And The Winner is .... Ta Da.....

Thanks to everyone who entered my book give-away to win Debbie Bliss's latest lovely book Knits for you and your home, kindly provided by Quadrille Publishing.

 

 

The winner (as picked randomly by hubby) is Rachel, blogger, knitter and crocheter from https://thelittleroomofrachell.wordpress.com/

 

Congratulations Rachel, I hope you make some lovely things for yourself from the book,

 

xx Happy Knitting xx

A handmade gift using new skills

I'm just coming to the end of my current 'learn to crochet' course at Sandbach High School. I had 10 ladies on the course, which is quite a large group to get around and give everyone the attention they deserve. But everyone seems really happy with the new skills they've learnt and I've enjoyed teaching them and passing on my skills, knowledge and tips and tricks to make their crochet look really neat and professional.

One of my current students, brought along something special to the class last week - a beautiful and thoughtful handmade gift for a friend who'd apparently made a few jokes about her learning to crochet. I'm sure she'll be fully converted through when she sees the beautiful projects Kathryn has made for her. Kathryn kindly sent me some photos for me to blog about and I'm sure you'll agree that her work is really beautiful. First she made a basket to hold her handmade crochet gifts, and added a scarf, a washcloth, and a crochet-covered pebble. Kathryn also added a freebie from a magazine and a daisy washcloth - although she said she may struggle to part with the washcloth and I can understand why!!

I thought this was one of the nicest ideas for a handmade gift that I've seen for a while and I might have to steal Kathryn's idea for a relative who has a big birthday coming up soon. I see crochet bunting, some wristlets, a brooch and a cute little amigurumi in my basket - what would you put in yours?

If you'd like to learn some new skills, I'll be continuing to teach knitting and crochet at Sandbach from September, but if you can't wait until them you could pop along to "Make with Mabel" (click here) in Knutsford where I will be running knitting workshops and courses. Tracey Todhunter will be running crochet classes (click here) and there are lots more skills to learn too, from beading, felting and quilting, to lampshade making and sewing. I will be listed my courses shortly, so watch this space.

Handmade gifts are always the best xx happy crafting xx

Book Review - Debbie Bliss Knits for you and your home - and Book Giveaway

I was absolutely delighted last week when my review copy of Debbie Bliss’s latest knitting book dropped through the letterbox, kindly sent to me by Quadrille Publishing Ltd. I’d only seen the fabulous front cover and couldn’t wait to see what knitted delights awaited me. I have to admit that Debbie Bliss is one of my favourite designers. I have quite a few of her books and magazines and her yarns are amongst the best to work with (in my humble opinion). I was hoping that her latest addition would live up to my expectations, and to my relief, it did and here’s my review:

Debbie Bliss

Knits for you and your home

Hardback published March 14^th. 2013 by Quadrille Publishing Ltd

Enticing new collection of 30 hand knit projects from world-renowned designer Debbie Bl

RRP £18.99 (however, you can find it cheaper on most book selling websites)

Knits for you and your home is a whimsical treasure trove of 30 creative knits, ranging from quick and easy projects that can be made in just a couple of days, to larger pieces that are longer term projects. Whatever you choose to knit, you can be sure it will become a treasured addition to your home or wardrobe.

The aim of the book is to entice you away from the projects you are knitting for others and make something beautiful for yourself. Hence the book is divided into 4 aptly named chapters with titles that will draw you in with excitement – Indulge, Cocoon, Pamper and Detox. Each chapter contains a variety of projects, from cosy homewares and accessories to casual garments and jewellery. Already, I want to make them all and decorate my home with knitted loveliness.

All projects use Debbie Bliss’s sumptuous yarns, including my favourites – baby cashmerino, cotton dk and rialto aran. Colour schemes are beautifully muted tones throughout, with a splash of colour here and there to catch your attention. There’s a handy list of yarns at the beginning of the book, so you can check yarn weights and tension just in case you need to subsititute yarns, depending on your budget.

I will be knitting quite a few projects from the book when time allows, and here are my favourites:

 

• The stunning and elegant beaded cushion. I can’t wait to have a go at the bead detail which is added at the end.

• pretty beaded lavender hearts – these will be perfect for my friend’s wedding. I’m delighted that she’s asked me to knit some hearts for her table centre pieces.

 

• The comforting armchair throw in luxurious purple with a red trim – although I may make it in different tones.

• These chunky cabled socks to keep my feet toasty and warm

 

• The elegant chevron cushion cover with it’s zingy zig-zag design. Perhaps I’ll use monochrome shades or muted tones.

 

• and last but not least the pouffe – I’m desperate to knit this utterly gorgeous pouffe, although it may be a while before I tackle this as it takes 21 balls of yarns – I’ll have to set up a pouffe fund!!!

 

 

I hope you really enjoy Debbie’s latest book – it’s really lovely to browse and choose what knitted luxuries you’re going to create for yourself. And here’s the best thing:

I’m offering this book as a giveaway.

