The Yarniad

Design Process: Wavelength Tank

2013-05-20T15:47:00.001-07:00

Thank you all for the supportive comments on my last post! Moving is stressful enough (which we've done...sort of...we're officially "in town", but we're staying at my parents' house until our house is finished, and all of our stuff is still in San Francisco...), but add in all of these renovations, and it's all pretty crazy! But it's coming along, and every day something gets checked off the list.

I have a few minutes before I have to run off to meet with a potential house-painter, so I thought I'd finish up my little series delving into the process behind my designs in Knitscene's summer issue. And here it is...the Wavelength Tank.

The pattern on this tank was inspired by the wavelength charts I would see on a day-to-day basis in my job on NASA's SOFIA project. One of SOFIA's defining characteristics is that it's an infrared observatory -- it studies light at wavelengths we can't see. Part of our education and outreach programs was to teach folks about the EM spectrum and where the infrared falls, so these sorts of charts would show up in a lot of our materials: posters, handouts, etc. So I'm pretty familiar with it at this point...especially for a Classics major!

Credit: Infrared Cameras, Inc.

I decided to stick with a single wavelength, instead of making them increase or decrease in size, and I wanted to put them on a simple tank that could potentially double as a vest in the colder months. (I love how it's styled in Knitscene over a 3/4 length tee as a summer vest.) Here's my first sketch...

I originally swatched a twisted stitch pattern on a background of purls to create my wavelengths...

and I actually knit the entire first version of the tank that way. Buuuut, I just did NOT like how my purls looked in the cotton yarn. So, I switched it to a pattern created with increases and decreases -- the decreases form the wavelength lines, and the increases keep the stitch count constant. On a background of knits, it looked much better.

I'm not going to lie, Wavelength was a stinker to design. Planning out the wavelengths so they were both evenly spaced on the front and back AND would travel directly up into the arm straps almost made my brain explode. But, like any knitting or math problem, it was ultimately doable with a little persistence.

Wavelength is knit with Blue Sky Alpacas Skinny Cotton (lovely!) on size 3 needles and is a fairly quick knit. Once you have the wavelengths set up in the first couple of rows, it's a pretty intuitive stitch pattern (in my opinion) and the shaping of the tank is simple overall.

You can find out more about the Wavelength Tank on Ravelry or check out the whole summer issue of Knitscene here.

In Progress...

2013-05-14T12:06:00.001-07:00

Thank you all so, so much for your congratulations and sweet comments on my last post. Moving time is getting close and our last day of work is tomorrow and our house.....ooooooooh boy is it scary right now. Because Neill's first day as a farmer is officially the 20th (next Monday), we'd hoped we'd be able to move into the upstairs at least, and improvise on cooking our meals until the kitchen was all fixed up. But, it seems that with home renovations, everything takes longer than you originally anticipated.

So here's the current view of the kitchen...

And the living room...

And the downstairs bathroom (which looks about the same as the other bathrooms, but there was mold in the vanity in this one)...

And everything has a thick layer of dust from grinding off the floor tiles, and there are tack-boards with rusty nails everywhere, and, overall, things are just gross. Sometimes, I walk in and think, "WHAT HAVE WE DONE?!?!" But it's too late now...

BUT, progress is being made! My mom and I spent the good part of two weekends ago peeling wallpaper and there is now NO TRACE OF ANY OF IT, which makes me very happy. I meant to take more photos, but was covered in wallpaper paste and bits of paper for most of the process and didn't want any of that yuck on my phone, so I'm left with this lone reminder...

I don't want to be mean, but.....really? Shell wreaths with pink bows and butterflies?!?!?!?!?! When was this ever not completely dorky?! (My apologies if you happen to have this exact wallpaper scheme in your house right now. I'm just bitter that it took me an entire day to take it down.)

The downstairs bathroom was similar - dots above, stripes below, and a runner/border thingy with sailboats (yes, sailboats). And one of the bedrooms had a border at the top of leaping dolphins and whales (I guess the previous owners REALLY loved the ocean...), which they had GLUED onto the wall. The hours spent scraping that #$@* off the wall were about as enjoyable as childbirth.

Another little project my mom and I have going on is re-texturing the walls. Well, un-texturing. Currently, all of the walls in the joint (aside from those previously covered in oh-so-lovely 80's wallpaper) look like this...

And, with some joint compound, we're slowly making them look like this...

(Note: This still needs to be sanded.)

Of course, we thought we'd have the whole upstairs done by now, and we've done...

Most, but not all, of one of the smaller bedrooms.

So, it's slow going, and I really hope my parents are ok with us crashing with them for the foreseeable future....because our house is not safe for children.

Joint compound and putty knives have also replaced yarn and needles for the most part, but I am working on a very, very easy shawl that I'm kind of in love with. It's worked all in the round, so I don't have to do anything but knit, which is about what I can take right now.

So that's what's up right now. Some knitting content to come in the next few days...

A Different Kind of Work in Progress

2013-04-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

So, I've been holding onto a secret for quite some time now. Neill, Daniel, and I have a major life change coming that has been exciting and stressful and nerve-wracking and thrilling...and has been consuming a huge amount of brain power and it's been killing me not to talk about it! But, now that we've told all the people we didn't want to find out from the internet (i.e. our bosses), I finally can.

