A few weeks ago, in honor of my friends baby shower, I knit up this little 6 month size Baby Sophisticate Cardigan for her soon-to-be born, baby boy.

And I had to include this bow-tie and baby fedora because a gentleman has to look his best, of course!

I knit up this sweater in no time flat using one lonely left-over skein of Malabrigo Merino Worsted in the Paris Night colorway from my stash. 

This is such an easy little knit, so perfect for a quick baby shower gift. 

(Apparently my sister-in-law also thought so, because she showed up to the baby shower with the gift of a  hand knit Baby Sophisticate Cardigan too. )

(In the same size.)

: O

I first fell in love with this pattern when I first made it over a year ago now, 

when I was expecting my own baby boy.  This sweater and a matching knitted hat was the very first outfit he ever wore. My husband put it on him in the recovery room right after birth, and it was this sweater that he wore home from the hospital. 

I will never forget that site of my new, snugly, sweet boy enveloped in this cozy hand knit. 

This particular pattern will always hold a special place in my heart because of it.

Episode 68

Shownotes:

Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf

Baby Sophisticate Sweater Pattern

My Original Version of Baby Sophisticate

Taking home the baby from the hospital

Malabrigo Merino Worsted

Gramps Cardigan

Madelinetosh Tosh DK

Fisherman's Pullover

60 Quick Baby Knits

Mabels Closet

Hannah Fettig

Quince and Co. 

Jennifer on Ravelry

Jennifer's Blog

Napoli Sweater

Join the Never Not Knitting group on Ravelry

Follow ME on Twitter

Enter to win a signed copy of the limited edition Mabel's Closet booklet by Hannah Fettig by leaving a comment under this post by December 15th. Don't forget to leave your contact information!

The winner will be announced on Episode 69. 

Thank you for listening!

Back in January of this year, Amy Clarke Moore from Interweave contacted me and asked if I might be interested in contributing a design to the ever beautiful Jane Austen Knits magazine. Being a fan of all things Jane Austen, I was immediately interested and started scouring the Internet for design ideas.

I then came up with this.

This Pleated Neck Scarf knit from two different colors of Rowan Kid Silk Haze and fastened with a crocheted flower button. It's ethereal, feminine and reminiscent of the ruffled collars commonly worn in the Regency Era.

Photos courtesy of Interweave. Photography by Christa Tippmann Believe it or not.. this is my first REAL, ACTUAL published magazine pattern. (in print) Kind of exciting! :) Find the pattern in the latest issue of Jane Austen Knits Fall 2012.

Just a reminder that pre-orders for Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf will be ending on 

November 15th at the end of the day. (Please see below)

(Update 11-19-12: The pre-order promotion has now expired. Thank you everyone for your support! We look forward to shipping the books out to you!)

This is your last chance to order this

Price: $18.95

And get this,

this,

 and this.

In this.

For only the price of this.

In all seriousness... the Deluxe Edition-Gift Set is only free for pre-orders. 

Once pre-orders are over (beginning on November 16th) 

the Deluxe Edition will go to it's regular price of $26.95.

That means that if  you order the book before the 16th.. you will save $8 on this awesome gift set!

The books are being shipped to us now and we are so excited to start sending out your orders. 

Thank you everybody for all of your support. :)

In putting together our latest book, it was fascinating for me to learn of all the steps involved in creating just one book illustration. Talk about a lot of work! I had no idea what kind of labor and time went into this type of artwork. I now look at my daughter's picture books with renewed appreciation!

I invited Neesha Hudson, the illustrator of Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf, 

to share her illustration process with us. 

I hope you enjoy this journey of seeing one page from conception to completion.

"I start with a very rough, quick sketch to get the general feeling and composition."

"Then refine that sketch into a line drawing. 

This is exactly how the finished illustration will look."

"I then transfer the drawing onto illustration board by laying carbon paper underneath my 

line drawing and tracing over it."

"I then ink the line drawing with FW waterproof ink. Once the ink is dry, I apply thin washes of watercolor. The first layer is yellow applied to the whole image to get a base. While the paint is still wet, I dab some red in select areas, like noses and cheeks."

"Sometimes I have a little helper." :)

"Finished watercolor."

"I then scan the watercolor and paint it digitally. As you can see, lots of beverages are involved in the process!"

"Finally, the finished illustration!"

"And here it is with text."

From "this" to "this" in approximately 10 hours time. Amazing! Thank you Neesha!

I am so happy to tell you that our new children's story, Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf, is now printed and our shipment of books will be on the way to us shortly. I can't wait to hold the final book in my hands and start shipping it out to all of you who have pre-ordered!

What a fun project this has been for us as a family. Starting out this project, I of course knew quite a bit about knitting and pattern writing, but nothing about the process of creating a children's book. I have learned so much about what all of this involves, and I found it fascinating to watch this project take shape.

As you heard in my latest podcast episode, I have Neesha Hudson to thank for the amazing illustrations in this story. She worked so hard on this book for us and I am amazed by her talent. 

The character development was really interesting. I would give Neesha a general idea of how my daughter and I envisioned the characters, and she would sketch out different options for us to choose from.

Here is Annie.

I wanted Annie to resemble my own daughter somewhat, but still be her own unique character.

After a direction was chosen, she refined the sketches more...

and more...

and more... until we settled on a final version that we were both happy with.

And I think she is so adorable!

If you are interested in learning more about the extensive process that Neesha went through for each and every illustration, be sure to check back soon for a guest blog post from Neesha herself.

Episode 67

Shownotes:

Pre-order Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf!

Sticker Sheet

Puzzles

Paperdoll Set

About the Book

Meet the Characters

Playful Stripes Sweater

Annie's Swiss Cheese Scarf Pattern

Neesha Hudson

Join the Never Not Knitting Ravelry Group

Follow ME on Twitter!

Enter to win a signed Deluxe Edtion of Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf by leaving a comment under this blog post by November 15, 2012. Please do not forget to include your contact information!

The winner will be announced on Episode 68.

Thank you for listening!

My daughter and I have been working together on Annie's Swiss Cheese Scarf pattern to go along 

with the new book.

It's all finished now and the pattern is available as a free download on Ravelry HERE.

This scarf is just like Annie's in the story. Big "Swiss cheese" holes on one side.

It went super quickly and only took one skein of yarn. 

I chose Quince and Co. Osprey in the Rosa Rugosa colorway.

I let my daughter knit some of the sections by herself for a more "authentic" look. :)

.

Everyone who purchases the book, Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf will also receive a free pdf download of my Playful Stripes Cardigan pattern. 

(The sweater that Annie is wearing in the story.)

Knit up these two patterns so that your child can match Annie! 

Wouldn't this make a fun little set to give along with the book for a present?

Here is my daughter sporting her own "Annie ensemble."

\

And now with attitude...

:)

I am happy to announce that our new children's book, Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf, is now available for pre-order!

The book is scheduled to be shipped by late-November, 

but if you pre-order now you will receive a matching

-20-piece children's puzzle

-paperdoll set

-sticker sheet

All packaged together (with the book) in this adorable gift box!

Please visit our new website at AnnieCanKnit.com to learn more about our book, 

meet the characters, and even take a peek inside! 

(My husband has worked on this website diligently for weeks and I think it turned out really cute!)

We hope that you love Annie as much as we do! We are looking forward to shipping these out to everyone!

Here is the final item that I have to share with you that will be included in the 

Deluxe Edition-Gift Set of our soon-to-be-released children's book, Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf.

A special, custom made....

P u z z l e !

I absolutely love this little 20-piece puzzle. This is one of my favorite scenes from the book 

where Annie's mommy teaches her how to knit on the couch. 

It reminds me of when I taught my daughter to knit.

That will always be a special memory for me.

My daughter has had lots of fun taking this puzzle apart and putting it back 

together over and over and over again.

Remember... this puzzle will be part of our Deluxe Edition, but will be included for free for everyone who pre-orders the book!

Pre-orders will be available shortly!

In yesterday's post.. I promised you...

S t i c k e r s!

Yes! A sheet of five glossy, durable stickers to go along with our soon to be released children's book,

Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf.

This sticker sheet is part of our "Deluxe Edition-Gift Set", 

but will be included for free to everyone who pre-orders our new book.

(Pre-orders will open very soon on our new website. AnnieCanKnit.com)

Would you like to join our mailing list and be emailed as soon as pre-orders are ready?
If so, enter your email below.

If I know one thing.. it's that kids love stickers. My daughter would cover every square inch of our home in stickers if given the chance. There are stickers on our furniture, mirrors, walls.. you name it.

My daughter was soo excited to see these new "Annie stickers".. but I am being careful to keep them out of her reach.. otherwise I may wake up one morning to find our entire living room covered with them. :)

Thank you to everyone who has written me about the book. I am so excited about this project and am thrilled to hear that all of you are too! :)

I have another exciting "Annie item" to share with you tomorrow. Any guesses as to what it might be?

It's been a few months ago now since I announced the beginnings of my new children's book project, 

Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf.

What you do not know... is that since that time, this project has literally taken on a life of it's own!

As is my nature, I love to complicate things. I love to add on. Do more. Go the extra mile.

Sooooooo.... I decided to get some fun "extras" manufactured to go along with this story book. 

Because, I guess a self published children's book just didn't seem like enough to take on. :)

These extras will be part of a "deluxe edition-gift set" that will be all packaged together with the book in
it's own special decorative box. 

AND by the way... everyone who pre-orders the book, will get the gift-set "extras" for free!

Over the next few final days leading up to the pre-order opening, 

I will be sharing pictures of these special little items. 

Up first..

Paperdolls!

I just loved paperdolls when I was a child. I don't see them around much anymore though, sadly.

I thought they would make a perfect accompaniment to the story.

 You might just recognize some of Annie's outfits! 

They are all Never Not Knitting patterns for children that can be found in my pattern store.

My daughter and I had an absolute blast cutting out these dolls last night and dressing up Annie.

Here are some of our favorite outfit combinations. :)

There are still more fun things for me to share!

Tomorrow... stickers!

We just received our printing proofs for our new children's story, Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf.

It's so exciting to see all of the pages together like this. It's starting to feel very real!

It seems like every day something new and exciting for this project is arriving in the mail. 

I will have some very fun little "extras" to share with you shortly.

Everything is coming together and it has all turned out to be so cute. 

Pre-orders will be opening up very soon.

I AM SO EXCITED!

A few years ago now, my friend Audrey hired me to knit up this sample of her lovely Cables and Knots Scarf for her upcoming book, Reversible Scarves; Curing the Wrong Side Blues.

Now that the book is all done and in print, she kindly let me keep the sample. 

I am thrilled of course, because not only does this scarf have a great textured pattern...

But its completely reversible...

No wrong sides!

And it happens to be in my favorite color too.

I guess we know what scarf I will be reaching for this season. :)

My fifth and final Coastal Knits pattern is now available for individual purchase.

Sand and Sea Shawlette

This little shawlette is shaped using short rows. I chose a lighter lace weight yarn for the body and a heavier fingering weight for the edging to give it a bit of weight and drape.

The scalloped border in the turquoise sea-blue color is reminiscent of the tide washing up on the shore of one of my favorite local beaches in Morro Bay.

 There are many pretty versions of this little shawlette posted on Ravelry. I have enjoyed seeing which colors different knitters pair together. Here are a few of my favorites.

Knit by Jennifer. (gardenknittr on Ravelry)

Knit by Sam. (elys7 on Ravelry)

Knit by Monika. (motan on Ravelry)

Knit by Kristina. (kristinamama on Ravelry)

Knit by Kristin. (KrochetKristin on Ravelry)

Knit by Audrey. (audknits on Ravelry)

If you too are interested in knitting up a Sand and Sea Shawlette, this pattern is now available for purchase individually.

Use the coupon code "incomingtide" in the checkout process to receive 25% off the individual pattern today only.

This special code will expire on Saturday, October 6 at 11:59PM PST.

Or you can purchase the Coastal Knits e-book or print version HERE.

Enjoy!

My fourth and favorite pattern from Coastal Knits is now available for purchase individually!

The Gnarled Oak Cardigan

I absolutely love this cardigan. The cabled oak leaf motif on the yoke was inspired by one of my favorite locations, an ancient oak forest in Los Osos.

I have been so pleased with the response to this design on Ravelry.

I have enjoyed watching many gorgeous versions of this favorite cardigan pop up.

One project in particular that caught my eye was this one. I unfortunately could not get in touch with the knitter to have the permission share these photos on my blog, but I do hope you will check out this link. The sweater and photos are so pretty!

Here are some more of my favorites from Ravelry.

Knit by Sydney. (Squidneyknits on Ravelry) This version is without a buttonband, and it looks great!

Knit by Louise. (Doodlesknit on Ravelry) I love the color she chose!

Knit by Alex. (alexck on Ravelry) I always love to see my knits being worn in every day situations. :)

Knit by Jonette. (craftyjonny on Ravelry)

Knit by Mary. (dextermaine on Ravelry)

Knit by Jessica. (fascine on Ravelry)

A short sleeve version! Knit by Becky. (knittingma on Ravelry)

A tweed version! Knit by Sandy. (scass on Ravelry)

I found this next version especially sweet. This was knit by Audry (bears-ears on Ravelry) for her grandmother. I am always so flattered when knitters choose one of my designs for a gift like this. 

Her grandma looks wonderful in it!

There are so many other amazing versions of this sweater posted on Ravelry. 

Please take a look by clicking HERE.

This pattern is now available individually.

Use the coupon code "ancientforest" in the checkout process to receive 25% off the individual 

pattern today only.

This special code will expire on Friday, October 5 at 11:59PM PST.

Or you can purchase the Coastal Knits e-book or print version HERE.

Happy Knitting! :)

My third Coastal Knits pattern is now available for purchase as an individual pdf.

The Cambrian Cowl

This cowl knits up lightning fast and so incredibly warm. It can be styled differently for a variety of looks.

This cowl was inspired by one of my favorite coastal walking trails, the Moonstone Beach Boardwalk in Cambria. It is always so windy and cold here. I need a cowl like this to keep warm!

One of my favorite things about this cowl is the way you can accessorize it. It's a great project for showcasing a special set of buttons that you have been saving.

There are many great versions of the cowl on Ravelry with buttons of all sorts. It has been fun to look through the projects and see the combinations that other knitters have put together.

I thought that this version was quite nice.

Aren't these buttons pretty?

Knit by Summer. (Summerjc on Ravelry)

 I also really enjoyed this version from Maya.

(mayapof on Ravelry)

If you are looking for a quick last minute hand-knit gift. Look no further! 

This cowl could probably be knit up in one day!

This pattern is now available individually.

Use the coupon code "cozyincambria" in the checkout process to receive 25% off the individual pattern today only.

This special code will expire on Thursday, October 4 at 11:59PM PST.

Or you can purchase the Coastal Knits e-book or print version HERE. 

Enjoy!

The second of my Coastal Knits patterns now available for purchase as an individual pdf is..

the Wildflower Cardigan.

This is my all time favorite photo from our book.

This feminine and lightweight cardigan was inspired by the springtime wildflowers found off of Hwy 58 in Santa Margarita.

It seems as though the Winter Wheat colorway that I chose for the original has inspired many other knitters to knit up yellow versions for themselves. Here are a few that I thought were quite nice.

Knit by Rebecca. (Rubyangelfire on Ravelry) I like that she made a cropped version. Very cute!

Knit by Karen. (Quiltbaker on Ravelry) Her cat, Arwen, is a yarn snob too I am told. :)

I'm not entirely attached to the yellow cardigans. There are some other color variations that I like as well.

Knit by Kristen. (Kristenlynnea on Ravelry) I thought that this pink was especially cute.

Knit by ANOTHER Kristen. (MediaPeruana on Ravelry) I've shared some pictures of Kristen's beautiful blue version before, but I couldn't help but share another. It's awesome! As far as finished sweater pictures go... I just love the shots that these lovely ladies sent me. It's not often that I get to see three versions of one design in the same picture!

knitwit41, cdncarol and mswnola on Ravelry

"Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil..."

I look forward to seeing your version next! :)

This pattern is now available individually.

Use the coupon code "walkingthroughwildflowers" in the checkout process to receive 25% off the individual pattern today only.

This special code will expire on Wednesday, October 3 at 11:59PM PST.

 Or you can purchase the Coastal Knits e-book or print version HERE.

Happy Knitting!

The first of my Coastal Knits designs is now available to purchase as an individual pattern pdf!

This is still one of my favorites... The Rustling Leaves Beret.

This beret design was inspired by the Montana De Oro eucalyptus leaves rustling in the ocean winds.

It seems as though many of you have enjoyed knitting up Rustling Leaves Berets of your very own! 

I am so pleased to see almost 500 projects listed on Ravelry, and am happy to read all of the positive comments on the project pages.

There are so many gorgeous versions, but here are a few that caught my eye.

Knit by Dana from Unwind Yarn Company. (craftygirl83 on Ravelry) Isn't her yarn gorgeous?

Knit by Kirbie. (Kirbalicious on Ravelry) Photo by Amy Kumler Photography. This sample was knit for the fabulous store, Yarn.

Knit by Francesca. (Skytender on Ravelry)

Knit by Camilla.

Knit by Erin (Mintyfresh on Ravelry) Photos by Caro Sheridan.

Knit by Arianna. (AriannaArt on Ravelry)

Knit by Grace (Littleminky93 on Ravelry)

And I'm saving the best for last here... Just how cute is this little girl with her chicken?

Love.

Knit by Brook (SpringPeeper on Ravelry) for her "Chicken Whisperer". :)

I hope that you will enjoy knitting the Rustling Leaves Beret too!

You can now purchase this pattern individually!

Use the coupon code " Rustlinginthewind " in the checkout process to receive 25% off the individual pattern today only.

This special code will expire on Tuesday, October 2  at 11:59PM PST.

Or you can purchase the Coastal Knits e-book or print version HERE.

Have fun! :)

I can't quite believe it.. but it has been a full year since Hannah and I released our book, Coastal Knits! Where did the time go?

To celebrate our one year anniversary, we are happy to announce that we now have a 

digital e-book version of Coastal Knits and we will soon have all of the individual pattern pdfs 

available for purchase and download!

We even have a special discount code for the e-book available to knitters who have previously purchased the printed book from our coastalknits.com website.

Click HERE for more information!

Hannah and I want to thank everyone for all of the amazing support you have given us this past year! 

We couldn't be more thrilled with the positive reaction to our designs from the knitting community.

It has been so much fun for us this past year to see all of your beautiful versions of our designs and to read all of your comments in the Coastal Knits Ravelry group.This week I look forward to sharing some of my favorite versions of your Coastal Knits garments on my blog.

All of Hannahs designs from the book are available for individual purchase right now, but I have decided to do something a bit different for my readers.

Each day, beginning tomorrow, I will be releasing a new individual pdf pattern from the book (of my Coastal Knits designs) along with a special coupon code for 25% off the featured pattern 
that day only. Be sure to check back every day this week!