Tanit's Jacket

The new Twist Collective is out and yes I do indeed have a new design in there!

Tanit's Jacket is a top down raglan jacket in a stitch called Tunisian Rib. This pattern produces a nice dense texture which proves rather cozy for a Fall/Winter layer. I added some cording stitch at the collar, cuffs and hem to create some contrasting horizontal lines and to help define these areas a little.

Below are some photos of the prototype which was worked up in Classic Elite Yarn's Soft Linen. As you can see I made some changes to the pattern that ended up in Twist. The first thing was the collar. I originally envisioned a fairly big folded down collar but it didn't quite come together. So on the prototype I ended up folding it to the inside and tacking it down. In the final pattern this translated into a more rounded collar worked using short rows
I then mirrored this in the hem, removing the hard corners with the use of those magical short rows again!

I noticed in Twist that Clara Parkes has a swatch story for Tanit's Jacket and she describes some of the possible ways to go with yarn choices. I like both the Valley Yarns Northfield and CE's Soft Linen, but other yarns with some linen or silk component would work well too.

For those that care Tanit was a Phoenician lunar Goddess of Carthage. I wanted to get a Tunisian connection in there!

Wast Side Shawl

Wast Side Shawl is now available to purchase!

This shawl’s construction begins with the edging. Yarn over loops are created along the top edge and then picked up along the entire strip of edging. The shawl is then worked inwards, thus reducing the number of the stitches on the needles every row! The lace patterns featured in the edging and border are both of Shetland origin. Fern Lace is an easy to memorize and distinctive pattern.
Wast Side refers to the West Side of Shetland, where my parents live.

Charted and written instructions are included in the 5 page PDF

Sizes

Approximately 45 inches/114 cm (52 inches/132 cm wide) and 18 inches/45.5 cm (21 inches/53 cm) long.

Gauge

20 sts and 32 rows=4 inches in Stockinette st on US#6/4mm needles.

Yardage

450 (550) yards of fingering weight (4ply) or lace weight yarn. Shown here in Malabrigo lace in larger size (purple) and Cascade Heritage in smaller size (green)

$5.00

Meet Julia!

So after posting about Rhinebeck and the fact that I went with my friend Julia, it seemed a little sad that there were no photos of her! So I'm making up for it with a Julia focused post!

Julia is going to be modeling some knitwear for me and we had a test run photoshoot at her house yesterday so I thought I'd share a few of the many gorgeous photos of her.

Here she is sporting what was my Rhinebeck garment......(a new design).....hooded cardi, with no name yet. She's going to be test knitting this one along with Christy.
This prototype is in Malabrigo, which I do love, but pills so badly.....so the sample will be in something else.

.....and this is the new shawl design, pattern being written right now, also being test knit by Julia (what a great friend she is)!

...I also took a lot of photos of Julia's own finished projects so she can improve her Ravelry page....here is her stunning Counterpane Carpet bag....made from her own handspun and also dyed by her! She needs some more friends on Rav so go and check her out!

I'm so happy that I get to live near this lovely person again, she's really the one responsible for getting me into this whole knitting/designing lark in the first place!

Rhinebeck!

My first ever Rhinebeck experience was truly wonderful and most definitely overwhelming! I was anticipating feeling over stimulated by all the yarn and all the people and after wandering around for 4 hours the first day I was a total space cadet…….but very happy!

I drove down from Western Mass early on Saturday morning with my dear friend (and new knitwear model of mine) Julia, who is an experienced Rhinebecker. She very graciously agreed to show off some designs for me and hand out business cards accordingly. There was a bit of a biting wind on Saturday but we both soldiered through without covering up our handknits in winter coats!

I stupidly left my camera behind the first day and then it rained the second which rather stumped my photography! However Steph (aka Gleek) has let me snag a couple of her's. She took loads of wonderful shots.

This one is a gorgeous photo of Jess (of Ravelry). As you may be able to tell she is wearing my Vaila jumper (the original) from last year’s winter Twist Collective issue. I was very excited to see it walking around, and of course to meet Jess properly too!

And then there is this one ......a photo of the giant Bob head that Ysolda began when staying at my house (with many a confused look from us) and finished within a week in order to be the Rav mascot at Rhinebeck! (Pictured with her is another Jess)!

