It’s come as a bit of a shock to realise Easter is just around the corner. So much has been happening that our ‘normal’ yearly timetable of holidays and festive occasions has almost been forgotten.

We know that many of you will be wanting to make Easter as cheery and happy as possible for the smaller members of your family. Many of our customers also like to create and make to decorate their homes. And there’s a host of Easter patterns out there that will only use small amounts of your stash, or yarn you have left over from bigger projects.

I love these knitted eggs to hang from your Easter Tree, or some suitable Spring foliage you may have foraged on one of your exercise walks.

It’s a free pattern from my favourite NYC yarn shop Purl Soho (yes, we do have favourites in addition to our own)! Small amounts of your left-over 4ply (fingering) weight yarns will make these sweet little ornaments. But I think I’ll be making some from the WYS cocktail range, and then I’ll get a new pair of socks from the leftovers!

As a present for an older child or an adult, I don’t think anything beats this pair of sweet slippers.

Again, it’s a free pattern by Amy Gunderson, calling for a Sport weight yarn. Our Rowan Baby Cashsoft Merino is THE perfect yarn - soft, a lovely range of colours and machine washable - perfect for slippers!

But my favourite Easter pattern has to be Esther, Ernie and Enid, the Easter Chicken Trio designed by Janice Anderson. you can download the pattern for free from Rowan - here. Our wonderful Knit and Natter group got together last year to create not a Trio, but an entire hen house of chickens. Here’s a few of them, and you can see some others in the shop window, should you be walking to the supermarket or having your daily exercise.

We used small amounts of left over DK yarns, but any yarn will work - just adjust your needle size to suit. Last year we had a chicken with the world’s longest legs. One of our Knit and Natter group used the pattern to teach her daughter to knit - and the world’s longest legged chicken was the fab result from her. Kimi - fab - a year on and your chicken is still a legend.

Do let us know if you have any favourite Easter knitting or crochet patterns you would like to share - we’d love to hear from you in the Comments below each post. And don’t forget, it’s free postage on all orders over £20, using the code C20 at the checkout for yarn for these or any other project.

Wishing you happy hours with your yarn stash.

Boo