The spinning wheel is now on it’s way to Novy Mlyn – and is in need of a bit of repair. I was telling our neighbour about it (I say ‘telling’ and mean performing – I have at my disposal simple words and acting out – rather than the word for spinning wheel in Czech – kolovratek).  His reaction was way more interest than I expected (another strangeness from the strange English couple in the village) & he explained that he’d actually had to throw wool away in the past as nobody wanted it. He has sheep for flavour, not for wool, so the strands aren’t very long, but I am very happy to try it out – if it’s unsuitable for producing yarn, I will certainly be able to use it for felt – and I can experiment with different natural dyes as well.

While I’m working on the house I’m also thinking about activity holidays at Novy Mlyn… as well as knitting we now have the potential to take part in the whole process… a knitting holiday could involve meeting the sheep whose wool we will spin, dye and knit.  Now… I wonder if I can persuade our neighbour to adopt some Alpaca.

So, tonight I will go through my instructions to double check them, then list the pattern on payloadz, etsy and ebay.

After much searching for a hat pattern on the Internet, to no avail, I developed the baker’s boy hat knitting pattern. The baker’s boy cap knitting pattern is an easy knitted alternative to the crochet hats being worn this season.

The baker boy hat is inspired by designs such as the newsboy cap or twiggy style hat – made up in sections, however in this baker’s boy hat pattern all the sections are knitted in one go, rather than sewn together afterwards. The baker boy cap can have either a hard or soft peak, visor, or brim, according to the preference of the maker.

The baker boy hat pattern was conceived in London, developed in South Bohemia and completed in St Ives, Cornwall, and is now being knitted internationally.

Knit your own baker boy hat in an evening. The baker boy cap is a simple pattern knit on two needles (not circular), using only basic knit, purl, increase and decrease stitches.

The baker boy hat pattern is clear and straight forward, and includes photos and a stitch diagram for you to follow as you knit your baker boy hat.

You will need:

• 100g chunky wool (150 metres)
• 5.5mm knitting needles
• 6 hours (for an experienced knitter)

This really is the perfect way to use up wool from a favourite (but unfashionable) old jumper. Or search charity shops for an inexpensive luxurious cashmere or mohair jumpers to recycle into your own unique work.

Please send us a photo of your finished baker boy hat if you would like to have it included in our baker boy hat gallery.

This pattern is also available to download directly from http://www.baker-boy-hat.co.uk. This pattern is provided as a pdf file. If you need another format, please contact us. Many thanks for looking.

There has been a sudden drop in temperature. I needed gloves which were quick to make, warm and practical. The solution was to knit a glove that is made in one piece with no sewing required; and for speed, knitted horizontally instead of vertically in a chunky wool.

Because of the cold, I don’t personally like fingerless gloves or mittens, which have to be removed every time you need to do anything with your hands. These are a good compromise.

These gloves are particularly handy for mobile phone users because the stretchy finger tips finish with a small hole. If you need to answer your mobile you can poke out a finger, or write a text without having to expose your whole hand to the cold. The Handy Mobile Phone Glove pattern can also be made up as a traditional pair of gloves if you prefer.

This is a brand new pattern, designed in South Bohemia at the start of Winter 2007.

Knit your own gloves in a single winter evening. This is a simple pattern knit on two needles (no fiddly 3 needle bits), using basic knit stitch, increase and decrease stitches and picking up cast off stitches.

The pattern is clear and straight forward, and includes photos and a stitch diagram for you to follow as you knit your gloves.

You will need:

• 100g chunky wool (150 metres)
• 5 mm knitting needles
• 8 hours (for an experienced knitter)

This really is another perfect way to use up wool from a favourite (but unfashionable) old jumper. Or search charity shops for an inexpensive luxurious cashmere or mohair for your own unique work.

Please send us a photo of your finished gloves if you would like to have them included in our knitters gallery.

This pattern is only available on Ebay, or as a download from the payloads web site. This pattern is provided as a pdf file. If you need another format, please contact us. Many thanks for looking.