Holiday Knitting

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Thank you so much for the support during my Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday Sale.  Now that you have stocked your Ravelry Library with some new patterns and did a bit of stash enhancement from the sales lists that Marly Bird and Lisa from Indie Untangled put together it's time to figure out what to cast on!   I'll be casting on a couple of pairs of Intersect Mitt's tonight for gift giving.  They knit up so quickly and it's a really fun pattern.  I have some nice yarn from Indieway Yarns in my stash that I plan on using for both pairs.

I also will be working on a few new designs in the coming months and am really looking forward to getting started on them.  One of them is going to be in this delicious yarn from Bare Naked Wools.  It's called Confection Sport, and there is good reason for that.  If you look up confection in the dictionary it should say: See Bare Naked Wools, but all it says is: a dish or delicacy made with sweet ingredients.  It's absolutely scrumptious!  This colorway is called Nougat, but it comes in several other delicious colorways like: Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate.  Yum!!

 I hope that you are enjoying the holiday season and remember to take time to relax and knit in between going to the market and trying to fit in all of the festivities.  Speaking of which, my annual Festivus post is coming right up and I have some fun prizes to give away! 

Catching Katniss

Earlier this year I was asked to design a project for a joint venture with Wendi from Indieway Yarns and our friend Sally who is a bag maker extraordinaire.  The theme for the project was Catching Fire from the Hunger Games books and movies. 

When I started planning Catching Katniss I wanted something light and airy that would be perfect to wear over your shoulders in the heat of summer without being too warm.  With the Catching Fire theme in mind I decided to incorporate the flames from the Mockingjay dress that Katniss wears.  The scene where Katniss's dress bursts into flames and looks like the wings of a bird is my favorite part of the movie.  It's kind of magical and stunning all at the same time and just takes my breath away.  The lace edging represents the flames of the dress and the fun colorway called Ring of Fire has many different tonal shades that flames tend to have.

It was really important to me to create a design that would be both fun and easy to knit and completely effortless.  Summertime is when we all want to relax and have something that we don't have to think a lot about while we knit.  This is a perfect take to the beach or work on during a road trip project. Catching Katniss is deceptively easy to and begins with the lace edging and is worked from the bottom up. The body is worked in garter stitch short rows.  I hope you enjoy knitting it as much as I have enjoyed designing it!  Beth and Margi both had their test knit's done in a matter of days.

Wendi has a very limited number of kit's for Catching Katniss left in her Etsy shop.  Right now I think there are only 3 available.  If you really like this color be sure to grab up one of the kit's before they are gone!  If you would like to purchase just the pattern, it is available in my Ravelry Pattern Store.

Hearts in Owlantis and Despicable Socks

Socks are one of my favorite things to knit.  I almost always have a sock on my needles.  They are portable, can easily fit in my purse and can usually be knit from one skein of yarn.  If you are intimidated by complicated stitch patterns and have put off knitting a larger project because of this, socks really are a great way to get your feet wet - or keep them warm and dry!

My new Hearts in Owlantis pattern features a small bit of stranded colorwork in the center portion of the leg.  If you have never tried colorwork, these socks would be the perfect pattern to start with.  If you wanted to do a stash busting project to make these, you could even use several colors for a totally different look.  I'm dying to make them with a darker main color and a bright and possibly variegated contrasting color.  I'm having a hard time staying here and writing since I really want to go and dig through my stash to see what I have that would work! haha!

I have a coupon code for Hearts in Owlantis that is good through April 1 in my Ravlery Pattern Shop.  Enter: hoothoot when you check out and it will take $1.00 off.

 

The other fun sock pattern that is coming is Despicable Socks.  I love the Despicable Me movies and the Minions crack me up.  I laugh every time I see them and I even have a Despicable Me Fart Gun app on my phone.  Before you ask, it has a timer delay on it and yes I have set it to go off when I am not in the room! 

