Fire and Ice

This week, I'm celebrating the release of not one, but two new knitting patterns! And from now through the end of January, you can get 50% off these new patterns when you purchase both of them. That's two for the price of one! No coupon code required!

First, I'd like you to meet Spitfire. She's a saucy little minx with a quick wit and a sharp tongue, born of smoke and dragon's breath. No, really. The yarn is A Hundred Ravens' Iachos base in the Smoke and Breathing Fire colorways. Seriously gorgeous stuff!

The design features a brioche motif of my own devising, perhaps not for the faint of heart but well worth the reward for those up to the challenge! The scarf begins at one tip and increases to the full width of the scarf, which you can easily customize if you like. Then you work even to the given length (or whatever length you desire) before decreasing back to a point again.

I like how the reverse side almost looks like dragon scales too, to complement the flames on the front. I'd love to see someone whip this up in shades of green though. I bet those flames would translate really well into leaves for a junglesque scarf instead.

SIZE
One size, easily adjusted

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Length: 72 inches
Width: 11 inches

GAUGE (after blocking)
18 sts/25 rows = 4 inches in basic bi-color brioche rib

MATERIALS
Fingering weight yarn, approximately 400yds/366m each of two colors
LC: A Hundred Ravens Iachos [100% merino; 400yds/366m per 100g skein]; color: Breathing Fire; 1 skein
DC: A Hundred Ravens Iachos [100% merino; 400yds/366m per 100g skein]; color: Smoke; 1 skein
US #3/3.25mm circular needle
Tapestry needle

Get more details about Spitfire on Ravelry!

I'd also like to introduce Winter's Eave - another brioche design to keep you warm until all those icicles melt. This is a bit more straight forward than the first and will give you plenty of time to get used to the rhythm of brioche before mixing things up a bit for the border.

The Malabrigo Mechita single ply is simply luscious, and while the Impressionist Sky and Pearl colorways were used in the sample to evoke wintry vibes, I could see this being worked up in black or grey paired with a neon to resemble paint dripping at the edges.

SIZE
One size, easily adjusted

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Span: 72 inches
Height at center: 24 inches

GAUGE (after blocking)
17 sts/28 rows = 4 inches in brioche rib

MATERIALS
Fingering weight yarn, approximately 420yds/384m each of two colors
LC: Malabrigo Yarns Mechita [100% merino; 420yds/384m per 100g skein]; color: 36 Pearl; 1 skein
DC: Malabrigo Yarns Mechita [100% merino; 420yds/384m per 100g skein]; color: 806 Impressionist Sky; 1 skein
US #3/3.25mm circular needle
5 stitch markers (1 removable)
Tapestry needle

Check out Winter's Eave on Ravelry!

Christmas Quickie

Whilst digging through my craft closet for gift wrap yesterday, my eyes instead fell on this buffalo plaid skirt. It's been hanging in there for months (years?) now, but for some reason, on this particular day, the sight of it gave me the immediate urge to sew something. I had no doubt, when I came across it at a clothes swap, that its soft wool blend fabric and pre-fringed edging would make a perfect winter accessory. Now was finally the time to make that happen!

First, I used my seam ripper to salvage the button and zipper, and also to separate the lining from the plaid around the back slit.

Next, I cut off the waistband (the photo of which has mysteriously disappeared from my phone) and picked out the darts. Then I stitched closed the back seam where the zipper and slit had been.

A final re-hemming of the top edge, and my new cowl was ready for a chilly night on the town.

I've been so preoccupied with yarn lately that my sewing machine had gathered a bit of dust, unfortunately. It felt really good to be able to whip something up in about 15 minutes.

I hope you're all enjoying some rest and relaxation and/or festive family gatherings. Happy holidays, everyone! See you in the new year!

Garter Stitch Revival

I was recently given a copy of Garter Stitch Revival and fell hard for several of its patterns. I loved the concept of the entire collection - taking the most basic of stitch patterns and using it to add texture, to highlight unusual construction methods, to play a supporting role alongside more fanciful stitches.

