Have I shared my secret for naming patterns? Street names. If I had only a street map of Jacksonville, I would have names for all the patterns I could ever design. Dugdale is one such street name. To me it just screams little dude in something cute.
It’s kind of a little old man sort of sweater. I can almost see a little guy wearing it for Halloween and hollering, “You kids get off my lawn!” With a cane to shake. See how the buttons make the look? I got these at Joann’s – so they are widely available.
The Dugdale Sweater is knitted up in the softest machine washable blend – Vintage by Berrocco. And it’s available in the newest issue of KnitCircus – the 2011 Gifts Issue.
But it gets better. The Dugdale Sweater has a matching blanket!
It’s worked up in the same squishy chevron and rib pattern with garter edges so the blanket is completely reversible. It’s also made out of Berrocco Vintage, which is as soft as can be for little ones, but washes like a dream, and wears like iron.
Did I already use the phrase “it gets better”? I did, didn’t I? Hmm. I need a bigger phrase, a wow, a woo-hoo kind of phrase. Can I just holler contest? Because knitters surely like a contest. Well anyhow, here’s the little contest.
Because KnitCircus is awesome, I have some issues to give away. And all you have to do to be entered in the drawing is comment. But you have to answer my silly question. And the question is… What is your quest?!?!?!
No really. The real question is… What is your favorite Halloween candy? The drawing will take place Monday morning, 10/17. So comment away and enter to win a free e-copy of the KnitCircus Gifts Issue. You know you wanna!
I cannot remember the last time I knit someone else’s pattern. It has literally been years. My ravelry project pages inform me that in February of 2009 I finished my February Lady Sweater – that I had started back in September of 2008. And before that, on September 1st of 2008, I finished a Liesl. That’s it. That’s insane.
So to cleanse my pallet in between songs I picked up not one but two quick OPP projects. First up, the Mama Janes in Amber Trinket Madeline Tosh DK.
The yarn is crazy beautiful and that wonderful in between/indescribable color. Last night as I flipped through stitch dictionaries looking for some inspiration I worked on them. It was so very relaxing knitting something that I didn’t have to design at the same time.
Michelle aka FickleKnitter has had an insanely tough time of it lately. So I bought this pattern at first as a sort of virtual hug, even though I really didn’t think I would end up knitting it. But I’m so glad I started knitting it. The yarn is awesome and the directions are sublime. Seriously, FickleKnitter patterns are awesome.
The second OPP project I’ve started was also procured for a slightly different reason. A few weeks ago a person (or group of persons – they claimed they were legion) decided to post their own version of the hexipuff and offer it for free. This happens all. the. time. Granted a hexipuff is a pretty basic concept, and most knitters could reverse engineer it. If you can do that, then fine, do it. But I don’t think it’s kosher to post it as a free pattern on Rav. And I really don’t think it’s cool to mock the original designer in your blog and claim you are going to post free versions of tons of patterns because you can’t afford patterns and yarn. (Most of the snarky content was removed after the uproar, but it was not nice at all.) So I bought the Beekeeper’s Quilt pattern in a sort of solidarity sister thing.
But then I saw some puffs in person. They were squishy and cute and oh so portable. And wouldn’t it be awesome-sauce if I made little hexipuff seat cushions for the yet to be bought dining room table in the yet to be closed upon new house? And then I was done for. I’ve only made one, and I need to pick up some fiberfill today. But I can totally see how this could be a sickness.
Just don’t expect my OPP projects to be finished quickly. I have some awesome ideas for the sixth song and today is a rainy, gray, make yourself a homemade caramel mocha kind of swatching day.
This project has been something else. I’ve definitely stretched myself as a designer. And I’ve tested the limits of Murphy’s Law – some of the things that happen when I’m re-knitting a crucial section are just so ridiculous you have to laugh. It’s also fascinating to me to see how folks respond to the different designs. But now we are ready for a new song.
