Pattern: Herlighet

I recently had the pleasure of collaborating with a very talented young designer. Known as the Sock Monkey, Josiah Bain is 17 years old and has an elegant and classic design aesthetic.

A few months ago, he sent me a proposal for a shawl design using Toil & Trouble Allegory. The result is Herlighet, a beautiful one-skein shawl. Josiah dedicated this design to his great-grandmother, Gloria. You can read all about his inspiration on his blog.

The shawl is cozy and elegant, using a garter-based stitch pattern. You can find it as a yarn + pattern kit on my website!

Down to the Last Inch

Phew, Baby Sophisticate all done! I used Cascade 128 from stash and the yardage ended up much tighter than expected. Also, I just validated all my yarn scrap hoarding impulses. I finished the sweater with 3 inches left of the white, and had to go fishing in my bin of random scraps to find enough odds and ends for the sleeves. This is definitely a one of a kind sweater! As much as playing yarn chicken can be stressful, working with constraints can really push us to come up with something completely unexpected.

Now to sew on the buttons and package it up!

New Pattern: Bodleian Mitts

It might still be 90 degrees outside, but there's a sneaking chill in the early morning. Before we know it, the weather will be perfect for wearing all those hand-knits. As a friend of mine likes to say, "Winter is coming, knit faster."

My newest pattern is a simple set of fingerless mitts, a perfect one skein project for a skein of variegated sock yarn. As a nod to the All Souls Trilogy, which I really enjoyed, this pattern is named after the Bodleian Library. After all, they are perfect for curling up with a good book and warm drink. The Bodleian Mitts pattern is available on Ravelry, and the sample mitts are knit in Toil & Trouble Classic in Fairy Queen Jubilee.

With the Greater Boston Yarn Crawl less than two weeks away, I am busily working on some new goodies. Here is a sneak peek of some gradient cakes. They can be knitted from the inside and outside for matching socks, or knit continuously for fraternal socks.

And the rattan dyeing experiment continues. I can't wait for this weekend's basket weaving class!

From Folly Cove: A Review and Giveaway

Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting local designer Julia Farwell-Clay. She immediately became one of my favorite knitty people, and today I'm so excited to be reviewing her new book, From Folly Cove. I am the last stop on the From Folly Cove book tour, so read on for a chance to win a free pattern!

Julia has long admired The Folly Cove Designers, a group of women who worked together from the 1930s to 1968, hand-printing textiles in Gloucester, Massachusetts. This collection of patterns is inspired by this group, and features various garments and a few accessories. My favorite is the Cape Ann Stole, with its lovely cabled details.

As part of the blog tour, I am giving away a free copy of one of Julia's patterns. The Natti Turtleneckis named after Lee Kingman Natti, one of The Folly Cove Designers and a children's book author. This cozy sweater features drop-shoulders with a delicate cable detail and pockets. The design calls for Inca Alpaca by Classic Elite Yarns.

To enter the giveaway, check out the entire From Folly Cove collection on Ravelry and leave me a comment telling me your favorite pattern. I'll randomly pick a winner from the comments section and send you a gift copy of the Natti Turtleneck. Don't want to wait? The entire From Folly Cove collection is 10% off just this week. Enter code FFC10 when you check out on Ravelry. You can use the code for a single pattern or the entire book. There's more: At the end of the week, check into the Classic Elite Blog for a chance to win yarn for the project of your choice from the book.

The comments are now closed. The giveaway winner is Erica Smith!

The fine print: I received a free copy of From Folly Cove for this review, but the views expressed herein are my own. I love this book and would not have participated in this blog tour otherwise. Images borrowed from Classic Elite Yarns.

Pattern Review: Freesia Shawl

Pattern: Freesia by JumperCablesKnitting
Yarn: Toil & Trouble Single Sock in Wine Harvest

Just under three weeks and my shawl is done! Ok, 99% done. The knitting is done, the yarn ends are hidden, and soon as my Boardwalk is done blocking, this shawl will be getting a good soak and block. This pattern is knit on the bias, so you can make it as big as your yardage permits. The increases happen almost every row so you end up with a deep point, which I prefer. This shawl will definitely need to be blocked to get the eyelet detail to show better and even out the warping.

I love using this single-ply sock weight yarn because it knits into a very soft and fluffy fabric, which makes for very cozy neckwear. I can't wait to wear it in the fall! Are you making one too as part of the Freesia KAL? Show us your progress in the forum thread!

Up next? My Whispers KAL starts this Friday. I've got my gauge swatch going so right on track so far! If you want to join, you can find more info in my Ravelry group.

