Design process

I think that I just may have developed one of the worlds least efficient work methods. Some very clever designers are able to conceptualize a design in their minds, do a bit of swatching, write out a pattern and then have a sample knitter knit it up for them. In very rare cases I think that I might be able to pull that off, but more often then not I design a piece by knitting the entire thing myself... twice! So often I have an idea in my head and then as I'm working on it things change. By having the knit in my hands and working the stitches myself I start off in one direction and then the knit kind of takes me where it wants to go. For me, this system definitely works since every time the design that I end up with is much better than the one that I started off trying to accomplish. 

The fact that I knit my own designs is not what makes me an inefficient designer, the fact that I knit most of them twice is! That photo above shows a section of a sweater in progress. The sweater is now complete, ends woven in, blocked and in fact I'm wearing it as I type and I'm super happy to say that I LOVE how it turned out. The thing is, I've explored a few new techniques in this piece and the whole time I was working on it I questioned wether it would work out or not. As I was working on it I knew right away that there were a few things that I wish I had done differently, but because in the back of my mind I worried that this whole piece was going to get scratched anyway I didn't bother changing them and instead worked my way through the entire garment keeping notes about what I should have done differently. 

Don't get me wrong, this prototype is pretty rad, the little things that I want to change aren't deal breakers and probably won't even be that noticeable in the end. But they will make the pattern better so it's worth it. 

So now I'm sporting my prototype and tonight I'll dream up an alternate colour scheme to knit my final version in. The one that will be just perfect! I'm excited to share it with you all, but I've obviously got a few tweaks to make before it's ready for prime time. 

Speaking of making a few tweaks, I am in the final stages of a pretty major website overhaul! The website and blog will all be getting a brand new look and will look better, work better and overall just BE BETTER! That's the hope at least. I'm just giving you all a heads up that I plan on getting pretty serious about it this weekend and into early next week, so if anything looks weird or different in the next couple of days, bear with me! 

R&R Hoodie

R&R Hoodie

$5

The classically cool hoodie - A wardrobe staple for both men, women and babies alike! I designed this hoodie for Rowan, with the quintessential kangaroo pockets, zipper and hood, and it has become one of his most worn handknits because it just seems to always be appropriate. The hood fits snugly over the head (and stays on!) so it doubles as a hat on cooler days. Don’t let the zipper scare you off! Though it takes a bit more effort during installation, it more than makes up for it in ease of use.

This hoodie is the very first thing that I knit for our Rowan. I knit a whole bunch for him before he was born, but they were all for "the baby". After Rowan was born and the dust settled a bit I naturally wanted to design something special for him and when I asked Chris what that should be, he immediately said "a hoodie with a zipper and pockets". He didn't even have to think about it! So, mission accepted, I cast on for this simple little hoodie, worked my way through the body with the pockets no problem, the sleeves and the yoke were a piece of cake. I knew that I wanted to trim out the fronts with a really neat i-cord edging… all that was left to sort out was the hood. But oh man, that hood! My mom and I must have knit no less than a dozen prototype hoods between the two of us. I had gotten it into my thick skull that I really wanted a very specific type of hood. One that would fit snuggly, would stay on and wouldn't be too bulky. The design I came up with is sort of like the heel of a sock. It took forever to get it the way I wanted it, but it was so worth it because in my opinion it really is a very cool hood!

Rowan has a little cousin named Ross who was born only 2 weeks after him. I knit Ross his own little hoodie (R&R actually stands for Rowan & Ross!) and for Ross' version I experimented with adding a bit of colour and I love the results. The i-cord edging around the fronts really is the perfect spot for adding a pop of contrast and why not play around with a different coloured zipper while you're at it? I'll be knitting a new hoodie for Rowan soon (he's just about outgrown his Lucky Penny hoodie!) and I'm thinking it'll be grey with a neon green zipper. Fun right? And if you like that scalloped colourwork pattern as much as I do (I used it on a Schoolboy Vest too!) you're in luck because I've got a free pattern coming out next week that features this motif, so you'll be able to apply it to all your Lucky Penny knits no problem. Stay tuned!

So lastly, we've got to talk about that zipper! I think that a lot of knitters (myself included) are a little apprehensive about sewing a zipper into their hand knits. But I'm here to tell you that it's really not that bad! It requires a little bit of careful positioning and pinning, some easy sewing and that's about it. The very first sweater I ever knit for Chris had a zipper, and though I'm not in any particular rush to hand sew a zipper into a man sized sweater any time soon, for a little sweater like this it was a piece of cake.  

