Feb

Strigose Shawl

So I’m working on a new pattern that will soon be ready to go to testers. It was something I started on a whim during Christmas and after much ripping out I’m kind of in love with it. You know how some yarns just know what they want to become? This was definitely one of those experiences.

Knit with 2 different colorways of MadelineTosh Sock. I have to say, this lady really knows her color, though the two skeins didn’t have a lot in common they had enough of the same tones to be perfect together.

I used a non-traditional edging for this shawl that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. Basically I didn’t want to interrupt the beauty and smoothness of the yarn and an applied i-cord was just the ticket. The loops were an afterthought but I kind of love them.

20 hours ago Short URL 2 Comments

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Feb

Rocking Out

You guys, I am so overwhelmed by all your kindness and your wonderful comments. I’m responding to all of them as I can. I find that if I write back all at once they tend to be generic and I hate that. So I’ve had kind of an awesome 2012 so far and it’s not even 33 days into the year! (Lets pepper this post with some goats shall we? It just makes everything better.)

1. My testers are JUST about done with my Coastal Waters Shawl which is turning out BEAUTIFULLY. They have worked so hard and so completely that this will be such an easy shawl to knit when I publish it. It is a study in slipped stitches and really fun and interesting!

2. I’ve just finished another shawl design that I’m pretty sure is one of the neatest things I’ve done because it was with out planning and just spur of the moment. I just really dig it.

3. I’m fairly certain that at least one of my goats is pregnant and that 3 of my sheep are which rocks my world.

4. I finally was able to string together 150 words for my Ariel synopsis to eventually put into an agent letter. It took the help of my wonderfully honest cousin, my best friend, and the Mr who spent a half an hour alone re-writing the last line but I think it might actually be what I’m looking for. If you’ve never tried to compress a book into 150 short words it’s pure torture. The first few attempts I had sounded as if they were written by grade school kids.

Through the eyes of the casual observer Portland may seem like just another city but just below the eco-friendly surface it’s a hub for forgotten gods, mythical creatures, and things that go bump in the night. Standing between these two worlds is the arch angel Ariel. Ariel is divine justice and keeps the peace between pantheons, creatures, and humans for as long as such things have existed. It is her job – and her job alone – to make sure that everyone who walks among humans follows the laws set down by the most powerful of her kind. Now someone or something is changing the game and setting its sights directly on the peacekeeper herself. Now not only is the lion of heaven in grave peril but the world itself.

Right now things are going pretty good and I’m pretty pleased with myself. I have some knitting to show you but I thought goats might be just the ticket

4 days ago Short URL 3 Comments

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Jan

Video Game Inspiration

I’m not really sure where other knitters get their inspiration. I’m really bad at reading interviews because the questions asked don’t usually interest me. Plus the back and forth between interviewer and interviewee isn’t interesting as it would be if it were an actual dialogue or spiced up. With out the voice I’m just not interested and I think that’s what a lot of these articles miss, the voice. Thus, I don’t know if I might be kind of a freak in this regard but I think my husband’s video games are just absolutely beautiful. The work they put into character design and costume design is just mind-blowing. This kind of work usually ends at the gamer because who else sees it?

Well I do. The wife of the video gamer. If the game is interesting enough it’s almost like a movie I’ve watched a lot of times. That means I can knit and hang out with out actually paying attention. I’ve watched my husband play his way through the Assassin’s Creed games and I’ve always loved the costuming.

So this probably wasn’t a huge stretch…

I tried to take the idea of the cloak (yes, even the beak) and incorporate it into a wearable sweater. My goal was something different with out being costume-y.

I didn’t try to replicate the exact cloak but I did try to get the FEEL of it. The mystery, the armor. I have to tell you people, I am amazed by myself and excited about the finished sweater.

Right now I am furiously writing up the pattern for the sweater, then it will go to my amazing tech editor, then to testers. I think with so many details I really want to get this tested. I have to say, I was unsure of the shoulder flap, at first it reminded me of a cowboy’s duster but after I blocked it and seamed it to the sweater I have to tell you I love it.

The thing I think I love the most is that you can wear it as a regular sweater and it looks beautiful, but then you can throw up the hood and hide way back in it’s folds and it’s instant mystery.

I used twisted stitches to mimic gauntlets and an applied icord for the button band. Right now I’m knitting up my own and tweaking the pattern as I go. As soon as I’m done I’m sure it will be ready for testers. Maybe another month. If anyone here is interested in testing I’ll post up the link to join along, maybe I’ll even have this pattern free for a month for a knit along. Anyone game?

Next up…Fabel 3 (Thanks Aimee!)

