Indie Designer Day

Designer: Mechthild Flottemesch
Blog: Wolle und mehr...
Rav ID: Mecky
Some Great Designs: Mecky's Rav Designer Page

There's been a number of cute cowl-esque pieces I've noted as of late, and Mecky's Loop Cora (pictured right) is a great example of this delightful trend. If you've got the spare hank or two of aran-bulky yarn kicking about, this is a great style to create - functional and adorable.

Her Braune Corsofino Jacke is a lovely, classic-looking piece. I can see this cardigan worn with a fab belt (and for those of you who sport the tights) this would be a great complement to that fashion.

Finally, I'll point out her Pinke Corsofino Jacke. The play of lace and texture in this design keeps the basic cardigan from being anything but basic!

The Happy Synapse

I made a joyous jaunt to my LYS yesterday afternoon.
It was one of those dreary grey days, rainy falling in mists and drizzles.

To clarify: a perfect yarn purchasing day.

I'm a chromaphile, and so I'm sure it's no surprise to ya'll that I have a supercrush on madelinetosh.
And madelinetosh I did purchase - in droves.
It really was something to restrain myself from purchasing every hank, because really, she has such an eye for rich, beautiful colour. The very sort of gem-like tone-on-tone that makes my heart go thumpity-thump.¹

Apparently, the human eye can distinguish around 10 million different colours. In this, my love letter to madelinetosh yarn, I do declare that she's a genius with these 10 million options.

So, on to a question:

I purchased, amongst others, one hank of Merino Light in Posy. With 402 metres in fingering weight, I wonder, what would you make?

My preferred pattern parameters include, but are not restricted to: lace, accessory and something non-triangular. (Those lovely three-sided throat warmers are always so gorgeous, but I've come to the sad realization that they're one of those knits I never wear.)

I'm digging the idea of knitting someone else's pattern right now. I've been in designing territory for a few weeks now, and need a bit of a breather.
________
¹ It appears I also have a supercrush on the multipurpose punctuational functionality of the dash today.

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Lily Go
Blog: LilyGo
Rav ID: lprajogo
Some Great Designs: lprajogo's Rav Designer Page

I have dabbled in crochet. Generally, I found it didn't suit my style.
But every once in a while I stumble across a pattern that makes my hook hesitancy waver.

See lprajogo's Gathering Leaves, pictured right.
Her description:
"Gathering Leaves shawl is crocheted from the top down and starts with an easy leave motifs that repeats every 10 rows. Then from small leaves the pattern morph seamlessly into bigger leaves and ended with a beautiful tulip motifs."

She proves herself adept at lace knitting as well, with the beautiful Bella Shawl and more recently released Metropolitan Shawl. With Monsieur Hiver breezing in, I'm really getting the itch to whip up some warm and wonderful winter accessories!

And, just to give you a taste of a non-shawly design, check out her Sage Cardigan. Prettily classic, this cardi has the perfect amount of lace, texture, and a very cool collar!

Le Road Trip

I bought me a cute little orange Pontiac Pursuit this summer;¹ I never thought I'd be a car person, but here we are.

Ever since he drove on into my life, I've been itching to get a road trip under my belt.

And lo, this weekend, I did.

Up to Montréal did a friend and I go, and reams of fun were had.

Excellent food was eaten, beautiful artwork was seen, and impressive churches were visited.

Notre-Dame








Me in Vieux-Montréal.


Possibly my favourite sign. Ever.


Bird ring from Simons, a Québec department store.

We had dinner Sunday night at O.Noir. Very, very cool. Here's a description of the experience:

Already the rage in Europe, Australia, L.A and New York, now O.NOIR - Canada's first-ever restaurant that invites you to experience food, drink and conversation like never before IN THE DARK!
"It's a sensual dining experience like no other"! says O.NOIR General Manager Moe Alameddine. "When you eat without your sight, your remaining senses are heightened to savour the smell and taste of food. Even simple, everyday dishes like potatoes or plain yoghurt take on a culinary flare".

You can choose your dinner and dessert from a menu, but you can also choose to have a surprise dish. I was feeling brave that evening, and opted for the mystery. It ended up being a tasty pasta with smoked salmon. And tiramisu. Yum.

As you may have noticed, I'm distracting you, dear readers, from any knitting content. Rest assured the wheels are turning. It's just an awful lot of secret knitting.

