Let It Snow -- and Keep Your Head Warm!

You may have heard that there's a little snow storm moving through the Northeast? It started mid-morning here yesterday and continued through last night. Here's what our backyard looks like this morning:

Those prints in the middle are from Rainbow walking over to the deck (to the right of the yard) to do her science homework last night -- really! This was the assignment she was given yesterday:

She is grimacing here not because she wasn't enjoying herself but because the snow was falling in her face! After making this snow angel, she helped the Mister to shovel before dinner, but the snow was falling so fast yesterday evening that by the time I took out the trash after dinner, another 1-2 inches had fallen. I saw at least one report that snowfall totals in the city ranged from 9-13 inches; a bit later this morning, I will head out for a walk and judge for myself.

The snow is finished here, though it's still falling in many other areas of the Northeast and it's certainly still cold outside. That weather calls for a new hat pattern, wouldn't you say? Meet my newest pattern, and my last one for the year, the Chevroche Hat:

It was designed to coordinate with the cowl I released at the beginning of the month and uses the same yarn, Marianated Yarns Playtime Worsted in Maple Pecan and Sandstorm. Like the cowl, it uses brioche increases and decreases to create bias in the fabric, but in the hat, that shaping is strategically done at four points to create a silhouette that perfectly covers the ears and frames the face.

The crown is worked in a single color, with decreases in four wedges that meet at a point. My geometry-loving self was tickled by how well it worked out.

The hat has been graded to five sizes, from baby to adult large, and has been tech edited and test knit.

The pattern is available on Ravelry and on Payhip, and it's $1 off full price through the end of Christmas Eve with the coupon code EARFLAPS (the same code will work on both sites). Hope you like it!

Sometimes I Publish Patterns, Too

First, I have to thank you all for your kind words for the Mister. I'm happy to report that he is doing well, save a little stomach upset from the antibiotics, which we expected (it happened frequently to Rainbow with her many ear infections -- at least this time I don't have to change any diapers). We are very thankful that if this had to happen, it at least happened over a weekend, enabling the Mister to step back a bit from work and my parents to keep an eye on Rainbow while we were at the hospital. I am glad that everyone is now back to the "new normal," as it were, and I hope this is the last medical issue we have to deal with for a long time.

The past few months have been filled with a lot of crafting and reading but not that much designing. Just as in the early days of lock down I didn't have the attention for knitting, the pandemic has really suppressed my creative juices. That finally seems to be lifting a bit (and I have no doubt that cooler temperatures and the calendar's creep to fall are partly responsible), and today I've actually published a new pattern. This is the Slipdash Hat, which a number of people requested I design to coordinate with the cowl of the same name.

As you can see, it's a comfy, slouchy hat knit in fingering weight yarn, using the same slip-stitch pattern that plays so nicely with self-striping yarn. I once again used Fibernymph Dye Works Bounce, this time in the colorway Seven Deadly Sins -- that's an eight-striper (one color for each sin plus the black in between). I love this kind of hat for these transitional times of year, those days when there's a chill in the air first thing in the morning or after the sun goes down but it's not quite cold yet. I designed this one to have a bit of flexibility in the amount of slouch, determined by how much of the deep ribbed brim you fold up.

The crown of the hat has the traditional "swirl" of gradual decreases, and to keep the top in harmony with the slipped stitches on the body, the rounds in between decrease rounds have slipped stitches in them, too. The effect -- other than the obvious visual effect, of course -- is a somewhat nubbly texture to the fabric, and I'm wondering if it might make for a slightly warmer hat than straight stockinette because of the small floats on the wrong side.

I've graded this one to fit everyone in the family, baby to adult large, and you can get a hat for any size out of one 100 g skein of most fingering weight yarns. It's now available on Ravelry and on Payhip, and it's $1 off for the first week on both sites using the code SLIPITGOOD.

I'll be back tomorrow with a post looking back at SAH Book Bingo and an update on my WIPs!

