New Pattern: Aerie

This pattern originally was designed for the January 2013 Tanis Fiber Arts Year in Colour Club, and now that it is no longer 2013, it is available for purchase- $6!

This scarf/stole knits up with about 550 yards of fingering. The original yarn, a luscious 100% mulberry silk, lends a lot of drape and movement to the scarf. 

Hard to believe it's been a year since I knit/designed it! More information can be found on the pattern page, here. I tend to be quieter about designs that aren't available to everyone, since I know a year can be a very long wait for a pattern. I've been meaning to try knitting this on larger needles and with a heavier weight of yarn, just to see what it's like. We'll see if I get to it this winter! 

New Pattern: Lilacs for Lila

Way back in April, I knit this sweet little bonnet for Lila. I'm a sucker for knitted bonnets on babies, and I wanted something that would look vintage and gorgeous, but knit up super fast. It's perfect for using up DK weight yarn you have kicking around! It's easy to knit in a day or two, and you could make it even faster by using ribbon for the ties, instead of i cord. The pattern has sizing for babies 1 month- 4 years.

Check out the details on the Ravelry pattern page, here.

New Pattern: Fairy Mist

Earlier this spring, I was working away on a lace weight cowl design for the May installment of the Tanis Fiber Arts Year in Colour Club, 2013. The result? Fairy Mist!



This cowl is knit with 500 yards (half the skein) of Pink Label laceweight, and it feels like a light and fluffy cloud around my neck and shoulders.



It's knit on 3.25 mm needles, and the pattern is easy to memorize. Combined with near-weightless yarn, it's a great on-the-go knitting project, since it didn't take up much room in my bag or weigh me down at all. And the best thing about knitting on the go is that even though the yarn is fine and the needles are small, it didn't take long at all to finish this.



The colours reminded me a lot of Victorian fairy paintings and A Midsummer Night's Dream, so I called it Fairy Mist. It's the kind of thing that's perfect to wear at dusk, when it's just a little chilly.



The pattern is exclusive with the yarn to the Year in Colour Club members, but it will be available for purchase in 2014.

New Patterns! A Giveaway! The Stella Collection!

 I'm so excited that this is now live!! Tanis and I have been busy working on a summery little lace collection:

Clockwise from top left: Nashira, Adhara, Solaria, and Suncrest.

The collection features 4 lace shawls interpreted in different ways: Nashira is a rectangular stole, Adhara is a two-colour triangular shawl, Solaria is a cowl (can also be worn as a caplet), and Suncrest is a half-oval.The whole collection is available for $15 (bargain!), or individually for $6 each.

 I designed Solaria during the final stages of my pregnancy, but Nashira was designed entirely after Lila was born. I can't get as much knitting done as I'd like, but having a newborn just makes me choosier about my projects, and designs.

Tanis of course designed the lovely Adhara and Suncrest:

All of the designs feature a different Tanis Fiber Arts yarn base and colourway. And of course, there are tonnes of colours to choose from!

Let's get to the giveaway! We're giving away to one lucky knitter a copy of the ebook, which includes all 4 patterns. To enter, leave a comment below telling me which pattern you are most excited to knit. Don't forget to leave your email or Ravelry ID, so I can get in touch with you if you win!  You can enter until 7:00 a.m. on Friday, June 22nd. I'll announce a winner that Friday afternoon. Good luck!

New Pattern: Wildflower Tank

The Spring 2012 issue of Interweave Knits is now available, so I can share with you some exciting news- my Wildflower Tank is in it!

 Ravelry Pattern Link 

I actually knit this in the summer of 2011, and made a few more changes in the fall, but I'm really happy with the results. it' s knit in 100% mulberry silk and feels amazing on. At the time, we took some test shots, even though I knew I was going to redo the back later on. It has about 1" positive ease on me, and I recommend a little bit of ease, so that the silk can drape. For those that think a drawstring i-cord is way too much i-cord, i bet you could easily crochet chain a drawstring instead- it would be much faster.


 Note: a black strapless bra under this was a bad choice. Wish I had worn the skin coloured one.

I had a hard time imagining summer knitting already until I saw the issue preview- now I'm excited about summer knitting!

New Pattern: Strada Headband

 

Who says winter accessories can't be glam? 

Strada is the finished pattern for the headband I designed and knitted for my cousin for Christmas. It's a quick project that could easily be done in one day or over the weekend, and (as I can personally attest) it makes an awesome gift!

The pattern is $4, and can be purchased by clicking the 'buy now' button below:

   or you can check out the pattern on Ravelry here.

The details:
This is a one-size-fits-most pattern, but it is easy to make it smaller or larger- just knit the bands a little longer or shorter, as needed. It's easy to hold it around your head while still on the needles to ensure a good fit. I knit this on two (4mm (US 6) dpns. The bow is knit flat, seamed, and sewn onto the headband with just a few stitches at each bow end to keep it attached.

Yarn: 1 skein of Tanis Fiber Arts Yellow Label DK weight (it will take approximately half a skein, so you can make two!) in 'Brick' 

Needles: 4mm (US 6)

And of course, a tapestry needle and a button for the back closure.



You know, when my cousin first requested the headband, I was really dubious- I just couldn't imagine how a big bow could look... grown up. But the trick is proportion- the bow isn't too big and showy, and it's not too small and twee. Positioning it on the side gives this headband a lot more 1920s style, I think. My cousin was right- a headband with a bow IS awesome.

Pink Grapefruit Cowl and Mitts are now LIVE!!

