Farewell to Penguins – changing my business name.

 

Today marks the first step in changing my business identity. As of today, my social media and Payhip pattern store are all changing to BronaghKnits.

When I started designing, I didn’t expect it to become such a large part of my life so I relied on my existing Ravelry and social media tag of LaPurplePenguin – a name that was partly a personal joke.

However, as I have increased my designing portfolio and working more and more for magazines, teaching in person and online all under my actual name this doesn’t really make sense. Over the past year I have noticed that I have been referred to simply as “Bronagh” on other people’s feeds, sites and podcasts. With that in mind, I have decided to step out from the penguin’s shadow and use my real name.

I chose BronaghKnits because it sums up what I do – I knit to create patterns, I knit for my health and write about it some times like in Knitting issue 226, I knit to create class and video tutorials (more coming this year) and I knit to help with your specific skill needs.

The first step is to change the social media, then there will be a new logo, a new blog (though I’ll probably run two in parallel for a bit), a new YouTube channel and a new website over the next few months.

I thought about holding off on any changes until everything is ready but that would allow me to procrastinate for every and this was I can start introduce the changes and take you with me on the journey.

And yes, there are worries about some people losing track of me temporarily but I think overall having Bronagh clearly in my names will make it easier for people over all to find me. So it is a bit scary but probably worth it in the end.

So you can find me on:

Instagram - @bronaghknits

Twitter - @BronaghKnits

Facebook page - BronaghKnits 

Facebook group – Knit with Bronagh, because that’s what I hope you will do.

And my Payhip pattern store is here. 

Meanwhile, you can sign up for my newsletter to keep up with developments.

Farewell to Penguins – changing my business name.

 

Today marks the first step in changing my business identity. As of today, my social media and Payhip pattern store are all changing to BronaghKnits.

When I started designing, I didn’t expect it to become such a large part of my life so I relied on my existing Ravelry and social media tag of LaPurplePenguin – a name that was partly a personal joke.

However, as I have increased my designing portfolio and working more and more for magazines, teaching in person and online all under my actual name this doesn’t really make sense. Over the past year I have noticed that I have been referred to simply as “Bronagh” on other people’s feeds, sites and podcasts. With that in mind, I have decided to step out from the penguin’s shadow and use my real name.

I chose BronaghKnits because it sums up what I do – I knit to create patterns, I knit for my health and write about it some times like in Knitting issue 226, I knit to create class and video tutorials (more coming this year) and I knit to help with your specific skill needs.

The first step is to change the social media, then there will be a new logo, a new blog (though I’ll probably run two in parallel for a bit), a new YouTube channel and a new website over the next few months.

I thought about holding off on any changes until everything is ready but that would allow me to procrastinate for every and this was I can start introduce the changes and take you with me on the journey.

And yes, there are worries about some people losing track of me temporarily but I think overall having Bronagh clearly in my names will make it easier for people over all to find me. So it is a bit scary but probably worth it in the end.

So you can find me on:

Instagram - @bronaghknits

Twitter - @BronaghKnits

Facebook page - BronaghKnits 

Facebook group – Knit with Bronagh, because that’s what I hope you will do.

And my Payhip pattern store is here. 

Meanwhile, you can sign up for my newsletter to keep up with developments.

Background to my PTSD and knitting article.

The new issue of Knitting magazine is out today and apart from some patterns by me it also contains a first person article where I talk about how knitting helps me manage bouts of anxiety caused by post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

For my own well-being I have resolved to be more open about suffering from this condition but I know that it can provoke a range of reactions. So alongside the article I thought I’d say a few things about PTSD and me. (In the future I will put a version of the article on my blog but for now you’ll only find it in the magazine)

Firstly, this revelation shouldn’t change how you see or interact with me. If you have met me as an adult, chatted via social media, emailed with me, you have almost certainly done so with someone who has PTSD. It is as much part of me as my short-sight or my hair colour.

That said as a PTSD sufferer I know from my own and other’s experiences that mention of the condition can provoke some reactions I find difficult.

Curiosity – you might want to know what caused someone’s PTSD but please don’t ask. I might tell you at a time of my own choosing but feeling obliged to think about a trauma can be triggering. Plus facing other people’s shocked reactions to some trauma stories can be a difficult experience in itself.

Judgement – there are some people who seem to want to rank trauma in some way as if some is more worthy of causing PTSD than others. Please accept that the condition exists whatever the cause. I also have arthritis in some joints but I don’t find people are nearly as curious about the causes of that chronic condition.

I would also add that there is some common ground between the sort of arthritis I have and PTSD. An accident caused long term changes to my knee joint, just as a traumatic incident caused physical changes to how my brain is wired. Physiotherapy helps my knee, talking and other mental health therapies help with my brain.

That’s what I can manage just now but I hope it is useful. And yes, knitting does help.

UPDATE 31/12/21

I don't want people to go away with the idea that my life is a constant round of nightmares, panic attacks and flashbacks - and wanting to hide under the table the whole time - although there are times when those are more regular than others. What PTSD does on a daily basis is affect how I react to my environment and how I process the stimuli around me. I am a higher level of alert most of the time and surprising things can trigger panic etc.

