Quick and Easy Scarflet

Scarflet

                                                                

A fab quick <1 ball chunky knit project for beginners.

Practice basic stitches and stay snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug all winter!

I designed this quick and easy pattern as a kit to hand out to newbies at our knit and natter night in Sheffield, UK. (https://www.facebook.com/S6KnitNNatter)

Tools:

1 set 6.5 mm (UK size 3) knitting needles

Darning needle

Materials:

1 50g ball Chunky wool/bulky yarn (anything that will get you the correct gauge)

1 1.5” button

Gauge:

9 stitches and 20 rows in garter stitch = 10cm using 6.5mm needles

Abbreviations:

K=knit

P= purl

Pattern:

Cast on 26 stitches

Rows 1-14: knit all stitches (14 rows)

Rows 15-24: knit 2 purl 1 rib (10 rows)

Rows 25-38: knit all stitches (14 rows)

Rows 39-48: knit 2 purl 1 rib (10 rows)

Rows 49-62: knit all stitches (14 rows)

Rows 63-72: knit 2 purl 1 rib (10 rows)

Rows 73-86: knit all stitches (14 rows)

Rows 87-96: knit 2 purl 1 rib (10 rows)

Row 97: k1, k2tog, knit until 3 stitches remain, k2 tog, k1 (24 stitches)

Row 98: knit all stitches

Row 99-106: repeat rows 97 and 98 until 16 stitches remain on your needle (8 rows) (16 stitches)

Your work should now measure about 50cm in length and should wrap comfortably around your neck once.

Row 107: (Create button hole): k1, k2tog, knit 6, cast off 2 stitches, knit until 3 stitches remain, k2 tog, k1 (12 stitches)

Row 108: knit 8, cast on 2 stitches, knit rest of row. (14 stitches)

Row 109: k1, k2tog, knit until 3 stitches remain, k2 tog, k1 (12 stitches)

Row 110: knit all stitches

Row 111: Cast off all stitches and cut your wool leaving a few inches of tail.

Sew in your ends.

Try your scarflet on and sew your button onto the most comfortable place!

Mermaid Hat

Mermaid hat

 

My first ever totally made up design! Ok so it is pretty basic, and probably not that original, but it is a step in the right direction!

Made for the lovely Kerry, and designed to keep her ears warm!

Tools:

1 set 5.5mm double pointed needles

Cable needle

Darning needle

Materials:

106 yards (c.70g) Chunky wool/bulky yarn (anything that will get you the correct gauge)

Gauge:

12 stitches and 10 rows in stocking stitch = 10cm using 5.5cm needles

Abbreviations:

K=knit

P= purl

K tbl = knit stitch through the back loop

K2tog = knit two stitches together

P2tog = purl two stitches together

K3tog = knit three stitches together

P3tog = purl three stitches together

C2F = slip two stitches onto cable needle as if to knit, hold in front of the work, knit next two stitches, knit the two stitches on the cable needle

C3F = slip three stitches onto cable needle as if to knit, hold in front of the work, knit next three stitches, knit the three stitches on the cable needle

Pattern:

Cast on 80 stitches on one needle

Arrange your stitches on three of your double pointed needles ensuring that any K6 or k4 sections are not split between needles (see pattern below – you can sort out which stitches are on which needles a bit later – but before row 14!). Join in the round being careful not to twist your work.

Place marker to indicate the beginning of your row.

1^st row: *K6, P2, K1tbl, P2, K4, P2, K1tbl, P2* repeat x4 (until end of row)

Rows 2-8: continue in pattern for approximately 1 inch

Row 9: *K6, P2, K1tbl, P2, C2F, P2, K1tbl, P2* repeat until end of row

Rows 10-13: *K6, P2, K1tbl, P2, K4, P2, K1tbl, P2* repeat until end of row

Row 14: *C3F, P2, K1tbl, P2, C2F, P2, K1tbl, P2* repeat until end of row

Row 15-18: *K6, P2, K1tbl, P2, K4, P2, K1tbl, P2* repeat until end of row

Row 19 - 38: Repeat rows 9-18 twice more

Row 39-45: Begin a fourth pattern repeat, ending with row 15.

