Today I am sharing with you the Begonia Pullover. In my original pattern photos I styled Begonia with a pair of lightweight navy trousers, which I lovingly call my pirate puffy pants. The look was relaxed, casual elegance.
That cool crispiness is back in the air! Time to bring out all your handknit sweaters again. I'm working up a series of blog posts for styling some of my patterns, in particular to show off their versatility and ease of wear. Today I am sharing with you the Begonia Pullover. In my original pattern photos I styled Begonia with a pair of lightweight navy trousers, which I lovingly call my pirate puffy pants. The look was relaxed, casual elegance. But for cooler weather, I decided to turn Begonia into a vintage look. The fitted shape and open neckline of Begonia compliments the retro styling of a plaid wool circle skirt, patterned tights, and wedge shoes.
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Simple. Elegant. Comfortable. Easy to wear.
These were my goals when designing the Janesse Pullover. I wanted a stylish and classy short sleeve top versatile enough to wear to church, to work, or for an evening out. This basic style can be dressed up with a blazer and jewelry, or dressed down with leggings or jeans. The fitted body, slimming rib panel, and cowl neck are universally flattering. The Janesse Pullover is the second pattern in my Simple Elegance Collection, a 4 pattern ebook of simple and sophisicated styles. The designs in this collection are all worked in Knit Picks Galileo yarn, a sport weight merino and bamboo blend with fantastic drape and shine. You can see all the pattern particulars on the Janesse Pullover pattern page. 9/21-9/30 receive 25% off the Simple Elegance Collection ebook when you use coupon code elegance during checkout. Coupon applies to ebook only, not individual patterns. Today I am pleased to share a new pattern from my Dreaming of Egypt collection, Karnak Vest. I love wearing vests during the cool fall weather. They keep your body nice and warm without being as stuffy as a sweater. Also your arms are able to move more freely, which is great for me since I usually find myself planting my fall garden, wrangling my dog during a walk, or attempting to chop wood (yeah that didn't work out so well).
Karnak is a relatively simple knit worked in one piece mostly in stockinette stitch. A unique ripple stitch pattern adds the interesting details to the bottom band, patch pockets and collar. There is patterning on every row, but it is pretty intuitive and fun to work. You can read all the details about Karnak Vest here. For me, fall knitting is all about cables. As soon as the weather shows the slightest hint of cooling down I want to start working on textured sweaters and hats. I am working on a commissioned project at the moment, so for now I'll just share with you some of my favorite cabled creations. The Joselyn Cowl is one of my best selling patterns, and for good reason. The Japanese stitch pattern is as interesting to look at as it is to knit. Cables, lace, garter stitch- it's all there! Sinai, part of the Louet Fall 2014 collection, has an interesting construction and a fun honeycomb pattern on a background of moss stitch. The lower section is worked side to side with short row sections to create a trapezoid shape. The upper body is picked up along the top edge and worked upwards. Last winter I think I wore my Lava Rock Cardigan almost every day! The squishy yarn created a supremely soft fabric, and the sporty zip-front style paired perfectly with my usual daily attire of a t-shirt and jeans. Twisted stitches make the panels of zig-zag cables pop on a background of plain stockinette. Last is the Alison Pullover, part of my collection for Knitscene Fall 2013. I didn't get to keep the sample, and I haven't yet had time to make myself one. It is really amazing for me to see projects from my patterns pop up on Ravelry, and this pattern seems to be one of those silhouettes that flatters everyone.
My 31st birthday is just around the corner, so it is time for my annual birthday sale! Today through August 20th (my actual birthday), all the patterns in my Ravelry store will be 31% off when you use coupon code birthday during checkout.
Thank you to my customers who keep my designing dream alive and going! Today I found a nice surprise when I clicked on my Ravelry designer page-- the patterns for Interweave Knits Fall 2014 have been posted, including my Climbing Rose Henley! This design was a fun challenge for me. One of the themes on the call for submissions was flowers for fall. How can you incorporate floral motifs without them looking too spring-y? For me, the epitome of fall fabrics is tweed, so I began with a tweedy wool/silk blend yarn. As for the flowers, roses seem to be all-season, and by adding a twisting vine in the background it makes them a bit more a pattern you'd see on an old tapestry. Working with three colors at once is challenging, so I kept the colorwork just to the yoke and left the rest of the body solid. Delicate ruffles add more feminine detail to the otherwise menswear body. I'm a sucker for cables, so of course I'm in love with so many of the cabled sweaters in this issue, particularly the Redfern Cardigan Roosevelt Cardigan, and Ropemaker Pullover. I guess I'm a sucker for kangaroo pockets as well, seeing that all three styles have them. Having a front pocket comes in handy so often (especially when walking the dog), and these sweaters are so much more attractive than your typical hoodie with kangaroo pockets The cables on the Ropemaker Pullover seem to wrap all around the body and sleeves, so I am really interested to find out exactly how it is constructed. Can't wait to get this issue in the mail!
This is Poochie, the pomeranian that I have been babysitting for the last two weeks. She is very energetic, playful and friendly, and also thinks that everything in the house is a toy. But look at that cute little face. She can't do anything too bad, right? Wrong.
