, and made two very slight changes to the pattern: I omitted the bobbly edgings, and made the sleeves 10cm longer. I must say, it really is the perfect design - it goes so well with a lot of my summer dresses, and is snuggly enough to ward off any sudden chills. I am seriously tempted to knit myself another!

Project Details:
Pattern - Birdie by Yarntelier
Yarn - Australian Superfine Merino from Maker Maker
Needles - 3.25mm and 4mm

New knitting pattern release - the Dandelion Baby Blanket

Behold my latest design for Jorth Knits - the Dandelion Baby Blanket!




The inspiration behind this blanket was the sheer childhood delight of blowing upon a dandelion flower and making a wish as the seeds scattered in the air. Legend says that if you manage to blow all the seeds off the flower head then any wish you make will come true - I hope any child who sleeps under this blanket dreams beautiful slumbering fancies of such things taking place.



Knit up in cosy 10 ply (worsted) yarn, this is such a fun knit! The dandelion flowers give lots of textural interest, and it would look good in a huge variety of colours.

You can buy the pattern now from the following places:

Jorth Knits on Ravelry
Jorth Knits on Etsy

If you make one up, please let me know - I get such a thrill when I see everybody's finished projects!

New knitting pattern - the Tegwyn Cowl!

Hi friends! I so happy today to be able to share with you my latest pattern - the Tegwyn Cowl!

The Tegwyn Cowl is a super textured open work cowl - perfect for cosy winter layering! Looking equally good wound cosily around your neck or left to hand loose, the lacy nature of this cowl means that it fits beautifully underneath winter coats and jackets.

The pattern is knit with the yarn held double - this makes the resulting fabric look amazingly textured. I love how this cowl has turned out! It's also a really quick and easy knit. Done in 4 ply (fingering) yarn, it's also the perfect one skein wonder, so if you have a lovely skein of sock weight yarn kicking about, you now know what to knit with it!

This pattern is available from my following Jorth Knits shops: Ravely and Etsy.

I'd love to see finished versions of this - let me know if you knit one up!

Chunky Cable Cowl - now available from both Ravelry and Etsy

Boy oh boy, did I have a busy weekend. Pics were taken, modelling was gamely attempted, knitting was arranged just so around my neck, patterns were pdf'd and an Etsy store set up. Woo hoo! I am beginning to feel that my life as a knitting pattern designer has truly begun!

Some of you may have seen this before, but I would like to reintroduce my Chunky Cable Cowl. Designed especially for beginner knitters who would like to try cables, this is a super easy (not to mention snuggly) knit that is perfect for winter!

Designed for super bulky yarn, it's also a rather quick knit. My aunty LOVES this pattern, and has made one up for all her friends! It looks great over a dress or tee, or layered with your favourite coat.

To knit this pattern, you will need the following:
 - 160m/174 yards of super bulky yarn, with a gauge of 9 stitches and 12 rows to 10 cm over stocking stitch. I used 2 balls of Debbie Bliss Roma.
 - 10mm/US 15 needles
 - large cable needle
 - large darning needle

Fancy making one yourself? They are available from the following places:
Ravelry Store: Jorth Knits
Etsy Store: Jorth Knits

Drop me a line via either email or on Ravelry if you make one - I can't wait to see everybody's beautiful versions out there!

Peacock Eyes Cardigan

You know you've had a busy year when you finish a cardigan way back in February, but don't manage to get pics of it until October. Good grief - what have I been doing with my time? (knitting, obviously!)

Well, as they say in the classics, better late than never. Meet my Peacock Eyes cardigan - here she is, finally, in all of her very red glory!

I loved knitting this pattern. It's so elegant - could work equally well with jeans as I've done here as draped casually over an evening dress when the chill of the evening sets in. It's a classic, timeless design, and since my love affair will red will only die when I do, I think I'll probably be wearing this for the rest of my mortal life!

It's knit out of Spud and Chloe Fine, which is a wool/silk blend in a fingering (4 ply) weight. Normally silk in a yarn provides drape, but not in this case - it ends up being quite sturdy, which is good as it supports the lace well (I don't want no floppy lace) and will wear well with minimal pilling. For when you've spent hours and hours knitting a cardigan on tiny needles, you want it to look for as long as possible!

I didn't alter the pattern except to make the sleeves full length rather than 3/4. The fit is great, and the pattern is beautifully written. Five stars from this happy knitter!