Pattern Release: Maze and Blue

My newest shawl pattern has been a long time coming. I'd intended to get the sample knit up (or at least started) while we were on vacation in Florida at the end of December. I typically use that time away to get a head start on design samples for the year ahead, but for whatever reason, I didn't do as much knitting this past year. So the yarn for the sample, which had already been wound, came back home in the same form, and it wasn't until March that I finally got around to casting on.

The pandemic stole my knitting mojo for a while, but fortunately the idea for this shawl came to me fully formed. Back in the "old days" when I was a kid, birthday party favor bags always had an assortment of inexpensive toys and often included those plastic maze toys where you had to try to get a tiny silver ball through a labyrinth. Do you remember those? My idea was to use the method I call short-row intarsia to create a shawl that looked like one of those toys. I was pretty happy to discover that when I finally got around to knitting it, it looked exactly like I'd imagined.

This shawl is the ultimate in customization. The pattern is essentially a formula, so every shawl created from it will look different. For one thing, it can be worked with any amount of any weight of yarn and at any gauge. Once you've completed the original set-up rows, there's a four-row pattern repeat that is worked until you're just about out of your main color (or you're just ready to be done), and then all that's left is adding a border in your contrast color.

The shawl is worked from the top down, starting with a garter tab, and uses shaping that's typically used to create a crescent-shaped shawl (6 increases every two rows). But then you add in the short-row intarsia stripes, and the added fabric created by them results in a shawl that's closer to a half circle after blocking.

So just what is short-row intarsia, exactly? I'm sure I'm not the first to come up with it, but I've now used it in several of my shawl patterns. In a nutshell, it's a way to do intarsia without having to deal with the tangle or extra ends of the many bobbins and balls that you typically see in intarsia. Instead, the contrast color is added in short rows, which enables you to use just one strand of yarn at a time while the other just hangs from the work until you're ready for it. The only ends to deal with are the normal ones at the beginning and end. It may sound a little complicated, but I promise you it's not. If you can knit stripes, you can knit this.

I couldn't resist a name with a pun for this design. The yarn I used in the sample is MollyGirl Yarn Honky Tonk Lite, a fingering-weight singles yarn that's a blend of superwash merino and Ingeo (or corn) fiber. And while I didn't necessarily pick these colors because of the association, they just happen to be the colors of the University of Michigan, my brother's alma mater: maize and blue. You see what I did there -- corn/maize/maze? Yeah, I groaned, too, when it occurred to me, but once it did, I just had to go for it.

The pattern is now available on Ravelry, and if you're interested in buying a kit, Angela of MollyGirl Yarn has some available on her site. Through June 15, the pattern is on sale for $1 off in my Ravelry shop using the code AMAZING. (Yes, I went there. Go ahead and groan again!)

Pattern Release: Querrine

My newest pattern might look a bit familiar if you stop by here regularly. I started knitting the first sample when we were away at the end of the year and promptly started the second after it was finished. I can only blame the winter doldrums for it taking me so long to get the pattern together (not really ideal when you're designing a winter hat), but winter has yet to fully release its grip on us here, so I'm not packing away my hats just yet. Here is Querrine, the newest hat in my pattern portfolio.

I know I'm very late to get on the mohair/silk bandwagon; for years I was convinced I was allergic to mohair because one sweater I had one time was itchy. I should've known better (how many times have I told my mother that finding a rough wool sweater itchy did not mean she was allergic to wool?). I mean there's the scratchy mohair of cheap sweaters from long ago and then there's the luscious mohair/silk you can get from so many indie dyers these days -- and there's quite a difference! This stuff is like petting the softest kitten you can imagine, and it's so warm on a windy day without being bulky. For this hat, I held a laceweight mohair/silk yarn alongside a fingering weight (Mirage and Deep Sock, respectively, from Murky Depths Dyeworks) to create this wonderfully haloed fabric. The fingering weight was a deep gray with hints of acid green and blue, and the lace weight was a pale gray, giving this lovely marled effect when held together.

The stitch pattern is subtle when the halo is out in full force. I took this rather dramatic photo of the hat being modeled by one of our lamps so you can see the pattern when it's backlit.

