Celebrate Differences

I confess, I've been more preoccupied than usual with politics this last year.  I've watched in dismay the increase in partisanship and decline in civility in politics and social media.  There have been days when I want to scream, "Can't we all get along?" On those days, I turn to my knitting to relax and forget about the latest political posturing or Facebook rant.

Usually, I prefer to knit technically challenging projects, but my need to knit for relaxation inspired me to design something simple and nearly mindless.  So here I am, modeling my newest design, the Celebrate Differences shawl. It's my easiest pattern to date, nothing more than garter stitch and stockinette--pure relaxation knitting.  The name reflects my wish that we might respect our differences and celebrate diversity, but it also is a nod to the wonderful properties of the recommended yarn, Halo Bundle.

Halo Bundle is a new offering from the folks at Handmaiden and Fleece Artist.  It is really 2 of their existing yarns, Merino Slim and Angel Hair, that have been dyed together and bundled together into one neat package.  The two fine yarns can be knit together to yield a worsted weight yarn with a soft halo, or they can be knit separately for a lighter fabric with interesting textural contrasts.  In the shawl, I tried a little bit of both.  The borders are knit with both yarns held together, and the body of the shawl alternates bands of Merino Slim in stockinette with bands of Angel Hair in garter stitch.

The Celebrate Differences pattern can be downloaded from Ravelry here.  You will find a great selection of colors of Halo Bundle on my website here.

Oh, Canada!

My newest design, the Butchart Gardens Shawl, was inspired by a beautiful Canadian yarn and a world-famous Canadian garden. When I travel, my favorite thing to do after visiting local yarn shops is to tour local public gardens.  I fondly remember Butchart Gardens near Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC as having the most spectacular colorful flower borders.  And so, it was only natural that Butchart Gardens came to mind when I was trying to think of a name for the spectacular flower bordered shawl that I just finished making.

The shawl is knit in Handmaiden Fine Yarns' Sea Silk, a fingering weight yarn that I just started carrying in my online store. The yarn has gorgeous drape and is a joy to work with.

As I was finishing this shawl, news erupted of the terrible wildfires near Ft. McMurray. I was moved by the pictures on TV, and the idea came to me that perhaps my Canadian inspired shawl can help me do something to help Canada. I will be donating a portion of the proceeds from pattern sales to the Canadian Red Cross. I am also starting a knit along for this shawl in my Ravelry group, hoping that we can get a large group going and make a healthy donation.

Interestingly, and just by chance, the name of the
colorway that I used for my prototype is Phoenix.
Let us hope that is prophetic, and a sign that Ft. McMurray will soon rise from the ashes.

This link will take you to the Ravelry pattern page.

They Call Me the Great Pretender

Here is one of my favorite scarf patterns, The Pretender.  I designed this pattern in 2014, and I never got around to bragging (err, I mean blogging) about it.  In truth, while I love to show and tell my work, I am never quite comfortable with the shameless self-promotion of the blogosphere. However, such is the world we live in.  If I don't tell you about it, you will never know what a lovely little pattern it is. 

I called this pattern "The Pretender" because it pretends to be a cable pattern, but no cable needle was used.  On close inspection, you will see that the pattern is completely reversible, with cables on both the right and wrong sides.  What is even more amazing, that this pattern can metamorphose and pretend to be a delicate flowery lace stitch instead of cables with just a little blocking. Once you learn how to manipulate the stitches, the pattern is relatively simple and knits up quickly.  My original sample scarf (the grayish green picture below) was knit up in a DK weight on size 6 needles, but hey guys, it's a scarf.  It is easily adaptable to different weight yarns and gauges.  The top picture was knit in 3 Irish Girls Glenhaven sock in the very beautiful Floribunda colorway.  You can find the pattern here in my Ravelry store.

Spellcaster

Abracadabra, my newest design! 

I must have been channeling the late Severus Snape as I was knitting, because this pattern seemed to come about by magic and the resulting scarf has some bewitching characteristics. 

My original concept was to knit a cowl based on cast on / cast off cords. Even though I was making a cowl, I decided to knit it flat because that way it could be nearly all knit stitch, quick and easy.  I knit the blue and pink sample above, casting on just enough stitches for a cowl length.  As I was about to sew it together, I saw that I could slip the ends through the cords to create a self-tying pocket scarf. Voila!   I was enchanted by the look of the crossing cords and the way the bottom row of cords almost look like fringe.  By luck or by magic, the gradient yarn I used (Universal Yarn's Poems) worked up beautifully, beginning and ending with the lovely magenta shade on the outside edges.

