My Fish likes to knit

I'm just not paid enough for all this hard work!

2012-01-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

First try at the chart - and about 10 hours into it

Up until this pattern, I have been paying my tech editor to create my charts and schematics. She does such a wonderful job and so efficiently that there really was no reason for me to learn. However, I am now re-thinking this. I suppose that I should learn to be self sufficient so I bought a software program that does charts. This has been a huge learning curve for me - in fact, it has eaten up my week!

Second try at the chart - about 20 hours into it

I have pulled out my hair...sworn up and down....believe that there are horrible glitches to the program...and question who in their right mind spends this much time to create a $5 pattern! Am I nuts?

It definitely makes me wonder why there are so many people willing to create FREE patterns when there is so much work involved to create a GOOD pattern.

My next challenge will be to create my own schematics. I have the software---have had it for several years but not sure if I am willing to kill another 20 hours trying to learn something that I can pay my tech editor for. She makes everything look so easy! Maybe I'll fly to Florida where she lives and pay her to show me how she does it....wouldn't that be nice!

I found a new love....again!

2012-01-17T20:47:00.000-08:00

I have been designing for some magazines lately and one of the perks of designing for a publishing house is their ability to obtain yarn support from just about any yarn company imaginable. I have a limited number of companies that provide me with yarn-- but there are a ton of other companies out there that I haven't even had the chance to try. So, whenever I get the chance, I try a new yarn. So when the opportunity arose to try out a new yarn, my first thought was Shelter yarn by Brooklyn Tweed. If you haven't been introduced to this small yarn company yet - here's a blurb about them, written by them. Who better to describe their own yarn?

Taken directly from Shelters Ravelry page:

SHELTER began humbly as the answer to a simple question: With our abundance of natural & industrial resources, why is there such a tangible absence of American yarns commercially available to handknitters?

We sought to find an American fleece whose fiber would bring both softness and durability to the table. The Targhee-Columbia cross mixes a high-crimp Targhee Finewool (21-25 microns) for softness and elasticity with an all-purpose Columbia Mediumwool (24-30 microns) that provides warmth, structure and strength.

The result? A distinctive wool with a story to tell -- designed, sourced and produced completely on American soil.

SHELTER is spun in Harrisville, NH -- an historic mill town where woolen-spun yarns have been produced for weavers and knitters since 1794.

A woolen preparation allows the yarn to maintain large amounts of air between its fibers, making lofty and light fabrics that are warm without being dense.

Globally speaking, we think that knitters should be able to procure wools of high-quality that directly support farmers, mills, and designers from our own back yard, which has been our goal from day one.

http://brooklyntweed.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=1

It's a great company to support and it's a great yarn to work with. As for the design itself, it is due out late 2012.......

Happy New Years everyone!

2012-01-01T10:06:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years everyone! 2011 was a struggle in so many ways for me and my family as well as our world. Although, it could have been worse so no time to lament - let's look forward to a brighter year.

I am a traditionalist is every sense of the word. I love traditions and live by many of them. One of them is the good ole New Years Eve Resolutions that I do every year. Of course, it's the usual list-----
eat better, exercise more, go more green and organic, waste less, find more time for me, find more time for my family and friends and so on and so on.

I really should just type it out on an 8x10 paper and frame it above my computer. Visually seeing the resolution might keep me better focused.

Whether you still carry on this tradition or not, find the time to reflect on what you wish to change in your life - what needs improving upon or what just needs a slight tune up. Reward yourself for the good things you have done and don't criticize yourself for ones you fell short on.

I think I'll take 3 of my favorite words and apply them to this new year: Inspiration, Passion and Joy. Everything I do needs to touch upon this words.

Happy New Year and God bless each and everyone of you this year!

Lisa

A new spring design in CK March 2012

2011-12-29T12:04:00.000-08:00

I'm still taking down the Christmas tree when I see that the new spring issue of Creative Knitting is available.

This open vest has a series of Star Stitches around the waistline for a nice elegant texture. Knit out of Frog Tree yarns Meriboo MW (machine washable) - it's a long cardigan that can be worn all year round.

This is why I design.....

2011-12-16T09:51:00.000-08:00

I think for most designers, we don't necessarily design for the money. I mean think about it, by the time I have knit, frogged, re-knit and written down the instructions - then added a few more sizes -- then paid a test knitter to knit up a sample - then paid a tech editor to check my numbers, add schematics and charts if necessary - then have the pattern professionally photographed -- then pay the model (I always give them something, even if it's a gift card!) -- then have the pattern professionally printed at a printing and graphics shop -- well, need I say more?

There's not much left for us designers!

Then we have the usual "complaints". The emails where they find our wording confusing or they don't understand what c4f means or they wish we could add more graphics or pictorials to the pattern. Sometimes we even get faulted for their incorrect gauge or fiber choice!

And then......we get an email like this one:

Hello,
I recently saw a model of your Old Fashioned Christmas Stocking displayed at my LYS (Webs). I knew right away that I MUST knit this stocking! They did not have any in stock yarn color as suggested in your wonderful pattern. I had to substitute a thinner weight yarn and hold it doubled throughout. This is not my favorite thing to do, but I digress.
What a joy to knit! The end product was awesome! I loved it so much that I knit a pair of the largest size and just gifted them to my newly wedded son and his wife! They will be celebrating their first Christmas in their new home with your designed stockings decorating their mantle!
Because the pattern was so well written I plan to purchase many more of your designs in the future.Thank you very much!

Awwww....this is why I design!
I just want someone to pat my back and thank me!

Hooded Scarves and Cowl giveaway

2011-12-14T15:42:00.001-08:00

Check it out, Sandra Singh is doing a holiday giveaway with her yarn and my pattern.

http://knittingwithsandrasingh.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-blog-giveaway-4-kits.html

the knitting wreath

2011-12-10T11:59:00.001-08:00

OMG - I am having a ball! Just finished my knitting wreath using partial skeins of left over yarn and once again, my mom's old metal knitting needles. I hot glued the balls (styrofoam covered with yarn) and then hot glued black felt to the back of the wreath so it wouldn't scratch our new metal door. I literally made this in a couple of hours........

The knitting tree

2011-12-09T23:29:00.000-08:00

Okay - so I guess I'm in the knitting slash holiday decorating mood!

I made a knitting ball wreath (no pics yet as I need to still hot glue gun it together) - and had some left over knitting balls. I have this tree in the family room that has small knitted items. I also have antique doll house chairs on it along with antique suitcases and teddy bears. Well - I suddenly had the urge to place the left over yarn balls on this tree to add more color. Then I grabbed my moms ancient metal knitting needles that comes in the most beautiful colors and sporatically stuck them in the tree. I must say, I'm loving it! I'm afraid that I may not be done with this knitting/holiday decorating mania!

How does a knitter decorate for the holidays

2011-12-09T08:14:00.000-08:00

How else but by knitting scarves for the mugs!

I actually got this idea from a very old Bon Appetit magazine. They were featuring a small town in up in the mountains of France (Chamonix, I believe...and I have been there so it caught my attention). Years later, World Market ended up selling these mugs scarves (lucky me!) so I bought what they had and knit up the rest myself.

To knit up these scarves, I recommend sock weight yarn on a size 1 needle.

CO10 sts for a flat scarf - working up a small 1x1 rib along each edge until scarf measures 17 1/2" long.

If you want to mimic the store bought scarf:

CO20 sts and join in the round.

Knit until scarf measures 17 1/2". BO all sts, add fringe to each side -- approx. 1 1/2" long (cut 3" lengths).

Block well to prevent curling.

If desired, embrodiery candy canes, Xmas trees or snowflakes on one end of the scarf.

It may be alot of work - but it is so worth it. I have had these scarves for at least 10 years and I don't feel festive until I drink my coffee out of a scarf laden mug!

Cheers!

Photo shoot on.....THRUMMING!

2011-11-11T21:30:00.000-08:00

Gee, I think this makes "thrumming" the longest lived story on my blog to date! I know you are tired of this - but I just finished a photoshoot and have to share the latest photos. After this, it gets published and I'm done blogging about it. I promise!

So....keep in mind that I stuck a nursing mamma to a newborn in a size small vest - and she still looks damn good!

Love this pose - love how photogenic she is. Did I mention how much I love this collar????? www.opulentfibers.com is where I got the merino/silk blend roving.

Yup....more thrumming

2011-11-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...once I get onto a technique, I run with it until I can run no more. Well - I have all this excess roving sitting around and I am trying to use up my stash so I can justify this addiction.

I used Brown Sheep Burly Spun in hot pink and I made the buttons by creating a simple bobble with the roving and yarn held together. Size shown is a 2T and took 1 1/2 skeins (approx. 175 yds of super bulky 1-ply wool). Pattern will be written in toddler to size 8 years.

I now have a skein left of each color or there abouts and left over roving too...oh no, I may have to make matching something!

Thrummed Outer Vest

2011-11-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

After making 2 of the Outer Vests for my trunk shows, I finally found the time to make one for myself. I used Brown Sheep Burly Spun yarn, color "Sable" and the roving is from www.Opulentfibers.com . The roving is a wool/silk blend, color "Nut".

This vest was taking too long to dry so I put it in the sun. Well - the cat found both the sun and the cozy vest to snuggle up with - pins and all. He's known for chewing on feathers and fur so I was worried that he might have gotten his mouth on my thrummed collar. Thankfully, it didn't appear to be wet. I'll be adding the leather toggles to it as soon as it dries - then I'm wearing it! It's getting quite chilly here and I'm excited to pair up this vest with some jeans tucked into some brown boots with a turtleneck.

Fibers Fusion Northwest

2011-10-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the first annual Fibers Fusion Northwest Expo. I was fortuneate enough to be invited to teach Twining and alongside my class was a drop spindle class going on.

This event was a plethora of fluff and color! Definitely more of a spinners world than a knitters world -- but that didn't stop me from finding treasures to purchase!

My caramel roving is one of the colors in the top center of the picture

I found some roving that was a mix of wool and silk in the warmest and richest caramel color that I plan on using on a thrummed vest for myself. I think it will be gorgeous!

Thees fibers came from http://http://www.opulentfibers.com/ out of Portland and I was instantly drawn to her color pallettes.

After the class was over, the class coordinator gave me the most beautiful hank of yarn (pictured below). I was more excited for the unexpected hank of yarn than I was for the check! It was such a warm thing to do and exactly my colors!

You may find your favorite hank at her etsy shop:

http://www.saukedinfarm.etsy.com/

color way is Peanut Butter and Jelly and the photo doesn't do the colors justice. Gold tones through out with a splash of grape jelly

I look forward to going back next year - and maybe this time, taking a drop spindle class!

Loving this design!!!!!!!!

