Fangirling is Fun...

or why I love Jared Flood.

I have the tendency to fall in love with things, mostly locations, that I have never experienced. I like to refer to Boston and Portland as my favorite places I would like to live...that I've never been to before. I also like to fall in love with scruffy and seldom bespectacled knitwear designers who live in Brooklyn.

I'm looking at you, Mr. Flood.

My boyfriend rolls his eyes whenever I mention that there is a new Jared Flood pattern out or whenever I talk about how attractive he is. There are very few "big" male knitters, dear, so please cut me some slack, nod your head and let me just *imagine*. He can deal with it because today, because, well, I can't even handle today.

Boy Knitter.
Photographer.
Designer.
Yarn Producer.

For the sake of all other men, Jared Flood needs to stop.

Anyway, I will put the fangirling on hold (for now), because what inspired me to write this (ridiculously embarrassing) post was not Mr. Flood himself, but a collaborative effort between himself and some fellow designers: Wool People Volume 1, a collaborative effort between 14 knitwear designers (Mr. Flood not included). The collection includes 15 patterns, most of which are garments with a few accessories thrown in the mix. This collaboration pairs designers like The Shetland Trader Gudrun Johnson (whose askew cardigan just might be my favorite in the collection), Quince & Co.'s Carrie Bostick Hoge, and Stephen West with some designers you may not be as familiar with, which is a pretty darn awesome experience.

And these designers really hold their own, with people like Leila Raabe (designer of the popular Shaelyn shawl), Kirsten Johnstone, and Olga Buraya-Kefelian, who has been a favorite of mine for awhile now. This post has taken me over an hour to write and, as I flip through these images again and again, I still can't decide which to knit first. All images are taken from Jared Flood's website or Ravelry, unless otherwise mentioned.

Levenwick by Gudrun Johnson

Allegheny by Thea Colman

Hourglass Throw by Anne Hanson

Holl by Kirsten Johnstone

Seraphine by Lucy Sweetland

I just. can't. decide. In the meantime, feel free to Queue these (and all the rest, like I did) on Ravelry or check out the on Brooklyn Tweed. I think I might just cave and purchase some Shelter this evening.

I feel like the only proper way to end this post is with this question...Jared, will you go to the school dance with me? Check YES or no.

;)

Naughty girl - WIPs, Quince & Co. and new MadTosh

I've been a very naughty girl.

As you knitters know, there are few things as exciting as starting a new project...even when you already have multiple things on the needles as is.

On Monday night (or maybe Sunday), I cast on for Camilla by Carrie Bostick Hoge, aka Madder. I'm not sure if I have expressed my love for Quince and Co. before, but every time they post a new pattern on Rav it immediately goes into my queue. The patterns are always unique, the photos look like they're out of an Anthropologie catalog, and their models are gorgeous.

Some of my favorites? (All patterns from Ravelry)

Belfast Hoodie (also by Carrie)

Luna Scarf by Carrie

Kilkenny Cowl by Pam Allen aka the first Quince pattern I feel in love with

Estelle Cardigan by Melissa LaBarre

And of course...

Camilla Pullover by Carrie

After working with fingering weight yarn for the past three months, though it feels like much longer, I decided to cast-on for something moderately chunky. I'm not sure how flattering the pullover will look on me, but I don't care. Bulky yarn and garter stitch be damned, I am too in love with this to not knit it. So I cast on immediately.

And look at how far I am! I've been averaging one shell repeat per day and it is coming along so quickly. I shot this photo yesterday afternoon and have since added one more repeat. I think I only have one more to go until I get to the armpit. Sadly, I am not using Quince & Co. yarn for this. Instead, I opted for some Ecological Wool by Cascade, a wonderful yarn that I have worked with on a few occasions. This particular shade is "Antique" and, if my calculations are correct, I will need just two and a half skeins to complete this lovely little pullover.

Someday, dear Quince & Co., someday I will own your yarn. And did I mention how beautiful the colors are? Buy their yarn here and I can live vicariously through you.

