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. 

Frostwork

I'm so pleased to announce the release of Frostwork, my latest sock pattern.  Frostwork is knit up in Peppino from The Yarns of Rhichard Devrieze which is now being carried at The Loopy Ewe!

I had so much fun designing this sock and watching the lace pattern take shape.  It reminds me of diamond window panes from an English cottage that have been gracefully decorated in the night with Jack Frosts artwork. Use Coupon Code: JackFrost2014 for 20% off of Frostwork in my Ravelry Shop through 2/25.

A New Beginning

Sometimes in life we have to make some tough decisions that we really don't want to.  Working for Shalimar Yarns for the past three years was truly a wonderful experience.  I enjoyed helping the company grow and expand, getting to meet many wonderful people, and making new friends along the way.  It was a really hard decision to leave, but one that is the best for me and for my family.

Last week was my last week with Shalimar and it was bittersweet.  I have received so many emails, phone calls and messages wishing me the best and thanking me for my help.  It's been overwhelming and very emotional.  I really didn't expect anything like this and feel very honored.  I have also received a few questions on why I chose to leave. It was a very hard choice to make because not only did I leave my position, but left a friendship as well.  The reasons for leaving are nothing that needs to be addressed  publicly and I hope that is something that people can relate to and understand.

So what will I be doing now?  This was something that I asked myself before making my final decision.  As my husband says, this is an opportunity for a new beginning and my choices are unlimited.  For now, I will be concentrating on designing while I look for a new position.  I am hoping to stay in the yarn industry since that is where my skills can be used to their fullest potential.

I am really excited to have a new design coming out this Friday, Frostwork in Peppino.  The colorway is Frosted Windows and I really love the way it worked up in the pattern!  I will be giving away a copy of the Frostwork on my Facebook Page this Friday.  So be sure to "like" Lara Smoot Designs on Facebook for details on how to win!

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day to my one and only!

A Piece of Olympic Knitting History

Long before Ravelry and the Revellenic Games were even an idea, my Great Grandmother Sophie traveled from Maine to her home country of Russia for the 1980 Summer Olympics.  I was a gawky twelve at the time and I remember clearly when she came back and the stories of her adventure that she shared with us.   She had brought rolls of toilet paper and American jeans to trade for things and to give to her distant family members.  The things she brought back with her were priceless to us.  Among them was a stunning Orenburg Lace shawl depicting the Olympic Rings, the Emblem of the Games, 1980 and Moscow clearly written out in several languages, along with a boarder of stars.

 I thought of this shawl many times over the years, even before I was a knitter.  A couple of years ago my Grandmother (Sophie's daughter) asked if there was anything that I would like to have that belonged to her.  On the off chance that the shawl had survived and that my Grandmother had it, I asked for that.  Now, my family, particularly my mother,  is not the best at saving things so I didn't expect that it would even be in existence.  One example of this is a Civil War era quilt that my mother was going to cut up and make stuffed animals out of before I rescued it.  I was completely surprised when my Grandmother not only knew where the shawl was but offered to send it with a few other things she thought I might enjoy.

I hope you enjoy the pictures of this treasure.  The entire shawl is in garter stitch.  I'm not sure what type of yarn it's made from, but it's soft and fine and seems to be fairly sturdy while still being soft.  I would guess the weight to be cobweb lace.

I will be wearing this on Friday as I cast on for the Ravellenic Games.  I'm on Team Shalimar Yarns and will be competing in Sock Hockey.  The pattern is Hearts in Owlantis, and is a new colorwork sock design I have been working on. 

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!