Le Tissier Designs

Of Larks and Linnets and Flying Fingers

Category: knitting

  • Work it… Work it….

    Work it… Work it….

    How do you work? It quiet solitude? In the hub hub of a busy room? On a neat desk with everything laid out? In chaos?

    Everyone – creative or non creative has a favourite place and way of working. There are even magazines devoted to creative work spaces! A friend of mine collects them for ideas and dreams of what she would like her ideal creative space to be like. I would really like to know about your spaces. Is it a dedicated space? A shed or studio out back? A room with lots of shelves and space designed just for you and your creativity? A spot in your living room?

    I have that too – a spot in the living room, surrounded by yarn and chaos, where I sit and knit and be part of the family dynamic.

    I would like my formal workspace to be tidy – I really would! I seldom achieve that as I would rather be creating than tidying – and when I start to tidy ideas come out of the chaos and bite me in the proverbial a… and all thoughts of tidying go out the window as I dive into a new idea! I have often said that I work best in Chaos. And right now Chaos is my constant companion.

    Right now my workspace has achieved the honour of being the messiest and most chaotic it has ever been! Perhaps this is a good thing as I have needed to be more creative in my knitting designs than ever. Its this big new “thing” I am doing. It requires a lot of time and creativity – and as I still am working full time – my housekeeping – never a great deal – has completely fallen to the wayside.!

    This big “thing” is a designing job. A largish number of patterns in varying yarns for a largish yarn company – in a smallish piece of time! It has been so much fun and so challenging in a creative way! I will share more as I can! I have had help with sample and test knitting – we all need help sometimes. I am learning how to ask for it as needed.

    bees and butterflies

    There have small breaks where I have worked on my own patterns as I waited for yarns to arrive. Bees and Butterflies was created in one of those breaks. I should have been tidying – but you know how the story goes! LOL!

    My desktop – it can barely be seen right now! Much more chaotic than normal!

    UPDATE – Started this a few months ago – in the height of the crazy creative time. I am in a bit of a lull right now – working on things for myself and looking forward to the next spate of crazy times. Still can’t really talk about the earlier project but the patterns are due to drop any day! Then I will be talking like crazy!

    I am almost finished the Shetland Fusion Ebook. I “found” another pattern that I had started before Covid and it is perfect for Shetland Fusion! Summer Shells, a half Pi shawl that features Shetland Lace Shell Patterns! Umm and maybe a few beads.

    Summer Shells
    Fascinator
    Shetland Wheel
    Shetland Wheel
    Lizzie’s Hap
    Plumier 2
    Plumier

    So it has been a good day – so much accomplished – but no housework! LOL!

    Wrote a couple of blogs, did some knitting, made a pie – making dinner – how has your day gone?

    Be well and Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • The Great Canadian Wool-a-Long

    I am ready!

    Yarn chosen, swatch done, needles chosen and sketch complete – it is now time for the first Great Canadian Wool-a-Long!

    What is a Great Canadian Wool-a=Long? Well the Wool-a-Long is the brainchild of Catherine Knutsson of The Small Bird Workshop.

    I had been following Catherine for a while, but I first really met Catherine over a year ago when I purchased some Baby Doll/Mohair/Silk blend fingering from her last June. It was full on Covid and we spoke briefly on her porch where my little bag of yarn was waiting for me. I had been following her for a while – the concept of Canadian sourced wool yarns was very intriguing to me. I started a shawl with the yarn and then life got very busy. I was thinking of finishing the project as part of the Wool-a-long but the silk content was source outside of Canada. I might finish it as part of the project – if there is time.

    As local as it gets! Baby doll fibre from Vancouver Island, mohair from the interior, sourced silk, milled in Kamloops at @that_darn_yarn_shop

    The Wool-a-Long has been created to feature Canadian Wool, Canadian Designers and Canadian Makers in order to deepen understanding of our Canadian Fibre resources and to encourage and support its growth as a viable industry. Catherine has long been a proponent of supporting local sheep growers and has worked hard to keep perfectly usable wool fibre from being dumped into local landfills.