Just leave a comment below as to what you love to knit for yourself if you had the time and could buy any yarn.

The competition will close in two weeks, midnight on Monday 20^th. May 2013. Entries will be compiled into a database and a random number drawn on Tuesday 21^st. May.

Happy Knitting and good luck xx

Exciting times at Lynne's Knits

I hope you're all enjoying the slight rise in temperature. I'm not shivering anymore and there's no need to wear a scarf in the house now - at long last!!. We've turned the heating off the timer and just pop it on for an hour when we're feeling a little chilly.

 

It's been an exciting week here at Lynne's Knits. As I enter my third year of self-employment, I wondered how it could top my busy second year, which involved lots of design commissions for magazines, teaching knit and crochet regularly and authoring my first book which is due out in the next few months - can you see my name in the top left corner? It makes me smile every time I look at it.

 

Well, I have some exciting things to tell you:

1. My classes at Sandbach School are increasingly popular. My latest learn to crochet course has 10 lovely ladies (quite a big number to teach but fingers crossed it work OK).Three people had to be turned away which is a shame, but hopefully they'll come along to the next course.

2. This week I had a business meeting with the lively (and lovely) ladies at Aunty Mabel's Seat - a gorgeous interior design studio in Knutsford, Cheshire. Rebecca and Louise are creating an amazing craft room and I'll be running knitting workshops and courses. My good friend Tracey Todhunter will be running crochet courses (see Tracey's fab blog here) and Ouisie Gresty will be running sewing classes (see Ouisies's gorgeous blog here). I'm so excited and honoured to be part of their new adventure and can't wait to get planning!!! The business meeting made me realise how lucky I am to craft full time for a living. It was so much fun and we got a little giddy making pom-poms - a far cry from the business meetings I used to have in my previous job which were 'oh so serious' and people struggled to crack a smile. There's an open day on May 11th. and I'll be blogging more about it soon.

3. I met Ouisie Gresty at Aunty Mabel's Seat. She kept her light under a bushel for the first hour. When she told me who she was I nearly dropped off my chair in delight. She's only the designer of the most amazing felt biscuits and cakes that so often appear on the front of Mollie Makes. I think I'll definitely be attending one of her classes.

 

4. This week I've been working on a sample for a publisher. I really can't believe my luck. I sent off various proposals quite a while ago now (last year sometime) and they're interested in one of them. I'm hoping the sample will clinch the deal. They're small and cute and one of my favourite fun things to crochet - have you guessed yet? Well I can't give too much away but it's an amigurumi book. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a positive response and I'll keep you informed of any decisions.

5. I have an interview in this Month's Let's Get Crafting Magazine - all about me and my work, including my upcoming book. How exciting is that? I'm so grateful to them for their continued support. I also have 2 funky projects in this fun celebratory edition (50th issue), which is one of my favourite issues so far. I designed an ice-cream sundae party had and some cute bunny ears.

6. I received a review copy of Debbie Bliss's latest book this week from the kind people at Quadrille Crafts. Debbie Bliss is one of my favourite designers and I love her yarns, so I'm honoured to be reviewing her book. I'll post the review shortly along with a book giveaway, so you could be the proud owner of this fab book.

 

So it's busy, busy for me here at Lynne's Knits (and that's just this week!!!)  and there are lots of other things in the pipeline too. I'm trying not to work all hours and to keep things manageable. I even tidied up my craft room yesterday. I just need to clean up the table now and I'll be able to work up there now that the warmer weather is here.

I'd love to hear what you've been up to too. Happy Crafting xxxxxxx

Gluten free banana loaf for bread machines

I haven't used my breadmaker for a while and since I had three over-ripe  bananas left in the fruit bowl that everyone was avoiding, I thought I'd make a yummy gluten free banana loaf using the following recipe:

Wet ingredients:
3 mashed over-ripe bananas that no-one wants to eat
butter (melted) - 3/4 cup (150g)
vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
eggs (beaten) - 3 medium
lemon juice - 2 tsp
water - 1/4 cup (60ml)

Dry ingredients:
gluten free flour (I use doves plain gluten free flour) - 1 full cup plus 5/8 cup (250g approx)
gluten free baking powder - 2 tsp
caster sugar - 1/2 cup (110g)
chopped raisins or any dried fruit - 1/4 cup (41g)

Mix wet ingredients together in a bowl, and dry ingredients together in a bowl. Combine both together and mix. Pour into breadmaker and choose cake setting. My breadmaker does a bit of mixing then bakes for 80 minutes. I presume oven baking will take about the same length of time, although I haven't tried it myself. The cake is nice and moist - you wouldn't think it was gluten free. I didn't use  vanilla essence or lemon as I didn't have any in. It tastes just fine without them. The cake needs eating quickly as there are no preservatives, so I leave mine to cool completely, cut into slices and freeze half of it straight away - otherwise I end up eating the whole lot in a couple of days - not good for the diet or the figure!! It's great with or without butter on the top.

Let me know if you give it a try.......
.