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.
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.
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.
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?
Are you competitive? Have you participated in sports your whole life and love the “high” you get by participating and even winning? Or are you an observer, standing on the side lines and enjoying the movement and energy on the field? Until about 10 years ago I would never have considered myself competitive! But now I know myself differently. I have found that I enjoy the challenge of competition. My area of expertise is not the playing field however, it is in the area of design, knitting design. Offer me up a design competition and I am in there with needles flying.
Who knew?
In 2011 Vogue posted the Magic of Mohair design competition. A friend sent me a link and said I should try. Another friend printed out the information with a post it note and said I should try. And another friend….
So I tried.
Images from Vogue Early Fall 2011, images copyright Rose Callahan
And I came in Second!. Which won me an interview and publication in a Vogue Magazine. I went on to publish for quite a few more issues of Vogue. Maybe you have seen them?
VK Winter 2011 photographed by Rose Callahan at Alina’s loft, Brooklyn, on Oct 18-19, 2011
VK SS12 photographed by Rose Callahan on Dec 7, 2011 in Staten Island
And then the Buffalo Wool Company was looking for a design…. for a very special yarn, a 100% buffalo fibre threaded with a 24 K gold thread! limited amounts of yardage and a western theme – what could I do with those parameters? And so Yippie Ki Yi Yay! was created and submitted. And I won that one. Which lead me to become their in house designer for the next 5 or so years. And I made some wonderful friends to boot!
Yippe Ki Yi Yay! knit with 100% bison yarn with a 24 K gold thread running through the yarn, embellished with 24K gold delicas
While working for the Buffalo Wool Co, Which is owned by Ron and Theresa Miskin, there was a call to design, to create a “showstopper” shawl for Stevie Nicks to wear in an upcoming concert. Ron and Theresa ecouraged me to enter and helped me every step of the way! For the shawl Ron dyed 2,400 yds of Sexy, 50% buffalo and 50% silk laceweight yarn, in a deep blue/purple called Rhiannon, plus we ordered 20, 000 24K gold delicas and gold washed crystals. So with the yarn, beads and a couple hundred man hours later, Rhiannon was born. This was truly a show stopping piece. One that I could never repeat. One that was never considered, everyone has a different idea of “showstopper”!
But for me, for us – it was perfect! It was seen at quite a few Stitches runways over the period of a few years. It was and is truly a showstopper.
There was something of a break between this flurry of competition and there were a couple of others that I contemplated but never found the time to try until a couple of years ago. And it was a Kate Davies design competition for her new yarn Milarrochy Tweed. A fabulous fingering tweed in a wool/mohair blend! She was looking for hats to showcase her new yarn.
It was the colour of the yarn, a glorious purple called Gloamin’ that pulled me in. Purple is my favourite colour, Roamin’ in the Gloamin’ was my Grandmothers favourite song, and so “Roamin’” was born. And it was one of the hats included in her book Milarrochy Heids.
I am always looking for inspiration. I find in many places, images, feelings, comments and in calls for designs – the mood boards they include – and sometimes in the call to competition. To surpass the basic and look for the special, the unique, the unexpected and to rise to the occasion.
Who knew! That competition for me was in the knitting needles, in the ideas in my head and hands and in the sharing of those ideas!
Not too difficult, just interesting enough to engage the mind. And a perfect pattern for any gender. Knit it in one of the bright bold colours that I love. One like the Reywa Embrace sample or knit it in a classic, naturally coloured wool, this hat will please anyone on your list. The yarn weight is DK, making the hat a lovely trans-seasonal choice, cozy on a cool evening any time of year.
Cables and travelling stitches move up the garter stitch background, creating “tiles” out of the moving stitches. The garter stitch background pulls the hat down and shortens the body, if knit with a purl background the hat may become deeper. Let me know what happens if you try that out.
Textured Tiles as shown is a slouchy toque, but a beanie option is also included in the instructions.
I hope that you enjoy.
Be well and Knit Happy!
Lynette
Why not try working the hat in this eye popping Peony colourway.
I think of that proverb often as I am something of a procrastinator! Never mind something of a procrastinator – I can and have at times turned it into a fine art!
Procrastination, practiced properly is a time management tool that works to my advantage as I tend to work better when under just the right amount of pressure. That is what happens when I practice it consciously. When it sneaks up on me and I get distracted by the new toy – usually yarn – it can cause a bit of a disruption, which why I am releasing two patterns today – I, ummm, kinda missed last weekend somehow. It got lost in the sands of time and distraction.
It wasn’t that I have been doing nothing. Just not the planned things.
Two Versions of the bento box. So called because it is a little boxy with options, just like a bento box. PS – that is me in the Lapel version of the vest!
Today’s releases are the Bento Box Vest and the Garry O’ hat. They represent totally opposite ends of the knitting spectrum.
Garry O’
The Bento Box Vest is knit with big needles, 10mm, (I used my super sparkly ones) and super bulky yarns and can be knit in a couple of days if you have a little time. Garry O’ is knit with much smaller needles, 2.5 and 3.0mm, and much finer yarns and will take a little time. Both are very satisfying knits for very different reasons!
Today has been very busy! The first jam of the season – ummm, strawberry was made and Elise and I had a great photo shoot. Below is a sneak peak at some of the upcoming patterns for the Just Playing Around ebook.
Some upcoming additions
I hope that you have had a couple of great weeks. Working in your gardens or knitting up a storm, even working. Life is starting to feel just a little more optimistic.
I have picked 8 whole strawberries from my pots so far – and I am seeing lots more forming. The peas are coming up almost faster than whatever bug is eating them and the beans and tomatoes are looking pretty healthy.