This is Paca Peds HT from the Alpaca Yarn Company. It comes with the adorable little heel-toe skein, but we ain’t knitting socks. I came up with an awesome plan to make the most of the mini skein and I think it’s going to be amazing. This weekend it’s cool and rainy here in Florida, so I’m settling in with my needles and getting started with the swatching. What are you doing this weekend?
Something old
Something new
Something borrowed
Something blue
And a sixpence in her shoe
Ok, so she’s not wearing any shoes. But she does have a Sixpence Shawlette wrapped around her shoulders. This project was so much fun. The lovely bride was knitting up some Kataras for her bridesmaids and I told her I would be honored to design a wedding shawlette for her in exchange for some pictures.
We actually even had a “client” meeting. Ok, we met at Panera. And had lunch. And I showed her stitch dictionary elements I thought she might like. It was totally a professional meeting. Um, ok. It was lunch with a friend and we talked about knitting. Wait, that covers most of my lunches. Are all my meals with friends tax deductible?
The shawlette is worked from side to side with a stockinette body. The top edging is simple and the bottom more ornate – per her request. It’s worked to be a bit shallow so it doesn’t obscure the back of her dress too much.
And it’s available now on Ravelry.
Needles: Size 6 needles (4 mm)
Yarn: The Sanguine Gryphon’s Little Traveler
Gauge: 20 stitches and 24 rows = 4 inches in blocked stockinette
Notes: Worked from side to side – offered in written & charted format.
Sixpence Shawlette – $6.00 USD 
So everything seems to happen at once around here. The good and the bad. Things are finally moving on the short sale house we put an offer on back in July – yes July. The official offer for the house was submitted on the 7th anniversary of our first date. Sweet, huh? But now everything is moving, and moving fast. As in every single day there is something to be done for the house, and oh my goodness am I tired. Because it’s not like the rest of my commitments have slacked off. Nope, if anything I am busier than ever before!
That’s the “formal living room” in the new house. It will be my office. We are even thinking about seeing if we can put french doors up. I feel like I will finally have a real office, and that it will help with treating my business like a real business. Speaking of being a real business, I”m going to start offering PicnicKnits patterns at wholesale prices for yarn stores. To that end, I have chosen to make the prices consistent. All PicnicKnits patterns will be priced at $6 beginning on October 10th. Some prices will go down, most prices will go up 50¢ to $1. But hey, it’s not all bad news. To soften the blow of the small price increases I’m having a sale until the 10th!
All individual PicnicKnits patterns, the Blue Brims Hats e-book, and the Sideways Shawlette e-book are on sale – 40% off! The coupon code for this sale is house. Yep, house. Because I swear I spend money every single day on this house and we haven’t even closed yet! The only thing not on sale is the Seven Songs e-book. So stock up on some PicnicKnits patterns! And if anyone has figured out how to squeeze more hours out of a day, let me know. I’m dying over here!
Can you believe that five songs have been sung? I can’t, and I’m the one making them come to life! Today, I have for you the fifth song – Auber. I’ve been wanting to do something with a diamond motif ever since I started this project, and I finally got the diamonds in tune.
The shawlette is worked from the bottom up from a cast-on of only 3 stitches. The garter-diamond border is worked at the same time as the body of the shawl. Named after the French composer Daniel Auber and his Les diamants de la couronne, for the beautiful diamond motifs in the pattern.
The diamonds in the center panel are filled in with what I call little Estonian stars. Just a lovely bit of texture that shows off the subtle semi-sold shading of the gorgeous Ever After yarn.
And the shawlette is finished along the top with a sweet applied border – no super long row to bind off here!
And it’s now available as one of the Seven Songs. Five of the songs have been sung, with only two more songs to go.
Needles: Size 6 needles (4 mm)
Yarn: Classic Fairytale from Ever After Yarns in the “Doctor’s Tardis” Colorway
Gauge: 20 stitches and 24 rows = 4 inches in blocked stockinette
Notes: Worked from the bottom up – offered in written & charted format.
