I really hope that I have managed to include all of the previous errata in this version but I’m also aware that we make errors all the time and possibly have not caught everything.

I also want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has knit this pattern using the previous two editions as you are obviously a complete genius!!

Me and Emmms write our patterns on the side of living our normal lives and jobs and don’t have a pattern editor so from time to time we get emails from amazing knitters pointing out things we’ve missed or typed wrong, we are very grateful for you doing so!!

For anyone who still wants to work off the previous two editions:  ERRATA FOR BO PEEP 18/10/11 AND BEFORE

This pattern was originally released in April 2009 as a special part of our Year of Socks and there are now quite a few Bo Peeps floating around Ravelry.

In the past few weeks we have been contacted by many people showing an interest in these lacy gloves so I thought Id take the opportunity to edit the pattern properly to make life easier for everyone!

All the links have now been updated to the new PDF copy but just in case I missed one I’ve noted on the pattern that it is a 2nd edition.

Hopefully all of the errata has been included and brand new ‘Bo Peeps’ will be popping up everywhere with minimal fuss!!! I might even knit myself my third pair!

So you can now download the new edition of Bo Peep here and also on Ravelry soon.

 (pictures taken from Ravelry)

I love it with a passion I hold for nothing else.
When I come up with a new design, for socks, gloves, jumper, lampshade or anything for that matter I get such a rush of blood to the head I cant even consider doing anything else.

If I’m at work when this happens, I’ve been told a glaze comes across my eyes and I’m in a world of my own.

The design is immediately written down (I have quite often been caught at the empty poker table with a pen and paper and a make shift chart/drawing of my thoughts), swatches are made the second I get my hands on some yarn and needles and the new design obsession begins.

I have been known to ruin a ‘cosy weekend in’ by obsessively knitting or researching patterns for a new design instead of spending (very limited) quality time with my love.

I really can’t help it though, I lose all control over normal thought!

Most of my design ideas come from what I’d like to knit but can’t find a pattern for but a lot of the time

I see an image

future design inspiration

or some colours together

‘robot explosion’

or take inspiration from a song

‘only music survives’

or movie

‘the red shoes’

and try and put it into a design.

This often proves a lot harder to put together than I originally think and a lot of the time it goes wrong.

When me and Emma decided to do Loumms Year of Socks, it was set as a personal challenge. We both loved designing so much that we wanted to give ourselves a reason to design loads of socks.
We never imagined that the interest in the resulting patterns would be so high!

We were both so pleased with the way it turned out, but most importantly for me it brought out a desire to create patterns for others to knit, this in turn brought up a huge heap of problems I have in design and pattern writing.

Which takes me to my first lesson learnt.

Lesson 1: from desire to design

I’m not the best knitter in the world,

I don’t have years of experience,

I’m inpatient a lot of the time,

very often I try to do things that either don’t work at all

‘fisher price’

(the idea was to have an alphabet of cables ie. One cable for each letter, work their way up the socks. This didnt happen and they became my biggest design disaster. I still like the initial idea so will fix them at some point),

or work visually but not practically,

‘sinusoida’

(the slipped stitch pattern waving its way around the sock looks exactly the way I wanted it too but there is such little give in the resulting fabric that it doesn’t really work for a sock. Houghmary on Ravelry has came up with a great alternative for this which still keeps the initial design idea intact but gives the sock a lot more wearability)

A lot of these problems stemmed from the fact that we gave ourselves so little time during LYOS (a month a sock) that I never really got time to perfect what I wanted to create, but most were down to me.

I need to give myself a lot more time to get the design right, admit where the design may need to be changed to make it wearable, work on my structure and develop my knowledge.

Due to the fact that I seem to enjoy making things difficult for myself I fight with the problem of design instead of trying to keep it simple and quite often, even though my design appears totally unknittable, I manage to create something that I have great difficulty putting down on paper.

Lesson 2: from design to pattern 

This begins to cause a problem when I come to creating a pattern.
At the best of times I’m not a great writer, errors everywhere, broken sentences, spelling mistakes, so most of my initial pattern notes are jotted down with no structure (as I imagine most designers notes are) however mine seem to make their way into the actual pattern in the same form.

I keep my pattern notes jotted on paper, on notes on my phone, as images and documents on the computer and in a design book but nothing is really organised.

I begin writing a pattern on one thing and finish it on something else, which means a lot of the time the middle part is on a piece of paper in a bag somewhere never to be found again.

This becomes a problem when I start writing the pattern up and miss out a huge section only to find out when the person knitting the item PM’s me. Very embarrassing!

I really need to become more organised if I want to take pattern writing seriously.

I started to make sure I put all of my notes for one pattern in the same place, even if it was the same bag, and stared naming my computer files correctly so I could go back to them at any time and know what they were for! I think I will find this very helpful when addressing errata questions from test knitters!

