Vintage Weave It Loom

Ever since reading the article on the Weave It loom in the March/April 2010 issue of Piecework, I decided that I must have one.  After reading the article I looked online and couldn't find one that I liked.  A couple weeks ago I had the lucky opportunity to buy a vintage 1934 Weave It loom from the owner of eLoomaNation.  It arrived in perfection condition with the original box and typed instructions.  I decided to make a pillow to match my yellow sofa and green chairs.  So far I have woven six squares, and I can't seem to stop!

Cairo Hat Pattern

Cairo Hat is a close fitting hat worked in a textured stitch pattern of moss stitch pyramids evoking the monumental pyramids of Egypt.  It is worked in the round from the bottom up with a brim of broken rib.  The stitch pattern is simple enough for a beginning knitter that is ready to try following a chart, but at the same time keeps the work interesting for an intermediate knitter.

Skills Needed:
knit
purl
k2tog
ssk

Materials Needed:
180-220 yards of worsted weight wool yarn

1 US 6 / 4mm 16" circular needle

1 set US 6/ 4mm double pointed needles

Vacation and Knitting

Last week I went on my annual family vacation to Lake Tahoe and had a great time. I always enjoy getting to spend a week with my family, smelling the pine trees and gazing out at the beautiful blue waters of the lake. I was especially excited to go this year because my fiance got to go with me for the first time and I got to spend some time with my two year old neice.

As usual, I took some knitting with me. I fell in love with the Essential Cardigan from the Summer 2010 issue of Interweave Knits, so I found some stash yarn that would work (Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool) and brought it along. I thought this would be a great vacation project because of all the mindless stockinette stitch, with the end product being a beatiful and classic cardigan that I could wear for years to come.

I was not smart and decided to wind up 1000 yards of yarn on my ball winder the night before I was leaving. I had quite a sore arm the next morning when we left at 6:00AM, but it certainly didn't prevent me from spending a big chunk of the car trip knitting.

During my trip, along with trout fishing, walks along the beach, and playing in the snow, I managed to visit a yarn store and a craft store and added to my already huge yarn stash. I first went to The Wool Tree and found a great selection of worsted weight wools, sock yarns, Noro yarns and a few mohair yarns that would make lovely lace shawls. I even saw a 100% cashmere yarn that I was very tempted to buy, but I resisted and stuck with some Louet Gems in a periwinkle blue, Cascade Heritage Paints in shades of green, Trendsetter Yarns Tonalita in blue/purple/pink, and Noro Kureyon in a bright rainbow shade.

Later in the week I went to Craft Market in Carson City. It is a small craft store hidden away in a corner that I would have never found if my dad hadn't seen their bright yellow truck with a big logo on the side parked by the roadway. They have a pretty good selection of yarns ranging from Cascade to Lion Brand to novelty yarns that I have never heard of. For the most part, the yarns are arranged by color so it is like walking through a fuzzy and soft fibery rainbow. I ended up buying Knitting Fever Whispers in an interesting colorway of grey/orange/sage green, Kertzer Ovation in a bright sunny yellow, and Lion Brand Amazing in fuschia/orange/yellow. I had never seen Amazing before, it is a variegated yarn with long color changes that would be perfect for entrelac.

After a few days without computer access I started to get a little antsy about checking my email.  I found that my dad had a Blackberry so he let me borrow it to use the internet.  Being in a somewhat remote and moutainous area, the connection was lousy and the only way I could get a signal was to stand outside waving my arm around over by the fence.  But I finally did get through, and it was much worth the effort (and even a few mosquito bites) to find an email from the editor of Knitscene.  I will have a pattern in the upcoming Winter/Spring 2011 issue!  Yay! 

All in all, it was a very relaxing week and I was sad to come home. I just love the Tahoe area, I still can't believe how blue the skies are up there. Some day I hope to be able to move away from the big city and live a bit closer to nature.

By the end of my trip I had finished the back of my Essential Cardigan and have now moved on to the fronts.  It is working up pretty fast, this might be the quickest sweater I've made. 

