Category Archives: pattern design

Trunk Show time!

Posted on January 20, 2012 | 4 comments

Tomorrow (Saturday, January 21) is trunk show day for PDXKnitterati and Knitted Wit at Kathy’s Knit Korner in Forest Grove. Stop by and see us! We’ll be there from 1-3 with lots of pretty samples, Knitted Wit yarns and PDXKnitterati patterns.

Kathy’s Knit Korner
1703 Pacific Ave.
Forest Grove, OR 97116
503-648-8525

If you can’t make it out to Forest Grove, but you’re itching for some yarny fun in town, several Portland shops are waiting for you with bells on. The Seattle to Portland Yarn Train, due in on Saturday, has been cancelled due to storm damage (downed trees and more) on the tracks. I know that Cindy at Urban Fiber Arts is carrying on with her sale. If you’re local, you benefit! (edited for late breaking news: Amtrak says that they’ll have service on that line on Saturday, so we may have Seattleites, after all.)

What else is going on? You know all those ancient Greek tragedies, where the hero is brought down by his own hubris? I’m living a knitterly version of it. I’m working on a little design project. I liked my prototype that I knit out of stash yarn (purple), and felt ready to jump into the real thing with one little change planned. I was feeling pretty confident, as you know from my last post. Right now I’ve got a basket o’ chaos.

After knitting the first piece with the real yarn (green), I slowly realized that it wasn’t the real yarn after all. Slightly different weight, slightly different row gauge, and it turns out that it’s not the yarn it was supposed to be! A quick call to Lorajean confirmed it. Oops! It will fit me, though, so I’ll save it for later.

Do over. Started with the real, real yarn (blue!), and finished the first piece. (Again.) Thought of a change for the second piece, tried it, hated it, ripped it out and am finishing again. I should have just gone with my first (well, second) instinct. But it’s almost done, again. I do all the trial and error so you don’t have to!

And in other news, we’ve fallen under the spell of the chocolate mug cake, thanks to Pinterest, twitter, and Facebook. Social media is dangerous! Sorry for the lack of pictures, but we make them at night, the lighting is awful, and the cake doesn’t last long! We’ve tried two recipes in the last two days.

2 Minute Chocolate and Salted Caramel Mug Cake, sans caramels but with added ice cream and bourbon chocolate sauce, plenty for two people

One Minute Chocolate Cake (a single serving, but we shared with no problem)

There may well be a nutella mug cake tonight. The best part of it is that there are no leftovers to tempt you the next day. You just have to be able to stop making them…yeah, sure!

What’s new with you?

4 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design, recipe

Tagged mug cakes, trunk show

MLK Day service opportunity

Posted on January 12, 2012 | 8 comments

Monday, January 16th, is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United States. How will you be spending it? Do you get the day off? I’ll be at a service workday for the Backpack Lunch Program. The program provides weekend lunches for children who are at risk of hunger on the weekends, when no school lunch is available. If you’re in PDX and looking for something to do, come and help us pack lunch sacks for the kids we serve at Woodlawn and King Schools. After packing lunches, there’s a short program with folk singing and honoring Dr. King. The Day Old Pastries, my music group, will be leading the singing, so I’ll be there with guitar in hand. Last year we packed about 580 weekend lunch sacks for kids at risk of hunger — just about equal to a month’s sacks that we need for the two schools. The event is at Woodlawn United Methodist Church, NE 15th and Dekum Street, from 1-3 p.m. Hope to see you there!

(backpack logo copyright Jill Penney)

So what’s up, knit-wise? I’m working on a little project. Yesterday Lorajean dropped off these colors, and I’ll be picking one for this project. I’ve already knitted a sample with some yarn I had here, so I know where this is going. I love it when the knitting cooperates with the vision the first time around…

8 Comments

Posted in Day Old Pastries, Knit, pattern design

Tagged Backpack Program, Day Old Pastries, PDX

Thrumbelina

Posted on December 2, 2011 | 5 comments

It’s December! And I have something to show you. If you’re a member of Twisted‘s Single Skein Club, you may not want to look until you’ve picked up/received your package. I’m throwing in a gratuitous kitty picture so you can avert your eyes and not scroll down.

Ready for the real deal?

This is Thrumbelina, my design for Twisted’s Single Skein Club this month. Thrumbelina is a thrummed slipper, filled with fluffy woolly goodness. These babies are cushy, comfy, and warm! The thrums will eventually felt down and be a custom fit for your foot.

I love how these are all business on the outside

And a party on the inside!

Wouldn’t you love to put your foot in these?

