I'm branching out!!!

Hi everyone,


Well i have been a busy boy the past few months. I started my Christmas knitting towards the end of October and I'm coming along really well with it.

My first project was a beret for my sister. She had mentioned she like it to my mum so there i was the next day getting on with it. All finished and awaiting wrapping up.

We then heard fantastic news that my sister in law is expecting her first baby. Well this got me going then. Her Christmas presents are already in the making. I thought i would do her a little gift set of a cardigan, hat and blanket so she has all she might need in one present. I have just finished the blanket so stay tuned to my flickr page or my NEW twitter page for more details.

That leads me nicely onto the next topic. I have recently (today) joined the wonderful world of twitter. You can find me @Themaleknitter where you can follow all my knitting needs. I'll be posting when i have finished a project, with photo's, what the next one will be and sometimes I'll share interesting facts I've pick up along my knitting journey. I'm fairly new to twitter in my personal life to so please give me time to get use to it, but I'm sure I'll be a pro in no time at all.

So there are many different ways you can follow and contact me. Here on my blog, ravelry, flickr and now on my twitter. With twitter being a lot more accessible to me with the iPhone I'm sure i will be posting a lot more often.

Finally for this post, what am i knitting now......Well on the needles at the moment i have another baby cardigan. My other sister in law had a baby earlier this year so his Christmas present is a beautiful hand made cardigan. I'm using Sirdar Baby Crofter and as soon as its done a picture will be uploaded i promise. It's coming along really good actually, last night i finished the back and moving onto the fronts this afternoon.

Well i best get going, got Christmas parcels to collect. This shopping online is great, i think I'll do this from now on......take care and speak soon.

Jay x
@Themaleknitter - Twitter

Summer is nearly over!!!

Hi everyone. All i can say, as i seem to start all my post, is that I'm sorry for not posting more often. My job in the summer is crazy busy but that's no excuse!!!!


Also in the last few weeks i lost my mojo again and had a project on the needles for ages before it was finished. Anyway it is finished now all i have to do is but the buttons on then I'll post a picture on my Ravelry page.

So where am i at. Well i have made few more toys for people. I made another cream teddy bear for someone who is expecting a baby, i made different coloured bows so she can put the right one on for if its a boy or a girl.


I also did my first knitting where i used 2 colours at the same time. My dads girlfriend wanted something making in pink with the name 'Chloe' on it. As i love knitting the hippo pattern i chose this in bright pink. I looked at the pattern and with the help of people at my mums knitting group and the Internet i came up with a chart which would help me knit the name into the work. It came out really good as you can see from the photograph. The only thing i would say is that next time i might use a darker shade of purple to help it stand out more, but she was happy with it.

So my plans at the moment are to work on one of the 2 other teddy bears i have on order. I'm using a different pattern i found online and will be posting about it in my Rav page so have a look. Photos will follow through my flickr account when I've finished it.

I have also seen a couple of new and really cute baby cardigan patterns i would like to try. So I'm going to be giving them ago as well. My problem is i only like to have one project on the go at any one time, i don't know why i just do, so i have to finish my first teddy before i can move onto a cardigan.


I shall keep you all up to date with how things are going. Talk to you soon.

Happy Knitting.

This year is going so fast!!

Well i can't quite believe it that we are already in June 2011. Where has this year gone?? It will soon be time to use the Chri******s word.


Anyway i would like to take the time now to apologise for not posting more often. As the summer season is now upon us (in my line of work anyways) i am really busy and struggle to find time to knit never mind blog about it. I am working harder to try and get on here more and i have a few ideas i am thinking about doing.

I know there are a lot of video's out there with people demonstrating knitting techniques etc but i would really like to give it a go. I was playing around with my web cam this morning but couldn't seem to find the right angle to get a clear shot, so leave that with me I'll work on it.

Well i have finished another project. If you follow me on Ravelry then you will be aware that i have now finished my chunky jumper. I was using the yarn my dad bought me as a present.

It's lovely and soft and warm, great for the winter me thinks. I really enjoy knitting things for myself think i am quite selfish like that but hey who cares its my hobby.

I have quite a lot on the go at the moment. Or on order should i say. I have 3 teddy bears to make for people who want to pass them on as gifts and something else for someone too so I'm in demand at the moment you could say. They will get done. To be fair the pieces don't seem to take too long to knit up so be done in no time at all.

Well i am going to play about with the web cam some more see if i can get the right angle to film from. Failing that i will have to resort to pictures and captions. Please do feel free to email me any questions or comments i would love to hear from anyone reading my blog. I will be trying to post more i promise.

Take care now. Happy Knitting.

Jay xx

email: Jasonhoward514@hotmail.com

Been a Busy Boy

Well first of all can I just say that I'm sorry I haven't posted in a long time. Been a really busy boy as you can see if you follow me on ravelry and take a look at my flickr account. Over the past couple of months I have been knitting things for many different people. I started at a temp job and was reading through a new pattern book i had bought. One of the ladies I worked with saw a pattern and fell in love with it. Of course you know what happened next I was making her the monkey.

Another work friend loved the idea of hand knitted items and I was asked to make a few things for her. I've been busy making toys, baby cardigans and baby hats. Someone in the family has had a baby so I couldn't leave her out now could I.

