Happy 7th Anniversary, Loopy Ewe!
Wow! How is August almost over? Here I was still making grand plans for things to do this summer, and school starts on me. Is this what happens as our children get older? Time disappears?
Anyway, since August is here, that means my friends over at The Loopy Ewe just had another anniversary. Number 7 to be exact. That also means that I did another anniversary pattern for them. This time, though, it is not a sock pattern. I did a little shawl pattern for this year, and I love it. Meet the Astral Shawl!
The shawl is knit from the top down in a custom color of Malabrigo Sock. (You can get it as part of the kit here.)
I think this is a great first shawl project. The lace patterns are smaller repeats, so it is far less overwhelming. See?
The instructions include both written instructions and charts, too. And since the shawl takes just one skein of yarn, it really is a quick knit.
Hope you enjoy knitting this one up, too!
Puddle Jumping Shawl
I have slowly been working my way through a pile of designs sitting on my desk waiting for patterns to be written. And, yay! Managed to knock out another one.
Here is the Puddle Jumping Shawl.
The lovely folks at Lorna’s Laces needed a sample knit up in the Christmas at Downton colorway. I volunteered to come up with a new design.
This is what I came up with. Using Lorna’s Laces Pearl, a most delightful silk and bamboo blend.
The shawl is knit from the top out to the bottom edge, combining stockinette stitch with a simple eyelet lace pattern.
The wraps in the lace pattern help break up any potential color pooling. Perfect for variegated yarns!
The pattern is written up for three sizes of wrap — scarf, shawlette, and full shawl. The sample is shown in the middle size. (The pattern is slightly different than shown in terms of how many repeats of the openwork are in each section in order to make it easier to read for all sizes.)
Tour de Sock time again!
It is Tour de Sock time again! If you knit socks at all, you should check this competition out. Not only do you get the chance to try out fun new sock patterns and win prizes, you help raise money for Doctors Without Borders. So really. Why wouldn’t you join in? Okay, maybe speed knitting socks isn’t your thing. But there is an option to just get access to the patterns. Just saying.
And why am I telling you all of this? Well, because I contributed a sock pattern again this year. I have done this every year of this fundraiser and plan to keep on doing it. I have a lot of fun, and I think it is a great cause. This year’s pattern? The Chicane Socks.
These socks are knit from the top down in Sunshine Yarns Classic. There is just a little hint of color work and a whole lot of cable-y goodness. For now, this pattern is exclusive to the Tour participants. I will make it available to everyone at the end of the summer.
Enjoy!
Noro Knitting Magazine and the Textured Shawl
The Spring 2013 issue of Noro Magazine is available, and it is a good one! Many creative and interesting uses of self-striping yarn. And I got to contribute a project, too. It’s the Textured Shawl.
Photo credit: Noro Magazine Spring/Summer 2013, photo by Paul Amato for LVARepresents.com
I really love this project — from the knitting to the final appearance. It is knit up in Taiyo Sock, which is a lightweight cotton/wool/silk/nylon blend. There are alternating bands of stockinette stitch and textured stitch. The color changes and texture changes keep the knitting interesting, but the final product is clean and simple. I enjoyed this one so much that I might have 1 (or 2) on the needles for me!
Knitting Traditions
Interweave Press publishes a magazine called Piecework. Piecework itself is a magazine about needle work (knitting, lace, embroidery, etc.) in general with a historical focus. Along those lines, they publish a couple of special issues each year called Knitting Traditions. As you might imagine, the focus of these issues is purely knitting in traditional techniques and styles. Periodically, I do some knitting for Piecework. It is always an adventure (a fun adventure!) to knit up a project from a vintage pattern. The instructions are very different from what we knitters are accustomed to today. So for the latest issue of Knitting Traditions, I was asked to not just knit up a vintage sweater pattern, but to rework the pattern to be more approachable to modern knitters. The pattern I revisited is the Pucker-Stitch Jumper, and, as you can see, it is the cover project!
I wish I had some better pictures to share. I will need to ask Interweave for some to use! In the meantime, though, I encourage to run out and pick up this magazine. It is full of fun and interesting projects and articles!
