Evelyne....again

One of the first designs I came up with (if you can call it a design), was a simple lace scarf for my MIL. At that time I hadn't yet discovered bulky and superbulky yarn, so I swooned at the thought of all things lace! I still love lace, but the "bulkies" give me such awesome instant gratification that I keep forgetting my first love. Anyway, I just wanted to share a few pictures of this sample of my Evelyne scarf, handknit by my friend Sara (a friend I made in college in 2001!).

   

As always, I'm so grateful for my partnership with my fellow small business owner and photographer extraordinaire, Kwaku of Nkadu Photography, and my ready-for-whatever go-getter model Lilia!

I hope you enjoyed the photos, and see you next week!

An unexpected gift

I'm so blown away by what this knitter did that I just had to share! A few weeks ago, a knitter on Ravelry called Selbyin sent me a message asking for help with her Moody Kerchief (pattern by Kirsten Kapur) project. I don't know if you remember, but I knit 4 moody shawls because I just love the pattern so. I made a Twig & Peacock Moody, a Tan Moody, an All-black Moody, and a Sunset Moody(the one that started it all). Selbyin wanted help mixing her colors for her Kerchief, and thankfully I was able to offer some suggestions.

She finished the shawl sometime back, and I only recently went to check on her project. It's stunning!! And she used my favorite color (green, in case y'all hadn't figured that out by now). It was a green and blue combo, and I love, love, LOVE it!! Check it out!

I suggested using alternating stripes as a way to transition between the colors, so she wouldn't have to double up her yarn and end up with a heavy shawl. Turned out pretty cool, right?

So this morning, I'm getting ready for the day and checking my inbox when I received a notification that Selbyin had sent me a gift pattern! WHAAAAAAAAAAT!!! I quickly logged into my Ravelry account, to discover that she had gifted me this beauty: Weathervane hat pattern by Sara Gresbach!

I had been eyeing this pattern for a while now, because I wanted to make one for my son and his friends so they would have matching hats (matching in style, but in different colors). I now have the pattern! Woohoo!!

The original design was knit in Malabrigo Worsted, and I just happen to have a few skeins of Mal Worsted hanging around (ok, a lot of skeins, because that stuff is addictive!). I think you KNOW what I'm going to be knitting this weekend! Can you imagine how ecstatic I am right now?

Thank you so much Selbyin! Your work is beautiful, and I'm glad I was able to help you with it.

Enjoy the rest of the week, and thank you all for reading my super-excited expression of thanks. :)

Shawls, shawls everywhere! Pt 2

Last week, I shared 3 shawls from Quince & Co.'s recent design set. Here are the last 2 shawl designs from that set. The fourth shawl from Quince & Co.'s newest pattern release is the Qinnitan Shawl, designed by Melanie Berg using Petal 111 and Chanterelle 118 colorways from their Finch yarn line. Qinnitan is another crescent-shaped shawl, worked in fingering weight yarn. The incorporation of stripes adds a welcome touch of playfulness to this shawl. I also love the choice of neutral colors for this design.

The last shawl in this set is the Fulmar Shawl by Veera Välimäki, designed in the Egret 101 and Iceland 153 colorways of their Finch yarn line. Now I haven't knit anything designed by Veera yet, but her designs are mind-blowingly gorgeous! When I grow up, I want to be like her. She takes the simplest stitches and crafts beautiful designs that will stand the test of time. She does the same thing with Fulmar, using clean lines and soothing garter stitch for a wonderful knitting experience. The shawl is worked from the neck down and shaped using short rows.

BONUS: You all saw how I was so excited by Veera Välimäki's work, right? I thought I'd share one of her top-selling designs on Ravelry with you, because it's just too pretty to keep to myself. Veera takes garter stitch and striping to a whole new level, creating designs that seem almost magical. I'm truly in awe of her work, and can't wait for when I actually knit one of her designs (or meet her in person! Squee!!).

Color Affection is probably one of the hottest patterns on Ravelry, with almost 9500 projects to its credit. Again, Veera uses garter stitch and striping to create a stunning shawl that is both warm and stylish. Without further ado, here's Color Affection.

Gorgeous right? I told you!! Which of these designs is calling out to you? Tell me in the comments section below! Enjoy the rest of your week and see you back here next week!

Shawls, shawls everywhere! Pt. 1

After scarves, shawls are my next favorite items to knit. Qunce & Co., an American yarn company (and one of my favorite yarn companies! I love their site, their yarn, and their packaging. Everything of theirs is so pretty!!), recently came out with a week of shawls. I love the designs so much that I thought I'd share with you all! First up is the Everly Shawl, designed by Mindy Wilkes in the Petal 111 colorway of their Finch yarn line. The shawl is so light and pretty that it could work as a scarf too. The lace border is a simple 4-row repeat, and the body is worked with short-row shaping without wraps, according to the designer. I love when simple stitches create such a work of art.

Next up is the Leaves Shawl, designed by Kristen TenDyke in the Little Fern 205 colorway of the Sparrow line (linen yarn). This shawl looks so light and airy, but because of it's large triangular shape, it can keep you warm and cosy without adding bulk to your outfit. The lace details are quite stunning, and look more intricate than they actually are. How neat!

The third shawl is the Lullaby Rain Shawl by Paula Emons-Fuessle in the Glacier 105 colorway of their Chickadee line. This shawl is a top-down crescent shawl with ribbing and a soft curve at the neck to keep the shawl in place on your shoulders. You also have the option of finishing the edging with a plain garter stitch border or a picot border, giving you the chance to add your own touch to this elegant shawl.

Stay tuned for 2 more shawls from this collection next week. Which of these is your favorite? And what color would you rock that shawl in? Tell me in the comments section below. I would love to hear from you!

Yay!! A finished project!

