Author: Laura

  • Harrisville Designs Fall 2014: Brentwood

    Yay! Harrisville Designs’ Fall collection is out, and I have not one but TWO sweater patterns in it! Check out the whole lookbook here.

    Brentwood
    Photo: Harrisville Designs/Caro Sheridan

     

    Official blurb: Brentwood is a cozy, tunic length cardigan that’s easy to knit with deep ribbed edges, textured stitch pattern and sailor collar. Deep pockets and long sleeves ensure this is one sweater you’ll live in this fall! Full disclosure: I didn’t knit this sample. Mari asked if I thought I could swing 2 designs for this collection, and although I was up for the math and writing, my wrists weren’t quite up to the task! So I asked my bestest buddy Denny to knit the sample for me. She did an amazing job, of course. I did knit the pockets, since I decided to add them later on in the process.

     

    Brentwood
    Photo: Harrisville Designs/Caro Sheridan

     

    Wanna see my original sketch? I know I love seeing the beginnings of designs.

     

    seersucker-tunic-cardi
    “Seersucker Tunic Cardigan”

     

    And here’s my swatch – the Seersucker stitch is easy, just knit and purl, and is lovely and squishy.

     

    seersucker stitch

     

    I managed to get a few photos on my dressform before I sent off the sweater for a different perspective. Random aside: I tried to change the size of my dressform today and none of the dials would move at all. I guess it’s going to remain rather smaller than me for the time being!

     

    Brentwood Brentwood

     

    The colour is difficult to capture, but it’s such a lovely deep green with yellow undertones. Harrisville’s Highland has so much depth from combining different colours of fibres. It’s definitely a wooly-wool, but I love the sturdiness – it really feels like it would hold up forever. The skeins are nice and big, with 200 yards each, and quite affordable as well.

     

    Brentwood

    Big pockets! The buttons are from AnnyMay on Etsy, based in Montreal.

    Queue and Fave on Ravelry!

    Buy at Harrisville Designs.

  • Sunshine Yarn

    My Candlewick cardigan is off the needles and blocked, and just needs buttons! This colour is just fabulous, like sunshine in yarn form. It looked a little squat and weird off the needles, but turned out just right after a good bath. Wash your swatches, people!

    candlewick-final

    Some car knitting time was had, and I divided for the body on my top-down brown cardigan. I love the raglan garter rib detail that I stuck in there. Sorry for the odd colour, I’m still experimenting with RAW photo processing.

    field cardigan yoke

    I finished a new skein of handspun, 2-ply this time. I’ve been loving spinning 3-ply, but the barberpole-ing of 2-ply is just so fun! Also, the yardage is good. This is one of the rovings I bought from Woolgatherings – it’s a blend of oatmeal BFL and silk, so it has a lovely depth and sheen!

    oatmeal bfl/silk handspun

    With one sweater off the needles and fall in full swing (though you wouldn’t know it from the weather this weekend), of course it’s time to cast on NEW THINGS! This is a sweater in Koigu that will be steeked. Yes, steeked.

    new project!

    I forsee some more new projects on the horizon for this week, too. I love knitting sweaters so, so much.

    Eating: I made this apple cake last night and it is so good.

    Watching: Just started season six of the Sopranos, and can I just say – Oh My!

    Reading: 11/22/63 by Stephen King.

  • New Pattern: Bestellen Shawl

    bestellen-main-web

    bestellen-7-web

    bestellen-5-web

    The shawl I’ve been working on is finally ready! Bestellen features a fun cable & lace pattern for awesome squish and warmth. The shawl is worked top-down, with elongated wings for extra wrap-ability, and finishes off with a simple ribbing. Got a couple of skeins of sock yarn? Of course you do!

    Fave and Queue on Ravelry!
    Check out the pattern page for more info.

    bestellen-6-web