In mid-May, we will pack up and move to my hometown in California's agricultural Central Valley - only 2 hours (1.75 with no traffic) from San Francisco, but worlds apart. A new job opportunity for Neill was well-timed with Daniel beginning to outgrow our current city living arrangements, and it all just kind of came together in a crazy way. A lot of people have asked me if it's going to be a harsh change to go from the Big City to Small Town USA...but honestly, our icky commute has made it difficult to take full advantage of San Francisco for years, we're very tired of said commute, and we feel ready for a slower pace. We're excited to take advantage of what our new surroundings have to offer (without having to pay for parking), being close to family, and the amazing fresh produce...and if I never have to carry a 30 lb. child and groceries up 3 flights of stairs again, it will be too soon.

So, what's the work in progress? Well, we are now the proud owners of a new home...

with lots of light and lots of space to run around...

and lots of oak cabinetry and tile.

(And that light box? That was a feature in almost every single home we looked at built before 2005. Why was that ever a THING?!)

The previous owners took wonderful care of this house and left it in great condition, but we are taking this opportunity to make some cosmetic updates and really make it our own. At first it was just the kitchen and painting...then the kitchen, painting, and floors...then the kitchen, painting, floors, and a bathroom...and on and on...and it's, like, half the house now. Anyway, it is a LOT to coordinate and budget with everything else that's going on, and I've been waking up in the middle of the night thinking about tile and carpet for weeks. But, despite all that, and even though we really have no idea what we're doing, renovating a house is a huge creative outlet, and I'd love to share a little of the process here.

Wow....writing it out like this makes it feel even more real. Three more weeks. (Central) California, I'm coming home.

Design Process: Eclipse Top

2013-04-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

On July 11, 1991, there was a solar eclipse visible from California. I was nearly 11, had just started 6th grade (weird year-round school system) and was obsessed with astronomy. My parents had given me a chunk of welder's glass to take to school so I could look directly at the eclipse...but, my teacher deemed it unsafe and took it away, so I had to settle for the little viewer we made by poking a hole in a piece of paper, which wasn't nearly as cool.

Then, six months later, in January of 1992, I was thrilled to learn that there was going to be another solar eclipse (annular). Finally, my dreams of viewing a solar eclipse directly, not just as a little speck on the ground or on a piece of paper, would come true. My family, along with my most science-y friend, piled into the car and drove over to the Lawrence Hall of Science, where they had scientists and telescopes all set up for some amazing eclipse watching. But, Bay Area winter weather struck, and we were clouded out.

I was grandly disappointed. The next visible eclipse would be who-knows-when, and the next time it happened, would I even be interested in eclipses and astronomy anymore?? (And, apparently, my about-to-cry expression and excellent choice of faux-leopard attire were so compelling that I landed in two Bay Area newspapers that weekend!)

The answer was that I would get to witness an eclipse one day and, twenty years later, I would still be as awed and excited as if it had happened in 1991. And the annular eclipse of last May is what ultimately inspired my second project from Knitscene's Summer 2013 issue, the Eclipse Top.

Photo © Knitscene/Harper Point

While the annular eclipse of May 2012 occurred, Neill and I set up our own little "lab" and witnessed the eclipse from our roof deck and window. I have several dorky photos from that day, but I'll stick to what ultimately influenced the Eclipse Top design. At some point during our eclipse viewing, Neill and I realized that the sunlight shining through our partially-drawn blinds was creating a very, very cool pattern -- vertical strips of little eclipses that would otherwise be circles of light. Daniel just happened to run through one of these strips in a way that the pattern went straight down his onesie. I had Neill position him just right to take another photo (which he heartily protested...):

And then I had Neill pose so the eclipses were going down his shirt.

I thought this would make such a cool shirt design and, at first, thought about silkscreening it onto tshirts and such (which I still kind of want to do!). But then I thought about how I could interpret it into something knitted.

The Eclipse Lace pattern featured in the top is based on Feather and Fan and uses just one repeat to create the little half moon shapes, with the eyelets representing sunlight. As you can see, the knitted eclipses face up, not down like in the pattern of light and shadow on Neill's and Daniel's shirts. I liked how the top eclipse pulled in the cast-on edge of the fabric...so I thought it'd be perfect placed at the top of a v-shaped neckline.

I also designed the top to have a little pleat under the eclipse lace, which isn't so visible in Knitscene's pattern photos, but is still there. The top is worked from the top down in one piece with a raglan yoke. The swatch and final piece were both done on larger-than-usual needles in Tosh Merino Light, one of my favorites, and I'm in love with the Pop Rocks colorway used in the final.

If you'd like to find out more about the Eclipse Top, you can check it out on Ravelry here or on the Knitscene webpage here.

Design Process: Saturn Cardi

2013-04-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

The Summer issue of Knitscene hit newsstands earlier this week and, as I previously mentioned, I was extremely delighted and honored to be the featured designer of the issue. Part of being the featured designer means that I got to design a three-piece collection. And now that the issue is out there, I thought I'd spend a little time talking about my design process and inspiration for each piece. All three were in some way influenced by astronomical phenomena (which I hear a lot about at my day job at NASA), but I wanted to talk a bit about how exactly the translation from cool astro image to knit garment occurred.

Let's start with the Saturn Cardigan, shall we?

Photo © Knitscene/Harper Point

In 2004, NASA launched the Cassini mission to study Saturn. Now, I've always thought Saturn was one of the coolest looking planets, what with the rings and all, but when I saw the following ultraviolet image on Astronomy Picture of the Day, I was blown away.

Credit: UVIS, U. Colorado, ESA, NASA

One of the things this image shows us is the breakdown of what Saturn's rings are composed of. The bluer areas contain more water ice and the redder areas contain more dust. Very interesting scientifically, but it also makes for a really beautiful image. Even though this isn't actually what the rings look like in the visible light spectrum, I no longer saw Saturn as just a bright white object in the sky, but as something with much more life and color.

