Stitch in Time Vol 2 mini preview

As I mentioned in my last post, we held a little fashion show at the Make, Do and Knit event. The models all volunteered their time and did a wonderful job, getting changed in little more than a cupboard and doing it very quickly.

The first preview garment is this quite formal and very elegant jumper. The body sections are knitted in different directions in rib and then dramatic pleats are added at the wrist and around the neck creating almost victorian ruffles. This jumper is from the early 1930s and I have used Jamieson and Smith 2 ply jumper yarn for this one.



Image courtesy Sam Sloan Photography

The whole garment is very dramatic and severe but very flattering.

This next jumper is also predominantly knitted in a rib stitch - as so many were in the 1930s - but has a really interesting bobble stitch worked at the sides of the garment. The sleeves are ribbed and the neck is a boat or slash neck. Other than mastering the bobbles this is a very simple knit with very little shaping, relying on negative ease and the ribbing to create the fit. I have used a 4ply cashmere and merino mix for this one with a slight marl in the yarn to add textural interest.



Image courtesy Sam Sloan Photography

Moving forward, is this delightful little jumper from the 1940s. Incredibly easy to knit with decorative ruched stripes of 'ribbon' effect colours across the body. Little bows are added afterwards. There is an opening at the back neck with contrasting buttons. The pretty puffed sleeves are helped with small sleeve pads knitted and sewn in place. I have used a 4 ply merino yarn from Biggan Design for this one, which is due for release shortly I believe.



Image courtesy Sam Sloan Photography

I have used the yarn for this next one before. This is Posh Yarns, cashmere and silk mix which was used for the 1930s cami bockers in Volume 1 - there was still enough left to knit this absolute wisp of a jumper. I really wanted to try a jumper in a very fine weight yarn. The original pattern is actually for a one ply yarn and although this yarn is more of a 2 ply it is still the lightest, most delicate thing you have ever seen. It also knits up surprisingly quickly. It has dainty picot edges on the sleeves and neckband and a pretty bow knitted separately and then sewn in place. It also has a back neck opening. The little knot stitch worked on the main body and sleeves stops the knitting process being boring. I just love this one, I really do. The whole thing weighs practically nothing!



Image courtesy Sam Sloan Photography
Moving on to the 1950s, no collection from this period would be complete without a simple crew neck cardigan. This cardigan is knitted in Jamieson and Smith lace weight yarn and is the perfect spring cardigan. The front panels provide interest whilst knitting and is a very simple knit.



Image courtesy Sam Sloan Photography

Unfortunately, I've only really got this one photo of the cardi but hopefully you can see enough of it. Its one of those that you'll need in 6 different colours!

So finally, on to full on 1950s glamour. This top is knitted in Knitshop mulberry silk which is a thick 4 ply and the garment still came out tiny, really tiny. The waistband is knitted separately and sewn to the body and then a zip is sewn into the side where the waistband ties. If you knit this one, don't try and do it without the zip - you won't get into it! The flattering neckline compliments the wearer and the decorative cuff adds glamorous detail to the wrist. The black edging and bows are crocheted - the bows are sewn on at the end. The knitting is actually quite straight forward again but cleverly constructed to create that real 50s shape. Time to get out the waspie!



Image courtesy Sam Sloan Photography

I hope you have enjoyed this little taster of what is to come. I love every single one of them, and have been delighted how amazingly well they suit and flatter everyone who tries them on. But for now, back to the knitting.

Ruby xxx

Just a quickie to say Hello!

It has been a chaotic few weeks leading up to and then running the Make, Do and Knit event in Liverpool. Despite a few secret, last minute hiccups the event itself went extremely smoothly and everyone seemed to have a great time. Since then, catching up has been SO time consuming. There are so many things you don't realise you are leaving till 'later' when you have something of this scale to organise. And then when its all over they all come back to haunt you!

I will have photos of the event to post and most importantly some of the first designs to go public from A Stitch in Time, Volume II. Vintage Gifts to Knit is almost ready for despatch too, so things are beginning to happen. The images and patterns from the booklet will be ready for a reveal shortly too.

I am off to Edinburgh tomorrow with my daughter. She has been accepted by Edinburgh College of Art to study a BA in Film, so we are off to look at accommodation. She (and I) are so excited. Edinburgh is the college she has been hoping for and its fabulous it has come to be. Look out for lots of photoshoots suddenly coming from Scotland as I follow my model and muse across the border!

In the meantime I will leave you with a little tease from one of the garments from A Stitch in Time, Vol II!

for now
Ruby xxx

Twisted Woolly Toppers (by Woolly Wormhead) Blog tour

I am thrilled to have been asked by the lovely Woolly Wormhead to be the first port of call in the blog tour to launch her new book “Twisted Woolly Toppers”. I got to know Woolly initially online, like so many of us, and we found ourselves sharing and discussing the many issues and complexities that arise for a self employed designer. We also found that we had much in common. Both of us former art and textiles teachers and independent authors, we had both had very mixed experiences of the formal teaching system in the UK, particularly as it is applied to the teaching of art and crafts. I couldn’t begin to calculate how many conversations have been exchanged between us and how many problems discussed and resolved through the power of the web!

One of these discussions in fact, is what established our working relationship. For those of you who don’t know, I am, well my business is, in a non-traditional way, Woolly’s publisher.


