I live in a small terrace in between Leeds and Wakefield. It's had dry rot, woodworm, damp and the render is falling off the front. But when I open my bedroom curtains in the morning this is my view. It's hard to describe the impact of this being the first thing you see each day, but I know it has made me feel more connected to my environment and definitely more appreciative of the constant beauty that surrounds you but can often be unnoticed in the rush of everyday life.
There's no doubt that I'm a visual person, and I'm lucky enough to live somewhere with natural beauty all around me. When choosing colour combinations for a knitting project, I always think the best starting point is to see what nature does. Very often it comes up with ideas you'd never think of! This week I'd like to share this picture of the wonderful St Aidan's Nature Reserve, where I go birdwatching every week. The crisp blue sky against greens and browns of the earth led me to think of our Kilcarra Tweed range by Knoll and how great these four shades work together, just like they do when I look out at it from the bird hide.
Interested in Birdwatching too? Book on one of Linda Jenkinson's wonderful Start Birding walks.
We’re totally in love with our new British Wool Socks, spun here in Yorkshire. Made in 6 of our signature shades- Bramley Baths, Viking, Coal, Chevin, Brass Band and Dalby- each pair have a super cute contrast cuff too. Even better news is they’re easy to care for- just pop them in the washing machine when they need to freshen up.
Topics: Wool Socks
We never get tired of knitting a simple plain pair of socks from West Yorkshire Spinner’s Country Birds sock yarn. The colourways are fabulous- our favourites include Blue Tit, Wood Pigeon and Bullfinch with a total of nine shade to choose from . What’s more, the yarn is made from 35% Bluefaced Leiciester Wool making really lovely to knit with. They also have ready made socks in this range too.
Topics: Wool Socks
Never tried wool socks? Wondering what all the fuss is about. When the temperature drops and autumn creeps in those cotton socks in your drawer are going to do nothing to keep your toes toasty. When cotton gets wet, it loses all its insulating properties, so you might as well not bother with socks at all, like one of those trendy brogue-wearing hipsters. You might not have leaky boots or go jumping in muddy puddles, but your own perspiration will still mean you’ll end up with damp, cold feet.
Topics: Wool Socks
We were absolutely bowled over by your enthusiasm for our last batch of Titus Goddess, our limited edition monthly Titus shade that's overdyed by The Knitting Goddess. The celebratory colours she dyed our White Rose shade sold out in less than 24 hours, but don't worry - we are about to release our new batch!
This month, Joy has taken our Dalby shade - named after the large forest in North Yorkshire - and added even more depth to its foresty feel. The variety of shades pick out the shades of young leaves, moss-covered logs, ancient trees and the darkness of the woods at their deepest points.
For many knitters - even those who have several years' experience - knitting a sweater can seem like too big a challenge to take on. It requires a lot of yarn and usually several different techniques, and the possibility of everything going horribly wrong seems just a bit too significant.
If you're one of those knitters who sticks to hats, socks, scarves and cowls, this week's Field Notes is for you. We've got some great suggestions of simple sweaters for you to try - but first, Joelle explains how she got started...
"Three years ago, I took the plunge and knitted myself a sweater. I'd done a workshop on fitting which helped immensely. Armed with a lot of measurements, I took a deep breath and cast on.
Have you ever looked at a marled yarn and thought it was pretty, but had no idea what to do with it? Since we introduced the three marl shades of Dovestone Natural Aran earlier this year, quite a few customers have been asking us how to make the most of it. So our Alison has shared her top tips with us, with examples taken from her latest collection, Learn to Knit at Home:
Because of the way marls are made - twisting different coloured plies together they give a tweedy, speckled look when knitted up - the key to using them successfully is to keep the stitch pattern simple.
Garter stitch, stocking stitch and rib are perfect for marls as the stitch pattern isn't trying to compete for attention with the marled fabric. Complicated lace or cable patterns will lose definition or may be difficult to see at all, especially in high-contrast marls.
Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who helped us to celebrate five years of Titus. We had a fantastic week, with lots of scrummy offers flying off the shelves, and a wonderful night of celebration on Thursday. More on that below.
Suddenly, we seem to be heading towards autumn (the weather here in Yorkshire appears to have turned that corner already!) and all we want to do is get out our needles and create cosy cowls and sweaters to snuggle up in. Several fabulous new patterns have appeared on Ravelry in the last few weeks, all made in our yarns, and we're so excited to share them.
We can't quite believe it, but next week marks five years since we launched our first yarn, Titus. We launched it to mark Yorkshire Day on 1st August, and here we are five years on preparing to celebrate its success.
So how do we celebrate five years of Titus and everything it has meant to us? Like this...Next week, we have a whole host of special offers lined up for you. There will be a new offer every day, so no matter what project you fancy taking on next, you can grab a bargain with baa ram ewe.
The real party day is next Thursday, 3rd August, when we'll be holding a Titus special anniversary knit night, showcasing what many of you have knitted to celebrate, and modelling them to everyone else! We'll post the link to get your tickets on our social media accounts soon.