While I love the way the ascot length prototype turned out, I decided to knit a longer version of this idea as well. For my second sample, I used Universal's Classic Shades Sequins Lite, a slightly lighter weight yarn. In addition to the change of length, I knit 6 cords instead of 5 just because I had enough yarn and I could see that the color repeat would be more balanced if I did so.   

I don't think I could be more pleased with a design. I have written it up for both the short and long versions, giving instructions for both the gauges I used.  While I love the stripes achieved by the gradient yarns, I think this would also look lovely in a wide variety of medium weight yarns and I hope to see some customer projects and variations on Ravelry!

A Knitter's Journey to Provence

The view from Le Jardin Exotique in Eze

Springtime in St. Paul de Vence

I am back from a wonderful vacation to Provence and the Cote D'Azure.  This wasn't strictly a knitting trip. I was vacationing with Mon Cheri, and we had a full itinerary of sightseeing, wine tasting and good eating to do. But I am first and foremost une vrais tricoteuse and it is impossible for me to vacation without doing a little knitting and seeking out yarn shops.

Our hotel in Nice- Hotel de la Tour 

The first part of our trip was spent in Nice.  Our hotel was well located in the Old Town and was walking distance to many sights, including the park at the top of Castle Hill, the Flower Market, and the Promenade des Anglais.

The Flower Market in Nice

Locally made yarns at La Droguerie - Nice

Our hotel was also just a 5 minute walk from La Droguerie, a large yarn shop that is affiliated with La Droguerie in Paris.  Like the Paris store of the same name, the shop sells only its own line of yarns, but they are all wonderful natural fibers in vibrant colors. They also have an extensive collection of unique buttons and patterns of their own design.



This store is well worth the visit. It's centre-ville location at 29 Rue de L'Hotel des Postes is easy to find (2 very short blocks south of the main post office). The store is obviously popular with the locals. We arrived just 5 minutes after they opened and there were already 2 other customers in the store.

La Droguerie - Nice

Beads and buttons at La Droguerie

Lovely mohair - "plumette" at La Droguerie

La Boite a Tricot - Avignon

For the second half of our trip, my husband and I stationed ourselves in Avignon, visiting the medieval sights in Avignon and the ancient Roman sights at nearby Nimes and the Pont du Gard.
With a new project already on my needles and a full itinerary of tourism, I wasn't planning on taking any time to seek out yarn shops or knitting groups while in Avignon, but this one just fell into my lap.  We spotted La Boite a Tricot (44 rue de Fourbisseurs) as we were strolling the streets of the old town, just a few blocks from our hotel. This store carries well-known commercial yarns--
Anny Blatt, Bergere de France, Bouton d'Or, Phildar and Katia.
While all these yarns are available in the U.S. or on the Internet, they are all very, very French and a purchase here would make an appropriate and memorable souvenir for any knitter.

Show and Share

Once again I had a great time at the Madison Knitting Guild's Knit In.  Thank you guild members! It was nice to see many familiar faces.  I love doing shows and having a chance to meet and chat with my customers.  And I must admit, it is the customer compliments that keep me going.

This last weekend, not one, not two, not three, but four customers stopped by to show me their recently finished projects or tell me how happy they were with the kits that they had purchased from me. Here is one of my happy customers modeling her Chips and Stones necklace.

My photo doesn't do it justice. I took this pic with my phone.  I'm not that great at focusing with my phone camera. Since I normally have a digital camera with me, I tend to forget that I can take pictures with my phone. That also explains my surprise to find I had year old pictures from Wisconsin Spin In that I had never downloaded.  This one was so cute, I had to share.

I do not remember the name of my furry friend, but he certainly is an eyeful (and an armful)!

Blue Heron Bliss

I'll admit it.  When it comes to yarn, I play favorites.  My hands down favorite yarn for the last few years has been Blue Heron's Rayon Metallic.  It is a lovely lightweight handpainted rayon, spun together with fine metallic thread.  Eye candy for any knitter, I can't resist it.  I designed 3 patterns for it so far, and I have at least 3 more pattern ideas in my head, ready to be put to the needles. Here is a sample of some of the beautiful colorways I will be taking with me to the Madison Knitter's Guild Knit In, March 8th and 9th and to Yarncon in Chicago, April 6th and 7th.

Tornado Hats and A Whirlwind of Knitting

It's snowing outside.  The temperature is plummeting from unseasonably warm to uncommonly cold.  The wind is whipping up.  It is a good day to stay in and knit.  I think I will cast on for another Tornado Hat.  I've already knit 4 of these, but I don't mind making another, as they are so fun to knit.

