Ravelry | Page 2

A Very Good Week!

I’m still plodding along on my Bevin re-knit, but I wanted to show off all the neat stuff I’ve managed to acquire this week!

First up, brand-spanking-new business cards. I’ve been wanting to update my cards for a while, but it wasn’t until I found out I’d be attending a big, big knitting event next month (more on that later!) that I took the plunge.

They came in this adorable little case!

As you can see, I decided to make the back side of each card a close-up shot of one of my designs, and then put all the business-y info on the other side. My logo was due for a bit of a refresh, so I went ahead and did that at the same time. I think the cards turned out really well! I used Moo.com like I did for the mini cards I had made last year. Once again, I’m very happy with the results!

Next up: a Ravelry t-shirt!

I’ve wanted some Ravelry gear for ages. After all, if it wasn’t for Ravelry, I wouldn’t be a pattern designer. So when I saw they had shirts back in stock, I jumped at the chance. I got the unisex medium size, and it fits me very well (other than being a little long, which I can live with). And the fabric is soooooft. I want to cuddle with myself when I wear it.

And finally, the yarny portion of my acquisitions this week. I found a new to me local-ish yarn store, Village Yarn Shop in Zionsville, IN. Besides having a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, they had a seriously drool-worthy wall o’ Malabrigo.

I tried to restrict myself to this skein of Malabrigo Rios, for another upcoming sample re-knit:

But then I spotted this AMAZING color of Malabrigo Sock and couldn’t leave without it:

The colorway is Impressionist Sky. Apt, isn’t it?

So all in all, it’s been a pretty good week. :-)

FO Friday: Nameless Hat

I finished a new hat this week!

It’s a new design, but I’m drawing a blank on a name for it. If you have any ideas, let me know!

The specs:

Pattern: My own (probably will be released this month, depending if I decide the pattern needs testing)

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Chunky in Natural. While the yarn was as squishy and delicious to knit with as ever, it was sort of bizarre to have colorless Madelinetosh. I really love the dyeing, so I think I’ll probably stay away from this shade in the future. I do like the color with my reddish hair, however!

Notes: The lace and cable pattern I decided to use seemed very straightforward… until I tried to convert it to knitting in the round rather than flat. Many swatches later, I figured out that the end of round marker needs to be moved forward one stitch at the end of each pattern repeat. That also gives the hat a neat spiral effect.

I decided to do a cable-cast on instead of my usual long-tail, because it plays more nicely with the garter stitch brim. The cable-cast on hurts my hands, and I find it much more fiddly than the long-tail, but I think the results were worth it. You can see the cast-on edge pretty well in this work-in-progress pic:

I’m participating in Madelinetosh May, an event put on by the Madelinetosh Lovers group on Ravelry, so I’m going to try to get one more Tosh hat design done before the month is up!

Day 2, Mascot Project: 4KCBWDAY2

The second day’s prompt is to think of or research a project that embodies the house chosen in the first day. There’s no need to actually make the project (which is good, because my extra knitting time is nonexistent at the moment!).

For this prompt, I decided to choose an assortment of patterns from other designers I’d make if I had the time. I specifically chose ones that would stretch my abilities and knowledge, because I’m a proud member of the House of Monkey!

First up, the Dahlia Cardigan by Heather Zoppetti. (Note: link goes to Ravelry. They will all go to Ravelry. If you’re not on Ravelry yet, you should be!)

Seriously, how insanely gorgeous is that lace panel?? Plus the whole “business in the front, party in the back” thing really appeals to me. It would be a challenge, because the construction method is different and it would be important to get gauge (something I’ve historically had trouble doing in a lace pattern–my YOs always seem to come out too big or too small).

Next up: the Charvet Pullover by Maria Leigh.

I find the biased stripes in this sweater absolutely fascinating. The construction, again, is very different. It’s so different, in fact, that there’s a whole sweater workshop on Knitting Daily to help the knitter wrap her head around the diagonal direction of the work.

Then there’s the stunning Butterfly Dress or Vest by Jennie Atkinson:

This would challenge me enormously because of one simple fact (okay, two simple facts, hehe): I have waaaayy more boobage than the model. The lace pattern looks moderately stretchy, but I’d still have to figure out some kind of bust shaping. In the lace pattern. Um.

And finally, Orca by Chrystal Orel (Creations by Gems):

I find orcas completely fascinating, and I’d love to make myself my own little orca pal someday. But the challenge here is pretty obvious: I don’t know how to crochet, beyond a little single-crochet-edging action. I did find a few knitted orca patterns on Ravelry, but they all involve loads of intarsia, a technique that quite frankly makes me want to chew my own foot off. Plus, they aren’t as cute. So yeah, I think I’ll have to learn to crochet.

I’m not gonna lie–finding these patterns was SO. MUCH. FUN. Maybe one day I’ll have the time to actually make one or more of these….

New Pattern Release: Lavandula from Twist Collective!

The Twist Collective Winter 2012 issue went live this morning…

…which means I finally get to share one of those secret sweater knits I worked on over the summer with you!

This is Lavandula, my first pattern to be published through Twist Collective. I love, love, LOVE this online magazine’s design aesthetic and sense of style, so it’s been a dream of mine to get a pattern published with them. Lavandula was my third submission–and the first one that was accepted!

Of course, I was knocked out by the photography and styling (All gorgeous photos by Jane Heller for Twist Collective):

The yarn is Sundara Sport Merino two in Monet’s Basilica. I was thrilled when they told me which yarn had been selected for the design, because I’ve been dying to try Sundara yarns for ages! Let me tell you, it lived up to the hype. The depth of tone and color is absolutely stunning.

Lavandula is sized for bust measurements from 30″ to 51″ (76 to 130 cm). If you’re interested in purchasing the pattern or finding out more information, you can check out the Twist Collective page or the Ravelry page.

I’ll try to do a post about the design process in a few days–I know I’ve enjoyed seeing those from other designers, so hopefully you’ll enjoy it too!

Oh, and this makes me pretty happy too: Lavandula is currently #5 on Ravelry’s Hot Right Now list! :-D