New pattern alert: Christmas Cracker Socks

Hello... it's been a while, but after much work behind the scenes, I have a new pattern out today! It's sparkly, and colourful, and festive, and I hope it brings you as much joy as it has bought me.

It’s early December, let’s head to the loft and dig out the Christmas decorations. The boxes aren’t just full of shiny sparkly things, they are full of memories! School-project decorations made from egg boxes, souvenir decorations from holiday markets around the world, glass decorations handed down from Grandparents, paper streamers from the 1970s, and quite a collection of brightly coloured shiny decorations from the 80s. Every decoration has a story to tell (even the plastic ones you bought as a box-set from Woolworths in the 1980s!). It’s the 1980s decorations that have inspired this sock pattern. I found a photo of a foil Christmas decoration on Pinterest, and the colours spoke to (shouted at) me: all the bright colours, plenty of sparkle, these socks keep your attention the whole way through! I worked with Quack yarn to create a colour palette that matched that original decoration, and I love what Fiona came up with.

The socks are knitted from the cuff down, and feature a slipped-stitch stripe pattern that is easy to memorise. The pattern includes instructions for both afterthought and short-row heels, so you can choose whichever version works best for you. The pattern uses the Barn toe, which is my favourite as it doesn’t involve any grafting – if you use the short-row heel, you can skip grafting completely.

This pattern is perfect for a mini-skein set - I knitted mine in a set of minis specially designed by Quack Yarn, a yarn advent, or for using up scraps of yarn. If you’d prefer to use a single colour for the main colour, I’ve included the yardages for that option too. Of course you can switch the colours up to something more muted than my samples – they’d look great knitted in a gradient set.

You can knit this pattern for the whole family – the pattern is written for 9 sizes, with circumferences from 7.5 cm (3 in) to 27.5 cm (11 in). The smallest size makes a great Christmas decoration, and the biggest one would make a very respectable stocking!

Sounds like something you might like to knit? You can find the pattern on Ravelry and Payhip, and if you use the code CRACKERS you can have 15% off until the end of 2023.

What's happening at Vikki Bird Designs?

It’s been a while… You might have noticed that I haven’t published many patterns for over a year now… Somewhere between my children growing up, an impending 40th birthday and a global pandemic, I lost my love for designing knitting patterns.

I’m still knitting, but most of my current projects are vanilla socks, with the odd knit for my kids that I’m knitting following someone else’s pattern. And right now that’s all I need.

I started a new non-knitting job towards the end of last year, which I love. I thought I might return to designing patterns during my free time, but right now I realise that I’d rather spend my free time with my family and friends than chasing deadlines.

This is not goodbye - my patterns are all still available in the usual places and I’m still responding to pattern support requests, but I’m much quieter on social media, just sharing my personal projects when I’m in the mood. There are a couple of patterns that I started designing before I started my new job - some have samples ready to go, and I’ve even taken photographs of a couple of them. And maybe one day I’ll release them as patterns, but I’ll let you know that as and when they’re ready!

Thanks for reading. I hope all is well with you and hopefully I’ll be in touch again sometime before the end of 2023.

Voices from the Deep Socks – test knitters’ interpretations

Did you know I have my patterns edited* and tested before they’re published? This helps to ensure they’re error-free when they are released to the wider world.

Here is a selection of projects from the test knitters of my latest pattern: Voices from the Deep Socks. Many of my testers hadn’t knitted an afterthought heel before, so it was really excited to hear their triumphant calls of ‘I’ve done it!’ when they completed the heel.

Knitted by Alexandra (@m.alexandra.melo on Instagram)

 

 Knitted by Fernanda (@PalmeiraKnits on Instagram); yarn by PósPés (@DyedByAlfinete on Instagram)

 

 Knitted by Jen (@KnitDerby on Instagram); yarn by Weku Yarn (@WekuYarn on Instagram), colourway Elephant Kisses

 

 Knitted by Laily (@SultanXStitch on Instagram); yarn: Rosarios4 Meia print

 

 Knitted by Sara Elin (@SaraElinRoberts on Instagram); yarn: Rico Superba Cashmeri Luxury Socks

 

Pattern sample: knitted by Vikki (@VikkiBirdDesigns on Instagram); yarn by Castleview Yarns (@CastleviewYarns on Instagram), colourway Agnes

 

Seen the test knitters’ socks and want to knit your own? You can find it on Ravelry* and PayHip. Use the code VOICES to get 15% off, expires 11.59pm GMT, Wednesday 30th November 2022. The code is also valid on my other Siren patterns: Siren Song, Three Sirens (Ravelry link;* PayHip link. Perfect if you have lots of single skeins in your yarn collection!

