Ta Da! Knitted Pull-Through Scarf

Hooray! It's a 'Ta-Da' post...finally!

Just before Christmas last year, I attended a Pompom making class led by Hollie (Flora Fairweather) and put on by The Mamahood.* I was so inspired by Hollie's use of colours and pompoms on everything I wanted to get making something myself.

This little pull-through scarf is easy to make and it knits up quickly (especially if you use a chunky yarn.) The design is perfect for little ones as it's less bulky around the neck than a traditional scarf, and the fun pom-poms also stop it from coming undone.

I sort of just winged it when it came to a pattern but I knitted up another scarf so I could check what I had done and write it down. If you want to make a pull-through scarf yourself then you can follow this pattern, but please feel free to adjust it where necessary. I have given the tension and needle size I used but obviously, this can be knitted with any yarn and needle size. This scarf is perfect for my little Miss who is 18 months old, but you will probably want to make the scarf longer for older children.

Yarn: I used Wool & the Gang cotton yarn for the bright yellow scarf, and the blue scarf is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino.

Tension: 10cm x 10cm 28 stitches x 44 rows

Needles: 4mm

Cast on 1 stitch (1)
Inc 1 (2)
Inc 1 on both stitches (4)
*Inc 1 first stitch, knit to the end of the row, leaving last stitch, Inc 1 on last stitch*
Repeat ** until you have 28 stitches
Knit 28 rows (or more if you want a longer bit to pull through)

Now you will start to make the holes to poke the scarf through. You will need some stitch holders (they look like giant safety pins).

*K2, P2, K2, P2* (8 stitches of rib)
Put rest of stitches onto a stitch holder (16)
Repeat ** for 15 rows
Put 8 stitches onto another stitch holder

Take the middle 8 stitches onto your needle, leaving 8 stitches behind on the holder.
Knit for 15 rows
Add these 8 stitches to the 8 ribbed stitches on the holder

Take the last 8 stitches onto your needle
*K2, P2, K2, P2* (8 stitches of rib)
Repeat for 15 rows

Now you want all your stitches on your needle but add them from the first ribbed section you knitted so that you have your yarn thread at the point of your needle, ready to start the next row.

Knit for 104 rows (or however long you want your scarf. Take a measurement around the neck as it should be close-fitting)

*K2, P2* Repeat until the end of the row (28 stitches)
Repeat ribbing for 34 rows

Knit 28 rows (or however many you knitted at the other end)

*K2tog, K until you have 2 stitches left, K2tog*
Repeat ** until you have 1 stitch left
Cast off and leave a long tail.

Make 2 pompoms using a pompom maker and whatever bright colours you fancy and attach to the two pointed ends of the scarf using the long tails for extra security. (These need to be fastened tightly as they will get pulled quite a bit.)

And there you have it! If you are able to follow this 'pattern' and make your own pull-through scarf then please share a photo with me - I would love to see it! I am This is Wiss on all social media, or leave a picture in the comments below.

Happy knitting!

*I urge you to check out The Mamahood - such a wonderful supportive community run by Diana. She runs inspiring, creative and collaborative local events for mamas. Currently only in SE London but the Mamahood will be expanding so keep an eye out for events in your area.

Also, check out Flora Fairweather's IG feed for bright and beautiful images, and lots of pompoms!

Ta Da! A Knitting Special

Regular readers will know that I keep complaining about not having enough time to sew/craft/blog recently (new baby, too busy, blah, blah!) But, although it is true*, I have been able to squeeze a tiny bit of knitting in here and there. Knitting is such a wonderful hobby as you don't need lots of equipment and you can do it sitting on the sofa in front of the telly. Brill!

I'd be the first to admit that I'm not the best, nor a particularly fast knitter but I do enjoy it and love watching the lines grow into a finished garment.

Way back last year when I was pregnant I treated myself (& the new baby) to a kit from Wool and the Gang, a über stylish knitting company based right here in London. Check out their beautiful website and gorgeous knits. You can buy them ready made (hand knitted by one of their team) or purchase a kit to do it yourself. The kits aren't cheap, I'll admit, but the quality is amazing. You get plenty of yarn to work with so no worries about making mistakes and there are lots of cute extras too such as a sticker, a kilt pin, personalised packaging...

I chose to make an Aloha Hoodie in golden yellow, although it was a hard decision as there are over 20 colours to choose from. I also bought the needles to go with the pattern; they are bamboo and a joy to work with. Everything I needed came in the kit, including a wool needle for sewing up the garment when it was finished.

Skip forward in time a few (maybe 6!) months and I had finished knitting all the pieces. It wasn't a hard pattern to follow though and I love the cool little details like the rectangle on one side of the hoodie. Unfortunately, I have realised that I really need to learn how to finish a knitted garment properly. My sewing up often leaves the seams very bumpy, and the arm holes a bit restricted which is a real shame given the amount of time spent knitting. I actually unpicked the seams and tried again and it's still not perfect but good enough to be worn.

