Double yarn overs

This tutorial is to support my new design, Essie shawl, which uses double yarn over in the lace section.

We have all probably encountered a single yarn over at some point, they are used in lace or to make button holes, you simply bring the yarn forward and knit the next stitch with the yarn going over the needle thus creating an eyelet. They are usually abbreviated as yo, yfwd, yf. Double yarn overs are the same thing just…well, doubled, which produces a larger eyelet. They are supper easy to make but the trick is to work back on them correctly. They are usually abbreviated as yoyo or yo (x 2). 

To make a double yarn over

Bring the yarn forward in-between the needles, then wrap around the needle once more, then knit the next stitch as normal.

Working back on yarn overs 

Normally, you would treat yarn over as a standard stitch and purl or knit it, but you can’t do that with double yarn over. If you purl or knit both strands you will end up with one super large eyelet, so you have to either purl the first stitch and knit the second or vice versa. What I recommend you do in Essie is purl the first stitch and knit the second through back loop.

• Purl the first stitch as normal, be very careful the second stitch does not jump off the needle.
• Take your yarn to the back of work in-between the needles.
• Knit the second stitch through back loop.
• Bring your yarn to the front of work in-between needles and continue to work on the rest of your stitches.

     

  

Hey presto! Double yarn over completed 😊
 

Essie is now abvailable on:

My website

Ravlery

LoveKnitting

Enjoy,

Anna x

Operation: Wedding

We finally have a date!! 23rd September is the date that Dave and Anna will become Mr and Mrs Married Couple!! After being engaged for nearly 2 years we at last set the date.  Now I feel like we can finally start planning everything (new diary has been purchased), mind you though it would be very typical of us to do everything in the last 2 months, you know we have 2 years to plan a wedding but leave everything to last minute, saying that we have booked the wedding venue already, maybe we are more organised than I give us credit for.

I have even ordered fabric swatches for my dress and of course the making can begin. We are determined to have a handmade, cosy wedding and all the decorations, most of other stuff will be crochet, knitted and made by hand in one way or another which I better start asap.

Uuuuu......I'm so unbelievably excited!! 

Anna x

Bye 2016, Hellllooooo 2017!!

New Year is fast approaching and I have to say I can't wait for 2017 to start! Don't get me wrong, I do not want to wish the year away, but 2016 has really tested my patience and we just haven’t gotten along at all. I mean there were some good bits, of course, and I appreciated and treasured them even more.

For the most part 2016 has been filled with tears, fear and anger. I have been made redundant from my Rowan employment, a job I have loved with all my heart, but what is even sadder that this saw the end of Rowan consultancy, 30 years of dedication from some incredibly talented people. However I shall always be grateful for the experience and knowledge I have gained while working for Rowan. It was a truly amazing position. 

Apart from the redundancy, 2016 professionally for me wasn’t that bad. Losing the Rowan job meant I had to stop teaching workshops at John Lewis branches, but that’s ok because I still teach at the amazing The Yarn Dispensary in Faversham and I also have new workshops starting in 2017 at Sew Over It in London. As well as this there have been the tutorials I have been doing for Love Knitting and Love Crochet, the response to which has been overwhelming, thank you so much, and there will be more coming in the new year, so watch this space.

I’m very grateful for the opportunity to work with Crochet Now magazine, and I’m truly thankful to them for featuring my designs in their fab magazines and to all of you for making them and showing me the love, there’s more fantastic things to come. I have been also very busy working on some fab projects which will be revealed in mid-2017, there are two in particular I’m beyond excited to share with you. 

Other than that the whole world seems to be crying, politically it feels like one disaster after another, so many lies, so much hate and deceit, a referendum and elections that have been turned into lying circuses. Just when I thought that politicians cannot sink any lower a new depth has been found, not to mention the cesspit of racism, xenophobia and islamophobia their irresponsible actions have triggered. The very real fear and reality of war and terror attacks has shown the terrifying face of human species, but it has also shown the beauty of the human spirit of working together against those that are adamant on destroying humanity and decency. People are uniting and standing strong to help those in need.

2016 has also seen us saying goodbye to huge amount of actors, musicians, politicians, and authors, we have lost much talent that has changed the face of music and films such as David Bowie and Prince. It seemed like a week didn’t go by without us mourning another death and just when you think it was all finished with, that the year is almost over, 2016 claims few more lives, George Michael and Carrie Fisher to name just two. 2016 has felt relentless!!

 Photo credit @ChristheBarker / Twitter

On the positive note….. We have achieved a few wonderful things for our mother earth - the tiger population is growing, the banning of micro beads from production is in progress and should be in place in 2017 and the Arctic Ocean is protected from industrial fishing, thanks to a historic agreements.

Whatever your experience of 2016 are, I would like to wish you the happiest and most wonderful 2017!! I hope for all of you it will be your best year yet!!

Thank you all for your support and all the love you have showed me through the year, you are all fantastic!!

Come on 2017, be AMAZING!!

Anna x