WIP Wednesday

It's been a while since I posted about my WIPs, so I thought today was a good day to get back into the habit!

I'm knitting the Gemini top by Jane Richmond. I admire her aesthetic and I think she also does a great job styling her photos. This is a shop sample for Warm 'n Fuzzy, and I'll also be teaching a class on the pattern. I'm customizing the pattern to have lace on all the sides, and I'm going to do elbow length sleeves since I don't think cap sleeves are very flattering on me. Of course in the class I'll talk about other ways to customize! I haven't decided yet if I'm going to add short rows in the bust. I'm knitting this one out of Classic Elite Wool Bam Boo. It's very soft, easy to work with, and I think it'll make a great top!

My other WIP is this poor shawl. I posted about it here. Since the last time I posted I started the lace, then I made a mistake, and the pattern is worked on both sides, and despite over an hour of trying to fix the mistake I couldn't get it to look perfect. After that it sat in time out until after Christmas, then I frogged back and did it again (this time with a lifeline!). The rows are very long, and I'm rather sick of the shawl. I will have to remember this post the next time I contemplate knitting a shawl in laceweight yarn! It is quite beautiful, I still love the pattern and the yarn, I'm just ready for it to be finished!

Fuzzbee Yarns

I just got a box full of amazing things from my friend Cassie. I met Cassie while serving in the Peace Corps, and she is one of the people that helped me to learn how to knit while living in Armenia. She came to Armenia already a skilled spinner and knitter, and she has continued to hone her skills and is now selling amazing hand spun and organically hand dyed yarn! It's all pretty amazing, and I can say this because I just got a box of her yarn! You can buy your own at the Fuzzbee Etsy shop, and check out her website fuzzbeeyarns.com to learn more about her spinning and dying process.

Here are some photos of the yarn I just received!

 Ok, one by one, because you know you want to know more!

100% BFL handspun, undyed 109 yds

100% BFL, 150 yds

100% Shetland Wool, handspun, red caggabe dyed, 470 yds

100% Shetland Wool, 216 yds, turmeric/indigo dyed

yarn ball and knitting needle ornament!

I'm going to start designing a few things specifically for the subtle beauty of handspun. I'm really excited about this, because I've very rarely had the opportunity to knit with handspun yarn before, and have yet to design with it! Stay tuned!

New Pattern: Eros Cowl

I published my Eros Cowl yesterday! Eros is the brother of Anteros and is the greek god of love. Eros is also known as cupid. The myth goes that Anteros, the god of requited love, was created as a companion for Eros, because in order for love to be complete it must be reciprocated. This cowl, much like the Anteros Shawl, is a cowl that you will love to knit and wear. The simple lovely cowl will love you back as much as you love knitting it! It features a beautiful and simple diagonal eyelet pattern that exemplifies the silky beauty of Bergère de France Origin’ Soie. 

This pattern was actually inspired by the yarn. When I first saw this yarn at Warm 'N Fuzzy I knew that I wanted to make something with the beautiful silk. I wanted something that would show off the beautiful sheen and drape of 100% silk. Of course you could easily substitute a different fiber and weight yarn, because this cowl is super customizable. (And instructions for customizing are included in the pattern!)

Now through Christmas Day you can get $1 off this pattern by entering the code EROS at checkout. 

FO Friday: Randomness

Ok, so only one of these images is of an FO, and I actually finished them a few weeks ago, but the rest are things I've actually worked on this week...so it all counts right? It's Friday, I feel like the rules don't apply quite as strictly today anyways, and it's been forever since I've posted for FO Friday, so here goes!

Recycled Bag Wrapping Paper

Christmas presents wrapped in recycled bags! I try to be eco-conscious, but I don't think I succeed most of the time. There are a few reasons why I decided to cut up paper bags and use them as wrapping paper. 