At this point your work should be a tube of around 20 cm in length and you should have completed 3½ pattern repeats (4 sets of C3F) (80 stitches)

Row 46: begin decreasing. *K6, P2, K1tbl, P2, K1, K2tog, K1, P2, K1tbl, P2* repeat until end of row (76 stitches)

Row 47: * K2tog, K2, K2tog, P2, K1tbl, P2, K3, P2, K1tbl, P2* repeat until end of row (68 stitches)

Row 48: *K4, P2tog, K1tbl, P2tog, K3, P2tog, K1tbl, P2tog* repeat until end of row (52 stitches)

Row 49: *K1, K2tog, K1, P1, K1tbl, P1, K3, P1, K1tbl, P1* repeat until end of row (48 stitches)

Row 50: *K1, K2tog, P1, K1tbl, P1, K3, P1, K1tbl, P1* repeat until end of row (44 stitches)

Row 51: *K2, P1, K1tbl, P1, K3tog, P1, K1tbl, P1* repeat until end of row (36 stitches)

Row 52: *K2tog, P1, K1tbl, P1, K1, P1, K1tbl, P1* repeat until end of row (32 stitches)

Row 53:  slip final pearl stitch onto 1st needle *P3tog, K1tbl, P3tog, K1tbl* repeat until end of row (16 stitches)

Row 54: *K2tog, K2tog* (8 stitches)

Cut wool leaving a tail and thread through the remaining stitches on the needle and draw tight.

Sew in your ends.

Smokey bacon and spinach gnocchi with wild garlic and walnut pesto

Smokey bacon and spinach gnocchi with wild garlic and walnut pesto

Caught a whiff of onionyness as you are driving around the countryside? Noticed swathes of lush green vegetation dotted with white flowers as you wander through your local woodlands? That’ll be the wild garlic, also known as ramsons. All the TV chefs are on about it right now, it’s free, abundant and tasty, why not give it a try for your tea?

The season for ramsons (Allium ursinum) is upon us, beginning in March and continuing until June these plants are common in damp woodlands throughout the UK.    

 

 
Legally you can pick the leaves of wild garlic, but you can’t uproot the plant, and in terms of similar looking plants that are poisonous – the only real contender is lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) or possibly autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) so be careful, but they do look quite different really, and ONLY ramsons will smell of garlic when you crush the leaves.
 

You can add them to salads, stews, dips, or like me in pesto! In uncooked leaves the garlicy flavour can be quite strong, but the more you cook it the milder this gets, and it doesn’t take very much at all before the taste is quite mild and mellow, so be careful not to overcook it.

Super easy recipe:

Smokey bacon and spinach gnocchi with wild garlic and walnut pesto

Ingredients: serves 2 (quantities are approximate, you don’t have to worry too much about perfection to make this work)

Pesto: makes around 10 servings

2-3 handfuls washed ramsens

60g salted butter

60g finely grated parmesan

100g walnut pieces

2-3 TBsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Additional ingredients:

5 rashers Smoked bacon

Couple of handfuls washed baby spinach

600g Potato gnocchi (I bought pre-made but you could make your own)

Method:

Put your ramsens, parmesan, butter, walnuts, seasoning and olive oil in a blender and whiz until they form a smooth paste.

In the meantime cook your gnocchi (boil it for a few minutes), blanch your spinach (I steamed mine for a minute or two on top of the boiling gnocchi pan) and grill your bacon until it is nice and crispy.

Chop up your bacon and spinach, drain your gnocchi and stir it all together with a couple of spoonfuls of your pesto.

To take off the full hit of raw garlic I microwaved my plates of food for c.30 seconds before serving.

Dress with a few bits of chopped walnut, a grating of parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

And Voila! Enjoy!   

You’ve probably got quite a bit of pesto left. This can be stored in jars for about a month in the fridge. Spoon your pesto into a clean jar and cover the top surface with a couple of millimeters of olive oil to keep the air off your pesto.

