Two More Patterns

Here are two more patterns that I never got around to publishing (mainly because I didn't have a baby to model it on), both baby hats that I made around the same time and available in several sizes. Two things to note- slipping stitches seems to affect people's gauges to differing degrees so if in doubt make the your gauge match 22 st/in in pattern, and you are slipping stitches while cabling.

First is Slip and Slide:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxNAMWbiTmRHbi1SeFNNZTJ5NGM/view?usp=sharing

Second is Slipping on the Diamonds:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxNAMWbiTmRHOGp5TXRxbm42UnM/view?usp=sharing

Chioni Link

I have pretty much decided that for the time being, I won't be publishing anything more. The last few testing experiences left a bad taste in my mouth and in general it just stresses me out, which is why I haven't posted in about a year.

I know some people wanted access to some patterns I never released, so here are some links to the rough versions I never published. As this isn't an official release, no pattern support will be offered for them.

Up first is Paris Night (pictured above), which is a variation on a popular North Face hat, but in a thicker yarn and with a nicer top: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxNAMWbiTmRHdlVBZ3Q2Z0pwWU0/view?usp=sharing

You need to know your gauge for this one to fit right. Bulky and Super Bulky yarns vary quite a bit in thickness, so even if you get stitch gauge, your row gauge may be very different. 

Next is Chioni (pictured below), a cowl I originally made for my mom. It is an advanced pattern (includes double decreases/increases and grafting in rib). Life Lines are highly recommended.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxNAMWbiTmRHMTNOUnZPRkV4VFU/view?usp=sharing

If anyone wants a link to something else I've made but not published, I'll add a link to my notes if I have them.

Double Decrease Tutorial

In my latest pattern, I use a less common form of a double decrease, found more commonly in older stitch dictionaries and patterns. It looks good from both sides in ribbing and is a better match for sl knitwise, k2tog, psso.  It is written as ssk, put st back on LN, pass next st over, sl to RN. This is what it looks like:

1. SSK- I do a version called SSK improved, where you slip as in knit, slip as in purl, k2tog through the back loop.
2. put the stitch back onto the left needle
3. slip the second stitch on the left needle over the ssk
4. slip the stitch to the right needle.

GAL Interview with Louise Tilbrook

As part of the Indie Gift-A-Long, I interviewed Louise Tilbrook, a designer known for her sock designs for both men and women. Visit her ravelry store here: http://www.ravelry.com/designers/louise-tilbrook.

Hoar Frost

How did you learn to knit?

My grandma taught me when I was young - aged about 7 or 8 and I knit on and off during my teen years. I really picked it up again after having my second son and with the aid of the internet re-taught myself.

What made you decide to start knitting socks?

I was given some cool Regia coloured sock yarn as a gift. I didn’t know what to make with it so I looked on Ravelry and was instantly hooked.

How many pairs have you knit? How many do you keep for yourself?

My Ravelry page says 52 but there are probably more as I don’t often record the plain vanilla ones I do for my family. Of my ‘fancy’ socks maybe 50% of them end up in my sock drawer. The rest go to my DH who is very appreciative of handknits, or they are samples for my LYS, classes or other display.

What was your favorite pattern to design? Which one drove you nuts?

Green Gable

My Green Gable socks were my favourite to design. The slip stitch pattern looks really complicated but is actually really easy and great fun to work. My Samhain socks drove me nuts. Only because I had neglected to write proper notes whilst knitting the first sock and by the time I came to knit the second I ended up having to practically re-design it. Lesson learned with that one.

What was your oddest knitting experience?

Great question. Probably the time I was knitting on a small baby cardigan on a train. A lady nearby commented on it and asked to see what I was working on. I passed it to her to look at and she ended up showing half the train carriage and exclaiming how clever I was. It was very sweet but quite bizarre.

If you went on a yarn shopping spree, what yarns would you stock up on?

My new favourite is the indie dyer Eden Cottage Yarns who does some amazing sock yarn and I love the Knitting Goddess too who does an amazing range of colours. I would stock up on funky self-striping yarn too for my boys who love wild socks.

Samhain

Gift-A-Long

It is time for the annual Indie Gift-A-Long! For the rest of the week, nearly 200 independent designers have many of their patterns 25% off on Ravelry with the coupon code giftalong2014. Not only that, but get some motivation to get some holiday knitting done and participate in the KALs and games to be eligible for more prizes. Lots of patterns will be given away, as will yarn and other physical prizes. 

