HRYC

 I've never been a lover of crochet. Perhaps because when I grew up there was the same problem with crochet as there was with knitting: epic ugliness.

Lately, though...i'm getting a little obsessed. That doesn't mean i've actually picked up a crochet hook yet, but it's really only a matter of time. 

Before I get into sharing a whole load of crochet inspiration, I had better let you know about our crochet classes!

We're lucky to have Sofia back on board with another round of her beginner crochet class - hooray! The next set is Sunday 7 & 14 October from 12.30pm - 3pm. You can book online - just be sure to add the code crochetSHIP at the checkout to remove the shipping component.

For those who have a few crochet skills sorted, we've added a new class: Next Steps. Learn new tricks and techniques to take your crochet further - again, you can book online. Hooray!

Ready to drool over some crochet amazingness? Yeah, me too!

Flowers in the Snow blanket by Solveig Grimstad

Hexagon How-To by Lucy of Attic-24 - I am OBSESSED with this blanket!

Rainbow Ripple Baby Blanket by Celeste Young

African Flower Hexagon (image from Tangled Yarns) by Lounette Fourie and Anita Rossouw

Yep, definitely need to work on my crochet skills!

 Sourced by our Twitterers! 

A quick run down of our favourite technical help sites and links, as mentioned during #twitknit on Monday.

Technical Knitting - a seriously good site with clear written and visual instructions, neat wee tricks and sidesteps when you make mistakes.

Techniques With Theresa on knitty.com - I particularly love the tutorial on kitchener stitch, increases and decreases and fixing mistakes. Actually, ALL Theresa's tutorials are excellent.

There's also a bunch more instructional posts on knitty.com that are well worth a look through.

For those who love to learn from videos, pop on over to knittinghelp.com or tried and trusted Youtube.

My absolute favourite Magic Loop tutorial can be found over here on knittingdaily.com - in case you fancy venturing into socks if you haven't already!

And the book Tash learned from - Stitch 'n bitch by Debbie Stoller

Not just for learners, this is full of handy technique tips and is a great book to have on hand when you can't be bothered going to the internet.

Have I missed anything? 

 Hip hip hooray it's FRIDAY!

Which means it's time for another Weekend Treat. This time round it's 20% off all printed patterns in store....and as they are only stocked in store, to make it fair we'll throw a free tote bag into every order placed online from 5pm Friday 14 September to 9am Monday 17 September.

Hooray!

And because i'm loving the excuse Saturday Sit & Knit gives me to bake, i've got all the ingredients assembled to make this tasty treat...

I hope you can join me in eating it, or i'll be sporting a big fat tummy full of chocolate tart.

Our first ever Twitter Knit Chat was a huge success - thanks so much to everyone who took part! You helped make #twitknit the top trending hashtag in New Zealand! Now that's pretty awesome. I think we should try for the same every week...

Number one!

I thought a quick round up and links to some of the great patterns mentioned would be useful - so here you go!

Pathways Blanket by Frankie Brown

I Heart Aran sweater

Flying Without Wings

I'm already looking forward to next Monday! Join us at 8pm NZ time for a whole lot of fun knitting chatter. There's a also a growing list of special guests being lined up for future sessions...hooray!

 Hip hip hooray! It's the weekend and the weather is looking pretty frightful here in Wellington. 

If you're local, pop out to the shop (avoiding stray tree branches and big gusts of wind) and grab 10% off all Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky yarn. It's big, soft, squishy and a delight to play with. 

I've also just whipped up a batch of Nigella's chocolate brownies (gluten free, hooray!) for Saturday Sit & Knit. 

If you aren't so local, the code 'Weekend Treat' will get you 10% off in the online shop until Monday morning. Happy shopping and knitting! 

xx Tash