Rill-er-riffic

Pattern: Rill (download now)
Yarn: 50 grams of Handmaiden 12 ply cashmere

Mmm... cashmere...

This quick little pattern is my triumphant, almost last minute Ravelympics Designer Biathalon.
It's a cowl with a built-in closure method, in the form of a couple of loops placed just so on one end of the piece.
I'm glad I forced myself to enter the games this year; it's ended in me finally using this lovely yarn (of which I only had 50 metres), as well as a purty Citron. Mine is basically a copy of Julie's over at Knitted Bliss; I saw hers posted a while back, realized I had the very same yarn, and knew I hads to have it!

Indie Designer Day

Designer: E.A. Kelley
Blog: E.A. Kelley
Rav ID: oddlief
Some Great Designs: oddlief's Rav Designer Page

Here's some beauty to round out your week!
Pictured is the Helms Hood by the talented knitter, E.A. Kelley. I always appreciate an attractive knit with functionality built into it, and this pattern certainly has both!

Carrying this very set of qualities over into some feet-covering are the PE Kelley Kilt Hose. I particularly like this pair because not only are they classic, tasteful, subtle and attractive, they're free! How generous :)

And completing the triumvirate of cabley knits are her Auntie Slippers. As you might already know, I like me a good staghorn cable, and these slippers show that pattern off in a very skillful way.

Please check out her designer page on Rav - there's even more great work there.

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Karen Clement
Blog: knit 1 chicago
Rav ID: kclem
Some Great Designs: kclem's Rav Designer Page

...what was that I was just saying last week about having a thing for bulky yarnned knits?

This week's designer is quite the artisan with her thick yarn, needles and hooks.

Witness kclem's Magnum Reversible Vest/Wrap (pictured right). This is how you do a bulky sweater/top! The cinching of the belt give the solid structure this casual-cool bulky knit needs - and wowzers, is it striking!

And I'm not sure I've ever seen a bulky crochet reaching such fashionable heights; take a boo at Magnum Capelet #4 (crochet) and tell me I'm wrong! All kclem's pieces make me want to go out and buy bulky yarn now now now.

Finally, I'd like to highlight the stylish Magnum Capelet #1. A top down, one skein, creation of wearable loveliness like this is hard to resist.

Knot Tying 101; Or, How Wedding Planning Comes Along

... wherein I continue to chat about my wedding plans, and it's fun crafty stuffs this time...

I've been whirring into high gear; these past few weeks have seen me book the dj (hooray!), choose a hairstyle with all your help, have a successful make-it-yourself-bouquet trial run and locate a seamstress who's doing a fantabulous job on my gown for a quarter of the price quoted by a local bridal shop.

But, as per usual, I have some questions for all you folks.

First, here's some images of my hoped-for hairstyle:



















Yeah, I know they're practically the same thing, but what to do with the bangs?!
The part that appeals to me the most is the "thrown up-edness" of these two styles. That and the fact that it requires no imagination to foresee how my pretty little silk rose will look incorporated into the style.

Which brings me to my first advice-ask.

I've decided to add a wee bit of lace to the silk flower (how could I resist the idea of knitting for my wedding!)
The lovely task of choosing said lace has led me to a couple of patterns on Rav, including these three:

Hilton Lace
by A.M.

Belmina Lace
by A.M.

Edging with Flowers and Fans
by Verlag Otto Beyer Design Team

Lace edging is one of those things I thought I'd never get a chance to use, despite the fact that I find it very aesthetically pleasing and technically interesting. I thought I had oh so many lace designs in my mountainous knitting bibliothèque, but alas, there was nothing suitable within.

I didn't want anything with points that jut out too far (so the Belmina lace above is sort of pushing it) and I didn't think anything with a large repeat would look so great (but I am knitting it in a very fine laceweight, so I can get away with up to about 15-20 st repeat, methinks).

What to choose?

(The designer for the top two lace panels has many more if you follow the link. I'm always very happy to get some new ideas and fresh perspective).

And now for the second advice-ask.

I have the bonbonniere all lined up and ready for the adults (to be revealed on a future post), but it's occurred to me that it would be nice to have a little something for all the young children.
So, to parents out there: what do you think would be appropriate to include in a child's wedding favour?
My brainstorm so far has led me to:
-small pad of paper
-pencil (or maybe washable crayons)
-some sort of candy, like Smarties (or M&Ms, for my American friends out there)
-maybe a small toy?

I'm afraid I might be overeager and/or ignorant with my choices, so I deign to your wisdom!

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Rose
Blog: Rose Unraveled
Etsy Shop: NosieRosie Knits
and Roses Bloom
Rav ID: nosierosie
Some Great Designs: nosierosie's Rav Projects Page

As many of you surely know, I'm currently enjoying the fun process of planning my wedding; and obviously, there's going to be some knitting research involved in there somewhere!

Which brought me to the pretty knitterly floral wedding projects of nosierosie.
Not only did she have wonderful wedding knit-accessories, she's designed some lovelies herself.

