WIP Wednesday - 06/13/2018

Lots of WIPs (works in progress) going on right now.  I'm busily working on my Santa Fe Collection samples.  I got the final sweater, a cardigan, up to the point I can start on the sleeves as of last night.  This one will feature some pretty colorwork patterning at the yoke and on the sleeves, but is otherwise a fairly easy knit with lots of soothing stockinette.  It's been very fun to revisit some of the Southwest themes that didn't make my book a few years' back.

I've also been busy doing some swatching for the "up next" project ideas I've had banging around in my head for a bit.  I've got 2 different sets of items I want to work on next - one will be a shawl collection based on locales from the book An Enchantment of Ravens which I read about a month ago and absolutely LOVED.  I won't have these on a specific roll-out schedule, but I do want to get going on the one related to Summerland.  I've created a 5-skein palette for this one on a brand-new yarn base (merino/cashmere/silk fingering weight).

This design will have lace and beads and LOTS of gorgeous color to it.  I wanted a color group that reminded me of summer roses, so I went with pinks and roses and just a hint of a grape-plum color for a bit of contrast.  I ordered a whole pile of beads to play around with, so I can see which ones work best with the yarn colors.  I plan to work on charting and an initial draft for this one on Friday.

I've also been mulling over some ideas for a menswear group (with unisex sizing), and I've decided on yarn and color palettes for the first two.  Sweater #1 will feature some fall colors in a colorwork patterned pullover.  Yarn will be the classic Finullgarn from The Yarn Guys.  I swatched a half dozen or so options this past weekend using this color palette.

But finally decided on a color combo I think will be perfect for fall but not too bright to be guy friendly. 

I am not quite as far along on the other sweater, which will have cabled textures on it, but that will be in a heathery gray in a DK-weight.  I can visualize what motifs I want to use and how to put them together, but I'll wrestle with that swatch once the yarn arrives later this week. 

WIP Wednesday: January 27, 2016

Sekret Knitting:

• What was sweater #2 is now sweater #1:  Both sleeves are done and joined to the body.  I'm working the raglan shaping/decreases and have 5 more sets of those to go - so almost there.  Once those are done, I'll have the collar and front bands to knit and then the sample will be finished!
• What was sweater #3 is now sweater #2: I've swatched this and got spot-on where I wanted to be after blocking, so I just need to wind some yarn and get this one on the needles this weekend to get started.  Woot!

Personal Knitting:

• I've worked 14 of the 16 suggested chart repeats on my Hogmanay shawl, so I'm nearing the finish line on this.  I'm planning on working on this tonight at Knit Nite and will maybe try to get it finished up this weekend.  Currently it looks like:

• Still knitting self-striping sock samples.  I suspect that won't change for a while since I'm trying out new colorways as I develop them.  Right now, I've got the March Colors of New Mexico colorway on the needles. 

WIP Wednesday/New Podcast Episode

If you'd like to cut to the chase to hear what I'm working on, my newest podcast edition is now live on Youtube:

Or you can also catch it on Podbean here.   I'm still working on iTunes.  It does not want to play nicely with my Podbean account and I cannot figure out why.

However, if you are just here for a drive-by recap, here 'tis!

Sekret Knitting:

• Sweater #1:  I'm just about ready to put the body on hold so I can begin sleeve #2.  Sleeve #1 is done.  My plan is to try to get sleeve #2 finished this week and get the whole sheebang joined together so I can knit the remainder of the body and yoke. 
• Sweater #2:  I need to get sleeves on the needles this week for this one. 
• Sweater #3: On hold until I finish sweater #1.

Personal Knitting:

• I'm still working away in bits and bobs on various striped sock samples for the shop.
• I also started Jen Lucas's Hogmanay Shawl out of handspun.  This is for the Handspun KAL I'm hosting for 2016.  I've knit Chart A and now 8 repeats of Chart B.  I'm just picking this up as I have time/interest and will be working on it all month. 

WIP Wednesday: December 23, 2015

Sekret Knitting:

• Just finished up the 2-piece set that's my next deadline.  I need to finish the pattern draft and that can head off to my TE!
• I started work on sweater 1 of 3 - that's on small needles, but I've started with the first sleeve (which I like to do to double-check my gauge before casting on the entire sweater) and am about halfway done that.  My plan is to finish sleeve #1 and cast on for the body of the sweater, which is knit in the round, and focus on that this week. 
• I'm still working on the prototype/sample for the Sweater Club - I'm going to try to put in a bit of time on that as well this week. 
• And finally, the yarn for sweater 3 of 3 arrived yesterday, so I've got that ready to go when I get one of the others done!

