Nymphaea Shawl Retreat: That’s a wrap!

Posted on November 13, 2018 | 2 comments

Our Nymphaea Fall Shawl Retreat was this past weekend, and it was a blast. We had knitters and crocheters playing with beads and yarn up at Quinn Mountain in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. I wish I had more pictures, but it was a pretty busy weekend. The weather was perfect, too.

I wish I had taken a picture of our beautiful room that we used for the knitters’ break out sessions, but I forgot. This tree was right outside the door, though.

Quinn Mountain is a beautiful spot.

This was on the back of the pickup. Doesn’t it make you dream of circular pi shawls?

Afternoon tea time included a tasting of Plum Deluxe Teas, which are a favorite of mine.

We chose our contrast color yarns to go with these beautiful gradients by Stacey at Fierce Fibers, and then mixed and matched beads to our liking.

My students all learned a lot, and made a good start on their Nymphaea shawls. And I learned a lot from them, too.

The Nymphaea Shawl pattern is back to me after being an exclusive with Bead Biz, so I’ll be re-releasing that to Ravelry tomorrow. I’ve added lots of tips and tricks to the pattern, including a stitch and bead count chart, so if you purchased it at a festival, let me know and I’ll get you the updated pattern. (You should have a download code for it.)

I love this little statue in downtown Camas. She looked chilly on this autumn day, so she’s modeling my not yet complete Nymphaea shawl. Someday it won’t have a strand of yarn trailing from it!

Big thanks to Laurinda Reddig of ReCrochetions for hosting me at this retreat!

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Knitting in color and changing my mind

Posted on November 7, 2018 | 4 comments

Oh, that little voice that says, “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

Green beads, green yarn

And you say, “Maybe?”

On our way with green beads, green yarn, and contrasting green yarn

Commitment is just so hard sometimes. I decided this might need contrasting beads instead. The green silver lined beads don’t show on the very vibrant teal at this end of the gradient cake.

Brown beads on green yarn

On our way again, with more contrast

But as I got further, I decided that wasn’t the look I wanted, either. So I started over. Again.

At the other end of the gradient this time. And I changed the yarn contrast color too, because I wanted it to feel less “tree” and more “sand.” Both the green and gray yarns work with the main cake; it’s just personal preference at this point.

I love it! And I like these beads on it; they’re subtle but they reflect a lot of color.

I know that I won’t use every inch of the yarn cake (600 yards), so I won’t have my bead dilemma on that most vibrant end.

I’m generally pretty conservative in my yarn color choices. I usually choose my beads to be not too contrasty, too. You may like more pop in your knitting. There’s no one right way; do what makes you happy!

Edited to add this picture of Laurinda’s take on color and beads.

I’m looking forward to this weekend’s Nymphaea Shawl Retreat with Laurinda Reddig. We’ll be talking about color choice as we begin knitting or crocheting our Nymphaea shawls. And my Nymphaea pattern will be available through Ravelry next week when I get back; I’ll have a re-launch now that it’s mine again.

Color choices are so interesting, and so personal. I loved knitting my rainbow Lucky Stars shawl, but it’s more color than I normally wear.

I’m wearing my Carbon/Pollen Lucky Stars all the time: One neutral main color (gray gradient) and the golden pop.

My clothes are mostly black. It’s a great background to show off my knitting! Occasionally my skirt will tie in with the theme.

But that’s usually as far from black as I get.

How do YOU feel about color?

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Evolution of a shawl: Lucky Star design story

Posted on October 29, 2018 | 3 comments

I’m really happy with my Lucky Star shawl, and it seems like you’re happy with it, too! I’m looking forward to seeing Lucky Star shawls out in the wild. It’s a fun knit. And this one goes perfectly with one of my favorite skirts.

Just a reminder: the Lucky Star pattern is on sale for 10% off through October 31, no coupon needed.

Here’s how Lucky Star came to be:

Sometimes, designing is like falling off a log. You get an idea, you get some yarn, you start knitting, and BOOM! The project is perfect. Write it up!

Other times, it plays a coy game. Lucky Star took a while to decide what it wanted to be.