You can, if you’re a member of this year’s Single Skein Club. If not, the pattern will be for sale March 1 here through PDXKnitterati and also through Twisted. The purple pair you see in the pictures are knit with Malabrigo worsted in Velvet Grapes, and they went to Twisted as the sample. The SSC offering is black Malabrigo worsted with either beaujolais or wintergreen roving for the thrums, dyed by my friend Lorajean Kelley of Knitted Wit. I think I’ll knit myself a pair, too. I have a skein of Velvet Grapes and a merino knot of beaujolais, and I think they’ll make a delicious pairing.

This is the last year of Twisted’s Single Skein Club, but fear not! Next year they are offering a new club in its place, the Mad About Tosh Club. All yarns are from MadelineTosh, including an exclusive Twisted color one month.

I’m really pleased to have had two designs in Twisted’s Single Skein Club, my Thrumbelina Slippers and my Breezy Market Tote last year. Shannon & Emily are absolute loves to work with. I enjoy teaching in their sweet shop, too. Speaking of which, I’m teaching a class on thrumming next Saturday, December 10, from 10 to noon. We’ll be starting Thrumster earbands or cowls. If you’re a SSC member that wants a little extra help, or just want to learn how to thrum because it’s chilly out and you want to add that special pizazz to your knitting, contact the shop to sign up!

I’ll be in the shop before then, though. There’s a Knitted Wit trunk show through Sunday, and Lorajean will be there from 1 to 3 tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 3). Stop by and say howdy. I will!

5 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design

Tagged thrumbelina, thrummed knitting, thrumster

The Thrill of the Thrum

Posted on November 14, 2011 | 8 comments

Autumn is definitely here, and it’s chilly. I’ve been experimenting with wooly ways to be warmer, and my current infatuation is with thrummed knitting. Here’s its latest incarnation.

Thrumster is either a cowl or an earband, depending on where you like your warmth. Or do both! Me, I don’t like messing up my hair, so I got DH to model the earband. I’m all about the cowl.

Things look pretty straightforward from the outside, but the inside is where the action is. These babies are *warm*, because they have thrums knitted in. So cozy!

What are thrums? They’re bits of fleece that you work into your knitting. Thrummed knitting originated in northeastern Canada, where they know how to deal with cold! I’ve written a pattern for this thrummed earband and cowl set, and it explains all about the art of the thrum. I’m also teaching a class on thrumming at Twisted next month on Tuesday, December 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. Come learn a new technique with me!

Not in PDX? The pattern is for sale through Ravelry. I made a video tutorial, too.

What’s your newest knitting technique? What did you knit with it?

8 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design

Tagged cowl, earband, thrummed knitting, thrums, thrumster

This Little Ziggy on KnitPicks

Posted on November 3, 2011 | 7 comments

It’s up! This Little Ziggy has debuted on KnitPicks. It can be knit for sizes 2T and 4T. Do you have a cute little munchkin who needs a little Ziggy pizazz?

Also in the KnitPicks department, I’ve heard from some of you that my Lacy Entrelac Infinity Scarf is in the current KnitPicks catalog. I haven’t received mine yet, but I’m looking forward to seeing it!

Go, me! And no, I haven’t forgotten the vacay photos. Just waiting for the Lantern Moon contest to close…

7 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design

Tagged entrelac, knitpicks, lacy entrelac infinity scarf, This Little Ziggy

Ziggy Hat!

Posted on October 24, 2011 | 9 comments

I couldn’t help myself. I saw the leftover yarn sitting there, and it called my name. Knitted Wit’s Polwarth Wool/silk DK blend is so lovely to knit with; I couldn’t walk away!

I’m glad I gave in. The hat is so cute, and will fit sizes 2-4T. As you can see from the pictures, we checked! I’ve amended the Ravelry version of This Little Ziggy to include the hat. The price of the pattern is now $6 because it includes vest and hat, but if you use the coupon code “ziggiest” at checkout before November 7, the pattern is $2 off, which takes it back to the pre-hat price of $4 (but includes the hat). The simplest way to do this is to use this link, and the code will be applied for you.

The KnitPicks version will sell for $3.99, but the hat pattern is not included in that version, since I’ve already sent it off for publication. I’ll let you know when that goes live, too.

To hat, or not to hat? That is the question! And do you want a separate pattern for just the hat? I can make that happen, too!

9 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design

Tagged This Little Ziggy, ziggy hat

This Little Ziggy went to the pumpkin patch

Posted on October 19, 2011 | 7 comments

And a grand time was had by all. It was a glorious sunny fall day.

I needed to take some pictures of another vest, and o was the perfect model.

His Papa helped, too!

I’m so blessed to know Lorajean. I love designing with her beautiful yarns, and her family is delightful.

The This Little Ziggy pattern is live! You can go here for more details, if you’d like to knit your own.

Now I have lots of swatching, and nothing on the needles! What’s on your needles?

