I'll be the first to admit I haven't been overly inspired by the new designs popping up on Ravelry lately. Perhaps because it's the northern summer so all the designers are busy working on amazing winter pieces, or i've just felt a little jaded. Either way, that changed this morning. 

Firstly, who can go past a design called Zealand? Not I, and this would be an excellent pattern for Madeline Tosh DK (yes, still impatiently waiting for it to arrive)...

Zealand Falls by Cecily Glowick-MacDonald

What I am really, intensely excited about is this blanket pattern:

 Persian Dreams by Jenise Reid

An absolute vision of colour and pattern, this strikes me as one of those projects where it's ok to work on it over several years. One block at a time, slowly but surely, knitting stories into each stitch. The simplified palette of CeruleanSarah's version on Ravelry is an exercise in 'less is more' - two colours joining together for full design impact:

 CeruleanSarah's Persian Dreams (her image from Rav)

As Kate pointed out on Pinterest, Zealana Kiwi Laceweight would make for a glorious version of this project. I'm probably going to spend the rest of today obsessing over colours for it. 

If you're worried your colourwork skills aren't quite up to it, here's pretty much the perfect practice project possible (hooray alliteration!). Ysolda has done it again with the Wee Carson:

At the beginning of the year I decided to challenge my knitting skills in 2014: try new cast-ons, have a go at steeking, install a zip. Wee Carson ticks all those boxes but in a small, not-too-daunting project. If you don't have a small person to knit this pattern for, think of it as a knitted sampler - a great way to try new things without the commitment of a big project. 

Yarn with a little fuzz is needed for this one, so i'm thinking Waikiwi, a yarn we have in-store. It's a great mix of possum, merino, alpaca and nylon so it's hard wearing and super soft. I'm going to put another photo here because Ysolda manages to find the cutest kids ever for her photo shoots:

 That's not all, either. A new Brooklyn Tweed Kids collection was released overnight, and it's AMAZING. Go have a nosey and make sure you pop by the shops (online or real life) for a snuggle of some of the great yarns we have at the moment. Cascade arrives today (hooray!) and the weather is absolutely perfect for knitting. Happy Wednesday!

I've long resisted the siren song of Madeline Tosh. It's always quietly sat on my list of yarns to stock, but I wasn't sure when the day would come i'd turn the corner and think 'Yes, it's time'. Opening a second store earlier this year seemed to be that turning point; I could no longer ignore the song. Going by how quickly we sell our Malabrigo stock, the excellent taste of our customers proves that beautiful hand-dyed yarns need to fill up more shelf space.

So, here it comes: Madeline Tosh. After waiting very impatiently, it has now shipped and will arrive with us at some point in the next two weeks. We might have a box-opening party. I'll keep you posted!

Top of my list for this order was Edison Bulb. So long have I lusted after this incredible colour, and this morning i'm sitting here knowing  i'll nab a skein or two for myself the moment it arrives. However, I don't want to break my rule of 'no yarn for you unless you're going to cast on RIGHT NOW'. This rule is very important: it means you get to buy yarn rather than all of it ending up in my personal stash. Which means I need to find a pattern for this neon yellow in a DK weight...

Perhaps a beeswax hat by local designer Amy van de Laar

or a Grey Loop by Helen G

but what I really want to do is stripe Edison Bulb with Robin's Egg, Pop Rocks and Smoke Stack....

a Fringed shawl by Stephen West might pull it off. Although in the interests of leaving you with some yarn to buy, i'd make it without the fringe. 

If you'd like to pre-order any of the Madeline Tosh coming our way (we have Lace on order, too), send an email to shop (at) hollandroadyarn (dot) co (dot) nz with the colour + quantity and we'll set it aside for you. There's a second (and much larger) order due to arrive mid-August, just in time for Knit August Nights. If there's a colour you're desperately lusting after, again let us know and we'll add it to the second order. Because we don't want to deny anyone their colour joy....

World Wide Knit in Public day is on 21 June, and we've decided to have, in effect, an 'open shop' day. There's a couple of things you can sign up for in order to take part:

Forced to Finish

You shall attend one of our two shops, place yourself on a couch, and FINISH. You will darn in those ends, finish that cuff, add that button band. You'll sew on buttons and stop putting off the last little bits of projects. You will celebrate your success with tea and cake.

Because of limited space in each shop, please book in to secure a spot. 

Beginner Knitting

Come along to the Grand Arcade and learn to knit. We'll provide yarn and needles, and you'll leave with the ability to cast on and knit. Because it's a special occasion, we're doing it half price (normally $20). 

Knit Night at Golding's 

A few friends and I will be at Golding's Free Dive from 4pm with our knitting. It's the scene of photo shoots for The Flat Hat and my finished Ravello, and also an excellent bar. It's on Leeds St, just off Dixon St in Wellington CBD.

So you barely have an excuse not to get off the couch and knit out in the big wide world. Which we should be doing every day anyway, but I suppose we should officially celebrate as well. Happy knitting!

