episode 95 | nora batty style

EPISODE 95 SHOW NOTES

I expect only British people of a certain age (aka old like me) will get the Nora Batty reference. Alternatively anyone who has ever watched Last of The Summer Wine in which Nora and her rollers (with her broom at the ready to shoo away Compo ) was a treat for us all.

FINISHED OBJECTS

I finished my Wych Elm Socks!

This will be a pattern that I’m hoping to launch just before Easter that is currently being tested.

The pattern uses a modified Elm Grain stitch and the main colour yarn is Cerinthe from Wild Rose Yarn with Opal Uni 4ply used as a contrast in the colour 3072, Violet.

The name of the socks comes from the book The Wych Elm by Tana French.

WIPS

My first and main WIP is my Granny Advent Blanket. I have now written up the free pattern, you can get it here and it also comes with a video tutorial to show you how to do the fiddly joining as you go.

This blanket has been designed to be a year-long project using minis from a yarn advent calendar.

I am using the Biffsugar Yarns advent calendar from 2019 together with Cascade Heritage in the colour Snow.

WIPS

I’m also working on my Zig Zag socks for Betsy using the Popping Candy sock set from Woolly Mama Yarns. The pattern is a new zig zag design worked over 60 stitches and I’ve worked a German short row heel in the contrast colour this week. I used this brilliant video tutorial from Suzanne Bryan to work out how to do a contrast short row heel. I also use her German short row heel tutorial (this one) every time I work this kind of heel, have already watched it too many times to mention!

My final WIP this week (I will be talking about my Sirdar Poncho and my Viajante in the next episode) is a new pair of socks for Darren using my favourite discontinued yarn from Regia, the Pairfect stripes. The colourway is 7115 but it is discontinued and so if you do find a ball somewhere then hurrah for you because it’s lovely yarn!

The colour that I’m planning to use for the toe is West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply in the colour Nutmeg (630).

NEW & NOTABLE

I remade an old favourite this week. The vintage crochet turban pattern from Mon Tricot’s Autumn/Winter 73/74 magazine. I love this pattern SO much, I’ve made it twice and will probably make it again too!

The first time I made it was back in November 2016.

*Click to watch Episode 12 and find out more*

It didn’t work out so well back then (although I clearly managed to squeeze it onto my head for this photo op and am nothing if not dedicated to my job :) it was way too small and I ended up un-looping the loop and adding pom poms to make it a scarf for Betsy - rather a nice scarf too I think.

This time around I used three balls of some stash Lana Grossa McWool - I can’t find this yarn anywhere now - in the Pink colourway (121) and it actually fits. Hurrah!

Shame I look so terrible in it. Ha!

I didn’t buy any yarn this week. I KNOW!

I did previously buy this lovely orange yarn from Lisa’s Attik - check out her shop for some amazing crochet designs too - as well as Alison’s birthday special yarn, Bon Anniversaire, from Biffsugar Yarns.

Enjoy the podcast folks, and don’t forget to shine bright like a diamond.