A couple of months ago Slipped Stitch Studios had a limited edition Minions bag set that I absolutely couldn't resist.  Michelle Berry of Berry Colorful Yarnings paired up with Slipped Stitch Studios and sent a long a little mini skein of a colorway called Minion. 

 

Before my bag set even arrived I was messaging Michelle to get my hands on the Minion yarn.  I had the design for the socks in my mind for a while and hadn't seen the right yarn for it.  The Minion colorway in the wide stripes is exactly what I was looking for.  They have a modified short row heel that has been designed to help prevent the pooling that can occur in the instep area with many self striping yarns. I am also including notes on how to get your sock stripes to match.  The pattern is available for pre-order on Ravelry: Despicable Socks and will be delivered to your Ravelry Libray on April 18th.  Why a pre-order?  It's so that you will have time to order the yarn from Michelle if you would like to join in the Despicable KAL in her group on Ravelry!  If you would like to pre-purchase the patten, use coupon code: Bapple until April 1 for $1.00 off.  Michelle will also have a few other colorways that are Despicably themed coming next week, so be sure to check to see what they are.  I have heard rumors that there is going to be Gru colorway!

I have some really exciting news to share with you!  My friend Stephanie of Spinderella and I are going to be sharing a booth at the Powhatan Festival of Fiber on April 26.  Steph will be bringing her fabulous hand thrown pottery yarn bowls, paintings of fiber animals and yarn, and her lovely hand spun yarn.  I will be bringing a full selection of my patterns and some fun project bags to store your yarn in.  I'm also going to kit up a few sock patterns and the Iridill shawlette pattern with some of my favorite yarns from Indieway Yarns!  I'm so excited to be a vendor this year.  If you are in the area I hope you can come to the festival and stop by our booth.

Spring Might Actually Be Here!

We happened to be very lucky and it was 65 here on the first day of spring!  The song birds are back and late last night I heard a flock of geese that were heading north for the summer.  While winters here aren't as harsh as many other areas, this one seemed to drag on a bit longer than normal.  The first spring flowers are making an appearance and can be spotted almost everywhere.  I really enjoy seeing them bloom!  This daffodil is in our garden.

 

I spotted this crocus while I was out running errands today.  It was peeking up through the grass next to the sidewalk. 

Ever since I was a little girl one of my favorite things is to get the mail.  You never know what might arrive that day, and even if it is bills it was still fun wondering what was going to be in the box before you got there.

Earlier this week I revived a package full of squishy goodness from Knitspot's Bare Naked Wools.  Erica aka majordomo contacted me about having a sample of Spark knitted for their Look Book in three colors of their wonderful Confection yarn and a second sample in Confection with hand dyed yarn as the accents.  Beth is knitting the sample that is all in BNW's and I am working on the one that has the hand dyed accents.  I'm using Confection Worsted in Cookies and Cream with Indieway's Best Worsted in Black Currant and Periwinkle. I love knitting with both of the yarns and putting them together is extra special!  Confection is lofty and soft and just glides through your fingers while you knit.  Best Worsted is soft and smooth and in Black Currant and Periwinkle really stands out with the Cookies and Cream.  Spark is one of those patterns that is fun to knit and doesn't require a large amount of yarn - just 70 yards for each contrasting color and 200 yards for the main color.  Choose a  neutral for the main color like Cookies and Cream and pair it with some brighter left overs that you have saved in your stash.  I think it would look great with a variegated colorway for the contrast too.  The possibilities are endless.

I've just gotten started on mine so you can't really see much yet.

 

A peek in my project bag shows how pretty the yarns look together:

 

I love the pictures of Confection that Anne has on Raverly.  It must have been a fun photo shoot!

The Reveal!

