Epameinondas

If you follow me on Instagram or in my Ravelry group, you may have seen me trying to gauge interest in a knitting weekend in NYC this June...  Well, I�m pleased to announce that this little event has come together!  That's Kirsten's gorgeous Fort Tyron Wrap, knit in mYak's lovely yarn... Easily accessible by public transit in Manhattan, in a lovely space in the West Village, Paola of mYak yarns has created a  summer knitting weekend  with Kirsten Kapur and myself!!  We have classes, a cocktail party on Saturday night (with a drink Kirsten and I have yet to create...), and knitting and tea afternoon on Sunday. Kirsten and I will bring samples for a double trunk show, and Paola has a mYak yarn showroom, just in case the urge for more yarn hits. The space is beautiful and has a lovely patio if weather permits.. Instead of an expensive weekend retreat, we wanted to offer something with a lower price point and an   a-la-carte menu , so that it would be inc...

As many of you already know, I'm slowly going through some of my past patterns and giving them a little reboot. I've learned a lot since I began doing this in 2008, and there are a few patterns that you guys still seem to like knitting, so I want to make sure that you are all getting my best work.  With that in mind, I've already revised Vodka Lemonade, Dark and Stormy, Irish Coffee, Chocolate Stout, Cassis, and Champagne --- and next on my list was Vodka Gimlet.  It's been a great sweater these past EIGHT years! A perfect simple cardigan with just a touch of detail. It still goes with everything, and the yarn has worn like a champ. I have not stopped reaching for this one, and my wardrobe is better for it being in there!   Now available with more stitch counts, better descriptions, a new layout, and an overall edit, if you already purchased it through me on Ravelry initially, you got an email with a link to download the new version for free.  If you didn't pur...

I know it's April, but after driving home in a snowstorm 2 days ago and reaching for my WINTER coat every morning still, I really just need a pick me up. Something to liven up my winter coat and look just as good with my jean jacket in a week or two.   I pulled out some lovely pale pink Solstice yarn from my friend Dami of Magpie Fibers and a lace pattern I'd been wanting to play with and designed a hat to perk me up for these last few weeks!  Venetian Cup Right?  And I liked it so much I knit another, in mYak Medium... I honestly love this pattern so much in both yarns!  And because I don't have to choose, I've included both yarns in the pattern notes on Ravelry.  As a little incentive, the Ravelry code "Venetian" will get you $1 off the pattern until 4/14/19.   All the info is up on the Ravelry page, plus the test knits .   And if you are wondering what a Venetian cup is, it sounds pretty delicious! Campari, Pimm's, and Ginger beer - r...

Have you guys been following along with Kay and Ann of Mason Dixon Knitting as they conduct this year's March Mayhem??   If you have, you'll know that Widow's Kiss is down to the last 8!  They began with 64 patterns, and with each round of voting, I've been sure that Widow's Kiss would pop off, but here we are, with 2 sweaters left, and it's still hanging in there.  I'm completely honored that it even made the original cut, but you guys have no idea how happy it makes me that this sweater, which was designed to draw eyes to a small-batch farm yarn, has done so well!  Sawkill farm is in New York State, right near Rhinebeck - and these sheep are owned and tended to by the Robertstons and their adorable baby Rollo!  They are such a sweet and hardworking family, making ends meet in the important but often undervalued business of family farming.  Plus, the fleece is spun at Green Mountain Spinnery, so it gets even better in terms of a yarn made by amazing peop...

My Maraschino Cherry Hat.     Now available on Ravelry!  Read below for the code... That was the direction I was given last summer, when we started working on my  Mason Dixon Field Guide, #8, Merry Making  Kay and Ann had a vision of patterns a knitter would want to keep making over and over again, substituting yarn or colors, working them in various sizes -- so that come the holidays, an entire family could pose around the dinner table in their matching hand knits...  And I was a little intimidated by this instruction, because isn't that really just the holy grail of knitwear design anyways? However, I soldiered on and came up with a collection I was proud of and they were happy with, and one of the designs was the Slip-Stitch Cap , featuring two colors, some simple slipped stitches, and some gorgeous, squishy Studio Chunky yarn from Neighborhood Fiber Company .  And I think it did do the trick - especially since I even found time to make a few o...

