Valentine's Day inspiration

Romance is in the air with Valentine’s Day on the horizon. Depending on which account you read, Valentine was either a priest who secretly married Christian couples against the Roman emperor Claudius’ commands or a figure for courtly love promoted in the Middle Ages, particularly by Geoffrey Chaucer.

Whatever the truth of the St Valentine’s legend, his commitment in romantic love continues to inspire couples. And what better way to show you care than with a hand-knitted gift?

knitshop.co.uk offers plenty of inspiration. We’ve got yarn and patterns to create hats, gloves and scarves that you can gift-wrap and present to your sweetheart.

Sports fanatics are sure to fall for the Football Scarf made from Thick And Easy yarn. This knits up quickly on 7 or 8mm needles. Just match the colours to that of their favourite team.

For a more delicate choice try the Mohair Silk Yarn. From just two skeins you can easily make a snug scarf. You don’t even need to use a fancy pattern as the yarn is striking enough. Use 4mm needles and simple garter stitch and knit to the desired length. 
 

For a lighter-weight scarf, the Ladder Stitch scarf pattern is a great option. This open-stitch design is knitted using 6mm needles and uses Cotton-Linen Blend yarn. This yarn comes in eight striking variegated shades including carnation red, violet and cherry blossom.

Another pattern that uses ladder stitch is our dainty Lacet Wrist Warmer design. Knitted in the round using Mulberry Silk Merino Wool yarn and 4mm double-pointed needles.

If you’d like your beloved to hold you close to their heart, why not knit a pretty hot water bottle cover. knitshop.co.uk’s Simply Wool is an ideal yarn here and comes in a choice of 15 colours.

Alternatively, make your own roses using our free Flower Corsage pattern. A single flower would look pretty adorning a dress or jacket. An even more romantic gesture would be to knit a dozen roses and attach them to wire stems so you can present them as a bouquet. The flowers look particularly good when knitted in knitshop.co.uk Mulberry Silk yarn. This knits up on 2.5mm needles and has a luxurious sheen.

For something a bit different, why not felt a flower? Knitshop.co.uk offers complete needle felting kits as well as merino wool tops so you can felt your own designs.

Nature lovers, meanwhile, will be charmed by the thoughtfulness of a handmade Felted Butterfly – another striking accessory that will look wonderful adorning a jacket or bag. The complete kit costs just £5 and has easy-to-follow instructions.

If you’re really keen to impress, how about crocheting a box of chocolates? You’ll find the free pattern on our Ravelry page. We recommend Mercerised Cotton 4ply yarn for this fun but romantic project.

Visit knitshop.co.uk’s Lee Green boutique outlet and you’ll find even more Valentine’s Day inspiration. We’ve got patterns so you can crochet your own chocolates, as well as an extensive selection of all-natural yarns – the ideal gift with which to surprise the knitter in your life.

We also sell gift vouchers in £20 and £40 denominations.

Links to this blog:

Flower Corsage pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/2145-knitted-roses.html

Mulberry Silk Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/31-mulberry-silk-twist

2.5mm needles: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/bamboo-needles/1603-2mm-sp-bamboo5.html

Football Scarf pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/1669-world-cup-scarf.html

Thick And Easy Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/106-thick-easy-yarn

7mm bamboo needles: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitting-accessories/1605-bamboo-knitting-needles-7mm.html

8mm bamboo needles: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitting-accessories/1351-8mm-sp-bamboo.html

Mohair Silk Yarn: http://knitshop.co.uk/57-mohair-wool-yarn

All knitting and crochet accessories - http://knitshop.co.uk/knitting-accessories/1696-bamboo-knitting-needles-4mm.html

Simply Wool yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/126-simply-wool-yarn

Ladder-Stitch Scarf pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/1336-ladder-stitch-scarf-pattern.html

6mm bamboo needles: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitting-accessories/1349-6mm-sp-bamboo.html

Cotton-Linen Blend yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/21-cotton-linen-blend

Lacet Wrist Warmers: link to be added

4mm double-pointed needles: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitting-accessories/1714-4mm-dp-20cm.html

Mulberry Silk Merino Wool Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/29-silk-wool-blend

Valentine’s Chocolates crochet pattern: http://ravel.me/Julieta/cboc

Mercerised Cotton 4ply yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/129-4ply-cotton

Felted Flower Kit: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/felting-kits/1073-flower-felt-kit.html

Felted Butterfly Kit: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/felting-kits/1408-butterfly-felt-kit.html

Merino Wool Tops for felting: http://knitshop.co.uk/24-merino-tops

Knitshop.co.uk gift vouchers: http://knitshop.co.uk/188-gift-voucher

Maglia Di Lana

Maglia Di Lana scarf – a pattern for you to download and knit

Who doesn’t love to be wrapped up warm in a cosy scarf? With the winds howling and the temperature plunging, it’s not much fun having to brave the elements. Knowing you’ll be snug in your favourite knitwear can make all the difference. Coats and boots are practical, but scarves and hats add personality to your winter wardrobe. We don’t think you can have too many of them.

The shops are full of cosy accessories at this time of the year, but there’s something special about a scarf you’ve made yourself. Or one you’ve knitted as a present for someone special. Natural fibres are a must – they’re incredibly cosy and luxurious.

At its most basic, a scarf is simply a few dozen rows of garter stitch. At its most impressive it’s a riot of multiple colours and textured patterns. You don’t have to spend ages creating cables or lacework, though. Simple patterns can be really effective too – especially if you’re working with chunky yarn and striking colours.

knitshop.co.uk’s latest pattern, the Maglia Di Lana scarf, knits up really quickly on large 9mm needles and uses a straightforward drop stitch pattern that creates a lattice effect.

Maglia Di Lana translates as ‘knitting with wool’. The versions we’ve knitted to accompany the pattern are in the vibrant shades reminiscent of Hawaii and the more muted blues, cream and brown combination we’ve called Himalaya. The larger scarf requires two 100g hanks of knitshop.co.uk Handspun Wool Yarn, while the smaller scarf can be knitted from a single 100g hank.

We knitted our Maglia Di Lana scarves using 9mm bamboo needles. For the tassels, you’ll also need a crochet hook. A 6mm hook is ideal.

The Maglia Di Lana scarf looks fantastic and the instructions are very straightforward. We’ve rated this pattern suitable for knitters of any standard. It’s an ideal first project for beginners – with impressive results! Just download the pattern and choose your favourite colours of Handspun Wool Yarn.

Materials

9mm needles (we prefer bamboo)
6mm crochet hook

Small scarf (approx 130cm long): One 100g hank of knitshop.co.uk Handspun Wool Yarn (http://www.knitshop.co.uk/112-handspun-wool-yarn). Example knitted in Himalaya (item number 20HS0840C)

Long scarf (approx 240cm long): two 100g hanks of knitshop.co.uk Handspun Wool Yarn (http://www.knitshop.co.uk/112-handspun-wool-yarnapprox). Example knitted in Hawaii (item number 20HS1200C)

Links to this blog:

Maglia Di Lana scarf Pattern: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitshop-pattern/2621-maglia-di-lana.html

knitshop.co.uk Handspun Wool Yarn: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/112-handspun-wool-yarn

9mm bamboo knitting needles: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/knitting-accessories/1352-bamboo-knitting-needles-9mm.html

6mm crochet hook: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/bamboo-crochet-hook/1627-6mm-bamboo-crochet-hook.html

Knitting and Crochet Accessories: http://www.knitshop.co.uk/274-knitting-crochet-accessories