Personal Knitting:  I'm knitting a gazillion stripey socks right now to try out some new colorways.  I have a feeling I will have a fair number of lone socks until I get more colorways established and ready to go and I can knit the mates to them.  Otherwise, not much on the personal knitting front.

2016 Clubs!

Since I apparently needed a LOT more caffeiene when I posted my last WIP post not on a Wednesday and not even on the right day, I'm bypassing that category this Wednesday to talk about Wooly Wonka clubs for 2016!  Note that all club sign-ups will be open through December 31, 2015 (the fiber club will be open for those quarterly sign-ups throughout 2016 as well).

This year, I'm offering 3 clubs (with a preview of another new offering if you make it all the way through this post at the end!):  The Heroines Shawl Club and a subscription Sweater Club for knitters, and a fiber club for handspinners.

Let's start with the fiber club.  It'll be similar in format to last year's.  Each month you will receive 4 oz of either a 100% wool, a wool and something blend (like merino/tencel, BFL/silk, etc.) or a custom blended roving.  Since the club is set up in quarters of the year, you'll get one of those bases every 3 months.  You have the option of picking a handpaint or a tonal/kettle dye option.  On the months I send out the blended roving, everyone will get the same roving.  You may opt to do more than 4 oz, of course!  Shipping is included in the price, and you can sign up for just 3 months at a time, or go for the whole year and get yourself a discount.  Our theme for 2016 will be Art Gallery. Think colorways inspired by great masterpieces of art - Botticelli, Van Gogh, Dali, Degas.   Packages will ship around the 15th of every month.

Next up, a new addition to the line-up, the Sweater Club.   This club will get you enough yarn to knit two hand-dyed sweaters and their patterns during the course of 2016.

The first sweater will be a DK-weight cardigan, with my brand-new Aeslin DK superwash merino as the base. It will have a simple knit/purl texture pattern for the body, with the sleeves and upper raglan yoke knit in stockinette, and a casual, boxy fit. The yarn and pattern will arrive mid-March 2016.
The second sweater will be a fingering-weight cardigan, knit with Artio Sock, which is a 50/50 silk/blue-faced Leicester wool blend. It will have some optional waist shaping, with lace patterning on the back and set-in sleeves, with a bit more tailored fit; a great layering piece for the changeable weather of early fall. The yarn and pattern will arrive mid-September. (If you loved the Aspens cardigan from Free Spirit Knits, you’ll like this one).
You can pick and choose from multiple sizing options and can select any of the tonal-dyed colorways available in the shop Gallery section. All of your yarn will be dyed at the same time, so it will be the same “dye lot” for your project. Club members will receive both sweater patterns delivered as PDFs into your Ravelry library. The club will allow you to break up the cost of two hand-dyed sweater lots over 4 installment payments during the year, with payments for the remaining 3 installments due March 1st, June 1st and September 1st. Previews of the sweaters will be available in mid-January and mid-July, so you can select colors that best suit the projects and your personal preferences (and I’ll be sending out reminder emails to club members so they have plenty of time to pick).

And finally, the Heroines Shawl Club.  We’ll again have six shawl projects in the club this year, with the first one shipping out the first week in January, and then every other month (so March, May, July, September and November 2016). You will again have the option of choosing just the ebook collection that has patterns only, opting for an installment payment for the yarn/patterns or paying upfront for the entire year (which gets you the deepest discount). Each shawl project will be a different shape, ranging from half-hexagon, to a rectangle, to circular, and a few others in between.

The themes for 2016 will be:

• Freya from the book Iceland by Betsy Tobin. This will be on the Arianrhod Sock base (SW merino/silk/glitter), and will feature a gradient colorway based on fire and ice.
• Gustine from the book “The Dress Lodger”. This will be on Nimue Sock (50/50 SW merino/silk) in a mid-range cornflower blue. Genevieve from “The Lady and the Unicorn”. This will be a warm rich red on Aeslin Fingering (100% SW merino).
• Jo March from “Little Women.” This will be on a brand-new club-exclusive sockweight yarn (50/50 alpaca/merino) in a dark earthy gray with a heathery look.
• Lily Owens from “The Secret Life of Bees”. This shawl will be knit from a tricolor/gradient on Ceridwen Sock (100% SW merino) in warm honey golds.
• Isabella Byrd who wrote a series of memoirs in the form of letters back home to England while she was exploring the western mountains (Colorado to Nevada) on horseback, and knitting her way through all of that!  This be on Artio Sock (50/50 BFL and silk) in a dark forest green.

