Wool on the Exe Book 2 has arrived and we could not possibly be more delighted with it! As with the first book we have an amazing selection of knitting and crochet patterns as well as craft tutorials and beautiful writing. It's a real treasure of a book and we're so grateful to all the amazing contributors who generously donated their work to the project.
In this wonderful new collection we have nine knitting patterns, six crochet patterns, a macrame tutorial, a needle-felting tutorial and two written pieces.
Here's a quick round up of the book content and links to some yarn ideas!
The Knitting Patterns
Beginnings Cabled Scarf by Paul Oliver
A long scarf knitted flat in one piece from one end to the other.
Paul used three different colours of West Yorkshire Spinners Re:treat. You could also use Stylecraft Softie or Rico Mega Wool for the same block colour effect. Or have fun with a colour-changing chunky yarn like Sirdar Jewelspun or Hayfield Spirit Chunky.
Estuary Shawl by Ella Austin
A long crescent-shaped shawl knitted from the top centre out with a lace edge.
The sample used a ball of Rico Melange Aran Wonderball. You could use Sirdar Jewelspun for a similar colour-changing effect, or BC Garn Loch Lomond would be a lovely single colour choice. The pattern could also be adjusted for a thicker yarn such as West Yorkshire Spinners Retreat Twist or a thinner yarn such as Rico Melange Alpaca Wonderball or Fyberspates Vivacious.
Piney Woods Hat and Cowl by Clare Atfield
A DK colourwork beanie hat or cowl knit in the round from the bottom up. Optional pompom.
These designs are made with a DK yarn and we have lots of great options! The hat sample was made with Eden Cottage Milburn DK. Sadly the blue Milburn colour has been discontinued, but the natural cream colour would look great with any of the other colourways. The cowl was made with West Yorkshire Spinners Fleece Bluefaced Leicester. We love the combination of the natural undyed fawn colour with the rich green colour. Other DK yarns that would be brilliant for this design are Fyberspates Vivacious, Sirdar Cashmere Merino Silk or UK Alpaca Superfine Alpaca.
Viking Boat Hat by Clare Seal
A DK/worsted colourwork beanie hat with a turn-up brim knit in the round from the bottom up.
Clare made these hats using BC Garn Loch Lomond and the yarn suits the pattern beautifully! You could also use a West Yorkshire Spinners DK such as Bluefaced Leicester Fleece, Croft, ColourLab or Revival. The last three of those yarns have very similar qualities so you could use a combination of them together for maximum colour choices!
Gansey Fingerless Mitts by Rita Taylor
A pair of 4ply textured mitts knit in the round from the bottom up.
Cambrian Wool 4ply is a lovely warm and soft choice for these mitts. They would also be lovely made with UK Alpaca Superfine Alpaca 4ply for a slightly fluffier finish or Eden Cottage Milburn 4ply for a smooth feel and slightly crisper stitch definition.
Cornflower Blue Mitts by Julia Keens
A pair of 4ply colourwork mitts knit in the round from the bottom up.
Julia's choice of Jamieson & Smith 2ply Jumper Weight really is the perfect yarn for these colourwork mitts! However they would also lovely in Eden Cottage Miburn 4ply or Coop Knits Socks Yeah!
Flip-top Mittens by Trudi Johnston
A striped pair flip top mittens with strip of stranded colourwork. Knitted from the cuff up with an afterthought thumb and a picked up flip top.
We sell Woolyknit Aran in 50g balls so it's perfect for these mitts that use three different colours. However you could also use West Yorkshire Spinners Croft Aran, Croft Tweed Aran, ColourLab Aran, or a combination of any of these yarns! These mitts could be ideal for using up leftover aran yarns from other projects.
Alpaca Baby Set by Debbie Judd
A hat, mitts and legwarmers, each knitted in the round from the bottom up.
This adorable set was made with UK Alpaca Superfine DK, which is beautifully soft and warm. Other great options would be Eden Cottage Milburn DK, Sirdar Cashmere Merino Silk, or West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep. All of these yarns are fabulous for special baby items and are machine washable on a gentle wool cycle.
