Hat
Here is the hat that I have designed. There is ALOT of hair under there!
I need to re-knit it and write the pattern up for it now.
13th December UPDATE
Wow! 2 months since I updated this page!
I am finalising the charts for Betty so whilst you wait for me to do that I will show you some photos of the finished items.
Mel
At the end of October Mel came over from Switzerland and she brought her shawl to show me. Having spent too much time chatting it all got a bit rushed but we managed to get a very quick photo before she had to dash off to catch a train.
I have had a proper photo shoot with the samples that have been sent to me and I am in the process of getting them back to people now.
Last week I met Brenda for a coffee and a catch up and gave back to her the samples that she had knitted for me and she did a bit of modelling.
should say Forest and Umber
Betty Shawl by Brenda
was knitted in these yarns from her stash
Here are a couple of professional shots of these two knits. I have many many to choose from so I have selected just a couple to give you an idea of what I might be using for the book.
Kate and Betty shawl Jakob and Bertha scarf
Nadine
Then I had a coffee in York with Nadine and gave her Bertha scarf back to her which she modelled for me.
Colours are Berry and Fossil.
This scarf is supposed to be unisex. I have some nice shots of it being modelled by number one son.
…and also by the lovely Sophia
Jakob likes the scarves.
They are cool apparently but not so cool that he wants one for himself!!
Linda’s Bertha Shawl
Modelled here by no2 son and in the post back to Linda G who unfortunately I have not managed to meet up with.
Knitted in Fossil and Brook.
Betty Shawl knitted by Linda
in Bordeaux and Knightsbridge (I think)
Bit of a cheesy one but I wanted to show them on male and female models.
Me and my supermodels!!
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13th October UPDATE
Hi there dear test knitters.
I must apologise for neglecting you for such a long time.
We had a good week away on holiday and since we got back I have been trying so so hard to focus on getting on top of the book.
I must have been lost down a rabbit hole or something because I had absolutley forgotten about the emails I sent you with pattern updates for the shawl. Here they are if you need them.
17th row of the final section needs amending to…
LSLC k1, sl1yo, brLsl dec, (sl1yo, brk) 10 times, sl1yo, br4st inc, (sl1yo, brk) twice, sl1yo, k1 do not turn, slide (35 sts)
LSDC sl1, (brp, sl1yo) 12 times, (p1, sl1yo) twice , (brp, sl1yo) twice, brp, sl1 turn
40th row should actually be called 39th row
LSLC k1, sl1yo, br4st dec, sl1yo, k1 do not turn, slide (5 sts)
LSDC sl1, * brp, sl1yo rep from * to last two sts brp sl1 turn This is the final row.Please cast off using Elastic purl bind off on dark side using Light Colour.Purl first two stitches then slip them back onto left hand needle.P2tog then purl next stitch and pass 2 Sts back to left hand needle.Repeat until all stitches are cast off.
Here I am attempting to demonstrate!!
And here is the video that I must have made though again it had slipped my mind!!
I got a lovely parcel in the post the other day with Nadines finished scarf. Brenda is almost done with a shawl and a scarf so I will be collecting them from her soon. Linda G also has a finished scarf and shawl which she is attempting to get to me and Mel is coming over from Switzerland and hopefully bringing her finished shawl for me to see which is beyond exciting.
Linda B and I had a get together because she was getting in a pickle and needed some help. She’s back on it now and doing loads better. I had a message from Anna who has been away but she’s back now and still knitting here shawl. That just leaves Claire who has had to drop out but she will finish the shawl when she doesn’t have so much pressure and she can relax more with it.
From my point of view this is all so fabulously fantastic and amazing.
With the items that are already finished we should be able to get lots of photos and if any more are ready in time even better.
I know I keep saying it but thank you thank you thank you xxx
Now here are all the photos you have been sending to me. First of all Linda G scarf in progress pics.
…and this is the finished scarf
Below you can see her shawl all done and dusted!
Here is the shawl that Anna is making.
I have some photos from Brenda but they are making their way from my phone to my laptop at the moment so I must try to remember to put them on here when they make it.
15th September UPDATE
Hi everyone. Just a little round up of updates recieved this week before I head off for a little break next week.
dark side 
light side
Claire
Another shawl taking shape.
