YOTD: James C. Brett Twinkle DK

Hi All!! Happy Thursday Everyone!! Hope you are all well!

Today's YOTD is James C. Brett's Twinkle that I picked up at last years Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace in London. It is probably the only show that is really all about knitting in the UK and I always try to go in October when it is on. I love to go and surround myself with yarn and books, and drag the Blattman too- he secretly loves it!!!

James C. Brett Twinkle is a DK yarn and it comes in 100g balls and you get a huge 300m on a ball. It is made from 97% Acrylic and 3% Polyester and has a beautiful glitter strand in colour of the main yarn in the ball. It is a really nice yarn and comes in lots of colours. It has a tension over 10cm of 22sts over 30 rows. One ball of this will cost you about £2.99 and again this is great value for money, because you get a great meterage, and it is a great yarn to work with.

With a glittery yarn expect it to be a bit scratchy, but this is probably the least scratchy of my glittery yarns with the exception of maybe Tivoli Pearl. It knits very well, like a normal acrylic yarn, and the glitter strand does not catch or split away from the main ply of the yarn. It blocks and wears like any other acrylic yarn and I would use it in the same way

Normally I would use this yarn just for add ons for my toys but I decided I loved this pink enough to make a hat from it- just a shame it is too small!!! Never mind!! I have this yarn in 6 different colours, this pink above, Teal, Silver, Red, Purple and white with the pearl glitter through it. I love these for adding glitter to my Christmas toys and decorations as it really adds something, and makes them much more festive.

This is the white version and I will feature this cute angel pattern soon as it is really easy and makes a great gift for anyone who needs a little pick me up. I love the iridescent part of this yarn, it just creates such a beautiful piece, and I've also used it in my latest pattern for a nativity for the angel. Here is a sneak peek at some of the other colours I own in this from the Nativity.

Aren't these wise guys cute? I love them!!! I'm only showing you their backs because you can see the glittery yarn better. This yarn is also machine washable, tumble driable and you can iron it too, should you really want to! Great yarn, great price, great finish!!

Have a great day all, enjoy this lovely weather we are having in the UK, and for those of you abroad, hope you have sunshine too!

Book of the Week: Jean Greenhowe Christmas Special

Happy Friday everyone!!! Hope you are all well. Today I am definitely feeling that getting out of bed is grossly overrated. So I'm going festive in a bid to cheer me up!! I am sure some of you will moan about the fact that I am about to review a Christmas book, but for all of you who, like me, love Christmas and also really want to knit a nativity then you will probably want to start early. I started mine around this time of the year, and it was finished and ready for Christmas. If you are bah humbug, then fine!!!

The book has 16 patterns, but  there are much more than that because the nativity has many parts, as has many of the others. I have knit so many patterns from this book, and I love all of them. There are a few of the patterns below that I have knit, and they are all so cute. I love the basic patterns that Jean Greenhowe creates that can be customised. The stockings below really show this customisation. I have added a pocket to each of them, and used the little dolls from the book for each one too. The Blattman's stocking is the really cute Tardis one and has a K-9 in the pocket.

Another favourite has to be the nativity- I just love it so much, and it is sure to be a family heirloom as well as one of my favourite patterns.

This is a great book for all you christmas lovers out there, and want to decorate your house with knits, as well as gift a lot too. Other patterns include the last minute dolls that I've put in the stockings, a bear and reindeer, a large Santa and Mrs Claus, Robins and a Cinderella topsy turvy doll. There are also tea cosies and tree decorations. I love this book so much and cannot recommend it enough. Imagine all the fun you can have knitting for yourself and your family.

Deck the Halls

So we have already made the Blog a little more Christmassy by this spangly new background, but the Bricks and Mortar Blattcave takes a little longer. We normally decorate early December, and then bits and pieces get added over the month in our advent parcels, our family and us picking bits up as we go along. So here are the festive highlights from our house to yours.