When Woolly self published Going Straight, her first book, it was printed by Lulu, a large online publishing/print company. As a customer ordered a book, a single book was printed out and despatched. Lulu’s costs were becoming more and more prohibitive, leaving Woolly as the designer and author, with very little return for all the effort and expense which goes into the publication of a book. The Lulu system also prevented her from being able to offer her print book for sale via retailers or at shows.

Self publishing has historically received negative press - the suggestion being that the author couldn’t attract a publisher. More and more designers, artists and illustrators, including Woolly, are making the decision themselves not to look for a traditional publisher but to find a business model which ensures they retain control of their product and receive a viable return on their time and effort. There are unfortunately, marketing issues that stem from this decision to go it alone so to combat these traditional barriers Gavin (my husband) and I had created a new business model for ourselves to publish and sell my book, A Stitch in Time. We set up Arbour House Publishing as our own publishing house, enabling us to also tap into the traditional distribution networks in the publishing world and to help other authors in a similar position to ourselves.

To resolve Woolly’s problem, we became her print publisher. Our relationship works very differently to that of a regular publisher and author. Woolly has complete control of her product, providing us with the finished artwork and selling the digital version of the books herself through her website. Arbour House prints and publishes short runs of Woolly’s books enabling us to offer them both to retail and wholesale customers. We primarily sell Woolly’s books through our own online shop and ship them all over the world. What is great for the customer is that they deal either with Woolly or with ourselves so they are never more than an email away from the source of the product they want to purchase!

This model works well for all concerned, but particularly because we believe in what each other is trying to do. When Woolly asked me to kick off the blog tour she asked me two really BIG questions:

Why I am happy to endorse and publish her books/designs?
and
What do I like about her work, from the perspective as a co-designer and as her publisher?

After considerable thought, I realised that the answers to these two questions are the same:

Woolly, is one of the most sophisticated and talented designers I can think of, with a completely instinctive and unstoppable need to design and create. Her enthusiasm and intelligence is inspiring to be around and shines through in her work. Every time I knit a Hat Woolly has designed I learn something new, but without having to struggle as the patterns are so well written, the photography is beautiful, the presentation of the pattern is exceptionally well considered and as a result I admire her work immensely.

Freccia from Twisted Woolly Toppers

This is why I am more than happy to endorse and publish her books and also why I love her work from every perspective!

And also why I couldn’t wait to see Twisted Woolly Toppers. I have seen Woolly evolve over the last couple of years into a more and more accomplished designer and this development is what can be observed in Twisted Woolly Toppers. Each of the 10 Hats in the book can be knitted in several sizes often fitting from toddlers right through to men. Each design uses twists, cables and bias techniques to echo the beautiful architecture Woolly observes around her in Italy.



Tinker from Twisted Woolly Toppers

I particularly love the sketchbook photos of the area included in the book which really help you understand the ideas behind these Hats. The patterns are clearly written with both written and charted options to follow for each design, with different shapes and styles to choose from. For existing fans of Woolly Wormhead this book offers you something new and for those of you who haven’t tried one of her patterns this is a great place to start! The book can be bought either as a PDF direct from the Woolly Wormhead website or the print copies are available from knitonthenet along with her two other books Going Straight and Wee Woolly Toppers.

Woolly will be continuing her blog tour next week at www.babylonglegs.blogspot.com followed by the dates listed below. In addition to this she will also be travelling over from Italy next week to launch her book in person at www.makedoandknit.com and then spending a bit of time with yours truly!

Blog Tour Calendar

http://www.babylonglegs.blogspot.com 25th March
http://bingeknitter.blogspot.com 1st April
http://www.stolenstitches.com 8th April
http://knitwithkt.blogspot.com 15th April
Faina Goberstein http://fainasknittingmode.blogspot.com 22nd April
http://www.tottoppers.com 29th April
http://independentstitch.typepad.com 6th May
Janel Laidman http://beebonnet.typepad.com 13th May
Jaala; Spiro http://knitcircus.typepad.com 20th May

All images courtesy of Woolly Wormhead

Make, Do and Knit, knitting and making fair

Here in the north west of England, we struggle to find any knitting and crafting events to go to, so a few months ago, my good friend Helen and I, decided to put on a little event of our own, called Make, Do and Knit. Its taking place at the Bluecoat School in Wavertree, Liverpool, which is a grade II listed building. I will be there signing books and also coordinating the fashion shows which along with garments from A Stitch in Time and Vintage Gifts to Knit will be the first glimpse of some of the garments from A Stitch in Time II. This is really exciting for me as I haven't had the chance as yet to see these garments styled or 'alive'.

There are lots of other exciting things happening, including my lovely friend Woolly Wormhead travelling over from Italy for the launch of her new book Twisted Woolly Toppers and also, and most importantly, lovely things to buy from some of my favourite vendors. There's a full list of stalls and further information on the Make, Do and Knit website. We've also got a twitter account @makedoandknit if you want to be kept informed with goings on.

I hope to see some of you there. Do come and say hello won't you?

for now
Ruby xxx

Some Designing and looking forward ... for a change!

Before I begin this post properly I just need to thank everyone once again for their words of support. You have no idea how much they have helped me keep going - even today when we're still waiting for our money and a nasty man knocked on the door demanding it!

We have just returned from a lovely weekend at the Unravel event in Farnham, Surrey where I gave a talk about "Fashion in the Ration" on each of the two days and in return had a little stand selling our wares. It was lovely to see old and new friends and to discuss some plans for the future - the gossip from the show for my next post!

