Impending deadlines!

Today is a big day. First off: today is the last day to buy one of my Travelling Hat patterns and have the proceeds go to One Fund Boston - more details here.

Second: today is also the last day to enter my contest to win a copy of American Sock Knitting. All you've got to do is go to this post and leave a comment about your favorite place and/or the kind of sock that would be inspired by your favorite place. So far there are only three entries, so your chances are good - go comment!

Third: not an immediate deadline, but yesterday I finished the second bobbin of Shetland and started the third as Chris Froome annihilated Mount Ventoux.



I am getting very interested in going back to some fiber with color...but have to finish off the third bobbin and get plying - the end of Le Tour is next Sunday!

It's a big week for patterns: Denbigh Cowl in Knit Now Issue 23!

This week, the latest issue of Knit Now hit the stands, containing my Denbigh Cowl pattern.

Photo credit: Dan Walmsley

This pattern grew out of a designer challenge, where the editor of the magazine sends around a call for patterns that utilize a specific yarn (usually with only enough yardage for an accessory). I came up with the idea for this cowl after seeing Kate's Pinterest board for the challenge, which featured lots and lots of graphic designs with strong contrasting lines.

The yarn is from Blacker Yarns - their Swan DK and Pure Teeswater DK. This was my first time working with yarns from this company, and they were absolutely gorgeous.

Something I didn't realize beforehand, but that ended up working out perfectly for the design: the Swan DK is on the heavier end of the DK range, while the Teeswater DK is practically a sport/fingering weight! This meant that the yarns fit perfectly into my plan to use the Swan DK (made from Falkland merino) as the background color, thereby putting the softer yarn against the skin, and put the more drapey Teeswater yarn into play as the accent color.

There's my swatch, edged with i-cord that's worked as the cast on and cast off for the cowl. It's a bit easier to see the stitch pattern here - it's a very easy pattern to work, with only two rows where anything happens that you need to pay attention to. And it is totally addictive!

While the pattern is currently only available through the magazine, I will be releasing it in the fall with an additional, larger infinity cowl size. And once I decide which colors I'm going to use, I'll be getting some more of that gorgeous yarn!

New pattern: Snowy Pines

I am very excited to announce that I have a sock pattern coming out in the new book American Sock Knitting.

Photo (c) American Gift Knitting

This book is a collection of 13 sock patterns inspired by different states, including socks from Ohio, Oregon, Kentucky, Arizona, North Carolina, New Jersey and Massachusetts. There is so much variety in the collection - cables, lace, colorwork - so there's something to appeal to everyone.  The book also includes some travelogues from Beth's favorite places and five recipes reflecting different regions of the United States.

My contribution, Snowy Pines, was inspired by the woods near my grandparent's house in Maine. It is a great project for a new sock knitter - it's worked in worsted weight yarn (so nice and fast to knit!) from the top down, and includes a stranded colorwork pine tree and snowflake design.

The book is now in preorders until July 15th with a reduced price and free US shipping, and copies will be shipping out soon after that. And since I'm going to have an extra copy, why don't we have a little contest?

Post in the comments about your favorite place, and what sort of sock would be inspired by that place - for example, would it have a lacy motif? Maybe something more rugged, like cables? Or would you need a particular yarn color to capture that place in a sock? I leave the entries open until the end of preorders, July 15th, and then draw a winner. Please note that I won't be getting my hands on the book until mid-August, so there will be a bit of delay in getting it out to you.

And now? Back to carding...

Psst...new pattern coming out

But I can't reveal any details yet because it's part of a club! But if you like YA literature, and you like hats with lots of fun stuff going on, with bookish-inspiration, and you are a fan of super-soft merino and gorgeous dye jobs, you should really head over to Storied Yarns and sign up for Jess's A Yarn and a Tale yarn/fiber club for Quarter 3. You'll get to read and chat about a great book, get some of her gorgeous Bo Peep Worsted yarn or super-fine merino top in a book-inspired exclusive colorway, and get a pattern for a lovely slouchy hat from me.

The Storied Yarns Ravelry group is here, the thread for Quarter 3 is here, and the shop listing for the club is here, but only until about the 13th of June. Off you go!

PS - if you can't manage the club right now, the pattern will be available directly from me starting in October.

Monday random bits

1. I have knitting that I can not share. Knitting in custom-dyed indie yarn even. The trick of alternating between two balls of yarn is working out really well in taking care of dye lot variations (which are quite dramatic). But that's all I can tell you at the moment...

2. I have another secret project, only this one is crochet. And it's a baby present. So no pictures at all, for the time being. Suffice to say that a) I had to buy yarn for this one and b) it's cotton yarn (I may now be convinced that cotton yarn is only good for crochet, by the by...) Both of my daughters have asked for the same item, only in wool. Hmmm...

3. Last week's freezing temperatures and snow may have led me to the "inescapable" conclusion that I needed to make the girls new hats and mittens. With hedgehogs (their request). Which meant I had to get some yarn on Friday when out doing "market research" with Alli. The fact that it is now 7 degrees C out has sapped my will to knit mittens and hats. Ehem. Move along here, nothing to see.

4. My Dirty Porridge yarn is now happily dry and ready to be measured and assessed. However, I have not yet managed to collect it from the towel rack in the downstairs bathroom and make such measurements, nor have I managed to collect the other 8 skeins of yarn that have been hanging over the shower head since early December. Knitter/spinner fail.

5. I am a bit concerned that I'm going to be stuck in the middle of a big thing at work and be extremely late to meet Devil's bus after school. Oy! FWP for the win on a (finally!) sunny Monday.