Le Tissier Designs

Of Larks and Linnets and Flying Fingers

Tag: vest

  • Expanding My World

    Expanding My World

    I have been blogging off and on for about fifteen years or thereabouts. My first blog was simply called LeTissier Designs. It was great until I tried to monetize it and destroyed the work a friend had put into it for me. I sort of gave up on the idea for a while. The blog is still out there.

    Expanding my world is my retirement project. Yes I am still working, but 1 day less a week. Expanding my digital world was me making sure I was always involved and interested in the world of designing, knitting and yarn. And doing so in a meaningful modern way!

    Some of my initial shots of the Victorian Falls Wrap that were the basis of the LeTissier Designs blog site background and my winning pattern for Magic of Mohair in 2011. It was handpainted with dyes in a gorgeous blend of silk and mohair.

    So a few years ago I started this blog. It is a little more about me and less about the knitting, though really the two are so intertwined it is hard to pull one from the other.

    How do these fit together?

    Well about 7 months ago I heard of a new site being developed, something to make being a small independent designer a little easier. So I started to look into it. And was introduced to GoSadi, a centralized site designed to help whomever was registered organize and share their patterns across other selling channels. This site is in the testing stage and I am testing it out.

    So far I am very impressed. Just so you know, this is an unsolicited Rave about my new thing.

    Next year the site goes live and right now they are looking for makers to join and test out the features. It would be similar to Ravelry in that there would be pages for your faves and your projects but the groups would be smaller and people more connected – sort of like Ravelry in the early days. I am less familiar with this aspect of the site. But if they do it as well as they have for the Designers I am thinking that it may be the next big thing in knitting.

    This site does not replace Ravelry or Etsy or a personal website. It simply makes it easier for the designer, me to share my pattern across other websites. And you the knitter to find and keep track of the designers work your love.

    For example I now have an Etsy site – it is about 4 weeks old and I am thrilled. I joined Etsy 10 years ago with the intention of learning how to sell on it! Well that never happened. And here I am selling patterns! Well only a couple so far! But this is a new audience, many of whom have never seen me or my patterns before! And it was easy, so much earlier than I expected.

    So here I am, a technical luddite – but smart enough to take the help and expand my world. GoSadi isn’t free, but it isn’t expensive either and the help provided has been worth every penny. They have opened up new avenues of opportunity. I have an opportunity to send a couple of samples to a Vogue Knitting Event and another opportunity to participate in a Christmas Event with Marly Bird, all because of the new connections.

    Today I added a pattern to Ravelry and 5 minutes later it was up on Etsy! My new pattern is the Abbreviated Vest – a short and sassy vest. A quick and easy knit.

    AI version of my initial sketch of the Abbreviated Vest
    Abbreviated Vest on me!

    So my digital world is growing and I am finding uses for it I had never every conceived of. I hope that all of this keeps on being fun and keeps me young in mind and heart.

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • Next UP!

    Next UP!

    My Sunrise sweater is finished! I am quite pleased with it! And it fits perfectly!

    In tidying up my workroom I have stumbled across a couple of other sweaters for myself. The Pink Juniper Moon Beatrix is the next one on my list to finish. I love the softness of this yarn. It is sooo light and sooo soft! And it knits up so quickly! The other sweater did not pass muster and was quickly ripped back and rolled into a ball, waiting for a different style to work into. 🙂

    You may note a bit of a trend here… most of the sweaters I knit for myself are tunic length. I hate to be cold and a longer sweater keeps my back nice and toasty! I do have a plan for another piece, most likely a vest, longer, with split sides, a knit belt, and colourwork, colourwork in the Muhu style. Which is bright! Oh so bright! Just my style.

    • Roosimine and Knitting an Estonian Garden
    • Embroidery on Knitting
    • So much inspiration!
    • Eco Scandinavian Chunky
    • Oh these socks just make my toes curl! are they not amazing?

    I will have to revisit my pattern Knitting and Estonian Garden, for some Roosimine patterns to add to the vest. Roosimine is an embroidery style technique from Estonia that is worked on your knits as you knit. It is quite common for knits to have surface embroidery to add details.

    I will not be using a fine yarn. I am going to work with a new Chunky, Eco Scandinavian Chunky. It is new this year from Estelle and it is a lopi style yarn. You can see the colours I picked. I may need to add a green or blue. Still thinking on it! Swatching should commence this week.

    And Finally! I have written up a little pattern that hightlights my current mindless, evening or travelling project. i hope that you will like it.

    Crystalline Lattice

    This Cowl, Wimple or Scarf pattern is the perfect project to mop-up of all of the left-over bits of laceweight silk mohair that we all seem to be collecting.  This is a tube scarf, that can be something different at different lengths.  Right now it is only Cowl size, but as it becomes longer it will grown to be a Wimple (a tube that covers both neck and head) and then a scarf.  I am aiming for a scarf myself.  So, until it is a scarf the pattern will be free.

    The very basic atomic shape of a natural crystal as it grows is a lattice.  So here we are growing our own crystal.  Mine shows as shades of purple.  What will your Crystalline Lattice show?

    It is a super simple pattern, 7 rows, slipped stitches, stockinette and little garter stitch.  The slipped stitches are twisted as we slip them, it gives them a very linear, ropey appearance.

    As you work through the repeating pattern you can change up the colours of the mohair/silks.  I am working with 4 close shades, and rotating them from lightest to darkest.  But I am thinking of making a second scarf, and picking up all sorts of bits to make a really wild colourway with no stripe the same and/or no pattern to the colour stripe sequence.  Or maybe I should get some earthy tones and make something a little more organic.  This pattern could go so many places.