2011-10-05T09:39:00.000-07:00

OMG-----I am all over this new design! Still need to finish up the final touches....but I couldn't stand to wait any longer to reveal this new design! The collar is thrummed using black roving. I thrummed both sides of the collar where as the natural colored vest below was only thrummed on 1 side. By thrumming both sides, it gives the allusion of fur! And it is way too cute on as well. Knit out of Brown Sheep Burley Spun on a size 15 needle basically took me a couple of evenings to complete and less than 3 skeins for this size M vest.

The thrumming here is thinner and only on 1 side of the collar giving it a more natural fleece collar.

Pattern has length options from cropped as seen here to just below the belt as pictured above. Just depends on whether you like your belt and your shirt tail to show or if you like it covering the entire beltline. Vest is knit in 1 piece with a faux seam - hence, no seaming which is bulky when using such fat yarns. I am even thinking that you could add a single thin row of roving around the armhole edge to create the look of a fur-lined vest.

This has been such a fun design to create. I need to knit this up in children's sizes as well--which should be 1 skein of Burley Spun.

Magazine Deadlines

2011-08-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

This has been the summer of deadlines! Normally my summers are carefree but this year I thought I'd try a few magazine submissions and even an unsolicitated book submission to fill in the void that summer usually brings to my business. Holy smokes - I almost bit off more than I could chew! I had a few submissions that I had to "trust" my calculations and hope that my vision turns out right. With an average knit time being 3 weeks from the time I get the yarn to the time I need to block it, I had to trust my instincts as I didn't have the time to rip and re-do. Thankfully, they did and I was over-joyed with the outcomes and very relieved. 2 deadlines were mailed out yesterday and 2 more were mailed out today. I just have 2 more hanging over my head --both due end of September and then I'm taking a small break to catch up on the house, kids and personal life and breathe!

I see the same designers in a multitude of magazines, issues and sometimes even several designs in each issue and I wonder how they do it. I'm not sure if they use test knitters which frees them from the long knitting hours or if they are just quicker then me in both knitting and pattern writing. And...how do they come up with so many acceptable designs? Do they also do their own schematics and charts too? I have a techie doing those but if I tried to do them myself, it would tack on another 8 hours of work. I must be doing something slow and wrong, I just don't know yet. I guess I'll have to chum up with another designer and exchange notes.

That's been my summer in a nut shell.

Love of Knitting Fall 2011 - All Grown Up Cardigan

2011-08-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

Newest design in the new Love of Knitting magazine, due out August 9th. Luckily for me, I had a great model next door, willing to shovel some gravel while my husband shot 150 pics trying to get 1 good shot! Well - we got several good shots and in fact, they were so good that the magazine used our images.

You will notice that all of my designs will grow in size as my models grow! Lucky for me again - that this same neighbor just had a baby girl and isn't even done yet! Better hope that she doesn't move anytime soon!

Regal Silk by Artyarns

2011-07-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.artyarns.com/

I have this thing for fibers that contain silk or cashmere. It might just be the fancy name, then too, it could be that a long time ago (when I first started knitting), such fibers were hard to come by and too expensive to afford. Nowadays, they can be found at nearly every local yarn shop from a silk blend to a pure silk and at the price point we knitters can afford.

This scrumptious yarn is 100% silk - oh yea, I'm definitely in heaven now! The reason that I love silk so much is that silk absorbs color dyes so well. The hues are vibrant and deep. The other reason is that there is no other fiber that has such a high sheen to it. And of course, the obvious, that silk feels like butter against the skin as well as when knitting it.

Silk is definitely an affordable luxury these days- I believe that's an oxymoron???

I may not be able to tell you about the luscious design that this silk will become, but I hope that during your summer travels, stopping at local yarn shops along your route, you stop to buy a few silk hanks as a treasure of your travels. I can't imagine a more decadent scarf or shawl ---all done in silk!

Trying to make a deadline

2011-07-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

I'm on the last leg of my big deadline. It's 11 pm and I'm just checking and re-checking my work for the last time before I ship it out in the morning. Everyone is in bed - but me and the cat. Cats know when they're not wanted and cats hate that! So, good ole Sox jumps up on my huge pile of work and makes himself comfortable! Luckily the red light on my camera bugged him enough to annoy him enough to jump ship. Maybe I can get to bed by midnight now.

Stitch-n-Pitch, Cheney Stadium

2011-07-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

Had a great time at the Stitch n Pitch, Cheney Stadium last night! Weather was beautiful, had my knitting BFF by my side and an easy "just knit" project with me.

We weren't sitting with the other knitters because they were in the shade and it was a tad cold in the shade so we chose to isolate ourselves and be warm!

In my haste to run out the door, I threw on my daughters sandals which are identical to mine - only in a few sizes larger than mine! I thought they felt funny.....

This was also the first time that I actually stayed for an entire game - EVER! 9th inning and we have a tie - 5 to 5. Someone hits it out of the ballpark - and wham, we win the game! It was really fun to see -

The low of the night......couldn't find any red wine...boo hoo hoo. High of the night....ate a delicious salmon burger while catching up with a close friend - Sonya from Yorkshire Yarns and of course having the entire evening with Sherri!

My First Article

2011-06-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

Can I officially call myself a writer????? I finally have written my first article in the latest Creative Knitting Fall 2011 issue.

The article is directed to beginner knitters wishing to try a new technique. It's amazing at how much more difficult it is to write down each move in Fair Isle knitting -when you have to twist the 2 yarns around each other at the beginning of the wrong side row only on the flat knitting, not on the knititng in the round - huh?????? I can't even follow what I just said! It is so so much easier to just demonstrate visually than to write it out and hope that the newbee knitter can follow my words alone.

Love the cover by the way!

Latest design...due out soon

2011-05-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

Fair Isle basics and beyond is due to hit the stores shortly. I have one scarf in this booklet and I'm thrilled with all of the designs and the photography.

Top secret--

2011-05-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm alive and doing well. Nothing to blog about as everything is top secret at the moment! I can say though that I will have alot to report and many pictures to reveal this fall and winter.

Stay tuned.

Fashion Design Sketching Class

2011-04-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

Our last sketching class just ended. My intent was to take the class so that my design submissions would at least be presentable to the book/magazine editors.

I actually learned a few things along the way but what I enjoyed even more was taking an adult class with my daughter for the first time. I learned that the colors I use in my designs are rather drab in comparison with my 14-year old that spits out color. I also learned that my designs COMPLETELY cover up the model from head to toe whereas the teenager has her models skantly dressed and showing belly buttons or cleavage. I don't think any of her designs have sleeves on them what so ever and most were mini skirts or shorts that were way too short for school!

My drawings: Note the long sleeves, high collars, pants - dreary grey and black. Basic hair too.

HER designs - bright colors, fun, flirty - vivacious!

She loved the class and now wants to be a fashion designer.

Our classroom was in the sewing room. They had open sew lab on the days we were there. Now she wants to learn how to sew and make her own outfits. Great experience for both her and I.

Malabrigo yarn

2011-04-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

After knitting up the hooded scarf and cowl with Malabrigo "Lettuce", I felt the urge to pull up an older pattern which also uses Malabrigo worsted weight yarn colorway 609 Purple Magic

The yarn pretty much enhances whatever design element you use. Never over-bearing like the variegated yarns yet not so subdued like the solid yarns either. I wonder why I haven't designed more with it????
To see more Malabrigo yarn and patterns:
http://www.malabrigoyarn.com/patterns.php?id=7

Finally - the Hooded Scarves and Cowls collection, now available

2011-04-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

This one took awhile - but I am so happy with the final outcome. You know, you start with an idea, you knit it, frog it, rip it and re-start it. You try and visualize it, you try to add new elements and different techniques. You basically try and get into the knitters head to see what they might be wanting knit from the technique to the style. Each time I finished a design I would think....what if I did this and that and before you knew it, I was up to 4 designs all very similiar in style but different in techniques. 1,680 yards later - and I've managed to knit up (with the help of a very special sample knit of course!)
3 cowls and 3 hooded scarves.

It feels great to finally be able to launch it after so many months. Pattern is fully written as well as done in charts.

Pattern only available through Sandrasingh.com (see link below).

https://id306.securedata.net/sandrasingh.com/merchantmanager/product_info.php?products_id=3422

Trying out a new Sock pattern format

2011-03-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

There are a bizzillion sock patterns out on the market. My sock patterns sell- but not to the same degree as the rest of my patterns.

So - thinking outside of my old box, I came up with an idea to print 3 sock patterns onto 1 pattern. It will be printed in a letter sized booklet or folder. 3 socks, 4 instructions (one includes the magic loop) - all cuff down and progressing from the simple knit st to a lace and cable. It'll sale for $7/retail - great price point, I think.

So there you go. All 3 socks use Crystal Palace yarn.

Peruvian Hat pattern

2011-03-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

My latest hat pattern due out shortly is knit using Frog Tree Yarns, Alpaca Sport (http://www.frogtreeyarns.com/). The yarn is light in feel and texture yet plenty warm as it's 100% alpaca. Some purl sts are strategically placed in the Fair Isle work to add some depth to the Fair Isle. Adult size is being test knit in the grey tones with black as the highlight color. I had 1 skein of each color and have enough left over yarn to knit up the baby size. Love when I can get 2 projects out of 3 skeins (130 yds each). Looking forward to seeing the adult hat in it's finished state.

Edging is crocheted and a single chain loop is added to the bottom of the earflap. Tassel would look just as cute. Speaking of cute, is she not adorable!

Same photoshoot - different hat

2011-03-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

Love, Love, Love this hat!

Colored cables, Fair Isle

Hemmed on the bottom

Grafted on top for a perfect finish! Tip are pulled together and a button is attached. Fringe, I-cord or a pin can also be placed at the top of the hat.

Photoshoot today

2011-03-08T12:52:00.000-08:00

It's been a while for this foursome design! Had the yarn since November but had a tough time with my swatching work. I think the wait was worth it though. I used 2 skeins of Sandrasingh yarn (blue variegated)

to create both the hood scarf and the cowl. I used 3 skeins of the Malabrigo yarn (lettuce green) to create both the hood scarf and the cowl and probably have just enough yarn to make 1 more cowl.

I'm really happy with the outcome - and depending on your style buttons-no buttons, short scarf-long scarf,

2 skeins-3 skeins, I think this patten will accommodate your style.

Currently available (soon!) at http://www.sandrasingh.com/.

Fair Isle Hat still needs a name

2011-02-26T15:26:00.000-08:00

I still need a name - a good name for this new hat. My initial thought - is it looks like some kind of Russian tapestry - and God only knows where I got that idea from! I don't even know what Russian tapestry even looks like - or if it even exists! So I may need Russian name for it. There is a hemmed trim that you can't see and a 2-colored cable for the brim. The rest of the hat is a fun Fair Isle print - using sock yarn. I'm blocking it, then will finish the crowning with a 3-point finishing which should be fun and easy. I'm thinking of finishing it in a 3-needle bind off in the green - maybe even adding mini tassels or I-cords to each tip. I'm excited to finish it and get it on a model. I can never tell if it's the look that I'm going for until I have it photographed on a model!