Finished Spring Tee

Hello dear friends! It's been quiet around here because I was off the grid at Squam Art Workshops last week (which you may have gathered from Instagram). I had planned on a blog update before going. Instead I was elbow deep in dye pots until the wee hours of the night getting ready for the Squam Art Fair for several days before leaving.

I did manage to finish both my Spring Garden Tee and Dark and Stormy Cardigan to take with me. I only had time for one quick photo of the tee before rushing off, so here it is.

The pattern is very cute, but I had to do some heavy modification for fit. I was exactly between two sizes and wanted slightly smaller armholes that the pictures showed. I re-did the stitch counts to create my size, and used the smaller shoulder/armhole shaping for more fitted sleeves.

After wearing it at Squam, I can say I am happy with the feel of the cotton and the fit above the waist, but the garter stitch hem has stretched and warped a bit. I may decide to rip back and do some decreasing at the hem to counter this - we'll see if I manage to muster up the motivation.

Squam was fantastic and I am completely worn out, but photos and stories coming soon! Dark and Stormy photos in the near future too, I promise.

Until then, I am casting on two new projects and hoping some folks will join me for a Knit-Along! Next week I am casting on the Freesia shawl in fingering weight, and the Whispers Top will be my July project. Care to join in? More details on Ravelry.

Wintersmith Socks

My Wintersmith Socks are finally done! I posted some progress photos and talked about my husband's reluctance to wear hand-knit socks. As I was trying to figure out how to make socks that worked for him, my LYS asked me to write a basic sock pattern, and it all came together.


These socks are worked toe-up, using Judy's Magic Cast On and a short row heel. The sole and back of the heel is worked in reverse stockinette, which prevents the purl bumps from digging into your feet when you walk on them. The verdict? Success! Nate loves them. This pattern is great for basic plain socks so you can let variegated yarn do all the work. You can also easily add a basic stitch pattern to it. The pattern is written for three widths with custom foot lengths, so it works for most adult foot sizes.

I know summer is about to start (or at least I hope so, it hasn't been promising around here), but it's never too early to start knitting for fall! Wintersmith Socks are available on Ravelry.


As for this colorful pile? This yarn is at its new home in Irvine, California. Ewe + You is opening this Saturday, May 31st!

Pattern Review: Lida Shawl

Pattern: Lida Shawl by Bristol Ivy
Yarn: Quince and Co. Sparrow in color Paprika

I finished this shawl a few weeks ago and have been enjoying wearing it. The linen yarn is light but warmer than I expected. It has definitely been softening up with wear, which is great. I admit I was a bit worried about the stiffness of the fabric when I first started knitting it.

The pattern is very nice to work up. The lace pattern repeat is the same throughout, making it a relaxing project once you have it memorized. The pattern called for three skeins. Despite swatching, I ran out with two rows to go and had to order a 4th. Since I had the extra yarn, I added more repeats to the eyelet border than the pattern called for. I am actually quite happy with how it turned out.

Have any of you knitted this pattern? It was written for Quince and Co. Sparrow, so I'm kind of curious about how it would knit up in a wool fingering weight.

Timey Wimey Socks!

I finally finished that sock pattern I told you about, and just in the time for the Yarn Crawl!

This design was inspired by one of my favorite episodes of Doctor Who, "Blink." When trying to explain time as a non-linear phenomenon, he sums it up as “timey-wimey wibbley-wobbley stuff.” The design featured series of neat lines moving up the foot and weaving into a “tangled mess” at the top of the sock, as a nod to the Doctor's non-linear time travel.

The pattern features three sizes, and the length is easily adjustable. The toes and heel are constructed using short rows, so no grafting! Grab a copy of the pattern here. Until midnight tonight, enjoy $1 off with coupon code "precrawl2014". Then come join me at the North Shore Yarn Crawl starting Thursday!

Creme de Menthe, a Collaboration!

If you've been following me on Twitter, you know I've been getting ready for the North Shore Yarn Crawl. Can you believe it's next week??

I will be hosting my trunk show at Seed Stitch Fine Yarn again, but this year my yarn will be there all four days, March 13th through 16th. On Saturday, March 15th, jewelry designer Kim O'Brien and pattern designer Leslie Scanlon of Mac and Me will be joining me with their trunk shows.

But perhaps the most exciting news: Thea Colman of BabyCocktails and I collaborated on the Official Shawl of the 2014 Yarn Crawl this year. In celebration of the 5th anniversary of the yarn crawl, organizer Courtney Heath wanted to focus on local. Thea and I discussed yarn and color, and she came up with Creme de Menthe, a luscious shawl design inspired by my Single Worsted yarn in Isa. Here is Creme de Menthe.

