Episode 81
Enter to win this beautiful kit from Big Bad Wool by leaving a comment with your contact information under this post by August 15th. Only one comment per person please!
The winner will be announced on Episode 82.
Thank you for listening!
I have a two-year-old boy at home who unfortunately seems to have a problem with handknits.
I recently completed the adorable aviator style Sweet 'n Sour Apple hat by
Kate Oates of Tot Toppers and his reaction to it was less than ideal. :(
I should have learned my lesson from the Gramps sweater, right?
Below you will notice the progression of photos as I bribed my son into his new hat with chocolate chips.
Chocolate really does make everything better, doesn't it?
This hat was a fun little knit out of only one skein of Malabrigo Merino Worsted that I found in my stash.
I think that the finished hat is sooo adorable and cozy!
I think my son will appreciate this snuggly warm hat this winter.
But I will be sure to bring chocolate chips along just in case. :)
Last week I returned home from the Fiber and Friends knitting retreat in Cordova, Alaska where I was invited to work as an instructor.
To be completely honest, it was probably the most amazing place I have ever been and it was one of the most fun weeks I have ever had. I feel so very privileged to have been invited to be a part of this amazing event.
I wanted to share a few pictures of my time in Cordova but these unfortunately were taken on my cell phone and do not capture the beauty like my Cannon camera would have. I was so worried about traveling with my expensive camera that I did not bring it. Am I kicking myself now? You bet.
Cordova is small and remote with no roads connecting it to any other place. It is considered a rain forest with an expected rain fall of approx 120-180 inches per year. Everywhere you look it is lush and green, with clear calm ocean and snow capped mountains in the background. The ground is littered with wildflowers, berry bushes and moss. It felt so clean and peaceful there.
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| The turquoise waters are a result of glacier run off. |
Although Cordova is a remote fishing village in Alaska, it has a thriving knitting community. Dotty, the owner of The Net Loft, was the organizer of this wonderful knitting retreat and just celebrated her store's 30th anniversary! Never could I have imagined that there would be a yarn store in such a tiny town, never mind the fact that it has been there for 30 years! Not to mention.. this was literally the nicest, most well stocked yarn and craft store I have. ever. seen.
Ever.
I could have spent the entire week in that store.
Good thing they offer mail order!
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| This is just one tiny corner of a two-story shop! |
Everyone I met in Cordova was so very hospitable and welcoming. Everywhere we looked there was a display of Cordova wildflowers, homemade baked goods and a pot of tea.
They really made everyone feel right at home.
The classes themselves went great! I taught 6 classes while I was there. The knitters who attended were wonderful. It was really exciting to meet so many knitters from so many places and who traveled from all different parts of the world to be in Cordova for this event.
Despite this, I have to say that the highlight of my teaching had to be the kid's "learn to knit" class!
It is always so fun to help create new knitters!
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| Look at all of those kids! Thank goodness I had quite a few adult helpers! |
My time in Cordova is an experience that I will always remember. I hope to someday bring my family there and share this amazing place with them as well. I highly suggest that everyone try to visit Cordova if they can. It was such a unique and beautiful town.
In an effort to bring home a piece of Cordova, I brought back 2 special skeins that were promptly knit up into two small hats for my daughter.
The first skein is this amazing tonal color from the company Skeins in the Stacks. It is actually hand-dyed with wild berries from Cordova!
The rose was created the last night we were there at the Net Loft. Dotty showed all of us how to create these pretty roses with ribbon from her shop.
The next was a gorgeous skein of Snow Capped yarn which was kindly provided to all of the attendees. Snow Capped is also hand-dyed in Cordova. This particular colorway is special because it was inspired by a painting of Cordova wildflowers.
I know that when I see these special knitted hats, I will remember the beauty of Cordova and the time I spent there.
Thank you to Dotty and everyone at The Net Loft for organizing such a wonderful week and for sharing your beautiful town with us all.
I can't wait to go back!
My new cloche design inspired by the Sprig pullover from Botanical Knits 2 is now available for purchase!
The Sprig Cloche is a face-framing hat design with a sprig of foliage gracefully wrapping around the asymmetrical brim. The brim is first knit flat, then stitched together at the ends. Stitches are picked up along one side and knit up in the round to create the body of the hat. It is a fun pattern with interesting construction, and an elegant result!
This is the second time I have had the privilege of working with The Fibre Co. Acadia yarn. What a wonderful, luxurious yarn to knit with.
Here is the pattern information for those of you who are interested in knitting up a Sprig Cloche of your very own!