It was that last category that really caught my eye in the form of Jesse Ksanznak's Boardwalk Brioche Cowl. I had never attempted the brioche stitch before and had been itching to give it a try. Alternating small sections of two-color brioche with small sections of striped garter stitch sounded like the perfect way to dip my toes into a new technique. And who doesn't love a reversible fabric?

I searched my stash for suitable worsted but came up empty handed. So I resorted to a couple sport-weight yarns leftover from other projects - Madelinetosh Pashmina in Tern and Cascade 220 Superwash Sport in Kelly Green. To account for the thinner yarn, I used a needle two sizes smaller than recommended and cast on enough extra stitches for another pattern repeat.

I thoroughly enjoyed working up this pattern, and the notes in the book walked me through the brioche stitch step by step and made it very easy to learn.

I also enjoyed playing with different ways to style this cowl. How do you like the turned up, Pharaoh collar look? It probably wouldn't stay like that on a human person anyway, but it's fun to experiment with Rosy during photo shoots.

Weekend Wraps

The newest addition to my knitting library is Weekend Wraps: 18 Quick Knit Cowls, Scarves & Shawls by Cecily Glowik MacDonald and Melissa LaBarre. Every pattern inside uses worsted weight or heavier yarn, and most of the designs are smallish accessories that you really can whip up in a weekend. I was particularly drawn to the architectural aspects of Emma Welford's Post & Beam Cowl. I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for cables. They are deceptively simple to create, yet pack a pretty good punch in the final product.

I dove into the stash for the required aran weight yarn. The pattern called for 170 yards, and I just happen to have 176 yards of the discontinued Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran (color #21208) that's been languishing in the stash for, oh, 7 YEARS. It seemed like kismet... until my gauge swatch revealed the Rialto to be a slightly thinner aran than the recommended Quince & Co. Osprey. Unphased, I pushed onward, casting on enough extra stitches for a couple more repeats of the cable pattern to keep my cowl roughly the same circumference as intended.

Since I was casting on more stitches, I was a little afraid I wouldn't have enough yardage to obtain the correct height, so I flipped the cable chart too. Instead of starting with the posts and finishing with the beams, I began with the beams so I could just make my posts shorter if needed. In the end, I had more than enough yarn. So I just kept knitting until I was about to run out, and then bound off my stitches with the last little bits. It worked out perfectly.

It felt so good to get back to the yarn and needles after so many weeks of strictly thread and needles. And now to cap it off with my knitting mantra - It will get cool enough to wear this soon. It will get cool enough to wear this soon. It will get cool enough to wear this soon...

Exsanguine

Apologies, dear readers, for my absence. I'm afraid the hustle-bustle of the holidays and an acute case of The Plague (or maybe it just felt like it) have kept me away from the blog for a couple weeks. I'm feeling much better now though and plan to get back to your regularly scheduled programming soon. But first! Knitting!

Take a gander at my newest knitting pattern, the Exsanguine shawl, now available for purchase and download through Ravelry. Its upside-down hearts and aptly namely colorway - "My Bloody Valentine" - call to mind the darker side of human emotions. So whether you're commemorating the upcoming anniversary of the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre or secretly dreaming of that guy who dumped you on February 13th last year meeting a slow, painful death, you can do so in style and warmth with your very own Exsanguine shawl.

Or hey, maybe you'd like a cheerier accessory for upcoming holiday of romance. Worked up in a solid red or pink, the lacy heart pattern would take on a whole new aesthetic. You could even use a fun rainbow gradient yarn to celebrate the USA's first Valentine's Day with nationwide marriage equality! #LoveWins!

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Span: 48 inches
Height at center: 19 inches

MATERIALS
Vice Blurred Lines [80% merino, 20% nylon; 457m/500yd per 150g skein]; color: My Bloody Valentine; 1 skein
US #6/4mm needles
Tapestry needle

GAUGE
20 sts/32 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

BUY IT NOW!