Oh, and one last thing: Tyger is laughing in that last pic because she is hatching her evil plan to steal my cardigan from me. Note from the wise, kid: don't tell your victim of your intended evil plan!

Project Details
Pattern - Peacock Eyes Cardigan by Justyna Lorkowska (Lete's Knits)
Yarn - 4.25 skeins Spud and Chloe Fine by Blue Sky Fibers (227m per skein) in shade 7815 Red Hot
Needles - 3.0mm and 3.25mm circular needles.
Notions - 13 buttons

See this project on Ravelry.

Pebble Beach Shawlette

As I sit here to type this post up, the weather outside is the least conducive to carefree beach going that you can think of: the rain is pelting down, the storm water drains are beginning to back up, and the wind and rain are conspiring to rob as many people of their umbrellas as possible.

So I shan't pop out and look for a nice pebbly beach on which to wear my Pebble Beach Shawlette, and shall instead have to stay here with the rain lashing the windows whilst quinces slow cook in the oven. I know, tough life, eh?

To the knitting! Here is my version of the Pebble Beach Shawlette designed by Helen Stewart. To be perfectly frank with you, knitting a shawl has never appealed to me, but once I lay eyes on this design, it suddenly became imperative that I knit one right this very minute. It's so lovely that even I, avowed shawl derider, fell under its lacy spell.

I knit this shawlette in Vinnis Colours Serina, a beautifully silky and drapey yarn from Woolarium. It's hard to tell from the pics, but the yarn has the most incredibly subtle colour variegations within it that had me captivated.

The pattern was one of the best written I have ever come upon. One component that really tickled my fancy was the percentage of completion that accompanied each row. It was like having a little cheer squad encouraging you to knit more quickly to the end! Whilst there was a lot of knitting in this, the pattern was very easy to follow. I can see more being made as gifts!

Project Details
Pattern - Pebble Beach Shawlette by Helen Stewart, knit in size small
Yarn - Vinnis Colours Serina bamboo yarn from Woolarium
Needles - 4mm 100cm circular needle

Project Ravelried here.

Vika: the ultimate cabled sweater

Never have I read a truer sentence in a pattern description than the one that accompanied Vika: "A noble cabled masterwork..."


Yup! This ain't tv knitting, my friends - this is a masterwork, and let's be making no mistakes about that! It took a lot of energy, and I don't want to even think about how many hours, and I shall admit that there were times when I thought "Urgh! What have I got myself in for?", but now it's done both Tyger and myself are pleased as punch with the results. And if you think I'm not going to be walking around saying "Hey! Check out my masterwork!" then you are in for some A-grade serious disappointment!

As is always the case with Brooklyn Tweed patterns, it's beautifully written, and the instructions provide explanations for all techniques used. The one quibble I had with it was the sizing of the garments. Even thought Tyger is 11, I ended up making her a size 6, as the size 10 would have been roomy on me. Since she really wanted a fitted cabled turtleneck, we had go down two sizes. To accommodate the extra height, I just added some extra ribbing, and used the length measurements for the size 10. It fits perfectly, so I am thrilled about that, and I'm pretty sure she'll squeeze a couple of winters out of it.


I used Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed Aran, which is 90% wool and 10% angora. The angora adds a beautiful softness to this yarn (especially noticeable after blocking), and stops the knitted garment from feeling scratchy. That's important, especially for a turtleneck sweater! Imagine her not wearing it, after all the hours of work I put into it, because it was itchy on her neck - quelle horreur!


Being a tweed yarn, it can break easily if you exert enough force, so I decided to use a dark green variegated cotton to sew the sweater up, as I figured it would be stronger than using the yarn itself. I love how very tweedy and British it looks - just the thing for striding along a Yorkshire moor in, and it's warm enough to fend off the chilliest of winds.


I'm really proud of this sweater, but I will say this: as much as I love knitting cables, I might have a rest from creating cabled masterworks for a while! Some easy, no-brainer knitting is in order, methinks!


Project Details:
Pattern - Vika by Brooklyn Tweed, made in size 6 with extra length added
Yarn - 7 balls of Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed Aran in shade #46 (Leaf), from Woolarium
Needles - 4mm, 4.5mm, cable needle


Ravelried here.

Meet Logan, my new knitted dress!

