Eleven projects for 2011

Insane porpoise is insane. Ehem.

1. Eleven pairs of socks - a la Yarn Harlot, I've pulled out and bagged 11 socks-worth of yarn (making a significant dent in my sock yarn stash, glory be!), and chosen patterns to go with them. I'm only budgeting 11 because a) one pattern is a pair of knee highs and b) ten days of the month of June I'm expecting to be knitting-free.
2. Eleven sweaters, including (not in any particular order)

• 3. Pas de Valse
• 4. Handspun Vine Yoke Cardigan
• 5. Rollneck sweater for Devil
• 6. The River Run Pullover (Rav link), for which I will also spin the yarn*.

7. Spin more during the 2011 Tour de Fleece then I did in 2010 (39.4 oz)
8. Get my first full fleece (figuring out what to do with it is 2012's project)
9. Design a shawl
10. Submit a design to Knitty
11. Design a spinning/knitting project for Ennea Collective

OK. Now that it's all down on (virtual) paper, I'll be peering out the window every time the doorbell rings to see if the nice men in white coats have come to take me away. What a completely ludicrous list. However, if you don't aim high, you don't make as spectacular a puddle when you crash land.

What about the rest of you? What are your fibery goals for 2011? Let me know in the comments, and I'll send some lucky random person a goody from my stash (handspun anyone?). Post your comments by midnight CST on January 8th, and I'll draw numbers. Happy New Year everyone!

* I need a little lie down and a stiff drink just contemplating this project. It needs to be done in March. Approximately 2000 yds of yarn in 9 different colors. Fuck me sideways with a chain saw. That is all.

The Shard Hat is now available

Looking for a quick holiday knit? Or are you a beginner wanting to venture into hat territory? If so, The Shard Hat is the pattern for you.

Worked in a knit-purl pattern from the ribbing up, this unisex hat is simple to knit, yet has enough going on to keep things interesting. You can also knit this hat up in anything from sport to aran weight yarn - the size is adjusted by changing the gauge. The small size is suitable for children, while the medium and large sizes are perfect for adults.

Pattern is presented in both written and charted formats. It requires approximately 125 yds/114 m yarn and needles in the appropriate size for the gauge. Many thanks to my brother, Kew Gardens and some early snow for the photo shoot, and my test knitters, knucna, tinpins, lemonsong and mrsmommy, for their help and suggestions.

To purchase, click below - the pattern is available through my Ravelry store, but a Ravelry membership is not required.

The Shard Hat, $5.00

Southwark Collection Part 3: Tower Bridge Mitts

The third pattern in the collection is actually the first one that I knit, now almost two years ago.

When we came over to find a place to live a couple of springs ago, I spent one day down near London Bridge wandering about. It was one of those grey days that is gloomy and raw, and then suddenly the sun peaks through the clouds and highlights something - that something happened to be Tower Bridge.

I promptly went home and knit up a pair of fingerless mitts using a stitch pattern that reminded me of the bridge.

I can't really explain what the resemblance was/is, but there you have it. The first pair were knit in a fingering weight yarn (multicolored version) and the second pair are in Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk. The pattern is just about ready to go out to testers, so I'm hoping to get it released soon. Shard should be out in the immediate future, since it's now with test knitters. Gherkin is about to undergo a major redesign, so maybe before Christmas, but I'm not holding my breath. That can be a post-Christmas knit for everyone to cast-on their new yarn.

Southwark Collection, design #2

The Brits have a certain dry sense of humor when it comes to phallic symbols, which has resulted in the above building being nicknamed The Gherkin. It even has it's own Wikipedia entry. The Gherkin is visible from many parts of London, but when I walk up Borough High Street coming back from the coffee shop, I can see the tip peaking up into the sky. Pun intended.

I love the swirling lines going up around the building, and have been trying to wrap my head around how to recreate them in some mittens. First up was the yarn:

I bought this skein of StR lightweight waaaaay back in my first Blue Moon Fiber Arts experience (actually, my only BMFA purchase so far, since I ain't paying to ship to the UK, thankyouverymuch). It's been marinating in the stash, waiting for the perfect project to come along. And for whatever reason, my inner magpie decided that it needed to become some twisted stitch mittens.

I was having a bit of a brain cramp as to how to work the decreases so as to maintain the lines of the twisted stitches, but get a bit of the change in the diamond shape as it goes up. I think I came up with something as I was on the verge of going to sleep a few nights ago, but it remains to be seen whether or not my dreamy solution is a real life, practical solution. Stay tuned.

The Southwark Collection, part 1

I've been alluding to this collection of designs that I'm working on behind the scenes, and I decided that since I'm going to self-publish them, there's no premium on secrecy. So the next few posts will talk a bit about the inspiration behind each of the designs, and give you a sneak peek. I'm hoping to get all three patterns released by mid-November.

I work near London Bridge, in a part of town known as Southwark. Each of the three pieces in the collection is inspired by an architectural feature that I see routinely around work: Tower Bridge, the Gherkin and the Shard.

The first design I'm going to talk about is actually the second one I knit, and is inspired by a building that isn't even finished yet. The Shard of Glass is currently being built right next to London Bridge Rail Station, and I can see it going up every day from the platform where I catch my train. Right now it looks like this:

But in the not too distant future, it's going to look like this. To say that this building is going to be a bit incongruous in its current surroundings would be misleading - there is nothing nearby that looks even remotely like this in the vicinity! Ah, progress...

Given that the building isn't even done yet, the Shard hat bears a resemblance to the ultimate (theoretical) finished project, but isn't a direct representation. I knit the first version in Cascade 220 heathers.

It's a pretty good size, about 21 inches around unstretched, but I charted the whole thing. And I wasn't so thrilled at the prospect of doing a new chart for each size. And I wanted multiple sizes. So I decided that the easiest way to get different sizes would be to knit the same chart at varying gauges.

Now I'm working on the DK version, with plans for sport weight and fingering weight. I'm using Drops Extra Fine Merino for the DK hat, and it is amazing yarn - soft, bouncy and superwash. What's not to love? I haven't completely bought in to an Aran weight version, but that might happen too. It's an easy knit/purl pattern, and would be equally suitable for men, women or kids - I think a lot of people in my world are getting hats for Christmas!