Just a quick post, to let you know that I've finally been able to release Brennivin, my cardigan pattern from Laine Magazine's Issue 5, as a single pattern PDF. It's a lovely cozy cardigan, with a bit of delicate lace detail - and it was a joy to knit this in The Yarn Collective's Hudson Worsted - as soft and round worsted merino yarn, with a touch of yak!  Soft and cozy with a touch of drape to it. Pockets, my favorite kind of shawl collar, and bottom up construction. All the details are on Ravelry and the pattern is both there and on the cardigan page of this blog as well.  Enjoy! xo

Hi guys, Some more cables for you!  This is Ruby Port , a simple cardigan with some beautiful cables on the back . I wanted something super versatile, that could take me from the melting snow of March, into the cool nights of May and June.  An open cardigan, with options for short or long sleeves - basic stockinette on front, a bit of detail on each side to transition to the back panel, and a squishy, satisfying cable back there... The fun thing about this is that it's so customizable! Length and width - as always - are easy to alter.  But with this sweater, you can choose the amount of ease and the sleeve length that works for you, and by doing those two things, it's amazing how different the sweater can look. Sindhu wears it below with about 6"/15.25cm of ease and short sleeves, for a lovely boxy feel over my new overalls - My Mom wears the same sweater with no ease, as she has small shoulders but a larger bust, and it lies open nicely over a tunic! And one of my lovely...

You guys know how I feel about YOTH Father, and how I feel about a funky cable that looks unique and is both easier than it looks AND totally addictive, right? Yep. Check and check.  Seelbach . I love this one a ton.  My thought is that since I knit it in a deep gray, maybe I will begin to alternate it into my wardrobe so I'm not wearing my Oban Sweater every day - or maybe I'll even knit a second one of these, because I'm probably not done with these cables either... We'll see. In the meantime, an addition to the modeling troupe around here (I rely on people I can coerce for free) - say hello to my Mom! All the details and test knits are up on the Seelbach Ravelry page, and there will be a Seelbach conversation thread in my Ravelry group , as I set up for every design!  Check in over there for more. I'm still unsure that enough readers come to blogs these days, so I promise I'll still post, but you'll see these posts get a bit brief and they will direct yo...

Squishy, gorgeous merino farm yarn, paired with lots of texture and cables.  Husdon Valley Cider is my not-so classic Gansey sweater. It's the transitions between rib, seed, garter, and cables that make this sweater striking. The patterns themselves are all easy, but they are so special when they play off each other. The cable lines down the body are long and lean and flattering,with horizontal elements then placed both above and below them. The ribbing on the upper bust is placed high, so it lengthens the body and draws the eye to the shoulder and neck details. Dropped sleeves are highlighted by garter stitch shoulders and the seed stitch detail at the top of each arm. Lastly, ribs along the sides of the sweater make bold lines from shoulder to split hem that contrast with all the horizontal patterns and allow for a secret spot to make a few mods, if needed. For me, something so squishy needed a cowl.  But instructions are included for alternate necklines. ------ I named thi...

Introducing my first sweater for 2019, Lillet . I'm starting off slow this year, with just a bit of detail and a lot of stockinette. There are times when you just need a soothing knit, and the more I had going on this Fall, the more I craved a little stockinette in a lovely yarn. I ended up with a lot of stockinette, and it felt so good that I ended up with two versions of the same pattern. Since I knit two, I wrote two. Lillet   is worked seamlessly, from the top down and it includes two body options to choose from once you separate arms. The slouchier, longer one is knit in Julie Asselin's soft, cozy Nurtured yarn and the shorter one is worked up in her stunning Leizu Worsted.  I started off with this beautiful lace collar. It's just a little openwork mixed with a couple of cables and rib, but it's distinct and eye-catching and I love how it looked. There's a little shaping to deepen the back neck, and a bit  more shaping to create the front neckline. The sweater ...

I hope you are all having a great holiday season and spending time with your friends, family, and knitting. I've been away for a bit, had my daughter home from school, and will be loading all my files onto this NEW computer today since the old one has really been slogging along for the past month or so and we decided it was time for a switch, so pardon me for any silence you might have noticed. If you are a podcast person, or have some extra time over your break, I have a little clip on the latest episode of Fruity Knitting - they include a video of me and my Widow's Kiss sweater - and their actual guests are June Hemmons Hiatt, the author of Principles of Knitting, and Nan Bray, a sheperdess from Tasmania! The link is below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nk5P47nD3o For those of you following along on my skein to sweater project, I have the yarn in hand and the sketch on my desk, but both the holidays and a sweater that needs to be released earlier have gotten in the way, so...

If you've been following my progress on this, you know I've been in the thinking stage over the past few weeks.  Because once the yarn is chosen, and even when I do have a vague idea, there's still the process of exactly how it will come together.  Last we checked in here on the blog, I mentioned that I had a spring cardigan in mind.  My vision was something easy fitting, casual,  My brain was stuck on the words "cozy" and "bold" - but I still also saw this as being somewhat delicate.  Sometimes I start swatching with a firm idea of what I want to do with a yarn, but this time I was just listening to the Pishkun, with adjectives as my touchstone. When I'm allowed to let creativity rule the process (read that as no deadline ) it's fun to just spin out for a while and try new things. I can get messy and disorganized and distracted, and if I don't find what I want, I get a drink and can start again the next day - until things feel right. I used ...