A pattern that is available right now is one I was working on several months ago for The Knitter.
Its a very funny experience finishing a design and then sending it off in the post, and then months later its suddenly out there without your involvement.

So let me introduce "Mitford".



I had been reading about the Mitford Sisters when I was last submitting designs to The Knitter and my head was buzzing with the thought of those glamorous, hedonistic days of the early thirties, with willowy, long limbed, bobbed haired 'gells' charging round the countryside to one party after another in the latest motor car. I had seen examples of these marvellous, voluminous sleeves on many garments of the period and wanted to interpret them into a hand knitted design. The design of the sleeves proved quite a challenge but after a number of attempts I finally got the look I was after.



The volume is created by working increases very rapidly over only a limited number of rows and predominantly at the 'front' of the sleeve so the outside part - away from the body - is the fullest.
It then decreases more slowly from one textured section to the next until down to the normal required sleeve width.



The body length is short and to be worn to the waist. I have worked the body in one piece to the underarm - not common practice in 1930s written patterns, but makes much more sense here with the main body pattern twisting around the torso. The body is divided at the underarm and then raglan and yoke shaping worked back and forth on the two body pieces. Once that is completed the sleeves are worked. The slightly unusual construction continues with the raglans of the sleeve and body being sewn together at this point and then stitches picked up round the curved neckline and the textured yoke is then worked.



It was quite a complicated design to produce but I think would make a very interesting knit. At some point I would really like to knit one of these for myself! The sample garment was knitted in Sublime Extra fine merino 4 ply which was a perfect yarn for this design with a clear, neat, defined stitch detail which showed particularly well on the stocking stitch panels of the body. The pattern is exclusive to The Knitter for six months.

I do hope you like her.

for now a positive
Ruby xxx

I want to tell you a story

I have always felt that my blog is incomplete. That because I avoid talking about much of the disagreeable, non-knitting related things that have happened over the last couple of years the full story hasn’t been told. And after previous discussions with readers of this blog and my own growing feeling that this blog should reflect my life as a designer and a person, I have come to the conclusion that without the ‘back’ story sometimes things, make little sense. I also think its relevant to other people who may be thinking or being pushed along the perilous road of self employment and using their craft to support them financially. So enough of the justifications, let me begin...

When I met my husband to be, he was a partner in a family print firm with his parents and brother. His role was Graphic Artist. To supplement my art teaching and design income I began to work part time in the office. Just over two years ago a decision was taken for his mum and dad to retire and his brother decided to leave the business. If the business was to continue, my husband would have to buy his brother out. At that time we were in the planning stages of publishing A Stitch in Time and as we planned to move into publishing with this book we felt we needed to keep the business going. In addition to this there were other related business matters arising from the state of the business, outstanding debts, equipment leases - all sorts of exciting things. If we had shut down the business at that point, by the time debts had been cleared there would have been nothing left, and for a business that had been in existence for 30 years, it didn’t seem the way to go. So my husband and I took the risk of taking over the business. The business was valued and primarily due to the value of the property in which the business was based, we had to take out a substantial mortgage on this building to pay my husband’s brother his share. My husband’s parents kindly agreed to wait for their share.

Things since then did not go according to plan. The recession hit and hit badly. Our town had too many printers and as a small firm, we were unable to compete with the larger firms and the print business began to loose money rapidly. I guess here is where we should have shut down, gone bust. But my husband and his parents had worked with the firms we owed money to for 30 years and too many businesses had gone bust on us and we know what it feels like to be on the wrong side of that equation, so we didn’t. We pumped every penny we had personally or could borrow into the business to pay bills and wages but it didn’t make any difference. So we stopped printing last July and had to release the staff, which was a very difficult time. The wonderful UK bank also decided to stick in a knife and demanded repayment of our overdraft. Cash flow basically stopped whilst £10,000 was taken from us. The Bank was inflexible and at no time in the last two years has it done anything to help. Nothing.

Then on August 5th, as many of you know, my mum suffered a massive stroke, and for a time life stood still.

However, there were still complex issues to sort out with the old business, the premises, the debts and at the same time, try and move forward. Still produce knitonthenet, A Stitch in Time, other designs. Earn a living. I haven’t actually been paid since December 2008. Nearly every penny we earn goes to pay off the debts of the business. Very likely we have done the wrong thing, but morally we feel we did it right. Unfortunately, we have debtors who haven’t behaved in the same way and in addition to dealing constantly with our debt situation, I have to fit in chasing our debts.

Before christmas we decided to try and raise some capital selling some of the old equipment from the print firm. It is a very bad market out there as many printers have gone bust, banks won’t lend money to them to buy equipment etc., so trying to sell equipment into that market is not very easy. We therefore turned to a trusted company, who we had bought equipment from in the past. They took several pieces of our equipment to demonstrate to potential customers and managed to sell a couple of them. The agreement was that they had borrowed the equipment to demonstrate and we would be paid straight away on sale. In December they sold a piece of equipment for us and our share was £2500 which would have helped the situation enormously. We are still waiting. Despite ringing them almost daily, we have received bouncing cheques, false promises, changing stories and very little of the money. They have been paid for the equipment. We have not.

And this is the situation we find ourselves in yet again. So you can imagine, none of this goes hand in hand with being creative, looking forward, being able to invest in your future. It all drags you down, pulls you back, eats up every minute of your time and makes me sick. I can no longer bring myself to trust people. And that saddens me so much.