So there you go! This concludes Lucky Penny Baby week! I hope that you enjoy these patterns and that you get a chance to knit them for the sweet little babies in your life. Tomorrow is Rowan's birthday. He will be 1 year old and I am excited and nostalgic and overwhelmed all at the same time.  

Schoolboy Vest

psst: Julie is doing a Lucky Penny Baby giveaway on her blog! Go check it out and then come right back!

This photo was an out take from our Christmas card photo shoot. I love the expression on Rowan's face, but don't love that I wasn't able to scurry out of the frame quick enough!

Schoolboy Vest

$5
In my humble opinion no baby’s knit wardrobe is complete without a knitted vest. Not only are they quick to knit, they happen to be one of the most practical baby knits out there. They keep the body warm while allowing all the frantic arm flailing and Cheerio throwing that little ones love to do. As an added bonus, your baby will look super smart when he’s sporting his scholarly sweater vest.

Ok, so the above photo does not feature my new Schoolboy Vest pattern, it is the Master Charles pattern knit for Rowan by my dear online friend CelticCastOn. This vest arrived in the mail shortly after Rowan was born last April. I cooed over it (because it's so cute) and then put it away because it wouldn't fit him until the fall. When fall rolled around I pulled it out, put it on Rowan, and the rest is history. I am very, VERY much a vest person when it comes to Rowan, and I never would have known it were it not for Kelly's awesome gift. So thanks Kelly!

I love vests on babies because they are just so easy. They are adorable over a onesie, but let's be honest, what's not adorable over a onesie? The real key for me is that they keep baby warm, but you never have to fuss with making sure that their sleeves aren't bunching up under the sweater, or worry at meal time that they are dragging the cuff of their beautifully hand knit cardigan through their pureed sweet potatoes. Plus, when it comes to the knitting, it's basically as quick as a hat! A simple tube, a little back and forth and then voila, a vest. As you can tell from the variety of vest patterning shown in this post (there are three different colourwork versions of my Schoolboy Vest pattern here),  the possibilities for adding your own favourite motifs are wide open. The pattern provides you with the chart for the version shown below, but adapting your favourite fair isle pattern for the body of the vest would be a piece of cake. 

In case you haven't noticed, this vest features the same colourwork motif as the Frosted Alpine hat! The two together would make an adorable baby shower gift, don't ya think?

Oh nothing - just reading up a bit on my favourite colour. ;)

Lucky Penny Baby Collection

Lucky Penny Baby Collection!

$12

Well gang, I've been working on this collection of baby boy knits for over a year now. The first pattern I worked on was the Keyfit Baby Blanket, I blogged about it being almost complete last February, more than a month before Rowan was born! Rowan will be 1 whole year old next Friday (boohoo, don't mention it!) so it's fair to say that this collection has taken me longer to wrap up than it took to make a baby. 

Anyways, lets not dwell on that. It's out now and I love it! I guess the good thing about taking so long to get things organized is that I have had a full year to test out these designs with my own baby boy and I can now tell you, with total sincerity, that we have used and loved every single piece. This collection truly makes up Rowan's knit wardrobe staples. In my humble opinion as a mom, these are the classic, baby boy must haves. 

I probably don't have to mention this, but I'll point it out anyways just in case anyone is on the fence about it, but this collection would obviously be perfect for a baby girl's wardrobe as well. I'm all about the little boys these days, but that's because he's all I know! But don't let all my talk of little fella's trick you into thinking that your little lady couldn't rock everyone of these pieces. 

So, because I've spent an entire year fussing over these patterns I am going to give myself permission to stretch out the chatter about them for as long as possible! Haha. I mean one blog post would not be enough for me to get this out of my system. So today I'm just here to let you know that the collection is live and available for purchase, and next week I'll be back with all the details on each piece. Oh, and tons of baby photos, since next week is Rowan's birthday week. You've been warned!

Patterns are available individually, or sold together in the collection for a steal! 

R&R Hoodie

Schoolboy Vest

Frosted Alpine Hat

Keyfit Baby Blanket

Pattern sale!

I woke up this morning excited about patterns and decided that it was high time I explore more of the wonderful features Ravelry has to offer and am running a 15% off sale all week! on all of my patterns in my Ravelry pattern store. The only thing this does not apply to is the Patterns Only 2014 Club membership. 

Use the coupon code: 

'March2014' 

at checkout and the discount will automatically be applied! 

Happy shopping!

Sale ends next Monday, March 10th at midnight.

