Indie Designer Day

Designer: Milja Uimonen
Blog: Starling Knits and Crafts
Rav ID: Miljaska
Some Great Designs: Miljaska's Rav Designer Page

A designer with a full resume of various garment types, Miljaska has given me quite the fantastic list of knits to show you today!

First I'll point out the Adele Skirt. Very cute and wearable - make sure you click the link and check out the pics of the back of the skirt as well. The pretty lines of lace detail are complimented by a row of button closures along the top band. Very feminine.

Moving on to a head-topping accessory, the Faye Hat demonstrates this designer's skill with cables as well as lace and a good drapey fabric. Short row-shaped ribbing on a hat = very cool.

Her Rust and Stone Cardigan is one of those pieces you can imagine yourself wearing all the time. Jut throw it on over a plain t shirt and comfy jeans, and you've created a whole new vibe to your outfit. One of my favourite parts of this piece is the sliiiiightly ruffly bit of edging. Just perfect.

Finally, there's Sunbeam: a nice, simple shawlette that takes advantage of a couple of your best, most wonderfully coloured yarns and a wee touch of lace along the edge.

Indie Designer Revisited

Designer: Zoë Scheffy
Blog: Seaside Knitting
Rav ID: Luome-Cloudberry
Some Great Designs: Luome-Cloudberry's Rav Designer Page
Original Indie Designer Post: October 30, 2009

Looking at the list of publications Luome-Cloudberry has been a part of exemplifies, quite perfectly, my initial desire to create these Indie Designer Revisit posts.

First off are the pictured Sweetheart Legwarmers. Published in Knit Picks in 2011, these pretty leggies, simple and wonderfully decorated, make me want to: start dancing again, make more leggies, and wear different ones on each leg! I think it's cute.

In knit.wear's premiere issue, they featured Luome-Cloudberry's Ruffle Sleeve Pullover. One of my favourites from that publication, it makes perfect use of ruffles to add just the right amount of detail to a lovely, simple knit.

It's also good to see she's continuing with her self-publishing: two examples of thesesuch pieces are the Linen Stitch Tweed Hat and the unique and pretty Art Nouveau Headband. The Linen Stitch hat uses are great brim and cute wee ribbon to create personality in a very usable, classic, functional knit. The Art Nouveau Headband is, conversely, an historically inspired throwback to the early 1900s. Embellished with ribbon, button and a feather, this piece is fashionable whimsy at its best.

Luome-Cloudberry has also had the distinction (twice!) of being published in Interweave Knits. See her Latvian Braid Mitts and Nautilus Mitts. Both are wonderful examples of her style, which I think is summed up greatly in her blog name, Seaside Knitting.

Check it out! She has plenty more designs to see!

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Mary Annarella
Blog: marymealittle
Etsy: maryrock
Rav ID: marymealittle
Some Great Designs: marymealittle's Rav Designer Page

My knitting friends like to joke about me and my affinity for the small-yarnned. "Oh, just wait. Teresa's gonna show up with a sock-weight onesie some day!"

I say, they shouldn't be giving me ideas. I'm very suggestable ;)

Knowing my love of lightweight yarns, it should come as no surprise to you that I'm waydeep in love with marymealittle's design style.

Tending toward the fine gauged, I've listed three here to whet your appetite:

Iolanthe (pictured) is so pretty and delicate and feminine while remaining young and fun. I'm always a bit leery of using lace in my own designs... perhaps an unfounded fear of looking "old-lady". But this lace, this collar shape, this cute succession of buttons and off-centre front opening make this a fantastic marriage of lace and youth.

Making Waves Cardigan makes use of another (sometimes) overlooked design element: ruching. Gawd I love this ruching. It's done so well in this small gauge, placed along the front edges and collar, adding just the right amount of detail to this simply-shaped cardigan. Bravo.

Finally, Posy Cowl again capitalizes on the strengths of a fine gauge. You can't get that beautiful, fine texture and cables with anything else. Stunning.

Off Off and Away

Photo Credit www.lakesidebearsandfriends.com

Hi all!

I'm off, to return at the beginning of May.

Here's to hoping, with loads of fantastic stories, great stories, and wondrous yarn.

I've still got the Indie Designer posts set to go live; I won't be able to check/respond to email until my return.

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Inês Sousa
Blog: seni
Rav ID: seni
Some Great Designs: seni's Rav Designer Page

This weeks' designer has an aesthetic that just feels like spring.

First up is the pictured Afago, a wonderfully textured cowl with interesting shape manipulation. How could you not artistically swoon over that collar?

Along with Afago, Eira is part of a five pattern e-book My Basic Collection Book 1. Eira is a light and airy scarf/shawl/wrap: one of those great pieces that can work in many ways.