6 days ago Short URL 8 Comments

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Jan

You People Are Awesome

So awesome in fact that I’ve got a goat post just for you all. Your response to my Oulaw sweater was overwhelming and if you heard a high-pitched distant squeal that was coming from me running around my house and barn as you bumped me at one point to #2 on the “whats hot right now” list on Ravelry. I did get reports that dogs from miles around lost their bananas for a few hours and I’m making restorations for that but guys, it felt so darn awesome. The response was such a huge ego boost I can’t even describe it. I’ve been turned down by Knitty.com twice, Interweave Knits twice, and Knit Scene once. Then with a self published sweater I put a lot of thought and work into you all made me feel SO un-losery I can’t even begin to thank you.

Well, I can begin so I will…with goats.

Who on earth can resist a goat smile? No one I say, NO ONE. It’s kryptonite, you know it is. You see a little goat smirk and your insides go all squishy then try as you might a force bubbles up inside you till you just can’t contain it and you explode with an ‘awwww’. You know you do. I KNOW you do which is really all that matters right?

Running Prancer runs. He also prances quite a lot. He also side kicks and wiggles happily. I swear La Mancas are the happiest goats on the face of the earth.

Sometimes I see him running and he’s running right at me and I won’t lie, I pucker a little when he doesn’t turn directions until the LAST second. You will read a report one day that I am completely bowled over by this goat. It might even be the way I die. If it is that would be the most ridiculous thing ever and if the Mr posts a damn obituary saying “at least she died doing what she loved” I would haunt his ass so hard because no one loves getting run over by a goat. But I digress. Back to the cuteness.

There aren’t a whole lot of hat wearing holidays are there? I think we’ll have to make some up to be quite frank.

We had snow and the goats didn’t really know what to think. It wasn’t bad like rain but it wasn’t awesome like sun either.

And as a special little extra tree here is a little video of goaty goodness!

11 days ago Short URL 8 Comments

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Jan

Outlaw Sweater – Pattern Release

I am happy to announce that with the amazing work of my tech editor I am ready to release Outlaw.

Outlaw is a pullover sweater knit in Cascade 220 with a slipped stitch yoke and a similar rib hem. A cozy slipped stitch hood and a high cowl neck makes this sweater a very comfortable and stylish option for those cold months. Queue it here.

The specs:

***Gauge 20 sts = 4.5” in stockinette***
***Gauge in Slipped St Pattern 20 sts = 4”***

Yarn: Cascade 220 5(5, 6, 6, 6) {7, 7, 7, 8} (8, 8, 9, 9) {9, 10, 10, 10} skeins
Needles: US # 6 24” circular and DPNs, US # 8 24” circular and DPNs
Notions: stitch markers, tapestry needle, stitch holders or waste yarn

***Sizes available***
Finished Bust Size 28(30, 32, 34, 36) {38, 40, 42, 44} (46, 48, 50, 52) {54, 56, 58, 60}”

14 days ago Short URL 5 Comments

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Jan

Working Away

I’ve been working quietly behind the scenes here lately but there’s not a lot of progress that I can show for it. I’m waiting for my Outlaw Sweater to come back from the tech editor (which should happen this week), I’m waiting for my testers to find the next problem with my Coastal Waters Shawl, and I’m writing up the pattern for my Assassin’s Creed sweater. In the midst of all this I’m still writing and getting some of my work together to send to agents (which is incredibly hard for me) and trying also to knit. Throw in the farming and I’m busy even if I don’t think I am

This sweater is just waiting for me to start the button band/edging and block it. I think once it’s blocked the yarn will relax and bloom beautifully. I want to start knitting one for me but I’m really trying to be good and knit on projects I’ve promised other people.

I put a lot more details into this knit than I usually would but I also tried to keep them subtle. I really like the effect and I won’t lie, I’m a little bit proud of this sweater.

I have testers currently going through my Coastal Waters Shawl and picking apart all my mistakes. As much as I hate that I make mistakes they are a really fantastic group of knitters who don’t hesitate to point out that something isn’t working. In the end I know I’ll have a flawless pattern

Then of course there’s this. I was published in Knit Magazine issue 45. I can’t even tell you how excited I was to see my work in print!

I’ve submitted patterns to Knitty, Interweave, and Knitscene but this is the first time I’ve been accepted and you know what? It’s a huge ego boost for sure.

I’ve got some more design ideas clinking around. One for sure is my circle sweater I knit 2 years ago.

I actually knit this sweater, then I copied it for my friend Carol and never wrote up a pattern though it was fairly well received on Ravelry. Honestly I think my pattern writing skills have just improved enough to finally do it. Plus this sweater is so delish I think lots of knitters will want it.