7 Comments

Posted in pattern design

Tagged Knit, pumpkin patch, This Little Ziggy

Created in Oregon, and OFFF

Posted on September 21, 2011 | 7 comments

Last year, Deb Accuardi of Pico Accuardi Dyeworks asked me if I’d like to design a pattern for her new calendar project. Yes, of course! The datebook was to feature 12 patterns in Pico Accuardi Dyeworks yarns, and 12 areas in Oregon. I asked for blue yarn and the Oregon Coast for my project, which is the Rockaway 2-Way Beach Beanie/Cowl (Ravelry link). It’s the August pattern in the datebook, Created in Oregon: A Knitter’s Datebook 2012.

Other contributors include Leigh Radford, Sivia Harding, Kristin Spurkland, Judy Becker, Larissa Brown, Shannon Squire and Emily Williams. The datebook is now available from Pico Accuardi Dyeworks, and through several yarn stores in the Portland area. I know Twisted and Urban Fiber Arts has them. They’ll also be available at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival this weekend in the Carolina Homespun booth, along with yarn kits for the calendar projects. You can get your datebook signed by Deb from 3-5 at the Carolina Homespun booth, and for even more fun, there’s a reception with authors and contributors for this book and several other new knitting books from Oregon authors on the lawn at 5 p.m. I’ll be there, and hope to see you then.

Here’s the backstory on my design. I go to Rockaway, Oregon at the coast every year with a group of friends for Crafty Moms weekend. There’s nothing like a sea breeze and a perfect view to clear the mind and inspire creativity!

Hat shown in Pico Accuardi Dyeworks Worsted, Rodgie’s Midnight Dancing on the left; cowl shown in Dream in Color Classy, Deep Seaflower Blue on the right.

The lacy pattern at the top and bottom edges creates a scalloped edge reminiscent of the Pacific Ocean’s waves. The elongated lattice pattern at the center makes the most of the hand-dyed yarn’s variegated loveliness. At the coast, you never know if you’ll need a little warmth or a lot, so this piece can be worn as a hat, or as a cowl.

Please excuse my semi-stern look; the sun was very bright on this February day. Many thanks to Laurie Nelesen for taking my picture; I can’t be the model and the photographer at the same time! (None of the other Crafty Moms wanted to model for me. Go figure…)

Are you coming to OFFF? I hope to see you there! I’ll be helping Lorajean of Knitted Wit set up her booth on Friday, and I’ll be around on Saturday and maybe Sunday, too. You can find my patterns and a new design (more on that tomorrow) in the Knitted Wit booth!

7 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design

Tagged Created in Oregon, Rockaway Beach Beanie/Cowl

Swiftly winding away

Posted on September 13, 2011 | 15 comments

I’ve resisted buying a swift and ball winder for a long time. I usually have my yarn wound at my local yarn store, a skein at a time. (Fear of commitment? wouldn’t want to wind them all, in case they don’t cooperate with my vision for them.) But when my Aunt Rose visited this summer, she insisted on buying both of these for me. And I have to say, I’ve used them a lot this week!

Since CollegeDude2 is off to university on the other side of the country, I thought I’d use his room as a knitting studio. His futon bed has converted into a comfortable sofa, and his desk is now my desk, which doubles as a winding station. (There’s a lot more clearing out to do, but half of the room is now mine.)

Lorajean at Knitted Wit had a brainstorm for a project: She asked me to design a toddler vest to go in a kit with her yarn. Check out the cute colors! And the swift and winder turned them into this.

The first vest is done; here’s a sneak peek at the edging. Full reveal after I get some cute action shots!

So thanks to Aunt Rose for the great tools, to Lorajean for the opportunity to come up with something fun, and to CollegeDude2 for the use of his room! I’m getting a lot more done now that I have this cool corner office in the house. What’s inspiring you these days?

15 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design

lace triangles

Posted on August 28, 2011 | 5 comments

I took at class at Twisted on Saturday, Designing Lace Triangle Shawls with Sivia Harding. Sivia is the queen of lace, and beads. I took a one hour wonder beading class with her at Sock Summit 2009. This class was six times better, because it was a 6 hour class! And there was some beading, too. We learned about basic triangle shawl construction, choosing a pattern, stitch dictionaries, how to chart our lace, swatching, transitioning between lace patterns, edgings, and beads. Whew! I came home inspired, and spent part of this afternoon working on a design.

Alas, it didn’t quite work out to be what I wanted, but I’m not done yet.

I also played with my camera the other morning; Franklin Habit’s class has inspired me to take more pictures. My camera is just a point & shoot Panasonic Lumix; it doesn’t have a very fast lens. I wanted to see if I could get it to play with depth of field. I’m still not quite sure how to make it happen with this camera. (I miss my film SLR…) I just kept playing with macro and zoom until I got these. I loved the way the sun was lighting the flowers of the dandelions, while the ground was still in shade. It looked like fairy lights, just magical.