Restez à l'écoute!<sup>2

1</sup> Since I'm weird this way, I had to name my car. He's Palfrey. But I also refer to him fondly as the Orange Beast.

² En Anglais, "stay tuned".

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Beth Hahn
Blog: Willow Rosa Knits
Rav ID: willowrosa
Some Great Designs: willowrosa's Rav Designer Page

Soft, flowing fabrics and muted, gentle colours recall an historical aesthetic in the designs of willowrosa.

Her recently released edition in the Miss Flitt Series debuted on October 23, and includes the beauty pictured right, The Ether Overskirt. This is the third part of the Miss Flitt Series, wherein willowrosa lets her historic vibe dance in accompaniment with her elegant and ethereal original artwork images.

I don't think I have to explain why I'm viscerally attracted to this design; it hits up all my favourite knitting elements. Historic? Check. Unique? Check. Awesomesauce lace? Check. Ribbon? Check!!

I'd also like to point out a couple of her patterns from the first part in the Miss Flitt series, The Strange Case of the Magician’s Cabinet.

First is the Annabel Lee Neck Cozy. This sweet little design is functional and fabulous. This designer's attention to detail and thoughtfulness in her unique combination of visual art, narrative, knit pattern and backstory create truly rich compositions that may very well hinder on a Kandinsky-esque Gesamtkünstwerk¹.

Second, see her Amith Capelet. I think my favourite aspect of this design is the adorable "flop" the collar does at the back.

And, more about the Miss Flitt Series, straight from the designer:
It's a serialized mystery with character-based patterns, and...
"I’m busy putting the final touches on my four-part 19th c. illustrated mystery with knitting patterns, The Adventures of Miss Flitt: The Strange Case of the Magician’s Cabinet. You can read all about it here: http://www.missflitt.com" .

¹Check out a definition here.

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Holly Chayes
Blog: Crafting Keeps Us Sane
Rav ID: Neme
Some Great Designs: Neme's Rav Designer Page

I love a good lace story.
Neme is great at creating these, with her artistically-titled A Study in Grey (pictured). Grey is the perfect complement to this light, airy, and classically simple shawl. The neutrality of this shade allows the all-over texture to shine.

Study in Grey inspired this sweet baby blanket, Baby's Magic Blankie. I'm mentioning it in particular to point out the interesting shift in appearance and aesthetic when different colour approaches are taken with the same (or, very similar) patterns. Of course, we can all see that the playfulness of the baby blanket colours make it more kid-oriented, but the rows of stripes also create a playful movement to the piece, as well.

And, in a great combination of lace and colourwork, there is Neme's recently published
Birds of a Feather Tam. As you can imagine, I love me this hat. The little feather detail works terrifically with the burst of lace at the crown.

Have You Ever Eaten A Corpse?

Due to the assuredly few of us who are

a) cannibals
b) zombies
c) vultures
or
d) chimera, and various other mythical beasts

I thought making a corpse that was delicious, as well as just a little cute, would be a great endeavour for a recent Halloween party.

They went over as a hit. I was so happy!

Here you see the wee sugar cookie corpses, pre-assembly

And here you see them, in their piled-up corpsey glory

All I did was take a basic sugar cookie recipe (subbing in icing sugar for plain old white sugar) and used a straw to "stab" them in the teeny cookie chest.
I used only the smallest dab of strawberry jam to hold them together. With the added bonus, of course, that they look like they're bleeeeeding!
Their little dead faces are just royal icing, a combo of neon blue and neon red to create this sort of... muted purple. In my dreams, they would have had black x's and squiggly mouths, but on a short time frame, I didn't find any black food colouring.
Anyone ever seen any? I'm not sure it exists...

Hug A Pumpkin; Or, Amie Mitts

Pattern: Amie Mitts
Yarn: Mini Mochi, 2 hanks, colour 102 ("Flame Rainbow")

A good friend, who knew I was feeling down and out, gifted me this lovely yarn. The thoughtful, unexpected gift made me really want to make something cute and highly usable, so a pair of long-cuffed mitts it was!

I decided to christen these pretties "Amie" Mitts. It makes me smile whenever I put them on :)

If you've never knit a pair of long-cuffed mitts, let me tell you, they're super fun, nice and warm, and offer so many luscious possibilities for modding and creative design.
Ya'll may be seeing more long-cuffed mitts in the near future!

