Miss Margaret Socks – newly released!

Introducing:

little Miss Margaret!

Miss Margaret is my latest pattern. She was released yesterday for Three Irish Girls’ Sock Yarnista club. She’ll be available for purchase for non-club members shortly at Three Irish Girls.

She is a cuff down sock with an easy to remember spiral stitch pattern. I’ve added beads for a little “bling” but she’s just as pretty without. The spiral pattern melts into a cabled heel flap and is framed by prettily cabled gussets for a great fit.

The pink sample is shown in Scarlett O’Hara by Yarn Love, colorway: Petal.

Intermediate difficulty: pattern assumes familiarity with cables and charts. Bead work is done using a small crochet hook, so you don’t have to pre-string the beads.

Materials:
• 4 oz/410 yards fingering weight yarn. Shown in Yarn Love’s Scarlett O’ Hara. Color – Petal.
• US size1 or 2.25 mm needles (2 circulars, 5 DPNS or 1 long circular for magic loop.)
• Taspestry needle
• Stitch markers (optional)

Extra notions:
• Small gauge steel crochet hook – size 14
• Seed beads size 6 or 8 (You will need 60-80 per sock depending upon how long you knit the cuff.)
• 2 small cable needles (You may cable without cable needles if you prefer.)

Techniques:
• Beading (explained in the pattern)
• Cables
• Short rows

Notes:
• The heel flap, gusset, and instep st patterns are given as charts only for clarity.
• You may pre-string the beads if you prefer.

Where are they now?

KnitCroBlo Day 6: Document the current state and use of an object you have knitted or crocheted.

Fiddlehead Mittens

I actually don’t know exactly what these mittens are up to now. They were for a swap partner, and I hope she is getting lots of use out of them!

I knit them from the Fiddlehead Mitten pattern. The yarn is Andee dk from Henry’s Attic, that I hand dyed for this project.

They were so much fun to make, and are super dense. I had to go down to a 000/1.25mm needle to get gauge, so I opted not to line this pair. I need to make some for myself but like most things, I haven’t gotten around to it yet.

Bowl Full of Cherries Socks

I designed these socks for the Sock Knitter’s Anonymous July 2009 challenge. Right now the original pattern (released in 4 parts for the challenge) is available for free.

I loved designing these socks, but they were a challenge. I had a total of 3 weeks to design and publish the pattern. (The designer they had lined up had to decline unexpectedly.) They were my first colorwork design. There are two versions – a 2 strand and a 3 strand – and they’re available in two sizes.

By the time I got done knitting both socks, I was pretty much (happily!) exhausted. It was a whirlwind tour and I had a million ends to weave in. My mom fell in love with the socks and offered a trade. She would weave in all the ends if she could have the socks. Done! I love seeing the fraternal twin socks on her feet. It’s as satisfying as completing the pattern and finishing the knitting.

Where do you indulge?

KnitCroBlo Day 5: Where do you like to indulge in your craft?

Since I am generally designing while I knit, I must have at least a piece of paper and pencil handy….but often times my laptop, too. I’m hugely into charting when designing for visual simplicity and ease of error checking (via KnitVisualizer) so it’s nice to have the computer around for quick changes. Practically speaking, I always knit at home and I’m either sitting at my kitchen table or on my couch. I try to save the majority of my design time for when my kiddos are in bed. Theoretically this allows me to concentrate and make fewer mistakes. But it didn’t stop me from ripping out the instep of my newest (and still TOP SECRET) sock design 5 times last week.

I have knitting/designing/dyeing stuff in various places throughout the house, so you’ll find me doing yarn related things in the kitchen, spare bedroom/storage space and basement. These yarn related activities are usually not knitting, but generally dyeing, packaging, yarn prep, yarn washing, and business related etc.

It’s a good thing we have a pretty big house.

What would you like to learn: knitcroblo 4

KnitCroBlo Day Four: Is there a skill related to your hobby that you hope to learn one day?

I want to learn how to chart crochet! I’m fairly proficient with knit charting. I even have a really nifty program that helps me out. (KnitVisualizer is what I’m running. There’s a new program, much less expensive from Intwined Studio that’s getting rave reviews. It checks in at $44, instead of $185 for KnitVisualizer.) Since I love charts for knitting as I can see immediately how stitches line up with each other, I’d like to be able to do the same thing with crochet.

When I learned to crochet charts were not commonly available in crochet patterns. Which meant that you crocheted along, checking the picture and sometimes you could be rows past a mistake before you realized it. With charting, it’s harder to do that because stitches are lined up and you can look down a column and see the previous stitches which are the foundation for your current work.