SIZE
Women’s Medium-Large
(fits 20-22” / 50-60 cm head circumference)
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Brim Circumference: approx 20” / 50 cm unstretched
MATERIALS
The Fibre Company Acadia [60% merino wool, 20% baby alpaca, 20% silk; 145 yd / 133 m per 1.75 oz / 50 g skein]; color Amber; 2 skeins or approx 225 yd / 200 m of a dk weight wool or wool blend.
Alternate Yarns: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, Rowan Felted Tweed DK
1 set of US5 / 3.75 mm straight needles for brim
1 16” / 40 cm US6 / 4 mm circular needle for body of hat
1 set of US6 / 4 mm double pointed needles
Stitch markers in 2 different colors
Cable needle
Tapestry needle
GAUGE
21 sts / 30 rows = 4” / 10 cm in Stockinette stitch worked in the rnd on US6 / 4 mm needles or size needed for accurate gauge.
The pattern offers both charted and written pattern instructions.
Photography and modeling provided by the lovely Julie Crawford from knittedbliss.com. Thank you Julie and Guy!
Purchase the pdf download for the Sprig Cloche below or look for it in print at your local yarn shop.
I hope that you enjoy the pattern! :)
The Botanical Knits 2 books have arrived from the printery!
Thank you so much to everyone who has already pre-ordered from our website. We are working hard to get all of the orders shipped out as soon as possible.
We will be closing pre-orders on Friday, June 20th at the end of the day.
Thank you for all of your support!
What seems like ages ago now I designed my first little sweater for children, Playful Stripes.
Over the years, I have so enjoyed seeing other knitters make their own versions with all sorts of different color combinations for their little ones. It is definitely a fun knit. The stripes are so addicting! The yoke offers a perfect opportunity to not only play with color but to use up odd little scraps of yarn lying around.
I have gotten so many requests for an adult version, so in 2011 I began working on one.
Only... I was pregnant and up to my eyeballs in knitting for my first book, Coastal Knits... so with little time to focus on the design, the resulting sweater did not turn out as expected. In fact it was an epic fail. The proportions were terrible and the colors I chose were kind of... disgusting once put together.
I was so discouraged by this that I didn't feel motivated to try again until now... A whole three years later.
With much more experience under my belt, I feel more confident and am finally happy with the result! I would like to introduce the new improved Playful Stripes sweater for women in Quince and Co. Owl yarn.
Pattern coming this Fall!
I am so happy to be part of the blog tour for the adorable new e-book, From Mama, With Love, a collection of 15 sweet little knits designed by Connie Chang Chinchio, Tanis Gray, Margaux Hufnagel, Melissa LaBarre and Kate Gagnon Osborn.
Each of these incredibly talented designers are also mothers of small children and love to create adorable knits for their little ones. They have all come together to produce this e-book, each contributing 3 patterns each with their own children as models. As a knitwear designer and mother of two children myself, I just love this idea of moms getting together to collaborate on a project like this!
You can view all of the projects in the e-book HERE.
I find myself especially taken with the Sid Scrappy Hat designed by Melissa LaBarre.
Isn't this just so adorable?
Take a look at From Mama, With Love and help support these talented, hard-working moms.
Good job ladies!
I just received the photos of my new hat design, Sprig Cloche, from the beautiful Julie Crawford of knittedbliss.com. This hat pattern will be included for free with pre-orders of Botanical Knits 2 on our website. I will also release the Sprig Cloche pattern for sale in July.
I'm awfully excited about this little hat.
After the popularity of the Oak Trail cloche pattern from Botanical Knits, I wanted to try and create the cloche style hat shape once more. This time I experimented with increasing, decreasing and short rows to create an asymmetrical brim, much like the neckband of the Sprig sweater from Botanical Knits 2.
This hat is stylish and can be worn many ways. Julie is wearing it in more of a slouchy style in this photograph, but it can also be worn very low on the forehead. Additionally the "sprig" of foliage can wrap in the other direction around the opposite ear.
I think that you will find this pattern to be another fun and interesting knit. I look forward to releasing it!
I was soooo excited to find what arrived in the mail for me today....
Advanced copies of Botanical Knits 2! Fresh from the printery!
It is always such a rewarding experience to see your finished book printed and bound for the first time.
I have to say however... I was equally excited to see this adorable little bookmark I had made up.
This bookmark is a special giveaway item that will be shipped out with the books to all of you who
pre-ordered Botanical Knits 2, and it has been designed with a couple special, little, useful features.
It clips perfectly to the page to mark your place in the book.
And even contains a 1" cut out to measure your stitch and row gauge!
