Wow, three posts in three days is a new record for me.  I usually just quietly go about my work, but lately I have had lots to share with the knitting world.  Today I am sharing my new pattern, Technidream Shawl.  

Technidream is a triangle shawl worked from the top down in a striped zig-zag pattern. Four bold colors of a fuzzy mohair yarn are combined with an open stitch pattern to create a lightweight shawl with incredible softness and warmth. The zig-zag pattern transitions into a border of gentle leaves. Stitch patterns are written and charted.

Technidream is generously sized to keep you cozy, but can easily be made larger or smaller by adding or subtracting pattern repeats. Make a colorful stripy shawl and use up all those leftover balls of lace or sock yarn. A total of 750 yards is needed to complete the shawl as written.

SKILLS NEEDED: 
provisional cast on 
picking up stitches 
k2tog 
ssk 
sk2p 
yo

Technidream Shawl can be purchased through Ravelry (you don't have to be a member to buy a pattern).  $5.00

I have been juggling a lot of projects lately, half of them secret and half stuff I can talk about.  One of them is a massive overhaul of updating my older patterns to my new pattern format.  For several years I've been doing my pattern layout in Microsoft Word and really having a hard time with it.  Word just does not like having photos added to documents, and forget about text wrapping.  I know it is possible to do, but machines just don't seem to like me.  So a couple months ago I bought Microsoft Publisher and have been happily making a nicer pattern layout that is consistent and much easier to read.  Now the hard (or maybe just time consuming) part is going back to all my older patterns and updating the format. With a few years of pattern writing experience under my belt, I am realizing that my older patterns need a bit of tweaking.  Clearer, more concise language, better charts, updated photos, etc.  I want to provide you (dear Knitters) the best patterns than I can make.  So this has been a much bigger undertaking than I initially anticipated, but I think it is worth the effort.  Today I shot new photos of my Argyle Cabled Beret.  Over the years I've designed lots of hats, but this one remains one of my favorites.  Is it the color, the texture, the shape?  I'm not sure.  Something about it makes it one of my go-to hats that I grab on my way out the door.  I love designing cables and this one echoes the argyle pattern normally found on sweaters and socks.  The slouchy shape is fun to wear and doesn't crush my hair too much.

I just wanted to write a quick post and say Thank You to all the knitters that make projects from my patterns.  It really makes my day when I see those finished photos pop up in the user activity page, especially when the person in the photo has a big grin on her/his face.  Some days I get frustrated when new designs don't work out right or I have a big math fail when trying to grade the different sizes of a pattern.  But the thank you emails and smiling faces make it all worthwhile.  Working from home is nice (I get to make my own hours) but can be somewhat isolating.  It is comforting to know that I have some sort of 'friends' around the world.  I guess you can say this is customer appreciation week.  As a part of my thank you, I am offering 50% off any pattern(s) until September 16th.  Use coupon code thankyou during checkout.

I should be releasing my Technidream Shawl pattern this week, so look out for the upcoming post.  

Also, I am looking for a few testers for my pattern Cairo Hat.  I have updated the pattern and photos and would like to have a few more projects other than my own.  This is a pretty easy pattern and makes a nice textured hat that works for men or women.  Hop on over to my Ravelry group if you are interested in testing. 

Until next time, Happy Knitting!