Indie Designer Day

Designer: Brigitte
Blog: bridorangi
Rav ID: bridorangi
Some Great Designs: bridorangi's Rav Projects Page

This week brings a splash of fruity whimsy with the knitter bridorangi's lovely design, Banana Socks.
I'm telling you, if I were a sock knitter, these would be the ones for me!
I love how she's combined a simple design with some very creative dyeing to create a lovely foot-warming replica of a ripe banana :)

Her instructions: "I knit simple yellow socks (knit 7, purl 1) and later painted them with ashford dyes."

Another wonderful use of colour can be seen in her manipulation of the genius of Noro in Abhilfe gegen Eiszapfenfinger.¹
I always enjoy seeing how people get creative with simple patterns, and this marriage of flip-top fingerless gloves and Noro makes me smile almost as much as her banana socks.

¹btw, babelfish tells me this title translates as "Remedy against icicle fingers". Awesomesauce.

Noro Smile Times Strike Again

In what is most certainly my speediest yarn-purchase-to-FO turnaround time ever, here be a wee post about my nifty new armwarmers.

When I visited a very lovely yarn shop on Friday, I picked up a couple skeins of some purty Noro Silk Garden, and, being inspired by The Knitting Siren's Arm Warmers, I knit up this pair right quick - only took me 2 days!

I guess that's what happens when you're procrasti-knitting.

Incidentally, I have to reveal that the fact that the top-most part of the warmers have mis-matched colours does indeed rankle with me a bit. I'm working through it.

CanaryKnits Ravelry Group

I’ve been cooking up a few more design ideas as of late, and thought it would be a good idea to have a place where people could go to ask questions, get advice, share experiences and show off their work!
Here be the badge for the Rav Group I created this week:

My plan is to maintain it as a useful compendium of FAQ, helpful advice, my numerous errata and correct-ata, updates, test-knit opportunities and the like.

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Lucy Sweetland
Blog: a black pepper
Rav ID: zebraknits
Some Great Designs: zebraknits' Rav Designer Page

A visit to zebraknit's blog is a delight for your eyes. Hers is one of those blogs where you find yourself aweing in awe and twisting with envy at the cleanness of her design, the classic wearability of her knits, and the beauty of her photography!

Take for example the pictured Lillian. The sinuous structure and flattering shape make this a knit that can be worn for many years - I can imagine this pattern flattering people of all ages!

And speaking of sinuous cables, I think I might be in love with the slouchy loveliness of Anemoon. I really have something going on lately for the chunky cable, and this hat appeals for its shape, detail, speed of completion and obvious stylish wearability.

Now we've covered your torso and head, you can't forget to keep those arms and hands toasty warm with some gorgeous Emerald Fingerless Mittens. I really like the clean, geometric features of this knit, creating visual interest and texture with simplicity.

Srsly though, pop by her blog. It's currently transporting me to a lovely autumn day with golden foilage and the atmospheric sensation that makes your fingers itch to hold those needles.

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Eline Oftedal
Blog: From the High North
Etsy Shop: From the High North
Rav ID: elineof
Some Great Designs: elineof's Rav Designer Page

I love a good pattern/lace marriage, and this week's designer elineof gives some great examples with her Lacy Leaf Capelet (pictured) and Ocean Blue Collar. They're both very lovely, it's a difficult choice to say which I like more!
The fineness of the Ocean Blue Collar is very attractive - I can easily imagine wearing it beneath the wool winter coat which has just recently lumbered out of storage for its seasonal debut (probably within the next few weeks!)
The ribbon is a nice little touch, allowing for some simple modification of style and shape.

This designer isn't just a master of the lace - she's also got her colourwork down!
Wonderful White Top and Nordic Rose Top are knit in bulky yarns, but through the magic that is good design and palette work give off an air of delicacy.

She also has an etsy shop where she sells both finished objects and patterns. Check it out at the link listed above.

Out of the Loop; Or, What Knitting With Other Knitters Does for Me

The blame for the posting sparseness as of late falls upon the shoulders of what I will grudgingly refer to as "real life" (indeed. It does rear its nasty head once in a while).

Between work-travelling, wedding-planning, exhibition-researching and course-enrolling I've had my hands full. Added to the mix is canary mourning; Mats died a few days ago, and now the canary population round these parts has dropped to three.

So basically, I've had a couple weeks away from my regular knitting night.
That whole "you don't know what you got til its gone" thing is way totally true. I always look forward to my Tuesday nights; but now that I've missed two in a row, the benefits of sitting and knitting with others have really become clear.

And so, here be my list of why knitting with people is way cool:

1) Talk shop. Getting the newest knit news is very important. One must keep up on these sorts of things.
2) Ogling the knitting of others. In the very best of ways. Seeing what and how others knit is always fun and interesting. Great example: while not a sock knitter myself, I get to live vicariously (and snag some inspiration from) a great sock knitter friend in my knit group!
3) Encouragement. It's always nice to have someone look at your work with an eye that's not nastily critical like you always are about your own stuff!
4) Does any non-knitter understand the distress of a dropped stitch? You need those around who get it so that you can vent. And, conversely, who else are you going to share the joy and excitement over a luscious yarn or adorable pattern with?
5) And of course, catching up on that world outside of knitting, where you and your friends have to, for better or worse, live most of the time.

Do you have a regular knit group? What makes your knit night happytimes?

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Tracy Laliberté
Blog: Fanciful Flights
Etsy Shop: Fanciful Flights
Rav ID: Plucky
Some Great Designs: Plucky's Rav Designer Page

As I sit here on a borrowed lap top, I have that familiar mix of lamentation and excitement at the first sprinklings of snow. I happen to be away for an educational program for work, and so have moved a latitude or two further north and am enjoying a cloudy and chilly Ottawan November.

While Mr. Winter is tentatively beginning his trudge across the months, I thought it would be nice to post a wee post about a flower-designing designer.

Here you see Pluckys lovely I-cord Lily, a pretty and delicate reminder that winter will indeed eventually make way for Persephone.

Make sure to check out Pluckys links provided above. There is plenty more to see on her etsy shop!