All the shawls will be full size, so at least 600 yards of fingering-weight yarn each. Shawls will also be intermediate in terms of skill set - all the motifs will be charted and not written out.

Whew!  Made it this far through this very long post? If so, then I'll sneak in just one more little bit of information.  Beginning in January 2016, I will be carrying self-striping sock yarns.  Each month I'll introduce a new color and in 2016, I'll be focusing on Colors of New Mexico.  January's colorway will be "Santa Fe", a gorgeous 4-color set of stripes.  This color will be available for the first 3 months of 2016 for orders, with a new color added every month.  These will all be on a custom-dye basis, so you can pick from one of four sock yarn bases and have it dyed up just for you.  More to come later in the month of December with some sneak peeks and info on KALs and giveaways!

Pattern Releases

I have a metric tonnage of catching up to do with pattern releases now that Free Spirit Knits has gone live, so I'm devoting a post solely to new designs today.  Grab a seat and some nice fall-themed beverage - I've got a bunch.

First up, my newest stand-alone release is my Mina Jacket, which is knit from the lovely Brigantia yarn from Spirit Trail Fibers.  This fitted jacket has a large cable panel up the back with integrated waist shaping, a relatively plain front with just a small cable at the front openings, and then a textured/cabled pattern for the set-in sleeves.  You can opt to make it with or without the front waist/bust shaping, but I like as a trim little layering piece for fall.  You can see this beauty in person in Jen's booth at Rhinebeck this year!

Next up are the currently released patterns from Free Spirit Knits, which is now available both via Amazon and via Interweave.  (Interweave's site has a downloadable ebook available, as well as the print version.  Links to both Amazon and Interweave sites in the individual pattern links to follow).

I just released the Saguaro Blossom Hat, knit from less than 200 yards of worsted weight yarn with a fun cabled pattern on the top reminiscent of the large night-blooming flowers of the saguaro cacti in Arizona.

Then there's the Three Sisters Shawl, knit with Lucent fingering weight from my friend, Kim at The Woolen Rabbit.  This is a great lace project to keep you occupied this fall.  Several fun lace stitch patterns for the body, and a knit-on cable and lace border.

If you are looking for a slightly smaller lace shawl, I've also got my Tres Flores Shawl available. This one is knit from 3 herby-green shades of Jamieson and Smith's jumperweight wool, but it would be lovely in a solid color, or even knit up with a gradient!

I've also released the pattern for the Petroglyph Socks, knit from the wonderfully soft and warm sock yarn blend from my friend, Terry, at Snowshoe Farm Alpacas in Vermont.  These are sized for both men and women, and would be a great project to start now and gift over the holidays.

Finally, my Aspens Cardigan, which is here just in time for fall leaf season in the mountains.  One of my favorites in the book, as well as the cover image, this fingering-weight project has leaf lace motifs in a large center panel on the back, as well as trimming the front bands and centered on the sleeves.  Knit from Brooklyn Tweed's Loft, it's a wonderful season-spanning wardrobe builder.

Whew!  That's a whole lotta knits to review at once.  More to come as I have another 12 patterns to release from The Book, as well as several more stand-alones to roll out in the next month!

WIP Wednesday: August 12, 2015

Here's what I'm working on this week:

Sekret Knitting:

• I'm in the home stretch of the Mina Jacket I'm working up for Spirit Trail Fibers.  I'm finishing up the shaping on the second sleeve cap, and then I just have the front bands to do (still waiting on buttons).  The rest of the garment is put together and just needs a block to be done then.
• I started the cardigan I'm designing for Bare Naked Wools using their Stone Soup fingering weight.  I started the first sleeve and that's about two-thirds finished.  This will be my main focus project now for the next couple of weeks. 
• I had a project accepted for an Interweave Press compilation book, so I've got the yarn for that dyed and I'll work on charting and a pattern draft this week as well. 