Karensa Sunset Ripples Cowl Knitted version by Vanessa Greenaway
A colourwork cowl that can be made as a knitted or crocheted piece. Both are worked in the round from the bottom up.
This cowl design has a knitted and a crocheted version. Both are made with West Yorkshire Spinners Elements DK. For a similar silky look you could use Eden Cottage Milburn DK or Sirdar Cashmere Merino Silk. Another soft yarn that could work is West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep.
The Crochet Patterns
Karensa Sunset Ripples Cowl Crochet version by Genevieve Upton
A colourwork cowl that can be made as a knitted or crocheted piece. Both are worked in the round from the bottom up.
This cowl design has a knitted and a crocheted version. Please see the knitted version above for links to the yarn and suggested alternatives.
Ripple Beanie by Nattie Raybould
A beanie hat worked top down from the centre of the crown in rounds.
Nattie used Cambrian Wool 4ply for this beanie. The Cambrian Wool is a little on thicker side of a 4ply so we think that BC Garn Semilla Sport would be a lovely option. It could also be fun to see how the pattern works out with a colour-changing yarn such as Schoppel Edition 3 Zauberball Sport!
Please note that the design uses two balls for the larger adult size.
CraftSana Bag by Carolyn Johnson
A rectangular shoulder bag made with granny squares and rectangles
This bag was made with Hoooked Soft Cotton DK. This yarn is ideal because it's sturdy, durable, and comes in a great range of colours. You could also use Stylecraft Naturals Bamboo and Cotton or Stylecraft Recreate, both of which are slightly thinner that the Hoooked Cotton.
Little Boxes Baby Blanket by Sam Linney
A mosaic crochet baby blanket worked from one side to the other, and finished with a border.
Sam used a combination of yarns for this blanket because she particularly liked the way these colours worked together. The grey is BC Garn Loch Lomond and the other two colours are Stylecraft Recreate. This versatile design could be made in any of our DK yarns!
Hot Water Bottle Cover by Hannah Slajus
A hot water bottle cover worked in two pieces from the bottom up.
Each of these hot water bottle covers were made with different West Yorkshire Spinners Yarns, ColourLab DK and Croft DK. For a very soft and smooth feel you could choose Sirdar Cashmere Merino Silk, Eden Cottage Milburn DK, or Fyberspates Vivacious DK. For a soft and slightly fluffy version you could use West Yorkshire Spinners Bluefaced Leicester or UK Alpaca Speckledy DK - these alpaca colours have lovely depth from being dyed on a darker base. Hannah has also used Sirdar Country Classic DK to make these in the past, which is a great budget-friendly option as the small hot water bottle can be made with one 50g ball.
The Exe Top by Grace Harper
A short-sleeved top crocheted in the round from the top down in one piece with raglan shaping.
This top was made with a skein of hand-spun yarn from Wivey Weaver. It has a unique thick and thin finish that gives the yarn great character. The most similar commercial yarn that we stock is Rico Melange Wonderball. However, as this design is written in the form of a completely adjustable tutorial, you really could use any yarn that we stock!
The Craft Tutorials
Macrame Plant Hanger by Jackie Millichap
A plant hanger made by knotting lengths of cotton cord.
This design works perfectly with the Hoooked Spesso. You could also try using a super chunky wool like West Yorkshire Spinners Retreat Super Chunky.
Felted Postcard Picture by Lynne Dewberry
A needle felted flat artwork made using a small rectangle of pre-felt and coloured merino wool.
Lynne used pre-felt, merino roving and curcly locks to make her needle-felted artwork. You could come and see the selection that we stock in the shop!
The Writing
Wool on the Exe by Juliet Humphreys
A short piece that reads like a poem, inspired by Wool on the Exe.
The writing is accompanied by an illustrated map of the shop by Nattie Raybould.
My Pet Picnic by Gabby Dexter
A collection of fictional biographies about four needle-felted creations.
You really don't want to miss Gabby's hilarious stories about these quirky characters!
We hope you agree that this book showcases some of the exceptional talent in our community. We're forever grateful to the contrbutors and we can't wait to see all the new projects that emerge from this inspirational new book! You can get your copy here!
Profits from the book sales will be split between the charity Knit for Peace and the social enterprise projects of Wool on the Exe.