So, this very fun news is followed by some less exciting news... once this sale is over I will be raising the price of a couple of my patterns. Specifically Bract, Brixter, Cabled Canuck, Windward, Fairview and Smooth Sailing. These patterns are all currently priced at $4 (plus 15% off this week!) and will go up to $5 each as of next Tuesday. 

That lovely photo above? Oh, just a little eye candy for you to feast your eyes on on this chilly Monday morning. A new design I'm working on, in a new colourway (aurora) and a new yarn (amber label) newly blocked... new new new! 

Smokestack Socks - a new pattern

Introducing the Smokestack Sock pattern!

I have a history of knitting a pair of socks for my dad for Christmas every year. This year I dropped the ball. My poor dad had no handknit socks to unwrap on Christmas morning. To make up for it, I designed a pair of socks just for him (though this isn't the first pair he's inspired, my Alpha Socks and Business Casual Socks were also designed for and gifted to him!) This time I used a special skein of Purple Label Cashmere Sock yarn in the Rock colourway that I went on and on about here. Dad deserves nothing but the best!

The Smokestack Socks were obviously inspired my my Brixter Hat pattern. I just love all that texture and those crisp cables. Actually, to be even more specific, these socks were inspired by the ever so slightly modified Brixter I knit a few months ago. With a slightly different cabling rhythm these socks are the perfect, simple, unisex pattern. I have plans to knit myself a pair in a brighter colourway. 

The pattern is offered in two sizes, small and large, which roughly translate into "average woman and average man" sizes. However labeling sizes is can be so arbitrary so lets just say that I'd make the small size for myself (I have tiny feet, I wear a size 5 or 6 shoe) and I'd knit the large size for Chris (he has regular man sized feet, wears a size 10 shoe) and each pair will fit the intended recipient perfectly! The all over ribbing makes for a very stretchy and therefor forgiving and comfortable pattern. Perfect for sock knitting.

$5

Details:

Yarn:

1 skein Tanis Fiber Arts Purple Label Cashmere Sock yarn (70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon, 115g =  400yds).

Size:

Pattern is given in two sizing options, small (large) – roughly translated into woman’s medium / (men’s medium). The cast on number is the same for both sizes, needle size, heel, gusset and toe instructions vary.

Needles:

Set of 4, 2.25mm (US 1) / (2.75mm (US 2)) dpns or size needed to obtain gauge.

Gauge:

17 stitches and 20 rounds = 1.5” (1.75”) wide and 1.25” (1.5”) tall unblocked in pattern.

Finished Measurements:

Cuff Circumference: approx 12” (13)” stretched.

Leg and Foot lengths vary depending on knitter’s preference.

Additional Tools and Materials:

Tapestry needle

Ravelry pattern page here. 

Patina Socks and Framed Slouch patterns

$5

Patina Socks 

Ravelry pattern page here.

$5

Framed Slouch

Ravelry pattern page here. 

Now that we've rolled into the new year and Chris and I are deep into getting the January 2014 Club packages ready to go out, the patterns from the 2013 Year In Colour Club are ready for wide release. The Club patterns are exclusive to Club members for the duration of the Club calender year, so when we rang in the new year we also marked the end of the exclusivity clause on all 2013 patterns! I've made my Patina Sock pattern and my Framed Slouch pattern available for sale on Ravelry. I'm working on the Papaya Shawl pattern and will have it up as soon as it's ready.

As far as the exclusive 2013 Club colourways... I haven't decided which ones will be joining the permanent collection yet. There were a few fan favourites, but I've got a bit more work to do before I'll be able to commit.

The first of the 2014 Club shipments will be going out soon! You've got until January 10th to sign up and ensure that you get your January Club yarn asap. Join the TFA Year In Colour Club here!

Happy Monday!

Bract Hat Pattern

So, I've been in a hat knitting kinda mood lately. They are just the perfect project. Beautiful and practical and quick! Exactly the kind of knits I need. Life seems to be too busy for lace weight projects these days. Here is my latest obsession, my new Bract Hat pattern!

I started off by playing around with a bit of 1x2 ribbing. I watched the ribbing flow, creating these diamonds around the hat. Then it came time for my favourite part of any hat, the decreases, and these ones do not disappoint! The large scale diamonds turn into ropey cables that create yet another set of diamonds... beautiful. Every single time I design a hat pattern I strive for this kind of crystal clear symmetry at the top. Those perfect decreases make my heart go pitter-patter! I hat originally intended to put a pom-pom on this hat, but there is no way I'm covering up those beautiful cables that come together oh-so-lovely at the top. 