I had this main yarn skein for a while; I couldn’t resist the pops of color on it. It’s Knitted Wit’s Victory Sock in Box of Macarons. So sweet! I was going to pair it with a Sixlet pack of Gumballs (Victory Fingering) in Lover’s Rainbow, but it became clear that the colors were too different. I couldn’t tell in the mini skeins, but as soon as I put the tomato red with the Macarons, I knew it wouldn’t fly.

A quick trip to Lorajean’s studio set me back on track. The colors in Box of Macarons came in minis, too, and in the same yarn base (Smarties), so this was a perfect match: Madge, Orange You Glad, Genteel, Key Lime, Aquamarine, Tanzanite.

I was planning to use a flower stitch between sections of the color rainbow. I thought I wanted a lace stitch for the color sections, but this fabulously bouncy round yarn said no to my first lace pattern, too burly looking. And the flowers looked too wobbly.

Two row garter on stockinette stripes, with a simpler starry variation of the flower stitch? I liked my newly minted star stitch (and figuring out how to make it work), but the stripes were way too busy. Sometimes high contrast is not your friend.

I tried a more open lace pattern between the star stitches, but it was harder to track. I don’t want your knitting to be difficult; I want it to be zen! And it was still too burly.

Garter stitch to the rescue! Sometimes it pays not to try so hard.

I always knew there’d be a sweep of scallopy Old Shale lace after the minis were done. I wanted to accent the edge with some color, too. I didn’t like how contrasty this red one was, though.

I re-knit the edging. I think this blue is just right. The scallop is a little softer because I didn’t re-block after replacing the edge.

I love the way this turned out. Eventually. I hope you do, too. I do all the fussing, so you don’t have to.

And then! Test knitter Ann knit up this beauty with a much bigger mini skein gradient pack. I wanted a bigger one, too.

This is Knitted Wit Victory Sock in Pollen, with two Smarties Sixlet gradient sets in Carbon. Swoon! I had a lot of Pollen left, but I wanted to feature the gradient and not let the Pollen overwhelm it. It’s perfect!

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Introducing: Lucky Star

Posted on October 23, 2018 | Comments Off on Introducing: Lucky Star

It’s been a super productive fall, and it’s not over yet! Here’s the latest off my needles.

Lucky Star is a crescent hug of garter stitch stripes, interspersed with an intriguing star stitch. The shawl is knit from the top down, then finished with Old Shale lace for a scalloped edge. Designed to use mini skeins in coordinating colors, you can knit a rainbow, or a subtle gradient shift. You can use fewer, larger mini skeins, if that’s what you have. You could even use a continuous gradient cake. The garter stitch makes this a most meditative knit…or a multi-tasker’s dream.

This gradient version is knit with 2 Knitted Wit Sixlet gradient packs in Carbon, and a skein of Victory Sock in Pollen. Thank you to Knitted Wit for the beautiful yarn!

This rainbow version is knit with a single rainbow Sixlet pack, and a skein of Victory Sock in Box of Macarons.

Test knitter Ann knit hers with a gradient set with more yardage. Lovely!

This design uses my new Better Garter Tab Cast On for Top Down Crescent Shawls.

The Lucky Star pattern is available through Ravelry, pattern page here. It’s 10% off through October 31, no coupon necessary. Newsletter subscribers get 20% off with coupon in newsletter. Sign up here, if you haven’t already!

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PDXKnitterati’s Better Garter Tab Cast on for Crescent Shawls

Posted on October 22, 2018 | 3 comments

I have a new shawl design, Lucky Star. It features an elongated garter tab cast on at the beginning, designed to minimize the hump that can occur at the center neck of top down crescent shawls.

Many crescent shawls have this visible hump in the middle; it’s a function of construction and stitch pattern. A short garter tab results in more rows right under the center, creating a hump.

Garter stitch is less humpy than a stockinette based stitch, because the height of the stitches is more compressed. I like to use garter stitch at the center neck of my crescent shawls.

Elongating the garter tab can help smooth out the center. If you add YO’s along the edge of this elongated garter tab, it visually mimics the YO’s along the top edge of the shawl. It also adds flexibility to the center of the shawl neck.

I find this works better if you make a tab long enough to pick up in every other garter ridge as shown in the bottom shawl pictured above. See how this gives those first rows a little more width to stretch out and relax?

Let’s do it! My sample is in garter stitch.

Decide how many working stitches you’d like to have on the first real row of your pattern. Call this N. These are the stitches you’ll use in your patterning. (Don’t include the stitches you’ll increase into at the beginning and end of the row.)