A few upcoming designs....

2011-02-23T14:57:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've posted an upcoming design. I just finished a couple designs that will be coming out in a fall magazine and book that pretty much ate my January and part of my February. My first design that I'm really excited about is the "starlight" hat - although the name may change. It's a combination of colored cables and Fair Isle using Frog Tree Pediboo (www.frogtreeyarns.com) - which is a 3-ply sock weight yarn. I need to change out the trim though. I wanted to go straight into the cables but it's curling up too much so I am going to pull it out and add a hemmed trim - which is one of my favorites when it comes to a finished look. I'm hoping to have this pattern released by April (still needs test knitting and tech editing).

This cabled cowl neck is 1 of 4 designs which will be a Sandra Singh exclusive (http://www.sandrasingh.com/). I had posted earlier the hooded scarf in the Sandra Singh yarn. This design will be on the same pattern along with another one which is being test knit at the moment. The yarn used here is Malabrigo worsted weight in color Lettuce and I love love love the feel and look of this yarn! This pattern is due out by March 1st (fingers crossed). It will contain 4 designs, 2 cowls - 1 buttoned and in the flat, 1 in the round with no buttons and a top down hooded scarf and a bottom up hooded scarf. 4 designs with 4 looks - all very similiar though.

This design has been a long time in the making. Using Brown Sheep Burley Spun, I've modified my Super Bulky Winter Vest, added some cool leather toggles/clasps to it and thrummed the collar. Thrilled with the outcome - but still need to test knit, tech edit and actually write up the pattern! I also want to add a ribbing to the front bands. The one that will be test knit is a beautiful bright blue with black frog fasteners and black roving for the collar.

Lastly, the Corn Maize sock - which is a play on names and a play on ribbing. This simple design, using just knits and purls creates a very snug yet elastic fit. The design looks like a corn maze to me - hence the name. This sock is knit out of Sock hop yarn which is hand spun and hand dyed - and delicious to work with (http://www.crownmountainfarms.com/). The test knit sock will be tested in Crystal Palace's Panda Superwash. This design is perfect for variegated sock yarn.

Bohus Stickning Class with Susanna Hansson

2011-02-20T22:56:00.000-08:00

You know that a class is going to be great when you have 2 knitting buddies at your side!

As for the knitting instructor, Susanna Hansson - she is a great instructor and I loved the history of Bohus Stickning, the yarn (50% merino, 50% angora) and the pattern that came with class.

I walked away from this class really understanding the Bohus Stickning background and will definitely be knitting something along those lines - although not in sweater form!

After 6 hours of class - this is all we got done! I was working on a size 1 but would have preferred working a smaller size. It was small and tedious work but worth the extra effort.

A Janel Laidman class at Madrona Fiber Arts

2011-02-17T15:36:00.000-08:00

Just took "Paint Your Toes" at Madrona Fiber Arts (http://www.madronafiberarts.com/) with Janel Laidman.

Her socks are breathtakingly exquisite! As usual, I always find something new to learn.

Have you every seen anything like this before? These socks should be showcased in an art gallery - not hidden under pants and stuck in shoes!

Her design element is just striking.

According to Janel, these are the knitters favorite sock to knit. Unbelievably gorgeous!

If you have learned everything there is to know in the knitting world...you at least need to take a class for pure inspiration~it makes you re-think the everyday sock design.

I have 2 more classes with Janel tomorrow - so I'll update you with the rest tomorrow. Oh - as for my mini xmas sock that we knit in class, I'll post that as soon as I get it done.

Teaching in Wooster, Ohio this June

2011-02-04T12:10:00.000-08:00

http://www.callalilyyarn.com/

I am just in the midst of booking my flight for Ohio.

I go to TNNA (a wholesale Needlearts convention) every June - but this year, I'm making a stop in Wooster, Ohio at the Calla Lily shop to teach.

I'll be teaching 3 classes -

The Jogless striped Hat

Baltic Trims and Braids

Improve Your Look

These are amazing classes and you'll learn a ton!

I'll be teaching June 8th (Wednesday) all day.

This will be my first teaching gig outside of Washington state and I'm looking forward to it!

For more information: http://www.callalilyyarn.com/

Fashion Sketching class - just. what I need!

2011-01-21T13:29:00.000-08:00

I just signed up for a Fashion Sketching class at my local vocational college. I'm a terrible sketcher and I think it's really hurt my ability to convey the design I'm submitting to an editor or publisher. I hope she can really help me - not sure what she can possibly do to improve my drawing abilities. I personally think I'm hopeless - but we'll see.

Classes don't start until mid-March but I'm excited to learn something new again.

A Sandra Singh exclusive design

2011-01-05T10:29:00.000-08:00

I finally have a few pictures that I can share of my Sandra Singh (http://www.sandrasingh.com/) design using her own yarn--which by the way has a buttery-Malabrigo feel to it. The test knitting will be done in Malabrigo #37 Lettuce (I love my greens!).

Sandra asked me to design a hoodie/scarf using her yarn. I started designing and swatching in December - which is never a good time to begin a project. I struggled with all of my stitch patterns because it became too busy against her variegated yarn. So I ripped it out and started fresh. This new design has 3 cables that frame the face. I started with a provisional cast on in the intent to finish the top of the hat using a kitchener graft or 3-needle bind off-depending on the knitters skill set. This top down hoodie will finish with a continuous cable for the scarf and a fat button placed on the side of the scarf. I just hit my local yarn shop (http://www.agoodyarnshop.com/) and found the perfect button. I'll cast on stitches to each end of the hat to create the scarf, add a button hole and voila, I should have hoodie scarf in time for this long winter we are having.

I still have plenty of yarn left (I started with 2 skeins) - so I'll also create an all cabled matching cowl so that there is no left over yarn. 2 projects, 1 pattern and 2 skeins of yarn - gotta love a good deal. And....the yarn is very well priced (click on link to purchase)
https://id306.securedata.net/sandrasingh.com/merchantmanager/product_info.php?cPath=627&products_id=3005

Sandra Singh yarn details:
1 Ply Merino Worsted, 100% Merino Wool, 215 yds, colorway China Sea

Don't you love the buttons! This is the year of the buttons!!

My 2011 New Years Resolutions

2011-01-02T09:41:00.000-08:00

I understand that most New Years Resolutions never make it past the first week of January. I also understand that many people have just given up on the idea of even attempting to write down and verbalize what they would like to do to improve themselves. I am learning more and more about myself as I age and one of the things is that I am much more traditional than I ever thought I would be.

I may not remember what I listed last year as my resolutions and I may not have followed them as I wanted to --- but I still like the idea of writing down a list of my hopeful accomplishments in hopes that my sub-conscious mind keeps a running tab on this list and that I at least veer in that direction even if only in the slightest of ways.

So - my New Years Resolution for 2011...drum roll please.

1- Better organize my time
between the things I must do and the things I love to do. This means designating so many hours a day to my "work" being knitting and giving me the time I need to run the household, garden, cook and workout. I was lopsided much of last year and my garden and dirty dishes were ignored much of the year.

2- Knit only for myself
during my knitting group get togethers.
This means the Common Ground sweater (the Brown Stitch co), The Evening Gala sweater (Nicky Epstein) and my very own design - the Shorty Tam, the only hat that actually looks good on me.
When your passion becomes your job (and I pinch myself every day!), you tend to forget about your personal knitting time and your time becomes consumed with other peoples knitting and deadlines. As much as I enjoy this, I have nothing to show for myself.
3- Take care of myself a bit better.
Take my supplements on a daily basis, get some sun or at least fresh air for 15 minutes a day for vitamin D, find time to exercise daily, eat better and less! I do all of the above but at times I am sporatic and find it all a chore. I need to re-look at all of this as a pleasant and gratifying experience over a need.

4-Continue to find time for me and my friends,
take the time to lounge (with no feelings of guilt!) with my tea and a great book in a big cozy chair or outside on a lounge chair)...time to pick fresh flowers for my house....day dream more. Time to slow down and recognize how beautiful each day can be.

I hope that you also find the time to reflect on 2010 and improvements to 2011 - even if it just means just finding more time for yourself.

Happy New Years! May you find Happiness, Health and Peace!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

2010-12-25T21:07:00.000-08:00

Wishing you and your family

a very Merry Christmas!

May 2011 bring you health and happiness

and more time to knit!

Barista Mitts Errata on left mitt

2010-12-21T16:38:00.001-08:00

Oh Crud…the left hand of the Barista Mitt is a tad off. I’m in the midst of doing up an errata sheet for it.

Basically, after binding off for the cuff on WS, you need to work in pattern to end of row. Turn to right side and knit across THEN join in the round. Once the mitt is joined in the round, k9 sts (gets you to the edge of the cuff) THEN add the st marker indicating beg of round. This will align the button cuff properly. At this point, you may add in your st markers to indicate front and back and re-align needles as needed if working on magic loop or 2 sets of circs.

Sorry - this errata escaped both me and my tech editor. Just another reason not to rush during the holidays - huh?!

I’m sure hoping that you knitters out there were savvy enough to catch it before you got too far into the mitt.

Nothing worse than ripping this close to christmas!

Lisa

Great knitting gift ideas....

2010-12-19T13:40:00.000-08:00

I have a group of very close friends that meet every Wednesday for knitting. We've been meeting for about 4 years now and it's been a blast. We exchange gifts every year and this year was by far the most creative year to date! I just wish that I had come up with the ingenious ideas myself.....

Beginning with the most prolific and creative knitter amongst the group, Sherri. She knit up these adorable Santa Bags and filled them with a knitting ornament. What an amazing idea! Ornament was purchased through: http://www.agoodyarnshop.com/

Our most savy Raveler in the group is Sue. She manages to find the best patterns on Ravelry and seems to know every yarn, pattern, and website and what's the hottest, must have "knitting" gadget, bag or color. She's our Go To person in the knitting world. She came up with the most ingenious gift - a purchased pattern waiting in our Ravelry message box. What fun to open up mail and find a pattern waiting to be downloaded! Not only that - but she managed to find EXACTLY what I would have chosen. I don't think I would have been able to pull that one off myself. Pattern can be found:
http://thebrownstitch.com/2010/11/common-ground.html

The other great "knitting" gift was from our most compassionate knitting friend, Kristen who donated a knitters Basket on our behalf through Heifer International Charity.
http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.6329407/?msource=TH1J100025
OMG - what a perfect idea! She bought a llama, a sheep, an alpaca and an angora rabbit! I love this idea!

As for our other knitting buddy, Leslie, well, she's a canning fiend. She preserves anything and everything so we got a few of her very time consuming jars of jelly and a Christmas towel - which I have none of and needed!

As for me, well I was far from creative. I gave everyone a Lantern Moon knitting purse.

So - for you knitters out there, here are some great ways to make a knitter happy.

Boot Topper design

2010-12-02T18:15:00.000-08:00

Boot Topper using fingering weight sock

This boot topper was designed for Crown Mountain Farms - Knit for Fun Club (http://www.crownmountainfarms.com/).