    Crystal LatticeDownload

    So Happy Knitting!

    Lynette

  • Photo Shoot

    Photo Shoot

    Yesterday Elise and I got together for a quick little photo shoot at Woodstream Park. We had a lot of fun. It was a beautiful morning and the trees and surrounding foliage was so full of colour. Gorgeous backdrop for the knitting!

    This is a pattern that I am working on for Cindy and Roy of Gathering Yarn. The yarn is a superwash merino aran called Bingo – a lovely yarn to work with.

    The rest of the items are a few hats and accessories that will be showing up in the next few weeks!

    Be well and knit happy!

    Lynette

  • On the Topic of Buttons

    On the Topic of Buttons

    Do you have a button box? Or better yet your Mother’s or Grandmother’s button box? Do you use them? Or simply admire them? I do both.

    My Mother’s box was lost to time and just one too many moves. It was a huge glass jar that I loved to look through. She didn’t do much sewing, but she would knit occasionally. Like me I think that she just loved buttons.

    But my boxes are pretty full. Collected over my time of sewing, knitting and well, collecting buttons! I love buttons! They are a fabulous item that can just add that perfect touch to your finished garment or they can be applied as embellishments. Adding buttons to button bands, or as design details is the one aspect of finishing my knitted pieces that I actually enjoy! I have also used shell buttons as embellishments in many of my knits – I love their sheen and the way they pick up the colours of the yarn.

    My button collection!

    This morning I was busy finishing off a childs vest – Reindeer Vest – that I had Jana knit up in Patagonia Organic Merino as a store sample. I also got her to knit the doll vest – Mini Reindeer Vest – as well. The original set was my Grandson’s Christmas Gift a couple of years ago. The Mini Reindeer Vest is a free pattern and will fit most medium dolls or bears! The Reindeer Vest is 50% off right now until Nov 30. Use the code Reindeer.

    It was a good thing I found a few button options for the vest as I was scrambling through my button box looking for some buttons! I started to sew on my original choice of button – I thought they were a nice bright red – I realized that the red buttons were really pink – bad early morning lighting! So, I went with another option!

    Not a bad thing to have a button box at hand as buttons seem to be a little scarce right now!

    It has been a good week, beautiful sunrises and sunsets at Departure Bay Beach. Roses still in bloom on the Promenade and always knitting.

    Be Well and Knit Happy!

    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

  • Filigree and More Unexpected Knitting

    Filigree and More Unexpected Knitting

    Well it has been quite a week!

    I just found out that my hat pattern Roamin‘ was included in a podcast! Fleece and Harmony podcast 64

    I am so stoked!

    Also, I finished a hat, Started the first sleeve on my sweater and of course went to work. Work is kind of a hazardous place to be when you are something of a fanatic about yarns. All natural yarns at least! I use man made fibres for some projects of course, they can be very useful. But much less than natural fibres. Man made fibres generally make me itch, they just don’t breathe.

    Wools are my favourite, Blended wools, those that are spun with Bison, Silk, Yak, Cashmere or Alpaca are right up there too. But wools, non-superwash, hand painted or dyed solid, they slay me. I like a slightly textured yarn, one with a bit of bite. I don’t find these yarns itchy at all – they just knit up into a beautiful texture that suits me!

    This week, quite a few boxes arrived from our suppliers. In one was the new Super Bulky Hand Painted Colour Story by Estelle yarn – 150gr, 75m of wooly perfection. It is so new that it isn’t even on Ravelry. Check out the colours of the Colour Story Sock – the bulky is in the darker tones that are also available in the sock! So I dropped the sleeve (isn’t it wonderful how knitting will wait so patiently) and Thursday evening started to knit. This easy distraction is one of the hazards I was speaking about! Perhaps it is also part of my personality – never short of ideas!

    Well this morning I finished a new vest – a shorty version of a jacket vest with a properly notched collar and single button style closure – Classic Lapel Vest. I knit it in the Tapestry colourway. Pattern to follow in a couple of weeks.

    Last post I was starting a hat. I wanted to play with a few of the the colours of BC Garn’s Bio Shetland. I am working up to designing a fair-isle vest. The next step is a new fair-isle hat that will utilize the colours and patterning that I would like to see in my vest.

    Well, I started this first hat with 15 colours, took away 3 that just didn’t work and added another colour that did! So it takes 13 colours to knit as shown, but it could easily be simplified. It will be a great stash buster! the hat is now complete and I am so happy with it that I wrote up a pattern!

    It is called Filigree and I had so much fun knitting it. I hope that you will too! Click on the button below to download.

    FiligreeDownload

    Yesterday we went for a short walk at Bowen Park. I could hear the water roaring but we never went close. I did see an unusual flower – I think that it is a type of Rhododendron, at least it was on the edge of the Rhodo Grove. It is the photo at the top of the post. Does any one know what it is? We were expecting snow today but that hasn’t materialized – but maybe this evening.

    What is your winter like? Full on snow, wind and cold. Or mild like our west coast weather. I have lived in northern climates and in cold prairie climates, even tropical climates, but my favourite is winter here. Some grey mists, cool green foliage and all the rain you can handle – OK – the rain can get a little old, but the rest of it is just my style!

    I love the look of the devolving petals, they start to look so lace like.

    Today I am making what my mother always called Matrimonial Cake. It is really just date squares, but I think that Matrimonial Cake sounds so much more elegant. I don’t use baking soda and I do add lemon juice and a little fresh lemon peel to the dates. I also make it in a 9×9 pan. Yummm, that way the pieces are deeper and moister for more flavour!

    It is almost time to take the Cake out of the oven.

    Be Well and Knit Happy!

    Lynette