The only thing we have left from the business is the building which costs us a lot of money just to keep every month. We bought at the peak of the housing market in the UK and practically since the day we bought it, prices have dropped. We knew we couldn’t sell as we would still owe money to the bank for the mortgage at the end of it. The market has stabilised slightly since the new year and the property has been valued at just slightly less than when we bought it, so we are going to take a chance and put it on the market this coming week and see if we can manage to sell it. We unfortunately won’t get anything out of the sale but if we can clear the mortgage its one more debt out of the way.

So there you go. This all takes constant time, energy and money. And this alone, without obviously, mum. could take up every moment of your life. But we have refused to give up and have continued to create and have managed to get Arbour House functioning as a separate entity and I’m very proud of what we have somehow managed to achieve despite everything colluding to stop us. We have an incredibly strong relationship and pull together at all times. Without this we could not have got through. And we have somehow managed to exist on thin air. With us being in this together, we have no supporting income. If we don’t create and don’t put our product out there, we don’t eat. Its as simple as that. And of course, for a great deal of the time there has only been the two of us, doing everything. The magazine, the designing, the books, the administration, the invoicing, despatch, everything.

Despite this being a long post this is still a greatly condensed and simplified version of the complexities of the business wind down - I wouldn’t want to bore you with all of that and I don’t want you to think that this is looking for sympathy. But when I look back on this blog it doesn’t always make sense. This post ties up all the loose ends and hopefully helps you understand why sometimes posts are erratic even when I say I’m going to post the next day. When you spend half the day on the phone to the bank, debtors, creditors etc., you become too tired to talk to be honest. And things don’t often get done on time, because of all these other issues that we have to deal with. Like now, we have to arrange to go and see our solicitor about the equipment issue. We have to tidy up the property so we can sell it. There is just so little time.

I feel positive about the future though. Creativity is flowing. I have commissions and I have plans, books in development, wonderful collaborations with amazing people and fantastic books being published by us, by some of the most talented people I have ever met. Life is turning a corner and I refuse to be dragged back down. My song is Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life” and in Frank’s immortal words:

Each time I find myself flat on my face,
I pick myself up and get back in the race.
That’s Life!

Ruby xxx

On the radio!

A little while ago I took part in a local radio programme, teaching a local DJ to knit. I have expected the DJ, a former stand up comedian, to maybe not be completely positive about knitting, but in actual fact he was extremely enthusiastic and picked it up really quickly and didn't seem to think I was a mad woman, which is always reassuring. You can hear the broadcast (and the scouse accents!)by clicking the play button Sean Styles Radio Merseyside

Hope you enjoy it!

for now
Ruby xxx

Time for Tea?

May I first apologise. It is obviously not the day after my last post, although I fully intended it to be. This week has passed in a trail of tax returns, admin and COLDS I'm afraid but also making plans which is a good thing obviously.

At the end of last week I published the latest pattern in the Vintage Gifts to Knit collection which is my lovely retro teapot cosy called Flower-ty Pot.



The cosy is knitted in Jamieson & Smith 2 ply jumper yarn and when experimenting I found that after 45 minutes the tea in the pot was still steaming hot, which has to say something about the insulating qualities of wool. The colours I chose for the flower-ty petals are the accent colours in my slowly proceeding kitchen. I have quite a few pieces of pink glass and green china so hope to pick them out as the kitchen progresses. In the foreground you can see a little embroidered tray doilly that I picked up for 50p at a local jumble sale.



Here's the pot from the other end! Whilst working on the pattern for the cosy I was reminded of George Orwell's famous essay on tea making. Even within my own family there is often heated debates about the right way to make tea. Below is an extract from Orwell's essay, agree or disagree?

A Nice Cup of Tea by George Orwell

Here are my own eleven rules, every one of which I regard 
as golden:



First of all, one should use Indian or Ceylonese tea. China tea has 
virtues which are not to be despised nowadays--it is economical, and one 
can drink it without milk--but there is not much stimulation in it. One 
does not feel wiser, braver or more optimistic after drinking it. Anyone 
who has used that comforting phrase 'a nice cup of tea' invariably means 
Indian tea.

Secondly, tea should be made in small quantities--that is, 
in a teapot. Tea out of an urn is always tasteless, while army tea, made 
in a cauldron, tastes of grease and whitewash. The teapot should be made of 
china or earthenware. Silver or Britannia ware teapots produce inferior tea 
and enamel pots are worse; though curiously enough a pewter teapot (a 
rarity nowadays) is not so bad.

Thirdly, the pot should be warmed 
beforehand. This is better done by placing it on the hob than by the 
usual method of swilling it out with hot water.

Fourthly, the tea should 
be strong. For a pot holding a quart, if you are going to fill it nearly 
to the brim, six heaped teaspoons would be about right. In a time of 
rationing, this is not an idea that can be realized on every day of the 
week, but I maintain that one strong cup of tea is better than twenty weak 
ones. All true tea lovers not only like their tea strong, but like it a 
little stronger with each year that passes--a fact which is recognized in 
the extra ration issued to old-age pensioners.

Fifthly, the tea should be 
put straight into the pot. No strainers, muslin bags or other devices to 
imprison the tea. In some countries teapots are fitted with little 
dangling baskets under the spout to catch the stray leaves, which are 
supposed to be harmful. Actually one can swallow tea-leaves in 
considerable quantities without ill effect, and if the tea is not loose 
in the pot it never infuses properly.