1. Traditional wrapping paper can't be recycled

2. Brian got really excited and really enjoyed drawing pictures all over them. The one standing on the right is a pirate santa. I think that's the only one that is holiday themed

3. I could use little pieces of yarn instead of ribbon, and using yarn is always a good thing!

4. By not buying wrapping paper we also didn't buy ribbon or tags for our gifts. We just wrote everyone's names right on the paper, but we wrote all the names in Armenian, so that way nobody can snoop to see which gifts belong to who! (this is more theoretical than practical, because we don't open gifts at our apartment anyways, and the gifts are currently in our closet). So, if you want a way to code all of your gifts spend 2 years learning a language that is only spoken by 4 million people in the whole world, and you'll essentially have a secret language! 

Not So Tiny Slippers

I posted these on WIP Wednesday over a month ago, and I actually finished them just a week or two after that. The timeline is hazy now. Of course I knit them because it got cold here, and then as soon as they were finished it warmed up to 70. Now that it's been cold again I've been wearing them non-stop! I love them!

Felt Christmas Tree
I saw this idea on Pinterest, and it was meant as a toy for kids. But since we don't know our future plans, and don't have anywhere to store a bunch of holiday decorations (since we have a tendency to move every 12 months! ) we decided to make a felt tree for ourselves! I bought the materials at Joann's for less than $15, and the felt ornaments stick to the felt tree all by themselves, so it was fun and easy to put together.

Holiday Knitting

I didn't do very much holiday knitting this year, but I did knit a few things. I think it's a great idea to include mini packets of wool wash with your hand knit gifts and directions for proper care. You've put all the time into picking the yarn, finding the pattern, and knitting the item, so you might as well include care directions to give the gift the best chance for longevity right? 

WIP Wednesday: Shawls & Secrets

I made some good progress on my Anteros Shawl these past two weeks, but all the photos I tried to take are really blurry and terrible, so I'll save everyone the pain of looking at them. I did unknit almost the entire thing on my flight to Portland, because the stitch count didn't match on both sides. I got some strange looks on the plane. Brian was very nice and helped me to wind the yarn as I pulled my shawl apart. Over 7 hours of flying I managed to unknit almost the entire shawl, and then knit back to where I was before I got on the plane. It's kind of like I accomplished nothing at all!

I also made some progress on the purple lace weight shawl that I've been working on. I took this to Portland with me, but I didn't touch it. It's just a little too tedious for travel knitting, despite that it's just stockinette. It is taking so long to knit I feel like I've made almost no progress, but now looking at the photos I see I am actually making some progress! Who knew!

Here's also also something new I'm working on. I can't say what it is just yet...

Holiday Wish List

It's that time of year where everyone is in full holiday season, so incase you need some inspiration for your own wish list, or you are shopping for a quirky knitter, here are some ideas on some great gifts! Oh, and in case you are on a budget, it's broken down by prices!

Under $10
Hiya Hiya Circular Needles - These needles are my absolute favorite! They tips swivel, so that your cord never gets twisted and kinked, and the tips are so sharp that I accidentally drew blood once when I poked myself (so be careful!)

Octopus Earrings by Paperpistolcharms on Etsy - Who can resist? Octopus earrings! I don't think I need to explain why these are so cool.

Yarn Christmas Tree Ornament by Fuzzbee on Etsy - These are a perfect stocking stuffer for any knitter! They are also made by my friend and fellow Recovering Peace Corps Volunteer, Cassie!

Under $20

Daily Dose of Fiber Oat Bag from Ravelry Mini-Mart - Everyone needs their fiber, and I love bags! 

Under $25

Yarn Love yarn in Granny Smith - I'm really into green right now, and who could resist this amazingly brilliant bright and cheery green? Personally I like the fingering weight, it's enough for a whole shawl!

The Knitgrrl Guide to Profoessional Knitwear Design by Shannon Okey - Shannon is the mastermind behind Cooperative Press, and a very talented knitwear designer. This book has been on my must-read list for ages, and I've heard great reviews that it has information that is applicable to anyone in the craft/fiber business!