A yarn vendor for Madelinetosh came into the shop a few days ago and brought some samples of the new colors with her. They. Are. Fabulous. In case you missed it (or don't follow them on facebook), Madelinetosh posted some shots of their new colors a few days ago. And they are all wonderful. And I got to touch them :) Sometimes working at a LYS has its perks.

All photos are taken from the Madelinetosh facebook.

Alizarin

Badlands (I'm kind of obsessed with this one)

Cousteau (and this one)

French Gray (this one is beautiful irl)

Magnolia Leaf

Mica

Smokey Orchid

Yeah, because I need to buy more Madelinetosh. The two other WIPs I'm actively working on both use tosh, but those are coming along a lot more slowly than the Camilla Pullover.

Rock Island in Tosh Prairie (Turquoise)

Ecuador Test Knit in Tosh Merino Light (Filigree)

Thus ends your photo-overload for the day.Remember to tell me about your favorite summer knitting here for your chance to win a pattern of your choosing.  

Book Review: Loop-d-Loop Lace

...aka "Holy Cow, this book is amazing."

I ventured to Borders this afternoon after I got done with class with every intention of picking up Knitwear Design Workshop by Shirley Paden. I've been doodling garment designs lately and figured I would like to take the plunge sometime this year, so I thought some "light" reading on knitwear design would be a step in the right direction. I'm also interested in obtaining Sweater Design in Pure English by Maggie Righetti, which I hear is also pretty amazing, but, for now, that is beside the point.

I became distracted along the way.

I knew that Teva Durham was coming out with a lace knits book, but I didn't see any of the designs until yesterday afternoon, when they appeared on Ravelry. I quickly queued some things (almost everything) and forgot about it. I mean, come on! I have enough on my plate as it is. I figured I would get the book when it came out, someday, in the distant future.

Except there is was, sitting on the top shelf at Borders. It was almost out of reach (curse you, short height, curse you!), but as I pulled it off the shelf, I knew I should have just let it be. But I didn't, it is amazing, and I want to make everything from it. I can't even stand how beautiful some of these designs are. (All images are from Ravelry).

The book is split into five chapters: Mesh, Eyelets, Samplers, Leaves and Doilies. Each chapter begins with a preface about the designs and introduces some basic techniques needed to be successful when knitting them. Chapter one, "Mesh," introduces knitters into some of the more basic lace techniques, including "faggoting." Though the term may sound a bit, uh, off, it is an actual term that stems from classic lace designs. Trellis is the other popular lace stitch covered in "Mesh."

Butterfly Lace Tunic Dress from "Mesh"

Chapter Two covers one of my favorite design elements: eyelets. I used eyelets in both my Kiss, Kiss Mitt and Pucker Up hat designs and I'm incorporating them into a few other designs I'm working on. Teva explains how eyelets can be functional and fun, and they can also create added drama to a simpler piece.

Rose Trellis Blouse from "Eyelets"

Which brings us to "Samplers," chapter three, and my favorite collection of patterns from the book. "Samplers" is all about different lace arrangements and pairings. The importance of swatches is really emphasized in this chapter and, until recently, I will fess up to being a "non-swatcher." I didn't really swatch much until I started designing and now I think it's a lot of fun and allows you to come up with some creative pairings. It's also impossible for me to only share one design from this chapter.

Milanese Shower Bolero from "Samplers"

Chevron and Diamond Jacket from "Samplers"

Shetland Shawl Dress from "Samplers"

(I thought Rock Island by Jared Flood was an impressive lace design? Whoa man, this dress. How unbelievably beautiful is this? It's knit from Euroflax, which I don't necessarily like the feel of, but look at the way it hangs. This dress is one of the most beautiful knit dresses I have ever seen.)

Chapters Four and Five focus on motifs that are most commonly used in lacework: leaves and doily patterns. You can't shake a stick on Ravelry without coming across some kind of leafy lace pattern. The leaf print is common all throughout history, from architecture to artwork, so why shouldn't it be prevalent in knitting. In chapter four, Teva shares some of her own leafy designs, including a particularly badass ottoman cover.