Aster Vest Pattern now for sale!

I am happy to announce that my Aster Vest pattern is now available for download.

Aster Vest is a lace vest with long fronts that come to a point and a shorter back. The back is worked from the center outwards in a large flower motif then continued straight for the upper back. The fronts are worked on the bias in a lace pattern and then worked straight from the chest up. A lace edge is knitted on after sewing the side seams. The armholes are finished with a band of garter stitch. The vest is worked in a bamboo/wool blend yarn that is very drapey and soft to create a fluid silhouette.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Chest Circumference: 33 (37, 41, 45) inches
Length: 24 (26, 28.25, 30.75) inches

Skills needed:
Ability to read a chart
Working in the round
Basic knowledge of lace knitting

Aster Hat Pattern now for sale!

I am very happy to announce that my Aster Hat pattern is now up for sale!

Aster Hat is a slouchy style hat worked in a lace pattern. It is worked in the round from the center out in a large lace flower motif then into a smaller lace pattern for the body of the hat and finished with a rib brim. There are two versions, one for aran weight yarn and the other for sport weight yarn. The aran weight version has a more slouchy fit than the sport weight version.

Skills needed:
Ability to read a chart
Working in the round
Basic knowledge of lace knitting

Yarn:
Sport Weight version: 180 yds of sport weight yarn
Aran Weight Version: 150 yds of aran weight yarn

Needles:
Sport Weight Version: US 3/3.25 mm circular needle
US 4/3.5 mm circular needle and set of double pointed needles
US 7/4.5 mm circular needle
US 8/5.0 mm circular needle and set of double pointed needles

Hand Dyed Rovings

At the Studio 66 Retreat I got hooked on crock pot dyeing. I just love playing with vibrant colors and dyeing in the crock pot isn't too much of a mess to clean up. I stared dyeing more fiber than I could ever possibly spin in my lifetime, so I decided to sell it in my Etsy shop and share my love of mixing colors with the world. All rovings and yarns can be found here.

Basic Entrelac Tutorial

Next weekend I will be demonstrating Entrelac knitting at the Studio 66 Retreat in Forest Falls, CA. I decided to create a basic tutorial for students to take home with them and will share it also with the wide knitting world. Happy Knitting!

download now

Help For Haiti

After the devastating earthquake in Haiti, I decided to take part in the Help For Haiti cause on Ravelry. I am donating half of my proceeds from January pattern sales to Doctors Without Borders. I am happy to be sending off my check tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who purchased a pattern to help out with this cause!!

Knitscene Winter/Spring 2010 preview is up!

The preview for Knitscene Winter/Spring 2010 is up here! This issue is filled with so many great patterns I can't decide which I will cast on first!

My pattern is the Loretto Vest, is a yoked vest that emphasizes simple stitch textures. The hem, armhole bands and button bands are worked in 2x2 rib, the collar is worked in double moss stitch, and the body is worked in stockinette and reverse stockinette stitch. The slanted yokes are outlined by a 2 stitch cable. The vest is worked in one piece until the armholes then the fronts and back are worked separately. A faux side seam is created by a column of purl stitches, with the waist shaping on either side. Wood buttons are the perfect accent for this mustard colored vest.

New Pattern: Argyle Cabled Beret

A slouchy beret worked in a cabled argyle pattern on a background of reverse stockinette stitch. Worked in a worsted-weight heathered yarn, this hat will be a classic staple in your winter wardrobe.

Skills needed:
Working in the round
Ability to read a chart
Basic knowledge of cables
pfb (purl into the front and back of the stitch)
p2tog
ssp

Needles: US 7/4.5mm DPN and 16" circular

Yarn: 150-200 yards of worsted weight wool or wool blend

Oops!

Wow, I just realized (after two years!) that my blog posts weren't linked up on my Ravelry profile. I guess sometimes it takes me awhile to find a problem!

To make up for lost time, here is a picture of my recent FO, a simple hat made with my lumpy bumpy handspun Merino. My doggie gave it an A+.