My first tornado hat was made with an oddball skein of a discontinued yarn that I had in my stash.  I made it for the Mitten Tree Charity at my school. When I cast on,  I had no preconceived notion of the ultimate design. I thought I would make a simple beanie with a foldover brim suitable for a boy or girl.  However, the creative side of me just couldn't stand making a totally plain hat, so as I decreased for the crown, I decided I needed to add a bit of whimsy at the top, and the traveling stitch braid was born.

While I was pleased with that first hat, I gave it away as intended. (This photo was a quick snap before I tossed it into the donation bin).  I needed to start another hat as a prototype for the pattern that I had yet to write up, and I wanted to tweak the design a little bit. I changed the cuff from 2 by 2 ribbing to garter stitch and added traveling stitches to the body of the hat.  My second tornado hat was made with another oddball skein of yarn, this time from a yarn that is still available--Manos del Uruguay Classico.  Here it is:

By the time my second hat was finished, Christmas had come and gone.  Santa gave me a new coat, so of course, I needed a new hat to go with it. Here is the hat that I made to go with my new coat, made with Classic Shades:

Let me just say that not only did I enjoy making it, I love wearing it!  I have short, baby fine hair, and the braid hangs and feels like a ponytail.  Realizing that I enjoy wearing my tornado hat because it makes me feel like I have a real head of hair, I decided it would make a great chemo-cap for someone struggling with hair loss.  And so, I cast on for a fourth hat. Here is the hat that I made for a colleague at work who is currently battling breast cancer.  It is my favorite of all. I hope it makes her feel pretty!

Knit with Wire Lessons

I enjoy the variety of what I do. I love the creative design process. I love playing with yarn and wire and beads.  I thoroughly enjoy doing shows and meeting my customers. But I am a teacher first and foremost, so my absolutely favorite, best-est part of my work (as my young students at school would say) is when I have an opportunity to teach knitting, especially knitting with wire. 

I had a great time on Saturday teaching a Knit with Wire bracelet class at Fuzzy Wuzzy Yarns in Arlington Heights, Illinois.  This is an especially enjoyable class to teach because everyone  goes home with a finished project.

I will be back at Fuzzy Wuzzy this Saturday to teach my Falling Leaves Necklace/Scarf kit. I'm looking forward to another fun weekend!

Return to Knitting Camp

I traveled up to Marshfield these last two weekends to be a vendor at Meg Swansen's Knitting Camp.
I was tickled to be there.  I was a camper myself back in 1998 and 2000. Returning felt something like coming home.

I had already been knitting passionately for a dozen years or more when I first went to camp. I was mostly self-taught, but I thought I was a pretty skilled knitter. After all, I had mastered cables and had knit a few sweaters that actually fit.  Well, let's just say that I didn't know what I didn't know.  Knitting Camp opened my eyes to a level of knitting that I had never seen before. I was overwhelmed by the new techniques and inspired by the skill of Meg, her assistants, and my classmates.

I don't think I would be exaggerating to say that Knitting Camp changed my life. The experience of knitting in the community of others totally energized me. For a while, I went crazy for knitting retreats and lessons--seeking both personal growth (in the form of new knitting skills) and personal  relationships (in the form of knitting friends). Shortly after my first knitting camp, I began to design my own patterns and began to fantasize about the ultimate knitter's dream--owning my own knitting business. At my second Knitting Camp, I met a few fellow campers who  lived near me, and we decided we would get together to knit after Knitting Camp was over. We have been knitting together for 12 years now, and I count these ladies among my best friends. 

So thank you once again, Meg, Amy, Eleanor, Tammy, and all the Knitting Campers past and present for your knowledge and inspiration, for friendships found and dreams realized. 

All American Baby - Go Team USA

I thought I would show a little patriotic spirit in honor of the Olympics, so I designed this cute little sweater for new members to the American team.  The pattern is available as a Ravelry download here.

I had intended the sweater to match my All American baby hat, but of course, I changed the yarn (a little heavier gauge of 100% cotton) and I decided the stripes really needed to be 4 rows wide rather than 3, so of course, I had to re-write and re-knit the hat too.  I am pleased with the result.

I had to borrow a child from the daycare at work to perform modeling duty.
Actually, I borrowed two little friends.  My first model, is quite a big boy, and a bit big for the sweater (sweater = 12 month and model #1 = 18 month).

My second model was a  better fit, but he made it quite clear that he does not like to wear hats!