Pattern Spotlight: Vincent and Amy Pond

Originally published in September of 2011, the Vincent and Amy Pond scarf was one of my very first patterns. I loved the long red lace scarf Amy Pond wears in season 5 of Dr. Who (“The Vampires of Venice” and “Vincent and the Doctor”).

So I design something similar – long and lacy and flowing. I picked a lovely lace from Barbara Walker’s Treasury of Knitting Patterns, added borders and repeats. And I released it as a free pattern.

This scarf is as fun to knit as it is to wear! Sample is knit in Knit Picks Stroll and used 450 yards or most of two 50 g balls. Pattern edited and updated in 2016. The Vincent and Amy Pond scarf is available through Ravelry and LoveKnitting! The pattern has been been downloaded more than 1,300 times and is still free. Happy knitting!

 

Pattern Spotlight: Bolero Cowl

Published in late 2016 the Bolero Cowl combines basic stitches to evoke the lovely slides and twists of the dance.

 

Cables are written and charted. Bolero Cowl is perfect for a quick and easy gift as well as a good introduction to textured knitting.

The Bolero Cowl is available through Ravelry, Knit Picks and LoveKnitting!

Knitting: August Projects

It was pointed out to me recently that for a knitting designer, I don’t actually talk about knitting all that much on the blog. So I’ve started a project round-up once a month to talk about everything I’ve got on the needles that month. Here is a quick look at what I’m working on in August.

I finished my test sample of the sweater made out of Valley Yarns Colrain (50% Merino/50% Tencel) in the Navajo Red color. I love this one and can’t wait to wear it when the weather cools down this fall into winter. After washing and laying flat to dry the drape from this yarn is even lovelier than it was while I was knitting with it. I’m working on final pattern edits now and plan to start a test knit of it in the next week or so.

The gift socks for my mother-in-law out of Knit Picks Felici Sock Yarn in Maple Leaves are finished and gifted. They were much appreciated. But we somehow missed getting a picture of her with the finished socks. So here’s another look at them in progress.

An undisclosed project for Cascade Yarns out of their Pacific Sport in the color Deep Lavender. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy the feel of this yarn as I knit. It is so soft it feels like butter to knit. This one is due by September 1st.

A sample cowl worked in a solid color out of Knit Picks Stroll in the color Buckskin from my deep, deep stash. The cowl was designed with gradient yarn kits in mind and already has some lovely samples of finished cowls in both sizes made out of gradient yarns. I’m looking forward to knitting on this one along with my testers as the test knit progresses throughout the month.

And another Judy Hat out of Knit Picks Felici Worsted in the color Lost Lakes. I’m trying to save this project for movie knitting since simple, small projects like hats are perfect for movies. But we don’t make it to all that many movies and I really love self-striping yarn in worsted weight so I may finish the hat before we make it to our next movie. These simple ponytail hats were snatched out of last season’s Christmas basket as fast as I could knit them.

The top down cabled cloak in Valley Yarns Amherst Jungle Green that will be similar in construction to my Brianna Cabled Cloak is getting big. I’m really loving this one and I hope to have it finished and photographed in time to wear to the Renaissance Festival this year! It is a little hard to get scale from this picture – I had to put it on three needles to lay it out flat here where it is draping off both sides of my 4-foot-wide dining room table.

And finally at Knit Night the other day I realized that I almost never knit something that isn’t a pattern of mine. Thinking about it made all my knitting feel a little more like work (but really can you call doing something you love work?) than fun. So I decided to remedy that and cast on a Close To You shawl in another gift yarn from my deep, deep stash just for fun. The yarn is Mountain Colors Bearfoot in the Rosehip colorway. I’v been saving this yarn for years and decided it is finally time to get it on the needles. The reds are just beautiful and I’m really enjoying knitting on this project! I’m also loving my Star Wars themed stitch markers my husband and boys gave me. Win, win and win – gift yarn, gift stitch markers and a lovely pattern.

New Pattern: Starry Night Cowl

The Starry Night Cowl finished test knitting in June and is now available!

The Starry Night Cowl uses simple increases and decreases to draw groups of stitches into soft, undulating curves to evoke the wild beauty of the dense clouds of gas and dust in our night sky.