I have made all of my patterns available for the sale and am giving away five free patterns. If you have had an eligible pattern sitting in your library that you already bought, feel free to knit it and submit it in the KALs, giving you a great excuse to break out the pattern. 

All the fun can be found at the Ravelry group here: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/indie-design-gift-a-long

Craziness of Life

The last several months have been a bit ridiculous. The list of ongoing craziness includes:

• Two brothers getting married and being involved in both- one as a bridesmaid, one as a source of free labor (and being so allergic to their venue I had severe nose bleeds for a week). I still need to think of a wedding present for the one I'm a bridesmaid in, it's on the 22nd. Thrummed mittens, maybe?
• Changing jobs and looking to change again. Let's just say my current one has me running around all day like a chicken with my head cut off. 
• Commuting 3 1/2 hours a day. It actually hasn't been that bad. I invested in some noise cancelling headphones and usually use the time as my craft time (I ride a train then a bus). 
• Having to put down one of our cats, Bill, due to severe pancreatitis, and adjusting to a new puppy, Cooper. 
• Picking up two new hobbies- spinning and cross stitch. (If you ever want people to look at you weird, cross stitch on public transportation.) 
• And releasing a new pattern: Calamistrata ($4). 

It's been crazy but usually worth it. I'm hoping that after we get through the holidays things will calm down enough for me to spend more time knitting and working on patterns. One of my goals for next year will be to release patterns more consistently. Of course, my other goal is to buy a condo, so who knows. 

I can't believe it is already November. Christmas is less than a month away, and I have no idea what I should make for anyone. It might end up being the year for store bought gifts...

Getting a bit whimsical with crochet

I've been on a bit of a break from knitting for the past couple of weeks. After finishing the present for my friend, my left hand was bothering me enough to make holding a needle uncomfortable. Probably a combinations of hitting my hand on a bannister hard enough for it to go numb and working with a mostly cotton yarn so much. Deciding to give my hand a break, I figured I would crochet a bit.

I've known how to crochet for a while now, but I rarely do it. Partially because, generally, I like the look of knit fabric better. Partially because I need to look at my work while doing crocheting, so it isn't as convenient. Now, it was the perfect solution. I get to rest my hand and I get to make some toys.

 

Knitting for a Friend

A knitter's instinct when they hear bad news about someone is often to knit them something comforting. Maybe it's because it has the dual effect of comforting both the knitter and hopefully the recipient. Maybe it's our need to feel like we are doing something to help. Whatever the reason, you tell a knitter bad news and most of them will at least have the thought of "I should make them something," even if they don't follow through.

I recently received the bad news that one of my friends was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She's a grandmother who should be getting excited about her latest grandchild-to-be and looking forward to retiring in a few years and playing with her grandkids. Instead, she spent the holidays getting a tumor removed and trying to figure out when she should start chemo. When she told me, I spent about an hour thinking that this must be the worst practical joke ever before it sunk in that she was serious.

Then my knitter's instinct kicked in and I started to think about what I could make for her. Hats are popular for chemo patients, but she was never a fan of hats, so I wouldn't even know what type she might like. I couldn't see her using fingerless gloves or needing a scarf, and larger objects are too cost prohibitive. Eventually, I decided on a shawl.

The idea of a shawl appealed to me for a few reasons: she has always been religious, so a prayer shawl would be appreciated (the idea being that the item is imbued with good prayers for the recipient), and she has always had issues with regulating her body temperature, which will only be made worse by chemo. The unlike a cardigan or a sweater that might get in the way of an IV, a shawl is easy to get on and off in most circumstances and it is easier to adjust them.

So, I started to think of a design and I came up with this:




Originally, I had thought to put a Celtic cross on it, but every time I tried, I thought of a headstone. So I decided to use cables that reminded me of crosses instead. I also used machine washable yarn (Cotton Ease Seaspray), so that she doesn't have to worry about washing it.

I admit that this project was probably more to comfort me than it was to comfort her. Sort of my way of giving her a long distance hug.

I don't know if I'll publish the pattern for this one. I might, but as a shawl and a blanket pattern. It would feel weird to profit from this pattern.

Fairy Glen now available!

After months of testing, my Fairy Glen stole is now available!

It is available for $6, and includes both written and charted instructions.

I might release the Paris Night hat later today, it depends on if I can convince my sister to model for me.

Also, here's a sneak peak on what will be available for next winter:my Raspberry Sherbert hat.

Blackberry Leaves now available!

My Blackberry Leaves scarf/wrap is now available. You can get it here on ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/blackberry-leaves. The cost is $4.00. It includes both charted and written instructions.