It's a simple design that starts with a ribbing and finishes with the visible cuff. It prevents the boot from chafing your leg and also keeps snow and cold air from sneaking down the boot. It also glamorizes those drab boots! Pattern is currently available through Crown Mountain Farms.

Barista Mitts just need test knitting

2010-11-23T09:29:00.000-08:00

With all this inclement weather, I've gotten quite a bit of knitting done. It doesn't help that my husband has been working into the dawn hours and I feel obligated to stay up and knit with him to keep him company. Ok - so that's just another excuse to knit all night! I've received this big Ole box of Cascade 220 sport yarn and I'm now enthralled in all knits worked on size 5 needles.

This Barista Mitt idea came from Lois at Allyn Knit shop (http://www.allynknitandspin.com) who had these fun coffee buttons and a new shipment of 220 sport. My initial idea was to work the mitt exactly like the Northwest Button Band hat - moss stitch cuff and plain knit for the rest - but I got bored with plain knitting and the mitts don't fit quite as well. You need some shaping to fit snug on the hand so I added a center cable and love it as is. However, I am going one step farther and having my test knitter work the same mitts only with a variation of the cable. This way, I can offer to cable styles. I figure if you're going to charge for the pattern, you need to give lots of variations to make it worth its value. I'd like to offer one other style with no cables for the beginner in mind as well. We'll see.

Do you like??

Scrunchy Hat due out soon

2010-11-21T16:34:00.000-08:00

Crystal Palace Mini Mochi

This scrunchy hat was designed for the Knit for Fun club (http://www.crownmountainfarms.co/) - using fingering weight sock yarn. I had it test knit in Crystal Palace Mini Mochi (http://www.straw.com/). I call it a scrunchy hat since the cable pulls the hat in and scrunches it up. Once on, the cables lay flat with a tad bit of wave. The cable used is your everyday cable only with half being in the knit stitch while the other half is purled. It gives the cable a bit more dimension.

Crystal Palace Mini Mochi

Crown Mountain "Aris"

Still knitting...even with no power

2010-11-16T17:02:00.000-08:00

After a windy storm - loss of power for over 13 hours and a 2-hour late start for school - I am still able to knit. I have a great camping lantern that can light up a room so knitting wasn't too strenuous on the eyes. Funny thing is I just taught my neighbor (like 2 days ago...) how to knit and she was knitting by flashlight (teenage boy trying to hold still with the flashlight so she can finish her row!), while another crazy knitting friend is knitting by candlelight! Now that's tough on the eyes.

So - this is what I was working on. Yea, yea, it looks fabulous, I know (it's a Nicky Epstein design and she's fabulous) - but there is a mistake in the center cable that must have happened during the excitement of the power outage. Good news is that I did a quick duplicate stitch over the mistake (had a cable going the wrong direction) and only I can tell where it was. I just hate ripping back such tedious cables in fear of not being able to get back on track. Besides, I now have a story and memory about the sweater that would be lost if I ripped back. Some things are better left as is - makes for a great conversation piece!

Sock Monkey Hat

2010-11-13T14:20:00.000-08:00

At the request of my sister-in-law, I have made a sock monkey hat for her grand-daughter. I liked the yarn - it's a chunky weight Farbo something - acrylic yarn. It turned out okay -
My next attempt is to make a winter ski cowl neck sock monkey. Same concept and design only in a cowl neck. She's a ski instructor and wants to be more visual on the slops so her students can see her better. It's not my thing, but it was good for me. Besides, how cute will it be on her 3 year old grand-daughter!

It must be sock season

2010-11-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

It must be sock season - or at least for me it is. I just finished the last sock club pattern for Crown Mountain Farms (http://www.crownmountainfarms.com/) for this year. I had to wrack my brain to come up with something different than all the other socks - and after some 15 different swatches, I decided to copy my Northwest Button Band hat idea and work the same concept onto a sock. I must say, I'm pleased with the outcome. Different heel flap for me - I used a combination of wyif, sl 1, wyib, k1 on the wrong side of the flap to create this sturdy seed stitch look. I'm thinking this sock could be adorable on a toddler or babies foot in some pink tone with a fun button and some Mary Jane shoes.

These socks were designed for Frog Tree Yarns (http://www.frogtreeyarns.com/) - using their new Pediboo 3-ply sock yarn. Both of these socks were test knit for me and both knitters raved about this yarn. This sock will be at TNNA, Long Beach at the Frog Tree Booth. The heel flap is the standard heel flap (sl 1, k1) - only done on the wrong side so that the bars would face the right side tot give some needed texture.

This sock was intended to be reversible - but after asking the opinion of my 3 test knitters, they all agreed that they prefer the knit side up with the cuff folded down - so no need to offer a reversible option.

No time to knit these days....

2010-10-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

It's all about Witches this month!

No time to knit these days....Disneyland called to say they missed me, then school called to make sure the 3 amigas were still working the cake walk booth...now I have a family wedding tonight about 3 hours away. I'll be able to at least knit in the car for the trip up.

I'm sure next week will look more promising....

New Winter Hat...photoshoot

2010-10-14T23:25:00.000-07:00

What a great day! I managed to convince my neighbor to allow me to take her picture with my new hat. She had 1 baby down for a nap, another youngster due home from school and according to her, a messy house to boot. And yes, she was kind enough to take time out of her very busy "mom" day to let me snap a few pictures. I literally took about 5 minutes - I only needed 5 minutes. She was remarkable!

Gearing up for Winter Designs 2011

2010-10-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Fall designs have been launched, classes at Northwest Needle Market have been taught and I have pretty much wrapped up 3rd quarter. I always take a break between the seasonal designs and try to wrap my head around organizing the desk (again), sketching the new designs and checking on all of my on-line accounts to be sure they've received and uploaded the fall designs.

I go over my list of "submission proposals" - much which has been missed. My deadlines and their deadlines don't seem to match well so I miss more proposals then I actually submit. In fact, I haven't sent out any proposals this fall which means I've missed them all for the next 6 months. Oh well...I probably needed the break.

So this week I think I'll try and conquer my list.

1-sketch design for Madrona Fiber Arts this February
2-swatch sock for Sock Hop club (due this November- better put an alert on this one)
3-post an iddy biddy winter trio errata (2 sentences were transposed)
4-finish a new design for Allyn Knit and Spin
5-print 4 old patterns in the new template (Faux baby hat, happy hallo-twining, spring gauntlets, unisex vest)
6-check on student count for upcoming class at Yorkshire Yarns (October 16)
7-finish Zealana yarns winter hat and create a You-Tube instructional for the hat
8-sketch a non-sock design using Frog Tree Yarns in Pediboo sock yarn for TNNA, Long Beach (January)
9-check website for improvements and updates
10-finish cowl neck on flattering summer shell for Frog Tree Yarns, Long Beach (January)
11-keep checking for new book on How to Knit Mittens, House of White Birches (I have 2 designs in the book) and new winter edition of Love of Knitting magazine (I have 2 designs)

This should keep me busy through the week....

Got me some sample/test knitters

2010-10-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

I have been on the search for some fabulous test and sample knitters. It's hard to find good sample knitters. First of all, the pay is lousy. Second of all, I keep the knitted pieces. Third of all, we are going into the holiday knitting season so everyone is trying to crank out their own knitting first.

I finally got up the nerve to search for sample knitters on Ravelry. The response was enormous! Not only did I get a good response, many of them gave me a run down of big time designers that they regularily test knit for. Once you throw out a recognizable name, I'm convinced you gotta be good.

I sent out 3 socks, 1 hat, 1 cowl and 1 XL sweater ....all to be sample knit. I am working with one yarn company that buys all of the samples for their booth displays and will sell them as well to the yarn shop owners.

In the past, I've only had most of my patterns test knit by 1 person per project. Now that I have 4 different knitters on 1 pattern sock, I am noticing that each knitter brings new comments, suggestions and even questions that the others didn't. These knitters are truly perfecting the pattern for me in more ways than you would realize. It's not so much that I am looking for errors in the pattern but I am also wanting feedback. Did you enjoy knitting it? Did it fit you just right? Do you like the reversible look? Would you knit it again? Do you like the look of it? If I can't get positive feedback on the questions, then the pattern it too hoo hum to print.

A design is not successful without the tech editors, test knitters and sample knitters behind it.

Winter gauntlets

2010-09-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

Finally got a better picture of the gauntlet.

2-handed Fair Isle Class

2010-09-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

The 2 handed Fair Isle class is next weekend and I'm just finishing up the photography, writing of the pattern, and re-doing the matching sock! I still need to get it off to the tech editor and then off to the printers....yikes, how do I get myself into these terrible deadlines?! It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for me wanting to change everything after the fact - and working on size 2 needles. Like for instance, on this hat, the trim was supposed to be a hem. Once I did the hem, I didn't like it. It was too bulky. So I changed it to a tiny roll which I like. But then I thought that I would prefer if all 3 projects start and look the same. So now I want to rewrite the pattern to begin with a 2 row seed stitch. Also - I think the hat is just a tad snug - by say half an inch. I can easily change the pattern but I don't have time to re-knit it so I think I'll have to write out the 2 trim options. As for the gauntlets, love the look - but need to tweek the pattern. The cuff was a tad tight on a few of my friends so want to work it up in 2 sizes. Then the hand part of the gauntlet was a tad loose so I need to take out the increased darts. Lastly, the socks. I ripped it back because they feel an inch too big around the ankle. Crunch time ...gotta go

Hats by the dozen....

2010-09-16T20:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I kinda loved this no thinking hat making. All you do is go in the round, no charts to follow, no lace to work up - just plain old knitting. I got carried away with this project. I couldn't help myself with the color options. I only had 4 colors to work - and only 4 skeins of 100 yds as well. I was knitting them down to their last hair! I so enjoyed this project. I just hope that my students at Northwest Needle Market enjoy it as well.

Winter gauntlets

2010-09-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

I'm working with Frog Tree yarns (http://www.frogtreeyarns.com/) - Pedipoo which is their newest sock yarn. I'm designing a Winter Trio which will include socks and a matching hat. This is the project I'll be using in my 2-handed Fair Isle class coming up.

Since I'm working with such fine yarn and in such classic winter colors, I've decided to place darts up the center of the gauntlet for a more refined and shapely gauntlet. I'm adding guesset shaping to the thumb - which will give better shape and fit. I originally thought I wanted the darts to be positioned on the bottom of the wrist where it wouldn't be visible. However, now that I've tried it on, I almost prefer the darts to be placed on the top of the hand for some texture. The gauntlets are reversible - so it could be worn either way. For a more dramatic shape - the darts could be worked on both sides of the gauntlet - provided you have small wrists. I may have to try that on the next pair to see if it's too restrictive.

All American Day!

