With every long, cosy, woolly knitterly winter that comes and goes, I sink deeper into understanding what knitting is all about. Over the years, knitting and knitting lifestyles are something about which I've thought long and hard. After all, my life is full-of-wool: yarn, needles, knitters, stitches, mistakes, frogging and just-one-more-row-please.

Blocking can feel like a mystery when your project has an unfamiliar shape.

So, we include a sketch in every Truly Myrtle pattern showing you the shape to block your project.

You'll find it on the "yarn and notions page" with information about what needles, yarn and gauge you'll need.

I didn't always spin. And, to be honest, I haven't spun for ages – my spinning wheel sits next to my podcasting couch, and she looks a little lonely. I used to think spinning looked wildly complicated. My efforts at coordinating my feet and hands sitting at demo spinning wheels at yarn festivals were hilarious. Thankfully, they weren't enough to put me off entirely, but it did mean my spinning journey began with a tiny spindle rather than a big wheel. I've been reflecting on a few things...

My favourite kind of knitting is 90% "chill" with a splash of "twist". And, by twist, I mean an assortment of possible adventures, from clever construction and sublime details to effortless stitches producing incredible results. Some days I relish deciphering complicated charts and instructions that have me squinting my eyes and seeing if I can understand better with a fresh cup of tea in my hand. But mostly, when I pick up my needles, I crave straight-forward, manageable stitches with just a dollop of exuberance that's simple to master. So, it makes sense that I tend to stick to this recipe when I'm dreaming up my designs…there are 5 great features we focus on to make Truly Myrtle patterns enjoyable knits: