Friday, July 29, 2011

Indie Designer Revisited

PhotobucketDesigner: Stephanie Dosen
Blog: *tiny owl knits*
Website: Stephanie Dosen.com
Rav ID: tinyowlknits
Some Great Designs: tinyowlknits' Rav Design Page
Original Indie Designer Post: November 21, 2008

Almost three years ago I profiled the lovely and talented tinyowlknits. She's a fabulous knitwear designer as well as a musician and songwriter. Just check out her site here, and listen to her beautiful songs This Joy and Only Getting Better (some of my favourites!)

On to the designs :)

Here pictured is a perfect example of her fairy-tale-esque, whimsical and yet sweet and wearable style. Grimm's Cottage gives you fanciful fashion, unique little twists (just look at the cute use of ribbon!) and yet this is ultimately a simple shape and design. Pairing these two tendencies makes for knits that can complement many outfits and occasions.

(One of my favourite things about tinyowlknits' designs is how easily I can imagine myself wearing them on a beautiful walk through the woods.)

I'll also point you to a few more new (since I profiled her last!) designs:

Recently featured in Yarn Forward, catching butterflies mitts embrace the design tendencies of simplicity and whimsy to create a pretty little pair of mitts/armwarmers that integrate texture and colourwork to create a sweet design (with a little surprise in the palms!)

In one of the most eye-catching and simple designs, tinyowlknits utilizes a simple cowl with perfectly matched colours to create the warm and wearable ships & seasides.

I would certainly be amiss if I didn't point out the adorable sweet robin wrist-ees. That's right: robin, a nest and eggs. I love it!

I'm also in love with her woodland hoodlet. It's a very cool design shape, that creates a garment that's versatile and beautifully utilitarian. Incidentally, this might be the very best use of a tassel. The way the huge cables hug around the capelet part look so delightful and inviting.

There is so very much more of tinyowlknits' work to be seen. Please check out her designs on Rav. They never fail to make me smile (and take that fanciful walk down the green, wooded paths of my imagination).

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Sneak Peek: Autumn Little Seasonals

PhotobucketI'm not giving too much away today, but I thought I'd open a little window on to what I've been busying myself with over recent weeks.

Pictured is a close up of the two patterns I've designed, almost ready and definitely waiting to be featured in the Autumn edition of Little Seasonals.

My current stumbling block? Photos. It's quite something to pose for photos in hot hot July and pretend it's cool and comfortable October!

Monday, July 25, 2011

My Pumpkins Are Colonizing The Garden

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Setting out from their wee pumpkin seed mound, four strong and fearless seeds bravely took on the new territory of soil surrounding their land.

The pumpkin(g)s are now Emperors of the Garden, and have renamed it their Patch1.

PhotobucketThe new colony of Patch, this, the Patch of the Pumpkin(g)s, has a very few subjects, including the Purple Pod Bush Beans, the struggling Tabasco Peppers, and the young but rugged Broccoli. The beautiful flowers of Marigold and Hollyhock are attempting their own uprisings, but the might and power of the Pumpkin(g)s appears to be blotting out their efforts.

I must try my best to keep these Kings in check; they aren't satisfied with the Patch, and appear to be enamoured with development outside the garden bed.

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But lo, we shall see who laughs last. The hour of October draws nearer every day, and the prophesy of the sage pumpkins, those horror stories they tell their young sprouts of vicious humans plucking them from their vines, heartlessly scooping out their delicious innards and placing (of all things!) candles in their bodies, just may come to be fulfilled.

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Muhahahaa!

But no, really, I'm way stoked about how healthy my pumpkins seem to be. I hate to count my pumpkins before they hatch, but methinks a collection of sweet, sweet pumpkin recipes may have to be collected!

____________
1 I have to apologize for the colonialist metaphor here. Perhaps I've been doing a touch too much research at work regarding those centuries of European empire building.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

So I Can Sew a Salad

PhotobucketI'll tell you what I've had luck with, and that's my lettuce!

The photo you see here is a couple weeks old, when my salad green garden was very happy. The current oppressive heat has pretty much done in any remaining bits, but I'm quite happy with the bit of harvest that I was able to obtain from my first sprouty endeavours (incidentally, so are the birds! They quite appreciate lettuce, as their green-stained beaks will attest!)

I've also recently learned that I've let my spinach, which I was very much looking forward to eating, bolt.
Well then, a gardener lives and learns.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Giveaway Winner

Hi all!

I closed the contest for the Larry Crowne giveaway last night, and have just asked the Random Number Generator to tell me the winner....

Congratulations neferatowen! The generator said number 5, and that's you.

Thanks to everyone who entered.
Have a very happy Tuesday :)

Friday, July 15, 2011

Indie Designer Day

PhotobucketDesigner: Preita Salyer
Blog: Mr Poopers Day Out
Rav ID: Preita
Some Great Designs: Preita's Rav Designer Page

You'd think I'd be used to this experience: I trawl around Rav, looking for great designs and designers who haven't received the notice I think they deserve.

Today's designer, Preita, is even more astonishing. She has a wealth of patterns; so many different types of knits, all so pretty, knittable and wearable.

Not only that, she has a beautiful blog. It's illustrated with gorgeous photographs, many of which are the personality-filled animals from her farm. It's fantastic. Really, go check it out nows.

Well, maybe take a peek at these three designs first:

Pictured is the Fall Plumage Hat, a great example of her design style. That texture is so enticing. Makes me want that yarn, hat and pattern!

The pretty Pix Shawl is a play with texture (and colour) in a simple way to create a versatile garment.

Lastly, there's Sweet Corn Shawl, which does that magic shawl thing where it looks lovely laid out flat, but almost even lovelier when it's gathered up and draped around your neck.

Don't stop here! Preita is a prolific, talented designer. Check out her projects page on Rav :)

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Made Me Laugh

Quick postie today:

I was informed about this funny video about a knitting prank pulled on Julia Roberts. It's really kind of cute.



It's from the set of her latest movie, Larry Crowne.

I've also been contacted for a giveaway! Anyone who'd like to get in on the following prizes can just leave me a message on this post. I'll select a randomly generated winner on Monday July 18.

One (1) winner will receive:

· $25 Fandango Gift Card to see Larry Crowne
· Larry Crowne t-shirt & notebook

Prizing courtesy of Universal Pictures

Good Luck all :)

Friday, July 08, 2011

Indie Designer Day

PhotobucketDesigner: Andrea Marquis
Blog: Yarn Superhero LLC
Rav ID: greedy
Some Great Designs: greedy's Rav Designer Page

The shapes. Ohhh, the shapes! The structure, the whimsy, the romantic historicism, all found in the knits of this week's designer!

Pictured is the lovely and unique Rivulet. I've picked this piece because I think it's a very good example of her wonderful, creative vision. I love the melding of historic and contemporary fashion elements; together, they create a whole new fashion sensibility that (more than a little) reminds me of one of my favourite fashion designers, Alexander McQueen.

Sett Road Stole shows off this designer's ability to play with shape in a very interesting and attractive way. This stole is a traditional stole shape, but the pattern's photographs demonstrate the designer's creativity in manipulating that shape into wonderfully wearable, and entirely varying, garments.

Of course, there are many other wonderful pieces by greedy - make sure to check out her Rav designer page! But for now, I'll leave you with one final lovely, the Cobblestone Neckwarmer. Just check out the hardware on this piece!

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Letting the Cat Out of the Bag

I've been planning something big.

Come September, I'll begin publishing a planned 12-month project in eBook form. I'm calling it the YearLong YarnSong.

It's very exciting to be putting this project together; it's been so much fun already, and I'm looking forward to a whole year full of lovely projects, deadlines and more than a little bit of hard work!

The image below is a sneak peak at some of the yarn I'm using for the September issue.

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I can't wait to share it with you!

Shortly, I'll be putting out some requests for testers. If you're interested in getting in on these super secret projects, check back at this here bloggy in just a few weeks.