On vacation I had the chance to take pictures of my newest design Tidepool Shawlette.
I promise, that the sunrise in the picture has nothing to do with Photoshop. The colors and the ocean were just magnificent; totally worth of getting up before 6:00 am (despite vacation).
Check out my new ravelry group Lismi Knits for more information about test knitting and release date.
Esther, a lacy V-shaped shawl, is the perfect accessory to cover bare shoulders on a breezy summer evening. It is knitted in different directions. The easy garter stitch lace border is worked first side to side. Then stitches are picked up to work the body bottom up. Its oval shape helps to stay on the shoulders.
Material:
1. Col 1, approx. 305 yards / 279 m fingering weight yarn (lighter color in
picture, Yarn: Lismi Knits, Basel col. Roses
2. Col 2, approx. 260 yards / 238 m fingering weight yarn (darker color in
ESTHER is the name of this new shawlette design. The pattern is being tested right now and will be released in approximately 2 weeks. There are 2 spots still open for test knitting.
Check out my thread in the ravelry tester group before they are gone.
Why not crochet! During the last years crochet lost more and more it's reputation of being a craft for old people with squeaking acrylic yarn and old-fashioned style.
There are many great patterns available now.
Personally I like to switch to crochet once in a while for a change.
I started to offer crochet workshops in my LYS. In my next one we will do the shawl "Why Knot" by Abigail Phelbs, a great advanced beginner pattern.
For my sample I used Cascade Sunseeker, a great cotton with a tiny bit of glitz.
Spring can come......even though we are in the middle of a snow storm right now....
It's fun to see this jacket emerging, especially since I am able to create my own fabric with all the scrap yarns I'm using. Helping my students with their jackets, I thought it might be helpful to write down all the modifications.
Here are some of the modifications I made so far:
Instead of a double decrease, I "sandwiched" the stitch at point A and B between a marker on each side. On my decreasing rows I worked in the following way:
Knit to 2 sts before the first marker, SSK, slip marker, knit 1 st, slip marker, K2tog. On wrong side rows I purled the "sandwiched" stitch to create a decorative line.
Waist shaping:
The original pattern is more a boxy jacket. In addition to that the striping will be horizontal in the back, which can be tricky for fuller body types. I decided to do some waist shaping to make this jacket more figure flattering:
Mark the stitch after the sandwiched stitches with additional waste yarn or marker when you are done with your decreasing and ready to start increasing again. Leave the other markers in, since you will still use them to show you where to increase!) Use a contrasting color that you won't mix them up with the markers indicating where to increase. At this point the new markers show exactly your underarm and the seam line between front and back. The stitches between A & B (and the new markers) show the width of your back now. Count them and write the number down.. (mine had 94 sts)
Measure yourself: Measure the distance between your underarm and your waist. Please don't forget that the sleeves have some ease and that the underarm doesn't start right in your arm pit! Write this number down. (mine was 7 inches)
Think about how many inches you want the waist shaping to be. (I chose 2.5 inches) Multiply the number of inches with your gauge which will give you the numbers of stitches you will have to decrease. ( 2.5 x 4.75 = 11.87 rounded 12) Divide this number by 2, since you will work decreases at both sides marked by your new markers. (12 : 2 = 6) Multiply row gauge with the distance between underarm and waist. (7 inches x 8 rows = 56) Divide this number by the number of stitches you have to decrease on one side. (56 : 6 = 9.3 rounded 9) This will show you that you have to decrease one stitch at your new marker every so often. (my jacket: I would decrease every 9th row)
This means while you are following the pattern instructions with increasing at the sandwiched stitch, work your decreases at the new markers according to your calculations. (Moving the new markers up as you continue to work they will "travel" a farther away from your "sandwich" markers.) After having decreased all your waist shaping stitches revert the process and increase the same amount of stitches. If you plan to do a shorter jacket you might have to space out your increases at the waist line differently.
V-Neck:
To be able to do this longer short row collar I aimed to get a longer v-neck line.
After you put the 3 inch worth of stitches on hold as the pattern tells you to do, I decreased one stitch at the beginning of each row until the pattern tell you to put the stitches of E - A and F - B on hold.
Elizabeth Zimmermann is one of the knitters I truly admire for her adventurous and genius knitting spirit. She laid foundations for many frequently used techniques as well as encouraged countless knitters to further their creativity.