 

 

Sheffield Knit Clubs

If knitting or crochet is your thing why not go along to a knit club? These are drop-in groups held in a public place and are usually very friendly and good fun. The people there will probably be more than happy to remind you of how to knit and sort out your project if you hit difficulties!

I go to the Monday night one at the Yew Tree in Malin Bridge Bridge and we are always happy to give any basic knitting/crochet advice, teach beginners, and usually have a stash of wool and knitting needles in case anyone turns up empty handed!

N.b. it would be a good idea to check the groups listed below are running before turning up – I have found most of this info on the web and don’t know how current it is.

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MONDAY

S13 Community Crafts - Woodhouse Library. Mondays 10.30am-12.30pm. 0114 269 2607

S9 Darnall Craft Group - Darnall and District Community Centre, Darnall Road S9 5AF. Mondays 10am-2pm. Contact: grandyann@hotmail.com

S1 Benjamin Huntsman Wetherspoon's pub (next to John Lewis), Mondays 8-10 pm, weekly

S3 Harlequin pub, 108 Nursery Street, (upstairs) last Monday of the month (except December) from 6-10pm.

S6 Knit and Natter Yew Tree Inn, Malin Bridge Bridge (Upstairs bar) 1st and 3rd Monday of the month 8-10pm.

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TUESDAY

S10 Craft Angels, Crosspool, S10 5NH, S10 5NH. 1st Tuesday in the month. £5 for tea, cake and chat. Tel 0114 2667339

S10 Broomhill Library - Craft Group. Every Tuesday and Wednesday- unsure of time.

S36 Knitting Group at Stocksbridge Library Tuesday 1.30 – 3 pm (Tel: 0114 273 4205)

S17 Totley Library Craft Group - Totley Library, 205 Baslow Rd.  S17 4DT. Tuesday 2-4pm. totley.library@sheffield.gov.uk

S11 Psalter tavern knit club, 7-10pm every Tuesday.S11 Porter Brook Ecclesall Road, 7-9pm ish, sometimes later, every Tuesday. Katie Weston 07745529597

S7 Robin Hood pub at Millhouses (Abbeydale Road) Tuesday (Fortnightly) 7.30pm

S11 Hulleys coffee shop at Banner Cross on Tuesday evenings

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WEDNESDAY

S3 Sheffield Knitters - Premier Inn Bar/Restaurant, 19 Angel Street, S3 8LN.  Wednesday 11am - 1pm. Contact: sheffieldknitters@gmail.com

S10 Stitch in Time - Sheffield Jesus Centre, 93 Broomspring Lane, S10 2SB.  Wednesday 11am -1pm. lois.herring.mja@googlemail.com

S10 Pins N Needles Commonside every Wednesday at 2pm. Admission is £1 and includes refreshments.

S20 Waterthorpe Craft Group -  Thorpe Green Meeting Room, 1 Thorpe Green, S20 7HA. Wed 1-3pm. Contact: Jean Carter, 247 3916

S10 Broomhill Library - Craft Group. Every Tuesday and Wednesday- 10.30-12pm. Contact: 273 4276.

S12 Christ Church Craft Group - Sheffield Road S12 4LR, every Wednesday 1-3pm. Contact: June Fox: 248 9894, junefox@cchackenthorpe.wanadoo.co.uk

S1 John Lewis restaurant - evening, last Wednesday in the month

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THURSDAY

S1 Starbucks, Orchard Square from 10.00 am meeting in the upstairs seating area (not sure how frequent).

S20 Crystal Peaks Peaks Knit n natter - every Thursday 10.00am-12.00pm the Art Space Crystal Peaks Library.

S20 Beighton Knit n natter - every Thursday 10.00am-12.00pm at the Lifestyle Centre, High Street, Beighton.

S10 St.Mary's Church Hall, South Rd, Walkley Knit & Natter, Thursdays, 12.30 - 2.30 pm.

S13 Handsworth Craft Group - Handsworth Parish Centre,  Handsworth Road, S13 9BZ . Thursdays 1-3pm. Contact: 269 2537

S10 Pins N Needles Commonside every Thursday at 2pm. Admission is £1 and includes refreshments.

