Free Pattern: Cashmere Neck Warmer

I'm happy to add an old favorite to the Happy Living Patterns. Already published in a previous Blog post, I'm glad to announce the PDF download of the Cashmere Neck Warmer. This cowl is made from Debbie Bliss Pure Cashmere and it's soooo soft.


A very simple pattern with stunning results

Pure Cashmere is a luxury that for centuries was only for the very rich. Now it’s still pricy but available for anyone. This small project only requires 3 skeins of 25g. You can even make it with 2 skeins. It will be a bit shorter, but still functional and beautifull. This makes it a very affordable luxury indeed.


Super soft Cashmere...

The pattern is very easy. It consists of 3 knit rows and 1 row with purl 2 together and yarn overs. So it knits up very quick making it prefect for last minute (Christmas) gift knitting. And who wouldn’t want a cowl as soft as this. The only problem might be that you would want to keep it yourself. Happy Knitting!!



To download the Cashmere Neck Warmer simply right click the link and select 'save source as' OR click the link, let the page load and click the 'save' icon on the top left.

Free Pattern: Leafy (Winter Head Band)

Today I would like to announce the completion of my First downloadable knitting pattern: Leafy, a wintery head band (PDF). I designed this in September 2007 and made several in the last year for various friends and colleagues. My dear friend Louisa also tested the pattern. Now I finally had the time to make a proper PDF file for downloading and today it is finished. Just in time for everyone to make several as Christmas presents (just a suggestion).


Leafy keeps ears warm in winter

The pattern was born out of a desire for warm ears without the messy hair that hats give. I'm a big big fan of hats, but needed another addition to my collection. And so the idea for a winter head band was born. I had scored a ball of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk Aran for half price and decided to use this.



Make the band wide enough to cover your ears

As I'm fond of leaves I looked for a pattern that incorporated some sort of leaf design. The name was not difficult to imagine, knitting friends and I soon started calling it the Leafy. :-D hehe. This together with the colour of the yarn worked really well. I have also made Leafy in Bordeaux red and off white, both work really well, but my favorite is still a grey green.


The finished head band... super soft

To download Leafy simply right click the link and select 'save source as' or click the link, let the page load and click the 'save' icon on the top left.

Wallpapered Magazine Holders

Having slight 'Magazine-holic' issues I always feel I need to find good storage for them. So with the new office almost finished I was on the look out. Bless Martha and her fantastic idea's. In July's Living I spotted the tutorial for Wallpapered Magazine Holders.


My new fab Mag Holders

So of to B&Q I went to buy my selected wallpaper. But when I got there you could tear a bit off for free to take home (and test against your wall I imagine). So that saved my almost £20. I took my scrap home and bought four KNUFF Ikea Magazine Holders at £2.99 each. After some crafing the result is quite stunning! If you want to do the same this is how you go about it:



Wallpapered Magazine Holders




You will need:
4 Magazine Holders from Ikea.
Wallpaper scrap
craft glue
pencil

First choose which part of the design will look best. I placed the wallpaper right side up on the table and used one of the magazine holders to roughly see what part would work best. If your scrap of wallpaper is quite large mark where the top and bottom of the magazine holders will be, taking an extra margin about about 2.5 cm (1 inch) and cut.

Turn the wallpaper right side down and trace around the Magazine Holder with a pencil four times. Match each side line up, so that they fall on top of eachother. Cut exactly on the lines.



Pick which end you want to start with and lay the wallpaper out in the right order. It's not a big deal if you mix them up as you can simply switch the Magazine Holders around at the end to reastablish the right sequence.



Take one of the strips and dot some glue on the back. Spread it around with a brush or scrap of paper making sure it's evenly spread out.



Position the wallpaper RIGHT SIDE UP on the back of the Magazine Holder. It's an easy mistake to place them upside down, so pay attention.



Make sure the wallpaper is alligned with the sides and no wood is showing. If you do see wood, lift it back up and shift it around a bit until it's in place properly.



Once it is in place, press down and smooth out from the center to the edges to avoid any air bubbles showing. Repeat the whole process for each folder.



All finished!!


It took me less than half an hour so it's a quick and easy project that brightens up a livingroom, bookcase or office in a cheap and fast way.