Alison Carminke
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alisoncarminke.bsky.social
Alison Carminke
@alisoncarminke.bsky.social
150 followers 850 following 160 posts
How do you coin a phrase though, that'll set your soul apart?

she/her
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alisoncarminke.bsky.social
Hoodola hooded cowl/balaclava by Laura Nelkin

This was a very fun knit, my first Judy's magic cast-on

Not sure how much wear I'll get out of it, but I'm glad I made it

#craftsky #knitting
A white person wearing a red stocking stitch hood with a balaclava section of ribbing pulled up over their mouth and nose. There are icord pulls visible at the bottom of the hood.
November 9, 2025 at 12:16 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
My finished Floral Fallal jumper by Vanessa Ewing. Made with Scheepjes DK acrylic that I frogged from a previous jumper that I never wore. Really happy that this will get more use than the old one.

#craftsky #knitting
A bright purple drop sleeve jumper, hanging on a washing line in a garden. It has a bright pink colourwork motif: a row of large roses starting just at the bust apex, and a long geometric fleur de lys motif from below the roses to the bottom ribbing, and just above the cuff ribbing.
November 7, 2025 at 9:47 AM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
My surprise grab bag from @thirdvaultyarns.com arrived! Beautiful goodies!

Was hoping for some yarn for Joji Locatelli's shawl MKAL starting 1 Nov, think the turquoise-purple corriedale mohair will be perfect for that

Grab bags still available for £10/£20/£30

#craftsky #knitting #handdyedyarn
Colour pattern booklet for Noughts and Crosses Cowl by Lola Johnson (cowl with cable cross design down the front and eyelets either side). Next to the booklet is a pin shaped like a skein of brown and gold yarn, a colourful diamond-shaped stitch marker, and five metal stitch markers on a ring, shaped like circles and stars. Four skeins of yarn in a row. From top to bottom: purple DK with a slight variation in tone; sock yarn variegated from burgundy to bronze; corriedale mohair fingering weight in turquoise with some purple; a DK mini skein variegated from turquoise to pale lilac.
October 27, 2025 at 3:19 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
I think this tree near me is either a Japanese maple or Red maple (PlantNet best guess). Today is the first time I noticed it has this kind of horse chestnut-looking pod

#tree #acer
Close-up of some bright and dark red five-pointed leaves, hanging at the end of a branch. A bright green spiky seed hangs among them. In the background, there's a blurry carpet of dull dark red fallen leaves on grass.
October 24, 2025 at 11:34 AM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
Current WIP is the Floral Fallal by Vanessa Ewing. I don't love bottom-up, but it's worth it for these gorgeous roses

#craftsky #knitting #colourwork
Close-up of a section of a knitted jumper, in purple acrylic. It has 2x2 ribbing at the bottom, and a bold colourwork pattern in bright pink. There are long fleur de lys and dots at the bottom, and above them are some huge pink roses.
October 23, 2025 at 1:30 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
Little Halloween decorative piece by Sarah Ellen Designs from Shop in the Square (Wolverhampton)
A coaster-sized circular piece of resin art. The background is black with silver sparkles. The top has a dark pink sparkly circle, with a picture of a pumpkin surrounded by flowers and succulents on top. A hanging chain can be partly seen at the top.
October 15, 2025 at 1:46 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
#HalloweenPartyMKAL Day 13

I'm a day late, but my cowl is now finished and blocking. I made more colour changes in this final section (the lace should have been all lime green)
The cowl from previous days, stretched out and pinned on colourful blocking squares. The new bottom section has two rows of mint green garter stitch, then sections of pointed lace, with upside-down triangles in between. The lace starts with white, then goes to dark pink, then black at the edge and bind-off.
October 14, 2025 at 12:33 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
#HalloweenPartyMKAL Days 11 and 12

2-day colourwork again. I made a couple of changes in the colours
The cowl from previous days. The new colourwork section has a dark pink background, and rows of white ghosts, each holding a small pumpkin, and with orange and lime green striped socks and shoes
October 13, 2025 at 5:59 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
#HalloweenPartyMKAL Day 10

A nice short chart, using colours 4 and 6, which looks a bit grassy
The cowl from previous days, now with a narrow colourwork section showing a black picket fence on a lime green background
October 12, 2025 at 5:52 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
#HalloweenPartyMKAL Days 8 and 9

I've fallen behind, trying to knit a few days' worth today, to get back up to date, since tomorrow is the last clue!

A second 2-day colourwork chart, using colours 2, 5 and 6. The noses should also have been colour 4, but I subbed in 5 as it works better
The chart from previous days, now with a long colourwork section. The background is mint green, there are black cats with green eyes and orange noses, standing and holding pumpkins as large as their bodies.
October 12, 2025 at 3:43 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
#HalloweenPartyMKAL Day 7

Very cute colourwork chart today, also shorter than all the others, using colours 3 and 4 (same as Day 2)
The cowl from previous days, now with a new section of a lime green background, and a dark pink snake, with decorative dots along its winding body
October 7, 2025 at 3:50 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
Simple Syrup by Beata Jezek of @hedgehogfibres.bsky.social

A #stashbusting project - I used 2 balls of Poundland DK, knit only 50 stitches for Section 1, and did a reduced version of each section until the yarn ran out. Too short for a scarf, so became a cowl