S2 S2 Knitting Circle - Every Thursday at 4pm. Learn For Life Enterprise, 241 - 243 London Road, S2 4NF - 243 London Road, S2 4NF. Entry £1 tel: 01142559080 hayley@learnforlifeenterprise.com

S1 Sheffield Knitpickers, Bear and Bungalows, Division St in town 1st Thurs of the month 4.30- 8pm

S11 Cocoa Lounge 462 Ecclesall Road - Last Thursday of the Month 7.30 - 10pm

S2 Heely City Farm Starting on Thursday 16th Feb 2012 6pm - 9pm in The Farm Kitchen Cafe, will meet every two weeks thereafter.

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FRIDAY

S9 Crafty Crafters Darnall Library Darnall, Friday Mornings

S10 Craft Angels, Crosspool, S10 5NH, S10 5NH 10.30am till noon. Tel 0114 2667339 (not sure if there is a charge)

S13 Woodhouse Knitting group: Salvation Army Citadel, Tannery Street, Woodhouse. 9-11am every Friday. Contact details: 07789 110280

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SATURDAY

S36 Stocksbridge Knit & Chat, Downstairs room of Stocksbridge Library, Manchester Road. Every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month 10am till noon.

S1 Sheffield Knitting & Crochet Guild 1st Saturday every month 2pm URC, Chapel Walk (elizabeth.dimbleby@gmail.com)

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SUNDAY

S10 Pins N Needles - Commonside every second Sunday of the month at 2pm. £1 (includes refreshments).

S11 Wool Baa – Hunters Bar, 7pm - 9.30pm, last Wednesday in the month

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…….and there may be more that I am unaware of!

Check out the knitting group on the Sheffield forum (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=74) or the Sheffield Knitters group on Ravelry (www.ravelry.com) [which is where I got most of this info!] for more up to date notices. There are also some listings in http://www.sheffieldhelpyourself.org.uk/

CCS Create Course - Knitting Basics

I was recently involved in teaching my first ever knitting workshop as part of a course about different sorts of creativity offered by the church I am part of …….if you are interested, here are my handouts!

Knitting – the basics

If you, like many people look at hand knitted or crocheted items and think “wow…I could never do that” You are wrong! With a bit of practice anyone can do it! Hopefully this session will show you how!

As a first project we are going to make napkin rings! (exciting I know, but we have to start somewhere!)

Before beginning to knit you need to get your wool onto your needles. This is known as casting on. There are lots of different ways of doing this – to see a demonstration of the method we learned in the workshop go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uw-nUvGrBY

There are 2 basic stitches to learn, knit stitch and purl stitch, which are the opposite of each other.

· To start your napkin ring cast on 7 stitches

There are 2 basic stitches to learn, knit stitch and purl stitch, which are the opposite of each other.

If you knit all stitches in all rows you are producing your knitting in garter stitch (which looks like a mixture of V shapes and wavy shapes)    --------------->

<----------    If you knit one row and purl the next you are producing your knitting in stocking stitch (lots of rows of Vs on one side, and lots of wavy shapes on the other side of your work).

·         We’ll make our first napkin ring in garter stitch and see how we go!

Knit stitch:

Start with your wool at the back of your work and with your right hand needle go through the front of the stitch on the left needle from left to right  then take the wool around the back and between the needles , tilt the right needle down drawing the wool tail through the stitch on your left needle (you now have a new loop on your right needle), and pull the stitch off your left needle.

To see a demonstration of the method we learned in the workshop go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uw-nUvGrBY. For a good set of drawings go to: http://www.learn2knit.co.uk/ 

Casting off: when you have finished your item you need to take your work off the needles and create a finished top edge. This is known as casting off. To do this, you need to knit as normal for 2 stitches, then pass the first stitch over the top of the second, and off the needle. Knit the next stitch, and then pass the second stitch over it and off the needle and so on until all of your stitches but one are off thneedle. Cut your wool leaving a c.20cm tail and thread the end through the stitch still on the needle, pull the stitch off the needle and you are done!

Continuing with your napkin ring.......