It is the flowers that give me the greatest joy! Peonies, Poppies, Roses, Honeysuckle and Lavender are all blooming the thyme and sage as well. The bees are ecstatic and the humming birds as well. We are getting lots of rain right now which is good as this last Spring was way too dry. How does your garden grow?
Meet the Big Leaf Maple -Cowl and Toque. Knit with Handmaiden Flouf, on big needles – they are a quick and fun knit.
Both items are knit in the round and from the top down. The big leaf stitch is a type of drawn stitch and the post here has a video that I did to show how to knit the stitch.
Just Playing Around will be available at half price for just another evening. By around 9:00am pacific time the price will revert to the full price of $24.00.
It has been a wonderfully sunny weekend here and I have spent a lot of time in the back Garden. We spend a lot of time here in the Summer.
Where do you spend a lot of your Summer Time, well your free time anyway? On your Deck? In a your Garden? In a park? Out in the woods? We all have our favourite places, I hope to share some of mine with you!
Be well and Knit Happy!
Lynette
Another pattern to be released soon! Elise and I had some fun with a photo shoot this morning.
Is a hashtag that I use all the time, because, you know, I knit all of the time! LOL!
As a crafter I really appreciate the hand work of other makers, like this gorgeous Pear Wood bowl by Terry Marshall of Bowled Over Woodturning. Sorry he is not on the Internet, but his bowls can be found at Mad About Ewe Fine Yarns.
Not a yarn bowl, but a notions bowl, something to keep all my bits and bobs in line. Made of Pear wood with brass filings filling a crack in the bottom of the bowl.. Very cool..
This week I have been working on the eb00k, Just Playing Around. and today I added two hat patterns to the book. Just Playing around is still available at half price until May 14th or 15th.
Practically Perfect and Perfectly Practical, a aran weight simple cap that is a free download for all. Knit with Noro Kureyon.
I started a pooling project for the Just Playing Around ebook as well. Have you ever tried pooling – it is deliberately setting up your hand-dyed yarn to stack and form columns of glorious clear colour.
Pooling with Llama Lace and Pine Cone lace pattern.
Jana, my test knitter has finished her version of the stole, Plumier 2 and now I need to finish my version, Plumier 1! No rest for the wicked. Plumier 2 is knit with Handmaiden and Fleece Artist Flyss in the Tourmaline Colourway – look for this pattern to come out sometime early June.
BC Garn Bio Shetland GOTS for Plumier 2. I am well into the second half, but still have about 2-3 weeks of knitting left.
So that is what I am up to! What about yourselves? I hope that you are all making up a storm of things to eat, wear and share!
Be Well and Knit Happy!
Lynette
A beautiful Pink Dogwood Bloom to celebrate this glorious Spring Day.
Flat Iron was knit with Ancient Arts Lascaux Fine Fingering. This heathered yarn adds a great depth to the cabled pattern. I like this yarn so much that you will see another hat in the collection knit with the same yarn.
Lascaux Fine / Lascaux Fine 50’s – 25% Manx Loaghtan/75% Punta Arenas Wool
Lascaux Fine 50’s – 175 meters / 192 yards per 50 gram / 1.75 oz skein
Lascaux Fine 100 – 350 meters / 385 yards per 100 gram / 3.5 oz skein
Gauge: 25 – 30 sts / 4 inches (10 cm) US 1.5 – 2.5 or 2.5 – 3.0 mm
Lascaux Fine is a delightful blend of heritage and modern sheep fibre spun into a 2-ply fingering weight yarn which is perfect for stranded colourwork projects.
The heritage breed sheep is Manx Loaghtan, found only on the Isle of Mann, and the modern breed is the Punta Arenas from South America. The natural colour of this yarn is a light brown, so it has a heathered undertone when it is dyed, and although it looks rustic, it actually knits up exceptionally soft! This is a great yarn that feels wonderful against the skin, making it suitable for garments like mitts, sweaters and even lace shawls!
Note: Lascaux has it’s own unique colour palette due to the natural colour of the yarn.
Ancient Arts
Flat Iron Hat – knit with Ancient Arts Lascaux FineI played around with the photo to really highlight the shading of the yarn witch did affect the colour somewhat!
The hat and mittens make a great set and take only one skein of yarn.
This is an ongoing project with a new pattern or two being released every week or so. The focus is on playing with our stash yarns – or lets face it – that new yarn that you have just fallen in love with.
There will be patterns and small articles about the yarns we love. We will be exploring techniques that use up odd balls of stash and those bits of beautiful leftovers that we just couldn’t throw away.
Techniques will in include stranded and fair-isle knitting, mosaic knitting, textural knitting, lace knitting and and a few embellishment knitting styles including working with beads or buttons, three dimensional shaping and embroidery style knit stitches.
Projects will include a couple a lace shawls, a vest (maybe two), several hats, cowls, shrugs and mittens.
There will be two projects released this week. A stranded hat called Flower Power – my personal nickname for it is “Mod Squad”, and an older shawl pattern of mine called Peace, Love and Understanding.
Both projects focus on using stash yarns, usually single hanks or smaller quantities of yarn that we just couldn’t let go or mini skeins that we loved but don’t know quite what to do with.
If you have a collection of bits and pieces of fingering, sport, dk, worsted weight, chunky or bulky yarn in your stash, you can knit a hat or a pair of fingerless mittens or any number of small things that can be knit with the yarns you pull from your stash. And we all have that collection.
I hope that you like what you see! A sneak peak at some of what is coming.