Originally I wanted to translate the Cassini image more literally, with bright green or turquoise rings against a very dark background (though in the end, the grey just worked better).

To form the raised rings, I found a cool technique in one of my Barbara Walker treasuries in which a few rows are knit, then folded up and joined together on the next row to form a raised welt. And, to showcase the rings, I thought it best to show them against a canvas of a very simple and wearable cardigan. Here's the original sketch -- you can see that I deviated very little from the original concept.

The sweater is simply constructed as well, knit from the top-down with a circular yoke.

Ok, this post is now going to go all over the place, but talking about the Saturn Cardi like this immediately takes me back to when I knit it. Back in September, Neill and I took a trip to South Africa with his sister, and this cardigan just happened to be my travel knitting. I managed to do the entire yoke on the way there, then the body and sleeves followed me around Cape Town, safari, and wine tasting.

One of my favorite memories from the trip actually involved this sweater. When a member of our party lost her passport (not me), we had to take a little detour and spend half of our second day at the US Embassy. I elected to stay outside on a bench and knit. Well, the outside of the embassy was heavily guarded by fit young men and women carrying around huge guns and speaking in a language I did not understand. One of the young guys kept looking at me, then frowning, speaking to his colleagues, frowning again, and looking back at me. I'm not gonna lie, the presence of the large firearms combined with the frowning made me a bit uneasy. Suddenly, the guard was approaching me. Ugh. I just knew he was going to tell me that the embassy was one of those places where knitting needles were considered a weapon and I was going to have to put them away. But when he was just a few feet away and we made eye contact, his face completely softened. He smiled, started making knitting motions with his hands and pointed to mine. "What you're doing...this reminds me of my mother! All day, every day, she was knitting, knitting, knitting!" He went on to tell me about all of the amazing things she had made for him, hats and sweaters and the like, and how proud he was to wear them. I told him that he was an amazing son, and that if my own son ever expressed half as much enthusiasm for my knitting, I would just about explode with happiness. He then said that sometimes he would take over household chores when he was growing up so his mother could take a break and knit. (Right?!) He said, "We all have things we do to get through the day...for my mother, it was knitting." And in that moment, that statement just seemed so wise, and I was so jet lagged, that I almost started crying. Here were were, this young guy and I, from two places as far away as is earthly possible, brought together by knitting.

Anyway, for more information about the Saturn Cardigan, you can see its listing on Ravelry here and on the Knitscene website here.

Mid-week Inspiration

2013-04-10T14:30:00.001-07:00

Buildings....somewhere.

I might be crazy, but when I look at the building at the top of the photo, all I can think of is: shawl.

The Winner...

2013-04-06T11:04:00.004-07:00

...of My First Cardigan Workbook...

...is...

Chelsea @ Garden-Me.com!!

Congratulations, Chelsea! I hope this book helps you make your very first cardigan for yourself! I'll send you an email shortly to find out where you'd like me to send your new book.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Book Review & Giveaway: My First Cardigan Workbook

2013-03-29T15:20:00.000-07:00

When I started knitting "seriously" about seven years ago, I was pretty adventurous. I ignored the experience level listed on the patterns I found and just jumped right in. When choosing the pattern for my very first sweater, I didn't really care what it was going to teach me or what skills I should know before starting...I just wanted to make something I wanted to wear. And it turned out ok.

But.

I felt completely lost.

When I went to my local knitting shop (the dearly departed Noe Knit :( ) to pick up the pattern, I was so embarrassed of my newbie-ness that I was terrified to ask the shop ladies any questions -- I just kind of threw an old, on-sale issue of Interweave into my bag, grabbed some yarn, and ran to the cash register. I *did*, however, ask if the i-cord called for in the pattern was something I needed to buy. (Ha!) And the ladies who were working the desk were very nice in pointing out that no, no I did not.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say, is that as a newbie sweater-knitter, I probably could have used a book or a pattern that really broke things down for me. It would have cut out much of the deer-caught-in-headlights look I had the entire time I was knitting, and I would have learned a great deal. And, had my first sweater been a cardi, I would have greatly benefited from the book we're going to talk about today.

All photos © Annie's.

My First Cardigan Workbook by Georgia Druen is a new Annie's book that breaks down cardigan knitting into its simplest form. A "self-guided tutorial", it includes 8 patterns for very simple, top-down raglan cardigans and loads of great information for beginners about the importance of making a gauge swatch and blocking, techniques, etc. The clever thing about this book, I think, is that the 8 patterns come in four sets of two, with each set containing both a baby cardigan and its adult-sized counterpart. Each set includes a different and slightly more complex technique, such as cabling, fair isle and lace. What's fantastic about this is that you can "practice" on the smaller baby version, gain some confidence, and then move on to the adult version. Because of the simplicity of the designs, the adult versions are really not more complex than the baby versions, just a little bigger.

And the designs are pretty cute. (Speaking of cute, the little girl modeling the baby sweaters is killing me!)

The beginner sweater - Baby Blocks...

And its adult counterpart, Basket Weave Basic...

Kisses & Hugs, which throws in some cabling...

And its grown up version, Classic Cables...

(Also note that many of the designs are unisex, with instructions on how to change things up to make them more suited to male or female recipients.)

And, I think Baby's First Fair Isle is particularly sweet...I love the color combo they used.