    So starting Aug 1 and going until Oct 31 – we talk the talk and walk the walk – working with Canadian Wool (or fibre)(mandatory) and Canadian Designers (encouraged) (yes, this is self serving as I am a Canadian Designer!) and Canadian Makers (also encouraged).

    Welcome to the 1st annual Great Canadian Wool-A-Long! This event will run from August 1 to October 31, 2022, and is designed to celebrate Canadian wool and fibre in all of its forms. Crafters of all varieties are invited to participate, and the only requirement is that you use wool that has been grown by sheep (or fibre animal or plant) that live in Canada and post a photo of your finished item!

    SmallBird Workshop

    There will be prizes and lots of opportunity to talk to other like minded crafters through the various social media sites (links below) and Catherine is organizing an almost weekly zoom meeting.

    So I am in! I am going to work with a Tunis Lambswool that was sourced by Catherine from Ontario and I am going to design a cropped vest with a shirttail hem and textural details as my project. Come on along and watch my progress, all feedback welcome, and I will watch and encourage your progress as well!

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

    I have 16 patterns that were designed with Canadian Wools.

    Bullseye Brioche , Wolf Song , Patchwork Butterfly Cap , Wet Coast Winter , Spiral Tam , North Sea Hap , OOkpik , Standing Tall Gauntlet Mittens , Sitka Poncho , T’woot Cute , Plaid Spirit Headband , Spirit Toques , West Coast Wrap Vest , “Cowichan” Styled Toques , Afternoon Tea Scarf , Bento Box Vest

    Links below for more information.

    Great Canadian Wool-a-Long

    The SmallBird Workshop

    Ravelry Group

    Ravelry Thread

    Instagram

    Facebook

  • There’s a Little Spring in My Step

    There’s a Little Spring in My Step

    It is official – Spring is happening here. The Indian Plum bushes are starting to green out and the birds are singing a bright and happy song. This is the time of renewal and rebirth; of flowers and leaves emerging from the dark earth; of ideas bursting forth from our heads and fingers in much the same way!

    My brain is buzzing with idea’s tried and new ones waiting! I have yarn to knit and patterns to write – but the knitting is calling out more loudly. Old projects are begging to be finished and the new projects are waiting impatiently for their turn. While I contemplate how to bring order to my ideas I watch the world outside my windows change with the the advent of Spring.

    Squash Blossom Dreams in Buffalo Wool Co. Sexy, hand-dyed by Lorna’s Laces is on the short list to be finished this year.

    The Robin’s next door are busy building their nest in the evergreen ivy on the tree out side the window and I love watching them flit back and forth as they bring bits of string, grass and tiny twigs that all disappear into the green leaves of the Ivy. These Robins have been coming back for many years – I imagine that they are the same birds – and build their nest in the same spot every year.

    We walked around Buttertubs Marsh this morning. It was humming with life, birds, robins, starlings, chickadees, Canada geese, mallard and white headed ducks mostly, but I watched a fat brown squirrel as he leisurely crossed the path in front of us. He did a good job feeding himself over the winter! The people were out too! “Good morning’s” and “Hi’s” making the air happy, and the smiles on most faces, those smiles, making the heart happy!

    I have just about finished work on a big project and I am starting to look forward to and plan the next project. I can’t say much about the big project – except that it involves a big yarn company, pretty yarns and quite a few patterns!

    Butterflies and Bees Hat under construction.
    Butterflies and Bees Cowl

    The next yarn project will involve finishing up a couple of shawls. One I haven’t looked at for over 2 years and the other I started last year! In between I will be working on patterns for the hats I started last fall! Oh Yeah, and the Japanese Lace cowl and hat that I sort of snuck in there! No rest for the wicked! And I do so love doing what I do!

    I have been receiving a great deal of support for my creative journey lately – and from some new and unexpected sources! Life is good!

    I hope that you are all well and moving forward in your individual creative journeys.

    Happy Creating

    Lynette

  • Lizzies’ Hap and Other Fine Things

    Lizzies’ Hap and Other Fine Things

    Happy New Year! It is so hard to believe that it is February already!

    Life has been busy, chaotic, and generally a little off kilter of late. So what is new you might ask? That is sort of how life has been generally for most of us right now. That is the feedback I get from many!