Now, obviously, I've already run out and bought two more hanks of Mini Mochi (colour 123 this time, "Brandied Apricots"!)
Oh my, this yarn. It's soft, and the colour transitions are so much fun. Mini Mochi would make a lovely (if very delicate) pair of socks!
I'm already slightly concerned about certain wear-points on the mitts (namely, the tip of the thumb). I hope it'll stand up to many winters' worth of use.

This isn't the last you'll see of my October-loving posts. I can't wait to share my costume!

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Thea Eschliman
Blog: Lick the Light Switch
Rav ID: wonderfallz
Some Great Designs: wonderfallz's Rav Designer Page

I'm so in the mood for Halloween. Without a doubt, my favourite holiday of the year.
And, while I have funstuff to share in regards to my very own Happy Halloween Haberdashery Handicrafts, I thought it might be cool to kick off this best of weekends with a spookily-themed project!

See wonderfallz's Hocus Pocus Trick-or-Treat Bag. Her Hocus Pocus eBook contains not only this nifty, topical, and very useful item, it also contains the matching Hocus Pocus Cowl.

A recent publication of the Sanguine Gryphon saw wonderfallz's pretty Gotham Skies socks released. This cool knit is part of the SG's Steampunk Fall Pattern collection.

Then there's her adorably pom-pomed Pollen and Bubbles toque. I love comparing her colourwork on this piece to her Industrial Skies cowl. Both are fantastic, demonstrating a good understanding of texture, space, colour and repetition, but in such fundamentally different ways!

The Hera Mountain Ridge Shawl is an attractive knit, perfect for that lovely hank (or two... three?) of yarn that needs to be shown off.

Finally, I'll direct you to her Strands, yet another lovely example of wonderfallz's skill with texture, rhythm and colourwork.

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Abby Frelich
Blog: reluctantMANGO Knits
Rav ID: reluctantMANGO
Some Great Designs: reluctantMANGO's Rav Designer Page

This designer's first published pattern are the beautiful Dionysus Socks (photograph © Dan Jackson).

I don't think I can describe these beauties better than her quote here:
"Wild vines start at the cuff and wind down the leg to spill over the heel, paired with lush leaf panels that weave themselves together in a riot of lace to create a sock fit to wear to any party."

As is well established, I like me a good back story. Creatively named and imaginatively described knits show extra thought and effort the designer has put into her/his work.
And, I'm hard pressed to suggest any better flight of foot-covering whimsy than a vino-soaked loll-about with Greek gods and "riots" of lace.
Srsly. I think that's my favourite line.

Keep a look out for more of her work!

Enter New Colour Crush; And, A Cute Dog

You've strolled with me through my dedication to yellow, my collection of orange, my hankering for green, and even my surprising attraction to blue.

Now my rainbow is almost complete with The Perfect Red.
I've been looking for years for this colour. A wondrous scarlet, with a hint of sheen. Something that screams hawt.

Finally I've found it, in madelinetosh's worsted weight merino. Colourway? TART. Oh yes indeed.

Here you see me with my Tarty new sweater, and my parent's new pup, Ellie.

Well, she's not really a pup (the vet estimates her age at around nine). I got her from the SPCA - the poor sweetie was a stray.
Being a "senior" dog, I was immediately drawn to the name Ellie (ie: Elliot, as in, Anne Elliot!) Miss Elliot was an old maid at 27, but the magnificent mutt that is Ellie resembles no such moniker. She's as rocking and rollicking as any young one. Loves the belly rubs and playing fetch (well, half fetch. Mainly "grab-thrown-stick-and-pretend-to-kill-it").

She kindly agreed to pose with me in these photos taken this past weekend at a lovely park near my parent's house.

My Tart sweater was whipped off in about three days, in as many hanks of yarn. The yarn is beautiful and perfect and soft and I want more.

It's a simple bottom-up construction, with cables running along the sides of the body and underside of the sleeves. The neckline didn't come out as I was hoping, but c'est la vie.

Contrived as this photo above appears, it is good for illustrating those side-running cables.

The day was perfect, with no jacket required for the hiking and picnicking we enjoyed. I love me some October!!

Though grey-in-the-muzzle, Ellie Joe (for that is her full name)¹, is full of energy and hard to keep up with. She proved to be a rather co-operative photography partner. I hope she'll agree to pose for future projects :)

¹Elliot as in Anne Elliot of course. And Joe? She's named after my dad. He had several pups growing up, being a farm boy. And one of them was a pretty little German Shepherd cross named Judy. She reminded me a lot of Ellie.

