Sunday, April 24, 2016

Highland Knits

I recently received a copy of Highland Knits: Knitwear Inspired by the Outlander Series and immediately fell for the natural simplicity of the designs.

Highland Knits

I was particularly taken with the Rent Collection Shawl pattern. Its simple triangular shape and garter stitch fabric belie its interesting construction.

Rent Collection Shawl

At first glance, one might think this shawl begins at the top center and is worked outward with increases at the edges and middle and with basic stripes at the end. However, upon closer inspection, you'll see the garter stitch ridges are actually perpendicular to that. With the shawl worked from tip to tip, the intarsia method is employed to create the colorful stripes along the edge. And short-rows at the half-way point cause the shawl to "bend" in the middle and develop its triangular shape.

Rent Collection Shawl

I was able to use up some stash yarn for this project - an ongoing goal of mine. The majority is a soft, luscious camel yarn of unknown brand, which was given to me by a friend. The navy stripe, with subtle hints of purple and aqua in the right light, is Berroco Peruvia, given to me by a different friend. And the lime green is Patons Classic Wool I picked up at Michaels years ago. Sadly, it's already far too warm this spring to wear such a shawl outdoors. For now, it will keep me cozy at my desk and await its public debut when autumn arrives.

Rent Collection Shawl

If you're interested in obtaining your own copy of this book, you can get 20% off through the end of April by purchasing it through the Interweave Store using the code OUTLANDER20. You can also download the Sassenach Cowl pattern absolutely FREE from Amazon right now.

Tuesday, April 05, 2016

Mixed Media Weekend

On Thursday, I whipped up another awesome cross-stitch. This tiny fox - only about an inch and a half tall - is about the cutest little F-bomb I've ever seen. Don't you think? The pattern is available from HolyStitch101 on Etsy.

For Fox Sake Cross-Stitch

On Saturday, my yarn crew and I basked in the glory of DFW Fiber Fest 2016. I picked up some sock yarn, like I do.

Hedgehog Fibres Sock
Hedgehog Fibres Sock in Coral

Panorama Fiber Arts Socky Bombs
Panorama Fiber Arts Socky Bombs in Grayscale

Alisha Goes Around Bevy of Swan Fingering
Alisha Goes Around Bevy of Swans Fingering in teal/black

I also brought home an array of hand-made stitch markers from the other Fiber Fest attendees who participated in the stitch marker swap. The shrinky dink kind seemed to be a popular choice among the vendors, for obvious reasons. There were also lots of critters, a few flowers, and all manner of beaded markers. Aren't they lovely?

Stitch Markers

For the first time ever, I saw one of my knitting patterns in the wild!
As this couple walked past us, I pointed to the guy's hat/scarf and said, "Hey, that's the HeelHead Scarf!"
"You know the pattern?" she asked.
"Know it? I designed it!"
There was much squeeing (from me), and they were kind enough to take a photo with me. It was super exciting!

DFW Fiber Fest 2016