Ok you guys - I'm freaking out here with excitement! So remember how over the last six months or so I've been on the hunt for my dream ball winder to replace the piece of s$%t one that has brought me to tears more times than I can count? Thanks to all off your help on social media I found it!!! Insert the Fiber Artist Supply Co. Maple Jumbo Ball Winder. And top that off I want you all to have a chance to win one too (pop over to my Instagram page to enter)!!! Wahoo!!!!!
Long time knit along sponsors of ours - Pom Pom Quarterly are back again with a fascinating and interesting look behind the patterns in their newest issue! As a knitwear designer who is inspired by things such as books, music, scenery, art etc. I couldn't get enough of this post! I love seeing mood boards and where designers are drawing inspiration from! Such a cool idea and one I thought you'd all be interested in as well. Pom Pom shares some of the tops in the newest issue and a bit history of the artwork they were inspired from! I think this issue of Pom Pom (Summer 2018) is my fave one yet! If you haven't seen it don't miss it! Every pattern is fab and the tops in this issue are all gorgeous!
It's here! Today is the start of Tops, Tanks & Tees Knit Along 2018!!! Woot woot! It's time to cast on all those gorgeous garments that will make your warm weather handmade wardrobe shine!!! The #TTTKAL18 will run from May 1st - May 29th this year so mark your calendars!
Many years ago I started a knit along. I didn’t know many knitters where I lived (and let’s face it I was lonely with wee babies and figured others were too) and I wanted to create a virtual happy place where knitters could chat, form lasting friendships and encourage each other in both life and our craft, in a warm and safe environment. I feel beyond blessed to say that years later our annual knit alongs are still going strong and a large percentage of our knitters are from that very first knit along. They’ve been through loss, heartbreak, & hardship together but also great joy and love over all these years. I can truly say those chats in our Ravelry group bring me so much joy. It’s the friendship that is so special. It’s magic if you ask me. It’s a special bond made over stitches and I’m so thankful for all of our members, sponsors and moderators for showing so much love and kindness to each other every year. I truly believe everyone needs a knitter bestie 💕🙌🏻. So don’t be shy - come join in - all skill levels are welcome.
If you've read my blog or follow me on social media you know I love books. And by love - I mean loooooove. I truly enjoy holding a book in my hands and slowly savouring and relishing in each page. I'm a total bookworm and will happily always be that way. Even though I'm a knitwear designer I still grab any chance to read. Whether it be while knitting or after hours, I've always got at least a few books on the go ranging from fiction to health/nonfiction. You know that feeling you get when reading a fiction book you're beyond excited to dive into? It's sooo good right? Well, I also get that feeling when I find fabulous knitting books. What's even better is when that fabulous knitting book is written by your equally as fabulous friend.
Today is the start of the annual Indie Design Gift-A-Long!!! Yay!!!!! This fabulous knit along is filled with a fun group of knitters all gift making for the holidays! Join in the games, KAL/CALs, chat and more! You'll also find a HUGE list of talented indie designers all offering special GAL Bundles on sale for 25% OFF until 11/28, midnight, PST with code "giftalong2017" (you can find mine HERE)!!! Wahoo! Take a look through, and add some new designers/patterns to your queue and happy gift knitting!
"Some people feel the rain, others just get wet" ~ Bob Marley
MEET REGEN
The Regen Shawl is now live and sold individually just in time for holiday gift making season (or to treat yourself)! Previously only available in Making: Volume Three - DOTS, this texture-rich shawl pairs soft circular combos of knit and purl stitches with a border that mimics the dots of falling rain. Regen shines in Phoebe by Quince & Co. and is a versatile and light accessory that is both engaging and relaxing to knit. Regen was inspired by the patterns that raindrops and frozen water make on windows and I hope you'll enjoy both knitting and wearing Regen as much as I do.
HARO is the newest shawl pattern of mine for this year's Hinterland Straits 2017 collection! Haro is meant to be curled up and snuggled into. It's the shawl you reach for on blustery days, for seaside strolls & chilly nights, and on days you just need a knit hug.
HARO features a half-hap shawl construction. Worked in two colours of Hinterland Range, the Haro shawl is a stunning composition of openwork, texture, and colourshifts. The fabric of this generously-sized shawl is soft and cozy, with repeated stripes that create beautiful swirls reminiscent of cascading waves when wrapped for warmth.
It's time for our Summer Sweater Knit Along Starring You post!!! This is when I get to show off all your gorgeous hard work! I mean look at these fabulous handmade sweaters and garments you all made this summer! Mind blown! Each year you all continue to inspire and wow me with the talent and skills you all have.
I hope you enjoyed taking part in this year's SSKAL as much as I did reading and following along with you all! It truly brings me so much joy to go through and see all of your finished projects and all the lovely garments you now have to wear! I love seeing what patterns you choose, the colors that are most popular for the season and just how darn lovely you all look! So thank you for knitting along with me each and every year and for being such a supportive, caring and kind community!
