Speedy self striping socks

These socks were knit so quickly due to a few key choices. They ended up for me but if I were pushed for time to give to someone else, I would definitely look to something like this. Not only were they fast, they were really relaxing because they don't require a lot of concentration - so I managed to read or watch a film at the same time (which is probably partly why they felt like they flew by). There are a few things that I did for the first time with these and they paid off - glad that I gave them a go!

How to sew a t-shirt quilt

New Year, new skills. This month I've been involved in a sewing project of a different sort - memory quilts. It's not my usual kind of make, but has been really interesting to learn to do. I have seen a fair few made as gifts using a collection of t-shirts from festivals or concerts as well as children's baby clothes. It involved a fair bit of research so I've pulled together the best of what I found in case you would like to have a go at making your own. These were made for the lovely Stanley, Freddie and Hayley, who I hope will be able to enjoy them for a long time.

Tilly and the Buttons Stella Joggers

These joggers are the companion bottoms to the Stella Hoodie that I made earlier in the year. Both patterns are found in the Tilly and the Buttons book 'Stretch! Make yourself comfortable sewing with knit fabrics'. The hoodie is certainly comfortable so it seemed only right that I made the joggers too. Both patterns are incredibly easy to make and very well written so they are definitely something that beginners can tackle and end up with a good result. I'm pretty much living in these joggers right now!

A tale of three mittens

Gifting a pair of fingerless mittens has to be something that most new knitters do, especially at Christmas time. After making my first pair of Virva fingerless mitts, requests came in thick and fast from the rest of the family. To be fair, I can see why, as they are useful in the winter. For me, it was a good opportunity to test out some different techniques and skills too. I chose three patterns, all in different weights of yarn, to see what works well for me as a maker, as well as a gift.

1 metre, 4 projects

Minerva Crafts sent me 1 metre of this cotton canvas and I did intend to make a knitter's project bag, similar to the one I made in the summer. What I didn't realise was the size of the matching set that I could get out of that amount of fabric! What made me particularly happy was that everything else I needed to make these projects was already in my stash so it was only the 1 metre of fabric that was new. If you want more details of the fabric and links to some of the tutorials I followed, head over to Minerva's blog here.

One Week One Pattern - Seamwork Astoria

It would be fair to say that the Seamwork Astoria is my most made and most worn pattern. Sometimes you find one that just works! This is also one of those that I turn to when I only have 1m of fabric to hand (sometimes even less!). I find that the Astoria works particularly well for my work wardrobe, which is also why it featured as my One Week One Pattern choice. I only posted two new versions on Instagram but I wore other versions throughout the week, as it really is a staple item for me. This time I did alter the pattern somewhat as well for a little more variety too....