I know, I know - it's a thing. The whole Jorth and the knitted dress, but I cannot help it. There truly is no more comfortable garment in the world than a knitted dress, and I simply can't get enough of them! And if they are designed by Kim Hargreaves, then all the better - as far as I'm concerned, she does the best knit dress designs around. Thank you Kim for feeding my addiction...er, I mean love!

The pattern used was Logan from Kim's book Shadows. I knitted it up in Rowan Lima (shade: La Paz 891), which was such a fun yarn to work with. The yarn has a chain construction - I was bit worried I would constantly snag my needles on the yarn as I worked with it, but it knitted up with perfect ease. It does create quite a bouncy feeling fabric, but the cables stop it from spreading all over the place. This dress is a wonderful example of great use of design to enhance the natural characteristics of a yarn. I'm also really loving the ever-so-slight colour changes in the yarn. It reminds me of the gradual changes of colour in a summer paddock of long stemmed grass. I know that sounds a bit daft, but it's so right. So natural.


My only quibble with this dress is that it is sitting just on the wrong side of short. Normally I would wear a dress like this with stockings, but I fear that that with the fabric bounce this one would keep riding up on me, and I would be walking around like Lindsay Lohan, who doesn't seem to mind pairing rather short tops or tunics with nothing but a pair of tights and a smile, happy for the world to ogle her arse cheeks. I'm way too much of a prude for such scandalous behaviour, so I'm going to pair it with a pair of leggings and call it a done thing. If I had my time again I would have added a few extra cable repeats for the additional length but ack! it's too late now.


So there we are folks - another winter, another knitted dress! Now to plan for next years... Scorched is looking pretty good from where I'm sitting and knitting!


Project Details
Pattern: Logan by Kim Hargreaves, from the book Shadows
Yarn: 11 balls of Rowan Lima in shade La Paz 891, purchased from Woolarium
Needles: 4.5mm, 5mm, 5.5mm, cable needle

Ravelried here.

Rustling Leaves Beret

What did you do with your long weekend? I spent it knitting a gorgeously leaf-patterned beret, and scarfing home made eclairs made by Galumph and Tyger! Excellent weekend all around, I'd say!

I knitted this beret for the Woolarium Beanie Fest, which has entries open now. The theme is "New Beginnings", and as soon as I saw this pattern I knew it was the one I had to knit! The pattern was perfectly written, making it very easy to follow. I'll admit, it wasn't exactly 'zone-out-in-front-of-the-tv' knitting, but it wasn't crazy difficult either. My brim has turned out a little bit loose, so I think I'll thread some fine elastic through it, but apart from that it's perfect!


Project Details
Pattern: Rustling Leaves Beret by Alana Dakos
Yarn: 1 skein of Spud and Chloe Fine in 'Cricket' #7804
Needles: 2.75mm and 3.25mm
Ravelried here.

Vitamin D Cardigan

I have wanted to make this cardigan ever since I first clapped eye on it, and let me tell you right now, folks - it did not disappoint! Fun to knit, easy to wear and in the most perfect green ever spun, this is a cardigan that is going to be worn and worn until it falls to pieces!

Project Details:
Pattern - Vitamin D cardigan by Heidi Kirrmaier
Yarn - 5 x Jo Sharp Mulberry Silk Georgette in Woodland from Woolarium.
Needles - 3.25 and 3.5mm circular needles.


I really couldn't have picked a better yarn for this project - the Jo Sharp MSG drapes beautifully due to the silk content, and is light yet warm, making it idea for warmer weather. So tempted to make this up in other colours. Control yourself, Jorthy, and get cracking on those other projects languishing about!


Ravelried here.

Chunky Cable Cowl

It's an exciting day here at the Jorth household. So exciting that Galumph might have woken up to find me shaking him, squealing "TODAY'S THE DAY! TODAY'S THE DAY!"


And then Tyger might have sleepily opened one eye only to discover her mother's face stationed mere millimetres from her own, waiting for that eye to open up so she could excitedly yelp "Wake up, Tyger. TODAY IS HERE!"


And then while everybody was trying to eat their vegemite on toast in peace and get over their rude introduction to the world of the awake, they might have had to put up with somebody tapping on the table with both hands, excitedly chanting "TODAY MY DESTINY IS FULFILLED! TODAY I RULE THE WOOOOOOOORLD!!!!"