One of the many joys of knitting is that we all have individual experiences of the same project and our own likes/dislikes. Hence, one lady likes to use a cable needle and does not get along with substituting it with a stitch marker, for the 4 stitch decreases, and the another one prefers to use the stitch marker rather than the cable needle. I find these things interesting 🙂
This shawl is being knitted in black and burgundy (bordeaux I think) but the photos look more like pink and blue. Looks good though.
Mel’s Scarf
This is taking a break now apparantly while she has a go with the shawl.
Finished my own scarf and marching on with the shawl now.
The photographer came for a chat yesterday and she wants to come back and see me on 1st November for further instructions as to what images I will need, and we think we would like to do some outdoor photography with samples if we can during the first half of November before all the leaves disappear from the trees.
This has given me a deadline to work to which I feel is good for me although I have to admit to also feeling completely overwhelmed by the whole deal today but I shall plough on.
7th September UPDATE
Well isn’t that just typical. I launch my Christmas KAL and it gets hot, hot, hot!!
I am on a mission with my knitting right now. We are going for a weeks holiday on 16th September, then a week later my KAL will kick off and I would like to join in with the knitting, so I am trying to get the scarf finished asap and then the shawl should be just about there by the time we start the Christmas knitting and I can concentrate on that and doing book stuff.
I made a video to show you what I’ve done (I realised when I started filming that I was whispering because I thought the neighbours might hear me, then I remembered that I don’t care what they think so I started talking normally)
Linda G Shawl
Here is Linda’s progress pick for her shawl.
This is looking good I think.
30th August UPDATE
Hi everyone.
Bertha and Betty
Meet my grandmothers. Here they are at my wedding 30 years ago.
I have named the scarf after my Mums Mum, Bertha who taught me to knit. She was a very unusual person, she did love to knit and sew and crochet but everything was about practicality, and speed, she would have probably thought Brioche knitting was absolutely ridiculous!!
The shawl is named after Dads Mum Betty, although he told me yesterday she was called Betsy but I’m not sure where he is getting that idea from and I think of her as Betty so it’s not going to change.
Bertha knitting in public!
Thanks for the feedback after my email last week.
I think the general opinion is that, once you get used to how Brioche knitting works, the sl1 yo instruction makes sense. It is a question of getting used to the idea that you have to wrap the slipped stitches (Nancy calls it giving them a shawl) and you have to do it a specific way dependant on whether you are going to brp or brk and I think that this does eventually become second nature with enough practise.
Also this week I have learnt that for future test knits I must provide photographs of what the finished item will look like and to make it clear what equipment is needed ie cable needle for shawl.
I have been sent some more progress photos so here you are have a look…
Holiday knitting project for Linda G who has had to improvise and use a stitch marker because I didn’t tell her she would need a cable needle!
Linda has done something interesting at the start of her scarf.
We have decided to keep this and try to replicate it at the other end so that she has a matching border.
20th August 2021 UPDATE
Here are some photos for you so that you can see what the finished items should be looking like.
Shawl
This is my shawl on the blocking mats. Better pictures will be in the book I very much hope 🙂
Scarf
Light side
Scarf
Dark side
I have recieved a few photos of works in progress which I thought you may like to see.
Nadine 
Mel
Judith – dark side 
Judith – light side
FIRST POST
Hello everyone here is a video of me trying to show you the shawl and the colours that you may or may not choose to knit it in as a test for me.
Here are the colours of Exquisite 4 ply that I have in stock.
I have not quite managed to get the colours perfectly but hopefully the images of them in pairs will help you to see how they might work together.
If you need to see different colours together please just ask.
You can choose 2 colours of the Exquisite 4ply or one skein plus a skein of sock yarn or 2 x 100g 4ply yarn of your own choice.
Beware that some yarns may use more yardage than the ones I have chosen.
If anyone would like to make the shawl in the identical yarn to the ones that I have used I have these available.
Next a video showing the scarf and colours of West Yorkshire Spinners Bluefaced Leicester DK .
Here are some photos of the yarn colours and some suggestions of combinations.
This is a sample I made using West Yorkshire Spinners ColourLab.
It is a striped yarn and a plain yarn.
I went for the BFL instead because I felt it was nicer for a scarf but I like the effect and would be interested to see the outcome if anyone fancied doing something similar using this scarf pattern.
2 striped yarns in totally different colours might be exciting 🙂
PS if you want some ColourLab I have some in stock!
Again you do not have to go with my choices or even use this yarn.
Do let me know if you would like me to show you any other colour combinations of the BFL.