Knit with one skein of either TFA Green Label Aran Weight yarn or for something extra special Orange Label Cashmere/Silk Worsted Weight yarn this hat would make a great holiday gift! I knit mine in Sprout and I love it. It's funny how we go through phases. I'm really into hats and I'm really into this shade of green these days. 

$4.00

Find all the details on the Bract ravelry pattern page here. 

I Heart Cardigans pattern

My I Heart Cardigans pattern is now available! I had this sweater all done and 99% ready before Rowan was born. In fact, I wore this sweater to the hospital the day I gave birth, it will always be my favourite sweater because of that. But then came Rowan, and right then and there the final 1% that needed to be wrapped up in order to have this pattern ready for publication got majorly delayed. But, here we are, just in time for every knitter's favourite time of year, fall sweater weather! 

This cardigan is very heavily inspired by it's older sister, the I Heart Aran pullover. I love my I Heart Aran, but sometimes you just need a cardigan! The pattern has the same densely cabled look (though the cables have been switched up) the shawl collar and the classic set in sleeves, but now in a fabulous cardigan option. 

Whereas I Heart Aran featured a plain stockinette back and was knit in pieces, this cardigan has lots of action in the back and is knit in as few pieces as possible. The body is knit flat in one piece and then divided for the fronts and back at the underarms. The sleeves are knit from the bottom up in the round and then knit flat for the sleeve cap shaping. Just a couple of seams to pull it all together. 

I knit this version in a one of a kind colour way that is quite close to Truffle. I know it's frustrating that this exact colourway isn't available, but I've got good news! There will be an Etsy Update on Tuesday, Sept. 3rd at 12 noon EST featuring lots of sweater quantities of both Green Label Aran Weight yarn and Orange Label Cashmere/Silk Worsted Weight yarn for you to knit your very own one of a kind I Heart Caridgans. More details about the update on to come. 

$6.00 CAD

Details:

Size: 32 (34, 36, 38, 40, 44, 48)”

(Sample shown is size 32“ with very little positive ease on model.)

Yarn: 6 (7, 7, 8, 9, 9, 10) skeins Tanis Fiber Arts Orange Label Cashmere/Silk Worsted Weight yarn or Tanis Fiber Arts Green Label Aran Weight yarn.

Needles: 4.5mm and 5mm needles circular.

4.5mm and 5mm 24” (or longer) circular needle for collar.

same size dons for sleeves.

Or size needed to obtain gauge.

Additional Tools and Materials: 8 Stitch markers, waste yarn or stitch holders, tapestry needle, 8 - 1" buttons.

Gauge: 17 sts and 26 rows = 4” in stockinette stitch on larger needles.

Ravelry pattern page here.

The same but different

I am the same as I was before Rowan was born, but also different in every way. This colourway is the same as Truffle, but just a tad different due to a lucky dyeing accident. This pattern is the same as I Heart Aran, but different. It's I Heart Cardigans. It is a pattern in progress and it will likely be some time before it's ready to be released. I have it mostly finished but I need a bit more time with it. I love it. It's knit in Orange Label and I wore it to the hospital. Can't wait to share more!

Sproutlette Dress

It's no secret that I love a little knitted dress on a baby. I've knit a few for friends and family and even though we don't know whether we're expecting a baby girl or a baby boy I couldn't help but have visions of knit dresses floating around my head. After all, my baby's wardrobe can't be all yellow and ducks, I had to make a few special knits for my "in case we have a girl" pile. 

Sproutlette is a sweet, spring inspired baby dress with a squishy garter stitch yoke, a pretty leafy lace detail and a really fun scalloped eyelet edging. The keyhole opening in the back makes it easy to get on over baby's giant head and is also the perfect spot to use a signature button! 

Available in 3 baby sizes: 0-6 month (6-12 month, 12-24 months) this dress can be knit using your favourite skein of fingering weight yarn. The two smaller sizes require just under 420 yds and for the larger size you'll need a second skein (just over 500 yds). I knit the largest size myself and in order to squeeze it out of one skein I opted to shorten the length and make it more of a tunic, to be worn with leggings, which is a fun option too. 

Sproutlette Dress pattern page on Ravelry here. 

More details and yarns available on my website here. 

Snowfling Mitten Pattern

There was already a brief mention of my new Snowfling Mitten pattern in my last post, but I can't very well work for months on a new pattern that I developed into 4 colourways for kits and then just leave it at one tiny little blog mention. No way. These mitts and the accompanying kits deserve their own post! So, here it is! 