Because you know what today is, don't you? I know you've all had it marked in your calendars for ages. That's right - today is the day my first knitting pattern is released. HOORAY!


Introducing the Chunky Cable Cowl. Designed exclusively for Woolarium, this quick knit cowl is the perfect project for beginners wanting to embark upon an easy cable design.

Knit up in Spud & Chloe Outer (wool and organic cotton) this cowl is so super snuggly soft that you won't ever want to take it off.


The pattern is available free with any purchase of Spud & Chloe Outer from Woolarium. The cowl has been designed to be a quick and satisfying knit - on 10mm needles it knits up in no time at all, making it perfect for Christmas gifts (or just multiple versions for yourself!)

We have a few more exclusive patterns up our sleeves, so keep an eye on the Woolarium blog for more fabulous quick knit designs. And while I'm at it, a big thank you to Sharron at Woolarium for this awesome collaboration. This knit design business is so much fun! Especially with a big chunky plaited cable!


If you have any questions, leave a comment and I'll try and get back to you asap.

Baby booties

How adorable are these baby booties, eh? So teeny! And tiny! The perfect gift for Tyger's favourite teacher, who is calling her soon-to-be born little one 'Peanut'. So much cuter than 'Bump', which is what poor Tyger got stuck with. Sorry about that, Tygs.

Welcome soon to the world, Peanut!

Project Details
Pattern: Saartje's Booties by Saartje de Bruijn (free pattern on Ravelry!)
Yarn: Left-over partial ball of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino
Needles: 2.75mm
Notions: 4 buttons

This is a great, quick and easy knit - in fact, I think I spent more time sewing them together than I did actually knitting. I made the newborn size in a gender neutral colour, with cute red buttons to brighten things up.

Ravelried here.

Leafy Greens Blanket

The stork carefully stored the package that Jorth handed to him, carefully wrapped in brown paper and string, and as he flew off into the sunset he had one simple, grateful thought: that delivering presents for soon-to-arrive babies was sure as heck a lot easier than delivering the bubs themselves.

Project Details
Pattern: Leafy Baby Blanket by Leyla Alieva (free pattern!)
Yarn: 7 balls of Zara by Filatura Di Crosa, yarn held double throughout
Needles: 5mm needles

I really, REALLY enjoyed knitting this sweet baby blanket up. Since the yarn was held double, it went by pretty quick, and I would have gotten it finished sooner except I ran one ball short, so had to dash off to the yarn store before I could finish it. D'oh!

The blanket itself isn't huge, but is the perfect size for tucking into a pram or over a car seat to keep their precious occupant snug and warm. This is a definite knitting win to chalk up on the board!

Ravelried here.

Knitting ON FIRE!

Somebody call the fire brigade, because I am on FIRE, people, FIRE with my knitting of late!

I'm blitzing through Tyger's Flora Layered Leaf Skirt. I'm going great guns on my own patterns. I even spent a wee while today pawing a ball of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino from my stash and decided to turn it into a supercute pair of baby booties pronto.

And let's not forget this gorgeous leafy blanket that's being made for my besties first child. One and half more pattern repeats and I'll be done. I swear, people are lining up to gawk at me and my super speedy knitting skillz, cos I am like the Usain Bolt of knitting at the moment. Except with Addi Turbos instead of fancy spikes. Although I am tempted to do this awesomely awesome pose after a particularly nice cast on. No wonder people are staring!

I'm also going to be teaching a Learn to Knit class over at Handmaker's Factory this Sat, 12th July, so come along and I'll have you blitzing through the projects in no time.

Now I just need to put the needles down for a while and get my birthday dress sewn. Who needs sleep, eh?

The perfect yellow beret

You didn't think I was going to go trekking over to Scotland without a fancy hat of my own now did you? If Galumph got one, and Tyger got one, I was certainly getting one!

I used the Porom pattern from Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed. It was a lovely, easy pattern to follow, and the schematics for the pattern are the best I've ever seen. I'm feeling rather chuffed with my lovely new lacey beret, I must say.

And it matches my coat. Heaven!

Project Details
Pattern - Porom by Brooklyn Tweed
Yarn - 2 balls of Debbie Bliss Rialto DK in colourway 23045, from Woolarium
Needles - 4mm and 5mm circulars (I used my longest circulars, and did the magic loop method, rather than using dpns)

Tweed beanie

Warm. Easy on the eye. Strong yet soft at the same time.

