Monday

~Roxanne's "Red Riding Hood" Phoebe's Sweater Set~


I recently received a lovely email from Roxanne, sharing photos of the recently completed Phoebe's Sweater set she created for sweet little Mackenzie. This is just completely adorable in every way.


Roxanne knit the Phoebe's Sweater, the doll sweater, Phoebe Mouse, the dress, and even a second little top for Phoebe Mouse. AND… she sewed a "Red Riding Hood" themed dress to match. Did I say adorable?


I can't imagine a fabric that would be cuter or better suited for this project!


Mackenzie looks like a very happy girl! Apparently she does not want to take her sweater off. Who could blame her?

Thank you for sharing, Roxanne and Mackenzie.

Tuesday

Anne's Sweater, the Ravellenic Games, and Pantone Surprise!

 by Joanna

This year, for the first time, I have decided to try my hand at the Ravellenic Games. (For those of you who might not know the history... you can read about the Knitting Olympics here on the Yarn Harlot's blog, and about the origin of the name "Ravellenic Games" here on Gawker.) Although I have done my share of intense and busy deadline knitting over the years, this is my first "just for fun" knitting challenge. I decided that my project would be the Anne's Sweater pattern from Green Gables Knits:


Although I do have the book sample in my trunk show, I wanted to knit a version of this sweater "just for me"- to wear day in and day out. When I designed Anne's Sweater, I used 50 gram skeins of Brown Sheep Lanaloft Sport. I recently contacted Brown Sheep Company and discovered that this yarn is available on a one-pound cone. Knitting a top-down seamless sweater from a cone is amazing, hardly any ends to weave in at all! Behold, the cone:


This one-pound cone is enough yarn to knit the 30", 34" and 38" sweater, and it retails for just $32.00. Wow! I feel like I'm writing an infomercial here, but seriously, a sweater's worth of 100% US spun wool for $32? I am smitten. If your yarn shop does not stock this yarn in cones, they can order it for you from Brown Sheep directly. I am currently on the second sleeve and have yet to weave in an end.


The color I chose for my sweater is Rose Marquee, which is a lovely purple heathered with gray. It is a really pretty color. I chose this color back in January, and low and behold, it looks very close to the fall 2014 Pantone color Majestic Orchid. Not that I would have chose a color based on the fashion predictor, but it was a nice happy surprise for me!


Last but not least, I am having a wonderful time doing this crafting adventure alongside our daughter, who has chosen to crochet a mandala for her own Ravellenic Games Project. We are making great memories staying up late watching the Olympics and stitching together. Isn't her project turning out beautifully?


Thursday

Little House Shawl, in Korean


I was recently contacted by a fellow Raveler named Okmin who asked for my permission to translate my "Little House Shawl" pattern into Korean. I was happy to oblige; it is my first knitting pattern now available in Korean!

Please visit Okmin's lovely blog, found here, to find instructions for the Little House Shawl in Korean. I hope you enjoy it!


Saturday

Spindleberry, Free in February!


I have a brand new pattern out this week, it is called Spindleberry. This pattern uses two skeins of Malabrigo Finito, or, about 400 yards of fingering weight yarn. As a special offer, this pattern is free until the end of February. You don't need a coupon code, just put the pattern in your Ravelry cart, proceed as if to purchase it, and you won't be charged a thing. (Starting March 1 the pattern will cost $4.)


It is a fringed shawlette with a nifty button closure. The fringe is worked as you go, which makes it really fun to knit. You can trim the fringe as seen here, or, you can leave the loops whole for a more dramatic effect.


My favorite feature about this pattern is that the last page of the PDF includes a sweet illustration that my husband, Eric, made. It is a little bee. She is sitting on a spindleberry branch and spinning. A friend suggested that she is spinning spider silk, what a perfect idea!


So please accept this pattern as a little gift from me to you! Happy Knitting!

Thursday

Falling down into the sock-knitting rabbit hole...

by Joanna

 I recently fell down. Into a sock knitting rabbit hole. Inspired in part by Susan B. Anderson's sock drawer, and in part by my sad collection of worn-out store-bought socks, (many of which date back to the 1990's), I succumbed to sock knitting fever. (This is not news to any of you who follow me on Instagram.)


This knitting detour was assisted by some extenuating circumstances: I am recovering from a long illness and am supposed to be on bed rest, I just finished writing a knitting book and do not have any deadline knitting at present, I learned how to knit basic socks and read at the same time, and, I had a lot of sock yarn sitting around my studio. It was a perfect storm for my sock knitting frenzy.


In less than a month I knit 7 pairs of socks and three singles who are still waiting for a partner. Every day my feet thank me. And yes, this was a selfish knitting project- only one pair were a gift to our daughter, the rest are mine. And I have no regrets.


I rediscovered my seldom-used two-tiered hanging mes sweater dryer. I discovered it is perfect for blocking my new sock collection. I just wash the socks in the machine on the hand wash setting and then hang them to dry in this handy dandy circular dryer. If the weather isn't agreeable, I hang it from a plant hook in my living room. So far none of the children have given it a second look (they seem to have grown used to my home decor theme of scattered knitting and spinning projects), and my husband says he likes it in the living room. So there you have it.


I am taking a slow-down for now, and getting ready to cast on for the Ravellenic Games, but my love affair with sock knitting is not over. I do not have a sock dresser yet, or even a sock drawer. So far I just have a sock basket. Which is a lot more than I had a month ago, so I feel blessed. And so do my feet!