As has been my experience with all Annie's books, the layout, technique instructions, and length are just perfect. This particular book is spiral bound and also features a format that allows you to write in the stitch counts for your size, making it truly workbook-like.

You can find My First Cardigan Workbook on Amazon here and on the Annie's website here.

OR, if you'd like to win your very own copy of this book, either to try your hand at cardigan-knitting or, if you feel like you're a master already, give it to a friend who's just starting out, leave a comment here telling me a) how many cardigans you've made (an estimate is ok :) ) and b) the best way to contact you. You have until 11:59pm Pacific time next Friday, April 5th, and I'll draw a winner on Saturday afternoon.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Patterna Nova: Astro-Inspired Knitscene Collection

2013-03-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much, everyone, for your lovely reception of Glacerie! Yesterday turned out to be a pretty big pattern day for me. The Knitscene Summer '13 preview went up, and I'm excited and honored to say that I am the featured designer in the issue! Along with my profile, I got to design a three-piece garment collection, which was inspired by the astronomical sights I'm surrounded by at my day-job at NASA. I'll go into more detail later, but for now, here's a little sneak peak...

Saturn Cardigan (details on Ravelry here) in Shibui Sock

Eclipse Top (details on Ravelry here) in tosh merino light

Wavelength Tank (details on Ravelry here) in Blue Sky Alpacas Skinny Cotton

I can't wait to tell you all about this collection -- I had so much fun designing it and playing with color options. Seeing the pieces again also takes me back to last summer, when I was knitting them. After the long magazine lead time, it's always so rewarding to see your work styled and photographed on a model. I can't wait to get my hands on the magazine!

Speaking of which, the issue will hit newsstands on April 16th, but if you're itching to start knitting these or any of the projects in it (there are some beauties!), you can download the digital edition right now.

Patternum Novum: Glacerie Shawl

2013-03-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've had accessories on the brain. I'm not sure what did it, but after a lengthy devotion to sweater-knitting, all I've been able to think about lately is accessories, particularly those one wears around the neck, and specifically shawls. Enter, Glacerie:

Glacerie Shawl - $5 on Ravelry (no account required)

Glacerie (a French ice cream shop) is a fresh and pretty shawl that comes in two sizes: a smaller shawlette (seen above), and a more substantial, larger size that also serves as a canvas to play a bit more with color.

The shawl is knit from the top down and has a long and narrow triangular shape. The Stockinette portion at the top forms the base for the pretty scallop lace pattern with garter stitch finishing the edge. The lace pattern is subtle and simple, and I've included written directions and charts, both.

With its long-and-narrow shape, the small size is perfect, I think, for wrapping around your neck to wear as a scarf. Using a DK or sport weight yarn for the main/base color gives it a little structure.

And the larger size, done all in fingering weight yarns, has a bit more drape.

I had a lot of fun playing with color in these shawls and took full advantage of the season's neons-with-neutrals trend. I've been a little obsessed with the bright lime green Koigu in the small sample and, in my head, have been calling that version of the pattern Old Fashioned Lime-Vanilla Ice (from Dandelion Wine, which is so lovely and you should read it immediately). In these colors, Glacerie is a very springtimey shawl, but I can also see it for the cooler seasons in greys and burgundies, black and white -- really, anything...

The specs...
Sizes: Small (Large)
Length of top, straight edge: 48 (62.5)"/ 122 (159) cm
Height at center: 16.25 (21)"/41.5 (53.5) cm

Yarn:
Small – MC: 155 yds/142 m DK or sport weight yarn; shown in Malabrigo Arroyo (100% Merino; 335 yds/306 m per 100g) in color Natural
CC: 150 yds/137 m fingering weight yarn; shown in Koigu KPM (100% Merino; 175 yds /160 m per 50g)
Large - MC: 340 yds/311 m fingering weight yarn; shown in Anzula Cloud (80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon; 575 yds/526 m per 114g) in color Avocado
CC1: 65 yds/60 m fingering weight yarn; shown in Malabrigo Sock (100% Merino, 440 yds/402 m per 100g) in color Natural
CC2: 185 yds/169 m fingering weight yarn; shown in Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (100% Merino; 420 yds/384 m per 100g) in color Torchere

Needles:
US 6 (4 mm) circular needle, at least 32”/ 80 cm in length, or size needed to obtain gauge

Gauge:
Small - 21 sts & 26 rows = 4”/10 cm in Stockinette St & Scallop Lace
Large - 22 sts & 28 rows = 4”/10 cm in Stockinette St & Scallop Lace

For more information, you can see Glacerie on Ravelry here.

Mid-week Inspiration

2013-03-19T09:05:00.001-07:00

(Does Tuesday count as mid-week?)

My mother in law has impeccable taste. Her style and her home are perfection, and she gives the most amazing and thoughtful gifts. She picks out my favorite nail polish colors before I even know that I like them.

Yesterday, I received a letter from her and inside, in perfect minimalist wrapping, were these vintage giraffe buttons. Accompanying the buttons was a sweet note about how she saw them, thought of me, and wanted to send them, in case they might serve as inspiration for a future baby/toddler knit. The thoughtfulness of this package was inspiration alone (inspiration of another kind) -- but these buttons will certainly be the impetus for something, even if I don't yet know what.

Stitches West VI

2013-03-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

First of all, thank you so much for your wonderful reception of Cachou! It's become a favorite knit of mine (even though I should technically be keeping the sample pristine for shows and such...I totally wear it all the time), and I'm so thrilled that you like it, too.