Sixthly, one should take the teapot 
to the kettle and not the other way about. The water should be actually 
boiling at the moment of impact, which means that one should keep it on 
the flame while one pours. Some people add that one should only use water 
that has been freshly brought to the boil, but I have never noticed that 
it makes any difference.

Seventhly, after making the tea, one should stir 
it, or better, give the pot a good shake, afterwards allowing the leaves 
to settle.

Eighthly, one should drink out of a good breakfast cup--that 
is, the cylindrical type of cup, not the flat, shallow type. The 
breakfast cup holds more, and with the other kind one's tea is always half 
cold--before one has well started on it.

Ninthly, one should pour the 
cream off the milk before using it for tea. Milk that is too creamy always 
gives tea a sickly taste.

Tenthly, one should pour tea into the cup first. 
This is one of the most controversial points of all; indeed in every family 
in Britain there are probably two schools of thought on the subject. The 
milk-first school can bring forward some fairly strong arguments, but I 
maintain that my own argument is unanswerable. This is that, by putting 
the tea in first and stirring as one pours, one can exactly regulate the 
amount of milk whereas one is liable to put in too much milk if one does 
it the other way round. 



Lastly, tea--unless one is drinking it in the Russian style--should be 
drunk WITHOUT SUGAR. I know very well that I am in a minority here. 
But still, how can you call yourself a true tea-lover if you destroy 
the flavour of your tea by putting sugar in it? It would be equally 
reasonable to put in pepper or salt. Tea is meant to be bitter, 
just as beer is meant to be bitter. If you sweeten it, you are no longer 
tasting the tea, you are merely tasting the sugar; you could make a very 
similar drink by dissolving sugar in plain hot water. 

Some people would answer that they don't like tea in itself, that they 
only drink it in order to be warmed and stimulated, and they need sugar 
to take the taste away. To those misguided people I would say: Try 
drinking tea without sugar for, say, a fortnight and it is very unlikely 
that you will ever want to ruin your tea by sweetening it again. 

These are not the only controversial points to arise in connexion with 
tea drinking, but they are sufficient to show how subtilized the whole 
business has become. There is also the mysterious social etiquette 
surrounding the teapot (why is it considered vulgar to drink out of your 
saucer, for instance?) and much might be written about the subsidiary 
uses of tea leaves, such as telling fortunes, predicting the arrival of 
visitors, feeding rabbits, healing burns and sweeping the carpet. It is 
worth paying attention to such details as warming the pot and using water 
that is really boiling, so as to make quite sure of wringing out of one's 
ration the twenty good, strong cups of that two ounces, properly handled, 
ought to represent.


www.george-orwell.org

All of the works and pictures on george-orwell.org are considered to be in the public domain (copyright protection has expired) and, as such, you may freely use the text of the works in any way you see fit.

I have to agree with George completely on no sugar and my Ruby nan always insisted that you could tell how well bred someone was by whether milk went in before or after the tea!

The Flower-ty pot pattern can be bought via ravelry for £2.50 or via the blog links and until the end of the month I am donating 50% of the sale price to MSF Help for Haiti.

Knitting

This might seem an unimaginative post title on a blog mainly about knitting, but there is a reason for this. Back in September I was asked if one of the jumpers from A Stitch in Time could be featured in, you've guessed it, Knitting magazine. I duly sent the jumper off for photography and then out of the blue a friend told me she had seen my jumper on the cover of a magazine. I had no idea it was to be the cover but I am stupidly excited by this. When you entrust your designs to a third party to present them on your behalf, it is very scary. Its like letting your child take the bus by themselves for the first time. Will it be ok? Will they look after it? My biggest concern is always how a design is photographed. With photography and styling being my secondary obsessions this is a stress I bring on myself. But there was no need to worry. The cover image and the images inside the magazine are delightful. Here's a little peek.



Here it is on the cover(twice) of the February issue.



And here is the beautiful shot from inside the magazine. The jumper is called Frilly Sleeves and is made using Knitshop Mulberry Silk which is a fabulous yarn. I useda colour called khaki gold which has got a wonderful faded quality about it.

In addition to the featured pattern I have also written a little article to accompany it called why we love vintage, which begins on page 46.

I'll be back tomorrow!

p.s. The jumper is now safely back at home and packed away.

for now
Ruby xxx

Help for Haiti

Like everyone I have been moved by the distressing images on our TV sets cataloging the disaster in Haiti. Reading postings in the Designers forum on Ravelry about how easy it is to pledge a percentage of your sales income to a nominated charity I will be donating 50% of all my single pattern sales, from today until 31st January (2010) to help with the awful disaster in Haiti. By following the Help for Haiti search button on the Ravelry pattern page you can see all the patterns now being sold with a percentage of the sale being donated to charity.

You can see my individual patterns on ravelry here or you can purchase by following the links on the blog - which are currently not there! I will add them in the morning! (Any additional patterns that I add during the period will also be included.)

I've chosen to donate the 50% of pattern sales to MSF - Medecins Sans Frontieres.

for now
Ruby xx

What every girl needs is ... a Motoring Hood!