I of course also saw Casey and got Ysolda to snag a photo of the three of us bedecked in knitting!

One of the highlights for me was getting to spot my designs in the wild...most satisfying!

Looking forward to next year already!

Ysolda and Connie!

I have had such fun hosting Ysolda during her stay in Western Mass the last few days.
Having a fellow designer living in my house has been very useful I must say....her first day here she solved a short row issue I was having and is in general a font of useful information and advice! She has blended right into the family and we'll all miss her when she leaves tomorrow!

She wasn't here just to see me though! She had an event at WEBS where she displayed lots of samples from her Whimsical Little Knits books. There was a great turn out and lots of admirers.......although the very first question asked was "How old are you"?!

We were joined by Connie Chang Cincino over the weekend and decided it was a great opportunity for a wee gathering of designers so we threw a pot luck with Melissa La Barre, Cirilia Rose, Cecily Glowik, Cheryl Burke (not seen here-but she was present) and my good friend Julia. It was a great (late) night of designery chat, knitting of course, talk of Rhinebeck sweaters, loads of yummy food and yarn goodies to boot from Cecily! Our kitten also provided some entertainment as seen below!


Ysolda, Connie and I took some fresh air the next day and I got to play photographer for one of Ysolda's latest designs (coming soon)!

Connie and I have corresponded for a while now but never met in person so I was so glad to get the opportunity to spend time to get to know her better......she doesn't like having her picture taken so this is a candid shot!

Time to get back to that Rhinebeck sweater.....only a few days left.....say hi if you see me there!

Maine and Mary Jane!

Just had a wonderful weekend in Maine with the colourful and adorable Mary Jane Mucklestone! We were both teaching at an event called Fiber College in Searsport Maine and in fact we also attended each other's classes! Mary Jane's was on Fair Isle and she brought so many wonderful samples with her to inspire us all to be bold with our colour choices. It was a great class and gave me a lot of confidence to plunge deeper into Fair Isle!

(Some of Mary Jane's tams)

(Mary Jane's Boyfriend Socks from the new book Joy of Sox)

This was my first official teaching gig and I felt it went well. I taught a class using my Crofter's Cowl pattern so it was a basic intro to lace, knitting in the round and grafting. Just to create a bit of atmosphere I also showed some images I'd taken in Shetland last year, played a wee bit of music from some Shetland bands and provided a little history of lace knitting.
Anyway it has definitely whet my appetite for more teaching!

Mary Jane was such a joy to hang out with. I brought David and the kids with me too and we all felt so at home in Mary Jane's house and with her cute wee Puerto Rican doggie Lee Lee (probably not the right spelling)! We briefly met her husband too (also very nice) who had recently set up their archery target so David and the kids got in some practice and ended up buying a new bow!

Mary Jane has a great taste in textiles, colour and vintage-antique decor. I was often reminded of my mum when perusing her home, perhaps that's why I felt so relaxed there. My mum would have loved meeting her too.
I'm so excited that Mary Jane will also be teaching at the UK Knit Camp in Scotland next summer and that she also plans on getting up to Shetland with me during that trip. Can't wait!

Blame the Bugs!

I know I’ve been a very lame blogger this summer! It wasn’t intentional! I am still here though and most definitely knitting away!

We don’t have the best of internet connections at our house so that has had an impact on how frequently I make online appearances (and add to that the fact that we have to be outside to go online which means for me being mercilessly attacked by mosquitoes)! We have of course also been enjoying settling back into the house and catching up with friends during the longer summer days.

However now that we’re heading into Fall (my favourite time of the year) and back to a bit more of a routine I do plan on posting more regularly again.
I have several self published items in the works and plenty more in my head (I really do need some little knitting elves to help me out)!
One of the current wip’s is another shawl to be a companion of sorts to Aestlight. This will be worked the opposite way and also contain Shetland lace.
Then there’s the cozy deep red cardigan to keep me warm as the weather turns chillier…..and the Fair Isle smock (a re-working of one of my mum’s designs)…and hopefully more!


As I said I just love New England in the Fall, the colours are so appealing to me and I relish being able to wear handknits again. All the yarn I’ve purchased recently reflects my attraction to this spectrum of reds/yellows/browns.
So what’s on your needles or in your basket for Fall knitting?