Anyway, let's rewind a bit to two weekends ago, when the annual Stitches West show came to town. I was reading my previous blog posts about the event (this is our SIXTH YEAR -- how did that happen?) and one word that was repeated, in some form or another, in all of them was "overwhelming". Ha! It's always a great time, don't get me wrong....but it's just a lot.

So, Sophy, Erica, and I (no Brenda this year...she recently left us for a gorgeous farm house near Philadelphia :( ) piled in my car on the morning of the 23rd and headed down to the Santa Clara Convention Center. We got in about an hour of wandering and yarn hugging...

...before we were ready for a break. So we had a little lunch, and Erica was skeptical about something.

Fueled by sustenance, we made some more rounds, posed for photos (clearly I did not get the memo about the intended hand-pose)...

...spotted a Citron!...

...then needed another break.

I had already bought out practically the entire Anzula booth, but there were still a few open items on my shopping list, so we went back in for even more. And had a little puppet fight/hug session at the Malabrigo booth.

Soon after this photo was taken, we realized we were getting loopy (yarn fumes?).....so we headed back to the car and played 8 rounds of Spaceteam before we finally drove home. Sometimes it's nice to be silly.

And the yarn? First of all, do you ever go a little crazy getting yarn you won't need or be able to knit with for a great deal of time? Because I do. Ever prepared, I got the lovely Kauni below for a re-make of a shawl design that has not yet been published in a magazine, but will be, and that I will get to self-publish after the proprietary period is over. This will not be until roughly the summer of 2014. So glad I already have the yarn.

The next two items were actually a good idea. I have a gaping hole in my stash when it comes to sweater quantities of worsted weight yarn, which is odd because worsted weight sweaters are among my favorite things to knit. So I picked up some of my fave Tess' Designer Yarns Superwash Merino in this lovely cranberry...

...and dark brown.

And I don't know what this will be for, but it was so pretty I just couldn't put it down. Knitted Wit, Silky & Plied in Silver Lining. Yay, shopping local!

You can see close ups of all the amazing Anzula here. And this was how pleased I was when I bought it.

Oh, but the Stitches fun didn't end there! On Sunday morning, Stephanie, Annie, and Katy came over for 24 hours of San Francisco fun, which involved a great deal of eating, walking, browsing, holding our own private Oscar party (including fighting over Daniel Day Lewis), and, of course, yarn shopping.

For....I think a Varia?

It was a great weekend. And you know we'll be back for more next year!

Vintage Inspired Baseball Knits Winner!

2013-03-02T08:29:00.000-08:00

After consulting with the random number generator, the winner of a pattern from Vintage Baseball Knits is.....(drumroll).... Laura! Now the hard part...you have to choose if you want your prize to be Trolley Dodger or the Stadium Blanket. :) I'll send your info to Allyson shortly. Happy weekend, everyone!

Pattern Novum: Cachou Cowl & Infinity Scarf

2013-03-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

There's a new pattern up in the shop today, the Cachou Cowl (really, Infinity Scarf). Cachou was originally included in Tanis Fiber Arts' Year in Colour Club last year -- I had created it for a single lovely skein of TFA Blue Label Fingering Weight in Tanis' Thrills colorway (you can read more about it and my deep connection with the color here). Now that it's 2013, the pattern is up and available to the public, and I've revamped it and added a few extras.

Cachou Cowl - $4 on Ravelry

Cachou (which is a little candy used to decorate sweets) comes in three different sizes with two edging options (rolled or scalloped) and is written so you can make it with either Aran/worsted weight yarn or fingering weight yarn. The smallest size (not pictured) is your standard cowl, the Medium is an infinity scarf that can be worn long or wrapped once around the neck for a nice, squishy neckwarmer. And the Large...

is long enough to wrap not once...

but twice, too, for a completely different look.

This piece is designed to be a good stashbuster -- one skein of sock yarn will get you a Small, Medium, OR Large, and, depending on the yardage, one skein of Aran or worsted weight will get you at least a Medium, possibly a Large, too. Cachou is also designed to play nicely with variegated yarns. The lace pattern doesn't compete with the colors, and breaks them up in a way that (I think) is really lovely.

Here are the specs...
Sizes:
Aran weight version [Fingering weight version] Small (Medium, Large) Circumference: 22.5 (41.5, 54.5)”/ 57 (106, 139) cm [21.25 (42.75, 53.25”)/ 54 (108.5, 135.5) cm] Height: 7 (8, 9.25)”/ 18 (20.5, 23.5) cm Samples shown in Aran weight, Medium (pink) and Fingering weight, Large (purple).

Yarn:
115 (205, 285) yds/ 105 (190, 260) m [165 (325, 420) yds/ 150 (300, 385) m]of Aran or worsted [Fingering] weight yarn

Shown in Tanis Fiber Arts Green Label Aran Weight (100% Merino; 205 yds/187 m per 115g/4oz skein) in Pink Grapefruit and Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label Fingering Weight (80% superwash merino, 20% nylon; 420 yds/385 m yds per 115g/4oz skein) in Thrills

Needles:
US 8 (5 mm) and US 9 (5.5 mm) [US 6 (4 mm) and US 7 (4.5 mm)] circular needles, 16 (32, 32)”/40 (80, 80) cm in length

Gauge:
18 sts & 24 rows [24 sts & 34 rows] = 4”/10 cm in Stockinette stitch on smaller needles
15 sts & 23 rows [18 sts & 25 rows] = 4"/10 cm in Diagonal Madeira Lace on smaller needles

Now that the weather has been warming up and spring has started showing itself here and there, I've found Cachou to be a great accessory -- it's warm when it needs to be, but the lace keeps it from being overwhelming. And I specifically chose to knit my new one in Tanis' gorgeous Pink Grapefruit colorway to add a nice, bright pop of color. Truly, it has barely left my neck since I finished it.