Since the Intersect MKAL has come to a close I thought it would be a good time to reveal what the patterns look like!  The ladies in the Indieway Yarns group all did a fabulous job on their projects!  Dragonstar posted about hers on her blog.  She also has an interesting post where she is knitting with giant needles - be sure to check that one out too.  You can see all of the projects for the MAKL on Ravelry.   I have to say that the Indieway group made me feel right at home and I had a blast getting to know everyone. Wendi, who is the creator of Indieway Yarns, has been wonderful to work with and so much fun!  I have another pattern coming out later this spring in her yarn and will have more details very soon.  I was so happy to see that AllisonMarie joined the group too.  I've known Allison from other groups on Ravelry and she is super nice.  We even met in person once which was really cool! 

Andy and I had such a great time doing the photo shoot for Intersect.  We were driving around downtown Lynchburg looking for a spot to take pictures when we spotted this great yellow door from a street above.    We parked a street below where we had spotted the door and took the walking path up to it.  I have no idea what the door leads to, which made it even more perfect for pictures for a Mystery Knit Along!

I am updating the pattern in Ravelry so that it includes pictures and will no longer be in clue format.  It's a fun knit and would make a perfect Easter gift.

I love the color of the door and really would like to paint something at our house in this shade of yellow!  Bright colors always cheer me up and I love being surrounded by them.

 

I have a few other fun things in the works that I will be posting about next week; a couple new patterns that are in the works and an upcoming KAL with Bare Naked Wools. If you go to their website there is a count down at the top of the page that is a mystery.  I have no idea what it's for and I would really like to know! I guess we will have to wait for 47 more days to find out. 

Spark

Andy and I had such a great time taking pictures of Spark last weekend!  We went for a walk downtown scouting out the perfect place and wound up finding this great looking stone wall.  A lot of the foundations and buildings in Lynchburg are older and have really interesting stone and brickwork.  We were lucky to find a spot with good lighting as the winter sun was extremely bright.

Spark is a fun to knit cute little cowl that is perfect to wear with everything from jeans to your favorite cashmere sweater. Pair your favorite worsted weight yarn in a nice neutral with two bright colors (you know you have some left overs that would be perfect for this in your stash) and you will be finished knitting in just a evening or two!

 

Spark is specially priced at $2.99 until March 17, St Paddys Day. 

Scrowl

Friday is finally here and what a relief!  It's been one of those weeks that even the simplest task seems to go wonky.  I plan on knitting on my Intersect Hat and relaxing while watching Neftlix or The Soprano's tonight.  We recently subscribed to HBO (there was a special deal) and have been able to watch a lot of shows that are new to us as well as get caught up on Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire.  We have also been watching Girls, which is a really odd show, but I can't seem to stop watching it so go figure! The best thing about tonight is that Andy has offered to cook.  He is making Italian Sausage, colored peppers, onions in a homemade sauce over Penne pasta.  I found some Cannoli at Fresh Market that the pastry chef guaranteed didn't come in contact with tree nuts, so we even have dessert.  

The Scrowl pattern is now available and is 20% off with coupon code: ShaliMarch2014 until 2/7.  Margi did an awesome job test knitting it and said she really liked the pattern.  I enjoyed knitting it and also wearing it.  It really blocks out the wind on the bone chilling days we have had recently.

From the pattern:

The Scrowl! It’s a scarf, it’s a wrap, it’s a cowl all in one; the perfect accessory to keep you warm and cozy while still looking stylish.

This is a very easy to knit pattern and uses two full skeins of Shalimar Yarns Edie Aran. Shown in the Penny Candy colorway. A great alternative would be Enzo Aran.

Both written and charted instructions are included.

I'm including this selfie so you can see what it looks like with a winter jacket.

My goal is to create patterns that are fun to knit and easy to follow and understand.  Knitting should be fun and patterns shouldn't be confusing!  There is nothing more frustrating (at least for me) than being in the middle of a pattern and not understanding what comes next or a technique that is being used.