Can you believe this isn't lace? I promise, it's not! It's just m1 increases and centered double decreases amid knits and purls, resulting in a very stretchy but delicate fabric that is warm but not too heavy. It's pair with a hemmed ribbed brim for a double thickness around the ears, where you feel the cold most on a blustery day. And if you like the look of the pattern but not the halo (or if you're truly allergic to mohair), then you can work it in a single strand of sport weight yarn, as I did with some well-aged handspun.

The pattern is graded to three sizes, to fit children through adults; has both charted and written instructions for the stitch pattern; and has been reviewed by my tech editor to ensure that it's error free and easy to follow. And for the first week, it's $1 off when you add it to your cart and use the code HALO.

Pattern Release: I've Got Sunshine

Yes, I am posting on a Saturday, which is not at all typical for me, but it's for a good reason! Today I'm sharing my first pattern of 2020, a new sock pattern designed especially for the Lots of Socks KAL hosted by Lisa Ross to benefit Down Syndrome International.

Last year's KAL came together rather quickly, so my featured sock pattern was one I'd already published. For this year's KAL, however, I knew I wanted to design something new. I also reached out to an indie yarn dyer to see if she was interested in collaborating, and I was delighted when she took me up on the offer! Elizabeth of Holly Press Fibers even custom-dyed a colorway using the Down syndrome colors (blue and yellow) and named it I've Got Sunshine. I loved the colorway and the sentiment it suggested so much that I shamelessly stole it for my design.

I've Got Sunshine (the sock version) is knit cuff-down and features a meandering twisted stitch pattern that goes all the way down the leg and on top of the foot toward the outside of each sock. The sock uses a traditional heel flap and gusset construction, but with the twist: The placement of the gusset decreases are shifted toward the bottom of the sole and angle up toward the instep, resulting in a snug fit around the heel. You can see that line of decreases in the left sock here:

The tech-edited pattern has been graded to five sizes, to fit foot circumference of 6, 7 (8, 9, 10) in./ 15, 18 (20.5, 23, 25.5) cm, and has been professionally tech edited. The stitch pattern is both written and charted. And, what's more, for today only, it's on sale!

All proceeds from the sale of this pattern today, February 15, 2020, will be donated to Down Syndrome International. Additionally, if you enter the code LOTSOFSOCKS, you'll save 50% on the purchase price!

All of my sock patterns are eligible for the KAL as well, and each sock you knit is an entry for some great prizes, so I hope you'll join us!

Pattern Release: Yofi Hat and Cowl

I think I may have mentioned earlier that one of my design goals for the year was to reach 100 designs in my portfolio by the end of 2019. Thanks in no small part to the speedy assistance of my tech editor, I am delighted to debut patterns number 99 and 100 today!

Presenting my Yofi Hat and Yofi Cowl, two squooshy, warm accessories for the coldest winter days. Both use Knit Picks Swish Worsted yarn (or any DK/worsted weight you'd like) and the same addictive and straightforward stranded colorwork pattern.

The hat is graded to five sizes to fit everyone from babies to large-headed adults. The colorwork pattern is suitable for even beginners to stranded work, as there are no long floats and several lines that repeat. As written, it has a slightly slouchy fit.

The cowl comes in one size, but it's a size that will fit children and adults comfortably. It uses the same easy colorwork design and no shaping at all, so it requires even less thought and attention than the hat. Both of them are great if you need to whip up a last-minute gift or just want to do some easy knitting for yourself if you need something that doesn't require too much active thinking during the craziness that is the holidays. And they're both perfect for the cold winter weather, as all that stranding traps air and adds extra insulation.

To celebrate their release and meeting my big goal for the year, I've put both patterns on sale. Add both patterns to your cart on Ravelry and enter the code HOLIDAYS to get 25% off!

Whatever you may be celebrating (or not) this week, I wish you well. I hope that you can enjoy whatever it is you do with family, friends, and loved ones at this time of year and that amid your celebrations you can find time to yourself to craft.