Celebrate the 12 days of Christmas with a discounted pattern

 

My idea of celebrating Christmas is holing up somewhere quiet with lots of cheese and yarn.

And for many the festive period especially the “Betwixtmas” days are ones when they can grab some knitting time. So, my Christmas gift to you is a 12% discount on all my patterns until 6 January on both Ravelry and Payhip with the code 12DAYS.

Just the thing is you get some lovely yarn from Santa this year – or if you are planning a stashbusting new year.

There are one skein wonders in a range of yarn weights, and patterns for gloves, hats, cowls, shawls and socks to entertain you.

Find yourself a lovely knitting treat.

Have a the fabulous festive season that suits you.

Love

Bronagh

Tip of the week: The rule of 3/4 and picking up stitches

 

One part of finishing that seems to ambush a lot of people is picking up stitches. 

There are two issues here. Firstly, picking up the right number of stitches evenly. Even if you place markers at the halfway and quarterway points it doesn't seem to work. Sometimes this is because your row tension is slightly different from the one the pattern. In this case, picking up the number of stitches listed in the pattern may not fit the space.

The rule of 3/4 can help here - especially on stocking stitch based patterns. To get an even edging, pick up and knit three stitches for every four row ends. This makes sense because stitch tension on stocking stitch is usually three-quarters the number for row tension, for example 21 stitches and 28 rows to 10cm is common for DK yarns. Plus by sticking to the rule missing every fourth row end you avoid bunching or uneven gapping between your picked up stitches.

 

A second bonus picking up stitches tip - put your needle under both parts of the edge stitch. In other words, your needle tip goes into the work in the same area as where you find your ladders for mattress stitch.

This gives a firm foundation to your picked up stitches. I often see people only using the outer loop pf the edge stitch which can stretch too much making your edging look sloppy.

Below you can see the firm foundation for the edging using both loops gives.
 

Guess what? You can practice on a swatch.

Tip of the Week: Mattress stitch gives you a neat finish

Sewing up can be the thing that makes knitters reluctant to try some patterns or dissatisfied with their final product.

The answer is simple and about finding the right sewing up method. For straight seams, mattress stitch is a great choice and once you get the hang of it, an easy way to create a good finish.

Surprisingly mattress stitch in worked on the right side of your work and is easiest done over a table.

Mattress stitch is worked in the gap between the first and second column of stitches on each side of the seam. If you stretch your work slightly you will see a “ladder” between each column of stitches.

Put the pieces to be seamed side by side with the right sides facing upwards.
 

Thread your darning needle with a long length of yarn – I’ve used contrasting yarn here to help you see. Insert the needle under the first two rungs of the ladder between the first two columns of stitches on one side and pull the yarn through leaving a long tail.

Now move your needle to the other side and go under the first two rungs on the other side. Pull the yarn through but not tight.
 

Now put the needle under the next two rungs up the ladder on the first side and pull some yarn through. Repeat for the second side, and then continue working under two rungs at a time, alternating sides, until 2-3cm of the seam was been worked.
 

 
Hold the tail of yarn at the beginning of the seam and gently pull your working yarn until your seam closes neatly. Don’t pull hard because this will risk puckering the seam. Stop when you have a flat join. As you can see this creates a neat flat seam and my sewing up thread has disappeared from view.
 

Continue to work up the seam, taking in two rungs at a time as before. Pull the seam closed every few centimetres. At the end of the seam fasten off both ends of your sewing up yarn.

 Why not practice on some swatches? 

 

 

 

 

Give the gift of warm hands

It's definitely chilly hands weather, so as well as making myself some extra fingerless mitts, I expect Mr Penguin will need some more fingerless gloves - he is very specific that they should be gloves not mitts.

 

 

I designed both Hamilton (grey) and Carmicheal (green) especially to his requirements and then discovered other men who would with the "gloves not mitts" requirement. The Hamilton pattern tends to be a favourite at this time of year with people looking for a last minute gift to make for a man in their life.

 

 

Both types are made in DK and matching hats are also available in a discounted bundle.

 

Plus Carmicheal includes advice on turning these into full fingered gloves should you want to give it a go.

 

Wishing you all warm hands.

 

Tip of the week: Use pins and wires to help block lace

 

Lace seems to be what most knitters associate with blocking. It generally requires a particular blocking method and some tools to get the best results.

A lace project rarely looks that great when it comes off the needles – it’s usually a bit scrunched up rather than looking floaty and ethereal.
 

To turn it into the finished item you will need something to pin your shawl out on, a lot of pins and if possible some blocking wires.

A lot of people use foam matts as the base for their blocking and I recommend T-pins – these a more robust than sewing pins and easy to see as you adjust your piece.

Collect your pins, wires, matts, measuring tape etc before you do anything else – juggling wet knitting while you look for the measuring tape isn’t that much fun.

Blocking wires are often the item that make people nervous. They are simply flexible wire rods that you can thread through your knitting. The main type are straight and unsurprisingly very helpful when you want to block one or more straight edge – thread them through your straight edge and then use a few pins to place each edge. You can also find finer wires that naturally sit in a curve.