Twisted Tank Pattern- Now for Sale!

My Twisted Tank knitting pattern is now up for sale, here at Eat.Sleep.Knit.

Twisted Tank is a form fitting tank top with a v-neck and mandarin collar. The stitch pattern of long cables is worked with twisted stitches, no cable needle is required! The knitted fabric is very stretchy, so the tank is meant to be worn with 5-7” of negative ease. The armholes, collar, placket, and bottom band are worked in a twisted rib pattern in a contrasting color. The tank will be worked in the round until the armholes, then worked flat for the front and back.

New Pattern: Avery Lace Scarf

Avery is a lace scarf worked in a fluffy alpaca fingering weight yarn. A border of zig zags and diamonds is followed by a pattern of dense leaves. The scarf is worked in two pieces and grafted together with kitchener stitch.







Skills needed:
k2tog
ssk
yo
double decrease: sl1, k2tog, psso
ability to read a chart
kitchener stitch
wet blocking with pins or wires

Knitscene Fall 2009

I have a pattern in the Fall issue of Knitscene. It is the Valentine Cables Hat. This pattern was a lot of fun to create- I love designing cables into new shapes. It is a quick knit that uses only one ball of yarn.

FO: Swallowtail Shawl

My first real lace project is finished!! I am so happy with how it turned out. It is currently drying on the floor, with the blocking wires and pins. I excited to try it on when it is dry. The pattern is the Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark. The yarn is some of my handspun in laceweight. I purchased the roving on Etsy from Copperpot Woolies on Etsy, the colorway is called Peas in a Pod.

Athena Headband

After several attempts, I finally decided that I simply do not enjoy knitting socks. There are so many beautiful socks yarns in the marketplace, I had to find some project to use them. At the same time, I was searching for a headband that was pretty, fashionable, but also comfortable. The answer came in this design.

The Athena headband is a three strand headband worked in I-cord with a base of stockinette. The bottom of the headband is sewn to an elastic hair band that prevents an unsightly bump of hair and also ensures a snug fit that won’t stretch out or cause a headache. Both sizes use less than 50 yards, so this headband is also a good project for using up leftover sock yarns.

Zoey Star Beret

My new pattern is up for sale! Zoey Star Beret is a slouchy beret worked in concentric stars. The beret is worked in the round from the center out on double point needles. Using a self striping yarn with long color changes and adding purl ridges create bold stars.

Skills needed: m1 increase and double decrease, both techniques explained in pattern

KFB: knit into the front and back of the stitch

Ability to work in the round on circular and double pointed needles

Ability to read a chart

Greta pattern on Popknits

The preview is up for the Spring 2009 issue of Popknits, here. My pattern is Greta, a cloche style hat inspired by the silver screen sirens of the 1920's. The issue will be launched on March 4th, I can't wait!

Knotions Spring 2009 Preview is up!

The Knotions Spring 2009 Preview is up! Check it out here.

I am so excited to have another pattern of mine published in Knotions. It is the Printemps Cowl, worked in Berger Du Nord Belle, a variegated silk yarn.

There are some really beautiful projects in this issue! I am excited to have some bright spring colors and warm sunshine back in my life.

The issue will go live on February 23rd.

New Yarn, New Project

A couple weeks ago, I rented The Other Boleyn Girl from the library. The story was interesting, but I really fell in love with the costumes. Near the end of the movie, Anne wears a beautiful yellow snood; as soon as I saw it, I decided that it was time for me to knit myself a slouchy yellow hat.

I really liked the fern glade pattern from the new issue of Knitty, and thought it would be a perfect match. So began my search for yellow yarn. After a few unfruitful searches, it dawned on me that I could just knit it in white yarn and dye the finished hat. I quickly (and happily!) ordered two balls of Rowan Silk Wool DK in Milk, a nice white color.

The weather has turned cold again after a two week heat wave, so I will be ready for a warm hat. I'm thinking this will be a good project to keep me occupied during the Super Bowl and something to work on when my wrists need a break from knitting with cotton.