And there's just something about Luz. I think it's the ratio between full on stockinette and lace, if find it dreamy.

Mayla is a great slouchy hat from another of the designer's ebooks, My Eco Collection - Book 1.
It's great to see a designers' style applied to a variety of garments, and I'd say this is one of the most light, spring-like berets I've ever seen!

Paris, Berlin and Munich; Or, I remember a time when...

This blog has become about lamenting a lack of knitting, rather than knitting itself.

And I do indeed lament wholeheartedly!

There's this and that excuse or reason (depending on your mood and inclination); at this particular moment, I'm choosing to give the reason for lack of progress as being my rapidly approaching vacation.

My countdown is on: I'll be away in less than a week, and have thus dropped all other of everything and am devoting my researching, leisure and otherwise time and efforts into detailing the minutia of travel.

Fun facts:

-"travel tips" seem, to me (and on the whole), to sound awfully close to stereotyping and racism.
-as soon as you buy your plane ticket, your airline will sound grumblings of strikes and employee strife. You then stress.
-no matter how you plan, your passport photo's gonna look terrible
-you suddenly realize how well you've squirreled away everything in home when you try to note down where all the "important stuff" is for your housesitter.

Anyhows, I figured "There's great people, knowledgeable people, who read this here blog. Maybe they'll have some great travel tips to share!"

How about it folks? I'll be heading to Paris, Berlin and Munich.
Any travel tips? Fascinating stories? Pitfalls to avoid?
____________
ps: That hard to decipher pic up top is a google maps of the yarn shops in Munich. I haz my priorities straight, I do!

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Joanne Lew-Goltz
Rav ID: Jnnlw
Some Great Designs: Jnnlw's Rav Designer Page

I couldn't wait to share this week's designer. She has two of the prettiest, most delicate patterns I've seen in a long time.

First off is the pictured Modern Juliet. Ruffles done right, I'd say! Wonderfully romantic, echoed in the very appropriate name of the knit. I really dig the asymmetry of the button neckline and pocket.

This designer has but two patterns, and both hold the same sort of whimsical delicacy that appears to be her aesthetic. Pianissimo Symphony Series is an in progress knit, and my is it lovely! The drape, the detail, the delicacy. I can't wait til this one is published!

Oh, the Joy of a Meme

Wheee! Meme time!
I like reading other people's memes too, so if you are creatively inspired by this miasma of "I like this" and "I hate that", then please leave a linky to your meme in the comments.
I'd like a time-kill today, folks.

1. A Picture of Me

Super classy Instagram pic.

2. 10 Random Facts about Me

• If you had offered me sushi three years ago, I would have vomited in revolt and charged in the opposite direction. Nowadays I can have it every night. Can I please? Anyone want to come to my place and be a sushi chef?
  
• I try my best to avoid using any idioms - especially in writing, but also in everyday conversation. Not sure why - I think I enjoy the challenge of slapping other random words together to create my OWN phrases!
  
• I still have items in my closet from high school.
• Pet peeve: people who approach me at work and imply that I must be so bored and have nothing to do all day. Yeah. Thanks. That's right. I do nothing at work all day.
• It took me six months to muster the energy and sew some curtains for the kitchen. The breaking point? It's getting warm out now, and people will be in their backyards... looking right into my kitchen... not cool.
• I check the weather network all the time for the forecast, but never *really* believe it.
  
• I want Netflix, but am currently too lazy/busy to figure out if it's actually cheaper than cable.
  
• For some reason, I'm incredibly cheap when it comes to my hose/tights/whatever you wish to call them. I know they're generally rather inexpensive, but dammit, I try to repair those run, sew those holes, and scrub those evil shoe stains out so I don't have to buy new ones (what's with those shoe stains? It can't just be me.)
  
• I recently read my profile in the book The Secret Language of Birthdays and was rather disturbed by its apparent accuracy.
• The last yarn I purchased was some Rowan cotton. I felt like a shell of myself purchasing cotton - I swore I'd never do it again, and yet here we are.

3. Question Time

1. What was the first album you ever purchased (vinyl, tape, or cd)?

Well, my parents bought me the New Kids on the Block single for "Tonight Tonight". On tape. Then I think I bought myself Barenaked Ladies "Gordon". On tape.
And my first cd purchase, I believe, was Bryan Adams "So Far So Good". Canadian girl! (don't ask me what my first concerts were. You'd cringe. Laugh. And possibly never ever take me seriously again).

2. What was the first accessory you bought with your own money?

With my own money? Can't recall. Likely some sort of studded dog-collar-esque Goth nightmare. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's what it was, since I distinctly recall being oh-so-proud of my authority-defiance when, after being asked by the Vice-Principle to take off that 'dog collar', I did absolutely nothing.

3. Favourite gift you’ve ever received?

Tricky! Hm, I think I recall being very excited by the (not digital) camera my parents bought for me in high school. Also was really keen on the Simba and Nala kissing stuffed animals I was gifted in grade 8.

4. The coolest person you’ve ever met?

Pfft, my friends are all cool. Don't make me choose.

5. The item in your home with the most sentimental value?

I think it might be the house itself, seeing as how it was my grandparents' place, where my mom grew up, and I have loads of childhood memories from.

6. The grossest thing in your refrigerator right now?

There's probably some sort of veggies thisclose to rotting in the crisper. I try not to open that part.

7. Something you always purchase at the grocery store?

I went through a chocolate chip Clif Bar phase. Now I've moved on to yogurt and crap-loads of eggs (they're a superfood!)

8. One thing you hope to accomplish this year.

I have such a cool knit collection languishing in my brain. We'll see if my wrist lets me get that published this year.

9. Your current favourite song.

Too hard to pick, but I'll tell you, I've had "Summer of '69" stuck in my head since I typed that business about Bryan Adams up there.

10. What we’d eat together if I showed up on your door step today.

I do believe I just referenced sushi up there too... Want to get some? I'll take 20 piece of salmon sushi, followed by some Red Dragon rolls and white tuna sashimi!

Opinion Poll: Miss Manners Says Knit Knit Knit Away

I'm late to the party.
Again.

Oh, why do I live under the rock I live under?

Here's a link to a reply Miss Manners gave to a reader who had a problem with knitters knitting when they should otherwise be paying attention.

Generally I entirely agree with Miss Manners. There's a few exceptions, but I find most of the advice she gives seems to be common sense.

Except this nugget.

I don't happen to think it's common sensical to knit in a place where you would otherwise be expected to pay attention. In a place where your apparent (apparent, to non-knitters, of course) lack of attention is read as insulting and rude.

I know I can pay attention to the world around me and knit at the same time. I know my knitting isn't loud, I'm not moving around and creating a distraction for other people.

But, a lot of living in society, dealing with other people, and operating under the banner of politeness dictates that you must take other people's feelings into account: act empathetically.

I figure most people (especially non-knitters, but knitters aw well) would read one's harmless knitting as rude.

Your thoughts?

Indie Designer Revisited

Designer: Thea Colman
Blog: Babycocktails
Rav ID: babycocktails
Some Great Designs: babycocktails' Rav Designer Page
Original Indie Designer Post: May 7, 2010

I love designers. They inspire me so much.

Especially when I see the prolific and consistently high-quality out-put of talented people like babycocktails.

It was almost exactly two years ago when I first profiled this knitter, and whoo boy, has she given me a lot to talk about!

This is just a brief tasting of the wonderful work babycocktails has done. She's one of those designers who's adept at designing different types of garments, with a variety of design elements. That's no easy task!

It was difficult to pick and choose what to talk about in this post, but I've decided to limit myself to three:

The most recent publication, Vodka Lemonade, you see pictured at the top. With instructions made easy-to-modify, this vintage-vibe spring sweater is both adorable and eye catching. I have a crush on it. Might be the colour, too. Good choice!

Many of babycocktails' patterns are self-published. I get really inspired when I see successful designers who work like this. You can also find at least one of her pieces, Allegheny, published in Brooklyn Tweed's Wool People, along with other fantastic designers such as Stephen West, Anne Hanson, Gudrun Johnston and Olga Buraya-Kefelian.

I have a thing for luscious cables and legwarmers. Vernors Legwarmers is right up my alley: so very pretty, so very functional.

I'd also like to point out her blog: it's really a great read. So, not only is she a fantastic designer, she can write too! I've got yet another knitting idol to look up to! Thanks for the great designs, and looking forward to all to come.

Where's the Ugliest House on the Block?

Someone told me once that if you can't find the ugliest house on your block, it's likely that you're in it.

Methinks that's the situation for my place.

Here's the wee property as it stands.

I've worked and worked on the interior: now that the weather's turning well, it's time for me to focus on the exterior.

I'm a total newb when it comes to gardening, home reno and the like, so I thought it might be fun (maybe more for you, dear readers, than for I, especially when you get to laugh at my foolish failures!) to design, dream and hopefully create this new lawnscape along with ya'll.

First thing I did was peruse magazines, other neighbour's lawn-scaping, and a hefty amount of Pinterest ogling.