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Karin Crelling
Blog: The popcorn thoughts of a knitter
Etsy Shop: dyeforsocks1965
Rav ID: dyeforsocks1965
Some Great Designs: dyeforsocks1965's Rav Designer Page

A quick perusal of this knitter's designs shows her expertise in lovely hand-warming patterns!

First up is the pictured Loopy Leaves Gloves. Her use of cables is very effective in these practical yet pretty gloves.

Her Heart Lace Gauntlets have a great little description on their pattern page, which makes me love them even more:

"Fashioned after medieval metal gauntlets worn by the knights to protect their hands, these gloves allow you to wear them over your coat sleeves, giving you extra warmth and you can show off your stitchery, of course."

The classic Diamond Trellis Gloves makes use of a wonderfully simple all-over texture, and the Swirled Cables Mitts show off a bit of a funky twist on the basic cabled mitt.

Don't miss dyeforsocks1965's etsy shop, chock-full of beautiful hand-dyed yarns, knit mitts, patterns and other great yarnny items.

And, check out her latest blog post here. Look at those delicate wedding gloves!

Classic Books and Why You'll Like Them

Recently, Dover Publishing approached me with a request for some book reviews.
Yes indeed! I exclaimed. And shortly thereafter, I had two lovely new knitting books in my hands.

I'm very appreciative for the opportunity to review these publications, because they're both classic knitting books which, shockingly, I've not had the chance to peruse.

First up is the commemorative edition of Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac. Yes, I can hear your collective jaws drop. I have actually never flipped through this seminal work.
To mark the centenary of Zimmermann's birth, this edition of her month-by-month pattern book includes a fabulous introduction by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.
This may be my favourite snippet from her writing:

"It was recognition. I was a skinny, weird, bookish Canadian teenager who knit all the time, and there I was, felling better about myself because I had finally found another person on earth who seemed to feel as I did... [s]he said things I thought but didn't say. Things like that knitting made her feel clever, that solving knitting problems was like solving real problems, that it was challenging, exciting, fun, engaging and even funny".¹

There's also the wildly popular adult version of the February Baby Sweater by Pamela Wynne.
It's tucked away back there, near the end of the book :)

The second lovely that I was sent is the new and expanded edition of Alice Starmore's Aran Knitting.

As an art history/museum nerd, the first thing that made me gasp was the beautifully illustrated history of aran knitting. Really, who could resist a book that makes the tie between the Book of Kells and knitting?

With information about the how tos, the wherefores and whys regarding this style of knitting, Aran Knitting is an attractive and incredibly useful book. Definitely a classic must-have for the cable-loving knitter.

I'm sorry, I must go: I have cables to drool over.


¹ Introduction to Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac; Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, pg. xiv

Indie Designer Day

Designer: Crystal Adame
Blog: Crystal Knits
Rav ID: cadame
Some Great Designs: cadame's Rav Designer Page and Rav Projects Page

As a new designer, cadame shows great adeptness with pattern and texture in her pieces.

Take Morning Dew (pictured) for example. The softly flowing waves of knit stitch are complemented by the more aggressive peaks, complete with delicate lines of yarn overs. All elements work together to create an interesting scarf (which, as we all know, are the best kinds to knit!)

Ripples of Grey demonstrates this skill as well. This knit's texture looks so soft, squishy, warm and inviting! I hope cadame does post the pattern for this classic-looking piece.

And, I love to point out something a little different from designers: a very fantastic crocheted Cookie Monster.
I think that might be the perfect Cookie Monster blue!

Noro's On My Mind

Greetings from a rainy October morning!
I'm getting warmed from the chill in the air by just thinking about this post :)

Way back in the summer, there was the always fabulous (and sadly, only annual) tent sale at my LYS, The Needle Emporium.

Being the keener yarnnies that we are, three friends and I all arranged to be there at the very start. We were almost the very first people in line.
Evidence: see photo below.

That's us there, two people in from the front!

We all made out like bandits. I had a dangerously full bag of Noro Silk Garden.
See my pretties below.

I'll take this opportunity to ask a wee poll:
How many of you have a LYS? Or, for those lucky ducks, more than one LYS?
What's your favourite yarn shop? Or, even better, your best experience in a shop?