Flower Cushion, KN Issue 60

So the latest issue of KnitNow hit the shops yesterday, do you have your copy? did you spot my Flower Cushion Pattern?

It would usually be a perfect pattern for Spring but with this crazy weather we are having maybe we should still be on winter theme knits, its crazy that a few weeks ago i was posting about our long walk and then these past few days I've woken up to snow on my car and had to dig my winter coat back out!

Anyway hopefully it wont last much longer, im ready for some nice weather, weekend walks, al fresco eating and eveining fire pits.

But if you've not had chance to pick up your copy yet, here it is, my Flower cushion pattern, this photo is one taken from the magazine and i have got to credit Dominic Crolla and Daniel Walmsley for the fantastic photo,

The cushion is knitted using Cygnet Superwash yarn, its a yarn i have used for a few patterns including my his and hers childrens pajama cases and my love a hug bear, its such a good versatile yarn. it comes in such a good range of colours too and it very resonably priced!

If you fancy giving this pattern ago then a have a few tips to help you get a good finish, the first one is the joining, there is nothing worse than spending so long knitting the piece but then rushing the joining, not done properly can really detract from the qulity of the finished piece. So with this in mind make sure you use the matress method to join the sides. Matress stitch is a very commonly used join and is perfect for joining two pieces of stockinette stitch, it is usually used on jumper seams etc.

Matress Stitch Instructions:
You need to pull the two pieces together I always use stitch markers to hold them in place

using the bar you will find inbetween the edge V, heres a photo to hopefully show you what i mean;

And here you can see the finshed effect;

Attaching the Petals:
You should have no issues following the instructions with in the Magazine for the joining ofthe petals but if you are more of a visual person you may find these help;

So once you have all 5 petals and you have threaded the yarn through the stitches you need to thread the yarn back through the first petal

Then place this over once of the flower centers and pull tight - VERY TIGHT to make sure it is secure and can't be pulled off.

If you have a go at making this i would love to see your photos, you can either link your project to this pattern in ravelry or if your on instagram, use the hashtag #owlinstitches

Thanks!

Ladies Funky Stitch Fingerless Gloves

I was messing around one evening when I discovered this stitch pattern . . .

 . . . . and I knew it would be perfect for fingerless gloves, it creates a lovely bounce to the knitting and fantastic detail.

Next was to pick the colours, I wanted to do the edging in one colour and then the bulk of the glove in another, I also wanted to bright block contrasting colour . . . . introducing Sublime extra fine merino wool DK. Shade 0019 Waterleaf and Sirdar Calico Double Knitting. Shade 0726 Spicy

 
Sirdar Calico Spicy makes a fantastic edge colour and after repeating the stitch pattern a few times I knew I was happy with my choices

When it came to increasing for the thumb I used the inc3 stitch to ensure the increase blended with the pattern and would also fit around the thumb nicely

And ta-dah the left glove was complete!!

The pattern is knitted so that the seam is hidden on the underside rather than being directly on the side and visible so the pattern was then created for the right hand

 

And I couldn't resist wearing them whilst I typed up the pattern for Etsy, Craftsy and Ravelry :)