For more information, see Cachou's Ravelry page here.

Mid-week Inspiration

2013-02-27T16:04:00.001-08:00

I have a huge crush on all the pretty Anzula I picked up at Stitches West over the weekend.

I'm not convinced what they'll be yet, or if they'll end up in these specific color combinations, but I'm really enjoying looking at them like this right now.

Vintage Inspired Baseball Knits Giveaway - A few more days

2013-02-26T08:22:00.002-08:00

Apparently I had the wrong calendar out last week when I wrote my post about Vintage Inspired Baseball Knits and its associated giveaway. At the time of that post's writing, "next Wednesday" was not March 6th. "Next Wednesday" was, in fact tomorrow, February 26th. So I'll split the difference and make the new cut-off for entry into the giveaway Friday, March 1st at 11:59pm Pacific time. I'll draw and announce a winner on Saturday. This means that you still have a few days to enter the giveaway...so go do it!

Also, stay tuned for my yearly report on Stitches West. My knitting gang and I had an amazing time and (I) brought home a pretty major haul. I can't wait to share it with you!

Vintage-Inspired Baseball Knits - Blog Tour & Giveaway!

2013-02-22T09:43:00.001-08:00

In case you missed it last week, Allyson Dykhuizen of Sweatshop of Love (and curator of Holla Knits) released a new e-book collection with Knit Picks entitled Vintage-Inspired Baseball Knits. As you may or may not know, I am a huge baseball fan, a lover of all things vintage and historical, and (obviously) a knitter -- so I was thrilled when Allyson asked me to be part of its blog tour. And I also kind of want to be her best friend.

Vintage-Inspired Baseball Knits is a collection of six patterns that, you might guess, are inspired by baseball history - pulling directly from its styles as well as its players. Each piece has a well thought-out background story, and I encourage you to visit the Ravelry pages linked below to read Allyson's fantastic write-ups. And the designs themselves are great -- incredibly fun, spring-and-summery pieces, four of which are garments that are sporty and feminine at the same time, a team-themed blanket for taking to the ballpark, and the CUTEST baby outfit (Just wait. It is SO FREAKING CUTE.) I love the pattern photos, too...the model looks like she's having so much fun!

You can find the whole collection on Ravelry as well as on Knit Picks, where you can purchase it in e-book form for $9.99 and as individual patterns for $4.99 each. Allyson has even charted up 16 different vintage team logos, which you can download for free and use to personalize your knits.

Here are the knits (and, again, you should really visit their Ravelry pages to read more).

(Note: all photos are © Knit Picks)

The Georgia Peach, inspired by Ty Cobb and the sweaters players wore a century ago.

Trolley Dodger, which is named for (and has the colors of) the earliest incarnation of the team that would become my least favorite team in baseball...but the sweater is pretty cute anyway. :)

Stadium Blanket, which I need to make before baseball season starts, because AT&T park is freezing 100% of the time. This will be perfect!

Harnett Tank, celebrating women in baseball - woot!

Knickerbocker Tee, an adorable, feminine take on the baseball tee.

and Baby Babe Ruth, perhaps the cutest thing I have ever seen IN MY ENTIRE LIFE.

Now here's the really exciting part -- Allyson has offered to send a pattern of the winner's choosing to one lucky reader of The Yarniad! To enter, please leave a comment here by ~~next Wednesday (March 6th)~~ Friday, March 1st at 11:59pm Pacific time letting me know: 1) which pattern you'd choose, 2) if you have a favorite baseball team, and 3) a way to contact you should you win (e.g. Ravelry ID, blog address if you have an email address linked there somewhere, etc.). I'll draw a winner and let you know on Thursday.

Again, you can find the whole collection on Knit Picks here and Ravelry here.

And here's the full blog tour schedule -- be sure to check out the upcoming stops for more chances to win!

Mon Feb 18 - Magical Grammar
Wed Feb 20 - Under the Red Umbrella
Fri Feb 22 - The Yarniad
Sat Feb 23 - Voolenvine

Mon Feb 25 - Canary Knits
Wed Feb 27 - Adaly Myles Place
Fri March 1st - Subway Knits

Indicum

2013-02-19T14:48:00.001-08:00

Recently, a bunch of really, really pretty Indicum Pullovers have been popping up on Ravelry. I designed the sweater in navy blue, with a deep purple accent:

And I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed seeing the different color combinations other knitters have chosen to suit themselves. Many are unexpected - combinations I would never have thought of - but all are extremely beautiful! Below, a sampling of these gorgeous FOs...

(Note: All photos © the referenced Ravelry usernames.)

evilpenguins used Sundara Yarn Fingering Merino Cashmere in Summer Sangria and Fiber Optic Yarns Kashmir in Sterling for her Rosy Indicum.

elf11 used Shilasdair Luxury 4 ply (colorway 137) and a self-dyed BFL sock yarn as contrast for her Bryophyta Pullover. (And how much do I love that she named her pullover with the Latin name for "moss"?)

gdh57 used SweetGeorgia Yarns Silk Crush in Raspberry and Goldmine for her lovely version. I love that pop of gold!