All of the original patterns we did during the LYOS were free and many of them still are. As we had limited time we knew we couldnt get anything test knit or edited before we released them and as they were only intended to be for our own enjoyment we really did not want to charge for them.

Since then we have had loads of support and loads of people knit up the socks, letting us know along the way any errors or problems they have found in the patterns. ( mine more than Emmms)

Lesson 3: What? Can’t you read my mind?

This really made it clear to me that I write my patterns the way I knit them!
People could not seem to understand a lot of what I was asking them to do in the pattern.

To be honest I am really surprised that anyone was actually successful in knitting a sock at all from some of the instructions I gave, I’m sure it’s all down to the fact that the knitters who took on my patterns were very talented people!

When ever me and Emmms did a joint pattern during LYOS I would receive emails in their dozens from Emmms asking “What on earth do you mean by this?” “Why have you written that there?” “Should that round not be 6 stitches longer?” “Why isnt the chart right”
And every email I replied with “What? Can’t you read my mind?”

This is a big problem for me.
I seem to think that the knitter following my pattern has direct access to my brain at all times and that things I see as obvious are definitely not obvious to everyone else!

I have recently had this problem with a test knitter on my current designs and finally have decided to face up to the fact that I really do need to put a lot more time effort and thought into the patterns I write.
I need to make sure my gauge is accurate to begin with (sorry Katherine!) I need to be more constant with my abbreviations, include my abbreviations!  take care with a chart and key, explain in detail any difficult, tricky or just out of the norm sections, and finally write the pattern as if I was knitting it for the first time!!

I’ve been learning this lesson slowly over the past year and have worked on a few original patterns from LYOS.
Both Singing in the Rain and Raspberry Ripple have been re-written, edited and test knit and I am actually very happy in the way they have turned out.

They are both now back for sale!

It does show when you do something properly it gives you more satisfaction so all of my patterns from LYOS will eventually receive this level of attention as since LYOS I’ve been working on so many new patterns, learning more and more as I go along.

Lesson 4: some things are better left unsaid

I’ve also learnt that not everything I design I can turn into a pattern for others to follow.

Take my lampshades.

I don’t think I will ever have enough skill to put my lamp designs into workable patterns! I am going to keep them for myself and give away/sell as finished items!

I have patterns that are written up and designs ready that will never see the light of day due to my lack of confidence in them!

Also I’ve been working on a sweater for over a year, in stages.

At the moment I’m not very far along with it but already am coming across things I know now will cause me massive problems if I ever attempted to write it up!

But I do have at least 25 designs I’m working  on that will become patterns and the more I work on the more lessons I learn and the better my design and pattern writing becomes.

‘labyrinth hat’

’1926′ socks

’70′s style summer vest’

‘starry night’ beret

‘fiery flowers’ fingerless gloves

So hopefully, with these lessons learnt, I will begin to create patterns and designs that people are able to knit!!! That is my main aim in life anyway so I better get it right!!

This particular sample is knit in her Beloved, 4ply, superwash BFL sock yarn in Cerise and it couldn’t be more lush!

The colour is so deep it draws you right in, changing subtly from a dark pink to almost red.

The yarn itself is soft and squishy but creates a perfect stitch definition.

I am also knitting up a new mens pattern ’1926′ also in Beloved, colourway Forest, which was also meant to be a sample for Pip but I love it so much I can’t bear to part with it!!

The individual strands of the ply hold so many different tones that come together to create the perfect semi solid green.

I think I’ll have to get to her online shop ASAP as if Knit Nation was anything to go by she will be selling out pretty soon!

I also have my eye on her Adore, an Alpaca/Silk blend in Sportweight, which will be perfect for the Blackberry cardi from A Stitch in Time.
(I say perfect, I would have to alter to get my gauge but I need an excuse to own some!!!!)

Check out the rest of Pippa’s yarn at her etsy shop as her colourways and base yarns are just glorious as is her un-deniable talent for dying!!!

I went with the Winter Lilies pattern by Susanna IC from the Fall 2010 issue of Knit Circus, in the most gorgeous lilac-y cashmere/merino from Skein Queen. I love the yarn almost as much as I love the pattern! It’s a bit shallower than I thought it would be, but that’s probably just as well as it used up heaps of yarn!

(I don’t think Mum reads this blog, but I’m not risking showing the whole shawl, just in case!)

I cast on Matthew’s mum’s shawl on Saturday, this time the Alcea shawl, also by Susanna IC and from Knit Circus’s Spring 2011 issue, in a beautiful rose from Sweet Clement. (I was knitting a new design with this yarn, but as soon as I saw the Alcea shawl, I knew it couldn’t be anything else. Fortunately I have a growing collection of Sweet Clement yarn at my disposal!)

I adore this yarn; it’s ridiculously soft and is giving the lace pattern such amazing definition. I’m halfway through the chart, so this will hopefully be finished by the weekend as well!