This cute yet stylish pixie hood with attached scarf is the latest pattern that I've just released as part of the Vintage Christmas Knits (soon to be Vintage Gifts to Knit) collection. Its knitted in Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine which I've never used before. It was a very nice yarn to knit with. None of the splitting that often comes with alpaca yarns and a certain smoothness on the needle which made it very quick to knit. It also doesn't have as many loose fibres as on a pure alpaca yarn. The whole hood is worked in a basic K1, P1 rib. There is a small amount of shaping at the back of the neck of the pixie hood to ensure a comfortable and snug fit and of course you can make the scarf part as long as you like. With the scarf being attached to the hood it is incredibly warm and so snug. Perfect for keeping out cold, driving winds.



These hood and scarf ensembles were also known as Pixie Hoods, obviously due to the point at the back of the hood where the seams meet. However, a sophisticated girl would also wear a Motoring Hood when out driving in the open top at the weekend. Just like I do all the time!



The individual pattern is available as a PDF download either by following the link here or in the right hand column of the blog or it can be purchased directly through ravelry. The individual patterns from the collection each cost £3.00

Vintage Christmas Knits can now be pre-ordered via the knitonthenet shop or ravelry (ebook only on ravelry). The printed booklet costs £14 (+ shipping) and the e-book version £10.

PLEASE NOTE PURCHASERS OF THE PRINTED OR E-BOOK VERSIONS OF THE BOOKLET WILL RECEIVE PDF PATTERNS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE!

All pre-orders of the print version will receive a signed copy.

Writing this post has made me realise that I haven't added two of the four patterns available to the blog, so I shall be back later to put that right.

for now
Ruby xx

And we think we've got it bad!

After several days of snow, ice and freezing temperatures, the shine is beginning to wear thin. True, everywhere looks beautiful, even the garden which at this time of year looks barren and dead seems magical



Our glitter ball taking on the appearance of a christmas decoration and showing just how thickly the snow fell, and now obviously - a snowball!



My summer time bench hiding the need for a good lick of paint.



The buddleia managing to look skeletal, metallic and beautiful all at the same time.



and finally the chickens thought they would get in on the act.

However, compared to the winter of 1947 we ain't seen nothing yet.

Snow began to fall on 24th January and continued for a week leaving 10 foot snow drifts behind. Vast parts of the country were cut off and food was even dropped by the RAF to isolated towns and villages. Snow continued to fall everyday until March 16 and it remained so dark that between February 2nd and 22nd no sunshine was recorded AT ALL.

Electric and gas were in short supply and coal wasn't able to be dug or delivered. When the thaw finally came at the end of March it resulted in flood and storms!

Here are a few pictures from that winter









Black and white images courtesy TopFoto

Other than the photos being in black and white, it doesn't look that much different to looking outside my front window right now!

Hope everyone is keeping warm,
for now
Ruby xxx

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has had a lovely christmas and wishing everyone a wonderful 2010


I hadn't intended to leave blogging over the entire christmas and new year holidays but once the holidays started I decided to stay away from the computer as much as possible and to actually feel like I had some time off. In other ways I didn't to be honest as I had lots and lots of knitting to do, but I rarely get the chance to sit knitting for hours these days, so this was in fact a lovely treat. I will share photos of what I got done in the next post where I can. Some of the knitting can't be revealed as yet unfortunately and I also didn't get the chance to take a lot of photos that were planned either!

I did however, get these lovely Fair Isle gloves photographed. They are knitted in Jamieson and Smith 2 ply Jumper Yarn. The gloves are slightly longer in length than standard so that there is no gap between the glove and the cuff of the wearer's coat.
The pattern will be available later tomorrow and is part of the Vintage Christmas Knits collection which is coming along nicely.





The christmas knits booklet has been delayed slightly but should finally come together over the next couple of weeks. It is also having a name change. Those who have already ordered the booklet will be sent an email offering them the choice of the booklet with its original name or with the new name "Vintage Gifts to Knit". I have had wholesale requests for the booklet but with a name change to give the booklet more longevity on the shelf. Which does make sense. The cover will remain the same in every other way just the title will be different. Which means anyone who has already ordered has got a true limited edition as it will never be printed again as Vintage Christmas Knits.

I am very excited about the number of talks and workshops I'm giving in 2010 so I am going to try and add a section to the blog page with a permanent listing but I thought I would mention a few of the them here:-

27th-27th February - Unravel, Farnnham Surrey- two talks - you can see the details on the linked page.
27th-28th March - Make, Do and Knit, Liverpool - our own two day textile event in my home town
9th-13th August - Knit Camp - 4 workshops - listed here
1st-4th September In the Loop 2 - Shetland Museum, Shetland Islands - Keynote Speaker.

I'll try and blog a fair bit this week to get up to date with everything, including a make up post which has been requested by a lot of readers now so I'm going to get it done!

I'm feeling really positive about 2010 - and so delighted to have actually got through 2009 - I truly hope we all have a great one.

for now
Ruby xxx

Pioneer Laundry Mystery Pattern

Folded up inside an old knitting book I found two sheets of paper from the Pioneer Laundry -



I don't know where the Pioneer Laundry was but as can be seen they are the van salesman's summary sheets of work taken in, given back and money taken - all in pounds, shillings and pence (d) - so pre-decimal. On the back of the two sheets is typed a knitting pattern. It is stated as using 'extra double knitting wool' using old UK 4 and 6 needles which interestingly are 5 and 6 mm needles respectively. There are no finished work measurements or pictures given so it is very much a mystery knitting project. Here are the two pages of the pattern below:





I have yet to attempt knitting this pattern, but if anyone would really like to give it a try email me and I can send you a better quality pdf version of the pattern. I would really love to see what this pattern could look like. There is the odd mistake that I've spotted in the typing but I think thats part of the fun of solving the mystery by also sorting out the mistakes. There are also no sewing up instructions and no tension quoted! It does say it is to fit sizes 36 and 38 inches so gives us a bit of a clue as to likely finished dimensions. Maybe this could be the first of many mystery knitting patterns that we can all solve. I have been sent another far more complicated mystery pattern that maybe we could move on to if any one finds these things as interesting as I do!