I recently found the StichinCrochet font by the talented Adriprint. If you download the True Type font (TT font) and own KnitVisualizer, you can import the Stitchin Crochet font into Knit Visualizer & use the crochet symbols within the charting software. All you need to do is use the Create Custom Stitch function, select the symbol you want to use, enter in directions for completing the stitch, save and you’re ready to go.

I’m so excited about the possibilities. I have a lot to learn about charting crochet, but I’m chomping at the bit to chart out a lovely crocheted edging along the cuff of a sock….or the edge of a sleeve.

Killer Poppies

The socks are turning out to be a bit of a nightmare. Not a full blown one, mind you. Just the kind where you knit half a sock, run into an issue and spend the next 5 days redesigning it. You may already have guessed it, but the Poppy/Sunflower socks are turning out to be Killer Poppy Socks.

I hit the first snag on Wednesday night. I’d forgotten to take into account the increasing that needs to happen between the heel of the sock and the calf. Now you might not realize it, but there is a significant increase in leg circumference over the length of a typical sock cuff. Since stranded color work has so much less stretch than regular knitting, you can no longer rely on the intrinsic stretch of the fabric to bail you out.  You must design them in.

The second snag I should have anticipated, since I ran into something really similar on my Grecian Goddess socks, but I didn’t. Anticipate the problem, that is. I certainly ran head long into it. This problem being that I am anal, and I want my pattern to reach a certain place on the colorwork chart at a certain place on the foot. Which isn’t a big deal, right? I mean seriously, you just start at the toe and stop knitting when the sock is long enough. Well, that works very well with a minor amount of wrangling when the designer is knitting for their own foot. Considering that not the entire world has the exact same foot size as I do means that the pattern would essentially be usuable (in it’s best form) by only me. So all of you reading this would be out of luck pattern wise. I am a nice person, and I want you to enjoy the pattern, too. So back to the drawing board.

Once I discovered these issues all knitting came to a screeching halt. I didn’t even have an auxiliary project on the needles to help me out. Sure, I was 50% of the way through another pair of socks, but one sock was fully done and the other wasn’t even cast on. Casting on was just way too much work. So I sat around restlessly for two hours that night trying to figure out what to do. So I thought….and thought…….and thought………….for 5 days before I worked it out.

The good news is that the pattern should work. I’ve completely redone the charts – so now the stitch count is correct and it should fit me at the calf area. The bad news is that I’ve changed the starting point of the sock. It originally was a toe up and now we’re going cuff down. That means the 50% of a sock that I have done right now is going to be ripped out. Completely.

So I just ripped out 2 weeks of design/knitting work in favor of the last 5 days worth of brain wrangling.  And just in case you think that I have magic fingers, and knitting charts just flow out of them without effort I’ll leave you with this. It’s essentially an unedited chart “doodle” which was created during several design brainstorm sessions. Doesn’t it make you truly appreciate the clarity and cleanliness of a finished pattern? (And these are just the most recent changes/charts/doodles….several iterations were already erased/doodled over.)

Just so those of you who are waiting for the pattern don’t lose hope – here’s a picture of all the component yarns for the new redeisign: (Colors are: Marigold, Violet Vale, Ancient Forest)

Twinkle Mitts, Mitten & Cowl – new pattern release, Jan 2009

Twinkle Mitts, Mittens, and Cowl – January 2009 from Yarn Love

New Pattern release from Yarn Love!

Our newest pattern: the Twinkle Set will be released January 2009. The pattern includes instruction for average adult sizing of fingerless mitts (pictured), full mittens, and a cowl (also pictured. Shown at left in Malabrigo Chunky Merino colors Roanoke & Lettuce.  Only available at Eat.Sleep.Knit. – please check them out! They are one of our retailers and have an amazing customer rewards program. (I happily shop with Erin & Dad, too!)

The given gauge is perfect with our Charlotte Bronte Aran merino, as well.

 

 

 

Twinkle Set shown in Brisa - Malabrigo Merino Chunky

 

We interrupt this regularly scheduled untimely demise to bring you…

Wellness! And another blog post!