The first step in the wet blocking process is to get your piece wet. Soak it in warm water – and no rinse wool wash if you want – for at least 15 minutes.

Once your knitting has soaked, lay a towel on a flat surface. Gently lift the knitting out of the water – let water drain off but DO NOT wring it out. Gently put your knitting on the towel keeping it as flat as possible. Roll the towel to create a knitting swiss roll and then gently squeeze it to draw the water out of your lace. You will end up with a damp but not dripping piece of knitting where the fibres have been thoroughly wetted through.

Then you are ready to lay out your knitting on your blocking surface. I generally start by threading the wires through the straight edges and pinning those in place then I work on curves, the points on edges etc.
 

Here I want the stocking stitch section to have straight edges,
so I’ve run a wire along at that point and then I am using pins
beyond that to open the lace border with a pin at the top
of each “leaf”.

 

 On this curved shawl I used wires for the straight side of the
semicircle and then pinned the curve at the halfway and then
the quarter way point, and so on, to help get the curve right.
 

Take your time to get the shape right and your lace opened nicely - you may move some pins several times. Then leave it to dry.
.
Don’t remove the pins or wires until you are sure your shawl is dry.

Tip of the Week: Don't think of blocking as stretching

Be warned this is one of my hobby horses.

I often hear or read: “I have never blocked my knitting.”

Quite frankly I don’t believe this.

I don’t believe that there is anyone who has neither reshaped a damp piece of knitting nor ever washed a knitted item.

The problem is a common misconception the “blocking” always involves wires, pins and extreme stretching. In fact, blocking is a general term for getting your knitted pieces wet – by soaking, steaming, spraying with water or covering with wet cloths – and then shaping it. The shaping could be a small adjustment to get straight edges or persuade you stocking stitch to unroll, or it could be more aggressive to open up a lace pattern.

There are lots of good reasons to block and they are all about getting a great finish to your project:

• Making your pieces the right shape
• Opening up or evening out your stitches – for example gentle blocking can really improve the look of colourwork

 

The crown of the hat has been steamed to even out  the
stitches and dried over a curved surface

• Letting your cables bloom.
• Opening up lace to create the final fine fabric

Blocking changed the Firebird shawl from the top pic to the bottom

There are several ways to block:

• Wash your knitting (following ball band instructions) and lay it out flat, gently adjusting it for size.
• Pin your pieces to shape on a foam board or a folded towel and stray with water or steam (I recommend a travel steamer). Then leave to dry.
• Pin out and cover with damp cloths, letting the moisture soak into to the knitting and then leaving to dry
• Using a steam iron to steam your pieces through a damp cloth. Note, always make sure the knitting is covered by the cloth and never touch your steam iron to the cloth, let alone the knitting.
• Wet blocking by soaking your pieces and pinning out – more on this tomorrow.

Personally, I tend towards steam or wet blocking because of the fibres and projects I choose.
How you block will depend on various factors:

• Fibres – wool has lots of spring so can take some aggressive stretching and wet blocking but this would distort cotton or bamboo yarns. Acrylic yarns don’t like too much heat – so steam from a greater distance.
• Stitches – take care not to over stretch of flatten cables. On the other hand, lace stitches need opening up so take more blocking and pinning out.
• The project – how much reshaping does your project need. A lace panel in a sweater will need to be opened out but you may not need/want to stretch you piece as much as a lace shawl where you will want a very light fabric.

And a big note. Blocking will even out stitches, it will not make you item fit I you’ve knitted the wrong size (well not without causing other problems).

If you are not sure what the best way to block your piece is, test various approaches on tension squares or extra swatches – see, that tension square is coming in useful yet again.
 

Tip of the week: Working with charts

 

There will always be some people who don't enjoy working from charts because of how their brains process instructions but for everyone else they are a useful tool for knitting a pattern or for checking it if you prefer using the written instructions. So it is worth understanding how they work.

A chart is basically a picture of your knitting using coloured blocks or symbols.
 

Colourwork charts are the simplest version of charts, in terms of seeing the picture. Each square represents a stitch and they are arranged in rows. On right side rows you read the chart from right to left. If you think of all your stitches being on the left needle, you will work along them from right to left. Wrong side rows are read from left to right - you are knitting back the other directions. If you are working in the round all your rows are right side rows, so you always read the chart from right to left on every round.

Lace charts are the ones people usually find harder to get their heads round, but they are still a picture. The symbols are designed to match the stitches they represent. For example, a yarnover is represented by a circle which matches an eyelet. A k2tog decrease slopes to the right and in a chart it is shown by a line leaning the same direction.

The picture below is of the pattern created by the lace chart above. You can hopefully see the same lines of eyelets and the sloped lines of the decreases.
 

The red box on the chart is the one thing that makes the knitting look different from the chart. The box represents the repeat of the pattern whereas you will see all the repeats in your work. But the chart should at the very least help you to see what shapes your lace should be making.

Why not try working with this chart and pattern - A Bench in the Clearing - or some of my other shawl or accessory patterns, to practice working with charts. There's 15% off all my patterns on Payhip until 24 November with the code SHAWL1511.