Pattern Release: Elodia Socks

2017 is rapidly winding down, and I've got one last pattern release for the year. I decided to go back to what really got me crazy about knitting in the first place: socks. I've knit so many socks by now that I no longer need a pattern to knit a basic sock, but sometimes something more exciting is called for. And when I was browsing images of stitch patterns and motifs, this leaf-like design caught my eye. I swatched a bit, added some additional texture, and came up with the new pattern I'm debuting today, the Elodia Socks.

These socks are knit from the cuff down and use a traditional heel flap and gusset. The twisted rib pattern of the cuff transitions into the faux-cable and lace stitch pattern that runs down the leg and onto the instep. The back of the sock is worked in simple stockinette, giving you a bit of a break from the stitch pattern on the front and speeding up the time to knit the socks. The foot is finished with a wide toe that is grafted.

This sample was worked in a lovely tonal yarn, Knit Picks Hawthorne Tonal Hand Paint, a lovely 80% superwash wool/20% nylon blend with a high twist. I used one skein of the colorway Ashland, and I just love the subtle variegation in tone the knit fabric that really gives dimension to the color.

These socks are graded to three adult sizes -- to fit a foot circumference of 8 (9, 10) in./20.5 (23, 25.5) cm -- and have both written and charted instructions for the stitch pattern. I'm also offering the pattern at 20% off for the first week of publication (until 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, December 11) with the code SOCKHOP.

I expect you'll be seeing these socks again, as Rainbow has already asked me to knit her a pair!

In Finishing Mode

The days of 2015 that remain are dwindling, so I am doing my best to use them to finish things (and to make a dent in the yarn that I brought with me on vacation). On Saturday, I sat down determined to wrap up the handspun socks that had been on the needles since early October. I'd gotten most of the foot of the second sock done at the movies on Christmas day, so all that remained was one inch of foot and the toe. I took the project out by the pool and got it done.

Pattern: plain stockinette, with a 3x2 ribbed cuff and a heel flap and gusset
Yarn: my handspun superwash Targhee from FatCatKnits in Sapphire Cove
Needles: US 0 (2.0 mm) Addi Sock Rockets, magic loop
Started/Completed: October 11/December 26

These are just my basic sock recipe, so there isn't a whole lot to say about them other than they're done and I'm pleased with them. I'm very interested to see how they hold up in the long run, as I've never used Targhee (superwash or otherwise) for socks before. The yarn itself was plied firmly, and these were knit at a gauge of 9 stitches per inch, so that should help.

While I didn't do it purposefully, I kind of like that these look similar enough that they're clearly a pair (albeit a fraternal pair).

In an effort to eliminate some more yarn (and weight) from my suitcase before it's time to pack up and go home, I knit another dishcloth yesterday.

This is my Clean Up, Eat Up pattern yet again, and I succeeding in getting both of them out of a single ball of kitchen cotton -- with leftovers, even! I reduced the stitch count by six stitches and did 1.5 fewer repeats of the stitch pattern to make a slightly smaller cloth. These will stay at the vacation house, though the leftover cotton will be coming home to be useful.

The main project that I'd like to finish before we leave is my colorwork gradient cowl. It's grown a bit since you last saw it.

The need for blocking is quite obvious!

I haven't gotten as much done on this project as I'd hoped, but I've at least passed the halfway point. I am on the second to last section of color (as opposed to the neutrals), and now that I've done the stranded pattern so many times, it moves a lot faster.

If I can speed up the next couple of days, I might just finish this before we leave, though obviously it will need to be blocked at home. The two ends of this tube will be grafted when it's done, so blocking is going to take some extra props that I just don't have available here.

In spite of my worry that I would run out of yarn, I still have yarn for three projects that has not yet been touched. Two skeins are sock yarn, and I'll cast on another pair soon because I'll need a project for the plane. The other one may or may not get started; I might wait to see if I can finish the cowl first. I suppose it's a good thing that I haven't knit as much as I thought because I've been out enjoying the good weather, but I suppose a child's sweater, a pair of socks, a couple of dishcloths, and (maybe) a colorwork cowl are nothing to sneeze at.

