Free knitting pattern: RUN beanie

I knitted my RUN beanie ages ago, but somehow I never got round to publishing the pattern for it. I don’t talk much about running on this blog, but I do run, and runners like to show that they are runners. Hence the idea of the beanie! Also, given this is an easy and relatively quick knit, you might just be in time to turn it into a Christmas present for a runner in your life, or perhaps for yourself!

Also, I used the lovely Portuguese Retrosaria Beiroa yarn for my beanie. I love how it is so light and lofty, at the same time as rustic with darker strands of wool spun into the yarn. I’m also fascinated with the story behind the Retrosaria yarns, whose aim is to revive Portuguese wool and yarn making. Next time I’m in that part of the world, I simply can’t miss out on visiting their shop in Lisbon!

ÁRBORE·DO·FOGO NEWS:

I’m currently doing a Black Friday sale in the shop, which means you’ll get a 30% discount on everything that’s there from today all through the weekend! Use the promo code BF2016 to be eligible for the discount.

Favourites from Making No. 2 – Fauna

I clearly have a thing for craft books and magazines. I remember being a little girl, when there wasn’t really an abundance of resources available in Hungary, and so often I would hold a book in your hands with its lovely projects, wondering where on earth I could get the necessary materials and tools from. In particular, my mother owned a red book called the “Big book of handcrafts”, which I would never get tired of. I would leaf through the book over and over again, choosing new favourite projects each time, and feeling amazed at the same time as utterly overwhelmed. I wanted to make EVERYTHING that was in there, only, for the most part, I didn’t know how or I did’t dare to ask for money to buy threads or yarns or whatnot.

Holding the Making magazine in my hands evokes a similar feeling. I wish I had all the time in the world and access to all the supplies, ingredients and tools I can imagine – as well as the combined skills of a regiment of lovely grannies, to be able to make everything from cover to cover. Carrie Bostick Hoge’s editorial project is so well thought through and executed, featuring a collection of gorgeous fiber projects, accompanied by lovely photography, inspiring articles and mouthwatering recipes. It really is a great display of what a pair of able crafty hands are capable of, from making garments to crafting toys and homeware.

It is so so so hard to pick favourites, even if I restrain myself to knitting projects (there are 17 of them!) – since realistically I’m not going to be transitioning to sewing or embroidery anytime soon. I’ll still attempt a top 3 of items I see myself highly likely to cast on at some point in the future:

Arctic Cardigan – Photo credit: Carrie Bostick Hodge

Open Water Cowl – Photo credit: Carrie Bostick Hodge

Byssus Cocoon – Photo credit: Carrie Bostick Hodge

 

1. Open Waters Cowl by Melanie Berg. I’ve already mentioned in an earlier post how much I loved this design. Such a special-looking stitch and such an exceptionally unique cowl.
2.  Arctic Cardigan by Carrie Bostick Hoge. This cardigan promises to be a fast(ish) knit and it’s so simple and wearable. I’m definitely sold.
3. Byssus Cocoon by Bristol Ivy. I’ve declared my love for shrugs before, which I find far more practical and easier to wear than shawls. This looks like the perfect thin layer to throw on in a cool summer evening.

On a final note, Making is only available in paper format, meaning no digital copies. I’ve been fortunate to find it in the lovely Minerva store here in Wellington, but I’ve seen it’s sold out already in so many places. In case you miss out and really fancy some of the projects, as far as I can see, patterns from the previous issue (but not the current one) are now available for purchase through digital download on Ravelry.

November WIP and queue check

NOTE: If you are interested to enter an Instagram giveaway for a chance to win a pair of árbore·do·fogo handmade earrings, please be sure to read/scroll through to the very bottom of this post.

Wow, I’ve just checked and I haven’t written a WIP post since June. That’s a long time! I almost cannot believe it. Actually – with the exception of the Baya shawl – I haven’t even worked on any of the projects mentioned there. Oh well.

So what I currently have on my needles are:

1. The “Improvised” top-down sweater. This project was inspired by the knitalong organized by Karen from the Fringe Association blog. I’m ever so grateful for the initiative, as I feel like I’ve learnt so much (and will learn even more) from coming up with a sweater design and trying to knit it all by myself, following Karen’s very well written instructions and tips. For now the project is looking pretty good, and “only” the most boring part, aka. the sleeves are left to finish. I will probably write a last wrap-up post about this sweater once it’s finished.
2.  Waterlily tee. I’ve mentioned repeatedly on the blog that I’ve been dying to knit some tops I can wear in summer. I missed out on it last year, but I’m determined to be better prepared now. That is why two weeks ago, while we were away in Auckland for a week, I put aside the top-down sweater – except for the time it took to write up the blog post about it – and cast on the Waterlily. The yarn I’m using is the purple cotton and possum blend I had picked up at the factory yarn sale back in May. I had my doubts as to the yarn becoming too fuzzy or being too warm, but it is knitting up as the softest and most wonderful fabric. Also, it is a delight to be knitting the endless rounds of stockinette for the body – a few inches left until I’m supposed to divide for the sleeves and start the lace panel.
3. Little Wave Cardigan. Those who’ve been following this blog know that after a long long long time of knitting, abandonment and knitting, I’d finished a grey version of this cardigan for Chan. My plan had always been to knit myself one too. We will have to coordinate well to not show up anywhere both dressed in our Little Waves – that would be pretty ridiculous, but I so like this pattern, and since I bought it, it would be silly not to knit another one. While Chan’s was made in grey merino, mine will be a rust coloured alpaca and wool blend. So not that similar after all. I only have the yoke and the shawl collar to go, but since winter is over, this has become less of a priority right now.

Considering the advanced state of all these projects, it looks like once I round them up one after the other, I’ll be in for an FO shower! I can’t wait for that!

“Improvised” top-down sweater

Waterlily – when you realise that the flowers outside your window are the same colour as your knitting project

Little Wave – This is at a stage when it’s very hard to photograph…

Abandoned projects – how shameful it feels to even write this down:

1. Striated cowl. I started this cowl for several practical reasons, which included using up yarn that was left over from a sweater project, making good use of a pattern I already owned, and, last but not least, to have an easy on the go knitting project that I can carry with me and work on whenever I have a bit of time. By now I managed to realize that I might just frog it and use the yarn for something else. I’ll give it some more thought when I get there.
2. Knitting basket. No advances on this project either. I’ll definitely have to frog the one I started, and I might try and use the felted yarns I bought at the yarn sale. Those should yield much sturdier containers. Again, this will have to wait at least until we move to our new home hopefully sometime towards the end of this year.

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árbore·do·fogo news

In part I decided to conjure up this post quickly at the beginning of the week in order to let the readers of this blog on the Christmas giveaway I’m hosting over at the árbore·do·fogo Instagram account. If you are keen to enter, you get a chance to win a pair of Golden Star earrings – and I will be so envious, as at this rate I don’t think I’ll have the chance to make a pair for myself… 🙂 Good luck if you decide to participate!