I was knitting the same thing over and over again it seemed. A toy here, a cardigan there, so much so that when i was away for a week on a training course (for my summer job which i have now started back at) when i came home i couldn't get back into the swing of what i had left on the needles. So much so that I've placed that project into hibernation. So to get my 'mojo' back i made the cushion cover in the picture. It was a project i had been planning on doing for some time but never got around to it. I made the pattern up myself so hopefully its unique, but to be fair it was an easy pattern anyone could copy it. Its turned out really well and I'm happy with it. The cushion pad itself even fits in just nicely with was a bit risky as i was making the sizing up as i went.

The cushion is made in a chunky wool and has given me back my 'mojo'. There is another chunky pattern i have been putting off for a while which i am now going to buy the yarn for and get started. I have learned that sometimes you need a break for the normality and do something different. I seemed to get bored with the same old cardigan and jumpers and this project seemed to break up my projects just nicely.

Even though I'm not the most experienced in cable knitting i think it turned out rather good and I'm pleased with it. Hopefully this will be the start of me designing my own patterns you never know.

I promise to start posting a little more often and keeping everyone up to date on how i am doing. Failing that take a look at my Rav account and you can see what i am currently working on.

Take care, Talk soon x

I've been converted!!!

I think I've mentioned in other posts that I wanted to try my hand at knitting with circular needles. Well I finally got around to it. I watched a few videos online to see how it works, found a basic hat pattern and just went for it.

The hat itself I made out of Aran wool. My grandma made me an Aran jumper for Christmas and she gave me the left over yarn. It turned out really well I love it. I also love the technique of circular knitting, no sewing up to do at all. As well as working on a circular needle I used double pointed needles to help finish off the top of the hat. I haven't really mastered how to use them yet I need a little bit more practise. It was brilliant though, I just weaved in the ends and had it on my head in no time at all.

I'm not ashamed to admit it but I'm no good at all at sewing up a finished project. When I finished my first Cardigan my grandma had to seam it all for me. I can mange little projects, I use to make little phone covers etc I can deal with those, just the bigger items that's all. I searched online looking for patterns made in one piece. This is where all the main knitting is done on one needle. You knit all the pieces together and just weave in the ends. Let me try and explain.
At the moment I trying this technique out. Currently on the needles I have a baby Cardigan. I started at the top knitting the yoke. You start off with a small amount of stitches and increase on the right side rows. I ended up with 120 sts on a circular needle. You then split the stitches for the sleeves and the body, I placed the stitches for the sleeves on scrap yarn and then you just carry on knitting the body. All that is left to do are the sleeves and the neck band and that's it. Nothing to seam or sew together.

Well this month I have been quite busy knitting away in the evenings. I finished the teddy bear I was making for my friend. Gave it to her the other day and she loved it. I always feel a little sad giving my knitted work away, you sort of get attached to it. However, she loved it and that makes it worth while. After the teddy I started to experiment and try out circular needles. I made my aran hat which is fantastic and I'm currently on with a baby Cardigan knitted all in one piece. I may do a separate blog post on this another time.


Well I think I have rambled on enough for one night. I'll post some more up to date pictures to let you all see my latest projects.

Take care x

Posted from my iPad

In The New Year

Well everyone Happy New Year!!!!!!!

I do hope everyone had a brilliant Christmas and new year, i certainly did. Sorry i haven't been posting as much recently. During December I've been really busy with work (i work in retail in the winter so you can imagine). I was also ill for a while but am all OK now so that's all that matters.

Time for a little update then. Over the past month or so i have been really busy with my knitting. I've made my partners sister a baby blanket which i gave her at Christmas, my sister got a pair of socks and now I've started a new project.

I'm currently making a teddy bear for a friend of mine. Its going to be a surprise for her. You see she is pregnant so its going to be for the new baby. With that in mind i am making the bear out of soft baby wool so it will be kind to him or her. I'm using stylecraft wondersoft double knit in cream. Seeing as my friend wont be finding out the sex of the baby I'm making the teddy in cream and will more than likely put a yellow bow on it. That should be finished in about a week or so, I'm moving onto making the body this afternoon.

Other than that i have no other news really. I have my next project in mind for when the bear is finished. I'm going to teach myself circular knitting with the help of online videos. I'm not one for sewing up you see and circular knitting takes out that part so i thought id give it a go. Ill let you know in a few weeks how its going.

Take care everyone and Happy 2011 x

After a Gap

Well after a short gap i am back. Been really busy past few weeks, Christmas shopping, working and also this week we have had a down pour of snow which is causing us all a nightmare.

An update on my knitting then. Well I have started the only bit of Christmas knitting i am doing this year. My sister is getting some socks. I'm half way through, one sock is finished just waiting its partner and they will be done. Shouldn't take me too long to get them finished and sent to Santa ready for the big day. Apart from that there is nothing else to report at the moment. I do still have a few things on the needles but like most knitters i got bored and but them down. But they will get finished soon in their own time hehe

I am apart of a knitting forum on the Internet which i have linked to my blog. As i look through i have noticed that most people are members of a site called Ravelry. Now this is a site for all the knitters out there. I have been introduced to the rav world and love it. I must spend more time on there updating my projects, stash etc it looks so much fun. If you are on there and reading this blog then please get in touch would be great to make new friends.

Well for the time being that is all i have to say so for now its byebye and I'll be back soon.

Stay warm people.
Take care x