2010-09-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more American than apple pie and the fair! And you simply can not go to the fair without making your way through the animal petting farm. Oatmeal the sheep was there and I couldn't stop hugging him. His matted fur (?) was so thick, my fingers would disappear when I scriched (spelling???) him. He was funny too because everytime I tried to take a picture of another animal, he would somehow get in the way and I'd get a picture of wool! There was also baby alpaca's - absolutely adorable! I just love the fair - and it seems that it seems that the fair is becoming a lost tradition. Many of my friends and my children's friends no longer attend the fair. Not sure why.

I walked through the exhibition hall where the quilts, knitting, canned foods and photography are displayed. The workmanship is incredible! I dragged my kids through the garden which is absolutely breathtaking with the grape vines cluttered with grapes, a vine patch full of zucchini, cucumber, squash and pumpkins and barrels full of beets, radishes and carrots. It just makes you want to garden more! They also have hands on demonstrations on making butter, milling flour and carding wool.

Brett Micheals had a concert blaring in the distance - and Lexi was dancing through the crowd to his music. Of course, the fair wouldn't be the same without the fried pickles (not bad), Elephant ears and the roasted corn. The 4H cat show was underway and it's always fun to walk through the cat show where every single cat is curled up in their litter box and not in their bed that their 4H mothers had made for them. I had so much fun, I'm going back this Tuesday with my brother and the girls.

Shop Sample - jogless striped hat

2010-09-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

Nothing like test knitting for myself! Although, sometimes I prefer it as I can find my mistakes first before someone else does! Actually - I am waiting for some yarn and I'm in between deadlines so I had some time. I love what I call, my dead zone. I can just knit without thinking. This is where knitting therapy happens.

This hat was knit out of Alpaca with a Twist - Baby Twist, DK weight yarn and it's just luscious to work with. I'll be teaching this class at the Northwest Needle Market show in Tukwila, September 25 and at Yorkshire Yarns (http://www.yorkshireyarns.com/) late October. This hat will actually reside permanently at Yorkshire Yarns along with the Alpaca with a Twist yarn for those of you that live in the Tacoma area.

It's just a fun and unique technique to striping in the round without the "jogs" or ladders.

I'm off to make the 2 striped hat now as I have plenty of yarn left over - gotta love 2 hats with 3 skeins!

Felt like Thrumming....

2010-08-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

It seems like everytime I finish up some knitting deadlines, I feel the need to just knit someone else's pattern. Knit something that I can just follow directions instead of writing down everything I'm doing and adjusting numbers and ripping out and re-swatching. It just sometimes is necessary to knit without having to think. So this weekend I picked up a project that I've been dying to do for some time. I bought the yarn (http://www.allynknitshop.com/) for my Knit A Long sweater and actually had a skein left to do these boots. Found some gorgeous Angora Roving on Etsy - last spring and then promptly put it away until all of my deadlines were met.

I'm really happy with the slippers. As usual, there are things I would change. Like I think I should have used thicker clumps of roving and I would have preferred a longer cuff. The cuff shown on the cocoknits pattern seems longer and fuller. Aside from that, it couldn't have been an easier pattern and you just can't beat the price - 1 skein (I think it cost me $9) is all it takes to make the pair! The yarn is Lamb's Pride Bulky (http://www.brownsheep.com/) - milled in the US (bonus in my book!) and the color is Golden Mushroom which is absolutely gorgeous. I may make a few pairs for my daughters for Xmas in Red with White fleece. Wouldn't that be adorable!

http://cocoknits.com/knit/garments/accessories/fleeced-boots.html

I love this photo shoot....

2010-08-26T22:24:00.001-07:00

My dear dear friend, who never turns me down, kindly allowed me to photograph her in the seamless short sweater that was custom knit for a shop. Yes, this kind kind friend also sample knit this sweater.

It was the spur of the moment kind of thing as are all of my photoshoots - like I gave her a 20 minute notice that I was headed over. The craziest thing is that I took one look at her front door with her sitting chair and accessory pillows and I knew that I found the perfect location. I literally took 4 shots of her and was done. I couldn't believe that even her little dog matched perfectly with the sweater and setting. It was like a June Clever moment. I love my June Clever - oh, I mean, Sherri Hazen!

Going back to school...AGAIN!

2010-08-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

After the stress and hiatus from last spring's Photoshop class at the not-so-local community college, I thought I might be done with this further education thing. Now that I've had a break from school and forgot how much time this continued education took....I've signed up for yet another course! This time though, I think I found the perfect class. It's in Tacoma, every Wednesday from 6 - 7:30 at night (there goes dinner with family). It's super super cheap (which worries me) - and it's a beginner course in Fashion Illustration, using Adobe Illustrator which I have and have not even tinkered with yet.

There is another class that caught my eye - although I'll have to wait a quarter (don't want to overload myself!). It's Fashion Illustration - hand sketching. Sounds like a fun class. I hope they offer it next quarter.

The good news is it only runs for 1 month. I pay my tech editor to do all of my schematics right now and will probably continue to have her do my schematics as she is so proficient - but it's good for me to start dabbling in should I lose her to bigger and better opportunities - which I am sure will happen.

I'm excited - I'll keep you posted

90 degrees...must work with wool!

2010-08-14T18:02:00.001-07:00

One of the first and few hots days that we have in Seattle should be enjoyed by water. I live on a peninsula surrounded by salt water beaches - some as close as 2 miles away. It's truly a gorgeous day but somehow I must have heat stroke because I thought I should spend the day working with just wool! Not small wool projects - but sweater size wool projects.

I'm not proud of it, but here is what I got accomplished today.............................

2 sweatesrs being blocked at the same time - one being the Baby Doll Cardigan (left) in Cascade 128 and the other being the Seamless Short Sweater (right) in Frog Tree Meriboo machine washable.

I need to go and get a button for this one.

I added buttons to my Knit-A-Long sweater (http://www.sweaterbabe.com/ #85 wavy textured hood vest). Loved knitting up the sweater - love the style, love the construction of it and can't wait to wear it this fall.

Buttons remind me of bamboo - and I love them! Sweater was knit using Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky - mushroom color. Will take better pictures on my next post.

Lastly, I worked on my jogless 3-striped hat using Frog Tree yarns - Meriboo in colors purple, lilac and grey. Loving the hat but working on size 6 needles so taking longing then I'd like. Love the 3 colors together, very rich hues. Class will be taught this fall.

Me and my buddy....Nicky and my new sweater too!

2010-08-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

Okay - so, I love love love this sweater....wanted the peacock feathers super bad until I saw what it looked like on me! I'm going to have to forego the peacock feathers. Isn't this the most fabulous sweater you've ever seen? It's in the Nicky Epstein book: Knitting on Top of the World

Here's the book it came out of. She's a fabulous designer and you must own at least one of her books to be called a knitter (that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it!)

Another deadline....

2010-08-10T23:44:00.000-07:00

Well I can't post any pictures - but I am finishing up 2 deadlines for an upcoming Winter knitting magazine. I'm very happy with both designs but I hate deadlines...they just un-nerve me. And everytime I look over my instructions, I either start changing numbers around - because I don't trust myself or they don't look so good on paper, or they don't have rhythm. Then I just start making mistakes by confusing myself! I guess the worst part of the whole process is that I don't know how I compare to the other contributing designers.

Do they just plug in numbers and stick to it without re-adjusting?
Do they work and re-work their pattern - racking up the hours and diminishing the hourly pay from $1 to 10 cents an hour?
Are they more careless than I - or am I more green?
Does the Tech Editor have more red ink stains on my pattern than anyone elses?
Do they add unhappy faces to mine?

I guess the only way to build confidence or at least know where you stand against the other designers would be to tech edit on the magazine end. That way, you could see what the various designers have submitted and be re-assured that they make just as many mistakes as you do and that their numbers don't make any more sense. This is my 2nd magazine, and my 7th book contribution. It would be nice to get past the "I wish I knew my strengths and weaknesses". Although there is no time for a feedback sheet - or a sliding point system like at school, it would definitely let us know if we need to improve our skills on the next batch of designs or if we are doing just fine as is.

I have to get them both off by tomorrow - so gotta go. I'm thinking of going on a hyiatus (spelling???)...and knit a piece for myself using another designers design - yes, that being Nicky Epsteins Aran Gala sweater. It would put me temporarily out of commission but I think I've had all the deadlines I can handle for 1 year.

Oops - forgot, I still have a few more projects that need tending to!

Finally met Nicky Epstein!

2010-08-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

I think one of my first knitting books was from my mom and it was a Nicky Epstein book. Every time I get together with my mom, she always buys me a knitting book and 90 times out of a 100, it's a Nicky Epstein book. In fact, for 10 years, that was the only designer name that I recognized and followed. I take knitting classes where ever I can - and when ever I can but I haven't caught sight of any Nicky classes. I haven't even seen her name on the TNNA or Madrona class schedules. So when I heard she was giving a class at Yorkshire yarns of Lakewood (http://www.yorkshireyarns.com/) - I knew I had to take it.
It's amazing at the designers, authors, anchor women and calendar chicks that Sonya can convince to talk, teach and book sign at her shop. Keep your radar on her calendar of events...

We had to bring 2 8x8 swatches with us. The class was based on her upcoming book due out in November - color blocking. Wasn't sure exactly what this class entailed, but I didn't care. We learned how to make a turtle stuffed animal out of one of the squares and a hat out of the other. I'm not a stuffed animal fan - but that wasn't the point of the class. The point that I got from it is that you can take something as simple as a block and transform it into anything you can imagine. She showed us how to create sweaters, gauntlets, shawls, hats, berets, purses and scarves out of 12x12 blocks. It was fascinating how her mind works.

I bought this book - because I fell in love with one of her sweaters in it that I actually saw at TNNA 2 years ago and couldn't get it out of my mind. Mind you, it's a little over the top - which I don't feel I am. In this case, however, I feel like I may be coming out of my shell! Get ready....

There are over 150 pearls on it with osterich feathers to ensure that I'll be noticed! The picture doesn't show off the gorgeous cable stitches or the richness of the yarn (Cascade Dolce) - or even the 3 different sizes of pearls sewn on in and between and around the cables.

I'm thinking if I can get some of my many deadlines done, I might have time to get this sweater done in time for my nieces wedding this October. Or will I look like the bride???? Mother of the bride????

I may also make it so that the Osterich feathers can be attached and detached as needed for the occasion.

Fun fun class....lastly...this sun shawl is spectacular up close. I'm not a shawl fan but this was unbelievably gorgeous in person. Knit with Art yarn - pure silk, the yarn alone cost $300 or so (according to Nicky). Perhaps that's another reason that it's so spectacular, anything knit in cashmere, angora or silk is going to be stunning! Interesting enough...is that it is knit in the garter stitch through out and short rows.....and I call myself a designer??? Now that's what a real designer creates!

I love taking classes....they inspire me to go further, think outside the paradigm and truly create a one of a kind master piece instead of the everyday dozen.