Pictured here you see the Boob Tube. Check out her project page for a number of different, and very cool ways to wear it. Chunky knits always fascinate me, and this one is made even cooler by its versatility and that purty wee flower.

Lacy Beret is a cute little wardrobe addition, which just might have a pattern posted (perhaps?) It looks like a great, stylish and functional piece, something you'd get great use out of in the autumn, spring and (if you're brave) even winter!

This just in: the brand new, sweet wee wristlet design named Rhodochrosite. I love the design, and that fantastic lacy colour!

MidWinter Wanderer; Or, This Pattern Makes Me Smile!

Pattern: MidWinter Wanderer [download now]
Yarn: 4.5 hanks of Noro Silk Garden

This pattern has been sitting in my brainfiles for over a year now (as the yarn has also been sitting in my stashpile for that length of time too!)

As is my nature, I was distracted by many and sundry other things (including shiny yarn! ooo, shiny yarn...) and so have only just gotten around to knitting and writing up this pattern in the last month or so.

And I have to admit... I really like it!

It's been integrated quite successfully into my everyday wardrobe, and the design surprised me with its unexpected versatility.

At first I was only envisioning a hood with a heel, playing with short rows and cables to create something warm; some kind of hat-and-scarf hybrid.
Something that you could throw on without wrecking your already-pretty-damn-mussed-up hair.
Something that would flatter the very pretty yarn with its beautiful colour gradations and warm-white fuzzy glow.

What I wasn't expecting was how very wearable I've found it, especially as a (if I may say so) almost-chic indoor accessory.
Witness the (rather yucky) photo beneath.
It pairs quite nicely with a long-sleeved top, adding an extra layer and acting almost like a poncho or capelet.

(Let me tell you, I had a bit of a time trying to figure out how to classify this baby into Ravelry's pattern database. Scarf? Cowl? Hat? Hood? Hrmmmm)

This is possibly the happiest I've been with a design in a very long time.
It makes me feel so warm and cozy.
I'm particularly chuffed about the scrunchiness of the hood when I wear it down (which of course obliterates all the cables, but to me, makes the cowl/hood look kinda stylin and cool).

You can see this scrunchy goodness in the photo below.
(incidentally, I do have the ability to inundate you all to even further levels of oversaturation with MidWinter Wanderer photos, and have posted a couple different ones on Ravelry.)


It's taken me a while to get this FO posted simply because I knew I wanted to have a pattern all ready to go.

It's up as a free download in the link above as well as on Ravelry. As always, I'm trying to learn and improve my pattern-writing skills, and so am encouraging any and all who choose to knit this knit to kindly send me some feedback as to their experience.

With other cabley patterns in the works, I need to polish off those chart writing skills tout de suite!

Today is Wednesday; Or, It's Getting Cold out Dude

I thought I might revisit the "A Day in the Life of Me"-type post that I wrote six months ago.
And as fascinating as that was, just wait til you see it covered in snow!



7:56 am: What better time to wake up and...





bake cookies. It never hurts to have freshly baked sweets for work!
(ok, ok, I admit it: I actually made the dough last night and stored it in the fridge til this morning. I'm not quite that much of a süberwoman.)








10:00 am: Bus waiting, and this time that pretty Anglican church is snow-frosted.







5:30 pm:
Me with the man. Yes! Introducing the man.
We had a yummy dinner, and headed off for a very cool show...














6:30 pm: Got my entertainment for the evening and saw cool show at the Planetarium with aforementioned man.







11:30 pm: Way past my bedtime, I'm having some lovely Lady Grey Tea and putting the finishing touches on my latest design.

Comfort Knits

What do you knit when you need some good old-fashioned comforting?

Right now I'm buzzing on my go-to happy knitting: leagues and leagues of stockinette on circular needles.

*le sigh...

It's been a busy few weeks round here, and I expect it to keep up that pace for some time. I actually quite like being busy, but it never hurts to get some spare moments to oneself for knitting.

Now, where'd that stockinette go?

Incidentally, you may be wondering what's up with this pic here. I'm averse to a post sans pic. Methinks I'm a rather visual person...
Anyway, this is a silly sepia shot taken about a year ago with my cell phone camera. It's one of the more lushly covered buildings on campus, Hamilton Hall.

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Katie Harris
Blog: Knitworks By Katie Harris
Rav ID: MrsMK
Some Great Designs: MrsMK's Rav Designer Page

When the beautiful Cinnamon Grace (pictured) popped up in and amongst my pattern searching I was astonished that I had somehow missed this pattern. It's so very up my alley, with sweet and simple construction, delightful textural detail along the edge and a fantastically descriptive moniker!

The designer, MrsMK, carries this aesthetic over into her other pieces, including the so cute (and free!) Green Cable Capelet. I love the look of cables on bulky yarn, and it never hurts to have a fashionable, quick-to-knit toppermost layer in these cold days of winter.

And to further demonstrate her knitterly dexterity, the Loopy Lace Scarf is constructed in yet another yarn weight. With lacey looping playfulness, MrsMK has made some sportweight look like lace in this sweet wee neck-warmer.