Next up will be my shawl, but I’m having the hardest time deciding between Little Leaves and Susanna IC’s newest pattern, Vesna, in the latest Twist Collective. At least I have my yarn, though – Hand Maiden Silk. Lush!

(PS, If you’re here after seeing the Yarn Harlot‘s Edwardian Boating Socks, thanks for stopping by! I hope you’ll stay a while!) (PPS, Squee!)

So sorry to those who have knit them without, but here it is now.

I know we need to get the pattern re done anyway to include all of the errata but for now this will do!!

abbreviations

CO: cast on

k: knit

p: purl

k2tog: knit two stitches together

ssk: slip two stitches (individually knit wise) to right hand needle and knit these together

yo: yarn over

p2tog: purl two stitches together

p2togtbl: purl two stitches together through the back loop

m1: make one stitch by picking up the stitch below the next stitch and knitting into it

sl: slip one stitch

psso: pass slipped stitch over the next stitch

The first sock I have been finishing is our Serbert Toe Socks from Loumms Year of Socks which is embarrasingly neary a year old!!

Anyway I came across a few errors in the pattern. nothing major, but thought I would update !

****27-06-10 New Sherbert Toe Socks Errata*****

Note: This has not yet been corrected in the downloadable version

 Heel Turn

Row1: sl1, p23, p2tog, turn

Row 2: sl1, k11, ssk, turn

Row 3: sl1, p to 1 stitch before the gap, p2tog, p1, turn

Row 4: sl1, k to 1 stitch before the gap, ssk, k1, turn

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until 22 stitches remain

 Heel Gusset

Round 1: needle 3: pick up and knit 14 sts along the right selvedge edge, k11 sts from needle 1

 Round we go chart c

On row 5, there is a cbt symbol missing over stitches 20 – 24.

Foot

……… and following chart B over needle 2. Once chart is completed, continue in st st, until 2 inches before the desired length of foot……..

 Toe option 1

Work these 2 rounds until there are 18 sts on needle 2, and 24 sts between needles 1 and 3.

 Herafter work decrease round only until 10 sts remain on needle 2, and 5 sts each on needles 1 and 3

 Graft these sts together

It feels pretty good to be getting these finished and it means I am also getting to enjoy the fabulous sunny weather we are having at the moment too!!! I forgot how much I loved this yarn,  the colours are just glowing in the sun!!

We both couldn’t wait to see them and thankfully all of the sellers we bought from were very prompt at shipping our lush goods, so we met up last night to ohh and ahh over a glass of red.

Old Maiden Aunt was the first to be opened, and we were very happy with what we saw! Two skeins of bright merino superwash came poking out of the purple paper along with a lovely business card and two Old Maiden Aunt pin badges! The colours of the yarns just pop and ‘The Great Pumpkin’ has so much depth and sheen, it nearly brought Emma to tears! We already have these two lined up for a pattern!

When we opened the bag from Yarns, we were speechless. The hand-painted yarn is incredible, a fantastic fibre, great twist, soft and squishy with colours ranging from turquoise through olive green to a burnt orange. But not only that, inside the bag were some cute little stickers and a beautifully scented lavender bag adorned with a flower-shaped button! What a great touch! We didn’t know what to be more excited about, the yarn or the extra goodies!

This got us talking about the importance of adding that personal touch when you post and pack an item, especially a hand-made/hand-painted one. We both appreciate it when we receive that handwritten thank-you note or neatly wrapped or tied item in the packet, it makes you feel that the spinner/designer/dyer/artist has put that extra little bit of thought into it. It also adds more of a connection between the buyer and the seller which is often lost when buying things over the net.

Thank you, Old Maiden Aunt and Yarns, for both the yarn and the little extras!!!

Emmms has not yet seen this yarn as it only arrived today, but I was too excited to wait! In a beautiful range of pink shades from pale to fuchsia this merino/nylon blend ‘Raspberry Jam’ is from hand-painter and Etsy seller Amy’s Rainbow. Another thoughtful seller, the smiley sticker on the wrapping paper was a nice touch! Thanks so much!!!

To put an end to this I decided to knit my sister a pair of ‘Over the Garden Wall’ which were the socks Emmms and I co-designed for Alice and her Sockto club last year. I used the very talented Laura of Indie Knit’s yarn which is just lush and hopefully my sis will like them even though I was two days late posting them to her! Sorry, Jen!

The main reason I was late getting the Over the Garden Wall socks done was because I have also been working on my pattern for The Red Shoes which I originally wanted to release as part of the Loumms Year of Socks but there just weren’t enough months in the year!

Anyway, they are done now and are in the process of being test knit, but here are some sneak preview pics!

There is a brand new edition of the Bo Peep pattern available now (18-10-11) which includes all currrent errata.

If by some crazy chance we have still missed something we would be grateful if you could let us know!