I feel so blessed to have a  such a wonderful group of test knitters.  They give me feedback on what they like and don't like about how something is written or designed.  I know if something is working for me, but it's really important to have other eyes and hands on it so that it will work for others as well. 

I hope that you will find my patterns to be well written and enjoyable.  I would love to hear from you and see your projects!  

Cabin Fever

Well we finally had some snow here!  I know, I know, if you are living in one of the colder ares of the country you probably are sick and tired of the snow that has been inundating most of the country.  The forecasters have been promising snow for weeks now and Monday they predicted a blizzard.  Growing up in Maine when the forecasters call for a blizzard we knew to get prepared.  Here in Virginia preparation is still good, but not quite to the extreme that is called for elsewhere.  Are you ready to see the massive amount of snow that we got?

Yup, that's grass sticking up through the snow there.  If you look carefully you can see the nearly bare street in front of our house.  I took this picture early in the morning and by lunchtime most of the snow had melted. 

It has been pretty cold here over the past couple of weeks.  I'm taking full advantage of being inside for most of the day by working on some projects.  There is a really great tutorial from Martha Stewart on how to make Felted Knitting Baskets from old wool sweaters.  I had saved a sweater that had shrunk when I washed it to use for craft projects and decided to give this a go.  I tossed it in the washer with hot water and a little Dawn.  After it dried, I followed Martha's directions and voila!

That's Best Worsted from Indieway Yarns in Howlin' Wolf on the left, I'll be Home for Christmas in the center, Black Currant in the very back and a skein of Gnome Acres fingering in Aquaman peeking out on the right (that was from Andy for Christmas because I had a crush on Aquaman when I was a kid).

The basket was so easy and fun to make that I headed over to Goodwill to see if they had any wool sweaters that could work for another one.  I wound up finding two in the men's section for $3.75 each!  I felted both of them and have already turned one into a basket.

I put them on the shelf in the living room for now.  Eventually when the yarn/craft room/office is organized they will go in there. 

I have a couple of new designs that will be coming out very soon.  Margi just finished test knitting Scrowl and it will be released next Friday (1/31).  It's knit up in Shalimar Yarns Edie Aran and only takes two skeins.  It's a very versatile accessory and can be worn as a cowl, wrap, and a scarf!

I finally figured out a name for the socks in Peppino!  I'm calling it: Frostwork.  Margi and Andi are test knitting it and the release date is February 21.

 The other upcoming release will be Spark.  It's knit up in Shalimar Yarns Enzo Worsted and will be part of the ShaliMarch celebration.  Beth is test knitting it and it will be released in late February. Spark takes about 200 yards of the main color and 70 yards of each contrasting color.

I finished up the handspun sweater and I am so happy with it!  After shopping around at a couple craft stores, I wound up finding the ribbon for the button band at JoAnn's.  I know it's a little glitzy as an accent for natural yarn, but I couldn't resist it.

I'm really pleased with the way it fits.  It's also super warm and very soft.  There is really nothing that compares to wool.  I love the way it feels, the natural warmth of it and the weight of it too.  I have an entralac throw that I knitted a few years ago from two Jacob fleeces. It's my go to wrap in the evenings when it's cold out.

To finish up, here are a couple of skeins that I recently spun.  The fiber is from Rivers Edge Fiber Arts.

The one on the left is Wild Berry Pie in Out of Oz. And the one on the right is Wine Festival in The Monkeys Uncle.

Can you tell I have had a little too much time on my hands and maybe a little too much time by myself?  At least I have put it to good use! 

Flu

Last Monday I was minding my own business and went to the doctor for some routine blood work.  I started to feel a little tired on Wednesday and by Thursday morning there was no way I was getting out of bed.  Coughing, fever and feeling like I had been hit by a truck.  I figured it was just a little bug and took some Dayquil and Nyquil.  By Saturday I was not improving so Andy hauled me back to the doctor (can you see the irony here?) where I found out that I had the flu.  Five days of Tamiflu and lot's of rest has me almost back to normal.  I normally don't go to the doctor when I first get sick as usually I get better fairly quickly.  This has been a huge learning experience and I have to say that if you are not feeling well and it's flu season, don't wait.  I could have been feeling much better sooner if I gone in when I first started feeling ill.