Cast on 3 sts for garter tab. If N is even, knit 2(N) rows. If N is odd, knit 2(N – 1) rows.
Next row (RS): K3, turn work clockwise. *YO, pick up and knit in second ridge from needle, rep from * until you have N sts counting from the YO if N is even. If you want N to be an odd number, end with a YO. Turn clockwise and pick up and knit 3 sts along cast on edge. Now you have N+6 sts. (3 sts on each end, and N in the center.)
Next row (WS): K3, pm, yo, k(N), yo, pm, k3. (For stockinette stitch, purl the N working stitches on this row.) You have N+8 sts: N working sts, and 3 garter stitches and a YO increase at each end.

Here’s a video tutorial.

Now you’re ready to work your shawl. The small bit of hump can usually be blocked out, depending on your stitch patterning. Blocking is essential for top down crescent shawls. And a biasing stitch pattern can still make a hump. Lace where the YO’s are not right next to the decreases can cause biasing, which makes lovely scalloping, but you don’t want it right next to your garter tab beginning. Start with some plain garter at the neck, and gradually move into your stitch pattern after several rows.

Much better! I used this cast on for my Lucky Star Shawl. Many thanks to Ann Berg for test knitting the pink version shown here.

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Introducing: Madrona Cowl

Posted on October 11, 2018 | 1 comment

What’s next on my hit parade? A snuggly warm cowl. Winter is coming!

Madrona trees are native to the Pacific Northwest. They have gorgeous peeling bark, shiny leaves, and little berries. This brioche knit cowl features leaves and optional small bobble-like berries. I knit most of the blue cowl (no berries) last February while at Madrona Fiber Arts Festival, and the name seems to fit. I started the green version at the Lantern Moon retreat in March; it has berries on the vertical columns. Lots of good memories in these!

This cowl is worked in the round from the bottom up. The pattern has lots of links to my brioche knitting tutorials, which you can also find on my tutorials page here.

I loved knitting these cowls, but I wanted to wait to publish the pattern until after summer. And then I forgot to include them in my photo shoot last month with Erin, so it was DIY time. A camera remote control is a fabulous tool!

The Madrona Cowl pattern is available through Ravelry, link here. It’s 10% off through October 19, no coupon needed. But! As always, newsletter subscribers will receive a 20% off coupon in my upcoming newsletter. Sign up here, if you haven’t already!

Happy cozy knitting!

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Introducing: Concentric Slipper Socks

Posted on September 25, 2018 | 2 comments

I had so much fun designing the Concentric Cowl. What else could I design with such sproingy goodness?

Concentric Slipper Socks, of course!

These are knit from the cuff down using 2 strands of worsted weight yarn held together for a quick and cozy knit. You can use magic loop, 2 circulars, or double pointed needles; knitter’s choice! Alternating bands of knits and purls create a scrunchy fabric that traps warm air at the ankle.

(Women’s medium sock with 4 purled ankle bands, on top of women’s large sock with 3 ankle bands)

These slipper socks can be knit in three women’s sizes, or for a small man’s foot, based on the available yardage in Knit Circus’ Ringmaster Panoramic Gradient 50g cakes. Four cakes are needed to achieve 2 slipper socks with matching gradient shading, since the yarn is held double. Sample shown in Thanks for all the Fish colorway.

These slipper socks would also be cute knit with two different yarns held together for a marled effect. Your imagination is the limit!

This pattern is available through Ravelry; link here. As always, newsletter subscribers will receive a special discount coupon. Not a subscriber yet? Sign up here!

Thanks to tech editor Amanda Woodruff, and test knitters Jacqueline Lydston, Denise Delagarza, and Ann Berg. And thanks to Knit Circus Yarns for the inspiringly gorgeous yarn!

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OFFF 2018 weekend and brioche inc/dec tutorial

Posted on September 24, 2018 | 6 comments

It was a glorious transition into autumn. What better way to celebrate than with a fiber festival? Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival is done for another year.

I spent Friday afternoon judging the knitting entries. This piece was the winner of several awards, including the top award for the festival.