The Pink Grapefruit Cowl and Mitts pattern is now for sale!! This was the exclusive pattern I developed last spring for the  2011 Tanis Fiber Arts Year in Colour (my month was May).Now that 2011 is over, the pattern is publicly available for $4 (you get both the cowl and mitts patterns together in the download).
Included in the pattern is a video tutorial link on how to 'unravel' the dropped stitches portion, so you can see exactly how it works for the cowl. The mitts include two sizes.

This is my first time adding a not-free pattern to Ravelry, so I wasn't sure how to link both the Cowl and Mitts. If anyone knows of a better way, please let me know!

The cowl is more of a necklace style, and is surprisingly warm and wearable. I know it looks more decorative than warm but somehow it just works and is indeed cozy (although I imagine if you use cotton yarn, not so cozy). I knit it again later that summer in blue, using a full skein (220 yards):

I really love both the cowl and mitts, and I hope you do too!

New Pattern: Velvet Morning

I'm so excited that the new issue of Knitty has gone live, and my latest pattern is in it! Everyone, please meet Velvet Morning:

It's knit up in Tanis Fiber Arts Green Label, with Midnight as the base colour, and three contrasting colours: Sand, Mallard, and Atlantic. Tanis graciously test knit it for me in a totally different colourway, and you should check out her photos here.

I LOVE this sweater. it's such an easy thing to wear- pants, long sleeved tee, Velvet Morning. Done. 

It was ridiculously hot when we did this photos, I was getting cranky from the heat (I was also very early days pregnant, I may not have been feeling awesome, either- I was so tired all the time in the first trimester). So  I'm not as smiley as I usually am! But trust me- I wear this sweater all the time, and I'm so glad that it still fits now that I'm pregnant. That's the best part when all the growth is up front- open, drape-y cardigans still fit like a dream.

 The sweater is meant to be oversized, with lots of positive ease, and lots of cozy warmth.   The sweater knits up surprisingly quickly in the aran weight, and for those that aren't crazy about stranded colourwork, I bet this would look amazing in two colours- one base colour and one contrasting colour. I hope someone does it so I can check it out!

FO: Blue Grapefruit

Pattern: Pink Grapefruit Cowl

Yarn: Knitpicks Gloss in 'Dusk'

Needles: 3.5 mm (US 4)

Mods: none.

Notes: I had a skein of KnitPicks Gloss in Dusk left over from 2007, when I was knitting Thermal. I noticed that the colour has been discontinued, which is too bad. I thought it would be the prefect skein to experiment with a bit more yardage, and see how the cowl looked- I used the whole skein (220 yards), and was super pleased with the results. It is like wearing a really stylish necklace. I loved the outfit I was wearing this day (we were at Niagara Falls), and the cowl really made it feel more polished for me. That, and I'm super in love with my vintage wicker purse (Ebay totally came through for me that day). I think I'm going to need a bunch of these cowls in different colours.

 

This was my favourite photo of the day, I think:

"There is a velociraptor eating my handbag!"

New Pattern: Pink Grapefruit Cowl and Mitts

My latest pattern is now live!

The Pink Grapefruit Cowl and Mitts were created for the Tanis Fiber Arts year in Colour Club, which sends out an exclusive pattern and a custom-dyed colourway to each of the club's members every second month.  This means that for those of you not a member, this is a horribly teasing post about a pattern that is not available just yet! This pattern will remain exclusive to the TFA Year in Colour Club until next year. But don't despair! You can still purchase a membership to the club at any time, and you'll be sent all the yarns and previous patterns up to the current month.

And if you are willing to wait, I will be selling the pattern (both the mitts and the cowl/scarf are included in the pattern) next year. 

Stockholm Scarf- Now in Swedish!

Just a quick post to let you know that the Stockholm Scarf is available in Swedish!!

A huge thank you simply must go out to Inger Lundin. She put together a fabulous translation in December, and then I got distracted by the holidays, but it is now live! The side bar (over there to the right) has the short cut to the pattern, in both Swedish and English.

As a complete aside, my favourite Swedish word is 'fika'. I'm amazed that we don't have a word for it in English, but it means a coffee/hot beverage and a treat (such a a slice of cake, a tart, croissant, etc.). "Let's go for a fika!' sounds way more interesting than 'Let's go for a coffee', don't you think?

Pattern: Stockholm Scarf

I did promise you all a free pattern, right?

I'm excited to introduce the Stockholm Scarf, which is a luxuriously large and cozy infinity scarf. This scarf looks good with dressy and casual coats, and adds a great pop of colour on a dreary winter (or in this case, a very pretty November) morning. This is a quick knit, and so easy to wear.

I was inspired to create this after all the great compliments I got on the big infinity scarf I bought in Stockholm in August. I was a bit embarrassed when people asked if I had made it and I had to say no (although I then got to say that I got it in Stockholm, and that part was pretty fun).

This scarf features a completely reversible stitch pattern with a 4 row repeat, and is easy to memorize. I knitted this scarf in two pieces and seamed them together, but this was because I didn't have a needle long enough for the whole scarf. The pattern is easy to knit either flat (back and forth in two pieces) or in the round. It's also a fast knit- it took me less than a week from cast on to cast off.

What are you waiting for? Grab the pattern here! Ravelry pattern link is here. It took me 4 tries to figure it out, so if there are 3 other versions of the pattern out there, my apologies. I left my cleverness in bed this morning, it seems.

A huge thank you goes to my husband G. Not just for the photos (and he always takes such great photos), but for designing the pattern layout and making it look great. In the title bar of the pattern, there is an odd shaping- that is actually an outline of a Stockholm city map. All his idea, and it looks incredible. Thanks, my love!!