After finishing a new project, I get very impatient waiting for the perfect time to take photos.  The light where I live is very harsh, so I have to wait until there are some clouds to diffuse the light.  Even then, I am so fair that my skin usually looks a ghostly white and blown out.  This morning I peeked out the door when I let my dog out, and saw some grey clouds covering up the sun.  There was a mad rush to get ready; put on makeup, comb my hair and throw on my new sweater.  All of this took only 15 minutes, but that was enough time for the clouds to move, and by the time I was outside the sun had come out again.  Argh!  Time to find a new spot for photos.

I have forest of pine trees right behind my house, so I hopped the fence, camera and tripod in tow, and marched through the trees looking for the perfect spot.  After finding a good space, I took a couple dozen photos and reviewed them in my camera.  Good lighting, but I tend to stiffen up in front of the camera, so I had that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look.  Not exactly what I was going for.  Ok then, let's get a prop.  Seeing that I was surrounded by pine trees, I picked up a pretty pine cone off the ground.  I decided the theme for my photos was "Cassie was out hunting for pine cones wearing her lovely new sweater..."  Yup, much better.  What do you think?

Along with trying to relax, I had a couple other hurdles to jump during this photo session.  It was cold!  About 45 degrees, and when you grew up in a desert with normal summer temperatures of 120, this is very cold indeed!  My body was nice and warm (thank you, toasty new sweater) but my hands felt like they were slowly morphing into icicles.  So, fine, deal with the cold and put on your happy face.  After a few minutes of peaceful silence, a giant flock of black birds landed in the tops of the pine trees and started squawking CAW CAW CAW!!!  I was afraid one of them would leave a (ahem) present, either on me or my new camera.  Luckily, they didn't, and soon flew away to caw somewhere else.  

My main photo, the one pictured above, ended up being the last photo I took.  I have a hard time making a genuine smile for the camera, and this one is a result of my tiny dog attempting to jump over the 4 foot fence so he could be in the photos too.  Oh, Che, you crack me up. 

I'm currently writing up the pattern for this sweater and should have it ready in a couple of weeks.  Stay tuned! 

October has been a very busy month for me!  Lots of knitting projects going on.  I was able to squeeze in these two hats, for my new pattern Winterset Hat.  Last month I bought a few knitting books, and one of them was "200 Fair Isle Motifs" by Mary Jane Mucklestone.  I love creating color palettes, and really wanted to practice more with my stranded knitting.  There are so many beautiful motifs in this book, it was really hard to only pick a few to combine into this pattern.  

After creating my motif and working out all the math for the hat, it was time to pick out my colors.  I rounded up all my odds and ends in worsted weight yarn and arranged them in a rainbow on my sewing table.  After lots of mixing and matching (and charting on the computer) I came up with the two colorways pictured in the photo: a more traditional manly color palette and a very girly one for me.  I absolutely love how they both turned out!  I added a giant pom pom to my hat, because when it is cold outside I think it is perfectly acceptable to look a little silly.  

The next challenge was the photography.  I just bought a new camera and was very excited to use it.  My husband is a somewhat reluctant model, and he usually ends up making his 'mean face' at the camera.  So, after setting the timer, I chirped at him, "Ok, now pretend like you love me!"  And this is the photo I got:

Not too bad, eh?  Thankfully there weren't any 'mean face' photos in this photo-shoot.  However, it was about 85 degrees outside so it was hard not to sweat profusely under our hats and jackets.  But now the temperature has dropped significantly, and yesterday I spied my husband wearing his new hat while working at the computer.

Here is a bit more information about the pattern:

Ready to try stranded knitting? Winterset Hat is a fitted beanie with a section of stranded colorwork set on a background of plain Stockinette stitch. With twenty-three rounds of stranded colorwork, and only two colors worked per round, Winterset won’t be overwhelming for someone new to stranded knitting. For a more advanced knitter, this is a great project for making quick gifts. Worsted weight yarn makes Winterset a brief and satisfying knit that is perfect for using up leftover bits of yarn from previous projects.