#craftsky #knitting
A cowl with alternating white/yellow and pastel gradient yarns. It's folded over on itself. The top section shows varying wider stripes of white/yellow, with green and blue pastel 1-row stripes between. The bottom section shows bias 1:1 stripes.
October 7, 2025 at 1:12 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
I didn't realise that foxes could climb, but apparently so, as one has been sleeping on our shed roof all morning
A large red fox, lying on its side with its legs stretched out, on a flat shed roof covered in plastic sheeting
October 7, 2025 at 9:19 AM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
#HalloweenPartyMKAL Days 5 and 6

This was a colourwork motif split over two days, using colours 1 and 6
The cowl from previous days, now with a section of hanging skeletons and bone crosses in white on a black background
October 6, 2025 at 3:56 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
#HalloweenPartyMKAL Day 4

Using colour 2 again, more relaxing texture knitting
Left half of the cowl from previous days. It now has a new section in mint green, with a pattern of triangular garter stitch "moths" against a stocking stitch background. A column of stocking stitch between the garter triangles looks like the moth body.
October 4, 2025 at 3:04 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
#halloweenpartymkal Day 3

Just colour 5 today, with some texture and shaping
Cowl from above with a new orange section. This has right- and left-leaning decreases to make round pumpkin shapes in stocking stitch, on a garter stitch background. Slipped stitches of the pink from Day 2 make the pumpkin stems.
October 3, 2025 at 4:19 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
#halloweenpartymkal Day 2

Colours 3 and 4 used, and a fun stitch that reminded me a bit of Wool and Pine's scotch broom
The green and white section from Day 1, with a new section of dark pink garter stitch borders, a lime green stocking stitch section in between with a pattern of seven loops radiating from a centre stitch, to mimic party wigs
October 2, 2025 at 12:24 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
#halloweenpartymkal Day 1

Colours 1 and 2 used, with a stitch I'd never tried before
The beginning of a cowl, with a garter tab in white, and a body of round white and green blobs, that look a little like apples (the pattern theme suggests apple bobbing)
October 1, 2025 at 9:15 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
Corvids 19 cowl by @harperbee.bsky.social, in the same wools as the bat hat I made recently. I chopped off the top half of the chart to have just one row of crows.

#craftsky #knitting
A cowl with top and bottom ribbing in a variegated purple and teal yarn. The main body has a white background, and a pattern of pairs of crows facing each other, with swirls in between them.
September 22, 2025 at 3:19 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
Using up four lots of stash wool for the Fade névé jumper by @dreareneeknits.bsky.social

#craftsky #knitting #stashbusting
A jumper which fades from white at the neck, to light pink at the shoulders, dark pink at the lower chest and maroon at the bottom. It has a row of bobbles every nine rows
September 22, 2025 at 2:10 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
Made a bat hat as part of the Halloween Haunt-a-long (knit and crochet) currently being run by @gamercrafting.bsky.social

Pattern is the (shortened) Eliot Hat by @harperbee.bsky.social

The dark yarn is Floof Fibres and the light one is seaweed yarn by Vegan Yarns UK

#craftsky #knitting
A knitted short beanie, with a twisted ribbing brim in a variegated turquoise, teal and dark purple mix. The main body has a greenish-white background, and a repeating motif of small bats with outspread wings.
September 19, 2025 at 1:15 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
My first crochet project!

Textures tee by @tigerseyehandmade.bsky.social, in Paintbox cotton DK.

This was mostly single crochet and chains, so easy enough for me as a beginner, but the end effect looks quite detailed and fancy.

#craftsky #crochet
A crocheted tee in racing green cotton. It has vertical panels with eyelets from shoulder to high waist, and then a horizontal panel with the same panel to hip length. It has a round neck and very short sleeves.
August 31, 2025 at 11:09 AM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
V-neck magpie tee by Skeinanigans, in Lunar Confetti by Cool Woolings (plus some discontinued Sirdar Duet for the shoulders and sleeves). It's a loose, mesh gauge, so I extended the sleeves to be able to throw it over other tops when it's a bit cold.

#craftsky #knitting
A light, loose-gauge jumper hangs from a washing line against a garden wall backdrop. The body is black with little pops of neon all over (pink, orange, yellow, green, blue). The sleeves are plain black, with matt and shiny stripes. There is an all-over broken stocking stitch pattern (three rows of stocking stitch and a garter rib). It has a v-neck and i-cord trim.
August 31, 2025 at 11:04 AM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
So many beautiful things to see at the Come As You Really Are exhibition by Hetain Patel at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

Really lovely to see people's treasured hobbies and creations out for others to enjoy.

A tiny fraction of the display in the pictures below

#ComeAsYouReallyAre #Wolverhampton
A display next to very dark green walls and shelves, including: several small heart-shaped frames wrapped in different colours of thread and with decorations handing from the centre point; two small cacti; some small trees and flowers made of glass; large rocks painted with two-colour optical illusion designs, four small sqare floral paintings, two small circular embroideries in hoops, a plate shaped like a pink and white flower. Display case containing lacquered and gilded wooden objects: a lacquered green bowl, a lacquered rust-red vase, a vase with partial gilding in vertical ridges, a grey item that looks a bit like a sundial, a large flat circular item with a gold and black design that looks a little like sun rays and clouds.
August 29, 2025 at 3:11 PM
alisoncarminke.bsky.social
A knitted jumper from some Scheepjes Luca aran that has been in my stash for years. The pattern is Jules by This Bird Knits. The neck may be a little wide, so I'm going to try wearing it and then adjust if I can't get on with it (not sure how yet).

#craftsky #knitting
A knitted jumper in thick and slightly fluffy magenta acrylic. It has a simple repeating lace pattern across the yoke, with a plain stocking stitch body. It has a deep and wide scoop neck.
August 29, 2025 at 1:36 PM