San Diego knits!

Posted on July 16, 2025 | 2 comments

I spent last week in San Diego, presenting and teaching for the San Diego North Coast Knitters Guild. This is a happening guild! They bring in guest speakers/teachers nearly every month, and have two retreats per year. Impressive!

Monday was travel day, in order to be in place on Tuesday. I arrived in the afternoon, so I went to the beach! Moonlight State Beach was just a half mile down the street from my hotel in Encinitas.

concession stand tacos
Not your usual concession stand hot dog
Moonlight State Beach and lots of people

It’s a lot more crowded than an Oregon Coast beach, because the water is warm.

Moonlight State Beach

I walked a half mile south to where it was quieter. Perfect. Then back to my starting point, and a little ways north. I sat on the sand watching the waves, and it was so pleasant that I couldn’t bring myself to get up for an hour past when I thought I should.

I explored the main drag of Encinitas. Very touristy, lots of fun shops and eateries. And overlooks at the ends of the streets so you can see the beach and ocean.

The main drag is Highway 101, so 4 of these surround every tree and lightpost. .

I gave a presentation on my design process, and blocking accessories at the guild meeting on Tuesday. And I enjoyed the Show and Share time at the end of the meeting.

A collage of brioche shawls called Both Sides Now

The knitters in Emmy’s family had a knitalong (KAL) of the Both Sides Now shawl that I designed for Knit Picks. It was fun to see so many of them, and to see how different each side looked.

Woman with a Sophie’s Rose shawl

Anne brought her Sophie’s Rose shawlette. 2014!

And one of the knitters modeled a cardigan that she started in 1997. She had set it aside many times, and was finally determined to finish it. Then she ran out of her lilac yarn, so she color blocked one of the fronts in a gorgeous spring green. It looked fabulous, but the kicker? She found the rest of the yarn after finishing the sweater! I think the color blocking really added to the piece, so it was a serendipitous misplacing.

Woman wearing brioche knit cowl featuring assigned pooling petal motifs

I was pleased to have a chance to wear my new Scattered Petals cowl.

I taught classes on Wednesday and Thursday: Brioche Pastiche, Whale Conga Line, YO YO Fancy Stitches, and Sheepy Steeky Coasters.

Steamer action!

I loved that program coordinator Theresa bound off her coasters just before class, and she brought her steamer for steam blocking!

Mary is knitting a Starstruck shawlette. I love her color choices.

It was so nice to meet Karen, who test knit for my Brioche Knit Love book.

Theresa, Denise, Karla, Anne

I had a great time with this guild! I’d happily teach for them again.

San Diego sunset

I came home and hit the ground running. Lots to get done this week before I leave on Friday to go sing in Sisters!

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Introducing Scattered Petals

Posted on July 6, 2025 | 3 comments
brioche knit cowl with assigned pooling motifs
Larger cowl

Scattered Petals is a bandana cowl knit in the round. It features a dusting of assigned pooling petals on a two-color brioche rib background. Choose two skeins of fingering weight yarn, one of which is dyed for assigned pooling. Knitting begins in the round at the bottom with a contrast color brioche rib edging. Simple shaping at the center front creates the look of a triangle shawl.

Smaller and larger cowls stacked, for comparison

The pattern offers the cowl in two sizes, depending on how much coverage you like.

assigned pooling stitch detail
Assigned pooling stitch detail

I used Yarn Snob’s A Good Fingering for my cowls, in Black Orchid (pooling color) and Wicked Green. I love, love, love how this turned out.

yarn dyed for assigned pooling

The Scattered Petals pattern is available on Ravelry, link here. It is also available on Payhip, link here. Use coupon code ROSES for a 15% discount on either site. I hope you enjoy this sweet knit!

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Bootie and Bossy Podcast Interview

Posted on July 5, 2025 | 3 comments
Bootie and Bossy Eat Drink Knit logo

I’ve been a fan of the Bootie and Bossy Eat Drink Knit podcast for a while now. These two sisters talk about knitting, cooking, and life. Recently they’ve been on a read-through of Anne L. Macdonald’s No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting. I read this when it first came out (in hardback!). I think I’ll read it again, on my Kindle.

I was honored when they invited me to have a chat with them for their podcast. It was a fun and rambling conversation about all things knitting, and more.

Cheetos and chopsticks

I think my suggestions for snacking while knitting really captured their fancy. Have a listen here, and giggle along with us! (Link is for Apple Podcasts, but you can also find them on Spotify.)

Thanks to Erica and Jenny, aka Bootie and Bossy!

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Posted in Day Old Pastries, Fame, Knit, my book project, Pie Birds, recipe

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Entrelac Encore

Posted on July 4, 2025 | 4 comments
Flower Power?

I’m knitting away on this new entrelac piece. It’s much like Minerva, my usual entrelac teaching piece, but it has fewer units in width, so it grows more quickly in length. There’s also an optional flower motif in the center squares, because why not add something new?

The driving force behind this new piece? I’m teaching an online entrelac class for Marie Greene’s virtual Knit Camp at the Coast in September. I decided that I want a minimalist project that better fits into the allotted time.

I love the yarn that I’m using here. It’s Berroco Wizard, which is a fluffy chainette. It’s listed as chunky/bulky, but the chainette construction makes it almost weightless. So cozy! One skein is enough for up to a double looped cowl or scarf, but you could stop at any time after 20” and seam it up for a shorter cowl.

Pattern coming soon! This will be my entrelac teaching piece after it’s published.

I’m headed to San Diego on Monday to speak and teach for the San Diego North Coast Knitters Guild. We’ll be playing with brioche, fancy elongated stitches, and steeks. And I’ll have plenty of knitting time on the plane to finish this entrelac project!

assigned pooling stitch detail

In the meantime, happy 4th of July to the Yanks! I’m working this weekend, prepping for San Diego, and getting ready to launch Scattered Petals on Monday. Knit on!

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Whirlwind

Posted on July 2, 2025 | 5 comments

It’s been a busy couple weeks. I did a photo shoot with my sister for my two upcoming designs, Scattered Petals and Simply Stellar.

Scattered Petals and Simply Stellar

I’m publishing Scattered Petals next Monday, after the July 4th weekend. If you’d like a 25% discount on the pattern when it’s published, sign up for my newsletter by Saturday July 5, and you’ll receive the coupon code via email on Monday. I publish my newsletter once or twice per month. I promise I won’t spam you; I don’t have the energy!

My favorite public art, by Botero

This past weekend DH and I went to St Louis to celebrate his mom’s 92nd birthday. It was an art-filled weekend! There is a wonderful exhibit at the St Louis Art Museum called Roaring: Art, Fashion, and the Automobile in France, 1918–1939. There are 12 fantastic motorcars, lots of art, and some exquisite fashion items.

The theme image at the entrance is from the painting “Eiffel Tower” by Robert Delaunay, 1924.

Coco Chanel, 1937. The whole sheath dress is covered in flexible gelatin sequins, covered with a net overskirt and bodice.

My favorite gown. Coco Chanel, 1937. The whole sheath dress is covered in flexible gelatin sequins, covered with a net overskirt and bodice. So gorgeous. Very Downton Abbey, don’t you think? And timeless. I’d wear it in a heartbeat.

This Lanvin gown (1929) features a rhinestone spiderweb.

This Lanvin gown (1929) features a rhinestone spiderweb. I love it.

Sweater by Elsa Schiaparelli, 1935.

Sweater by Elsa Schiaparelli, 1935. The information card noted that women’s knits maintained silhouettes while allowing for comfort and movement. But that asymmetric detailing at the shoulders makes me twitch!

A stack of W

I felt the need to make my own art, too. Probably more along the lines of Andy Warhol!

I have a ton of work to finish this week. I need to do all the background work to publish Scattered Petals. And I’m prepping and packing to go to San Diego on Monday to present and teach for the San Diego North Coast Knitters Guild. Git ‘er done!

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Multi-tasking WWKIPDay

Posted on June 21, 2025 | 4 comments

I forgot! Last week was WWKIPDay, Worldwide Knit in Public Day. Did you knit in public? I had the option to knit at IKEA in the morning, but it was one too many activities for me that day.

I did bring a small project to the No Kings demonstration in downtown Portland. The crowd size was reported as 50,000 people exercising their right to peacefully protest. It was a good WWKIP/No Kings/Pride (halleluy’all!) multi-tasking day. I used my Lemonwood Mini-minder to hold my yarn while I was knitting a dishcloth. I did *not* want to bring my 2 color brioche assigned pooling project!

If I had known I’d be using this umbrella sign again and again, I would have left more room for updates on it when I made it in March.

I updated the We the People section.

Did you knit in public last weekend?

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Re-introducing: Honey Bee Mine

Posted on June 18, 2025 | 3 comments
Honey Bee Mine in Spark Speckle, Slate Kettle, and Compass Kettle

Honey Bee Mine is a cozy three-color bandana cowl that features sweet honey bees flitting among the honeycombs. The cowl looks like a triangular shawl when worn, but it needs no fussing or pinning to remain stylishly in place.

Honey Bee Mine is worked in the round from the bottom up, so the bees are flying upwards. Multiple yarnovers over several rounds are dropped and scooped up to form the wings of the honey bees, and double yarnovers create bold eyelets for the honeycomb. The pattern uses 3 colors of fingering weight yarn. The edging can be knit in either Brioche Rib or 1×1 Ribbing. (I’m always sneaking in brioche!)

Honey Bee Mine in Panettone Speckle, Slate Kettle, and Gold Hill Tonal

I designed this for Knit Picks in 2022/2023 using Hawthorne Fingering. I love this workhorse of a yarn! The Honey Bee Mine pattern rights have returned to me, so I am now able to offer this through Ravelry and Payhip. Use coupon code SWEET for 15% off through June 26, 2025.

The pattern is still available from Knit Picks too, as an individual pattern download, or as part of the Nature Walk Lace Patterns ebook.

Thanks to Sharon Hsu for modeling for me (top picture)!

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Sisters and cousins

Posted on June 5, 2025 | 9 comments

My sisters and I took a quick trip to Los Angeles to celebrate our cousin Stephen’s marriage to Lauren.

the happy couple!
Sisters and cousins (and cousin-in-law)

It was so nice to get together for a happy occasion. Lots of laughing and remembering, too.

Griffith Observatory

I wanted to do one super-touristy thing while we were there, so we went to Griffith Observatory on Sunday afternoon. Very cool. If we had many hours, I would have read more of the exhibits. This was just a quick buzz through.

HOLLYWOOD

You can see the iconic Hollywood sign from there.

Which means of course you need to try to get it into your picture.

My sister Janelle took this picture of me taking a selfie, sign included.

Sister Sharon knows all the best places for food. We had hand pulled noodles (just a snack!) at Lan Noodle, and then ice cream at Fosselman’s. This was before dinner…

My first boba tea! (that’s enough for two people, honestly)

I thought I was going to have time to knit during the weekend, but there was just a lot of chitchat, revelry, and food the whole time. I’d say I didn’t knit a single stitch, but I did give my cousin Sandra a mini brioche lesson. She’s a quick study!

We were in a restaurant, so I cut out the busy unrelated background. Do you know how to do this in the Apple photos app? Long tap the subject, and it it makes a cutout. Save the cutout, and use it elsewhere. Okay!

Wishing Stephen and Lauren unending happiness!

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Stellar knitting

Posted on May 29, 2025 | 5 comments
Brioche knitting and assigned pooling

I’m happily knitting away on my Simply Stellar (brioche plus assigned pooling shawlette) sample, and test knitters are beginning theirs, too. I love this yarn combo; it’s Wildflowers (pooling) and Sassy (pink) Deluxe Sock from A Chick that Knitz. There is just a tiny overlap of that fuchsia in the pooling yarn, but not enough to be confusing to the eye. Perfect!

I misread my intentions and started with a US3 needle instead of a US4. Not a big difference, but I decided to change mid-project. I wouldn’t do that on a sweater, but on a bias brioche shawlette? It’s not really going to show. It might give it a tiny bit more drape, and it might make me finish a tiny bit sooner. I was 126 rows in when I decided to swap needles. And then I swapped needles again today after another 6 inches, because my yarn was catching on a rough spot where the needle goes into the metal join, grrr. So away with the Knitters Pride Ginger (I usually really like these), and onto a KnitPicks wooden interchangeable that was in my stash. Things are going more smoothly now.

Brioche knitting plus assigned pooling

Sometimes the pooling color pops up where you don’t want it. One way to deal with it is to knit a pooling motif in the background color of the pooling yarn. This will reset where the color pool happens.

Back side of brioche plus pooling

Another way is to cut your yarn and move the pooling color along. But that means you’ll have more ends to sew in. I don’t cut until I’m done with the project, because sometimes I frog entire projects! So I just pull up a big loop of the background color of the pooling yarn.

I’m enjoying this knit. I’ll have time to work on it this weekend. Airplane knitting! My sisters and I are going to our cousin’s wedding celebration. Yay, family time!

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Test knit calls

Posted on May 20, 2025 | 2 comments

Yes, two of them! Both are for accessories knit with brioche + pooling.

Scattered Petals cowl featuring brioche plus assigned pooling

Scattered Petals is a bandana-style cowl that features brioche plus assigned pooling. It’s knit in the round with 2 skeins of fingering weight yarn, one of which should be dyed for assigned pooling. The pattern is written for two sizes, and you can customize further if you wish. Yarn shown is from Yarn Snob/Knits All Done from Keith Leonard. Colors are Black Orchid and Wicked Green on A Good Fingering base.

beginning of a boomerang shawl featuring brioche plus assigned pooling

Simply Stellar is a shawlette featuring brioche and assigned pooling stars. It’s knit flat using 2 skeins of fingering weight yarn, one of which should be dyed for assigned pooling. This design is the result of a conversation I had at Nash Yarn Fest. Yarn dyer Tammy Pelfrey (A Chick That Knitz) mentioned that she loves my Starstruck Shawlette, but brioche + syncopated brioche + assigned pooling can be intimidating to newer brioche knitters. I decided to design a simpler shawlette with no syncopated border. There is minimal shaping as a backdrop to the assigned pooling stars. Yarn is A Chick that Knitz Singles Fingering in Tropical Flowers and Caribbean.

These two test knits are both mashups of brioche + assigned pooling. You should already know how to knit brioche to test knit. Previous experience with assigned pooling isn’t necessary; there’s a video tutorial for each assigned pooling motif.

Both of these patterns have been professionally tech edited. Why test knit? It helps me to fine tune the instructions. Tech editing gets me halfway there, but real life knitters really help. Test knitters get early access to the pattern and tutorials, and help future knitters. The test knits will run for 4 weeks. You provide your own yarn, and keep the sample you knit. Leave a note in the comments if you’re interested in test knitting; let me know which project.

I was merrily knitting along on my Simply Stellar, but then I decided I wanted to see what it looked like with more tonal contrast. I’m in love…guess I’m starting over because I’m obsessed. This is from A Chick that Knitz, Deluxe Sock in Wildflowers and Sassy.

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