The Shiny Happy cotton yarn is quite heavy so the hoodie does have a tendency to stretch and drape, and it slips off the shoulders. The design is for a slouchy cardigan but I'm thinking of attaching a popper or button fastening to make it a bit more baby-friendly.

So Ferne got a new mama-made cardigan, but what about Wiss? Well, I was honoured to be asked by Shireen from the fabulous handmade knitting company Picaloulou to trial one of her new knitting kits for children's scarves. (These kits aren't even on sale yet!) There are lots of animals to choose from but I went for the fantastic Fox Scarf. The pattern was easy to follow even though there were quite a few techniques I hadn't done before, so I had to google these (slip stitches, make one etc). I love the design of these scarves, they are slim enough to be worn easily with coats and the fact that they don't need to be tied makes them perfect for little kids. I think Wiss looks so cool with his new scarf, don't you? These animal scarves are available ready-made from the Picaloulou shop (as well as loads of other gorgeous, British-made hand knits.)

Yes, I know that we are heading into the summer months soon but we do live in the UK. The temperature is unpredictable at the best of times, and actually cotton knits can be great for sunny days. I am so slow at knitting though that maybe I should start knitting for this winter now!


*and I hereby promise to stop going on about it and making excuses!


Disclaimer: This post is not a sponsored review but as I have enjoyed making both I wanted to share them with you. I bought the Wool and the Gang kit myself, and I was provided with the Picaloulou kit for testing purposes but not required to write a post.

The Knitting & Stitching Show 2012 - I was there!

I have just about recovered from this weekend's Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace and wanted to share it all with you before I get even busier putting to use everything that I bought!

I went along with my mum on Friday as a regular punter, and as neither of us had ever been before we were exited to see what all the fuss was about. The first thing I should say is that it is big. Actually it's huge! There are hundreds of retail stands, as well as artists galleries, workshops and classes. I had booked mum and I into a 'Give it Back' class where we would have been taught how to make a pillowcase dress. These simple dresses are made for charities like Dress a Girl Around the World. Unfortunately public transport was against us that day and we didn't make it to Alexandra Palace in time. Such a shame.

You could buy pretty much anything you wanted to do with sewing, knitting and other crafts, plus there were some amazing artistic creations. Unfortunately, most of the 'art' was not able to be photographed so you'll have to imagine the intricate quilted wall hangings and the knitted wedding dress and matching grooms suit! But the Knitted Village was brilliant...

At times the day felt like an endurance test: there was so much to take in, look at, touch and so many people to navigate around but regular R&R breaks helped! At the end of day 1 I had actually been quite restrained in my purchases...(Things didn't remain this way though!)

I was back on Saturday and Sunday in a professional capacity, helping to man the Ray Stitch stand. I'll come clean, Rachel is a good friend of mine but even if she wasn't I would still love her shop! She has a great eye for design and style which shows in the products and fabrics she stocks as well as the way it is all presented. This year Ray Stitch was representing Merchant & Mills  - make sure you check out all of their gorgeous stuff too. I want it all!

I had a lot of fun working on the stand - it was lovely to meet so many people and really inspiring to talk to them about what they were planning on making with their purchases. Even though we were rushed off our feet both days I still managed to look round again, and again! and made a *few* (ahem) more purchases. Here is my full haul from the show...

Bella by Lotta Jansdotter - to make a cushion as a housewarming present

Cloud 9 Geocentric - canvas weight organic cotton to make cushions for our hallway bench

Cloud 9 Nursery Flannel - to make snuggly toys for friends' new arrivals

Jersey remnants - only £3 each, perfect for my t-shirt making stash

Gorgeous Robert Kaufman Jelly Roll - for a future quilt, one day!

Hideous Thomas the Tank panel that Wiss will adore! Maybe I'll make an art roll up?

Non-scratchy 100% wool to make Wiss's scarf (and  for Raoul to play with!)

And then there is just one more thing to show you...my soon to be, brand new shiny, fancy pants sewing machine!!! I have been thinking about a new machine for a while and hoped that there would be some good deals at the show. All the major brands were represented and had knowledgeable staff to answer all your questions. It was a great way to compare different makes and models all under one roof. I had demos by Brother, Pfaff and Janome and all had their pros and cons, but I decided on the Janome XL601. They sell their machines through stockists all over the country who are there to help should problems arise and who will take care of the servicing. (Which I will do annually, I promise!) I am SO excited to get my hands on it later this week!

So, there you have my weekend in a nutshell! I bought lots, met loads of lovely people (including some twitter friends @mrsramskill and @missmagpiemakes) and have a ton of new projects to start on a new machine!

Same time, same place next year then?!

If you visited Ally Pally this year, how was it for you? Please leave me a comment or a link to your blog below as I'd love to hear all about it.