I'd LOVE to be able to have a verdant, confusing muddle of a cottage garden, but logic tells me 1) I'm too lazy for the properly cultivated upkeep a seemingly muddle cottage garden needs, and 2) I don't know what the hell I'm doing.

Other constraints include:

-North-facing front lawn
-Zone 4 gardening (I do believe that's North-America-wide, if not: it's the same as the Niagara Region of Ontario).
-and yes, the aforementioned ignorance and possibility that I'm the Angel of Death for plants. Let's hope that's not true.

Herein lies the beginning of the beginnings, with many a (successful!?) update to follow over the coming months.

If you have any gardening tips or suggestions, favourite plants (simple to care for is key for me!) I'd love to hear them.

Thanks everyone! I look forward to reading and learning from your planty knowledge!

I Knit, and Here's the Proof

Why yes world, I do knit on occasion.
I might be metaphorically winded by my bitty wrist issue, but progress that can be made shall be made.

Herein you see evidence of my knitterly endeavours.

This is part of the planned publication of February's YearLong YarnSong. I'm really rather excited to wear it, so the rapidly approaching spring, if nothing else, has spurred me on to completion!
You can't go wearing a wool cardigan in the heat! Or at least, I certainly can't.

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Emma Grivelli
Rav ID: emmacr
Some Great Designs: emmacr's Rav Designer Page

As the season begins to turn its mind to warmer times, I find it difficult to let go of my cool-weather knitting desires.

There's just too much lovely stuff out there!

To satisfy some cooler springtime knitting, you can look to this week's designer, emmacr.

First up is her embrace. You'd think a cabled top is a cabled top, but this particular cabled top does one of those things I love; the bottom edge ribbing plays wonderfully up into the cables across the body. But the twist here is the length at which those ribs turn into cables. I really dig the extra few inches of ribbing for the central panel!

Another great seasonally-shifting piece is her beret in english. I like this simple wee beret: just the right touch of lace, just the right amount of movement created by the yarn overs and shaping.

But before I bop off to rock with the Rockin Robin (who, incidentally, has been rockin in the tree tops all day long), I'd like to point out the riziere dress. Ah, a dress in fingering weight yarn. A designer after my own heart!

Sexy Vesty - Now In Italian!

Just a quick post today.

Wanted to let you know, thanks to the generous efforts of the Raveler isa1950,
Sexy Vesty is now available in Italian!

Just click on the link, takes you to the pattern page.

Also:

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on the colour conundrum on the last post.
Seems like I might have made the wrong choice: the pink Isadora is the clear favourite!

Let Me Tell you a Tale of Two Yarns; Or, a Yarn of Two Tales

I went yarn shopping yesterday.

I'm not supposed to, of course.¹ I think that makes it all the more delicious-er.

Anyhow, I went yarn shopping: first to Michaels, to pick up some good old Patons Classic Wool for a current cardigan.

This Michaels happens to be oh-so-close to my LYS; I don't know how I got there. It might have resembled the (now really rather old) commercial with the Fruit Loops "Follow your NOSE!" toucan.

So I arrive at the LYS.

"Got to go in with a plan" I tells myself, I do.
"I'm heading for some warm-weather yarn. Just looking at the cotton. Cotton. Yes. Go for the cotton."

Where's the cotton?

Well, the cotton is on the far side of the shop. I have to wander through the other rooms; rooms filled with colourful sock yarn, shimmering silk/wool blends, and the grand dame mother of them all, the Tosh section.

I don't think I'll ever get tired of looking at madelinetosh yarns.

My dilly-of-a-pickle yesterday was the torturous conflict I found myself caught in: which of these two colours do I purchase?

Here, Teddy Bear.


Here, Isadora.

The conundrum was this: I like both colours, I really do. Both appeared to be good colours for me (there's a handy, very large mirror right next to the yarn, incidentally).

The issue is: I knit to design, design to knit. I rarely pick up knitting that isn't going to become a published design. And, part of publishing designs is choosing yarns that people will find attractive.

Sometimes, that helps me rule out colours. I love me some orange, but it might be a contentious colour, and apt to turn some people off rather than on.

Pink and a neutral brown are pretty safe bets.

So, I'm still standing there, arms full of both yarns.

I figure the brown is the "safer" colour to go with, the pink most beautiful.
Safe, or beautiful.
SAFE or BEAUTIFUL!

I was harsh with myself, and put down half my lovingly-cradled horde, retained the other, and sped away quickly to the cotton so as to avoid further indecision.

I ended up taking home the Teddy Bear.

Which would you have chosen?

____________
¹I'm on a yarn diet, you see. I have plans for my upcoming cash, and unfortunately, yarn buying isn't, or rather shouldn't, be a part of them.