Under $50

Supscription to Knitscene - This is by far my favorite knitting magazine, so I couldn't imagine anything better than opening my mailbox and seeing a brand new issue of Knitscene, without even changing out of my pjs! 

Under $75
2 skeins of Blue Moon Fiber Arts BFL Sport in Stormy Weather & Barnsley pattern from Twist Collective - Even though I've knit two of these sweaters I actually don't have one to wear! I really do think that this is a great everyday cardigan, so I would love to knit one for myself!

+

Photograph property of Twist Collective, photographer: Carrie Bostick Hodge 

Barnsley

This is the super exciting news that I have been DIEING to share! My first pattern published in Twist Collective: Barnsley! The sample shown in Twist Collective's photo below, is knit with Blue Moon Gaea Sport. It is a lovely yarn! Photography by Carrie Bostick Hoge.

The first sweater, however, was knit with Anzula Cricket. This pattern was really inspired by Sabrina's beautiful colors and yarn. I loved the soft comfort of this yarn, and I thought a sweater knit in a lovely sport weight yarn was the kind of sweater you could wear every single day, so I had to design a classic and beautiful sweater that you would want to wear every single day! To me this is the perfect sweater, it's warm and cozy without being too heavy, the style is classic and easy. To me the beauty is in the details. This sweater is knit seamlessly from the bottom up (because I hate to sew!) and features deep ribbing on the sleeves and body so that it hugs your curves without any waist shaping. There are short rows in the bust that are written out for cup sizes, so no matter your proportions you can have a perfectly fitted sweater. And my favorite part: the saddle shoulders. I love the simple geometry of it, and it's quite fun to knit! A little bit of spice after all the ribbing and stockinette! Below are some photos of Katy Doyle in the original Barnsley, knit in Anzula Cricket. 

New Pattern: Anteros Shawl

I'm super excited about another new pattern: the Anteros Shawl! I've blogged about this shawl a few times, last month, and way back in July. This shawl was the sample for my Design Your Own Shawl Class at Warm 'N Fuzzy, which is going on now! It's an awesome class, and I'm super excited to be teaching it, and I really enjoy talking about and explaining lace charting, shawl construction, and the math involved in shawls.

There were a ton of requests for THIS shawl however, so I decided to finally write up the pattern. I had a lot of help along the way from some amazing test knitters who caught a few very silly errors, and they also knit it in all different weights from lace to DK. One of the things I love most about this shawl is how customizable it is! You can start the lace stripes at any point in the pattern, make them as wide or as narrow as you'd like, make the shawl as big as you'd like, and you get the idea.

The original name for this shawl was Background Lace Shawl, because that's the name of the stitch pattern from Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting. I thought this was kind of a boring name, so then I thought about what other people like to name knitting patterns. It's hard to try to explain my train of thought because it's so jumbled, but I somehow decided that I was sick of all the unrequited love (not in my personal life, but in books and movies), because who doesn't want to be loved back? So I decided to name this shawl Anteros, for the Greek god of requited love.

Now through November 18 (which is the beginning of my KAL on Ravelry) you can get 50% off on this pattern! Enter the code LOVE12 at checkout or follow this link. 

A big thanks to Katy and Kevin Doyle for the photography!

WIP Wednesday: slippers and comics

I knit a pair of these adorable Not-So-Tiny Slippers by Ysolda Teague last week for the shop. They are super quick, and super cute! 

So I decided I needed my own pair. I started them a couple nights ago, and then I did the bulk of it last night, when I was tired...that was NOT a good idea. You'll see in the photo below that the cute little yarn over holes are not centered... I'm a little bit of a perfectionist, so I will be frogging these later. Oy.

My other, non knitting, crafts have been going better. Home made coasters out of tile and modge-podge have been all over Pinterest, so I had to join the fun and I made these comic book coasters over the weekend. I still need to buy felt to put on the bottom so that they don't scratch up the table, but I think they look pretty cool. Brian's a big fan too.

