Four sock patterns with non-stranded, non-intarsia colourwork ‘different’ stripes to make the most of those last few yards of precious sock yarn.

This ebook comprises two cable and fagot lace shawls, Quaternary and Senary.

Basic Wreath

These socks feature all that I love in socks, which was inspiration enough for me to put the idea in my head onto my needles. Bespoke ribbing cuff transitions into the leg pattern, made up of twisted stitches, eyelet mock cables, and “real” cables which gives a stretchy fabric for a great fit. The main feature though is a double moss stitch hee...

Sometimes you just want to chill out with your knitting and let your mind wander, but not endless garter stitch.

This pattern is for a loose-fitting madly-cabled totally unique drop-shoulder sweater!

A three quarter mile long railed promenade overlooks an uncrowded sandy beach and then the cold blue North Sea to the horizon. A few hardy souls brave the water, but it is mainly the domain of fellow dog walkers, holiday makers picnicking and building the occasional sand castle, and kite buggies at low tide.

These toe up socks feature knit and purl chevrons on the foot that transition into a rib pattern on the leg. With an easy to work gusset/heel flap with no picking up of stitches, these are suitable for beginner sock knitters.

Worked bottom up in the round, starting with bespoke ribbing for the size being made. Two bands of Tree of Life motifs circle the hat, reaching almost to the top of the crown, with knot stitch snowflakes between.

Worked bottom up in the round, starting with bespoke ribbing for the size being made. Three bands of overlapping Tree of Life motifs circle the hat, reaching almost to the top of the crown.

Designed for SuperSock Scarefest 2021, these socks will be available to buy once the event finishes after Halloween.

The body and the sleeves of this casual comfy yoked sweater are worked in the round from the top down.

A quick and fun knit, the mosaic cabled pattern looks impressively complicated but it is very easy with only one colour being used per round.

Made in 5 sections plus left and right borders, the throw only requires vertical seams. Smaller throws can be made by just knitting adjacent sections or a rectangular subset of blocks.

I struggle with naming my patterns. When I had finished knitting this I thought to myself ‘That’s rather nice!’, which for me is actually high praise, and so the name has stuck.

Wild honeysuckle grows nearby. The twisting stems wrap around the railings near the bridge across the river, the leaves appearing in late winter or early spring. Pale yellow flowers give off a heady scent on warm summer evenings, and autumn berries provide not only colour but food for native birds.

This design was originally inspired by happy childhood memories of brambling (picking blackberries) down country lanes with my mother and sister as a child, and followed by the making of bramble and apple jelly. However, the little detail bobbles look more like rosehips to me, which I also gather in the autumn to make syrup.

The shawl is knit from end to end. Rope cables create a framework of panels containing either closed cables on a garter stitch background or filled with the beautiful deep texture of double moss stitch. A built in i-cord gives a neat top edge. The full shawl can be seen if you click on the last photo.

These are a fun knit with no seams or picking up of stitches. The pattern has instructions to make the slippers in 4 sizes from UK shoe size 1 through 9 (US 3-11, EU 33-42).

The problem with colourwork in the round are the unsightly jogs at the start/ends of the rounds. No matter what tweaks I try to minimise these they still, as Pooh would say, bother me. So the best solution I could think of is to have left and right socks with the rounds starting on the inside of the foot.

The other side of the river from my house is Blanerne. It consists of less than a dozen scattered houses, a castle ruin (that’s being very generous with the description of a few rubble walls), some barns and fields - a favourite for dog walks with the possibilities of hare and deer and the almost certainty of pheasants.

Some yarns not only do not need fancy stitch patterns to show off but actually look more beautiful without them.

Ribbed scarves are great for keeping cozy in winter with that extra thickness, but repeating the same rows can become, well, boring for the knitter.

Skimming stones (more commonly known as skipping stones in the US) is the activity of bouncing a stone across the surface of water. The rules vary as to whether it is the most bounces or the furthest distance with at least 3 bounces that wins.

The all-over twisty twirly travelling cable design is as pretty as a picture framed between simple borders. Much easier and intuitive to knit than it looks, this blanket will make a much cherished gift.

