Epameinondas

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...