Category: knitting

it’s a gift!

I’ve been knitting some adorable booties. For a GIFT! Not for me! Don’t get any ideas!

Pattern is Stephanie’s Cutest Booties, in Debbie Bliss Rialto 4ply, which is one of those really round multi-plied machine washable wools. So soft!

It took me a few tries to get going on the first one, actually. I cast on with a regular long-tail CO and got nearly done the cuff before I changed my mind and ripped it out. Tried a few more different cast ons before settling on a long-tail CO, with the yarn doubled for a firm edge, and then I began the garter stitch on a purl round.

So cute! The only downside is that I must keep my coffee/tea/food far away from my knitting, lest I spill something not-white on them. Now where are my pompom makers?

I finished the pieces of a sweater I’ve been working on for rather too long – feels good to have finally made some progress! Needs seaming, collar, blocking, all those fun things.

Of course, I started yet another project – this is Malabrigo Rios in Jupiter. Haven’t done worsted weight top down in awhile and it’s good fun! I’ve been slowly thinking of revamping some older patterns, and this is the Top Down Shoulder Warmer. It definitely needs some new photos, and along with that will come my updated pattern format and lots of extra notes and tips.

I haven’t decided whether to reformat ALLL my older patterns, but the Ravelry/Loveknitting EU sales integration did push me to do a few already. Castlegar, Fred+Ginger, and Tephra have all been updated and are now available to the EU through Ravelry and Loveknitting.

I guess I’m pretty into purple right now (as well as bulkier knits!) but I’m trying not to cast on with this awesome yarn just yet!

January 16, 2015
It’s 2015! plus a quick sock heel tip

There’s just a dusting of snow on the ground and the wind is howling past an outer window that’s frozen a bit open, but it’s bright and sunny, I have coffee, and it’s 2015! 2014 was okay – some good stuff happened, I ate lots of good food, and made loads of stuff! I’m not feeling very reflective on the past year, mostly because I’m ready to get on with the next – which also includes eating good food and making stuff ;)

Much as I would have loved to, I couldn’t finish off all my old projects to start anew in 2015 – I have way too many sweaters in progress. I took a long vacation over the holidays and barely even knit, because I was too busy sleeping and playing Lego Batman 3. But I’m excited to be working on a new collection of sweater patterns this year – it’s getting a bit bigger than I originally intended, but that’s okay. I’ve been needing a larger project to really get into!

I did start some socks before Christmas with the intention of giving them to Dale, but of course they got pushed back (mostly in favour of cross stitch projects). They’re almost done now and I might be running out of yarn! I did make the leg a bit longer, so I was flirting with that possibility anyway. He won’t mind if one toe is a different colour.

Here’s a little sock knitting tip I shared on instagram – to help reinforce the bottom of the heel (especially in merino sock yarns like this one, Socks that Rock), I often continue the slip-stitch pattern from the heel flap through the short rows for the heel turn. Just work the heel turn as you usually do, but continue slipping the stitches that were slipped in the heel flap, and knit the ones in between. Once the short rows are complete, switch back to stockinette for the bottom of the foot.

Housekeeping: VATMOSS

You may or may not have heard of #VATMESS, new legislation affecting digital goods purchased in the EU. It’s a large unholy crapfest! Ravelry has a great summary and has been working so, so hard to provide a solution for sellers who want to comply. Whether or not EU countries will come after me for a few euros a year, I don’t know, but I have decided to make my patterns available through the new Ravelry/Loveknitting portal. If you are in the EU and you click on a buy now link on one of my patterns, you will be taken to a Loveknitting checkout to purchase the pattern. Thanks to some magic by Casey, purchased patterns will still show up in your Ravelry library, so it should be seamless. I’m still in the process of making sure all my patterns on Loveknitting are properly set up, so please do let me know if you encounter any issues! I haven’t shut down other venues like Craftsy, we’ll see how that goes.

Bellevue Price Change

As a result of the Ravelry/Loveknitting integration, I’ve decided to make my Bellevue patterns available separately on Ravelry, as they have been in other places. The Bellevue Worsted Weight and Bellevue Fingering Weight patterns are now $7.00 CAD each. Castlegar and Tephra are both unavailable to the EU right now, but will be up again as soon as I can reformat them.

Send me your editing!

Last thing – I would love to do more tech editing in 2015. I have many years of knitting design and sweater grading under my belt, as well as Adobe suite and a quick turnaround. Email me if you’re interested!

Here’s to a fun, healthy, productive 2015!

January 5, 2015
Faux-chet Cowls!

Squeezing in one last pattern for this year – presenting Faux-chet Cowls! They might look like double crochet, but they are knit!

Six patterns in one, like my Cross Stitch Cowls! Two lengths (single and double loop), three gauges (fingering, worsted, chunky). The cowls begin with a provisional cast on, are knit flat, and then joined with a three needle bind off. The faux-crochet stitch, adapted from Lynne Barr’s Reversible Knitting, is totally addictive! I include lots of photos to help you through this interesting stitch. Once you’ve got a few repeats down, it’s very easy to memorize.

Attached I-cord along the edges provides a nice tidy finish. The light colour one is the single loop, worked in Tosh Chunky in Modern Fair Isle. It’s quite a dense yarn, but it’s also nicely squishy and definitely warm! Two skeins is enough for the single loop, but if you have a little more or less yardage you can easily change the length.

The double loop version is worked in two of my favourite colours, mustard and grey! I used one of my all-time favourite yarns for this one, Handmaiden Cashmere 4-ply – two skeins of grey and one of the mustard. It’s oh-so-soft, a dream to work with.

This cowl is a great way to use up different colours, with striping or colourblocking. The chunky weight is especially quick, perfect for those pesky last-minute gifts!

All this for just $5 Canadian. What will you make your Faux-chet cowls with?

Queue, fave, and buy on Ravelry!

December 17, 2014