20 days ago Short URL 10 Comments

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Jan

Coming Soon

Two years ago I knit myself a sweater. It was exactly what I wanted out of a sweater.

I knew that I wanted to make a pattern from this sweater. But then the Mr and I moved and I just never got around to it.

Till now…

Outlaw was born.

Right now it’s at my fabulous tech editor to make sure that my pattern is good to go.

I hope to be releasing the sweater by the end of the month. Sizing will be from 28″-60″ because all women deserve to have nice sweaters.

A huge thank you to Shauna Moys for being beautiful and wonderful and modeling my sweater.

30 days ago Short URL 8 Comments

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Jan

FO: Coastal Hoodie

AKA the most tedious sweater I’ve ever knit. When I say that though it’s nothing to do with the pattern, it’s all me. It’s the stripes, the all the starting and stopping to change colors, it’s the 3 million ends I wove in, it’s the hem and the hood and the pockets. I hated everything about knitting this sweater. I didn’t even know if I liked my color choice by the end…

When I was done though? This is the most perfect sweater ever. I love the weight, I love the ease, I love the hem and the snaps and the pockets. This will no doubt be my go-to sweater for everything. It will be easy to throw on and go.

I didn’t meet gauge (big surprise I know) because I subbed in a lighter weight yarn. Mostly because I couldn’t justify mortgaging the house on the amount of Madeline Tosh Merino it would have taken me to knit this thing. If I was a skinny little thing it wouldn’t have been a big deal but I’m obviously not. Also, I once again had to do math because the largest bust size the designer wrote was for a 50″, which is 2″ less than my bust and that’s with no positive ease. I did my maths and at 6sts/inch and a raglan increase I kept increasing and knitting until I had a bust size of about 56″ so that this would be perfectly slouchy.

I love that this is all done in reverse stockinette but I do think that this could have been knit in the round, steeked, and then the hem done. If I would have been thinking ahead I would have done that, and knit it inside out so that it was all in knit not in purl. I knit the sleeves inside out, why didn’t this occur to me?

The hood turned out super slouchy which I don’t know if is because of the pattern, my yarn choice, or my poor conversion math. Still, it lays flat and looks pretty cute from behind thanks to that orange hem.

Will I ever wear the hood? Maybe, but I doubt it. The only hoods I do wear are for my rain coat or hoody when I’m in the barn. This is definitely not a barn sweater because I really do love it so much. I just can’t tell you how relieved I am too because this was a beast to knit for me and if I didn’t like it I just might have thrown the whole thing away.

I know for a fact that this is the knit that ate my mojo. I just couldn’t knit anything or focus on new knits till I got this stupid thing off the needles. Now that it finally is I can move on with my life!

So there we go. Finally a finished project. Course I’ve been knitting but I can’t show you things. I have a sweater in the upcoming issue of Knit Magazine (issue 45) which I’m so excited about! This is the sweater that customs demanded payment for so it was rejected, missed it’s deadline, and was sent back (which took 3 full months to arrive). Then I have my Outlaw sweater to a tech editor which is really exciting for me because I’ve never used a tech editor before and I think it will really help a TON. I haven’t decided if I’m going to have it test knitted yet, I know I probably should, I’m just still on the fence. Then of course I’m about halfway through my Assassin’s Creed Sweater which is rocking my world. I wish it was my size but I will definitely knit another one for me.

33 days ago Short URL 9 Comments

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assassin's creed sweater/coastal hoodie

Jan

Happy 2012. I have a feeling it’s going to be awesome.

35 days ago Short URL 6 Comments

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Dec

Looking Back and Looking Forward

So it’s almost new years again and I don’t know where the year’s gone. I’ve done a lot, a lot of crazy things a lot of fun things and a lot of things I never thought I’d do.

So I never really make resolutions because I make enough lists it would make a normal person crazy but this year I’m going to because there are a few things I really want to put some effort into.

1. I’m going to knit down the stash. I’m going to do my best to knit with yarn only from my stash. The only exception for this rule will be for designing things such as sweaters.

2. Along with this I’m going to knit down my queue on Ravelry. Currently it stands at 5 pages and a 176 projects. It grows faster than I actually knit the projects so I think it’s time to whittle it down a little. Also this will get me some finished knits that I really want.

3. I’m actually going to work on submitting my writing to get published. I’ve written a lot this year and it’s had a pretty positive responce so I’m going to go for it.

Things that are not resolutions but that I am just going to do are things like learn how to milk a goat, making cheese, and even working with my shepherd Kodiak to learn how to herd sheep.

The year in review…

We got chickens.