Before I log off to go take a walk, I wanted to remind you that you have a little less than three days left to save 25% on all my self-published patterns! Just use the coupon code goodbye2015 to get the discount, and remember that you can use it as many times as you like!

Bobblelicious

Now that it's June (seriously, though, how is it already June?!), it is time to work on some new projects. I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but in addition to Stash Dash, I'm participating in the 90% Knitting podcast Alphabet KAL. This KAL is running through September. Each month has a range of letters in the alphabet, and you can get up to four points for knitting (or crocheting) a project that has elements that begin with a letter in that range: one point for the name of the pattern, one point for the yarn company name, one point for the colorway name, and a bonus point if you can get all three. If all goes according to plan, I should get at least eight points this month.

First, I'm knitting a Berry Season Cardigan for Rainbow. I'm using Cascade 220 Superwash in a shade called Berry Pink. After a couple of false starts (it seems the tubular cast on and I are not meant to be friends yet), I've managed to get through the bottom ribbing and complete one repeat of the charts.

Originally I wasn't going to do the bobbles on the back (mainly because I find them tedious and also not that attractive in the finished garment), but then I realized that there are only three of them in each 12-row pattern repeat and they will use more yarn. More yarn is better for Stash Dash! The pattern is taking a bit of thinking because there is lace patterning on both right side and wrong side rows, but it's getting more intuitive as I go along and I think I'll soon be breezing through it.

Meanwhile, I cast on for a new pair of Diamond Divide Socks for me (because I usually don't wear my samples in order to keep them nice) in Fibernymph Dye Works Bounce in the colorway Doubletree. I wasn't 100% sure about these colors when the skein came in the mail, but now that I've started knitting it up, I love them. I think my favorite part is that the colors in each stripe are actually semisolid, so there's just the subtlest amount of variation in tone.

I'm changing up my own pattern here a bit and knitting these at a tighter gauge than called for in the pattern because I know how my calloused feet tend to wear through socks. I'm using a US 0/2.0 mm needle to get a gauge of 9 stitches/inch, so I'm knitting the medium size to get a finished sock that's actually a small. Math can be fun when it works out!

Just a reminder that my shawl patterns are all currently on sale for 20% off with the code shawlforall and the knitalong has officially started in my Ravelry group! I do hope you'll come join us!

Keeping It Going

After finishing up the long-suffering baby blanket, I figured it was best to start on the sweater right away, before I lost my baby-knitting mojo. I think I mentioned that I'd picked up some blue Cascade 220 Superwash, so on Sunday night, I sat down to watch some back episodes of Masterpiece Classic and cast on for Henry's Sweater. As of last night, I was just a few rows shy of finishing the body.

Tonight I'll finish the body and tackle the sleeves, which should knit up very quickly (they're in the round and small). I'm already planning some minor adjustments to the collar. The pattern calls for picking up stitches only around the neck and along the increases to the front, but I'm going to pick up along the whole front edge. Otherwise, the fronts are going to want to curl under, and I just don't like that.

Finally, a reminder: The 25% indie pattern sale for the Giftalong ends tomorrow (11/15) at midnight GMT. The knitting and crochet portion of the Giftalong (including the awarding of hundreds of prizes) will continue through the end of the year, but this is your last chance to save on patterns! All of my self-published patterns are eligible for the discount, as are thousands of others.

Giftalong!

