Walsall Wonderland

Thanks to my fiancé, I just received my first pair of Lantern Moon knitting needles, and I couldn’t be happier with them!

I’ve always liked this brand of needle, because they have always looked so very lovely. Lantern Moon is a company that produces handmade knitting needles, as well as some knitting accessories. They support the regions where there products come from, by putting funds back with the hand-crafters. I think they have a nicely ethical business model, and I can’t say how much I like there products!

My fiancé gave me a pair of 4.5mm needles – he asked which ones I would like most and this seemed a size I would use a lot – and a needle case. I love the case, too. It is a red and teal woven fabric, with silk on the inside and on a band round the middle. It is so nice to finally have a lovely place to keep all my needles, this is a first, because before this, they were kept all bundled together with an elastic band in a drawer in my knitting cabinet. Not good! This case is so pretty, and sturdy too!

I’ve decided the very first thing I’m going to knit with my needles will be a pretty little ruffled neckwarmer, which I’ll link a little later on. I cast on today, and I have to say, these needles are lovely to work with! They are a little heavier and slicker than my bamboo ones, but not cold and too slick like my aluminium ones. I can’t wait to get further in this lovely pattern!

Now, about this pattern, it’s a Ruffled Neckwarmer, and has quite the strong Victorian sort of feel to it. It’s meant to be knit on 5mm needles, but in this case I wanted to use my new Lantern Moon ones, and the yarn I’m using calls for this size. I’m expecting it to work out quite nicely as other Ravelriers have done the same as me and there’s all seemed nice too. This pattern calls for some pretty buttons, too, so now I get the extra bonus of having to shop for those!