Everyone is on vacation

2010-08-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

Pedicure on vacation

Scrumptious yarn on vacation

- the beginning of the 3-colored jogless hat (upcoming class this fall)

Frog Tree yarn "Meriboo MW" (machine washable) http://www.frogtreeyarns.com/

Hat on vacation

This is the 2-color jogless hat (upcoming class this fall)

Frog Tree yarn "Meriboo MW" - love this yarn....

Girls on vacation

Another great vacation. This time to the Pacific ocean. Each girl brought a friend - one being my darling niece and it was the absolute perfect vacation! My husband had 5 of his college buddies stay at the house for 3 nights for their yearly golf tournament so we were forced to leave home. I took 4 girls and 4 knitting projects and that's all I needed to be content.

Summer is about making memories......

My quarter page Mug Shot in Fall Interweave Knits 2010!

2010-07-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love Interweave Knits. I only get one knitting magazine and it's this one. I always read the magazine when I first get it, cover to cover while drinking my tea but being summer...I was hauling the kids off for a bike ride on the waterfront with my brother. So I grabbed the magazine and threw it in my beach bag to read at while having our picnic. We ended up buying lunch at a snack shack and walking for hours while the girls' biked. I came home late and exhausted and frankly forgot about the magazine until now....

I was just checking my last emails of the evening...don't know why. There can't be anything urgent at 10 pm! But, I had this strange email stating that she saw my sweater in an Ad in the Interweave Knits magazine that just came out. She went first to Frog Tree Yarns in search of the pattern then googled my name after she was unable to find anything on Frog Tree's website. She loves the sweater and wants to know where she can buy it. Good heavens, I wasn't aware of this Ad! I knew there was one coming out this fall in the Yarn Market News magazine - but I had no clue that my mug shot would be in my favorite magazine! It's not just any Ad - it's a quarter page Ad! Wow - I hope I can sleep tonight...

knit-n-bake

2010-07-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

In keeping with my "Where do you like to Knit" line....I decided that knit-n-bake was just up my alley!

We headed over to Hills Resort (http://www.hillsresort.com/) in Priest Lake, Idaho for our yearly vacation with another family. It's in the Rocky mountains and the heat can be intense. The lake is glacier water and my big toe was screaming from what it thought was frost bite. There's only one way to cool off - laying in the raft and dipping the hands in the water once in a while to change direction. I kept the yarn in a plastic sack as a precaution and was able to get quite a bit of knitting done while bronzing....I mean burning. If you haven't knit-n-baked this summer, you haven't had a good summer yet!

A few new books now available

2010-07-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

Looks like both of the books I have contributed designs to are now available....The knit prayer shawls has 1 of my wraps while the In the Nick of Time has 2 of my stocking designs - both being on the cover.

I just received my knit prayer shawls book and there are 15 gorgeous shawls in it. I haven't received the In the Nick of Time book yet - but I'm excited to see all of the stockings. The prayer shawl was due last September while the stockings were due in February so I was really surprised to see them both pop up in the same week.

To purchase: http://www.anniesattic.com/detail.html?code=121045

To purchase: http://www.leisurearts.com/info/Knit_Crochet_Prayer_Shawls.aspx

Where do you like to knit?

2010-06-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

I like to knit on the beach with Sherri - while our lovely children play at our feet!
Never mind that they're bored...I'm getting alot of knitting done!

My thinking perch

2010-06-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

Some of my most creative moments come from walking or running across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Aside from the whizzing cars, the view is breathless! When I run towards Tacoma, you can see our majestic Mt. Rainier (you can see it to the left - that white mound is Mt. Rainier). When you look to the right, you can see Puget Sound. If you look straight down, you are almost guaranteed to see a Harbor Seal and when I run back towards Gig Harbor, I can catch a glimpse of another mountain range. The bridge span is 1 mile each way and when I'm feeling energized, I'll add an on-ramp to my run. There is something about the serenity of the view that helps me organize my thoughts and re-design my sketches. It's also the last place in Gig Harbor that has sun. We have so many trees around that many of my other runs become shaded quickly. So if I am in need of some vitamin D and it's getting late, I head for the bridge.

Zoo yarn????

2010-06-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

Today was my youngest daughter's field trip to Woodland Park Zoo. My favorite all time animal is the snow leopard. The cat family is my favorite animal category with the snow leopard in the top heap. So - to my delight, we came across the snow leopards. There were 2 of them and they were in plain sight. Next to them was a small exhibit. Not sure exactly what the exhibit was for - but it was freshly sheered camel (??) hair, camel roving and a ball of camel yarn. So, jokingly, I told the attendant that I would like to buy a skein of yarn. Much to my surprise - she said that they actually sold the yarn in the gift shop! I called my best friend - Sherri (also known as my test knitter) - who was also on the same field trip. She was in the penguin exhibit and had by passed the snow leopards. I told her about the yarn and she bee-lined to the gift shop - making it there way before me. Here's what I got.....

The proceeds go to the snow leopard conservation program as well as to the Mongolian Nomadic women and families. It's camel wool - and it's one of the only means of livelihood for the nomads. The color is hard to describe - I would say a charcoal grey with black and dark green undertones and brown fibers. Wow - too hard to describe in words. Cost was $27 for 150 - 200 yds. I'm thinking of making myself some mittens/gloves or fingerless gloves.

Oh - and here is my lovely child.... feeding a bird - the highlight of the trip.

Memorial Day photo shoot

2010-05-31T10:18:00.000-07:00

Is There anything better than a photoshoot with babies? Just one word describes this moment....precious, precious, precious!

It almost makes you want to have another one -

Textured Socks - Fall design

2010-05-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

These socks were created for Crown Mountain Farms - Sock Hop Club (http://www.crownmountainfarms.com/). Sherri Hazen, my loyal test knitter, test knit up these socks using Cascade Heritage solid sock yarn (http://www.cascadeyarns.com/). She fell in love with this yarn - while I fell in love with the color (#5630). It's a cuff down, simple 2 row pattern repeat with an oversized cable running down the center.

Due out this summer as part of the fall collection.....

Thanks Sherri - you do awesome work -but I still think you have a knitting machine! No one can knit as fast as you!

A designers deadline list

2010-05-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

TNNA is just around the corner. For those of you who don't know what that is - it's a Needle Arts convention for yarn companies, designers, yarn shop owners, publishers, authors and teachers. It is the only one I attend and it's where the fall yarns, patterns and gadgets are unveiled. It's also where I get to be amongst thousands of my closest yarn hoarding, obsessed knitting friends! It's the only trip I get to take away from husband and kids - and where I can knit until my fingers fall off! I always take a few classes as it's fun for me to see the different teaching techniques, not to mention all of the new tricks I learn.

I am so excited about this trip but the work leading up to this trip is so involved. Here's a short list of what I need to accomplish prior to jumping on the plane...in exactly 16 days.....
1) finalize seamless short sweater pattern
2) tech edit seamless short sweater pattern
3) finalize lil summer dress pattern
4) tech edit lil summer dress pattern
5) photograph lil summer dress pattern
6) send lil summer dress pattern to printers
7) bring 100 copies of dress pattern to TNNA for pattern signing
8) finish up cowl neckline of lovin summer shell
9) finalize lovin summer shell pattern
10) tech edit summer shell pattern
11) photograph summer shell pattern
12) send off mass email to retailers - announcing my pattern signing at TNNA
13) swatch up hat for Zealana
14) knit up hat for Zealana
15) do homework for TNNA classes
16) finalize Fiesta yarns project (not for TNNA but due at the same time)
17) create an instructional YouTube video on the trim piece of the lil summer dress

Let me also mention that I just did 3 photoshoots using "moi" as the model in an effort to meet a deadline for an Ad due out this August. I missed the deadline by a day - but I think they'll still take it. I had issues with wanting to send a headless sweater to the graphic artist, who in turn told me to get over it and just keep my head in the picture. She finds headless sweaters rather disturbing which cracked me up and I now have to re-think my philosophy of beheading all of my models. I learn something everyday and when I'm not learning, I am forced to re-think my path.

Yes - in addition to this long overwelming list, I still have to feed the family, care for the home (a tad), volunteer at both schools and sleep if possible.

More photos are in the works....

Feminine Flair Jacket Fall Design

2010-05-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Here it is....the Feminine Flair Jacket - available this fall. This jacket is a simple top down cardigan using a larger needle than the yarn called for to keep it light and airy. Simple ribbing is strategically placed under the arms, center of the arms and center of the back to give subtle shaping and texture. A ribbing is placed at the rib cage to pull in slightly, then an even larger needle is worked for the skirting to give the sweater movement and to avoid becoming too heavy in weight (this is a chunky yarn - ). The construction makes this sweater extremely flattering for all body types. For those of us less endowed, the closure can be moved over to create a criss cross/overlapping bodice. I love working outside the norm - meaining working on larger needles than expected to give this chunky yarn more movement and allowing the sweater to be worn year round as opposed to just the cold winter months. It also uses less yarn which makes it a more economical sweater as well. You can also shorten the skirt - which would be just as cute.

Sweater will be available for viewing at TNNA, Columbus at the Zealana Booth. The pattern will be available for purchase mid-summer.

Sock club sneak preview

2010-05-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

Crown Mountain is just about to ship out their 2nd shipment in the Sock Hop club. Here's a sneak preview of the pattern that goes along with the hand spun / hand dyed yarn. This colorway is called Shadow on the Wall and compliments the stitch patterns perfectly. For more information on the Sock Hop Club, go to http://www.crownmountainfarms.com/

I must have swatched a good 10 ideas/sketches before coming up with this one. Many of my thoughts just didn't work well with either the sock itself (too restricting, too difficult, doesn't stand out against the yarn). I also have to take into account that this is a general sock club with 50 knitters - from every knitting level and from every age group and region so it's really hard to come up with something that you think will appease everyone. I hope I was able to achieve that. The pattern is an easy repetitive pattern and the cables are only worked every 24 rounds. I have my trustworthy test knitter, Sherri Hazen, knitting the sock up in Cascade "Heritage solids" in a beautiful blue (color #5630). I love to show socks in both a solid and a variegated yarn as they both look totally different from one another.

Teaser number 2

2010-04-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

This is actually going to be a summer shell. I began knitting this 3-color trim intending on using it for the bottom of the shell. My initial idea was the have the 3-color trim be on the bottom of the shell and again on the rib cage area then changing colors for the bodice. The trim was to separate the color changes. Once I tried it on though, I was worried that since the trim pulls in a tad and doesn't have the elasticity, then the waistline/belly area would pouf out. Not a good look. I already have issues in that area. So - the best thing to do in this situation is to set it aside and work on another design. A few weeks later, I picked it up again and decided to work the trim from both sides. I knit down from the trim to the hips, finishing off the bottom with a fun fun ruffle then I picked up sts from the CO edge of the trim and am working up the bodice. Ironically, the stitches I needed to pick up on the CO edge just happened to be a contrasting color which made for a super simple and perfect pick up. I'm just now trying to decide which neckline to go with. I am loving the new re-design and I am loving the colors.