Thea asked me to model for the photo shoot, and we had a fun (and freezing) day walking around downtown Salem scouting locations.

Grab a copy of the pattern here and the yarn kit here. See you at the yarn crawl!

Pattern photos by Thea Colman. Photos of Thea by me.

The Fiber Front

The dyepots are up and running again! I had naively thought January would be a semi-vacation, but I've been unexpectedly busy. Most of these skeins will soon be making their way to California to their new home at Yarn del Sol. I wish I could deliver this yarn in person!

I'm also busily prepping for a rather full schedule! I already have lots of events and classes planned through June. My first class of the year is toe-up socks, which started last week. My students are a wonderful group of ladies, I'm having so much fun! And it gives me an excuse to knit myself a new pair of socks, yay!

Pattern: Indi Girl Sock Pattern Generator by Amy Swenson
Yarn: Toil & Trouble Merino/Nylon Sock in Persephone

I always try to have a "fun" project in addition to my "work knitting" - even though this week's work knitting is sort of cheating since I get to keep the socks. I'd been eyeing this cardigan pattern since I first saw a sample knitted up over a year ago. I bought the pattern last June, and waited for the right yarn. Now I can't wait to finish it and wear it! I always get surprised comments and questions from people when they notice I buy yarn from other dyers, and I wonder how many dyers only knit with their own yarn. Personally, I very much enjoy the work of others, and I believe in supporting other small businesses.

Pattern: Dark and Stormy by Thea Colman
Yarn: Madeline Tosh Vintage in William Morris

If you have your own creative business, do you ever buy the work of other artists/artisans in your field/media? I'm curious!

Pattern Review: Opera Gloves

I've come to realize that I am terrible at posting about finished projects when they're things I'm making for myself. I started these gloves back in May 2012, and picked them back up last summer. I did actually finish them by the end of the summer, but never got around to taking photos. They're my go-to gloves this season.

Pattern: Opera Gloves by Mac and Me
Yarn: Toil & Trouble Merino/Nylon Sock in Sun Also Rises
Needles: US 1

The owner of Mac and Me, Leslie, is a local designer who also lives on the North Shore. I didn't know her when I first bought the pattern, but I've had the good fortune of getting to know her this year. She is super sweet and I definitely recommend checking out her patterns.

I really enjoyed this pattern and I love my finished gloves. I knit the size small, and made them full length. They are quite long, so I think they would still work if they were a couple of inches shorter. I admit I did not do a gauge swatch, but my gauge turned out to be right when I checked after finishing the first hand (note: I do not recommend this irresponsible knitting behavior!).

I did make a few modifications to the pattern. Rather than knitting in the front and back loops for the thumb increases, I opted for "make one left" and "make one right" increases. I prefer this type of increase aesthetically. I also modified the index finger. The fingers are knit without any shaping, except for the decreases at the very top. I found the index finger to be a bit too baggy, so I ripped back and added some shaping throughout.

Overall, I loved the pattern and I highly recommend it. It is a great project for variegated yarn.

Holiday Knitting Saga, Part 1

The holiday gift knitting continues, snuck in here and there in between making piles of cowls, hats, and mittens for craft shows. I am lucky that my family doesn't really get the whole blogging thing, so they're unlikely to see these sneak peeks.

Pattern: Mountain of Light
Yarn: Shibui Cima
Needle Size: I honestly don't remember. I finished this shawl a while back, but just got around to blocking it.

I really love how this came out. The yarn is laceweight, so it's not a quick knit, but the result is simple yet elegant. I had a brief moment of "feeling too attached" to gift it, but I think the recipient will love it. The yarn is 70% Alpaca, 30% Merino, so it's very light and soft. The pattern is pretty straight forward, with the cute elongated stitch detail where the two colors meet. It's a good introduction to intarsia if you've never tried it.

Pattern: Potholder with Textured Heart
Yarn: Lion Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton(had been sitting in my stash for at least 3 years)
Needle Size: US 8

Tonight is the Holiday Potholder Exchange at Seed Stitch, so I whipped up this little guy. I considered skipping it in favor of staying in and frantically knitting more hats and cowls, but I realized it's healthy for me to go interact with people. Now I just need to find the motivation to put on "real people clothes" in the next few hours. Locals, hope to see you there!

This is not knitting related, but I've also been enjoying getting to know my new Wild Unknown Tarot deck. I've been collecting tarot decks for about 20 years. I first heard about this deck from Tara when she came to visit, and then Alena, one of my favorite artists, started posting pictures of hers. I couldn't resist, and now I'm totally captivated by the imagery.