Join us at Knit City at the PNE in Vancouver, BC on Sept. 30th - Oct 1st for lots of fun! This is one of our favourite events of the year! Fabulous vendors, great classes & events and a wonderful community of fiber enthusiasts.
You can find myself & Jane Richmond at BOOTH #206 - we'll be there with both of our entire pattern lines, lots of pretty samples for you to try on, all of our books, special discounts/sales, and fun giveaways!
When planning this year's Summer Sweater Knit Along I thought it would be fun to introduce a few new fun posts (and writers) to go along with our guest tutorials etc. I invited the lovely Michelle of My So Called Handmade Life (Mamatronic on Ravelry) to write a guest post and I was excited to see what she would come up with. I've been a fan of Michelle's for years! She's got a fabulous eye, is an amazing knitter and has a fun blog. Bonus - her photos of her knits are always my faves in our knit alongs. She just has that special touch for taking WIP and FO shots. She's also our newest helper for this year's SSKAL. I hope you enjoy the fabulous interview she did below with the equally as talented knitwear designer Alina Schneider of Gift of Knitting Designs. Enjoy!
Throughout our annual knit alongs I like to bring in special guests to write helpful posts with lots of tips and techniques to help you all grow and expand your knitting skills. For this year's Summer Sweater Knit Along my dear friend, and designer/author Andrea Rangel is here to share her knowledge today and teach you all a bit about swatching in the round and doing it with colorwork as well! Andrea is a wonderful and patient teacher and has a great way of explaining techniques so I knew she'd be the perfect fit for this subject! She's my go to for things I'm stuck on all the time. Add on that her newest book "AlterKnit Stitch Dictionary" (watch for a full review here as well as a giveaway soon) is filled with swatches that are knit in the round (and feature colorwork) that she knit all herself I'd consider her extremely experienced...lol. I hope you all enjoy this post and learn something new today and a huge thank you to Andrea for lending her knowledge here today.
Our Summer Sweater Knit Along officially launches today! Yay! Have you signed up and joined in? I hope you do - it's a fun one (you can sign up & get details HERE)! Our Summer Sweater Knit Along is all about knitting some lovely handmade garments during the summer so we have gorgeous new sweaters to wear in the fall/winter months! It's my favourite knit along of the year and a fun one so I hope you all join in!
Summer is here and you know what that means......it's almost time for our annual Summer Sweater Knit Along!!!! YAY!!!! Our Summer Sweater Knit Along (or SSKAL as we call it) is where we encourage knitters to keep making garments throughout the summer months so they can sport their new handmade lovelies just in time for the fall/winter season! It's lots of fun and our biggest knit along of the year! So if you've ever been scared to knit a garment now's the time to conquer your fears and give it a shot!
When that special piece that's missing from your closet turns from a rough sketch to your new fave sweater! A wonderful kind of magic that I'll never tire of. Veronika knits up quickly and feels so darn good for the soul. I can't help but smile every time I see her. I like to describe her as Aritzia meets rustic wool...lol. She's one of those sweaters you can live in - you know, my fave kind - the ones you can throw on with most things, layer through all the seasons....heck you can wear it with your pjs around the house (which you definitely know I'll be doing...lol).
I'm so excited to finally be able to share that I recently got to design two patterns for the newest Berroco Portfolio - Volume 4! I designed a hat and cowl set called Cavilleri that was inspired by Ali McGraw's character from the iconic romance "Love Story".
One of my favourite things about knitting and designing shawls is dreaming up color palettes! From neutrals to brights - it's always so interesting to see what color combos you all use. Add in gradients and speckles and you've got a great way to show off your personality in your knitting. My newest pattern - ATMEN, is fabulous for doing exactly that and for using leftovers, showing off custom palettes and for mixing up colors and having some fun!
I recently was lucky enough to get back to visit one of my fave yarn shops - Churchmouse Yarns & Teas in Bainbridge Island, WA. Whenever I get to Churchmouse I dive into the yarns and have some serious fun pulling color combos for shawls. This visit we put together some yummy palettes for my newest design - ATMEN. You can find these color palettes all for sale HERE on the Churchmouse website. You can also purchase lovely printed pattern booklets of ATMEN both online and in their shop as well.
Today is my 40th bday :) I'm feeling both excited for what's to come and yet nostalgic for the time that's past. It's definitely a strange feeling and one that I've been spending a lot of time reflecting on during yoga and meditation. I don't want to feel sad or scared of my 40's - I want to own them. I want to show 40 who's boss...lol, and have a fabulous time enjoying being comfortable in my own skin and knowing my true self.
It's here!!! Wahoo! It's time for Starring YOU - the post that shows off some of the projects from our Tops, Tanks & Tees Knit Along!!!! Even though, being complete honesty here, this post takes me eons to put together - I LOVE it! It brings me so much joy to go through and see all of your finished projects and all the lovely garments you now have to wear! I love seeing what patterns you choose, the colors that are most popular for the season and just how darn lovely you all look! So thank you for knitting along with me each and every year and for being such a supportive, caring and kind community! I'm so proud to have you all a part of our Tops, Tanks & Tees KAL!