60 Quick Baby Blankets
I am sure you have heard by now that 60 Quick Baby Blankets is available. If you are not familiar with the 60 Quick <insert project type here>, you are missing out. This is a wonderful series of books featuring Cascade Yarns, one of my perennial favorites. Of course, if I had blogged more recently than 3 months ago, I might be announcing something new! What you might not know is that I have 3 blanket designs included in the book, one of which is also included in the cover photo.
Blanket #1: All About Aran — a cabled blanket knit up in Cascade 128 Superwash. This one truly is a quick project. The bulky weight yarn makes the knitting fly off your needles.
Blanket #2: A New Leaf — blocks of lace knit from the center out in several colors of Cascade 220 Superwash. The blocks are all seamed together, but the effort is worth it! And each little block is a very addictive knit.
Blanket #3: Diamonds and Purls — garter stitch blocks composed of 4 triangles knit in Cascade 220 Superwash. The blocks again are all seamed together. However, I find garter stitch to be really easy to seam up.
Photos by Jack Deutsch copyright © 2013 by Sixth&Spring Books/Cascade Yarns. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Moss Rock Sock Pattern Now Available!
Just a quick note that the Moss Rock Sock pattern is now available for purchase! The sock was originally designed for the Sock Sniper fundraiser, and I wanted to make the pattern generally available. The sample sock is knit up in Sunshine Yarns Classic, which shows off the little cable pattern perfectly. (The colorway here is Olive You. You can’t go wrong with any of Dani’s colors, though!)
Rocaille Mitts
Well, hello! I really need to get back into the blogging habit, don’t I? Lots of secret projects going on here, which will get unveiled in due time throughout the year. (Seriously. It is a lot.) In the meantime, I am slowly working my way through writing up the patterns for all the fun little small projects currently residing on my desk. (There are a lot of those, too. 8 or 9 new accessories at last count.) The first one has been checked off the to do list! It is the Rocaille Mitts. I love these mitts. This pair was gifted to my sister, so I have to find the time to make myself a pair. Because these turned out so very pretty.
I worked these up in Madelinetosh Pashmina Worsted — a lovely, soft, squishy yarn available in a multitude of colors. The semisolid yarn doesn’t take away from the lacy pattern running up the back of the hand from the cuff. The lace pattern looks complex, but it really isn’t bad once you get going.
The palm of the hand and thumb are a nice, dense stockinette stitch, for warmth and practicality. The cuffs have a touch of ribbing to give a close fit.
A new sweater design!
Hey guys! I hope there are still folks out there. That was quite the unintended absence. I find blogging a little like exercise — if I stay with it, it is easy and happens on a regular basis. If I take a break for any reason, it is really hard to get going again. So, let’s end the year with getting back on track. How about that?
Well, have you seen the newest issue of Knit Simple magazine? The Winter 2012 issue? It is a really nice issue, and I am not saying that just because I have a design in it! It really is worth checking out.
Back to my design…
This scoop neck pullover is highlighted by a braided cable. It is the perfect first cable project, but also a fun knit for the more experienced knitter. It is knit flat and then seamed. Don’t be intimidated by this! It makes a great finish. And the yarn? Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted. If you haven’t used this before, go buy some now. Lovely stuff — good yardage, soft as can be, washable, and great colors!
Next time… We will start going through the pile of new small project designs sitting here on my desk waiting for unveiling.
Photo courtesy of Knit Simple Winter 2012, photo by Jack Deutsch.
Maybelle Shawlette
Looking for a fun little shawl for this fall? I may have just the thing! Something eked out between the piles of secret knitting…
Meet Maybelle. This shawlette uses two colors of fingering weight yarn. (You could do it all in one color, but where would be the fun in that?) I used Miss Babs Yummy for the main color and Miss Babs Yummy Toes for the contrast color. This was my first time using yarn from Miss Babs, but I can promise you that it will not be the last! I mean, who could resist?
I am a little addicted to these small shawls that use up a skein or two of fingering weight yarn. I particularly like this notion of simple garter stitch bordered with something fancy. It lets me use up those variegated yarns that can be so tricky.
This pattern is worked side to side, with the edging knit on at the end. It is written up in 2 sizes, the sample shown being the smaller size.
The nice thing is that this project is accessible to the more beginning knitter, but is still fun for the more advanced knitter. And, I promise, there is no sewing involved!
And a special thanks to one of my super cute nieces for modeling!
Nutty Creations 