Split Leaves Ottoman Cover from "Leaves"

And where would we be without doilies? I remember when I first dabbled in knitting, I was met with much teasing and many snarky comments from classmates. "You knit? What, do you make doilies? I think my grandma knits. Where's your rocking chair?" Oh, no, no, no. Chapter Five, "Doilies," shows how doily knitting, or Kunststricken, has evolved. My first EVER lace project, the Hemlock Ring Blanket, was originally a doily pattern that faced some evolution (thanks again, Mr. Flood!). These doilies, well, they ain't your grannie's doilies.

Sunflower Satchel from "Doilies"

Thistle Bodice from "Doilies

My overall opinion on this book? Buy it. Buy it, love it and start knitting some lace. Or follow the plan that Christie and I have set up: enroll in Madelinetosh's Magnolia Society Yarn Club, obtain Loop-d-Loop Lace and spend every Thursday (drunkenly) knitting through it.

Summer is going to be grand.

No, but seriously, buy this book. And check out Teva's impressive knitting design catalog on her Ravelry designer page.

Planning ahead

As I posted in my last post, The Day of 95 skeins (v.1), I have a yarn hoarding sickness. I still plan on posting some yarn pornz from that haul, but the weather has been yucky, the lighting in my house stinks and I would like to capture the beauty that is Araucania Aysen in all of it's glory.

Sneaky peak

It truly is stunning. And, if you're in that big of a rush to see what kind of shenanigans I've been up to, you can take a stroll on over to my stash. Prepare to be disgusted impressed.

The trouble with having such an addicting hobby is that even when you dedicate hours to said hobby/addiction, it still never feels like it's enough. As much as I knit, I never get sick of it. Sure, I may get burnt out on a project (Matt's Urban Aran Cardigan...), but then I can just move on to something else for a little while.

Shrug WIP

Take "The Shrug That Would Not Shrug," which I have been working on for most of the month of April. It is my April goal to knit this shrug, but I got a little burnt out. So this time, instead of pressing through it, and eventually hating it (like with the UAC), I set it aside and cast on for something else: The Karen Shawl by Amy Swenson.

Karen Shawl edging

I fought casting on for the Karen Shawl because, quite honestly, I need another WIP like I need a hole in my head. But, after starting it for 3 or 4 people at the shop and seeing Gretl's beautiful first and second attempts, I gave it. And bought myself some Madelinetosh Pashmina in "Port," which is a lovely color that I like to compare to my newly dyed hair (dark purpleish black with red tints). I've run into a few snafus since casting on, but I'm glad I did. Karen has saved me from hating "The Shrug That Would Not Shrug," which I really do love. And am excited to share (in May, probably).

I'm also excited to announce May's "knitting resolution" in this post: Ecuador (photos from Rav)

I've been a huge fan of Joji's (Rav username Jojilocat) for awhile now. Her designs are very cool and she uses some beautiful yarn. I mean, she's from Argentina! Land of Beautiful Yarns. Anyway, she posted her Ecuador design yesterday and inquired for some test knitters. I, of course, jumped at the opportunity. I've never knit a vest//swing cardigan before! My initial plan was to use some Noro Kureyon Sock, but I feel like that might be too busy and I would never wear it. So I've decided to use some Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in "Filigree." This knitting everything out of Tosh phase will end some day...won't it?

Joji used Malabrigo Sock in "Indiecita" for her prototype, so mine will be slightly lighterweight. I'm very excited to try this new garment style. I think it will be perfect for wearing over a short-sleeve shirt in the summer and versatile enough for the transition into fall. I'm hoping to finish it before our England trip this summer.

I'm gonna be a Pogona Shawl someday!

I also have the Multnomah KAL I started (and haven't cast on for) with my dear Cyborg friend, the Pogona I'm itching to knit using my new Socks that Rock AND the Golden Wheat Cardigan, another Cyborg KAL. AND I have a baby to start knitting for (not mine :p). It sucks jumping on the shawl/shawlette bandwagon so late in life.

The problems(?) with variegated yarns.

Recently, Little Knits posted a ton of Araucania Aysen on clearance for 81% off. Eighty One! That is almost unheard of and, most certainly, an unavoidable temptation for a silly little yarn hussy such as myself. This 81% discount applied to full bag purchases and I managed to snag up the last full bag of Aysen in color 826 and a lone skein of color 814.