The Snowfling Mitten pattern came to me completely out of nowhere. I was minding my own business back in November when I suddenly had the urge to knit myself a pair of mitts. This kind of urge occurs frequently, the difference this time is that when the urge struck, I was conveniently hit with the perfect idea for the look of the mitts too. These two things don't always happen at once, I was lucky. I sat down at my computer and started charting out pretty snowflakes, then I made up a mitten template, scattered the snowflakes around and that was that! By that very evening I was knitting away happily on my first pair of Snowfling Mitts. It all came together like it was meant to be!

From there, of course, came the tweaking. The official pattern drafting and test knitting and then finally the release of the pattern! 

So, what makes these mitts so awesome? Well, I happen to think that they are really very pretty, which is always nice in an accessory. But the real star? That pop of colour lining. I just can't get enough of the bright, cheery, cashmere surprise inside these mitts. The cashmere lining is exceptionally soft, warm, beautiful and practical.

Picking colour combo's to develop into kits was extremely easy and very difficult at the same time. The truth is, the colour possibilities are endless! Any of my lighter colourways (Natural, Sand, Chris Grey) would look great paired with just about any of my other bolder shades. I opted to stick with a classic palette for these kits, a bold background colour with a light snowflake colour and then a bright lining, but you could definitely mix things up and do the reverse, or do a bright snowflake on a dark background (maybe Pink Grapefruit on a Charcoal background!) The sky's the limit!

I had to share this little collage of photos from our photo shoot last weekend. We had a ton of snow so I was trying to use it creatively in our photos. All was going well until about 2 minutes into the shoot when I decided to throw the snow into the air and all over myself. The action shot was neat, but the resulting photos of me with white dust all over my curly hair and big belly made me look like I was playing a witch in a high school play... Not the look I was going for. Photo shoot - over. 

There you have it, the story of my new favourtite mitts. :)

Snowfling Mitts ravelry pattern page here. 

More details on my website here. 

Snowfling kits available on my website here. 

Coolbreeze Pattern Collection!

Introducing the Coolbreeze Collection! This collection started as a simple idea, and quickly took on a life of it's own! I wanted to knit myself a cardigan using one of my Palettes to do some fancy colourwork in the yoke... but I knew that using 8 colourways in the same yoke could get pretty complicated fast, so in order to keep it simple I opted to use a slipped stitch chevron pattern to achieve the look I wanted without all the fuss. No more than one colour is ever being used at a time. I became so enamored by the look of this awesome blue gradient rainbow that I just couldn't stop thinking of uses for it! The final collection includes 4 pieces, an adult cardigan and hat and a baby cardigan and hat. 

The adult cardigan and hat patterns were the first designs I worked on. The Coolbreeze Hat was born out of the idea of wanting to knit a functional swatch. Why not cast on a few more stitches and have a beautiful, wearable swatch in the end! The slouchy fit and bright colours make for an awesome accessory. 

The Coolbreeze Cardigan has a relaxed feel. No waist shaping and a generous amount of ribbing at the hems make this sweater easy to throw on and wear with just about anything. 

As I was working on the adult patterns, Chris and I got the wonderful news that we are expecting! So of course, I was dying to cast on for a little baby project. Since I wasn't quite over my chevron love affair just yet I decided that my baby's first special knit would be the Coolbreeze Baby Cardigan that coordinates with mommy's sweater. (I know, now I need to make one for Chris... I might just let him borrow my hat when he feels left out.)

Thanks a million to the adorable Lila for modeling this sweater for me!

And of course, what baby doesn't need an awesome hat? So of course, the baby cardigan comes with a matching hat pattern too. 

These four patterns are available for sale in two different options:

1) as the full Collection featuring all four patterns for $9.

2) as separate patterns, ladies sweater and hat for $6 or baby sweater and hat for $6.

And there is one more exciting detail about this collection... I've made sweater kits! Yes! 

The Sweater Kits are available in two colourways, my original Coolbreeze colourway, and a beautiful Warmbreeze colourway featuring my Rusty Palette with Sand as the main colour. Kits are available in 4 different sizing options and contain enough yarn to knit at least 1 adult sweater and hat. Pattern sold separately.

I was able to knit all 4 patterns in the collection using only 1 Palette, but the larger sizes that will require more of the contrasting colourways will have less leftover yarn for extra projects.

COOLBREEZE COLLECTION

$9.00

View ravelry pattern page here. 

More details on my website here.