Now, on to much more fun stuff!  Today I released Frost in Bloom - The Hat.  It's introductory priced at $3.50 until February 1 in my Ravelry shop.  Shown here in Indieway Yarns First String in the Delicate Pastels colorway. I've also updated the Frost in Bloom infinity scarf pattern with new formatting and my logo. 

The handspun sweater that I had posted about last time is nearly done.  I'm so excited about it!  It fits me really well and I love how it kind of stripes in the center.  The fleece that I used was from a Jacob sheep which are multicolored.  It's a little difficult to blend the colors together evenly when processing fleece by hand so some of the skeins that I spun are darker or lighter and have a cool striping effect.  I think I was pretty lucky with where the darker stripe is. It sort of looks like it was intended that way and gives a slimming illusion in the waist area. 

I knitted the button and neck band all in one piece, adding a bit of mitering where they join.  It still needs a final steam to smooth out the button band.  I'm heading out tomorrow in search of ribbon to line the inside of the button band with.  The buttons are so cute!  I had purchased two of them a couple of years ago from Melissa Jean while I was at MDSW.  I had no idea what I would use them for and when I laid them out on this sweater I knew they were perfect!  I went to her online shop and ordered more (thankfully she had them in stock) and they arrived yesterday.  There will be nine of them, which is why I need to line the button band. 

The First Clue from the Intersect MKAL went out today.  I can't wait to see everyone's projects!  If you have a chance pop on over to the Indieway Yarns group on Ravelry to see all the Intersect projects!

Intersect Mystery Kint Along

The Intersect Mystery Knit Along pattern is now available!  I'm so excited about the MYKAL, it's two fun filled patterns that are perfect for those of us who have been overwhelmed with holiday knitting and need a little something to sit back and relax with.  

Wendi has a thread going for the MKAL in the Indieway Yarns Group on Ravelry where you can join in on the fun and we can answer any questions that you may have.  

Intersect is specially priced until Jan 1 at $6.50 which includes both patterns for the MKAL, no coupon code is needed.

Here is a little information about the MKAL and the pattern:
 

Welcome to the Intersect Mystery Knit Along! Two effortless projects, clear instructions, six clues and a lot of fun along the way. Both patterns have been test knitted and tech edited to ensure that you have an enjoyable experience!

The first clue will be released on January 17th with a new clue being released every Friday for five consecutive weeks. Join us in the Indieway Yarns Group where you can post progress pictures and we can answer any questions you may have.

The clues are designed for those of us who have been wiped out from holiday cheer and want something fun and relaxing to knit.

What are the two projects? A hat and matching mitts. Why is this being disclosed? You may have thought it was supposed to be a secret… Well, Wendi and I felt that knitters would want to have an idea of what they were going to be knitting. It helps in choosing the color of the yarn, and this way you won’t be expecting an Estonian shawl or something of that nature.

Wendi from Indieway Yarns has generously offered a coupon code for $2 off per skein (may be applied to non–sale yarns) for the MKAL. Use it when ordering in her Etsy shop : https://www.etsy.com/shop/Indiewayarns?ref=si_shop For 1 skein: 1mystery For 2 skeins: 2mystery

Materials needed for the MKAL: 2 skeins of Indieway Yarns Best Worsted. The color used for the original design is Periwinkle. The pattern looks fab in tonal and semisolid colors, and also will work in variegated colorways as the pattern stitch will break up pooling that sometimes occurs.

Notions: Stitch markers, stitch holder (optional), and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

Needles:
Hat: US 5/3.75 mm 16” circular needle, US 6/4mm 16” circular needle and dpns, or size needed to obtain gauge.
Mitts: US 4/3.5 mm set of dpns or size needed to obtain gauge.