    So I have been creating, working on patterns and waiting for the last bits of the kitchen to be finished. One cupboard is holding us up!

    The kitchen redo is done – except for the one cupboard and the tiling. Tiling won’t be done until the cupboard is in. The missing cupboard is my fault – I decided I needed it after the other other cupboards went in. So the one cupboard went into the queue and we wait. I will share before and after pictures when the kitchen is complete.

    I finally finished writing the pattern for Lizzies’ Hap or the Roamin’ Hap. It is now up on Ravelry. And I hope that you love it!

    This shawl was a long time coming.

    Lizzies’ Hap was an idea that I had been toying with ever since I knit the Roamin’ Hat for Kate Davies in 2018. It came into being in 2019/2020 as a result of Kate Davies’ design competition on “Place” and what it means to you. And then Covid hit and it languished as I struggled with the changes that Covid imposed and the emotions brought about by the concept of place and what it meant to me.

    Place for me meant family. My Grandmother Elizabeth, Lizzie to her friends, was part of my place.

    When I first started knitting, I would ask Granny what she would like me to knit for her. She asked me for a shawl, a shawl like the ones from home, Scotland. She loosely described it as a big square with a striped edge that was knitted. At this point I had no idea of where to begin. Instead, I knit her a sweater with thistles in pink and grey, her favorite flower and in her favourite colours.

    I wasn’t a skilled enough knitter at that time and didn’t know quite what she meant. She passed away before I had learned. Since then, I have learned both about the type of shawl she had wanted and how to make one.

    This is my second shawl for her, the first one was a very basic hap that I knit in 2010. Only the center square with the simple lace pattern was kept from that hap. This shawl has a “thistles and heather” fair-isle insert, a striped border and a fancy edging – just for her – because she was just that important.

    This shawl features a totally reversible fair-isle insert that acts as almost a collar detail when wearing the shawl.

    In most ways this is simply a traditional hap shawl, in the stitches chosen and the construction techniques used. How this is not a traditional hap shawl is in the insertion of an additional border between the center square and the lace border. This fair-isle border is what sets this shawl apart from a more traditional shawl. The fair-isle border basically gets knit twice to keep the backside neat and the shawl reversible.

    Lizzies’ Hap is the second pattern in the ebook Shetland Fusion. The third pattern, Shetland Fascinator should be out by the end of the month. Lots of knitting has been finished and coming together in the last couple of months.

    Shetland Fascinator, knit with Juniper Moon Farms Findley Lace

    And I am working on new things – like this cool stitch pattern that I found in a Japanese Stitch library! I am knitting a cowl first – an easy way to learn and practice a new stitch and then I will make a hat to co-ordinate with it! It is a variation on the bee or butterfly pattern, which I have used in a couple of other pieces – I really love the look. But I have never seen it quite like this, as part of an all over pattern.

    Below is a video how-to bridge the gap that is created while knitting. The rows before are a set-up for this row.

    Of bees and butterflies 🦋

    And I just had to buy this new set of interchangeable needles from Lykke – the Cypra copper needles. They are beautiful! I love copper things. I have several of my grandmother’s pieces. And when these needles became available I, ahem, felt the need to own them. I was not disappointed.

    Copper and Verdigris
    Swans island organic merino in the verdigris colourway
    Covid be Damned – beaded randomly placed butterflies
    Shimmering Spring – butterflies in a column
    Bees and Butterflies!

    So life keeps on giving gifts, always new ideas and new opportunities, I am so lucky to be able to work with what I love and be able to create with my hands!

    I hope that you have a wonderful day! Be well and knit happy!

    Lynette

  • And So it is Christmas….

    And the year just keeps on zooming by!

    These last few months have been consumed by work, and family and a kitchen reno – which is still undergoing! And always the knitting.

    Every year at Christmas time I release a pattern that is free for the month. This year I was running a little late and Legend wasn’t released until yesterday! So it will be free until Jan 15, 2022. I hope that you like it! It is a fairly straight forward fair-isle pattern in worsted and just two colours!

