PatsyPoo Makes

Now that the whirlwind of hosting visitors has ended, I can share my newest jumper: the Whitmoor sweater by Ami Lowden.  Holy moly did I get obsessed with this jumper! It started in early January when I logged in to Ravelry to update The Weekender jumper I had finally finished and I found the Whitmoor in my cart. I had no recollection of ever adding it or even seeing it before, but there are a couple of people in my Instagram feed who have made it or talked about it at some point, so I guess that's where it stemmed from. Once I had a proper look at it, it was love at first sight. I think the bishop sleeves did it for me and the lace yoke just sealed the deal. I immediately bought the pattern and ordered some yarn to knit it. I couldn't wait to get started. It's not a secret I'm a huge fan of  King Cole Merino blend 4-ply . I've used all weights in their merino blend collection: they're great quality, there's a good range of colours and they're super aff...

Long time no see, happy new year, etc etc etc... I had a bit of a tricky year in 2022, which affected my motivation to sew and knit quite dramatically. I'm hoping this new beginning is the incentive I need to kick-start my creativity again. So far, 2023 has proved fairly productive and I hope that'll continue. 🤞 So on with what we're here for: let's look at some knitting! Soon after I finished my Wool and Honey jumper  ***IN 2020!!!*** 🙈 I made a start on another Andrea Mowry pattern: The Weekender . It's a very simple, loose-fitting jumper with some lovely details to it.  It's knitted inside out for a start, which I love because that means you constantly knit rather than purl. It also has a cool faux seam down the centre front and centre back and I really like the slash neckline. Another small detail I love is the little split hem on the sides. It's such a nice, clever touch. The jumper is knitted from the bottom up though so it can be tricky to judge si...

The Sew House Seven  Toaster Sweater  has been around for a long time and I never paid too much attention to it. That is until my BFF made this version  and then I immediately realised I needed one of them in my life. This was such a quick project! I started sewing at 12.17pm and finished at 13:30, just in time for dinner. I love an instant gratification project. I made the size S as it comes. Mine is the raglan version with a funnel neck because the other neckline is not something I'd enjoy wearing.  Plus, I really love a raglan jumper. The fabric is gorgeous. I have this thing with prints that look like watercolours and I can't seem to resist them. I bought this last year as soon as I saw it precisely because it looked like watercolours. I can't remember where I bought it from though. It was somewhere in Germany I think but I really can't be sure. Anyway, the fabric is a lovely and soft French terry and it's really great quality. The print is beautiful as well. I ...

Earlier this year I said that although I don't really believe in resolutions I wanted to achieve certain things. One of which was to knit more. Knitting was my gateway drug into becoming a maker. For many, many years I knitted most days. For hours. Then I started sewing and the knitting fell by the wayside. I love being able to sew and constantly wear what I make. Too many knitted garments worn at the same time can look a bit like overkill to me. 😬 But I do miss the process and I really love relaxing in front of the TV on a night, with a dog tangled around my yarn and legs while I work on some knitting. So when the urge hit me last month, I wasted no time and cast on this beauty. This is the  Wool and Honey sweater  by Andrea Mowry. I've had an eye on this jumper for a long time. The honeycomb pattern has long fascinated me and every version I've seen looks great. But this  is the version that tipped me over the edge. I actually saw it in person while it was still a...

Ok, so today is going to be a very quick post because there's not a lot to say about a knit top. In this case, the Seamwork Astoria . I'd like to apologise about the quality of these photos. I had to move into the front room but they still aren't the best. This time of year is HARD for taking pictures. The fabric I used has been in my stash since the Knitting and Stitching Show I went to in March. I bought it from Higgs and Higgs  with the pattern already in mind. They have so many other lovely colours though that I can see myself sewing up another couple of them. I was concerned that the fabric would be far too thick but actually it sewed like a dream. I made the whole shebang using the overlocker in about 90 minutes; and it took me about 20 minutes to cut it out in the morning. I actually sewed it with Mel - yes, again! - but it barely even counts as buddy sewing since it went so quickly. As for sizing, I made the size S (4-6) without any adjustments. One cha...