 This beautiful nativity was bought for us by my Granny when we went to the Friars in Aylesford for their christmas fair. It was a lovely day, and they had a huge animatronic polar bear that walked and growled and responded to the audience. Granny thought it was real, in fact she still does. Bless. We put a candle in front of this and the light from the candle makes it even more magical!

Another Granny buy, again from the Christmas Fair. She said it reminded her of us! They are actually sparkly too and textured and they sit under our TV with the light up nativity from before.

This is our first nativity we bought together. It is actually a candle holder too, and all the cutouts behind the holy family light up when the candle is lit inside. Next to it is also one of my favourite Christmas cards from this season, from Fr Brian, and it is just so lovely it got upgraded from the card holder to the side!!

These are my special cards. The big one at the front is from my lovely Mum and StepDad who always buy such lovely cards. The Snowman was a present for the Blattman from me, and he loves him!! He is a bit in the way of the lovely card the BlattGrandparents bought us this year, but he isnt in real life in the way. Also, one of our Christmas traditions is that the Blattman always buys me a poinsettia, and I never know when he is going to buy it, it is always a surprise.

Here is our lovely Christmas tree!! It is black with white lights, and has only our special christmas decorations on, ones we have picked up or people have bought us. The knitted nativity sits underneath, along with a totally awesome glittery blue camel!!!

This has to be my favourite bauble. We bought it in Florida on our honeymoon back in 2009 and it is so beautiful. It has pride of place on our tree, right at the front, as well as the picture being my phone screensaver this time of year, along with Cliff as a ringtone. What more can you want!!

Sleigh safe everyone during this very special time of year, and many christmas wishes to you all. Coming very soon (hopefully this afternoon) is a brand new quick gift pattern too made in about half an hour- great last minute idea.

O Holy Night

Now one thing my house would not be complete without at Christmas is my nativity collection. I call it a collection now because I have so many and every year we buy a new little one. We have a T light holder one, we have a beautiful wooden one and a little olive wood one made in the Holy Land. And of course, how could I forget my first knitted one? (and my Husband, who I forgot was faffing about at the back of this one!!!)

This year, we decided to buy another from the Aylesford Priory. We had our eye on a small porcelain one that had sold out by the time we got there. But never fear, this one caught our eye. When I got to it, and saw how lovely it was, I was surprised to find a switch on the back. It lit up. Frankly it was coming home anyway but that sold it even more. It had to be ours!! Here is is. I love it so much.

 And for all of you waiting with baited breath for this pattern, here is a sneak peek of the newest pattern from the Blattcave, available on Ravelry soon. I am so pleased with how it has turned out. The photo is rubbish, I know, but its a secret sneak peek so you shouldnt expect david bailey!!

Let me know what you think of the new nativity!!

Tis Nearly the Season

Now we are over half way through October, I can hear those jingle bells vaguely coming over the horizon, and I can see the Coca Cola Advert in my minds eye, and we all know that means Holidays are most definately coming!!! So because of that, I have been knitting a few more christmas bits. Ive moved from the presents and into the decorations now and the excitement of Advent. This post is all about what is on my needles at the moment

This is my latest FOs, and I love it!! My most favourite part has to be the plug!!! My string of lights was a pattern originally knit in the round, and as you have probably worked out, DPNs and me are definately not friends!! I have sewn them onto a satin cord that looks like the twisted cables that normal christmas lights come on, and each light is a little pocket for a chocolate or a little gift. I love it and Im so pleased. It was a great stash buster and a very quick knit.

Another of my knits at the moment is my own new design and I will hope to publish the pattern by November, so people can knit their own before Christmas arrives. This particular Nativity is going to be knit for Year 2 at St Domenics RC Primary School and the BlattMother In Law who is their teacher. There are ten pieces, created for the ten school days after the first Sunday in Advent. I have already designed the basic body, and my first figure is Mary. The second is Gabriel, and he is coming along nicely. Here is a sneak peak of the pattern, and I hope you will all want to knit them as much as I do!!

As always, Sleigh safe everyone and look forward to sharing more patterns with you soon