February promises to be a busy month for pattern releases. Next week, I will be releasing my Paris Night Hat:

 It is sized for baby, toddler, child, adult woman, and adult man, and also includes both written and charted instructions. The cost will be either $3.00 or $3.50, I haven't decided yet.

And then, the  week after that, I will be releasing my Fairy Glen Stole:

It also includes both written and charted instructions. It will be available for $6.00.

Christmas Knitting

As you might expect, most of the Christmas gifts I give tend to be handknitted, while many of the gifts I receive tend to be knitting related. This year, my favorite knitting related gift was a dress form that I can use to display my finished objects. So I get to use it for the first time as well as show off the Christmas presents I made this year, which I freely admit I am proud of mainly because I knit them all in just over 2 weeks. Not bad, considering it took over 1.2 miles of yarn to knit it all.

So the first present I started was a stole for my mom. I had ordered the yarn from Knit Picks during their big sale, then had to wait for it to arrive, so I didn't start it until the 7th. It was easily the most frustrating of the projects, since I designed it myself and discovered after I was roughly at the half way point that I had accidentally inserted a column of knit stitches into one of the charts so that it wouldn't match up with any of the others and had to rip it all out:

 

Started a bit later but worked at the same time since my dad doesn't usually notice what I knit and I could work on it while sitting with the rest of my family was my dad's scarf. He didn't have a good scarf, just this ratty thing he found in the closet, so I made him one to match the hat I made for him earlier this year. It's too long for the mannequin (7 feet, since my dad is about 6'4"), so I'll add one of him wearing it Christmas morning once my mom sends it to me. 

After I finished Mom's gift, I needed a girl gift for the family gift exchange on Christmas Eve. We have to bring a generic $30 gift for our gender, then we pick numbers and choose a present to unwrap in that order, although you can also steal something someone else you can open. I decided to use up some stash yarn and a spare tube of seed beads and knit a wide scarf (could be worn as a stole). Lace is pretty quick since it stretches out so much, so it only took a few days.  My mom drew number 1, the best number since she gets to pick first and has a chance to steal at the end if she wants, and knew what was in mine (she had seen it on my blocking mat), so she picked it and no one bothered to take it from her. 

 

 The last present was a basic 1x1 ribbed scarf for my brother Sean to match a hat I gave him earlier this year. I stayed up until about 2 am on Christmas Eve night to finish it, so I didn't get any pictures before he left, so I'll have to post one from Christmas morning once those are up.

I mentioned that I finally got a good picture of my Drum Beat cowl, so here it is:

So I talked my mom into modeling...

With some pretty good final results.

I just finished writing/knitting the companion piece to my Venetia hat,  Venetia's Cowl (though I really should think of something more creative to call it- Florence, maybe?). So I asked my mom if she would be willing to model for me, since modeling anything myself can get complicated. Imagine trying to arrange everything, model, and usually take the photos at the same time. Yeah, tends to take a couple (dozen) tries to get anything decent.

Anyway, when Mom saw the hat and cowl sitting on the dresser, she tried it on and so I asked her if she would be willing to model. She wasn't exactly thrilled with the suggestion, but she was happy enough when I suggested she wear them shopping this evening. Granted, it was about 20 degrees, so warmth might have been a factor.

Then I just kept taking photos as we went.

Here's one in the popcorn shop:

Then I tried when we were walking:

Did I mention that I get my fidgeting from her? We don't stand still very well. So candid shots were out. So I asked her to stand by the lights:

Not bad, but she was pretty clearly uncomfortable.
But we got there eventually:

The pattern/ebook will be available in December. It will be $3.50 on its own, and will also be sold as an ebook with the hat pattern for $5.00.

As a bonus, here is a picture of the cowl while it is blocking so you can see the cables better:

PS: if you have any ideas for a better name, please let me know...

25% Off Sale as Part of the Indie Design Gift-A-Long

From now through November 15th, many of the independent designers on Ravelry will be holding a 25% off sale to begin the Christmas season to coincide with KALs/CALs, giveaways, and other prizes. For a complete list of the participating designers and patterns, visit the Ravelry group: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/indie-design-gift-a-long.  Many of the participating patterns will have a golden tag on the first picture saying giftalong.Also in the group, you will find a link to pinterest boards that are organized by pattern types if you want to search that way.

I have chosen to include all of my own paid patterns in the sale (and am still working on adding the tags).  Just enter the coupon code: giftalong and you will receive 25% off all of my patterns. The code is also good for any other participating designers (so you might want to enter it at check out, even if you aren't sure that they are participating).