I just love how the little leaves stick up out of the book! Who knew a bookmark could make me this happy? I hope you love it too and find it a useful addition to your book!
Everyone who pre-orders will also receive an extra pattern with their book shipment. I am working on it right now and I love how it is turning out...
Here is a little sneak peek.
Botanical Knits 2 will be shipping next month! But pre-orders are still open on our website HERE.
Remember that everyone who pre-orders will receive the e-book right away and the print book, bookmark, and extra pattern next month in the mail!
I can't wait for the big shipment to arrive so that I can start shipping all of these out! :)
When I received this beautiful yarn in the mail, it was love at first sight. I don't normally choose blue, but I am currently so drawn to this dusky gray/blue shade.
What makes this skein of Snow-Capped Yarns Olde Salt Knight yarn extra special is that it is inspired by the colors of and also hand-dyed in coastal Alaska. I am headed there this summer for a knitting retreat, and I dreamed of my upcoming trip to Cordova while knitting with this yarn.
I made up this simple baby cardigan as a sample for my upcoming sweater finishing workshop that I will be teaching this summer. It was so quick to knit and a great project to practice seaming techniques.
I thought I'd post the pattern for free for anyone who is interested in making one for the little one in their life.
It can be made for a baby boy or baby girl and is just the perfect easy knit for a last minute gift.
Embellish it with pockets, appliques, or colorwork for an original look, or keep it clean and classic just the way it is.
Click HERE to download this pattern for free!
Click HERE to learn more about Snow-Capped Yarns.
Episode 80
Enter to win a copy of Knit The Alphabet provided by publisher Stitch Craft Create along with this beautiful "Knit Me Somethin" necklace provided by Shirley Campbell by leaving a comment under this post by April 15th. In your comment please tell me how you would like to use the knitted letters from the book. Please also include your contact information. Only one comment per person please!
The winner will be announced here and contacted on April 16th.
I will be back at the microphone for the beginning of season 9 in July. Thank you for listening!
Drawing now closed! Thank you to everyone who participated! :)
The winner is Karine7 on Ravelry. Congratulations! :)
I recently discovered the book, Knit The Alphabet, by Claire Garland and couldn't resist knitting up a quick "N-N-K" out of scraps to display on the shelf of my office.
I have always loved her whimsical use of knit stitches to create the most adorable toys and now.. letters!
There are so many fun uses for these knitted letters. They would make such a fun decoration for a kid's room. Can you imagine a name strung up over a bed or small letters hanging from a crib mobile? What about a giant first letter of your child's name as a "pillow" on the bed? If I was "super mommy" I would love to knit the whole alphabet to practice making words with my 2 year old.
They are just so fun to make and play with..
and squish.
I recently finished the most adorable little old man sweater for my 2 year old boy.
This pattern is called Gramps and was designed by Tin Can Knits. Not to be confused with the other Gramps Cardigan I made for him before he was born by Kate Oates. :)
I fell in love with a sample of this Gramps sweater during my visit to Monarch Knitting recently and promptly cast on. I guess I just couldn't resist the shawl collar and tiny pockets. And who wouldn't love those knitted elbow patches?
I used Berroco Blackstone Tweed for the body and a lone skein of Madelinetosh Vintage floating around in my stash for the trims. I love the contrasting texture and color in the two yarns.
It is just completely adorable. I love it. And my son... well.... doesn't.
This is the best picture I could get of him in his new sweater.. and there was a lot of bribing involved to even get him into it.
Listen to my next podcast episode for the entire devastating story. :(
Thank you so much to everyone who has already ordered Botanical Knits 2!
I so appreciate all of your support and enthusiasm for the new designs! As a way of saying thank you, I have a special yarn giveaway for you to enter to win!
This is a sampling of some of the beautiful yarns I had the privilege of working with in my new book. Included in the stack are:
-2 skeins Sunshine Yarns Merino Sport in Heirloom Tomato
-8 skeins of Rowan Felted Tweed Aran in color #720
-3 skeins of Quince and Co. Owl in Chamomile
-2 skeins of Juniper Moon Farms Moonshine in color #0001
-1 skein of Juno Fibre Arts Alice Dk in Potpourri
I must tell you.. each and every one of these yarns was such a joy to knit with.
Whoever wins this lot is going to be one fortunate and happy knitter!
I will be running this particular drawing a little bit differently from others that I have organized in the past. I've noticed that many of you have already started knitting projects from Botanical Knits 2 which makes me sooo happy and excited. I have started an entry thread HERE on the Botanical Knits group on Ravelry where I would love for you to post a picture of your finished knit from the new book. Everyone who posts a picture of their finished Botanical Knits 2 project on this thread will be entered in the giveaway. You will receive a separate entry for each project that you post. I will provide all of the drawing rules in the Ravelry thread, so please be sure to read the requirements carefully.