Oh, and the beanie ain't half bad, either. Ha!

This was meant to be an intricate yet still manly cabled beanie for Galumph, but once I started doing the ribbing, I realised that the cable detail would get completely lost in the tweediness of the yarn. So I did some mods, and made a simple stocking stitch beanie instead.

Although I was rather looking forward to doing all the fancy cable work, I really like the simple gorgeousness of the tweed. It reminds me of clouds on a stormy day - full of blues and greys and blacks and greens.

I'm kinda hankering after some tweedy goodness for myself, now!

*off to peruse patterns on Ravelry*...

Project Details
Yarn: 2 balls of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed in Ash 120 from Woolarium
Needles: 3.5mm and 4.5mm circular needles (magic loop method used)

Perfect weather for knitting

As I sit here, it's steadily raining outside. The sky is one big sheet of grey, and I am knitting a beanie for Galumph and feeling blissfully happy. I LOVE the cooler months. I'm such a Cancerian crab at heart - liking nothing better than to be pottering around inside, sewing or knitting up a storm and thinking up new ways to keep my beloved ones warm and well fed. You can keep your summer days, with your posing bikini-clad beach goers, and melted ice creams, and sapping heat. As far as I'm concerned, the only good thing about summer is wearing summery frocks, and I reckon knitting on the couch as the rain gently pitter patters outside trumps even that!

Speaking of knitting, there's still a few spots left in the class I'm teaching this Saturday morning over at Handmaker's Factory, so if you fancy knitting up a storm this winter as well, come along and be shown the ways by moi! Not only will you have bucket loads of fun and learn a new skill, but you will also help me in my life long project of converting everybody I meet to the knitting way. Come, my friends... come over to the knit side!

Who wore it better: Hermione or Tyger?

With cooler days rapidly approaching, it was time to gather the family together and ask some very important questions. Namely, who wanted a hat, and what colour did they want it in?

Being most excellent and supportive relations of me, both Galumph and Tyger showed appropriate levels of handknit excitement. In fact, after all these years I would be rather disappointed if they didn't start bouncing up and down with gusto at the very mention of knitting, if only to keep me happy. So I jumped on Ravelry and after far too many not enough hours spent browsing the patterns on offer found the perfect hat for Tyger.

"Quick, child!" I bellowed. "Come hither and tell me if you would like one of these! Fancy a hat like Hermione wears in HP6?"

Now, we're not quite at the teenage attitude years yet, but let me just say this: once Tyger clapped her eyes upon the fetching cable and eyelet beanie, I wouldn't have been surprised if her answer to my stupid question had of been "Duh, Mum, I totes want one", complete with accompanying eye roll. Thankfully she graced my idiotic query with an answering "Yes, please!", and then joined me in persuading Galumph that a trip to Woolarium was required, pronto. Have I mentioned that I love my girl SO MUCH? No eye rolls, and loves a good trip to the yarn store. I've hit the jackpot!

Two days later, and a fair whack of knitting on my part, and we now have a hat-off. Our version is a little bit more slouch than beanie, cos that's how we roll around these parts, but I will admit that Hermione does have better styled hair. As she would want to - it looks like she has her own personal stylist assigned 24/7!

So, who wore it better? Hermione or Tyger?

You know what - I'm calling it a draw. Any sort of knitted hat is fine fine fine with me. Viva le knitting needles!

Project Details
Pattern: Hermione's Cable and Eyelet Hat (and it's free! Hooray!)
Yarn: 1 skein Spud and Chloe Sweater in colour 7501, from Woolarium
Needles: 4mm circular

I did alter this pattern a smidge: I did a twisted rib for the ribbing, and went up a needle size. I used the magic loop method rather than dpns, too.

Creative Frenzy

Boy oh boy, it sure is busy around these parts. My days are filled with freelance content writing, knitting up samples for my own range of knitting patterns, sewing dolls for the school fete, finishing off some clothes for Tyger, and scratching my head and wondering why oh why did I rashly promise to make jam for the aforementioned fundraiser. I don't even do jam for us!

So if you pass by my house and notice smoke issuing from a window, fear not - that's just me burning rubber with my sewing frenzy. And if you see sparks coming from an open door, don't call the fire brigade - that's just me knitting so hard I could start a fire with my needles. And if you smell burnt marmalade then... well, maybe go for the raspberry at the fete jam stall instead.