Very, very wrong. This is what I found in my living room when I got out of bed this morning. After yelling, '"WHAT DID YOU DO????", she didn't seem the least bit remorseful. Oh I think I am in charge of a spoiled little puppy. Poochie got to spend the next two hours in her kennel while I did my best to untangle my yarn. I was able to save most of it, but it was still a pain. Winding this skein the first time was a nightmare after finding six cut ends in the skein, and how I have a half dozen even smaller balls from where I couldn't get the knots out. Then, not five minutes after I let her out of the kennel, Poochie jumps on a chair and tries to grab one of the balls of yarn!! Argh!!! This dog!!! I think she has just overstayed her welcome. I'm starting to think this project is doomed. Do I dare to even continue? I think most knitters do it... we buy yarn because we like the color or texture, and then it sits in our stash for years because we don't know what to make from it. Such is the case for this yarn, 5 balls of Knit Picks Comfy Worsted in Peony. It has been so many years since I bought it, I can't even remember what my original intentions were. But after buying it I realized two things: I don't enjoy knitting with cotton, and I generally don't wear much pink. I'll admit that my dislike for cotton yarns is starting to wane after working with some really lovely cottons that didn't give me wrist pain; I think it was just my initial bad experience with a very rough cotton that turned me off. When I was a little girl, pink was my favorite color and I wore it constantly; I think I wore myself out and now hardly ever wear it. So what to do? I just shoved this yarn into my stash pile for a few years. Along came a new idea for a pullover, so I scribbled it into a pencil sketch and pinned it up on my inspiration board. Then I remembered that my mom's birthday was coming up, and I hadn't knitted anything for her for quite awhile. Mom is allergic to wool, so most of my stash was eliminated right there. She also lives in a hot desert, so a warm sweater might not get much use, especially in July. Plus... she looks great in pink. Peony is a really lovely muted pink color that isn't too bubbly or in-your-face. Cotton+pink+short sleeve sweater= fantastic idea!! Here is the result: After seeing the photos, I think I might start wearing pink again, as long as it is a nice and subtle dusty sort of pink. I sent the sweater off to mom and she was thrilled with it. I really wish I could see her in it, but alas she is 2,000 miles away. The sweater was packed into her suitcase for the vacation she is currently on, so hopefully I'll get to see a photo of her in it soon. I really enjoying knitting this sweater, and decided to make a version for myself. I generally don't like knitting the same thing twice, so I made a few changes for my sweater. The body is several inches longer, and the sleeves are elbow length. Also, I used another yarn from my stash; a green wool. I love wearing green, but somehow I don't have many green clothes. I also made a bigger size than the pink sweater. Mom is a bit smaller than me, so the pink sweater is modeled with 3" negative ease, which is a bit tighter than I would normally choose for myself. It is still quite hot here, so this sweater will have to sit in my closet for a few months yet, but I will be happy to wear it in the cooler weather. Pattern is coming soon. Stay tuned! Until next time, happy knitting!
My needles have been clicking away, and it is time for a new pattern! I am pleased to introduce Dark Lotus Shrug, an intricate lace shrug worked in a fingering weight yarn. Counterpane constructions have always intrigued me, and after the success of my Camellia Shrug I wanted to design another shrug worked from the center out. If you like detailed lace patterns, this shrug will keep your interest. Totally seamless with minimal finishing, and an I-cord beginning that helps provide stability when working just a few stitches over double point needles.
The yarn is Peacock Sock by Unplanned Peacock, a super soft and springy fingering weight yarn. The color variations are absolutely beautiful in rich and vibrant purples, and I think it pairs really well with the lace patterns. I love lace knitting, but don't have much opportunity to wear my lace shawls. They seem so fancy for everyday life and even when I go out sometimes it seems like keeping a shawl on my shoulders would be inconvenient. Hopefully I will find more use for a shrug! See the pattern page here for the particulars. Happy Knitting! Knit Picks has published a new collection of 7 shawls using their sock yarns. I am happy to say that my pattern Janelle Shawlette is included, and also made the cover! Woohoo! Janelle is pretty simple to knit, with a Stockinette stitch body and feather and fan border. The spiraled sections are shaped with increasingly larger yarnovers. The shape is a large circle with an opening in front, and the spiraled increases give it a swingy shape hanging down from your shoulders. I've worked double-yarnovers in complicated lace patterns, and I really liked the effect of having different-sized holes in the lace. I went a little crazy with that idea, and used up to quadruple-yarnovers in this design. Working into double-, triple-, or quadruple-yarnovers isn't as complicated as it sounds; you just need to alternately work knits and purls into the yarnovers, and will end up with a big eyelet. Knit Picks has an interesting way of working with designers; the sample that ends up being photographed is knit by a sample knitter and not the designer. So I will present the photos of my sample to better illustrate the shape of the shawl. The yarn is Stroll Hand-Painted in the colorway Make Believe. So, if you are interested, you can find Janelle on the Knit Picks website, as a printed book or ebook of Sock Yarn Shawls collection or as a single pattern download.
Until next time, Happy Knitting! |
AuthorCassie loves to knit, read and cook. She sometimes does all three at the same time. Categories
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