There has been a long delay. In fact, in my last post, which was nearly a month ago, we still had a good deal of snow on the ground. Since that time: I have not posted. My children have gone for a wild ride on the Puke-O-Matic 9000….immediately followed by the Cold Of Death which everyone in the family got. And when I say the Cold of Death, I mean the Cold of Death. Imagine fever, severe cold symptoms, and extreme body ache all rolled into one. Those combined with a ridiculously long stretch of minor symptoms so you can cough and sneeze yourself through three more weeks after the first few days of feeling like death warmed over. It was so bad, that I was unable to drink coffee, drink beer, and knit for 5 days. Since coffee, beer and knitting are three of my favorite things which I indulge in nearly every day, you can imagine the havoc this wreaked. And it delayed my swap partner’s mittens. But to make up for my tardiness, I put together a good package for her!

I must admit, I had it first, and I had it the worst. Then my poor hubby got it – the first week of his new job….and finally the kids got it. I don’t think it makes me a bad mother to say that while I never want anyone in my family to be sick, it’s much easier for me to nurse a sick family than keep the household running while all I can do is nap and feel miserable.

 On the bright side, we are now all mostly well! I’ve been dyeing yarn like crazy, and even organizing my stash. The Loopy Ewe currently has a decently sized order of Scarlett O’ Hara and a really good sized order of Elizabeth Bennet to be shipped very soon. (It’s being skeined now!) TLE is getting all of my new spring colors on both yarn bases. So if you like the NEW, head their way. Also EatSleepKnit just placed a gorgeous order, so they’ll have YarnLove soon.

I’ve gotten back to knitting now that the Cold of Death is over and my swap project is done. Nutkin is currently on the needles. I got some super cheap yarn from Etsy. Gorgeous colors, but it’s super thin. It looks like it’s fingering weight in the ball, but when any tension is applied, it thins out. Gorgeous colors, though and great stretch. We’ll see how it wears. The colors remind me of Trekking or Rio De La Plata – slow shifts of color made up by two multi-color plies spun together. Yum! Also on the needles are the Garden Path Socks in Oceanwind Knits’ Jardin colorway. These are languishing. It’s charted so it makes TV knitting harder. I can’t work on them if anything exciting is on. Plus, my pattern fell behind the couch last week and I’ve been too lazy to move the couch to get it. One of these days.

I knit Chibi totoros and mittens

I knit some really cool mittens over the weekend. Ok, they’re not done. Not even one is done. I designed the pattern, and dyed both the yarn and the fiber….so I’m probably biased. But seriously, they rock. Even my skeptical husband, who usually says nothing about what I’m knitting (Besides the sidways glances that say “Oi! More knitting!”), so this is momentous. He said, and I quote, “Wow! That really looks like the chart!”. Yep. Gushing man love over the mittens.

No pictures of said mittens. They’re for my secret swap pal, and I haven’t heard whether or not I can post pictures of them to my own blog. I hope so, because I want to put the progress photos up and share how pretty they are. Soon, maybe.

 Other than that, I knit totoros. Yes, totoros – from My Neighbor Totoro (The best children’s film ever. seriously, you must see this film! X went through a few months where he would not go to sleep after waking in the night unless Totoro was on. I still love it…..even after watching 15 – 120 minutes of the film every single night for four months. ) Here they are. It’s my own pattern, and if I ever get time to add in the little essential bits, like how to do the cast on and initial increases, felting, stuffing and sewing, I’ll post it as a free pattern. All three sizes are a Katie original. You’ll notice that I kept forgetting the short row tails on all but the smallest one. They’re really easy to knit; sport weight yarn on two size 4 circs, slightly felted, then stuffed and sewn closed. Wah lah! Very satisfying to knit.

These were inspired by the Knitty Woodins pattern. I knit up four of the little guys and I couldn’t help but wish for chibi totoros (Chibis ironically are both the brand of my yarn needles, and the term for the smallest, white totoro that appears in the movie.) Nick was also very skeptical of the Woodins, which clearly state they are inspired by not a direct interpretation of the aforementioned chibis. It son became apparent that we would not rest until actual chibis were reproduced. (I knew this because Nick called me down to show me three pages of Google images of chibis, and then we went and watched movie scenes all while discussing the minute details of what a chibi should be.) So, I don’t know what’s going to happen to the four woodins I already knit, but I need several more tiny chibis, now. Oi. Hopefully the rest of my yarn will arrive so I can knit the tree branch to make sure those tiny ones are the right size. I’ve only knit three different sizes this weekend.

 And I’ll leave off with idyllic fall pictures of the kids and I raking leaves yesterday morning. It was a beautiful morning, a perfect morning. great pictures. I love my kids. Even if they were complete stinkers the rest of the day. (Yes, that is a Denver Broncos jersey. I have a Rivers jersey in the alternate color too.)