Personal Knitting:  Since I'm heading off to vend at the Salida Fiber Festival the second weekend in September, I wanted to get a show sample knit up in one of my new gradiant colorways.   This is "Hollyhocks" and I'm knitting up the free 3S Shawl pattern by Amy Meade.  This is a simple garter stitch and eyelet shawl that's an elongated triangular shape and takes about 1 skein of fingering weight yarn.  Simple, fun and hopefully a quick knit. 

Spinning Friday: July 31, 2015

Are you sick of spinning content yet?  I hope not, since it's Friday!

For my last project for the Tour, I started two 4-oz braids of a mixed BFL in the "Quest" colorway from FatCatKnits.  While I did get the singles spun up during the tour, I didn't have time to get them plied, but I finished that task up this week.

I spun this up semi-woolen to keep it fairly light and fluffy, and to match the dark brown/black natural-colored roving I had spun up previously.

Technical Specs: 
Roving:  8 oz of mixed BFL from FatCatKnits, in the "Quest" colorway.
Ply: 2-ply.
Weight: Worsted.
Yardage: 364 yards/7.8 oz.

I love the forest-y colors in this!  I think it will work great with the dark brown I spun up, but I don't have enough yardage from those total 13 oz to quite get a sweater for myself knit.

So... I'm thinking I will add a few other solid colors in stripes or as colorwork against the dark brown in a yoke.  Maybe some herb greens and a golden brown?  Still pondering my options on this, but I'm excited to have this much of a potential sweater already spun up and ready to go!

Pattern Release: Currituck Collection

This week I rolled out a small group of patterns in the Currituck Collection.  Currituck County is part of the Outer Banks and when D and I lived back east, the tradition for our anniversary (which is in late March) was that we would go and enjoy ourselves with long walks on the deserted beaches, bundled up against the cold, before picking some great little restaurant (we usually had to ourselves or close to it) and having some great seafood dinners.

The collection features a women's raglan cardigan with stripe and seed stitch details (and optional small front pockets for beachcombing treasures), a matching slouchy hat and fingerless mitts set, and a cabled wrap, to wear either as an oversized scarf or a narrow stole around your shoulders.  Each piece in the set is knit from Wooly Wonka Fibers Freya DK.  (Samples are worked in the Seafoam and Driftwood colorways).

These are great, easily-wearable pieces you can dress up or down, and worked in a lightweight yarn, they are perfect for a season-spanning wardrobe addition during the changeable weather of the spring months.   They are available at a discounted price as a set, or as individual downloads via Ravelry.

All photos courtesy of JS Webb Photography and many thanks to the beautiful Elle Webb for modeling these so gracefully for me!

Pattern Release: Boudicca Cardigan

The next release from Legendary Knits, V3 is my Boudicca Cardigan.  (Two more to go!)

Knit from Wooly Wonka Fibers Freya DK, this is a lightweight cardi featuring a pretty Celtic cable motif up the center back, flanked by small rope cables.  It features waist shaping and set-in sleeves. (Sample was knit in the colorway "Woad").

The front has a repeat of the small rope cables, and a wide ribbed button placket with a nod towards a bit of military styling.

My inspiration was Boudicca, queen of the Iceni tribe in Britain.  A legendary Celtic figure, she led her people into battle against the Roman army, and although defeated by the Romans, she was revered as a symbol of of British nationalism (as well as being a totally kick-butt kind of gal!).

Photos courtesy of the very talented Kristen Brooks Photography.

Pattern Release: Hartford

I was so pleased to have a chance to work with the stellar crew at Twist Collective again for their Winter 2014 edition.  All photos are courtesy of Twist Collective and Faye Schiano.

Hartford is a women's sized pullover with a big cable motif running up the center front, and a simple ribbed back and sleeves.  It is knit in pieces from the bottom hems up, blocked, then seamed together, and a ribbed stand-up collar/mock turtleneck finished the whole piece off.  Don't be put off by the bit of finishing/seaming you have to do at the end - especially the set-in sleeves.  The secret here is that the ribbed sleeve cap gives you a LOT of fudge-factor room, and helps make the seaming-in much easier.

It's knit in a sportweight yarn, so not too heavy a piece - I like sport and DK weight yarns since you can realistically wear them out under a jacket and not freeze, but can also wear them indoors if you keep the thermostat set a bit on the cooler side, like I do.  

My inspiration for this piece was the amazingly talented and stylish Katharine Hepburn, who once said: I wear my sort of clothes to save me the trouble of deciding what clothes to wear.  This is decidedly my sort of clothes.

I hope Kate would approve of this one.