Sometimes you just want to hang loose with your knitting and let your mind wander, but not endless garter stitch.

From my student days trudging through the snow to the lecture halls to giving the dogs a run in nearby snow-covered fields, these leg warmers add an extra layer of warmth and a splash of individuality. These knee-high legwarmers are inspired by the textures of frost-encrusted stems and branches, and the fissures, knarls and knots of bark which ...

Sometimes you just want to hang loose with your knitting and let your mind wander, but not endless garter stitch.

Inspired by the simple beauty of the movement of the lights in the sky caused by the random collisions of particles from the sun with the earth’s atmosphere.

These are a quick and interesting knit in chunky/bulky yarn – both mittens are knit the same so no worrying about left and right thumb shaping.

This is a quick and interesting knit in 2 colours of chunky/bulky yarn.

Named after my much missed greyhound, Jen, with her jet black coat covered with random white spots.

Named after my much missed greyhound, Jen, with her jet black coat covered with random white spots.

When I originally designed these mittens it was specifically for a theme of black and white. Now the world is your oyster – paint those zebras whatever colors you like!

There is an Estonian colour work technique called Roositud inlay where you “embroider as you knit”. These socks do the same but in a very different manner with no stranding of yarn across the back. If it wasn’t for having to weave in the ends they are almost good enough to wear inside out.

A fun and funky mosaic cabled hat with directions for both close fitting beanie and slouchy styles. The fabric produced is springy from the cables, almost double thickness from the floats and dense because of the slipped stitches giving a tight row gauge, which is great for a good woolly winter hat!

This casual comfy yoked cardigan features stripes, dots and texture using variations of 2-colour garter slip stitch, making the colour work easy with only one colour worked per row.

Sometimes you just want to chill out with your knitting and let your mind wander, but not endless garter stitch - although there is not a purl stitch in sight in this scarf until the cast off.

Nuance is so named as it is casual, comfortable but subtly stylish at the same time.

A fun pattern worked in 3 colours, perfect for using up leftover sock yarn.

Not the usual sampler throw with its asymmetric arrangement of different sized pattern ‘blocks’ giving it an informal charm.

A cabled thick and cozy aran sweater, perfect for winter walks on frosty days.

You are in a little maze of twisty passages – all different…

You are in a little maze of twisty passages - all different.

This shawl was designed specifically to showcase a single skein of beautiful tonal fingering weight yarn where less is more, but it would also work well with solid or semi-solid yarns.

That touch of pink or tangerine or octarine to add a splash of colour or magic.

As you knit this shawl the cables in this pattern look like some fabulous tree with the branches dividing, tangling and climbing over each other, ending with a spreading canopy of cellular stitch lace. This, however, is transformed with blocking into a giant flower head with a multitude of petals.

Inspired by the Pompidou Centre in Paris, this unisex scarf features a background of crisp columns of twisted stitches to represent the steel framework. The iconic escalator on the facade of the building is represented by a series of 11 hoop-covered sections that traverse the surface of the scarf.

Fidelity - faithfulness to a person, cause or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support. I chose this name as the process I went through to remain true to my vision reminded me of Penelope undoing her weaving every night to stave off the advances of her suitors in a bid to stay faithful to Odysseus.

If, like me, you cannot bring yourself to throw out those last few yards of leftover sock yarn but then don’t know what to do with it then these socks could be just what you are looking for. Colour them crazy or use the same colour for all the chevrons. It is entirely up to you and what scraps you have.

A beautiful light lace weight scarf/wrap designed to use just one 50 gramme skein. Worked on large needles to give a loose fabric, it could almost float away on a summer breeze.

This pattern is for a light spring/summer scarf.

The idea for the colour work design for this cowl came from my favourite childhood doodle. It reminds me of the edge of an Elizabethan ruff but drawable without my pen leaving the paper…

I must credit a friend with the name of this cowl:

Show your feet some love all year round - hearts are not just for St. Valentine’s Day,

I have recently become intrigued with producing more intricate designs that look like stranded colour work but are much simpler to knit using slipped stitches - only one colour is worked per round. This is not mosaic as it alternates the colour worked every round.

