For a change, the most recent finished item off my needles is something not designed by me! I've finally gotten around to knitting a sock pattern that I bought in the 2014 Gift-along, and which has been waiting in my Ravelry library for the right yarn to make it really work.
Grillage by Aurelie Colas is meant for multi-coloured yarns. I'd been given this self-striping black and red yarn by a friend and knew it would be great for this pattern. As it turned out, coincidentally the length of the stripes is almost exactly the length of the pattern repeat too! The red and black does remind me of Dennis the Menace, though.

The short row heel is surprisingly comfy for that style of heel. I'm high in the instep and often find there isn't sufficient room in a gussetless heel but this one is very comfortable, and once you get the hang of the shadow-wraps it's easy to memorise so quick to work.

I'd definitely make these socks again for other similarly loud yarn!

A slight deviation from my usual pattern output, this month's new release is not a shawl but a poncho. I've been following the trend for ponchos with interest. Far removed from the 1970s granny square style, or the sort of thing that looked like it had been stolen from an unsuspecting Mexican person, the modern poncho is stylish and fashionable. Unfortunately, though, a lot of them do also still leave you looking like you've left the house wrapped in a blanket. 
With my poncho design I wanted something lightweight and feminine, an extra layer for days when a T-shirt alone isn't quite warm enough, something like a shawl but that wouldn't slip off the shoulders. I also wanted something that wouldn't look like I was being attacked by my bedding. I'm petite; a voluminous poncho would completely swamp me. This design fits the bill perfectly and I've already got a lot of wear from my own sample version.

The poncho is worked flat in a sort of diamond shape with a hole in the middle for your head. It starts at one point, increases using lines of eyelets until it reaches the full width (which is the total height from front lower hem up to the shoulder and then down to the back lower hem). The front and back are separated with each being placed on stitch holders while the other is worked, and then rejoined at the other side of the neck before decreases bring the other side to a point to finish the garment.

The stitch pattern is intuitive and easy to memorise, so if you wanted a larger size and had extra yarn available, you could just work more increases before working the straight section at the neck, and then decreasing them away again in the same style.

And the pattern name? On a family day out last year we ended up at Kingsdown beach where the original pattern photos were taken under the cliffs. Between then and getting the pattern itself written up, tech edited and tested for release I've lost weight, and, let's face it, if you're going to put pictures of yourself all over the internet, you choose the ones which show off your figure to its best advantage, right?! ;)

Kingsdown Cliffs is available now in my Ravelry store. Use coupon code Kingsdown for an introductory discount for the next 48 hours. 
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