Pattern includes color charts for both colorways pictured, plus three additional colorways and three blank charts to fill in with your own colors. Also included are a template and illustrated instructions for creating the pom-pom.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Circumference: 21 (22.5, 24)”
Length: 8.5 (8.75, 9)”
Winterset should be worn with 0-1” negative ease.

MATERIALS
Worsted weight yarn in 8 colors. Wool or wool blend yarns work best for stranded colorwork.
MC: 34 (37, 40) grams/ 75 (82, 88) yards
CC1: 6 (7, 7) grams/ 14 (16, 16) yards
CC2: 9 (10, 11) grams/ 20 (22, 25) yards
CC3: 5 (6, 6) grams/ 11 (14, 14) yards
CC4: 5 (6, 6) grams/ 11 (14, 14) yards
CC5: 5 (6, 6) grams/ 11 (14, 14) yards
CC6: 3 (4, 4) grams/ 7 (9, 9) yards
CC7: 3 (4, 4) grams/ 7 (9, 9) yards
Optional pom-pom uses about 13 grams/ 29 yards

NEEDLES
US #6/4 mm 16” circular needle and set of dpn
US #5/3.75 mm 16” circular needle

NOTIONS REQUIRED
tapestry needle to weave in ends
13 (14, 15) stitch markers, with 1 in a contrasting color
cardboard for pom-pom template

GAUGE
20 sts and 28 rounds = 4” in Stockinette stitch worked in the round using larger needles

SKILLS REQUIRED 
ability to read a chart 
working in the round 
k2tog

$5.00

Many designers have really interesting stories of the inspiration behind their designs.  Some of them describe tales of their worldly travels, or inspiration from the beauty of nature.  My designs, on the other hand, usually begin with thoughts of, "Wouldn't it be cool if..." or "I really like this sweater I bought, but I wish it had...".  My newest design, Starbrook Pullover, comes from that sort of inspiration.  A couple years ago, I bought a sweatshirt from the clearance rack at Target and it has become my favorite comfortable sweater to wear around the house.  But, there are a couple of things I didn't like about it and wished I could change.  The neckline was too wide, the lower part of the sleeves a bit too tight, and the color was a very unattractive brown.    

As the cold weather here started to creep up on me,  I decided to make my own version of this sweatshirt and put in the details I really wanted.  The casual fit of the body, the kangaroo pocket, and the wide cuffs remained, while I made the neckline and used a simple eyelet pattern for the fabric.  The end result is a very comfy, and very warm sweater.  

Starbrook Pullover is a relaxed fit sweater with a kangaroo pocket and scoop neck. The body is worked in the round from the bottom up in a V-point lace pattern. The lantern sleeves are worked in the round up to the sleeve cap, then worked flat in rows. The pocket is worked in Stockinette stitch with a diamond-shaped motif filled with V-point lace. Edges are finished in a wide rib. A worsted weight wool/alpaca blend yarn makes Starbrook a cozy sweater for cold winter days.

Starbrook should be worn with 0-2” positive ease. Stitch patterns are written and charted.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Chest: 32.5 (34.5, 36.75, 39, 41, 43)[45.25, 47.5, 49.5, 52, 54]”
Length: 24 (24, 24.5, 24.5, 24.75, 25)[25, 25.5, 25.5, 26, 26]”

MATERIALS
Berroco Ultra Alpaca (50% alpaca, 50% wool; 215 yds/198 m per 100 g skein) color #6293 spiceberry mix; 5 (5, 6, 6, 6, 7)[7, 7, 8, 8, 9] skeins
Approximately 900 (955, 1025, 1075, 1155, 1225)[1275, 1350, 1425, 1500, 1560] yards needed of worsted weight yarn

NEEDLES
US #6/4 mm and 24” circular needle and set of dpns
US #7/4.5 mm 24” circular needle and set of dpns

NOTIONS REQUIRED
waste yarn
tapestry needle to weave in ends
2 removable stitch markers or safety pins
stitch markers

GAUGE
18 sts and 27 rounds = 4” in V-point lace worked in the round using larger needles

SKILLS REQUIRED
working in the round 
three needle bind off 
picking up stitches 
k2tog 
ssk 
yo 
mattress stitch

$6.00