I was in a bit of a modge-podge comic frenzy, and I was irritated by the pile of mail on our kitchen counter, so I modge-podged myself a solution! There's some cardboard under the comics and glue too. The whole thing took about 20 minutes. 

Fall KAL

It's time to do another knit-a-long!

What's a knit-a-long? It's kind of like when you sit and knit with your friends, except you do it online through pictures. Sometimes everyone follows the same pattern, but sometimes not, there's usually a theme to tie everything together. Doesn't it sound like fun?

What Knit-a-long for any Mari Knits pattern

Why Because it’s peak knitting season, and I always enjoy knitting with friends!

When Begins Sunday November 18, ends Sunday December 16

Prizes Yes! They’ll be announced/decided later on

Where In the Mari Knits Ravelry group here. 

I can't decide what I want to knit, but here are the patterns I'm contemplating:

Broken Rib Hat

The cowl version of Mama Miya

Or another pair of Lovely Lady Arms, since mine are living at Warm 'n Fuzzy

WIP Wednesday: Feather and Fan Scarf

I actually finished two projects this week, and I'll show pictures of those later. Here's one of my WIPs, a feather and fan scarf made with Louet Gems in sport weight. Did you know that MadelineTosh uses Louet for all of their bases? I heard EllaRae does too. I really like this yarn, and I like the mustard color too. Right now the scarf looks a bit like a wrinkled mess, but I know it's going to be lovely once it's blocked. Now I just have to finish knitting the darn thing.

WIP Wednesday; Knitting: Fun or Torture?

I blogged about my WIP Pine Cone Shawl a few weeks ago. After that post I was inspired/motivated/guilted into working on it. When I would get really sick of the other things I'm supposed to be working on I would work on this shawl. This version is smaller than the original, because I was trying to keep it to one skein. As you can see it has not been blocked, and looks kind of lame right now.

But oh, it gets worse. I haven't finished binding off yet! Why? Because I ran out of yarn!!! UGH!

There are 45 stitches left, yes, I counted. 45 stitches!!! So much for making it all out of one skein eh? Surprisingly this is the first time this has ever happened to me, and it sucks! Anyways, maybe this will be an FO by Friday, but I won't hold my breath. 

Photo Shoot

Katy and Kevin Doyle came to North Carolina earlier this month. We got to have dinner with them one night while they were here, and Katy and Kevin were kind enough to do a photo shoot of some of my samples! I'm also very grateful to Lauren Harrington, since she is a far better model than I am. I HATE having my picture taken. It didn't help that it was extremely humid that evening. Katy was kind enough to leave out all the photos of me making weird faces (of which there were plenty, I'm sure) but here are some "behind the scenes" shots.

In the last photo you'll see that there are people in the background. We had people walking around all over the place, since we were in a public area (the nerve!). And then if I wasn't feeling awkward enough Brian ran into some family friends and we were forced to make small talk for several minutes.

Famous...Not really...China

I did this interview just weeks before leaving China, and totally forgot about it. In a moment of vanity I googled myself...and saw this picture. I look really washed out...I guess I need to wear make-up eh?

Anyways, if you want to read the dorky article and see an unflattering photo, here you go!

http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/articles/blogs-beijing/expat-life/interview-getting-crafty-beijing-stitch-n-bitch/

And yes, that's the same unfinished Freddie Krueger sweater that was in this post.

Penelope the Apathetic Pin Cushion

When I first started knitting I used to knit a lot of toys. I couldn't handle the commitment of a larger project, and toys really helped me to learn and understand knitting construction. Even when I first started knitting I had trouble following patterns. I insisted on making things up.

This is Penelope the Apathetic Pin Cushion. I'm sure most of you will recognize it as one of  Rebecca Danger's patterns. Penelope was originally made for my now husband then boyfriend. She wears her heart on her sleeve and unlike me  has no mouth so she can't talk back. She also has a stylish bow. I guess she's a knit monster version of Hello Kitty. I recently requisitioned Penelope and began using her as a pin cushion. In addition to being inanimate she has no mouth, so she has yet to complain.