Are you making holiday gifts this year? Have you come across any projects you really love? I'm always looking for inspiration!

Ender's Game and New Patterns

Since they finally made an Ender's Game movie, I decided I had to read the book before the movie came out. I made it through the book in a few days, while taking some breaks to work on a sweater collar. Size US 1 needles and repeating cables - I really hope I love this sweater when it's done.

I honestly avoided this book because I was afraid it wouldn't live up to the hype. I was glad to find it well-written. It is a very interesting commentary on the human mind, manipulation, and ethics. I was also impressed with the foresight Orson Scott Card had in terms of technology, since this was originally written in the late 1970s. In the end, I wasn't surprised by the "twist," which I had already guessed at, but I am definitely looking forward to the movie adaptation. I know people tend to have very strong opinions about this book, and I'd love to hear yours.

I've also been busy planning a series of classes, which I'll be teaching at Seed Stitch Fine Yarn this fall and spring. Classes include the basics of shawl design, working through my Nimue Wrap pattern to learn chart reading and cables, and some other basics. I designed some cozy mitts and a simple slouchy hat for the classes, but these patterns are also available on Ravelry.

Who wants to take a class with me?

New Pattern: Nimue Wrap

I'm excited to tell you about this new pattern! I've been slowly working on a variety of cabled designs, all inspired by my undying love for Mists of Avalon. It started with the Avalon Mitts, then the Igraine Cowl, and then I decided to get a bit more ambitious.

This is the Nimue Wrap, named for the daughter of Lancelot and Elaine. Nimue is known for her exceptional beauty, but she ultimately leads a tragic life where her duty forces her to betray her true love.

This pattern is great for people who are new to cables. I designed it to look complicated, but it's actually a pretty simple repetition. It's also designed so you're only cabling on the right side of the work. You don't have to worry about the wrong side at all!

I've often found that while cables are pretty, they can often create stiff fabric. I wanted this to be light and supple, so the design uses aggressive blocking to create delicate drape.

I hope you love this as much as I do! The pattern is available for pre-release purchase on Ravelry, at a discounted price until August 9th. It will be officially released August 10th.

Pattern Review: Another Gramps Cardigan

Pattern Review: Gramps Cardigan by Kate Oates

I made this cardigan in the 6 month-old size for a friend's baby shower last weekend. I was on kind of a tight timeline to take on a cable-intensive project, but I couldn't resist the adorableness.

I used Berroco Comfort DK, which is 50% Superfine Nylon, 50% Superfine Acrylic (my friend is vegan). The yarn is very soft, but I would call it a fingering weight rather than DK. It worked out fine (it made for a lighter fabric), but I wish the yarn had been truer to the labeled weight.

The pattern calls for 370 yards, but I ended up using less than 350 yards - maybe because of the yarn weight discrepancy. The gauge and finished dimensions were still correct. The pattern itself is lovely. I ended up modifying the cable pattern so that the cables would be mirrored on each side, rather than all going in the same direction.

The only complaint I have is that the pattern gives no clear indication of how to end the cables when you start the neckline decreases. It just tells you to follow the cable pattern for as long as possible, so it leaves you to kind of make it up.

The verdict: Love this project. The finished piece is super cute, and I will definitely make it again for future little ones. There's a grown-up version of this pattern too, but I don't know if it's quite as cute in the larger format.

Photo borrowed from Ravelry

What do you think? Should I made a full-sized version for myself?

Showing You The Stars

A few weeks ago, I met C.C. in a sock knitting forum. C.C. is half of the Geeky Girls Knit podcast crew, and a fellow knitting and Doctor Who enthusiast. Then I heard about a Doctor Who inspired sock pattern she had just released, and magic happened!

We've partnered up to bring you the Doctor Who Starry Socks Kit! The kit includes one skein of my Starry Starry Night yarn, and a PDF copy of her sock pattern, Rescue Me, Chin Boy, and Show me the Stars. The yarn is named for the episode "Vincent and the Doctor" in which the 11th Doctor meets Vincent Van Gogh. C.C.'s sock pattern is named for the episode "Asylum of the Daleks" with the 11th Doctor, where Clara calls upon the Doctor to save her. The pattern has a series of little stars along the front of the sock and the leg.

The kit will go live online on Monday, but I have a special deal to share with you - through tomorrow, Friday, at midnight EST, you can contact me to get the kit at a pre-release special price of $25 plus shipping. As of next week, the kit will be priced at $27. Sold separately, the yarn is $26 and the pattern is $3.50.

I hope you love this kit as much as we do! Leave a comment below or email me to snag a pre-release kit!