Auber Shawlette – $6.00 USD or the Seven Songs Collection – $21.95 USD
I have a small obsession. It has nothing to do with knitting or yarn. I know, right? Whenever I head down to the Riverside Arts Market, my husband will kiss me goodbye, tell me to have fun, and warn me – “Do NOT buy any more soap.”
I really don’t have that much soap. Really. Just to clarify it’s only handmade soap that I’m interested in. Goat’s milk soap is the best. I had a meeting last week and I needed some little prizes. So I went to my soap collection found a few cute things and wrapped them up. But not my blueberry biscotti soap with oatmeal. That one is the best. I need to buy more of it, so I can justify the unwrapping the bar I currently have. I don’t want to be completely without it. Ever.
Ok, I might have a problem.
Oh, what’s this? Um, yes. It’s more soap. I had mentioned to Erica over at Fiddleknits that I needed some coffee grind soap when she was talking about her sister making soap. And a few weeks later she was an evil enabler and casually mentioned that her sister had listed some brand new coffee grind soap in her etsy shop. Goat’s milk coffee grind soap even.
And I might have screamed “MINE” and then bought the soap and the adorable little soap dish before anyone else even had a chance to look at it. Maybe. But I really needed another soap dish. I think. And Watersong Soap Shop? How cute is that name? I was done for.
So anyhow. Don’t touch my soaps. Well unless you’re at my house and need to wash your hands. Well. Um. Even then make sure to check with me first. Better yet, buy your own soap.
So things are going along swimmingly on the newest of the Seven Songs. I actually think the knitting will be complete before Friday, so *everything* will be ready for the October 1st release, including snazzy pictures with my new camera. But I’m behind on blogging about it. So here are a couple in progress pictures.
As you can see I am still having a bit of trouble with my depth of field on close up pictures. But I’m loving this yarn, and the pattern is working up quite nicely.
Speaking of the yarn, this is from Ever After Yarns. The blue colors in this yarn just sing. I’m hoping when I do the outside final pictures you can see just how gorgeous it is!
I am not an accomplished spinner. I think I could be, if I actually spent some time on it. This weekend I spent some time on it, and I actually made some yarn. The last time I spun was last year’s Fiber-In. Yes, I know, that’s sad. I think I need to pick one day a week and carve out some spinning time. It has the potential to be very relaxing – and sometimes I feel like I’m running myself into the ground with my designing and volunteer commitments.
I had very good intentions to flit around the Fiber-In and take lots of fabulous pictures with my new camera. This did not happen. I got there and I went to take some pictures and found that the light in the conference room was just awful. And I am just not experienced enough with my camera yet to work around that kind of low lighting. So I put my camera away. It was either that and spend the whole Fiber-In with my camera manual trying to figure out the lighting. And that’s no fun. But this is how our booth was set up.
The traffic seemed a lot less this year. I met some nice folks, but I only sold a handful of patterns sadly. But look at all the pretty spinning wheels!
I have one of these batts. Specifically made in beautiful purple tones for me. I want to spin it, navajo ply it, and make it into a new design.
But first I have to practice. So practice I did. And practice I will!
Although this one has been in the hands of the e-book subscribers for awhile, it’s now available for individual purchase as well. Jellyfish Knits was out of town for a festival, so we wanted to wait until her shop was back up so you could purchase some of her gorgeous yarn to make this up!
Prokofiev is worked from the top down in five wedges, so it makes a sort of crescent/half-circle shape – 5/8 of a circle to be precise. I blocked it as a crescent and it sits really nicely on the shoulders that way.
The Nebula yarn has beautiful tones and highlights that really shine in a lace pattern.
And I really love the unique shaping of this – the sample blocked out to 50″ wide and 15″ deep.
Available now for download for $6.00 Or as part of the Seven Songs collection – 7 patterns for $21.95.
