The year that was 2014

Hello!

With less than 48 hours of 2014 left, I thought I would write a roundup post for the year, scraping in under the deadline one last time.

This year has been an exciting one. I finally pursued the type of knitting I love and I’ve learnt so much my brain very nearly imploded with the effort. Pattern writing is a tremendous skill, and now I have all kinds of appreciation for those who do it well. While I’ve really only scratched the surface, I’m confident I can continually improve.  Ditto with this blogging thing.  Ditto with all that social media stuff. Maybe that is the resolution for next year–like this year, but with added competence. (HA!) It doesn’t exactly catch the imagination with its literary flair, but, you know, it may just work.

My personal accomplishment this year was to have patterns published in some wonderful places: Knit Now, Amirisu, Twist Collective and Knitty, as well as independently publishing a pattern per month. This is the first year I have achieved New Year’s resolution completion.  Ever.  So I feel entitled to brag a little, however modest the accomplishment. So here it is, Merry Christmas, and please enjoy the lovely little fruits of my labour with me!

January’s pattern: Sea Scales Cowl

February’s pattern: Asterisks Shawl

March’s pattern: Sea Moss Headband

April’s pattern: Antiprism

May’s pattern: The Veil of Leithen

June’s pattern: Blackberries on Brioche Hat

July’s pattern: Naloa

August’s pattern: Learn to Knit Kit

September’s pattern: Frost & Flame Shawl

October’s pattern: Christmas Eve Baubles

November’s pattern: Rhombolution Scarf

December’s pattern: Beetlebum Shawl

As a tiny celebration, all the patterns in my Ravelry store are buy one, get one free with the code ELKin2014 until 15 January 2015.

Happy knitting,

R.

p.s. Thanks so much to everyone who was patient with me and helped me so much.  I am really grateful Mr. B, Linda,  Dani & Deb!

 

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Heritage Heart sweater

Hello!

New pattern! The wonderful Amirisu Magazine has published the Heritage Heart pullover.

 

The sweater is knit in pieces, so is great for knitting on the go.  Each piece begins with a tubular cast on (a tutorial can be found here),  and then the trim is knit with a 2 colour-brioche rib (a tutorial can be found here),  and the body in a stockinette stitch.  After the sweater is put together, the heart is Swiss darned into the back (a tutorial can be found here).

This is particularly thrilling for me as it is my first pattern published by a magazine, and a fabulous magazine at that! It was really a learning experience for me and I am pleased to say that there are several more patterns being published in magazines in the near future.

The name ‘Heritage Heart’ comes from both the shape of the jumper and adornment: the shape is an updated interpretation of a traditional men’s jumper, and a heart is Swiss-darned into the centre back to create a sweet focal point. This Aran-weight jumper is a quick and satisfying knit.

I used Rowan Silk twist for the main yarn, and an undyed Organic Merino Wool from Coldharbour Mill.  These 2 yarns when knit together create a hazy, soft colour palette.  Any undyed wool would work well with a dusky-pink or grey/oatmeal type of marled yarn, although there is an excellent version by miyokomeow in the projects-really great colour combo.

In other news, the Naloa KAL is still going strong and there’s still time to win super prizes!  Get Naloa here!

Happy knitting,

R.

 

 

A little bit of technique

Hello!

In the midst of our Naloa KAL (there’s still time to knit and win prizes!  You can get Naloa here), I have made a guest appearance on the Kettle Yarn Co. blog, From the Purl Side, to show & tell a little about finishing the shawl.

There is still time to join in the Naloa knit-along and win prizes!

Happy knitting,

R.

Coming up

Hello!

I know it is only August, but there is a crisp back-to-school feel in the air here in London.  Folks in my hometown of Seattle are complaining about a heatwave, but summer is already over in my mind and I am  planning my knitting season!*

So what is the plan?  Well, I have 4 more patterns to release as part of my knitting resolutions–aka The Most Successful New Year’s Resolution of All Time.  I have 3 of those planned, if not exactly completed, including a shawl, a double knit scarf & a cardigan.   That 4th pattern, though. Hmmm.  Ideas?  Requests?  Suggestions?  Input welcome!!!

And this Autumn will see some classes in the studio starting with an introduction to machine knitting.

Somewhere in this mix I have a bit of selfish knitting.  I am dying to finish Olga Jazzy’s Effervescence Cardigan.  Works in progress that languish really drive me crazy.   And this one has some long-term languish about it now.   I visit the motherland later this year, and am debating about taking it as my travel knitting.

The ever-unfinished Olga Jazzy Cardi.

Also, just a quick note to say that the Sea Scales cowl is now available in Portuguese!  Thank you so much to Lilian for translating.

Also, also, please do join Kettle Yarn Co. and myself for the Naloa KAL, which officially starts 31st August!

 

Happy Knitting!

R.

*Of course this all goes to pot when the hurricane responsible for our recent weather moves on and heat returns.  I actually love sunny hot weather, but I love knitting more.

Inspiration at the Purl Side.

Hello!
In the run up to the Naloa KAL, I have guest posted on Kettle Yarn Co.’s blog about my inspiration for the shawl. Have a look here!

I don’t want to jinx it, but I think we have finally gotten our stuff together and have planned some really lovely prizes for the KAL, which will run from Saturday 31 August to Saturday 4th October.  Please do join in and have a chance to win some beautiful yarn and excellent prizes!  Details are here!

Happy knitting!

R.

How to…Take Over The World (1 new knitter at a time).

Hello!

So, it occurred to me; we won’t take over the world without bringing new recruits to the Good Work.  Therefore I have put together a little kit to welcome the newbies.

These are available on my itty bitty Etsy site.  Go forth and spread the Word.

The long-suffering Mr. B was my test subject, and though there was swearing and complaining, there was also knitting by the end!  So it has so far had 100% success!  I am hoping that people who actually want to knit will also benefit from the kits.

These kits may or may not be the result of an argument/discussion Mr. B and I had about media coverage of knitting.   After yet another ‘knitting is the new yoga’ type article claimed to have discovered that ‘not your grandma’s knitting’ existed, I was complaining about the laziness of the writer, the factually untrue nature of it all–I mean, how many years can knitting be the new trendy thing?–and that it was insulting to our grandmothers to denigrate their work so casually.  Mr. B, however, disagreed.  He pointed out that most people do not knit, and anything that brings it to the general public’s attention is a good thing for knitters and especially those of us who make our livings from knitting.  He said it’s in our interest to not only tolerate, but court the kind of publicity that I was complaining about.

Don’t tell him, but I suppose he is right.

This weekend, I opened my studio for the Hackney Wicked Festival and I really can’t tell you how surprised some people were when they walked into my studio, saw knitting machines and me, hand-knitting.  Most people never consider how things are made, or that people ‘still’ did that sort of thing.  I heard many stories about many grandmas. It turns out most people do not know knitting is the new yoga.

In other news, the big knitting events of my year are over and, while they were great, I am ready to catch up on all the knitting I haven’t been able to do.  Unwind Brighton, then Fibre East and finally Hackney Wicked were just a little bit more than I could manage gracefully in the last 3 weeks.  (Because, you know  dahling, I am nothing if not graceful….she says, choking on sarcastic laughter).  So I reckon this kit counts as my pattern for August.  And I don’t even really think that’s cheating probably.

I haven’t yet said much about my pattern for July, a shawl called Naloa, which is due to that fact that myself and the wunderbar Kettle Yarn Co. are planning some lovely KAL-shaped plans around it, but haven’t quite managed to finalize them.

Anywho, more on that soon.

Til then,

Happy Knitting!

R.