Frog Tree yarn was used in this project. It's the Picoboo yarn which is a blend of cotton and bamboo. http://www.frogtreeyarns.com/.

A teaser as to what's coming this fall....

2010-04-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it - I'm already working on my fall line. This sweater is the first of my many fall sweaters to come (I'm in sweater mode, last year was hat mode). The yarn is Zealana Tui - Aspire and it's a quick knit using only 5 skeins for a size M sweater- hence why it was the first to get finished. It's in the blocking stage. More photos to come ----

Spring/Summer Make and Take Collection

2010-04-07T13:04:00.000-07:00

The spring designs are about to be launched - even though they have been done for quite some time. I decided that the spring line should revolve around fingering weight yarn. This line will be called the Make and Take Collection.

Starting with the Spring Gauntlets in fingering weight. Shown in Cascade Heritage solids and Crown Mountain Aphrodite hand dyed yarns. Gauntlets are ribbed through out with 2 simple cables running up the center. Thumb gussets make these gauntlets fit like a glove.

The Shorty Tam is also knit in fingering weight yarn - only doubled through out and using a #4 needle for a quicker knit. Shown in Cascade Heritage Paints and Crown Mountain Aris sock yarn. The shorty tam takes all 400 yds and is intended to be worn far back on the head - ideal for spring/summer weather and for those with short hair.

Lastly, the Holey Twists on Socks. Shown in Crystal Palace Mini Mochi and Crown Mountain Sock Hop yarn. These springy socks are very light weight and airy. Super simple pattern to follow. You'll love the Mini Mochi - however, it's not the best yarn for beginners or those who rip out their work alot. The little fuzzy mohair fibers like to knot up. The good news is that the socks will wear well!

All patterns should be available within the next few weeks as I get them out to my e-stores and local yarn shops.

Photoshop class is starting....

2010-03-29T07:55:00.000-07:00

Okay - here I go again, back to school to learn a bit about photoshop. I am so scared (3 hours long...I wonder if I can listen and knit???) and excited all at the same time. Business has hit an all time low so this is really an ideal time for me to catch up with the times. I have 2 new spring patterns being released this week - thanks to my trusty and quick test knitter Sherri Hazen. I'm also finishing up the Zealana Aspire - Tui cardigan for TNNA in June. I'm expecting to be done with the sweater by this week. So I'm feeling fairly good. I even managed to get some heavy yard work done (weeding, pruning, planting gladiola bulbs and some veggies...shelling and snow peas/carrots/beets/lettuce) over the weekend which basically gives myself a green light to knit for the rest of the week in between classes. The plumber comes over today for the beginning of our bathroom and laundry room remodel so a ton is going on at the moment - all good though.

I'm excited to put my photoshop skills to use - so don't be surprised if I start uploading some zany images to my blog...we'll call it extra credit homework!

My first design in a magazine

2010-03-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

Knit Simple, Spring/Summer 2010, photo by Paul Amato

on sale April 6th

My very first magazine and I didn't even submit anything! This vest went to TNNA/Long Beach with the

Zealana yarn company. The yarn sisters showed it to the Vogue team and before I knew it, they were asking permission to do a photo shoot. How do you say no to that! Luckily the pattern had been finished but not published at that point. This vest was designed as a uni-sex vest and looks equally handsome on a woman. I'm anxious to see the rest of the magazine.

photo by Paul Amato

Knit for Fun Club

2010-03-12T21:05:00.000-08:00

In this economy - you have to think outside the box. You have to reach out and target new markets - new knitters. So Crown Mountain Farms and I came up with a plan....to create a Knit for Fun club for his sock yarn. Crown Mountain Farms is known for his fibers. Most of his clientele buy his hand dyed fibers to hand spin. He has a ton of spinners following him. His other following are the sock knitters. Those who knit socks - love his sock yarns. What he's missing, however, are the everything but sock-knitters. So between the two of us, we decided to launch the Knit for Fun Club which is a club using his hand dyed sock yarn - in other projects outside of socks. The club started this past January and I began with The Shorty Tam. This hat uses the sock yarn double stranded. It's the perfect hat for those of us who don't wear hats well - like us short haired people who look bald when wearing hats. It sits back off of the face and is quite attractive on.
It also happens to keep your head warmer than I expected. I never wear hats -because of my short hair...but we had a few cold mornings where I would throw on this shorty tam and head out to the bus stop. Surprisingly, it didn't feel like I was wearing a hat and surprisingly, when I took the tam off, I could definitely feel the difference. This pattern is available through www.crownmountainfarms.com

Knit for Fun club has its 2nd release this month. Featured project will be the fingering spring gauntlets. It only uses 200 yds of sock yarn - which means the other 200 yds could be knit up in some darling spring pedicure socks.

Organizing accepted submissions

2010-03-03T17:36:00.000-08:00

A month later, and several emails sweating over lost yarn...I finished my deadline with not a moment to spare.

It's always a huge stress reliever to mail off the project and pattern and clean up the aftermath which takes over my office floor. I collect the aftermath in a large mailer envelope for safe keeping. All accepted submissions envelopes are labeled with the publishing house, the name of the project and the book it was designed for. Inside the envelope is the contract, submission sketches, swatches, pattern writing guidelines, yarn labels, snippets of yarn, pay stubs, postal service receipts, any communication with the tech editors/yarn companies and all rough drafts of the pattern. This way, if there is a technical question down the road or any question for that matter, I can pull out the file and hopefully find what I need. Down the road, this too will probably need improving... but for now, it has worked well. I now need to find a file drawer that I can dedicate to these bulky mailers. The above submission can be found in Circular Knitting Redefined.

Someone blogged about my twined hat

2010-02-23T22:29:00.000-08:00

http://stringplay.blogspot.com/

All be damned....by mere accident like everything else in my life, I fell upon a blog...and the blog happens to touch upon my twined hat, clear across the country. Now I know that everyone today blogs, so eventually, we all will end up blogging about one another in due time. Nonetheless, it's exciting to think that someone actually thinks your pattern is interesting enough to blog about.

Thank you Stringplay for making me smile!

Another great Madrona class

2010-02-16T12:03:00.000-08:00

My class on Sunday with Margaret Radcliffe, author of my newest favorite book: The Essential Guide to Color Knitting Techniques was another great class. Funny thing is that I bought this book and wrote about it in my top 6 favorites of 2009 - not realizing that I had signed up to take a class from her! I guess I need to start paying attention to the instructors and book authors! I didn't know much about Helix knitting and it appears that most people don't - other than it's a jogless technique. It was beyond jogless...it was thinking outside the box in working with color. As soon as I finish this deadline of mine, I plan on diving into a helix hat using my favorite all time bulky yarn - Mirasol Sulka which happens to be the yarn used in my class projects above. I also plan on doing up some fingerless gloves the "helix" way, using up 4 partial skeins as a great way to reduce my stash.

Mitred socks class

2010-02-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

My close friend Sherri and I took a knitting class today at Madrona Fiber Arts in Tacoma. When I signed up for it, I had no idea that the instructor was Jane Slicer-Smith - author of the Swing Swagger Drape book. In fact, I knew little about the class other than we were going to knit mitred socks. Well - it wasn't exactly mitred socks as I had envisioned but it was a good class just the same. I wouldn't say that the teacher was a spectacular instructor either since we basically just followed the pattern and she came around to help as needed. What I did get from the class however, is a better sense of how to integrate mitred knitting into purses/booties/shawls and sweaters. Mitred knitting is quite simple but understanding the foundation to this technique and how to apply it is really what I gained from this class. I have flipped through the pages of this book before but to see the actual garments in person and have people model them is a totally different story. The jackets were far more stunning and flattering on and the workmanship and construction were incredible. The jackets are truly a work of art. I have such an appreciation for this book now and for the designer behind the book. Wow - am I ever excited now for my class tomorrow with Margret Radcliffe - a name I do recognize!

go to: http://www.sigknit.com/ for more mitred knitting patterns and photos.

Need to do inventory of my knitting supplies

2010-02-10T07:15:00.000-08:00

Being addicted to knitting, you would think that I have every knitting accessory known to mankind. I must have everything- afterall, I worked in yarn shops with discounts for years, I have a walk in closet nearly dedicated to knitting and an office shared with my husband that displays the rest. So now that I have a super tight deadline - I now realize that I don't have stitch markers for size #13 needles and beyond nor do I have US13 double pointed needles! I have 11's and 15's - but I guess my many hat projects never used size 13 needles. So until I can get to a yarn shop and search for large enough st markers - my great aunt's wedding ring will have to do. I actually need 2 more stitch markers - but I'm afraid to use my wedding ring and sweet 16 ring in fear of losing this knitting bag! So - I have decided that I need to write down a knitting list - just like my grocery list that I keep in my purse so the next time I head into a yarn shop, I can pull out my handy dandy list and actually buy what I need and not what I will stash for another decade.

Knitting with Frog Tree yarn

2010-01-28T20:31:00.000-08:00

Finally, a moment to sit down and swatch some Frog Tree Picoboo yarn. It's a pima cotton amd bamboo blend. The Picoboo yarn has some sheen to it which I am drawn to and comes in these rich hues that are undescribable. I've sketched a spring shell and I've swatched it. I'm swaying back and forth as to which colorwork I want to incorporate into the shell. This design will premier at TNNA, Columbus. If you haven't heard of Frog Tree yarns, go to the link below. It's a non-profit organization that supports the Bolivian women who hand knit the sample sweaters seen in yarn shops and dye the yarns. It's a fabulous foundation and one that I will be donating 10% of my pattern proceeds to.

http://www.frogtreeyarns.com/AboutUs/tabid/57/Default.aspx

Knitting Favorites of 2009

2010-01-15T16:29:00.000-08:00

I thought I better reflect on what I liked in the world of knitting for 2009. I wish I had thought of this sooner as anything I liked last January has totally escaped my pee brain. So here's my top

6 favorites for 2009:

1 - favorite yarn: Zealana "Tui" for it's buttery feel when knitting (http://www.theyarnsisters.com/)
Though I have many favorite yarns for various reasons, Tui made the top of my list based on 3 critical points: the feel when knitting, the rich colors of the yarn and the chunky weight of the yarn.

2 - favorite variegated yarn: Crown Mountain handspun hand dyed sock yarn (http://www.crownmountainfarms.com/)
Since knitting with Crown Mountains handspun yarn, I've gained an appreciation for the handspun yarns. When you feel like treating yourself to something new, try a hank of handspun yarn - it's worth the price. It almost makes me want to learn how to spin!

3- favorite knitting gadgets comes from my close friend, Sherri - (http://www.simazenthings.com/). Her sock journals and stitch markers are my favorite and her sisters tote bag is a knitters staple.