    I am very pleased at how well Legend has been received on Ravelry! In 24 hours it has gone from unknow to number 3 on the Hot Right Now board! Legend has been knit with 2 shades of Noro Haunui.

    I am working on a special secret project for a big yarn company right now – something for next year sometime. I will share when I can!

    The kitchen reno should be done early January. Right now I am working with temporary countertops. Once the countertops and tiling are done I will share some before and after shots – it is going to be so fabulous!

    I hope that you all have a very Merry time this holiday season however you celebrate!

    Be well and knit happy!

    Lynette

  • November Now!

    November Now!

    This already started out as a crazy month and the rest of November is about to get crazier! Not that I needed it to but life always happens at once. I have been on my contractors list since March and it is finally going to happen, I am getting the new kitchen cabinets, appliances and the etc’s that go along with all that. I am so excited. They start removing the old cabinets tomorrow. I will share before and after shots when they are done. Everything but the counter should be in by the end of the month, not sure when the counter is arriving – but they will install plywood counters until it does arrive.

    Are we ready for this? Mostly! Almost everything has moved downstairs. Some stuff into boxes and the rest into Dad’s kitchen! Heaven help us all to survive the next 3 weeks or so! On the up side at least we have Dad’s kitchen!

    I have been making my regular prompts for #wovember and working on my knitting, but I have been distracted, so distracted that I erased the pattern I was working on this morning. I took that as a sign and had a nap! I will start again on that pattern tomorrow!

    I did release a new pattern last week. It is a free one, knit with Plotulopi, a lovely roving style yarn that knits up both light and warm! It is called Salmon Run and is available on Ravelry.

    Christmas is coming up blazingly fast! I have a few things that are still being thought out. I may be in trouble this year. So many things going on right now. But I do want to knit something for Logan. I think it may have to be knit with a heavier yarn this year!

    I hope that you are keeping as busy as you want to be and keeping well at the same time.

    Knit happy!

    Lynette

  • #Wovember

    #Wovember

    I am participating in #Wovember this year. Not sure how I missed it in past years – it has been around since 2011! Though I suppose I live it everyday. I am a proponent for all things woolly and wonderful and have been as long as I have worked at my LYS!

    What is #Wovember you might ask? It is the celebration of all things woolly! It is the sharing of wool related knowledge! It is your favourite wool sweater and how it came into being! It is your favourite yarn store! It is the person who shears the sheep! It the person who dyes the wool! etc.

    Or, you could check out the link in the first paragraph and learn the history of how and why it started, or you could just join in and follow @ithoughiknewhow on Instagram. She will be posting the list of prompts on Wednesday October 27th. You can participate by posting to Instagram something based on the prompt of the day. The start date is November 1st!

    Other ways to participate in #Wovember, include but are not limited to…. you just need to share anything woolly that you are doing with the #wovember hashtag, comment on other participants shares and/or wear something woolly every day!

    Below is an example of a prompt sheet from.a couple of years ago.

    The idea is to use the prompt to post something that is on topic for the prompt. Ie why wool? Is the prompt. A picture of my favourite wool sweater might be my answer, because it keeps me cozy. Or it could be intrepreted as why is wool important to you? Environmental issues, Sustainability issues could be part of your prompt. You decide.

    I will be participating. I am also going to figure out a way to offer up a pattern a day as a prize through my Instagram feed. Just not sure how as yet.

    Be well and knit happy! Wear Wool!

    Lynette

  • Evolution of a Stitch

    Evolution of a Stitch

    • Jacobean
    • Details

    Today I released a new pattern “Jacobean”. It is a heavily embellished hat, worked in two colours. It combines an embroidery style stitch, fair-isle patterning on the crown and beads throughtout. It was knit with Ancient Arts hand dyed Lascaux Fine in the “A Walk in the Woods” and “Scent and Scensibility” colourways.

    One of the stitch patterns used is a “drawn” stitch and is a variation of the pattern used in the Big Leaf Maple pattern. It is the first of 3 hat patterns that feature the drawn stitch, each one worked differently than the original pattern.

    The link to Big Leaf above contains a short video on how to work the “drawn stitch” pattern.