Two hats, both knit in gorgeous, squishy Yoth Father, and both make quick, easy gifts.  Minero features some beautiful cable details that work themselves into a stunning crown and Coralillo is all about squish and texture!  Each can be knit with a single skein of Father, and both had enough leftover for a pom - although I hesitated to cover up that crown detail on Minero.... I wasn't able to stop after designing just one, so we ended up with two. Pairing colors and making one more was just too fun. You know that hats really are knitting potato chips, right? If you agree, you can get both patterns for $10 on Ravelry with the Ravelry code GIFTHATS2.  This is the same thing I did last year with my Oban and Glenfidditch hats and the code GIFTHATS, and you guys seemed to like that so I figured I should continue the tradition...  ( FYI, neither code will expire, so you can indulge in either set of hats anytime during the year that the urge hits... ) Remember Oban and G...

If any of you follow me on Instagram (I'm @theacolman), you might already know what I'm about to do here, because I hinted at it last week. This is the first in a series of posts I'm going to share with you as I begin working on a new design to be launched in late Winter/early Spring 2019.  Also, these posts are part of a larger conversation I've been having with some of my peers about what actually goes into the design process, and they do create kind of a fun reason to hang out here and use my new blog format,  (Did you notice?) I will start with how I am settling in on this idea as it unfolds, and once we have a sweater to make, I'll go into the knitting and writing and editing and testing - and the photo shoot. Some of it may meander, and other parts may come together quickly.  I never do know what's about to happen as I work, and I've found that it goes best when I let the process lead me. To be  honest, I usually work against the background of my other...

A cool pattern, some squishy yarn and quick knitting.  The Pabst Blue Ribbon hat - I knit these in less than two days, and I think the girls claimed them in even less time than that. I'm keeping it short since I have this girl home for now, and we are about to go support some small businesses here in Boston -- but enjoy!   All the info is on Ravelry....

I know.  Squishy farm yarn.  Heavy worsted, a beautiful heather, a mix of Rambouillet and Alpaca. I bought this SQ of Hinterland Range about a year ago, just because I wanted it.  Not to design with, and not to worry about, but because I absolutely HAD to own some.  But then it stared at me from behind the glass doors of my yarn cabinet, and I was powerless.  So I cast on, telling myself this was just FOR ME.  I didn't have to worry about a deadline or any parameters or anything.  I could just knit what I felt like.  (But maybe, just to be safe, I'd take notes as I went...) You know the rest. I finished and looked at it and said it must be published .  And now it is - Kahlua .  The cardigan I knit just so I could chill out and enjoy the ride.  With that in mind, it features lots of simple elements - a textured garter rib, a simple cable, and some 1x1 rib.  That's it.  But it's how these pieces transition into each other th...

By now, you may already have seen my latest cardigan, The Botanist.   It's part of a lovely collection from my friends at a Verb For Keeping Warm , and it's knit out of Kristine Vejar's gorgeous Pioneer yarn, dyed in the Vineyard colorway (how appropriate, right?) The pattern is my translation of the classic Aran cardigan - that one with the big wooden buttons, usually knit in heavy cream yarn.  I wanted to make a lighter, more delicate version - with a shorter, boxy fit, a bunch of gorgeous textures and cables, and a little bit of an interesting collar.  I especially love the little wraps around the seed cables... Verb still has kits for this pattern available in Tree Fort and Tortilla, and is taking pre-orders in Vineyard, Root, and Peat for December 2018 delivery.   The Botanist is part of Verb's first Look Book, a collection that celebrates the whole process behind our craft - from the farm to the needle. Other featured designs in the collection are by Brist...

So, last year I found myself in the Sawkill Yarn booth, smelling all her fantastic soaps and I couldn't help but grab a couple skeins of their gorgeous dark gray yarn. It's a mix of a number of fleeces, and it's the stuff rustic yarn dreams are made of. This year, it's my Rhinebeck sweater,  Widow's Kiss (I'm going with a spooky Halloween name because October...) Since the yarn is just so heathery and sheepy and rustic, it needed some bold cables. Right? These cables don't get lost in yarn.  And they are much easier than they look - with hidden 2x2 rib in there on more than a few rows. I kept things pretty simple with this design, allowing the texture to be the focus.  Sleeves are stockinette and the rib detail is subtle.  A purled section under each arm allows you to modify easily if desired. And the neckline just organically comes out of the cable panel. The fit is loose and short, but easy to alter.  Test knits will start popping up in the next few days a...