I would also love to hear from anyone who has other examples of patterns like this, typed or handwritten, with no real explanation of the project to be undertaken. They would fit quite nicely with a major project I am starting on in the new year but I will tell you about that nearer the time.

for now
Ruby xxx

A Perfect Christmas with the Andrews Sisters

The single most exciting thing for me this week was the release of The Perfect Christmas Jumper from Vintage Christmas Knits as a downloadable PDF. You can also use the link in the right hand column of the blog to download the pattern on ravelry. It can now be bought individually for £3.00 but it also means all the lovely readers who have pre-ordered Vintage Christmas and start knitting their christmas jumpers (if they want to of course!) I have just heard today of the first casting on which is really, really exciting. I can't wait to see photos of finished winter woollies. Some of the pages of the PDF and the book have been such fun to put together and I think, look just right for the period and the books they are emulating. I can't wait to show you the rest of the patterns I've been working on!



I have also been 'attending' one of Stefanie Japel's online classes. In actual fact, the class I have been doing online, is 'How to teach an online class'. I am hoping that in 2010 I will be able to offer vintage inspired online knitting (and hopefully dressmaking) classes. As a teacher I'm finding the potential behind this really exciting - being able to make contact with people all over the world who otherwise you might never get the chance to connect with. So over the christmas period I will be thinking of a selection of online classes to make available. Is there anything in particular you would like to learn? I've got lots of ideas of my own but would be really interested to know what appeals to you. It would be a great help to know I'm heading in the right direction.

There are a lot of plans beginning to come together for 2010 which will involve, naturally, a heck of a lot of work. On that front I now have a wonderful freelance, part time, long way away assistant, who I already couldn't do without. This is Ingrid, and you can read her own craft adventures on her blog, IngridNation. She is also now writing, very regularly, on the knitonthenet blog and dealing with a lot of queries that come through by email and also on ravelry groups. She is brilliant. On this point of too much to do, I am looking for knitters, preferably in the North West of England (so I can meet up with you in person) for sample knitting for all types of projects. I need experienced knitters who can understand a pattern and who can identify when something isn't working. If you are interested please contact me at ruby[at]dentrassis(dot)com. I probably won't sort anything out until the new year but it would be good to know if there's anyone out there who would like to get involved.

And finally, with 12 days to go until christmas what better way to start counting down than with the wonderful Andrew Sisters with their rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas with that old crooner, Bing Crosby. Enjoy!



for now,
Ruby xxx

Vintage Christmas Knits can now be pre-ordered!

I am so excited about the launch of this mini collection. The booklet contains 16 glamorous yet practical knits for the christmas season and those chilly months beyond. Inspired and adapted from patterns of the 1900s to the 1950s. All the projects can be knitted as gifts or for yourself. Would you like a look at the cover? I haven't stopped looking at it since last night and even dreamt about it when I did fall asleep!



It is very much inspired by and evokes the styling of Stitchcraft and my other favourite, Needlework illustrated. The cover features our mystery knitting project with its companions. The design knitted in 4 ply alpaca is called Hugs and Kisses and includes the Dutch Bonnet already featured, a luxuriously soft and squidgy scarf and snug little mittens. The mittens and bonnet are both multi sized and include a child's fit.




Other projects include: The Perfect Christmas Jumper, Child's dressing gown, hot water bottle cover! tea cosy, motoring hood, fair isle gloves, victorian stockings, simple corsage, bed socks, the most beautiful bed jacket, slippers, cape and a cuddly toy!


It can now be pre-ordered by following the links on the blog or via ravelry (ravelry links will be added to the post and the blog as they become live). Each pattern can be purchased individually as a PDF download for £3.00 as they become available or the book can be pre-ordered as either a print or a PDF version. The printed booklet costs £14 (+ shipping) and the e-book version £10. PLEASE NOTE PURCHASERS OF THE PRINTED OR E-BOOK VERSIONS OF THE BOOKLET WILL RECEIVE PDF PATTERNS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE SO THAT THEY CAN GET STARTED ON THEIR CHRISTMAS KNITTING! The booklet should be despatched around the 14th of December.

All pre-orders of the print version will receive a signed copy.

Here is a glimpse of the lovely Charlie wearing her own Perfect Christmas Jumper.



Very obviously influenced by the 40s, this festive sweater has T shaped sleeve heads to create that fabulously boxy line. Body length is short and fitted but the pattern includes advice to get the right length. The christmas trees are knitted using fair isle technique and the reindeer a mix of fair isle and intarsia. The pattern uses 4 ply yarn.





The back features a neat little button band with pretty, decorative vintage buttons. Charlie is off to feed the chickens in her land girl dungarees. The pattern is available for a young teen upwards.

Hugs and Kisses and The Perfect Christmas Jumper will both be available for purchase as downloads over the next 48 hours.

I do hope you enjoy the collection. I think it has projects you can knit as gifts all year round and I hope you think so too.