Gauge:
Hat: 22 sts X 28 rows = 4” blocked in stockinette.
Mitts: 20 sts X 32 rows = 4” blocked in stockinette.

Gauge is critical to the fit of both the hat and mitts. Be sure to take time to check your gauge.

Now all that is left to do is to choose a color for your hat and mitts.   Wendi sent me this fantastic shade of deep purple called Black Currant which I am in love with! I just took a peek in her shop and I don't see that colorway in there, but a little birdy told me that more Best Worsted is being added to the shop later on today, so be sure to check and see what colors she is adding.

 

A Festivus Fortherestivus

That's right, it's the time of year that many of us have been waiting for.  It's almost December 23 which means it's time for the Annual Airing of Grievances for Festivus! Since no one ever likes to go first in these things, I will start: 


To my mother who decided to tell my Grandmother she is putting her in a nursing home. Right. Before. Christmas. What is wrong with you? I can't comment further on this, because quite frankly I am infuriated. You couldn't wait a couple of weeks to do this?

To the person who brought the nut encrusted cookies of death into our home last year.  Do it this year, and it will be the last time you are invited over.  I really want to print out a copy of this article to give to you, but my sweet husband has asked me not to.

Share your Festivus grievance in the comments section by Thursday December 26 and be entered to win my new Intersect Mystery KAL pattern!

I will be talking more about the pattern the next couple of weeks here on my blog and in the Indieway Yarns group on Ravelry.  There will be a thread for the KAL in the Indieway group (it should be up today or tomorrow).  The KAL will consist of two patterns and six clues.  The first clue will be released on January 17th with a new clue coming out each Friday after that.  So, are you wondering what the patterns will be?  A very cute hat and matching mitts!  The samples that I did continually get compliments every time I wear them.  The test knitters have all been sending me pictures of the ones they have made and it's so much fun to see what they look like in other colors.  For the KAL you will need two skeins of Indieway's Best Worsted.  It's a really enjoyable yarn to knit with.  It has a great hand, shows stitch definition well, and best of all it wears well.  It's soft and warm, and I've worn the heck out of the mitt's and there are no signs of pilling. I hope you can join us for the KAL, the Indiway Group has a lot of great gal's in it and the KAL is going to be a lot fun!  

PS The pattern will be available for purchase on Ravelry beginning December 27. 

Iridill

It's finally here!  This afternoon I released Iridill.  I'm really excited about this pattern and hope that you will find it to be a fun knit.  I think that knitting should be fun which is why I strive to have my patterns be clear and easy to follow. My test knitters all loved knitting this one and I think you will too!  A huge thank you to Lydia, Aparna, Debbi, Debby and Michelle who all did a fantastic job test knitting.  A lot of time and effort goes into designing a pattern, and it's not possible to do a good job without fantastic test knitters.

The Iridill pattern includes two sizes: The Shawl in Worsted and Shawlette in Fingering.  

Introductory priced at $4.50 until December 15 in my Ravelry Shop.  

Shawlette shown in Miss Babs Yummy in Maryland 2013

Shawl in Miss Babs Yowza in Perfect Wreckless.

The shawlette would also work up really nicely in Shalimar Yarns Zoe Sock or Indieway Yarns First String Sock. As an alternative worsted weight Shalimar's Honey Worsted or Indieway's Best Worsted would work well.

If you were wondering where the name came from, here is the story from the pattern:

I have to admit that I am a bit of a magpie. I am drawn to things that have a bit of shine to them, and Carnival Glass is no exception. It comes in beautiful colors that shimmer in the light, showing off the lovely patterns that are molded into the glass. When Carnival Glass first came into production it was called Iridill. The Iridill Shawl and Shawlette are inspired by the ever changing colors in Carnival Glass. It’s an easy knit that will really show off in variegated yarns.