4- favorite knitting teacher - Cat Bordhi (http://www.catbordhi.com/). Although I have had some incredible knitting instructors this past year (Sally Melville is my runner up), Cat was the most generous and gifted of the instructors. Very approachable, very down to earth and full of energy. As for my 2nd runner up - Sally Melville, well, she just made me look at sweater construction and design in a whole new light.

5- favorite book - The Essentail guide to Color knitting techniques by Margaret Radcliffe. There are few books that convince me to fork out $30. This book did. It's a fabulous book and it should be a staple for all knitters.

6- favorite events - TNNA (http://www.tnna.org/) and Madrona Fiber Arts (http://www.madronafiberarts.com/). TNNA is a wonderful event - excellent classes, the newest publications, designs, yarns and great networking. It's where I have met some amazing people. The energy in the air is exhilerating and it's truly a knitters vacation! Madrona comes in as runner up because they too have the best of classes and instructors and a huge yarn market to satisfy all knitters and spinners alike. It's truly a first class event.

So that sums up 2009 for me. As for my least favorite part of 2009 .....learning, relearning and still not understanding Dreamweaver and maintaining my website. It's so true that you can't teach old dogs new tricks! I'll continue to try and I can only hope that next years 2010 favorites might just be "maintaining my website".

Wardrobe Favorites book now on sale

2010-01-07T23:08:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh - here's what you can find inside "Wardrobe Favorites". I absolutely love how Leisure Arts combines my sweaters with the perfect attire, accessories, pose and model to make me say "wow" to my own sweaters! I feel funny "wowing" my own work but I tell you - it's all in the presentation. I'm mystified at how I got to this point, grateful for those who nudged me in the right direction and hopeful that my designs are well received.

Circular Knitting Redefined...due out February 2010

2009-12-29T11:10:00.000-08:00

It's so tough waiting to see what the book cover is going to look like when you've contributed a few designs. I don't do well with the waiting process. I stumbled on this hap-hazardly (as usual) when I went on http://www.anniesattic.com/. I knew it was coming out in February - but in the book publication world, that could mean February 2011! I have 2 designs in this book - the second design will have to be a mystery until the book comes out! I'm having a great time and learning a little bit about patience.

Newest book due out next month

2009-12-02T21:21:00.000-08:00

http://www.leisurearts.com/items/4517/Wardrobe-Favorites/c/Knitting/s/newest/default.aspx

Looks like this book is finally here - well, it will be in about 3 weeks anyway.

From what I remember, there are 5 women's sweaters in this book - 1 being a simple cabled cardigan, 1 being a cropped and cabled open cardigan, a sleeveless 2-toned shell, a short sleeved tie shrug and my favorite - the simple yet flattering pullover shown on the front cover. It's a nice variety of sweaters for all seasons.

This book uses some specialty yarns like Cascade "Pastaza" and "Cotton Rich" and Elsebeth Lavold "Silky Wool" as well as a few more commonly found yarns like Bernat and Patons.

I can't wait to get my samples back so I can wear this sweater! That's the only drawback to publishing....it takes a while before you can wear the sweaters you've knit.

Holiday Pattern Sneak Preview

2009-11-20T20:46:00.000-08:00

Here's a sneak preview of my one and only holiday pattern.

The test knitter just finished both hat and scarf in hot pink and the tech editor just pulled my email request out of her spam file. So as soon as she gives me the okay, I'll get it published - just in time for that last minute holiday gift. Yarn used was Cascade "Baby Alpaca Chunky" in Ice blue. http://www.cascadeyarns.com/cascade-BabyAlpacaChunky.asp

Featured Designer for November

2009-11-11T21:37:00.000-08:00

Leisure Arts asked me to be their featured Designer for November for their E-news. My book "Fun Time Sweaters" was going to be the featured book so they thought it was only fitting to ask me to write an article. Well, here's my article.
http://www.leisurearts.com/enews/archive/11_2009/YarnLink/InTheKnow.html

What I wasn't expecting was the cover of my newest book due out in January. I almost didn't recognize the sweater! It actually was my favorite sweater in that grouping, knit out of Elsebeth Lavold "Silky Wool". It was definitely a nice surprise - now I can't wait to see what they did on the inside of the book!

Book signing in Port Orchard

2009-10-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

Well - I'm doing my first book signing at

Debbie Macomber's A Good Yarn shop in Port Orchard, WA, this coming October 16th from 4 - 7 pm. The sweaters will also be on display as well as my trunk show - provided I get the 3 trunk shows back in time! It also happens to be their big Knit in Night which I've heard is a blast. It might be a good time to see what all the hoopla is about. They even serve dinner next door - and their prices are great and the food is delicious. So bring your appetite, a knitting project and stop on by.

Knowledge is liberating

2009-09-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

I have been paying someone to create and maintain my website. Initially, it was worth the expense. I didn't have the time to figure it out on my own nor was I ready to invest in the costly software. Two years later, a couple thousand dollars poorer and a website nearly unchanged, I have decided it was time to take control of the situation. I have been co-dependent on my web designer and everytime that I wanted to make a change whether it be an update photo, a new design or add a new retailer...I would count the dollars it was going to cost me. It got to be where I was content with mediocre work. That is wrong! Once the summer was upon me, business slowed down to a near halt and my dollars became quarters, I decided that this was my chance to break the co-dependency and go back to school. I haven't been to college since 1986 (yikes - that sounds ancient) and I haven't worked at Microsoft since 1990 (yikes, do you realize how much computer technology has changed in the past 20 years!?) so the whole thought of going back to school and trying to keep up with the computer geeks of today almost was too much for my jittery heart. Well...I did it and might I add that I was so excited to walk into a classroom after all that time, I could hardly contain myself. I'm on my 2nd week of class and all I can say is Knowledge is Liberating! We can all look forward to a progressive website that I can be proud of.

The Stresses of Designing...

2009-09-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

You might recognize this photo - I added it to my blog way back in Mar/Apr of this year. I am designing a spring cardigan for Simply Shetland and I love what I have designed. In fact, it might be my favorite to date. Unfortuneately, I was given no deadline and since acquiring this yarn, I have been lucky enough to have received several deadlined contracts. So...this poor cardigan which has not deadline, has been put on the back burner on and off for 6 months. Now that my last contract was complete, I've pulled this project out again and I'm committed to finishing it up. I am working from the bottom up and the sleeves from the shoulder down. I have completed both sleeves and tried it on. I don't like the sleeves. It's way too bulky under the arm and it looks terrible. After many sleepless nights of trying to figure out how to correct this issue, I think I've got it figured out. So now I need to take out both sleeves and re-do them (crossing my fingers that my new idea is a good one). Once the sleeves are done, the rest is a piece of cake. I'm really a traditional knitter working the individual pieces and then seaming them up. This is my first 1-piece cardigan and I now see the problem with a set in sleeve that is worked from the shoulder down. If the set in sleeve has too much initial armhole bind off - then there is too much bulk. What I should have done is gradually decreased the entire armhole without having any 1" bind off at the beginning as you would have in a normal set in sleeve. I'm hoping my theory works. I'm anxious to finish it - I bet Simply Shetland is too! The owner of Simply Shetland has been a dream to work with but I still feel quilty for taking so much time. I'm just hoping that she loves it enough to make it worth her wait.

Madison Avenue Tam Photoshoot

2009-09-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

While on our trip to Lincoln City, OR - I had my husband shoot some pictures of my daughter in the Madison Tam using Cascade Nikki. According to her, she wasn't a hat person nor did she like the colorways...but she agreed to have her picture taken none the less. By the next day, I couldn't get the damn tam off her head. She wore it day in and day out. Which gave me an idea....it took 110 yds (1 skein) to make this tam (in adult size with extra flop no less) and literally a couple evenings. What a perfect gift this christmas for my dozen plus nieces and great nieces. Use variegated, solids, tweeds and mohair blended yarns to change out the look so it doesn't look like I made 15 of the same hat. I can also personalize it more that way. In fact, I bet I have enough left over yarns from previous projects/sweaters to supply me with enough yarn for the majority of the tams. Oh good grief, I better start knitting or I'll get knitter's cramp!

Another...Where do you like to knit...scene

2009-09-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

I like to knit at the beach. This time it was Lincoln City, Oregon over Labor Day weekend. There is nothing more relaxing than sitting on sand, breeze on the face, the sound of waves crashing and day dreaming all while knitting. Hey - I even got some Vitamin D! The red pouch was a last minute purchase at www.yorkshireyarns.com. It's a Della Q sack that holds your ball of yarn. I bought it during her Grand Opening as I found it useful while walking around the shop while knitting and chatting. I rarely walk while knitting so wasn't sure that it was a practical purchase but I soon realized that it's the perfect carry along at the beach. It kept my yarn from rolling in the sand. So...if I were to have a "gadget" of the week, it would be this silk pouch.

Tight deadline to meet

2009-09-03T07:06:00.000-07:00

I've had a great summer, the kids just went back to school yesterday and I made yesterday a day all about me. I started by knitting (of course) then I managed to get a run in across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (2 miles). It was a beautiful day and I saw a seal in the water and 2 deer on the Tacoma side eating blackberries. Then off to Puyallup to buy a few boxes of pears and tomatoes. Ran home, got 1 daughter off to the hair dresser, threw the tomatoes in the oven (roasted tomato soup to be frozen), prepped dinner for my dad who is visiting from Korea and even took him on a walk across the bridge to see 3 more seals. It was a great day. When I got home, I had 3 packages. I have never received 3 packages on the same day before. 1 was a box full of promotion books from Leisure Arts, 1 was my samples from Crystal Palace that I loaned out for TNNA plus half a dozen balls of mini mochi (yippee!) and a big box of Cascade 220 Superwash. Now I need to hunker down...the Cascade 220 superwash is for a contract that I just received last week. The contract has a deadline of mid-September - one of the shortest deadlines I have had thus far. Luckily, I am headed to Lincoln City tomorrow (4 hour drive) with my family for a mini vacation at the ocean. I can get a ton of knitting done on this trip. So - I won't be blogging until I get this project done. Lucky for me, my webdesign class doesn't start until Sept. 22nd and my first knitting class isn't until the 11th - so I'm fairly open to knit full time. As soon as I can spill the beans on this published project, I will.

Tui'ing away....

2009-08-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

Look what showed up on my door - a whole bunch of Tui yarn! Zealana yarns (www.theyarnsisters.com) has come out with this chunky weight yarn and you won't believe the blend they came up with. 70% Merino, 15% Cashmere and 15% Possum. I grabbed some 10's and began knitting with the charcoal black (color T050). I'm designing a broken rib men's vest. It's absolutely wonderful to knit with and despite the simple 8 row repeat, I can't seem to put it down. As for the Azul Blue (color T06), I have some ideas but haven't begun sketching yet. I'm thinking women's cardigan. I think I'm becoming a yarn snob. The last few sweaters that I've knit with had cashmere in them and once you knit with cashmere or any divine fiber for that matter, it's really hard to knit with anything of lesser quality. Gotta go, Tui is calling for me....