Bisection Shawl

I've had a burst of creative energy lately on the knitting front. Lots of ideas coming to me faster than I can knit them up! Here's my newest pattern, available for purchase through Ravelry here.

I call it Bisection as the idea was based on a series of bisected triangles. Here's what I mean: Imagine a triangular shawl. Draw a line straight down the center, dividing it in half. Now draw another line down the center of one of those halves. Then draw a line down one of its halves. And so on and so forth until your triangular shawl is split into progressively smaller and smaller triangular wedges.

Short-rows are used to shape each triangular wedge. However, you do not need to wrap a stitch at each turn; the small holes this creates are part of the overall design. Alternating right side and wrong side for each section (thus alternating stockinette and reverse stockinette) helps to distinguish each wedge and also creates a reversible fabric. Because of the way the wedges interlock with one another, the shawl will always be triangular, no matter how many wedge sections you complete. Feel free to make as many or as few wedges as you like to obtain your desired shawl size. This also means the pattern can translate to any weight yarn you like. Just make sure you’re using the appropriate needle size to obtain a fabric with a nice drape.

Although this pattern would look fantastic in a solid or gradient yarn, it plays particularly well with variegated yarns. The little lines of different colors accentuate the opposing angles of each wedge, while a constantly changing stitch count minimizes any color pooling or striking.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Span: 50 inches
Height at center: 18 inches
Each additional triangular wedge worked roughly doubles the size of the shawl.

MATERIALS
Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino [100% merino; 384m/420yd per 113g skein]; color: Indian Summer; 1 skein
US #5/3.75mm circular needle
Stitch markers
Tapestry needle

GAUGE
20 sts/32 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

BUY IT NOW!

Whatcha Working On?

Colder weather always gets me in the mood to knit. Maybe it's the cozy wool in my hands. Maybe it's the excuse to sit on the couch in front of the fireplace. Maybe it's the desire to bundle up in one-of-a-kind accessories when I do venture outdoors. For whatever reason though, I have been knitting a lot these last couple months.

First, I whipped up a quick Hitchhiker scarf from a couple skeins of Knit Picks Imagine in the Damsel colorway. This yarn was part of my very first Knit Picks order, meaning it's been in my stash for upwards of 6 years. I pretty much knit this pattern as is with no modifications, which is almost unheard of for me.

After that, I pulled out the yarn I brought back from our Hawaiian vacation a couple years ago. The grey is spun from alpacas native to the Big Island, and the green is cashmere that was hand-dyed in Hawaii. Together, they became a Howlcat - half cowl, half hat. It's a simple tube, made of two different colors and gauges of yarn that, when folded in certain ways...

...can be worn as a hat, inside or out...

...or as a cowl inside or out.

I made a couple modifications to this pattern. I increased the number of stitches when transitioning from grey to green to accommodate the smaller gauge than the pattern used. I also chose to work a hemmed edge, rather than a rolled one. I definitely prefer it with the green side inward against my skin and the grey side outward because, you know, cashmere.

And this past week, with a sudden urge to cast on something new, I decided to give double knitting a whirl. I've played around with it before, but never worked up an entire project with this technique. I chose the Trapper Cowl pattern and some Plymouth Galway Paint (color #803) and Lion Wool (#099 Winter White) from my stash.

I used Judy's magic cast on to create a tubular edge, and then I grafted the final stitches together so the bind off would match. I love the reversibility of the double knitting, as well as the thick, squishy fabric it creates.

So how about you? What projects have you started or completed recently? What new crafts/techniques have you tried?

Sunday Sew-Day: Cashmere Cuddles

This hot pink cashmere sweater has been chillin' in my refash stash for quite some time now. If memory serves, I paid $2 for it. I knew I had to have it because (1) hot pink and (2) cashmere. But I knew I would never wear it as is because (1) short-sleeved sweaters are weird and (2) holes. Lots of little holes.