Sophy stuck with Malabrigo Yarn Sock (in Ochre) for the main color and Reynolds Soft Sea Wool (colorway 263) for her adorable short-sleeved sweater. (Unfortunately, though, it turned out a little too small for her so it now resides with our friend Erica.)

preciouslyinked chose Wollmeise Sockenwolle 80/20 Twin in WD Versuchskaninchen with Wollmeise "Pure" 100% Merino Superwash mont blanc for contrast in her very pretty Keep it simple, stupid. ( :) )

And juicyknits used Skeinny Dipping Penelope Sock in OOAK for her juicy red and orange toned, longer-sleeved version.

Bravo, ladies!

I just love seeing people reinterpret a piece I've designed, whether it be changing the colors like this, altering sleeve length, or modifying it in any way to suit their own sweater needs. It's one of the best parts of publishing patterns, in my opinion.

For more info on the Indicum pattern, my original blog post about it is here.

Tule

2013-02-17T16:01:00.002-08:00

After my post about the First Light collection, a lovely reader wrote asking if I might be able to post photos of Tule in full length, as the model is sitting down in all of the current shots. So below, is Tule on a standing model...

This Tule is the 32" bust size, worn with no ease. You can (hopefully) see in these shots that there is waist shaping along the sides and that the sweater falls loosely around the hips and ruffles just a little bit at the hem.

The length is long, tunic-length, ranging 18.25 to 19.75" from underarm to hem (the size 32" is 18.75" long). Keep in mind that I have a long torso, so this length is not quite as tunic-y on me as it might be on others. The beauty of a top-down sweater, though (which Tule is), is that you can easily lengthen or shorten it to suit your own torso.

If you have any questions about this design (or any others for that matter), please don't hesitate to ask.

And to those whose places of employment celebrate tomorrow's holiday, I hope you enjoy your long weekend!

End-of-week Inspiration

2013-02-15T15:12:00.000-08:00

As a designer, I'm often asked what inspires me. (I mean, it's not like people are sitting around me in rapt attention all the time asking me to talk about myself....but I do have the occasional interview.) And I usually talk about how fashion magazines, San Francisco street style, and, well, Anthropologie have directly influenced/inspired my knitting designs. But this is a pretty narrow interpretation of "inspiration".

When I really start to think about inspiration, I'm reminded of all the random little photos I've taken of "neat stuff" since I got a phone with a camera in it -- the photos themselves aren't particularly beautiful, but I've gathered up a pretty large collection of things that have inspired me just walking down the street. They're often things I like the look of, or the color of, or the arrangement of...and something about them awakens something inside me and makes me feel the need to create. I don't think any of them have ever directly influenced a knit I've made, but I do like to look at them when I want to feel that creative spark.

Let's get geeky now and look at the word inspiration -- it comes from the Latin in- (same as our in) and spirare, to breathe. To inspire is to breathe into -- doesn't that perfectly describe the feeling you get when you see something that inspires you?

Anyway, this is all a long-winded way of saying that, just for fun, I'd like to start sharing some of the weird little things that have breathed creative life into me, starting with one of my favorites.

This is a wall outside Frida Kahlo's Blue House -- of course, there was no shortage of inspiration inside that house, but there was just something about those red flowers against that brilliant blue...

I'd love to hear or see what inspires you -- please come share it over in my Ravelry group!

Happy Friday!

First Light

2013-02-13T15:16:00.000-08:00

Knit Picks has just come out with their first pattern collection, First Light, pulling from independent designers, and centering around a theme of unexpected balances -- and, my goodness, have they done a beautiful job. I'm excited to say that I have two patterns included in the collection (one of them being the "cover girl", too!), but leaving that out of the equation, I think they're all pretty stunning. Each one is beautiful with a twist: a bolero with a flower detail on the back, a racerback vest with a splash of lace, a cabled cardigan with interesting construction and gorgeous drape. The color palette, styling, photography, and setting are all so fantastic -- I want to jump into the pages of the collection. And you must visit the its page on the Knit Picks site simply to read the poetic description.

My contributions include the Janus Cardigan (on Ravelry here)...

which is made from Knit Picks Gloss DK, a wool-silk blend, and is constructed from the bottom up in one piece with a raglan yoke. The unexpected element?

A keyhole opening in the back, lined with ribbing.

I named Janus for the Roman god of transitions and gates -- a nod to the keyhole as well as to the transition from winter to spring, from dark to light, which is what this collection is all about.

Tule (here on Ravelry) is a long-sleeved pullover made from Aloft, Knit Picks' silk-mohair yarn, knit from the top-down with a circular yoke.

The collar and slightly puffed sleeve cuffs are embellished with Linen Stitch, which has a much different feel than usual when worked in this airy yarn.

Tule is the fog that spreads through California's Central Valley in the winter and early spring -- the mohair knit at loose gauge reminded me of its wispy clouds and mist.

You can find more information about these patterns and the whole collection on Knit Picks here, where you can also purchase the entire thing as a book or individual patterns separately (for $4.99 each). First Light is also on Ravelry here.

Let's hear it for the Knit Picks team for putting together such a stunner!

About all these giveaways...

2013-02-10T13:37:00.001-08:00

As you've probably noticed, I've had a bunch of book review/giveaways going on over the past several months. And, for some reason, while I was knitting last night before going to bed, I started wondering if anyone had developed the wrong idea about it. I mean, no one has said anything to me....but it just started nagging at me.

