Sunday, February 25, 2018

Curtain Call

I'm so thrilled to share with you my latest pattern, a collaboration with the fine fellas at Leading Men Fiber Arts. They generously provided a skein of their Diva merino/silk base and sent me spiraling into a nostalgic fog of high school theatre memories. I took inspiration from that iconic red velvet curtain that graces so many stages. Diva's silk content contributes just the right amount of sheen and depth to give it that velveteen appearance, and its lovely drape calls to mind the folds of fabric cascading down in front of the scenery and pooling at the actors' feet.

Curtain Call

Beginning at the top center, this shawl slowly unfolds into two side panels with a larger vertical panel in the middle. The pattern primarily utilizes charts, but the lace is fairly easily memorized after a couple repeats. It's also quite easy to adjust the overall size by simply working more or fewer repeats of the lace pattern, so feel free to make it your own!

Curtain CallCurtain Call

SIZE
One size, easily adjusted

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Span: 60 inches
Height at center: 20 inches

MATERIALS
Fingering weight yarn, approximately 600yds/549m
Leading Men Fiber Arts Diva [80% merino, 20% silk; 600yds/549m per 150g skein]; color: Out Damn Spot!; 1 skein
US #3/3.25mm circular needle
2 stitch markers
Tapestry needle

GAUGE (after blocking)
23 sts/32 rows = 4 inches in lace pattern

Buy now on Ravelry!

Curtain CallCurtain Call

Monday, February 05, 2018

Plum Dandi Knits

Today, I'd like to introduce you to the latest addition to my knitting library, Plum Dandi Knits by Alicia Plummer and Melissa Schaschwary. The subtitle says it all really: Simple Designs for Luxury Yarns. It's chock full of classic garments and accessories that allow those precious fibers you've been hoarding to do all the work, while you relax and knit the night away.

Prescott Wrap

I couldn't stop myself flipping through this book as soon as I received it, debating which lovely design to make for myself. The Bretton Woods cowl? The Ramsey shawl? The Keene pullover? The Sawyer cowl? There were too many to narrow down!

Prescott WrapPrescott Wrap

So, as I often do, I opened up Ravelry to search my stash for appropriate yarns. When I noticed the Prescott wrap called for 655 yards of chunky weight, and I happened to have 656 yards of Debbie Bliss Rialto Chunky in my stash... well, it was kismet.

Prescott WrapPrescott Wrap

As promised, the pattern was straight forward and easy to follow. In the first evening, I blazed through the chart at the beginning. A simple combination of knits and purls, even the greenest knitter could handle this one. No cables, or lace, nothing too complicated - the perfect project if you're just learning to read knitting charts (or if you're a more advanced knitted looking to keep you hands busy while allowing your mind to wander).

Prescott WrapPrescott Wrap

After that, it was smooth sailing in garter stitch for the majority of the pattern. As the weather cooled over the coming weeks, this project grew and grew, creating a fantastic lap blanket for fireside knitting. And now that it's complete, it's the ideal shoulder wrap for those chilly days to come. Now which pattern to make next...

Prescott WrapPrescott Wrap