Named Starry Night because the curves also remind me of the swirls in Van Gogh’s Starry Night. Written in two sizes. Cowl uses the same lace as my Nebula Shawl.

The Starry Night Cowl is available at Ravelry now and will be available through WEBS and LoveKnitting later this summer!

 

New Pattern: Sweet Clover Tee

Sweet Clover is a simple top down raglan with a square neck and an optional lace panel on the body. Linen Stitch finishing on the neck, sleeves and body. A-line shaping with positive ease for a relaxed fit.

Written in 7 sizes. Lace is charted and written. Sample knit in Cascade Ultra Pima Fine color 3826 Golden Rod. Name Sweet Clover because the lace and color both remind me of the roadside wildflowers on the Midwest prairies known by the same name.

I really loved working the Linen Stitch edging for this design. Knitting it is somehow relaxing and the almost woven look of the fabric that it creates is lovely. The pattern is written with the option to skip the lace panel completely and simply work the Linen Stitch edging at your desired length.

Sweet Clover Tee is currently available through Ravelry! Look for it at my venues soon.

And I’m adding it to my Summer Tees Promotion! 3 for the price of 2! Purchase any two of my tee patterns and get a third tee pattern for free! (No code needed. Just put your chosen tees in the cart and the price of the third tee will be automatically discounted.) Promotion ends July 31, 2018.

 

 

Pattern Spotlight: Brigit

Published in 2017 Brigit is a seamless top-down capelet with a round yoke and long, long cables for simple cozy elegance.

Brigit is a quick, easy knit. Written in 4 sizes. Pattern includes tips to adjust your fit! Cables written and charted.

Brigit available through Ravelry, WEBS and LoveKnitting!

Note: The sample knitter for main photographs (me) managed to twist at least one cable the wrong direction in every frame I could use to photograph the sample. Drat and ack – sample knitting during soccer games might not be the best idea! The good news is that the capelet is lovely even with the errors.  

New Pattern: Nebula Shawl

The Nebula Shawl test knit finished earlier this month and the pattern is now available!

The Nebula Shawl uses simple increases and decreases to draw groups of stitches into soft, undulating curves to evoke the wild beauty of the dense clouds of gas and dust in interstellar space that form into nebulae in our night sky.

The main body of the Nebula Shawl is a triangle worked from the top down in stockinette stitch with simple yarn over increases and garter stitch edging. Nebula uses the garter tab cast-on discussed in this earlier post.

The Nebula Shawl is available at Ravelry now and will be available through WEBS and LoveKnitting later this summer!

Pattern Spotlight: Market Day Cowl

Published in May of 2017 the Market Day Cowl combines basic purls, knits and cables with vibrant colors to evoke the beautiful traditional textiles of West Africa. Market Day Cowl is extra-long so it can be looped once for a draped-scarf feel or twice for colder days.

 

Sample is knit in Wonderland Yarns Mad Hatter in the colorway Shillings and Pence and evokes the traditionally indigo-dyed Leppi Cloth from Guinea where my husband and I were Peace Corps Volunteers.

Market Day Cowl

Leppi Cloth from Guinea, West Africa, 1997

 

The Market Day Cowl is available through Ravelry, WEBS and LoveKnitting!

 

New Pattern: April Cowl

The April Cowl test knit is finished and the pattern is now available! The April Cowl uses simple knits, yarn overs and decreases to evoke the new shoots and sprouts of early spring growth.

April is extra-long for a draped-scarf feel. Lace written and charted.

I really love this one and have been wearing it more and more as this spring seems to be dragging along. I even wore my April Cowl to show it off at my first ever knitting conference.

 

 

 

New Design: Lemonade Cowl

The I Like Knitting April 2018 issue is out! It is full of beautiful projects including my Lemonade Cowl!

All photos courtesy of I Like Knitting magazine. 

The Lemonade Cowl combines simple knits and yarn-overs with basic decreases in a simple lace repeat.

Perfect for quick, easy vacation knitting as well as a good introduction to lace. The cowl is long for a draped-scarf feel.

Sample knit in Cascade Ultra Pima color 3764 Sunshine and used about 270 yards or 120 g.