I will end the drawing on April 15th and announce the winner on my blog and on the thread on the 16th.
Pick up your needles and ready, set, knit!
I cannot wait to see all of your projects!
Drawing now closed! Thank you to everyone who participated! I so enjoyed seeing your beautiful, beautiful knits! :) I randomly chose between the drawing entries, and the winner is Donnabriz on Ravelry who knit up a gorgeous Thicket beret. Congratulations! :)
Drawing now closed! Thank you to everyone who participated! I so enjoyed seeing your beautiful, beautiful knits! :) I randomly chose between the drawing entries, and the winner is Donnabriz on Ravelry who knit up a gorgeous Thicket beret. Congratulations! :)
Botanical Knits 2; Twelve More Inspired Designs to Knit and Love is now available
to purchase as a digital e-book for $18 or to pre-order in print for $22 plus shipping.
If you choose to pre-order in print, you will receive a complimentary copy of the digital e-book to download right away along with two special surprises in the mail when the book ships in June!
-A botanically inspired, gauge-measuring bookmark to use with your new book
-A complimentary new pattern designed by me!
If you would like to purchase Botanical Knits 2 locally, it will be available to purchase in yarn shops and bookstores worldwide beginning in June.
Shop owners, please visit my wholesale site for more information about carrying Botanical Knits 2 in your store.
If you have purchased the individual Sprig pattern in the past, please don't forget to enter your "receipt no." or "transaction id" from your paypal receipt
in the ordering process to save $6 on your order of Botanical Knits 2!
I hope that all of you really enjoy this new book! Please do post pictures of your finished knits on the Botanical Knits ravelry group or our facebook page! I can't wait to see all of the new designs knit up by all of you in different yarns and colors. Happy knitting! :)
Episode 79
Shownotes:
Join the Never Not Knitting Ravelry Group!
Join the Botanical Knits Ravelry Group!
Follow ME on Twitter!
Enter to win this copy of Knit Your Own Zoo (provided by Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers) along with a skein of New Zealand Southlander yarn (provided by Skeinz) by leaving a comment under this post by March 15th. Please remember to include your contact information. Only one comment per person please! The winner will be announced on Episode 80.
Don't forget to check out our website botanicalknits.com for more information or to place your order for the new book, Botanical Knits 2! Pre-orders will be open on March 3, 10:00 am PST.
Thank you for listening!
I am so excited to finally share with you the design projects
that I have been working on over the past year.
Introducing...
My new book!
This is a sequel to Botanical Knits published last year. The response to that book was so positive and I just wasn't quite ready to stop designing botanically inspired knits quite yet.
Here is a little peek at the 12 new designs.
This sweater was the first piece I designed for the collection and I think it might be my favorite.
I love the romantic over-sized hood that forms a beautiful shawl collar in the front when worn down. There is also a tree motif on the back. I call it a "secret" tree because it is only visible when the hood is up. This sweater also has A-line shaping, a pretty rounded back hemline and a few little gathers where the skirt meets the bodice.
This beret is a fun and fast project to knit. The lacy stitch pattern is a perfect one for beginning lace knitters because it isn't very complicated. I would consider this design to be the easiest hat in the collection to execute. Unlike the others, you won't have to get out your cable needle for this one! Thicket is worked from the brim up and can easily be finished in only a few evenings.
I love love love the way this shawl turned out. The body of the shawl is basic, but the edging is what makes it truly unique. My goal was to create a leafy edging that was barely holding onto the body of the shawl like spent leaves clinging to branches at the end of the season. With a lot of swatching, I felt like I was finally able to create in knitting what I had envisioned in my mind and I the finished shawl is unusual and whimsical. I'm very happy with this one.
For my Sunlit Autumn cardigan, I wanted to experiment with lace insets. I have often seen this design element used in ready to wear garments and I find it really pretty and feminine.
The lace inset on the back reminds me of a photo used in the first book of an autumn leaf held up to the light with sunshine glowing all around it. I wanted to capture that same idea in the stitch pattern and I think it turned out really nicely.
I really loved the stitch pattern that I designed for the Twigs and Willows cardigan from Botanical Knits and decided to create a smaller version for these cute cropped little mitts. These are a perfect choice for those of you who are interested in trying out this stitch pattern but are not quite ready to commit to an entire sweater project.