This month has been a little slow for me in terms of actually having some finished projects to show you all. What with the frequent bouts of sickness we've had, and getting my store ready for the Val's Day flash sale, I haven't been able to finish a lot of items. In fact, right now I'm working hard on completing some custom orders so I can get to work on my spring line and plan ahead for fall/winter. It also means I haven't had time to come up with any new designs. :( Anyway, I finally got the chance to block a pink version of my Sunehri Shawl (knit in Malabrigo Merino Worsted). I finished knitting this shawl way back in November, and I had hoped to have it ready for the December Bazaar Bizarre Fair. However that didn't happen, and I only got to block it last week. Here it is now, in all it's pink glory. Let me just say that I'm not usually a fan of pink, but I could get down with this shade of pink, for sure!

I am glad I finally got this blocked and photographed. Maybe I'll even be able to get a photoshoot with an actual model wearing the shawl? That would be fantastic. This shawl is now listed in my Etsy shop here if you would like to take it home with you. :)

Stitches West update

Oh, and I was only able to make it to Stitches West on one of the days (Friday). I met up with my friend Katharine for lunch and then went to the market to browse. I noted down a few booths I wanted to visit on Sunday, but then life happened and I wasn't able to make it. Boohoohoo! I spied some delicious-looking yarn at Becoming Art and Sweet Fiber Yarns. I think I might have to order a few skeins for my next shawl designs.

Happy New Year!!

What a ride this past year has been! I moved my blog to a new website, got a few patterns published in awesome magazines (Sunehri shawl, Destiny Cowl, Lace Blanket Shawl, Lacy Cables Hat & Scarf Set), and vended at two craft fairs, one of them a 2-day affair. All in all, I have to say that 2012 has been a good progress year for my little knitting business here. I hope next year brings more growth and wonderful learning experiences. I've also met a lot of wonderful people who've supported my business (including all of you who read my blog) and I'm so very thankful for you all. I hope the sum total of this year for you is one of hopeful progress, and that you are looking forward to this new year with me

Have a wonderful and prosperous New Year! Thank you all so much for 2012.

 

Update: Melody Stole Knit-A-Long Week 1

The Melody's Stole Knit-A-Long is trucking along nicely. It's not late to join if you'd like to work on a lace project with other knitters and get help as we all go along. The pattern is free, and it's free to join the KAL also. You can use whatever yarn you want for the stole, or you can purchase the Lace Yarn used in the original pattern from Sandrasingh.com. She's offering the yarn at 15% off during this time period for the KAL. Each skein has 950yds, so you can make TWO stoles out of one skein if you wanted. So awesome. I'm going to be making my stole out of the Sandrasingh.com Yarn Lace, in the Love Potion colorway.

It's so pretty isn't it?

I cast on for the stole on Monday night and knit the first 10 rows of the pattern (the setup rows, which is all garter stitch and the edging for the stole). I'm loving how it looks. It's so pretty and so soft! I'll check back with you next week Thursday to keep you up to date with the progress.

Well, don't hesitate any longer and come join us in the knit-a-long. We are waiting for you! :)

Melody's Stole Knit-A-Long

Hello! I hope you are all having a great week so far. For those of you on the East Coast, I hope you and yours are well and safe during this Hurricane Sandy. Today's post is to give you a quick update on the Melody's Stole Knit-A-Long (KAL). The official start date has been set for Monday Nov. 5th (next week Monday). I'm working with Sandra Singh, the owner of Sandrasingh.com, and she is hosting the KAL in her Ravelry Group here. If you are already a knitter and would like to try out lace knitting, this pattern is easy enough to follow along, and there will be lots of hand holding by me and other knitters in the KAL.

Best of all, Sandra has been so kind to offer 15% off her Sandrasingh.com Lace for anyone participating in this KAL (You can purchase the yarn and download the pattern here.) So, you have a free pattern, 15% off a humongous skein of yarn (that skein is enough for 2 stoles), and a lovely group of knitters to help and encourage you through this project. What are you waiting for? Come join us in this fun KAL here: Melody Stole KAL.

Melody's Stole: A new free pattern

Earlier this year, I was contacted by Sandra of www.sandrasingh.com about designing a shawl using her newly launched lace yarn line, Sandrasingh.com Lace. I have to tell you that this yarn is one of the softest I've worked with. I really wanted to do justice to this yarn with my design. My initial plan was to redo my Evelyne pattern for her, but the more I looked at and played with the yarn, the more I wanted to do something different. I wanted a zigzag design to the shawl, but not one with sharp turns. I wanted it to be super lacy like Evelyne, and I knew that I wanted some garter bands separating the lace sections. I also wanted a zigzag border to match the zigzagging of the stole's body. After a few swatches, I finalized the pattern and got to work on this stole in May. It took a little bit of time as I was working on this design and a few other secret projects. I finished in June and sent it over to Sandra, who loved it (Thank God!). Here it is, Melody's Stole.

I'm so glad the pattern is out now. I hope you love it as much as I do. Did I mention that it's free? Visit this link to download it from Sandrasingh.com. Here's what you'll need to make your own Melody's Stole.

Size 21in x 61 in

Yarn Sandrasingh.com Lace (100% merino; 950 yd [869 m]/100 g [3.53 oz]): Electric Blue, 0.5 skeins

Gauge 14 sts and 16 rows = 4" in Right or Left Diagonal Openwork Pattern 32 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch.

Tools US #8 (5 mm): 32" circular (cir) needle or straight needles 2 Markers (m) Yarn needle

We are planning a KAL (Knit-A-Long) for this shawl, just in time for Christmas gifts. Please leave a comment below and let me know if you would be interested in participating in this fun activity.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

PS: Please share with your friends and family who might also be interested. KALs are more fun with more people, don't you think?