·         Knit 16 rows

Making the button hole for your napkin ring:

·        On the 17^th row knit 3 stitches. Cast off 1 stitch (knit 1, then pass previous stitch over it and off the needles). Knit 3 stitches.

·        On the 18^th row knit 3 stitches. Cast on 1 stitch. Knit 3 stitches

·        Row 19: knit all stitches

·        Row 20: cast off all stitches

 ·    Decorate your napkin ring with buttons, flowers, etc.  The examples used herehhave been taken from : http://faeryfaysflowersknits.blogspot.com/p/pretty-crochet-flowers.html and http://s6girl.blogspot.com/2012/02/flower-brooch.html 

·    Sew in the loose ends of wool with a darning needle

 

Et voila! - C’est fini  :c)

Purl stitch: a purl stitch is the exact opposite of a knit stitch, instead of starting with your wool at the back of your work and going through the front of the stitch on the left needle from left to right [1a] then taking the wool around the back and between the needles [2a] (knitting), with a purl stitch you start with your wool at the front, and  put your right hand needle through the front of the stitch on the left needle from the right [1b] and bring the wool between the needles around the front [2b].  To see a demonstration of the method we learned in the workshop go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD5fxWP75yI.  For a good set of drawings see: http://www.learn2knit.co.uk/

Now let’s have a go at doing a napkin ring in stocking stitch!

·     Cast on 7 stitches

·     Knit one row, purl one row for 16 rows (you should always be knitting on the side with the V shaped stitches [right side], and purling on the side with the wavy lines [wrong side])

Making the button hole for your napkin ring:

·    On the 17^th row knit 3 stitches. Cast off 1 stitch (knit 1, then pass previous stitch over it and off the needles). Knit 3 stitches.

·    On the 18^th row purl 3 stitches. Cast on 1 stitch. purl 3 stitches

·    Row 19: knit all stitches

·    Row 20: cast off all stitches in purl

·    Decorate your napkin ring with buttons, flowers, etc.

 

Ribbing: Another common technique which uses both knitting and purling is ribbing. This is usually used for cuffs and collars and has a stretchier finish than stocking or garter stitch. To produce ribbing you knit and purl stitches on the same row alternately. As long as you stay in pattern in every row (i.e. knit the knit stitches [Vs] and purl the purl stitches [horizontal bars making up waves]) you should get linear rows of ribbing. Make sure you remember to flip the wool from front to back of your work each time you change stitch. This can be done with any combination of stitch counts - e.g.: (k1, p1) or (k2, p2), or (k3, p1).
 

You could try making yet another napkin ring using this technique – you’ll soon have a set!

Flower Brooch

Flower Brooch   

An easy decorative beginner crochet piece!

This pattern is written in British English

Tools:

4mm crochet hook

Darning needle

Materials:

20g double knit wool

Safety pin

Decorative button

Abbreviations:

Ch  =  chain

Sl   = slip stitch

Dc = double crochet

tr   = treble crochet

dtr = double treble crochet

Pattern:

Small flower (front):

Row 1:       Leaving a 3inch tail Ch3, join with Sl into first stitch, creating circle.

Row 2:       ch3, Tr1 into middle of circle, ch3,* Tr2, ch3* repeat ** 4 times (5 in total), sl to join final chain to 3^rd stitch of first chain to complete the round.

Row 3:       C1, 6dc in each chain of 3 all the way around flower, sl to beginning of row to complete the round.

Draw thread through final sl and cut end leaving a tail.

Large flower (back):

Row 1:       Leaving a 3inch tail Ch3, join with Sl into first stitch, creating circle.

Row 2:       ch4, dtr1 into middle of circle, ch4,* dtr2, ch4* repeat ** 4 times (5 in total), sl to join final chain to 4^th stitch of first chain to complete the round.

Row 3:       C1, 8dc in each chain of 4 all the way around flower, sl to beginning of row to complete the round.

Draw thread through final sl and cut end leaving a tail.

Making up:

Sew your button, small flower, and large flower together using some of the tails left on your pieces.

Sew your safety pin securely to the back of your flower.

Et voila! - C’est fini  :c)