Full pattern details can be found here.

All images copyright of the test knitter; shared with permission.

* I use Jo Torr (https://www.jotorr.co.uk/).

 

 

New pattern alert: Voices from the Deep

Do you have a skein of variegated yarn that seems to dominate every pattern you try with it? My latest pattern, Voices from the Deep is the perfect pattern choice! Cables often disappear into variegated yarns, but if you introduce slipped stitches into the cables, the cables sit on top of the background, making the cables pop against the yarn. The Voices from the Deep Socks feature a cable that flows intuitively from the ribbing, and the emergence of the cable against the background makes this a moreish ‘just one more row’ pattern, hence the name Voices from the Deep, after the Sirens who were said to call sailors irresistibly to the rocks just below the surface of the water.

I've worked with Castleview Yarns on this pattern - Jen supplied me with a beautiful skein of her Castleview Yarns Sock (4-ply, 425 m per 100 g skein, 75% superwash merino, 25% nylon) in Agnes, which has a neutral base heavily speckled in shades of purple (my favourite colour). The yarn and the pattern work together so the cable is visible even with all the speckles.

The Voices from the Deep Socks are knitted from the toe up. The socks are knitted as far as the heel, then a row is knitted in waste yarn so the socks can be opened up and an afterthought heel added at the end. Never knitted an afterthought heel before? Don't worry, the pattern contains all the information you need.

Each sock features a cable up the side of the foot; this cable is mirrored between the two socks (I've even colour-coded the charts so those for the left sock have BLUE borders, while those for the right have RED borders - just remember R for red and right and you'll be on your way!), and the cable flows seamlessly into the ribbing, which is a feature I love to include.

Want to get your hands on the pattern? You can find it on Ravelry* and PayHip. Use the code VOICES to get 15% off, expires 11.59pm GMT, Wednesday 30th November 2022. The code is also valid on my other Siren patterns: Siren Song, Three Sirens (Ravelry link;* PayHip link. Perfect if you have lots of single skeins in your yarn collection!

Full pattern details can be found here.

*Ravelry link. May affect people with photosensitivity, proceed with caution.

Lots of Spots Cardigan - available in Knit Now issue 148

Hello! Knitwear season has well and truly arrived, and, if you have someone small to knit for, I have a new pattern just for you! 

My Lots of Spots Cardigan is available in the latest issue of Knit Now Magazine (issue 148). The cardigan features bright spots in a rainbow of shades and is the perfect knit for brightening up a dull winter’s day.

The pattern is written in 5 sizes [0-3 (3-6, 6-12, 12-18, 18-24) months] with finished chest circumferences of 46 (48, 51.5, 53.5, 55) cm. Why not make a small one for this winter and a larger one for next year?

The cardigan is knitted from the bottom up in pieces, and the spots are incorporated using the intarsia technique. Finally, stitches are picked up for the neckband and front bands after the cardigan has been seamed.

This pattern is great for using up scraps – you’ll need two balls of the main colour, but you can go and have a look through your leftovers and use whatever takes your fancy for the spots!

I used wooden buttons for the sample (I love wooden buttons, I have a pile on standby because they go with everything), but you could choose colourful buttons to highlight one colour of spot, or you could even make each button a different colour.

Want to knit your own Lots of Spots Cardigan for a loved one? You can find the pattern in issue 148 of Knit Now Magazine. Full details of where to buy the magazine (including digital editions) can be found here.

Why not add the pattern to your Ravelry favourites or queue? You can find the pattern information page here.*

*Ravelry link. May affect people with photosensitivity. Proceed with caution.

All images copyright Practical Publishing. Used with permission.