It’s handspun from Jacob wool (this year’s featured breed), hand knit, with 1300 beads, and perfectly blocked. I loved everything about it. (Shawl pattern is Moon Shadows by Romi Hill.) I found out afterward from the knitter that she had lost at yarn chicken the week before, and had to spin more yarn to finish. She took this off the blocking wires the night before the judging. Close!

This was the felted Grand Champion. It demonstrates wet felting, needle felting, and probably other techniques I don’t even know about. Exquisite.

This felted entry used Jacob wool, which I thought was brilliant.

This embellished knit coat was also knit from handspun. I loved the detail in it. The pattern is by Anna Zilboorg from her Splendid Apparel book. I took this class with Anna just before her book came out.

Saturday I taught Favorite Shawl Shapes in the morning. So much fun! I’m planning to teach this class again, but I may give it a better name. Shawl Design 101? What would sound even more enticing?

I taught Brioche Pastiche in the afternoon. It was interesting that many had tried brioche before but not succeeded. I’m glad to help make new successful brioche knitters! Most had a good grasp of 2 color brioche rib in the round by the end of class.

I’ve just made a video tutorial of brioche increases and decreases. These are the ones used in the hat, but handy for all brioche.

Sunday I went back to shop and play! The weather was perfect.

My favorite purchase? This yarn chicken pint glass from JaMPDX. Yarn chicken is my life!

I also picked up this gorgeous yarn set from Knitted Wit. It’s Victory Sock in Pollen, plus two Sixlet gradient sets in Carbon. Plus two more mini skeins in Ghostly, but I may not need them. I’m knitting one more version of my Lucky Star Shawl, but with two Sixlets instead of one for a deeper, wider shawl. It’s going quickly; I hope to be done knitting by the end of this week.

More eye candy from Sunday:

Stacey’s Fierce Fibers booth, including a splendid version of my Rosaria shawl. Look at those gradient cakes! We’re using her yarn for our Nymphaea Retreat in November.

Speckled gradient cakes from Boss Kitty. I bought some of their cat-eared stitch markers. Mine glow in the dark!

I loved this rug on display with one of the vendors in the main pavilion.

And of course there were animals. Goat? Sheep? I’m never sure. Cute, though. (Goat.)

Bunnies are easier to recognize, yes?

Alpacas!

And humans. Amanda and Margaret representing Puddletown Knitters Guild. Hi, ladies!

A very fun weekend. Now I’m back at home working. More knit fun to follow. How was YOUR weekend? Welcome, fall!

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Posted in classes, events, Knit, Portland area fun, yarn

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Knitting for the near future

Posted on September 20, 2018 | 5 comments

I’ve been knitting up a storm.

Here’s a sneak peek of my newest shawl, coming soon. It’s called Lucky Star. You may now have a Madonna song running through your head. You’re welcome.

You know that hump that happens at the center neck of top down crescent shawls? I didn’t want that on Lucky Star, so I’ve worked on minimizing it. I’m making a tutorial on how to do that. It’s coming soon, too. I’m debuting it in my Favorite Shawl Shapes class at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival this Saturday morning.

I’ve been knitting little samples for class, too. We’re going to have fun talking about shape and design.

You can still register for this class on-site. You can knit these little shapes, too!

What are you knitting now?

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Posted in classes, events, Knit, pattern design, Portland area fun

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Introducing: Concentric Cowl

Posted on September 12, 2018 | 1 comment

Every in a while, a design idea comes together so easily, it just jumps off the needles.

This is the Concentric Cowl. I designed it in a wink, and the only thing that took any time at all was that I ripped it out when it was half done, because I wanted to add a secret between the purl welts.

There’s a tiny bit of lace in there.

It adds just a bit of mystery.

The cowl is knit in the round with 150g/277 yards of worsted weight yarn. I used a 150g cake of KnitCircus Ringmaster Panoramic Gradient in the Fig and Prosciutto colorway. The scrunchy rings capture warmth around your neck.

You can also unscrunch the rings and wear Concentric like a hood. The 150g jumbo cake of yarn makes it long enough to do so.

This pattern pdf is available through Ravelry; pattern page is here. It’s a quick and easy gift knit, even if the gift recipient is yourself! As always, newsletter subscribers have a coupon code for 20% off.

I’m teaming up with KnitCircus to do a kit for the Concentric Cowl in October, but if you can’t wait you can shop their ready to ship 150g Ringmaster Gradient cakes here. So gorgeous!

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