Pattern Review: Featherweight Cardigan

Pattern: Featherweight Cardigan by Hannah Fettig
Yarn: Toil & Trouble British Falkland Merino / Nylon Sock in Beneath the Olive Trees

Rather than give myself until Squam in June to finish this, I decided I wanted to wear it to my trunk show during the North Shore Yarn Crawl in a couple of weeks.

This is a lovely pattern. It's very easy to follow, and is a great "blank canvas" to work off and create your own design. The original pattern called for 10" of length below the sleeves, but I didn't want a cropped cardigan. I added 6" in length to have it hit at the hip. I am very happy with the fit and drape. I opted for a ribbed collar rather than the rolled collar shown in the original design.

I used 2 skeins of 465 yards each, and had a bit left over at the end. The pattern calls for US size 6 needles, but I had to go down to US size 4 to get gauge. I was surprised by this as I am not a loose knitter.

If I make this cardigan again, I will be modifying the shoulders a bit. The pattern starts the sleeve caps with just 2 stitches, and ends with 2 stitches under the arms. I think having at least 4 stitches would make for a better-fitting shoulder, and put less strain on the stitching in the armpits.

All in all, I absolutely love it, and can't wait to wear it at the Yarn Crawl! Have you made this cardigan?

Speaking of the yarn crawl... Like last year, I will be hosting a hand-dyed yarn trunk show at Seed Stitch in Salem on Saturday, March 16th. I'll be there all day with new colorways and new yarn bases, including two luscious DK weights! Hope to see you there!

There's a special bonus if you do come - If you bring a finished piece to show off knit in my yarn, you get 10% off your purchase at the trunk show! I love a knitted show-and-tell.

Pattern Review: Be.Leaf Shawl

Alright, now that I've snuck in one last Rio photo, I can talk about vacation knitting. I had grand delusions of finishing several projects, but I only finished one: a shawl for my grandmother. I did make some progress on the Folded Sweater I've been knitting for months but then I cheated on it by starting a new cardigan I'll share soon.

My grandma loves pink, so I dyed this dark pink for her in my new single ply sock yarn. I had a hard time picking a pattern - I knew I wanted a stockinette body with a decorative edge so I could get it done in the short time frame, but I didn't want it to be overly plain. Be.Leaf by Kitman Figueroa was the perfect choice.

This is a great pattern. The simple stockinette is a lovely backdrop for the leafy border. The lace pattern is easy to follow, and I memorized it quickly, which made it a great knit to pick up and put down while waiting at airports, getting on and off airplane connections, etc. I slightly modified the ruffled edging: I made it garter stitch instead of stockinette to give it more structure, and did less rows.

I only have one, easily remedied, complaint about this pattern. I wish the two halves of the shawl were mirrored, instead of identical. This can be easily fixed by mirroring the charts, which I will do if I knit this shawl again.

What gifts did you make this holiday season?

Pattern Review: Sherilyn Shawl

Pattern: Sherilyn by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Toil and Trouble Silk Merino Sock in Amethyst

Back in January, I was invited to a shawl swap. Folks get partnered up randomly and anonymously, and you knit and send someone a shawl and receive one from a different person. The due date for the finished piece was September 1st. In my misguided naivety, I thought to myself, spring and summer are quiet for small business owners, I can totally do this! Almost 9 months to knit a shawl? Piece of cake!

Fast forward to the last 2 weeks of August and I found myself scrambling to get this thing done and kicking myself because I had so many other things I needed to be doing. This is in part because my year turned out much, much busier than I could have guessed and in part because this pattern and I didn't get along very well for the first 2/3rds of this project. Instead of picking a simple stockinette shawl with a fancy border, I picked an all-over lace shawl. Why? I don't know, I had never knit one it seemed like a good idea back then.

The pattern calls for either sock/fingering or lace weight yarn. I picked sock weight because I find the heavier yarn makes for nicer stitch definition and gives the shawl a bit of weight.

This pattern has both written and charted instructions. I started with the written instructions and found them impossible to follow. I frogged it no less than five times because I could not for the life of me get the right stitch count after a few rows. I finally gave up and moved on to the charts, which worked much, much better. About 1/3 of the way in, I put the project down for a few weeks, forgot where I was and frogged it all over again. All that, um, experience casting on proved to me that Judy's Magic Cast On works much better than the Figure-8 Cast On because it doesn't have the problem of too much slack.

I never made it through the written instructions, but I did manage to get through the charts and loved the end result. The pattern is very clever and the logic starts to make sense after a few rows. I made the smaller size and still found it to be a good-sized shawl. Eventually I hope to make one of these for myself.

What have you been making lately?