    In Big Leaf Maple I used the stitch exactly as I found it. Two colours, striping in pattern. With this pattern I isolated the “drawn stitch” part of the pattern and used it as an detail stitch only, working it in as a contrasting colour pattern worked over the main colour, almost like an embroidery stitch. The look of the stitch reminded me of an Embroidery technique called Jacobean couching. Hence the name Jacobean.

    I am a big fan of embroidery, unless I am the one doing it. I am not very proficient and have never taken the time to figure out how to change that. With stitches like the “drawn stitch”, various knitted quilting sts and “Roositud”, an Estonian embellishing technique, I find that I don’t need to learn how to embroider. I just work the techniques as I knit.

    • Brimmed Cap
    • Floral Bulky
    • Big Leaf Maple

    It is going to be a stormy day here! Lots of heavy wind and rain! Time to pull out all the woolies and get ready for the rest of Fall and the Winter ahead!

    Have you heard of Wovember on Instragram? I just read about it yesterday. I am thinking that I might participate. I will fill you in when I know more.

    Be well and knit happy!

    Lynette

  • New Patterns

    New Patterns

    Have been pouring out of my head and onto my needles for the last few months. I have been taking time lately to get them written up and sent to test knitters as necessary! So I haven’t been much into writing lately – it sometimes feels like I talk (write) about the same old things, knitting, knitting, and maybe some knitting for a change! LOL!

    I hope that you continue to find that interesting.

    Being creative is both a blessing and a curse. Every creative I have spoken to seems to feel the same way. Ideas can abound and overwhelm you and then they can vanish like the sunset. Gone dark and beyond the horizon. I sometimes feel that if I stop and take stock of all I have done and work on the patterns that should be worked on, I might lose that idea, that creative energy, that lights up my mind at the most inconvenient time.

    I have been so busy over the last few months. Family and Home, Work and Friends all have needed tending. Myself I have been keeping on knitting as it keeps me sane. I have also been finishing – a lot – sometimes too much! I am trying right now to get caught up on some of the pattern writing.

    Fall always is my favourite time of year for a number of reasons! The colours of the foliage on the trees and bushes, the last lingering blooms, and the crisp bite in the air. I am invigorated and ready to take on anything!

    Below are a few of my new releases on Ravelry. They all deserve more than just a picture and some might even get more. We will see.

    Plumier I and Plumier II are the first installments of a new ebook – Shetland Fusion.

    Sundial Shawl is the completed High Summer KAL.

    Traveling Stole and Cables and Lace Hat are the result of a failed submission. I like the idea so much that I had it knit up anyway! LOL!

    Wolf Song is the first of three sweater jackets, all started about 2015 and now finally all coming together. They are meant to coordinate with the Spirit Toques!

    • Plumier I
    • Plumier II
    • Sundial Shawl
    • Cables and Lace Hat
    • Reversible
    • Traveling Stole
    • Wolf Song

    Have you been busy? What invigorates you in the fall?

    Be well and Knit Happy!

    Or simply be well.

    Lynette

  • Tomorrow, Tomorrow…..

    Tomorrow, Tomorrow…..

    Hello All! Tomorrow I release the first phase of the pattern for the High Summer KAL! I am so excited!

    I have decided to release the pattern in 5 pieces instead of 4 – the edging really is two different sections and is fairly detailed do I am separating that up! But nothing else has changed!

    Here is a sneak peak at one of the prizes!

    I am very fond of pretty, sparkly stitch markers and friend of mine, Joan Hoye, makes them for me! I have got her to make up a few sets just for this KAL! All of the markers are sterling silver and beautiful crystals – All in pretty garden colours – 2 Blue Austrian Crystals, 4 floral toned Swarovski Crystals and 1 each of a natural clear quartz and a natural green quartz stone. I found the perfect little pouch to put them in and they look like a bouquet of flowers!

    Prizes will be based on participation in the ravelry thread or facebook group or both – pictures, knitting or gardens, comments, questions, sharing and helping each other out! I am also on Instagram! Hashtag your pictures with #highsummerkal or #hskal or #sundialshawl or #letissierdesigns

    I hope that you are as excited as I am!

    Lynette