It's getting to be that time of year when many of us are knitting and crocheting furiously to try to get all our holiday gift crafting done in time. This year, a large group of indie designers (myself included) are trying to make it easier and more fun. We've joined forces to create the Indie Gift-a-long, a two-month-long shared crafting experience full of fun and prizes. Here are the details:

• Starting at midnight tomorrow GMT*, November 1, and running through end of day November 15, all eligible patterns from participating designers are 25% off with the coupon code giftalong. There is no limit to how many times this coupon can be used.
• From November 1 through December 31, the Gift-a-long will be in effect in the group. There are nine categories based on the type of item being knit and a thread for each where you can discuss your progress with other Gift-a-long-ers. To be eligible for the Gift-a-long, all patterns knit or crocheted must be participating in the discount offer. 
• Prizes will be awarded at random for FOs posted in the appropriate thread and at certain points during the KAL/CAL in the item threads. Prizes include yarn, patterns, and other goodies -- not to mention the satisfaction that comes from getting your holiday crafting done long before it's time to actually give it away!

I am participating in this event, and all of the self-published patterns in my shop are eligible for the discount. There are more than 170 other indie designers participating as well, so I'd highly encourage you to take a few minutes to scroll through the thread of participating patterns. I hope to see you knitting or crocheting along!

*Psst! If you're on the East Coast like me, midnight Friday GMT is 8 p.m. Thursday Eastern Time!

Down and Out

Thanks to all of you who left me birthday wishes on my last post! I'm usually not one to draw attention to my getting older, but I knew that you'd all appreciate the surprise gift I got.

I managed to finish up a deadline project on Monday, so the focus this week has been on my mom's sweater. I started the pleat increases last night, so by my count, I have about 40-odd rows left to do on the body. I'm also getting very close to the end of the second skein of yarn.

This color is impossible to capture accurately

I was moving at a fairly good pace up to this point, but as I continue, the rows are getting longer. I have the day off tomorrow, so after I take care of a couple of pesky errands (I have a consultation with a periodontist and then have to get some blood drawn -- lots of fun!), I'm planning on spending the day with the ladies at my LYS and putting in some serious time on the sweater. I'm reasonably optimistic that I can finish off the body tomorrow, which means I'll have about a week to finish up the front bands and sleeves to meet my deadline.

As a reward for getting so much done with the sweater (and partly because the sweater's just a tad too big to carry around in my work bag now), I started a new lunchtime project using some of my handspun. I'm contemplating submitting it to a publication, so I can't show it to you, but I will tell you that it's using this yarn:

Knitting with handspun is truly one of life's great pleasures. I really should do it more often.

Don't forget that my birthday sale is still in effect through 11:59 p.m. EDT tomorrow!

Surprise Sale!

Today is my birthday, so in celebration of my reaching another year, I'm having a sale on all my patterns! Today through next Friday, March 15, take $1 off any pattern in my pattern store. The discount is automatic -- no coupon code needed!

A Do-over and an Announcement

Shortly after I published my last post, I sat down to work on Rainbow's sweater. I was almost done with the waist decreases when I realized that somehow, no doubt in a haze of exhaustion, I'd thrown in an extra random decrease way back near the beginning. There was no way to fix it except to rip back. Fortunately, it was just stockinette, so while it took some time to get back to where I was, there was no patterning to keep track of or chart to refer to. As of last night, the body (up to the underarms) is done and the first sleeve has been started.

I have a feeling the sleeves will go very quickly, so I should be able to get to the fun part of this sweater -- the colorwork yoke -- later this week. That section is going to take some thought, though, because it's stranded colorwork that's worked flat, something I have not done before. I suppose I could add a steek, which I might end up doing just to keep my tension even.

In an unrelated note, this Wednesday is Halloween, which means it's been seven years since I started this blog. Can you believe it? I started it on a whim, when I was between jobs and was spending way too much time on the Internet reading other blogs (which I'd only recently discovered), but I'm so glad that I've kept it up all these years. Were it not for the blog, I wouldn't have met some great friends and probably wouldn't have developed as much as I have as a knitter.

In honor of the occasion, I'm having a little pattern sale. Starting at midnight on Wednesday (12 a.m. eastern), all of my patterns will be 25% off for the following week (until 11:59 p.m. eastern on Tuesday, November 6). Simply enter the code BLOGGING7 when you check out on Ravelry or by clicking here. This code is good for all my patterns and can be used more than once. This is just a little way of saying thank you to all of you who have been reading and commenting during these last seven years!