You can pre-order your signed copy of Vintage Christmas Knits here.

And the winners are...

Picked by Charlie's own fair hands the winners of the mystery knitting competition are



Ms Lestat
Isis
and
Alabama Whirly

Ms Lestat actually had the closest guess of anyone so I am particularly pleased that her name was picked out of the hat. If you could all email me at ruby[at]dentrassis[dot]com with your addresses and I will get your vintage prize sent out to you as soon as possible.

Congratulations! I do hope you like the goodies I have picked out for you.

So what was I knitting? It was actually part of a three part set which I have called Hugs and Kisses because of the resemblance of the stitch pattern to kisses. The proper photographs are not yet available but Charlie made herself available once again and here she is, in her Dutch Bonnet




A real favourite of the late 40s and 50s this pretty little hat comes with a separate enveloping scarf - see how close you were Ms Lestat?




and snug mittens - not yet photographed. The bonnet is knitted in one piece using different yarn combinations and needle sizes, plus it will have an applied I cord around the lower edge to match the mittens which have an applied I cord right around them. At the front edge a contrast turning row is worked and the under layer of the hat is worked and then sewn in place on the inside of the hat. If knitting the hat for a child the I cord can be extended and used to tie in a bow under the chin.




You can see on this photo that the I cord hasn't been knitted yet and how the hat grows from the centre back panel.

All three pieces come in the one pattern so you can pick and choose which you knit and all three use this lovely textured stitch which is a really pleasurable knit.




The stitch does feature again in one other item in the pattern booklet but I'll keep that a secret for now. Interestingly some of the items that have been mentioned do appear in the booklet but I will tell you more about those at the end of the week.

On Saturday night Charlie went to a fancy dress party where the theme was the circus and clowns and she went as Pierrot. We had a lovely afternoon customising her outfit and then doing her make up. She looks quite different to the sweet little thing in the photos above.





I have to say, I just love doing fancy dress on other people. So if anybody needs me you know where to find me!

On that note, congratulations once again to the three winners but

for now,
Ruby xxx

Competition Winner(s)!

Thank you everyone who entered the competition to guess the mystery knitting. Unfortunately, nobody actually got it right. However, what I am going to do is draw out three names later today and send a little goodie bag to each of those names, so good luck!

I will reveal what the knitting is when I give out the names later. Photographs for this project and the reindeer jumper are being done on Wednesday (weather permitting!) and the patterns should be online by the end of the week. It will then also be possible to pre-order the complete booklet.

I will be back with the results later today.

for now
Ruby xxx

A Vintage Christmas Competition

Over the last few weeks I have been working on a very special project. A little knitting pattern booklet called "Vintage Christmas Knits". It features between 12 to 15 vintage inspired and adapted patterns from Victorian time to the 1950s, focusing mainly on the 40s and 50s. It will be available to pre-order in the next week or so in both print and digital versions. The 'proper' photos aren't done yet but here is a sneak preview of a couple of the designs featured.



This is the perfect 1940s christmas sweater in classic red and white, to fit a wide range of sizes. Just enough kitsch but not too much with that quintessential sweater girl shaping and christmas motif. It is knitted in Jamieson & Smith 2 ply Jumper Yarn.



The repeat pattern almost looks like snowy peaks!

The next design is still a bit of a secret, but will give you something to think about.
This is inspired by a late 40s, early 50s design but I have reconstructed it completely to make it an easier knit.



It is knitted in 4 ply alpaca yarns and is dreamily soft. The main part of the design which is on the photo is worked in a simple slip stitch.

Sometimes your favourite part of a design is a detail, something that not everyone will even see. Its the case with this design. I really, really love how this section looks



Nothing complicated but completely different from the original design which had the piece you can see sewn in place rather than joined as you can see here. This just works so nicely I think.




I'll reveal more next week but I would love to see in the meantime if someone can identify exactly what it is that I'm knitting. And as an early christmas treat I have a little goodie bag of vintage patterns, buttons and yarn to give away to the winner who I will draw at the end of next week. Just leave a comment on this post saying exactly what you think it might be.


Good luck!


I am also hard at work at some other secret knitting for The Knitter. I am very excited to have a number of patterns coming out in their magazine from about March/April of next year. For now however this is all I can reveal.



And finally, the Knit a Poppy Appeal draws to a close at midnight tonight. Donations have surpassed our wildest dreams standing at present at £2632.00. Its quite astonishing, thank you all so much. There is still time however if you would still like to get your poppy pattern by making your £2 donation here.

I have been asking for images of the poppies to put on the knitonthenet blog and here is a very special one from my lovely husband, Gavin, who daringly decided to knit his poppy this year from embroidery thread and 2mm needles. I think its come out fantastic. The centre is a vintage button.



This tiny little poppy is about the third of the size of the original but is knitted to exactly the same pattern on 2mm needles. Particularly great for men who might want a more discreet poppy to wear.

Hope to hear from you all soon,

for now
Ruby

knit a poppy on BBC Radio 2

This morning I had my 5 minutes - or should I say 20 seconds - of fame. Sarah Kennedy of Radio Two told her listeners all about the Knit a Poppy campaign. You can here a little clip from it below.



The response was fantastic and the appeal has now received over £1000 in donations which is unbelievable. So a big thank you to everyone who has donated and again I would love to see photos of your completed poppies, so please send these to ingrid[at]knitonthenet[dot]com.

for now
a big big thank you
Ruby xxxx