Araucania Aysen in color 826

Aysen in 814

Beautiful, right? I was sad to see that some of the more exotic colors were sold out, but you can bet your sweet yarn-loving behind that I snatched up what I could. The yarn is incredible; softer than Malabrigo, with an incredible fiber content of 70% merino, 20% alpaca and 10% silk, it's hand-dyed and offers a generous 190 yards per skein.

Of course when the fine people at Little Knits unearthed more of this true gem of a yarn I had much more to snatch up...in the form of 3 (or 4?) more bags. This yarn hasn't arrived yet (my only true qualm with LK is that shipping can take quite a bit longer than places like Webs and Jimmy Beans), but this has given me plenty of time to start planning things out.

What the heck do I do with all this yarn?!

By the end of next week (I'm hoping) I will have 40+ skeins of hand-dyed yarn. I have yet to see many garments knit out of multicolored yarns (such as Noro, some Malabrigos, etc.) that tickle my fancy all that much. So what am I going to do with this stuff?

I started a thread over at the Little Knits group on Ravelry posing just this question. The ladies on yonder forum posted some great ideas. And some of them managed to walk away with more Aysen than this crazy loon did (some bought 8+ bags! Ay Carumba!). All photos are taken from Ravelry.

Imogen Cardigan

Abalone Cardigan

Tea Leaves Cardigan

Golden Wheat Cardigan (by my lady crush Veera)

Pole

These are just a few of my favorite musings, but what are some of your favorite garments (or larger projects) knit using hand-dyed and variegated yarns?

Top 5 recent designs & a few to-knits

If, like me, you have over 200 projects queued and, even worse, 2,000 favorites on Ravelry (how did that happen?!), it can be a little difficult when sticking to your knitting plans. So, just to shake things up a little bit, I'm going to share my top 5 recentish patterns and hopefully that will inspire me (and you) to knit the things I intend to.

First up: The Cocoon Cowl and Shawl by Rose Beck

How beautiful is that? The shawl is lovely as well, but I'm really in love with this cowl. And I'm not a cowl person, remember? Rose recently published an e-book of shawl patterns and they're lovely as well. And quite affordable; you can get the Be Mine ebook for only $11.99. 

Bias by Helena Bristow

I have plans to cast on for this scarf as soon as my Daybreak is complete. Matt's sister, a fellow knitter, has a birthday coming up and I think she would love, love, love this. Of course I'm using Tosh, but I haven't decided on the color yet. I'm leaning towards Well Water. This scarf is simple and stunning, the perfect lightweight accessory as winter eases into spring and spring into summer.

Stripe Study Shawl by Veera Valimaki

Ugh. How much do I love Veera? She is quickly becoming one of my favorite designers. Have I knit anything by her yet? No. Do I have several patterns of hers? Yes. It's just a matter of time. Christie and I spent the better part of Wednesday night discussing our love for Veera. Stripe Study is a pretty epic shawl design. Look at how huge it is! Look at those stripes! Can you tell I've finally succumbed to shawl fever? It was only a matter of time. Also. Someone needs to buy me Veera's Book of Gray asap. Did I mention I have a birthday coming up? ;)

Lavaliere by Cecily Glowik MacDonald

Cecily is another one of my favorite designers as of late. Lavaliere is her newest cardigan design and it is worked from the top down. In one piece! I've never worked top down before (I've only made two sweaters) and it's something I definitely have on my list for this year. I think this would look STUNNING in Tosh Pashmina. Maybe as a birthday treat. 

Mitzutama Shawl by Olga Buraya-Kefelian

The Mitzutama shawl (yes, another neck adornment) is Olga's latest design. While some of her designs are bit too funky for me, she has designed a lot of interesting and beautiful pieces. And, even cooler, from March 14-March 28 she is donating 85% of pattern profits to Japan. How awesome is that? So, snatch up this shawl pattern! I'm also in love with Hari (it's a cowl! And sleeves!) and Foggy Hat.

With access to so many beautiful patterns, it's easy to see how so much time can be spent on Ravelry and not knitting. Thank you all for publishing such beautiful things.