We gave this pattern away to so many of you at Handmade the other weekend, and then I went to knit a second and found...a bunch of errors! I'm so sorry! I'd made a whole lot of fixes after my first test of this pattern and they seem to have got all mixed up when I wrote up the final version. Hopefully this is ok, but knowing my occasional inability to count to 3, there may be the odd slip-up in numbers. I'm going to re-knit it for a 4th time to check again, and will post any errata as soon as I can. Here you go!

Pattern updated 26 November 2014 for the following errata:

The row that previously directed:

Next row: p4, p2tog, p1, *k2tog, k5, repeat from * to last 6sts, p3, k3 (9 sts decreased, 56 sts remain)

now is:

Next row: p3, p2tog, *k2tog, k5, repeat from * to last 6sts, p3, k3 (9 sts decreased, 58 sts remain)

The Flat Hat by Tash Barneveld

Free pdf version available in our Patterns section.

A simple hat to practice switching between knit and purl, with the added bonus of some decreases. Easy enough for a beginner, the hat is knit flat and then seamed. The design is intended to help hide dodgy sewing skills, and make for more interesting knitting. 

Yarn: 1 ball of Zealana Rimu 8ply in Kakariki Blue R23 or 1 ball of Silver Lining in Red Triangle (coming soon!)

Needles: 4mm (these can be straight or circular, up to you)

Other stuff: darning needle, scissors

Size: adult - it's pretty stretchy, but if you need to go bigger, use a 10ply yarn and 4.5mm needles. 

Abbreviations:

K – knit

P – purl

Sts - stitches

K2tog – knit two stitches together

P2tog – purl two stitches together

Cast on 104sts

Next row: *k2, p2, repeat from * to end

Repeat this row until work measures 2cm

Row 1: p 6, k to last 10 sts, p6, k4

Row 2: p4, k6, p to last 6 sts, k6

repeat these two rows until work measures 13cm from cast on edge.

Start to decrease for the crown:

Next row: p6, *k2tog, k9, repeat from * to last 10 sts, p2tog, p4, k4(9 sts decreased, 95 sts remain)

Next row: p4, k5, p to last 6 sts, k6

Next row: p6, k to last 7 sts, p5, k4

Next row: p4, k5, p to last 6 sts, k6

Next row: p6, *k2tog, k8, repeat from * to last 9 sts, p2tog, p3, k4 (9 sts decreased, 86 sts remain)

Next row: p4, k4, p to last 6 sts, k6

Next row: p6, k to last 7 sts, p4, k4

Next row: p4, k4, p to last 6 sts, k6

Next row: p2, p2 tog, p2, *k2tog, k7, repeat from * to last 7 sts, p4, k2tog, k2 (9 sts decreased, 76 sts remain)

Next row: p3, k4, p to last 5 sts, k5 (no decrease)

Next row: p5, *k2tog, k6, repeat from * to last 7 sts, p2tog, p2, k3 (9 sts decreased, 67 sts remain)

Next row: p3, k3, p to last 5 sts, k5 (no decrease)

Next row: p3, p2tog, *k2tog, k5, repeat from * to last 6sts, p3, k3 (9 sts decreased, 58 sts remain)

Next row: p3, k3, p to last 4 sts, k4 (no decrease)

Next row: p4, *k2tog, k4, repeat from * to last 6 sts, p3, k2tog, k1 (9 sts decreased, 49 sts remain)

Next row: p2, k3, p to last 4 sts, k4 (no decrease)

Next row: p2, p2tog, *k2tog, k3, repeat from * to last 5 sts, p3, k2 (9 sts decreased, 40 sts remain)

Next row: p2, k3, p to last 3 sts, p3 (no decrease)

Next row: p1, p2tog, *k2tog, k2, repeat from * to last 5 sts, p2tog, p1, k2 (10 sts decreased, 30 sts remain)

Next row: p2, k2tog, *p2tog, *repeat from * to last 2 sts, k2tog (16 sts remain)

Next row: *k2tog, repeat from * to end (8 sts remain)

Next row: break yarn with a 40cm tail. Pull through 8 remaining live stitches and weave in the end.

To finish: Using your darning needle, seam together to complete the hat shape. Weave in the end and wear. Hooray!

For a great tutorial on how to seam knit fabric together, see Knitty’s great mattress stitch step-by-step: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring04/mattress.html

The Sunday Morning Cowl is everything you could hope for on a Sunday morning - easy, relaxed and satisfying. You could actually knit this in one morning, if you're on the speedy side. 

Yarn: 2 x Cascade Lana Grande (100g / 80m)

Needles: 10mm

Pattern: Cast on 20 stitches. Knit until you run out of yarn, making sure to leave a 50cm tail. 

Sew the two short ends together to make a loop. Weave in ends, and you're done!

Ridiculously simple, super wearable. You could also use Spud & Chloe Outer or Blue Sky Bulky for added luxury. Happy knitting!