It's probably more obvious with indie designer pattern collections than published books, but -- I'd like to go on the record and say that no one is paying me to do book or pattern reviews. The only thing I receive from publishers for doing a review is a copy of the book...but those books are what I use for the giveaways (which I vowed to myself to do, even when I really want to keep the books!), and I pay the postage to send them to the winners myself. The only exceptions are when I review a pattern collection that comes in digital form (I usually get a copy of the files as well) and the last giveaway, when I received my own copy of ISLAND in addition to the giveaway copy (which was a huge treat!).

As I've become more busy with designing and taking care of a little guy whose sole purpose in life seems to be destroying the house, I know that my blog content has really suffered. Doing knitting book and pattern reviews here and there has given me something to talk about when I can't seem to find my voice, and doing giveaways with the books I review allows me a way to give back to you guys for sticking with me.

Maybe this is completely coming out of nowhere, but I just wanted to let you know. Thanks for listening. :)

Paging Niki!

2013-02-08T08:36:00.001-08:00

Niki -- you are the winner of the ISLAND giveaway! I'd love to send you your signed copy of the book, but don't know where to send it....please comment here with the best way to contact you, or email me at xilary [at] gmail [dot] com. Unfortunately, if I don't hear from you by this Sunday night, I'll have to draw another winner. :(

Also, a reminder of the ongoing ISLAND tour...

F E B R U A R Y

12th - Noodlehead

14th - Miso Crafty

19th - SweetGeorgia

21st - A Playful Day

And a little sneak peak at what's on the needles lately...

ISLAND Winner

2013-02-04T14:58:00.002-08:00

I have consulted the all-knowing Random Number Generator, and the winner of her very own signed copy of Jane Richmond's ISLAND is.....

Niki!

I hope you enjoy knitting your Arbutus! I believe I was able to click through to your Ravelry profile, but if you don't get a message from me, please leave a comment here letting me know where I can contact you.

And for the rest of you lovely folks who entered, it's still not too late! The ISLAND blog tour continues...

F E B R U A R Y

5th - French Press Knits

7th - Truly Myrtle

12th - Noodlehead

14th - Miso Crafty

19th - SweetGeorgia

21st - A Playful Day

ISLAND Giveaway

2013-01-29T11:13:00.002-08:00

To say I'm a fan of designer Jane Richmond would be a huge understatement. Her designs are gorgeous and brilliant in their simplicity and if I had just a bit more time in the day I would have her entire collection hanging in my closet. Needless to say, when Jane and partner-in-crime Shannon Cook (of Luvinthemommyhood.com) asked if I would be a part of the blog tour for Jane's new collection, ISLAND, I answered with a very enthusiastic YES!

The concept for ISLAND came about as a collaboration between friends - Jane and Shannon (if you haven't checked out her blog, you really should) - and focuses on their home, Vancouver Island, as inspiration. It contains five new original patterns by Jane, four of them accessories and one cardigan, all in her signature minimalist style. But to me, ISLAND is so much more than just a knitting book. In the introduction, Jane talks about how excited she was to venture into book-publishing because in this format, there is so much more space to express onesself than in a single digital pattern. She enjoyed being able to show pieces of her personality through things like layout and artwork. And Shannon writes of "the story" behind design being one of her favorite parts of the process. And, let me tell you, all of this comes out stunningly when you look at the book as a whole. There is indeed a story in these pages, and everything from the layout and graphic design (both also a collaboration between Jane and Shannon), breathtaking photography, styling, and the knits themselves tell it impeccably. I think the book's description puts it perfectly here:

Filled with designs & fibers that are true to Jane's classic and modern aesthetic, ISLAND not only makes you want to knit, it also inspires you to lose yourself in an adventure of your own. Be inspired, get lost in the journey, set your imagination free, and ESCAPE to the ISLAND.

Truly, this is something I will look at time and again, to flip through for inspiration, and to escape in when I need a lift. I don't know that I can say enough good things about it. So let's take a look inside, shall we? (Ravelry links are included if you'd like to see more about each design.)

As I said before, the book contains five new patterns by Jane Richmond:

Renfrew, a slouchy beanie with a mock-cable stitch traveling up the side that comes with instructions for making it in varying degrees of slouchiness.

Strathcona, a very pretty, multi-seasonal linen scarf with a pointed, shawlette-like center that I'm kind of in love with.

Grace, a timeless cardigan with a little lace on the front and back of the yoke (please do check out the additional photos on Ravelry -- I couldn't resist this great shot, but you really need to see the back and lace detail.)

Arbutus, a cleverly-constructed cowl that only looks like a wrapped infinity scarf (I'll admit to being totally fooled until I actually read the pattern).

and Rathtrevor, the simple mitts featured in the awesome photo on the book's cover.

And, because I just can't resist, here are two more lovelies that make me want to jump into the book's pages immediately.

In addition to the "story" pages, there are also detailed pattern photos as well as a nice, clean layout for the patterns themselves. I'm really looking forward to knitting them...I'm thinking Strathcona first.

ISLAND can be purchased in hard copy on Amazon and on Ravelry, both as an e-book and individual patterns.

OR, if you'd like to win your very own signed copy of ISLAND (which includes a coupon code to download the digital version), just leave a comment here telling me which of the five designs you'd cast on first by Sunday night (February 3rd) at 11:59pm Pacific time. I'll draw and announce a winner the following day.

And if you'd like to follow along with the rest of ISLAND's blog tour, here's the upcoming schedule:

J A N U A R Y

31st - Knitted Bliss

F E B R U A R Y

5th - French Press Knits

7th - Truly Myrtle

12th - Noodlehead

14th - Miso Crafty

19th - SweetGeorgia

21st - A Playful Day