Bex Knitty Design

My latest release 'Gift Of Honey Mitts' , are now available in my Ravelry store ' Bex Knitty Design ', on Payhip and shortly also on LoveCrafts.com!    T his is an extremely quick and easy way to achieve either a really striking pair of 2 colour mitts or  a subtle but noticeable of single colour version, and you will only ever be knitting with one colour at  a time and slipping stitches, along with the odd purl row. The pattern gives instructions for 2 sizes  and whilst I chose to make a longer ‘wrist warmer’ length version for my sample you can also  make a shorter version by skipping some of the pattern repeat as indicated in the instructions. As usual with my releases, it will be FREE for the first day or so, which means until end of day (CET - Central European Time) on the 23rd September 2023 and then with 25% off until end of day (CET - Central European Time) on the 29th September 2023 to celebrate the launch! Ravelry: No coupon code needed, price wil...

  Today sees the release of the  'Woven Cowl' , available in my Ravelry store ' Bex Knitty Design ' and shortly also on LoveCrafts.com! This cowl is packed with texture and interest so there’s hardly a dull moment as you create a squishy cosy fabric utilizing both the Right and Wrong side produced with bands of Linen stitch, as well as twisted stitches, bobbles, cables and garter stripes, creating an almost olden world woven look, from another era but also timeless in its snuggly promise. It is a fairly close-fitting cowl that you knit as a single layer for something a bit lighter or a double layer version, offering a more substantial cosy option. A provisional cast on is used at the start for that version and then opened once all the patterning part is worked leaving only stockinette fabric to be worked up to match the length of the patterned half you have already worked, to be joined by using a 3rd needle like a kind of halfway 3 needle bind off. Both versions are the...

  Today sees the release of the  'Doppler Effect Shawl' , available in my Ravelry store ' Bex Knitty Design ' and shortly also on LoveCrafts.com! This traditionally shaped triangular shawl has a very striking visual Doppler effect to it with repeating garter stripes, in alternating contrast shades, variously distanced apart from each other. This make it both intuitive and relaxing to knit for the larger part of the shawl, where you could finish it if you feel it is large enough, followed by some straightforward lace edging to frame the whole effect. I love very bold geometric shawls that are both very simple and non-fussy to knit up as well as a statement to wear, and you can really change the look of this shawl in its style by playing with colour pairings, such as high or low contrast combinations. I used a slightly plumper than usual fingering weight yarn in a wool / cashmere blend for that soft floofy drape in delicate neutral shades for a gentle palette, but any sof...

  There's always another shaped canvas to choose from...   I started designing with one shawl in mind. It was my ' Fairfield Harvest Shawl ' and it was worked mainly in garter stitch to keep it simple, but it included some slipped stitch patterning, because as you may be able to tell from a few of my designs, I love working slipped stitch patterning. But most importantly it was a triangular shaped shawl which tends to be my most worn shawls, and probably one of my favourite way of creating triangular shawls, it was a long/shallow triangle worked side to side. I like this method of constructing a triangle shaped shawl as I feel it really allows for control over the dimensions, allowing you to modify this a bit, such as in the amount of depth to be allowed for the frontal point. Strangely, I haven't made one since, and maybe that's because it sometimes doesn't seem as simple and I am always thinking how to keep things as simple fo the lovely knitters that choose ...

  Knit, Knit, Rip, Rip, Knit, Knit ... There has been a whole lot of the part I love most about designing since the last post- the actual knitting! I knit and then ripped out and then knit again on my Worsted weight triangular shawl (I think I referred to it as DK previously?) I have been working on, due to not being happy with the way of the stitch patterning was meeting in the centre, so a bit behind in progress on it, but very happy with how it's looking now! I hope you like the look of it too from the pictures under the design  in progress section below! Also been mulling over a design that I have had in my mind but I am not too sure if I should actually make or not. It's wrap version of some patterns I already have published, and it will possibly mean some chart conversion from in the round to flat and a whole lot more planning, but I'm still not totally sure if I'll be going down that path with it or not ... will try to come to a concrete decision over the weekend...

  I wish there were just the fun parts... This week has been all about pattern writing which is not my favourite part of the design process but is obviously very important, so if I am to keep on track with the 2021 schedule I have set myself, I needed to get this patterns written up by the end of this week … that is that box ticked.  I do tend to wish designing could be all about sourcing lovely yarns and just being immersed in the stitches but there is the more colder side like writing up patterns. I used to write each row as I knit it with a pencil and large foolscap worth of paper, but now I tend to type those rows down instead on a rough Word doc draft so at least I don't have to start, like I used to, with having to type up every faintly scrawled in pencil word, which was definitely worse than the new system. Now it's mainly copying everything over, lots of just fixing any quick typing errors, making sure everything that should be in lower / upper case is, putting everyth...

  The instant gratification of hats... This week all my design knitting time has been spent on hats, hats based on and therefore to match some of y previously released shawl designs. I have done this before as it's my favourite way to use up leftovers from the shawls that I have made. I love to use leftovers in a practical useful manner, so they tend to all go into boxes, labeled with the various yarn weights I tend to use (I'm not much of a lace weight knitter!  😂 ) and the intent is to use them as small quantities to make up colourwork sweaters for myself...that rarely tends to become a reality soon after being put in the boxes...So they more often than not, pop into my mind screaming to become a new design instead, and because they are a leftover from a design that means for me, a complimentary piece. This spark of inspiration is then followed practically instantly by working out how to take the main elements of the shawl design in question and try to break those elements ...

  Into my own little Knittiverse... I'm still in a bit of an organisational phase at the moment with the start of the New Year still quite fresh, and for me doing that helps me wrap my head around all the ideas and plans jumping out of it 😂 More about what's looming closest on the horizon for Bex Knitty Designs laid out in the Design / Tests in Progress sections coming up A few words first though on stashquisition and my love for it... Knitting, designing knitwear and all of the parts and processes in between are all looped together with one common thread - the love of yarn, and beautiful yarn which someone has poured their heart into creating will always steal my heart away. This year when it comes to yarn, has been about getting a nice little stashquisition squirreled away for future designs, which absolutely helps with my planning of 20+ designs I have scheduled for 2021/2 and so I thought I would share this yarny-heart warming pic of some of what I hav...

  Braided Lace Shawl has been released! (And its a very exciting release for me as I have collaborated with a very talented yarn dyer to provide kits for this pattern! - see note below regarding kits) I am happy to announce my latest design has now been released, ' Braided Lace Shawl ' in my  Ravelry Store  Bex knitty design     To celebrate the release it will have a 50% off discount on it until end of day CET on 21st Nov 2020) and then 25% off for the rest of it’s first week (until end of day CET on 27th Nov 2020), No Coupon Code needed, price will change automatically on checkout If you want to recreate my sample and use the beautifully dyed Gardeners Cottage Yarn I used, this pattern can be obtained for FREE when purchasing a related Yarn Kit for the shawl, click HERE to see the gorgeous Yarn Kit colourway options available!  My sample was knit up in her Summer Kit option, but I am sure you will agree they are all equally gorgeous!   If...