I have recently become intrigued with producing more intricate designs that look like stranded colour work but are much simpler to knit using slipped stitches - only one colour is worked per round. This is not mosaic as it alternates the colour worked every round.

This hat is the companion to my Tudor Cowl utilising the same adaptation of one of my favourite stitch patterns, the Tudor Grillwork cable pattern, for knitting in the round.

This cowl is the companion to my Tudor Hat utilising the same adaptation of one of my favourite stitch patterns, the Tudor Grillwork cable pattern, for knitting in the round.

The colours I used and the pattern made me think of meringues, cream, raspberries and mousse all layered to make the most scrumptious dessert. The only thing missing is chocolate…

When the wind blows here, and it does more often than not, it can be bitterly cold.

I designed this scarf for my hubby… Not quite his normal single colour rectangle or the more daring rectangle with a couple of risque stripes at each end.

Living somewhere with little to no light pollution means I do see the sky lit up on cloudless nights, and now take a keener interest in astronomy. Orion is clearly visible in the winter months, and Bellatrix is the third brightest star in the constellation after Rigel and Betelgeuse.

A very quick and fun cowl in aran weight yarn to use up scraps. The colourwork is all slipped stitches - only one colour is worked per round.

As the colder weather approaches geese can be seen migrating northwards to overwinter.

Living somewhere with little to no light pollution means I do see the sky lit up on cloudless nights, and now take a keener interest in astronomy. Orion is clearly visible in the winter months. Betelgeuse, a red supergiant, is the largest star in that constellation but only second brightest behind Rigel.

spice up your socks…

Living somewhere with little to no light pollution means I do see the sky lit up on cloudless nights, and now take a keener interest in astronomy. Orion is clearly visible in the winter months, and Rigel is the brightest ‘blue’ star in that constellation.

I have recently become fascinated with the contrast between the density of cables and the openness of fagot lace. Following on from my initial two cable and lace scarves I wanted to explore this interaction further and shawls are the perfect canvas to showcase these on a larger scale.

I have recently become fascinated with the contrast between the density of cables and the openness of fagot lace. Following on from my initial two cable and lace scarves I wanted to explore this interaction further and shawls are the perfect canvas to showcase these on a larger scale.

This shawl pattern would work well with any two complementary colours, but I designed it specifically for a brightly coloured variegated yarn with a solid/semi-solid contrast yarn. The asymmetric stripes with the more neutral contrast colour calms down the variegated yarn, helps minimise pooling but still maintains the wow factor of the yarn.

This pattern is for a light summer scarf using 100 grammes (440-460 yards) of fingering or light fingering weight yarn, incorporating simple cables and columns of fagot lace.

The third in my series of stripes with a difference sock patterns.

This pattern is for a light summer scarf using 100 grammes (440-460 yards) of fingering or light fingering weight yarn, incorporating simple cables and columns of fagot lace.

This pattern is for non-stranded, non-intarsia colour work toe-up socks to make the most of those last few yards of sock yarns that are far too precious to throw out. Make every cross a different colour or every cross the same colour, it is up to you.

This pattern is for a quick to knit cowl that fits the neck and has an oval shaped collar that extends to cover your shoulders.

This pattern is for non-stranded, non-intarsia colour work toe-up socks to make the most of those last few yards of sock yarns that are far too precious to throw out. Make every stripe a different colour or every stripe the same colour, it is up to you.

This pattern is for a garter stitch 2-colour scarf/wrap in four lengths.

This pattern is a variation of ribbed socks with simple cables to add a little more interest to both the socks and the knitting of them. They have a very springy fabric - Boing Boing!

This pattern is for a throw to use up scraps. It uses both aran weight and bulky weight yarn, although it could be made completely in aran weight. Different stitch patterns are alternated within the rainbow strips to add textural interest.

I wanted a pattern that used up leftover sock yarn that was not just plain stripes. I came up with this surprisingly stretchy simple stranded design that has interlocking diagonal spokes.

I originally designed these sock at the end of 2011 when I wanted a pair of socks which had a Christmas feel with a subtle pattern that did not overwhelm the yarn which was called Advent.