Today I have a knitted thing to share!  I started this jumper about this time last year and I only got around to finishing it a couple of weeks ago. It started life as the  Breakwater  pattern by Cecily Glowik-MacDonald but I deviated from it quite substantially. The neckline is the Breakwater but that's about it. I cast on the second size, which I believe is for a 34-inch bust but I don't even know when I stopped following the pattern. The original is a pretty fitted jumper and clearly, mine is not. I had to frog and reknit the sleeves a few times until I got a shape and fit I was happy with. I still knitted mine in one piece, just like the original pattern. I love sewing, even more than knitting these days, but seaming up knitting projects is something that I have always hated and always will hate with the passion of a thousand suns. 😖 Making up the pattern as I went along came with its pitfalls though. My raglan turned out to be a little too deep as ...

I think I've just made myself the cosiest thing ever! It's a  Nora top  by Tilly and the Buttons and I want to live in it. I made the long sleeve, high neck, stepped hem version and it's quite possibly the quickest thing I've ever made. It came together in just a couple of hours one morning - and that's accounting for one or two stupid mistakes... Perfect beginner pattern. As usual, I made the size 3 without any alterations. For next time, I might try to narrow the sleeves a little towards the wrists. Mostly due to the incredibly boring reason that I've struggled to keep the sleeves dry while washing up if I'm wearing this. 😂 I know, the adrenaline is off the charts. I might also turn the deep cuff hem into cuff bands instead but this is just because I prefer the way that looks. The fabric I used is this  tubular organic interlock  from Fabworks. As the name suggests, it does come as a tube. Very hand for cutting stuff on the fold on both sides....

My Flanders Bay pullover is finally ready - now that winter seems to have finished! Yay for sucky timing. I'm not all that bothered because that means I'll have a new jumper to bring out once it starts getting cold again.

I started knitting my owls way back in March last year. Let's not dwell on that though. The wool came from  the loveliest wool shop in the world . I finished - I *think* - around September time. I did get stuck and ended up throwing it across the room at one stage. That was because when it came to joining the sleeves I had my moron cap on and did it wrong no fewer than THREE times. Wrong how? With the inside of one sleeve to the outside. But there is no seam, I hear you say. Well, yes. You would be right. But the paired increases wouldn't look great on the outside of the arm. The fact we had the hottest and the best summer I've had in my 11 years here also didn't help. I couldn't bear the thought of knitting anything, let alone a chunky and rather woolly jumper.  o w l s

Last Friday before Christmas, all the presents are wrapped and all the food is bought. And nothing says Christmas louder than a red and white snowflake jumper... Última sexta antes do Natal, todos os presentes embrulhados e toda a comida comprada. E nada diz Natal mais alto do que uma blusa vermelha e branca, cheia de flocos de neve - bom, na Inlgaterra pelo menos... I am so happy with this project ! I started it roughly in September last year (oops!) but it just never happened. I had the front, the back, a sleeve and 3/4 of the other done when I picked it up again. I suspect I put it off as much as I could because I was worried about knitting the fair isle yoke more than anything. Fiquei muito feliz com esse projeto ! Comecei em Setembro do ano passado (oops!) mas não terminei. A frente, as costas e uma manga e 3/4 estavam feitas quando eu recomecei. Eu acho que eu estava com medo da parte em fair isle no pescoço.

Every year in December, since we've all turned old or married or with kids or all of the above, instead of going out on Christmas Eve we tend to favour a day out instead. For a couple of years now, the boys and girls go out on separate Christmas dos and then the ones who can get babysitters or don't need them, go out again, together, on the 23rd. Todo ano em Dezembro, desde que todo mundo envelheceu ou casou ou teve filhos ou fez os 3, ao invés de ir pra balada no dia 24 como é costume aqui, nosso grupo de amigos sai durante o dia. Os meninos e as meninas saem em dias diferentes e dia 23, quem consegue ou não precisa de babás, vai pro bar de novo. Ready to seam