Forest Foliage is the first lace shawl I have ever designed and it will go down in history as the most difficult pattern to write up. Just ask my technical editor. She will fill you in. :)
The shawl itself, however, is so pretty. It is made up of solid knit autumn leaves floating in a sea of lace stitches. When I hold the shawl up to the light it reminds me of sunlight streaming in through the leaves of a tree.
The Ivy Trellis Hat was originally released as a special pattern giveaway to everyone who pre-ordered Botanical Knits, and it is now appearing in my new book. This hat is designed to coordinate with the Ivy Trellis Socks and Mittens from Botanical Knits. Between you and me.. I cannot get enough of this stitch pattern. I think it is so beautiful and it translated so well into a hat. I love the embossed texture of the cables and leaves.
On this cardigan, a textured, flourishing vine climbs up the left sweater front, much like a vine on a tree. It's a striking detail that is so fun to knit. I love designs like this with a single plant motif. They are so addicting and go so fast because you can watch the plant grow on your needles as you work. Waist shaping has been incorporated to the sides of this cardigan for a flattering fit.
With this design, I experimented with working a new leaf shape into the stitches. The result is a slouchy hat with subtle fern stitch motifs growing out from the crown as well as the brim. I think that this pattern could definitely be a unisex pattern and sized up for a man.
Verdure was originally available for a limited time as part of the Twisted Yarn Shop Mad About Tosh Club 2013 and is now appearing again in Botanical Knits 2. These mitts feature a fun twisted stitch sprouting plant motif on the back of the hand and only take one skein of Madelinetosh Tosh dk. They work up very quickly!
You may remember my blog post about this design a few months back. The colorway this scarf is made from was especially created just for this project. The gradient colors represent the spring-to-autumn life cycle. The scarf is a long decorative string of leaves that can be wrapped around your neck several times for a cozy colorful scarf.
Now this sweater you have seen before. Sprig was released previously and has become quite popular due to it's unique details and construction. The special thing about this sweater is the asymmetrical neckline that once completed results in a symmetrical sweater. A leafy sprig of foliage wraps around the neckline and sleeve cuffs and I love the way that the little leaves drape over the shoulder when worn. It is a special sweater. Unlike any other sweater pattern, I've seen!
I hope that you all really enjoy these new patterns as much as I did designing them! Do you have a favorite? Let me know in the comments below!
Botanical Knits 2; Twelve More Inspired Designs To Knit And Love will be available digitally and to pre-order in print from our website (botanicalknits.com) on March 3 at 10:00 am PST.
Please join our email list below to receive an email when the book is ready to order.
Please join our email list below to receive an email when the book is ready to order.
For now all of the pattern pictures and information is up on Ravelry! Please check them out HERE. I have also added discussion/KAL threads for each design on the Botanical Knits Ravelry group forums. Please join us as we discuss yarn options and plans to begin the new projects. I will be checking it to answer any questions you may have about the new designs. Also please be sure to tune in to my next podcast episode where I will be sharing even more about each of these patterns.
Thank you so much for your patience, support and excitement for my new book!
I can't wait to release it! :)
Thank you so much for your patience, support and excitement for my new book!
I can't wait to release it! :)
Hello friends. I am planning on releasing Botanical Knits 2 in e-book format and for pre-order in print in the next couple of weeks. Because of this, I will be taking down my Sprig sweater pattern on February 20th. Sprig will be included in the new book, but this is your last chance to purchase the pattern individually.
Remember that if you choose to purchase Botanical Knits 2 the entire cost of the Sprig pattern pdf will be applied to your purchase of the book. Please keep your Paypal receipt email containing your Transaction ID or Receipt No. code. Either of these codes will allow you to receive a $6 discount on your copy of Botanical Knits 2!
I am so pleased with the positive response that this sweater design has already received on Ravelry. There are already so many beautiful finished sweaters to look at. I love seeing the different color and yarn variations!
One of the first Sprig sweaters to pop up was this lovely gray version by ittybitty on Ravelry, and it is still one of my favorites.
Check out all of the other fabulous projects HERE.
Click HERE to purchase the individual Sprig pattern pdf.
Last weekend we shot the photos for my upcoming book at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
What a perfect location. Lush, green, and gorgeous!
Seeing the finished photos makes me even more excited for this book release, and I thought I'd share a little sneak peek with all of you.
I can't wait until it is all finished! :) Hopefully soon!
Episode 78
Enter to win this copy of The Art of Seamless Knitting by Simona Merchant-Dest and Faina Goberstein by leaving a comment under this post by February 15th. Please remember to include your contact information. Only one comment per person please! The winner will be announced on Episode 79.
Thank you for listening!