Adventures in Double Knitting

I decided to take a break from my larger projects since I am getting to the point of having to force myself to work on them, and knit, you guessed it, a hat. I'll admit that I probably own way too many hats at this point, half of which I don't even wear, but, oh well, I enjoy making them. Some people make dishcloths when they need a break, I knit hats. I have been considering signing up for some craft shows next year to get rid of the excess of FOs.

I've been wanting to try double knitting for a while now, but I never got around to it and, except for a blanket, I hadn't seen any pattern that I truly wanted to knit. Plus, searching for a pattern is a bit annoying, since many people tend to use the label double knitting when they mean the yarn weight rather than the technique.

 So, when it started to snow before Halloween, reminding me rather painfully of last year's Christmas tree cutting trip, I decided to create my own pattern. It wasn't a terribly complicated pattern, but I'm happy with the results.

Here is Side A:

Here is Side B:

Not the best photos, since I still need to block it and I took it indoors at night, but you can at least see the general idea.  The hat itself isn't perfect. You can actually see an error on Side B if you look closely, but it isn't too bad for a first attempt.

I'm thinking about making matching mittens, since I have 1 1/2 skeins of each color left in my stash still.

I'm also thinking that next time I try double knitting, I might try making it with two different patterns, just to mix things up.   

Back to the Frog Pond.. Ribbit, Ribbit

Or rather, rip it, rip it.

I have spent a portion of two days last month trying to clean my room and find space for all of my knitting related items. I've had to decide what I want to keep and in what form, and what should be consigned to the dust bin and what should be given to new victims... I mean recipients.

Joking aside, the last was relatively easy, as my family has a habit of "shopping" in my FOs and the excess hats in washable yarns are going to be donated to Cancer Care of Maine or another society. The only yarn I got rid of was acrylic that had started to yellow .

The first was the part that every knitter both loves and hates- frogging failed projects. I love it because I'm destroying something that has been quietly mocking me for months and now I have more yarn to play with. I hate it because I'm destroying that I spent a lot of time on and now I have more yarn to store. If that seems about as clear as mud, then oh well, at least it is somewhat cathartic and entertains cats (so much yarn, so little time to chase it). Plus, I don't know about other people, but I tend to feel guilty if I spend a lot of money on yarn for a project only to have it sit as far out of site as possible. At least I can reuse it for a gift or something that will at least be used.

So which projects met their maker?



The first was the first sweater I had ever designed, which I had been holding onto more out of sentiment than anything.

 As you can see by the numerous bulges it highlights on me, it isn't exactly flattering. Mostly because I had tried to take my own bust measurements and apparently trying to contort enough to measure your own back and boobs means that your measurements will be significantly off and any shaping below that will now be equally off. Plus, I used worsted weight pima cotton, so it sags... a lot. I almost saved the bottom lace section and turned it into an infinity scarf, but the knots/mats I used to secure the yarn looked awful. Here is what it looks like now:

 I might turn this into a baby blanket or some storage baskets.

The other item I frogged was this infinity scarf that has more problems than a good blocking could fix:

For whatever reason, it didn't occur to me as I was knitting this to go up a needle size or two for the middle portion, so the edging is much wider than the middle and even stretching the middle out isn't enough to make it lie flat. And, it wasn't reversible.

Here is what it should have looked like, though admittedly the black makes it difficult to see the edge cables in the picture:

This one uses bigger needles, reversible cables, and garter stitch, so it is flat, reversible, and not distorted. My sister actually took this one from my FO stash, so I'm guessing that means she likes it. No one has ever offered to take the other one off my hands. Oh well, now it will be made into something I might actually use, like mittens or another hat (apparently 20 isn't enough).

What projects have you frogged?

Something I Never Thought I'd Say...

I used the ratios for an isosceles right triangle in every day life!

Like a lot of people, remembering ratios and formulas for most things in geometry always felt like something that I had to learn just for math class, but I would never use it outside class. Surprisingly, I was wrong. The ratio of the hypotenuse to the sides of a isosceles right triangle, also known as a 45-45-90 triangle, is useful for knitting.

Granted, it shouldn't be surprising that geometry is useful for knitting. Knitting is probably one of the most math based fiber crafts out there. I've actually known several people who do not like knitting because you are so dependent on math. They would rather crochet, where you can free form any shape you want relatively easily, compared to knitting, where you need to calculate how many increases and where in order to create curves and diagonals. You can still free form with knitting, it just tends to take some more trial and error than crochet, since crochet can move in any direction.