Elizabeth Zimmermann (August 9, 1910–November 30, 1999) was a British-born knitter known for revolutionizing the modern practice of knitting through her books and instructional series on American public television. Though knitting back and forth on rigid straight needles was the norm, she advocated knitting in the round using flexible circular needles to produce seamless garments and to make it easier to knit intricate patterns. In The Opinionated Knitter, Zimmermann's daughter Meg notes that while her mother wanted to call her first book Knitting Without a License, her publishers changed it to Knitting Without Tears. However, the former perhaps best expresses Zimmermann's knitting philosophy. In all her published works (print and video), she encouraged knitters to experiment and develop their own patterns.*
The Adult Surprise Jacket is one of the her most popular and stunning patterns. You are going to be able to choose whatever yarn or gauge you like. The jacket is knitted in one piece with garter stitch and you will be surprised how this piece will fold up into a gorgeous jacket.
For the second time now, I'm teaching a workshop how to make this jacket in my LYS.
For mine I will make modifications for a wider armhole, longer arms (the arms in the original pattern are only elbow length) and hopefully for some waist shaping.
For all the ASJ Jacket fans here my progress and numbers so far:
Despite I'm not crazy about new years resolutions I ended up doing it too.
I thought it would be nice to start using up long neglected skeins of yarn before my stash is taking over more space. I found two colorful skeins of cotton and decided to use it for charity premie hats.
It's no secret that I love to design garments which can be worn more than one way. Sera Cowl is the newest edition to this collection. Wear it as scarf, infinity scarf or cowl.... and to give you even more choices, I wrote the pattern for 3 different weights of yarn.
The design will be published in the next few days. Stay tuned!
Recently the daughter of very close friends asked me to make a yellow scarf with a certain kind of ribbing for her. It took me a while to find a yellow I really liked. For the Scarf in the picture I used 2 skeins Cascade 220, 2415 Sunflower. The pattern is an easy knit, great for last minute presents and unisex. Materials: - approximately 405 yards of worsted weight yarn (includes the yarn for fringes) - Needles size US 8 (5 mm) - crochet hook any size for fringing - needle to sew in ends Finished Size:
- 67" (170 cm) long and 5.5" (14 cm) wide
Abbreviations:
K: Knit P: Purl Sl1: Slip one stitch as if to purl with the yarn in
the front. (If you continue with a knit stitch, bring yarn to back between the
needles before the knit stitch is worked.)
Instructions:
Cast on 35 stitches.
Row 1: Sl1, K1, P2, [K2, P2] repeat to the last 3 stitches, K3.
Repeat this row until scarf measures 67" (170 cm) or desired length.
Fringes:
Each end of the scarf has 10 fringes, which consist of 3 strands of yarn.
To cut them evenly sized, I wrapped the yarn around a CD cover and then cut them.
In case you don't know how to add them to the scarf with your crochet hook, I found this video:
Farfalla is the Italien name for butterfly. These beautiful creatures with their colorful wings and elegance are fascinating to watch. Their transformation is mind boggling. With this shawl I hoped to reflect some this lightness and beauty and create a garment which can be worn in many different ways to transform your wardrobe.
To make this you will need: • Color 1 approx. 390 yard / 360 m of fingering weight yarn • Color 2 (wings) approx. 370 yards / 340 m of fingering weight yarn. • Circular needles size US 2 / 2.75 mm 32 inch • Needle to weave in ends • Stitch markers and waste yarn.
This pattern will be also available in German soon
A lot of times I see knitters / crocheters disappointed. The projects for which they invested so much of their precious time did not turn out as they hoped it would. Just recently I caught one of my friends just in time to prevent her using a very soft yarn for making slippers for her son. This particular yarn would have never held up the wear and tear of this warm foot wear and she would have been very frustrated to invest time and money in this project. We found another fiber which was perfect....
This little event caused me to prepare a workshop to help people to make the most of the yarn purchase and knitting/crocheting time:
WHAT YARN SHOULD I CHOOSE?
Have you ever made a sweater you can wear now as a dress because it grew so much? Does your shawl not have the drape you hoped it would have? Did you by yarn you don't know what to do with it? As a designer I know how important it is to choose the right yarn to get the best results.
In this class you will learn - about
different fiber / yarn and their attributes - which fiber / yarn works for which project - how to read a yarn label
When:
Wednesday, October 24th, 7:00 - 9:00 Where:
Yarns With A Twist, 111 Willimantic Rd. (Rte. 6) Chaplin CT,
Please call the shop to reserve your spot! 860 455 9986
Bring a yarn you don't know what to make with to the workshop.
.........go more often to NYC. I feel privileged to live in a more rural area with all the animals you can imagine walking through my back yard or crossing the street in front of my car like these wild turkeys.
But sometimes it's just nice to get inspired by a city atmosphere. On my last trip to NYC I was able to take a brief look at some shops in the Garment District. I think I never saw so many different buttons, trims, zippers..... in one place.
IT was impossible to see everything in the short time I had there. Good excuse to go back soon!!
Why not crochet! During the last years crochet lost more and more it's reputation of being a craft for old people with squeaking acrylic yarn and old-fashioned style.
