This is the view of my studio from my living room. That’s where the magic happens! My students come to see me and we sit together at the white table and create clothing, accessories, home goods, and more with sticks/a hook and string. It’s also where I design projects for my books and where those designs come to fruition. I’ve experienced the gamut of human emotions in that room – from frustration and fear to exhilaration and passion. It’s a pretty special place.

Want to come and make some magic with me? Why not contact me and come for a lesson?

The big news is: I wrote a book!

It’s called Teeny Tiny Crochet and is available for preorder on amazon.co.uk at the above link, on amazon.com here, and on bookdepository.co.uk here and bookdepository.com here. It comes out on 9 Feb.

Everything in the book is 3″ (about 7.5cm) or smaller, many items a lot, lot smaller. You can create miniature ducks, sheep, ladybirds (ladybugs for the Americans!), and even a minuscule gingerbread house. I had a lot of fun making these wee projects and I think you will too.

I’m also under contract for a second book, which I can’t talk too much about yet, but I’ll keep you posted. Happy 2012, everyone! Hope it’s a great one for you.

Aren’t they lovely and bizarre?

I’ll let her tell it in her own words:

“I thought you might like to see this, which I have made for my mum for her 80th birthday…I did 28 little embroideries of things that remind me of her, and then put them in a quilt.”

She adds that she got the idea for the quilt from the project here, on the lovely Feeling Stitchy blog.

Here are some of the closeups of the hand embroidery that make up this marvellous heirloom piece (click on the pics to enlarge):

I love the deeply personal quality of this piece, and I really get an insight into Kathryn’s loving relationship with her mother – the motifs she chose are so evocative. I’m just blown away by the work and care that went into this project. Well done Kathryn!

Isn’t it stunning?? It’s the sort of thing you’d pay a fortune for in a very posh shop, except it would never fit as well or be as well-finished as this one is.

In return for using the photos, Hilary said I must include the following statement:

“…just make the point I wouldn’t have tackled it without your help, most especially with reading the pattern as well as how to do the button/hole band, blocking and seaming.” I’m so happy to have been a part of this beautiful project, Hilary! Well done you.

The free pattern is available here from the lovely Crochet with Raymond blog. Warning: probably not for beginners. Requires some mental translation.

The free pattern for this hat is available on Ravelry here.

Cute, huh?

Whenever I visit Marseille, I try to find the time to visit La Droguerie, the nicest yarn/fabric/notions/haberdashery shop I’ve ever seen. It’s a France- and Japan-only chain that sells luxury yarn right off the cone, along with gorgeous pattern books and loads of fabrics, ribbons, buttons, and everything else you can imagine. Sadly, I didn’t have the good camera with me so I didn’t get pics of the interior of the shop, but I can show you my haul.

It’s fair to say I did some damage.

All the yarn you see there is 100% alpaca, 100g of all the colours except the deep teal – 200g of that one. It’s fantastically soft and luxurious and will be so lightweight and warm when knitted. Let’s take a closer look at that yarn, shall we?

Can you see the gorgeous, subtle colour variations in the taupe and the teal? The rich, clear solids of the pink and the mint? Aaaaaaah I love this yarn! I have a feeling it will live in my stash for quite a while before I pluck up the courage to actually use it for anything. It’s too beautiful as it is.

The book is all baby patterns, and I’d love to show you inside but don’t want to violate copyright. The layouts are amazing, the design impeccable. It was the only book they had in an English translation and if they’d had more, I would have bought them all. The patterns are so beautiful. I’ll be showing you finished objects as I make things from it.

If you’re in France or Japan and have a chance to visit La Droguerie, you won’t be disappointed!

My video profile on Videojug

Titles include:

KNITTING
How to knit
How to purl
How to knit garter stitch
How to knit moss stitch
How to make a wrap stitch in knitting
How to make a buttonhole in knitting
How to make a cable knit scarf
How to use circular needles
How to cast off in knitting
How to teach children to knit
How to add beads to knitting
How to knit with cotton
How to use bamboo knitting needles

CROCHET
How to do crochet chain stitch (right and left handed)
How to double crochet (right and left handed)
How to half treble crochet (right and left handed)
How to treble crochet (right and left handed)
How to crochet a flower (right and left handed)
How to crochet a circle (right and left handed)
How to crochet a granny square

These videos are great resources for my students, as well as the general public. I hope you find them useful! I also have a selection of the videos embedded at my website. Thanks for checking them out, and let me know what you think of them!

HOW CUTE ARE THESE?? The pattern for these crocheted booties can be purchased here and it is well-written and straightforward. I just love them. I decided to make a matching hat, as I fell in love with the blush colour of this Sublime Cashmere/Merino/Silk DK yarn:

This was taken outside in the sunlight so you can see the true colour a bit better here. I knitted a simple newborn hat pattern with some i-cord at the top to make it even cuter.

And finally:

There’s a reason Debbie Bliss’s baby knitting books sell so well; it’s because the patterns are so darned adorable! I embellished this little cardi (called the Matinee Coat, from Debbie Bliss’s Simply Baby) with a crocheted picot edge in white. One caveat: this is the smallest size, and it’s definitely at least a 3-6 month, if not bigger. This will be far too big for a newborn! But it’s so lovely. I hope the parents-to-be will be very happy with it!

Have you made any cute baby things lately? Aren’t the patterns for girls so much better (and plentiful) than the patterns for boys? Have you found any boy’s patterns you love?