So to get back on topic, the ratio for an isosceles right triangle is very helpful when knitting a blanket, or anything really, on a bias because it lets you figure out how many stitches you need in order to get the width you want for each side. Since each side started out the same length and grows at the same length, it is an isosceles triangle. The growth rate with the garter stitch, makes it a right triangle. Here is the blanket I am using it for:

It isn't the best picture (the cables are much more defined in person) and it's about a week old at this point, but the blanket is large enough now that I can't get a good picture of it as it is bunching up on the needles. It's a companion piece to my Camden hoodie. I wanted to figure out how many stitches I needed on the needles for a blanket that's short side was 36 inches long without having to whip out a measuring tape all of the time. That's when I realized that I was trying to calculate the hypotenuse of a special triangle. All I had to do was multiply 36 by the square root of 2 and I had my hypotenuse measurement!

Of course, this trick really only works if you know your gauge and are using mostly garter stitch. But it still worked! And it almost makes up for having to sit through geometry on a daily basis in high school.

Labor Day Sale

In order to celebrate everyone's productivity and hard work, I have decided, admittedly a bit spur of the moment, to have a Labor Day Sale over on Ravelry. Starting tomorrow, August 30th, I am offering a 20% discount on all of my patterns until midnight Central US time on Friday, September 6th. All patterns in my store will be included, including my newest release, Venetia, and my upcoming release, Lady Danbury.

Here is a link to my Ravelry store: Knits Who Say Needle

The coupon code is: laborday.

Venetia will be available tomorrow (8/25)!

Venetia will be released on Ravelry and Etsy tomorrow in my pattern stores! Remaking this hat is the most fun I've had knitting in a while- it was a relatively quick knit (about 5 hours) and the pattern isn't repetitive, so I didn't get tired of it. And I've discovered that it works up surprisingly well as both a beanie and a beret, depending on the needles used. Here are the two versions:

Beret

Beanie

 

 

One of my testers discovered by accident that if you skip the increase round and only repeat the cable pattern 4 times, it works out as a good fit for a child. The beanie fits an average woman's head (20-22"), but if you use larger needles, both hats could fit larger head sizes.


As a bonus: here is a pic of my reversible Drum Beat Cowl and Scarf pattern that will be released in mid September.

A Hat a Day

Apparently, I really am on a hat kick. I have made three hats in three days... well technically the last one was finished on the fourth morning, but that was just weaving in the ends as I couldn't find my yarn needle the previous night. I've been trying to come up with hat patterns that will fit a bunch of different head sizes without feeling tight. Here is the hat I just finished:

The pattern is one I used for Jason's Christmas present a few years ago. It was originally going to be part of my donation to the Cancer Care hat drive, but I started to run out of yarn and had to decrease rapidly in order to finish, resulting in a hat that is a bit too short. Since Lauren has a hard time finding hats that don't cover her eyes, I decided to give the hat to her instead. The non-shortened version of this hat pattern is available on the side bar under "Jason Hat." Both this hat and Venetia will be done again in some Red Heart Soft that I have been trying to use up and donated.

Hats, Hats, and more Hats!

I have news about three different hat patterns.

The first is an update to my last blog entry. I decided on the name Vinculum, the Latin word for binding or chaining. It is now available for free in my Ravelry Store.

 The second is a free pattern designed for cancer patients. The Hogwarts at Ravelry group is having a hat drive for Cancer Care of Maine to support Holly, who recently lost her husband to cancer. The goal of the hat drive is for Ravelry to donate 500 hats before Christmas, with an emphasis on hats for men as those are the most in need. I pledged to donate a few and started to think about a good unisex pattern. My geeky mind automatically went for the hat I saw Mickey Smith wearing in Doctor Who's "Christmas Invasion" episode and a somewhat similar one worn by Nigel at the Second Task in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Both were ribbed hats which I know from experience can fit a wide range of head sizes. So I mixed the two together, pulling out different elements from each, added my own touch to it, and Voila! The Mickey Hat was born. It is a beginner level hat that works up very quickly (I did it in an evening). The complete directions can be found on the side bar.

Mickey

The third hat is called Venetia (for now- me being me, that is likely to change before release). It is another pattern I created a while back and never wrote up. This time it was because I had done the original by slipping and cabling the stitches at the same time and my software didn't have a good way to express that. when I started thinking about hat patterns again, I decided to see how it would work if the steps were spread over two rows and it worked. I knit it at a smaller gauge this time and it ended up a nice sized beanie. The pattern is now in testing and should be available by the end of the month.