LACEY SUMMIT SOCKS | GRAVE DANGER SKULL HAT

PACKERS SCARF | BABY PIXIE HAT

OVERLAPPING LEAVES SCARF | LEAVES IN THE WIND SHAWL

SQUARE HEAD BABY HAT | SILLE SHAWL

SKG KAL SOCKS | EM’S HOOT

Julianna’s Dot

This year wasn’t as productive of a knitting year as I would have liked, as far as the number of finished knits goes. And sadly, there were a couple knits that I don’t have good pictures of. Le sigh… However, this year marked my first in design ventures, which is exciting! We shall see what 2012 has to bring!

Pattern: Dot the Dress Up Box Monster by Rebecca Danger (Ravel that sucker!)
Yarn: Comfy Worsted from Knit Picks; Lilac, Sweet Potato

Monroe really wasn’t sure what to think of Dot.

Also on my kids knitting list recently:

Pattern: Hoot Toque by Megan Grewal (Ravel that sucker!)
Yarn: Comfy Worsted from Knit Picks; White, Hawk, Ivory

Seriously one of the cutest hats I’ve ever made, on one of the cutest little girls I know.

Sille
Yarn: Alpaca Lace from Cascade Yarns; Ecru

Designing this shawl was a little more problematic for me; not because the stitch patterns were difficult, or the construction was more complicated. Mostly, I think, my problems were due to budding designer syndrome. In other words, not taking the time to really double check my charts, and working 12 rows before realizing that my pattern was slightly off. Or not using a bind off that is loose enough for the scalloped edge. Whoops! This shawl definitely taught me a few valuable lessons, all of which I sorely needed to learn.

It still came out ok, I think.

I really loved the alpaca yarn; I’ve tried knitting lace with alpaca before, and for whatever reason I failed miserably. I just couldn’t get a consistent gauge; it was either too tight or too loose, and I would just get frustrated. This yarn, however, was marvelous to work with, and the blue beads on the edge added a nice, subtle touch.

My Aeolian Shawl, which I knit up particularly because I wanted to wear something other than a veil. The result was a beautiful, unique piece that I can pass down to my daughter, a new family heirloom, if you will. The thought didn’t cross my mind until after the wedding that other brides might be interested in something similar…

Earlier this year, I took a lace design class taught by the incomparable Sivia Harding at my new favorite LYS, Serial Knitters. She opened up a whole new world to me, not just in the context of triangular shawls, but design in general. My perception of knit design, I realized, had been terribly limited, and I left the class with a seemingly endless stream of ideas for lace designs. My goal was to come up with several polished lace designs to offer to future brides, along with the option to custom design a piece to a bride’s specifications. With the choices in yarn, shapes, stitch patterns, colors and beads, the possibilities are endless! And thus, Spun Love was born.

My first lace shawl design is the piece that I started in Sivia’s class:

Leaves in the Wind
Yarn: tosh lace from madelinetosh; Kale

I decided to add a center panel where the center stitch usually is.

One of my fellow classmates lamented the fact that she didn’t care much for scalloped edges, which are quite common in lace shawl designs, so I decided to make this edge straight.

The yarn was absolutely exquisite, and it softened up so nicely when blocked. I wore this shawl the other day and marveled at how beautifully the fabric draped. I need more of this yarn!! I also plotted where I could incorporate beads into the pattern.

My second design was knit up in a week. I found out last minute about a vintage wedding show in my neck of the woods, and decided that I had to pump out this little scarf/shawlette in time to take with me.

Overlapping Leaves
Yarn: Lace from Malabrigo Yarn; Blue Surf

That’s the same stitch pattern that I used in the center panel of Leaves in the Wind; obviously, it struck a chord with me! This is constructed quite like Sivia’s Heart to Heart Beaded Scarf, and it was a very easy and quick knit. I think I even have enough yarn for another! Part of my reasoning behind using this particularly luscious yarn was the color; what better way to have something blue on your wedding day?

Right now I’m working on my next piece, another triangular shawl. I’m almost to the edge stitch pattern, which I’m planning on knitting up with beads. I had one little roadblock with my charts, and had to rip back twelve rows rather late into the shawl. (Meaning there were many stitches per row!) I’m just chalking that little incident up to my being a noob designer, and have already learned from the experience.

Pattern: Waving Lace Socks by Evelyn A. Clark (Ravel that sucker!)
Yarn: Sock from Malabrigo; Indiecita

Pattern: TTL Mystery Sock 2010 by Kirsten Kapur (Ravel that sucker!)
Yarn: Artisan Sock from Hazel Knits; Aquarius

Mitts:

Pattern: Violeta by Melissa J. Goodale (Ravel that sucker!)
Yarn: Artisan Sock from Hazel Knits; Cherry Fizz

And hats:

Pattern: Striped Pixie Elf Munchkin Hat Photo Prop by Angie Hartley (Ravel that sucker!)
Yarn: 220 Wool from Cascade Yarns; 8401 and 2404

Pattern: Skull Hat (with a variation by me) by Gina Doherty (Ravel that sucker!)
Yarn: 220 Wool from Cascade Yarns; 9404, 8505 and 8555

And some other odds and ends. There’s also been a lot of lace knitting happening over here, but I’ll save that for another post. That last hat is my very own Grave Danger merch, and I am quite happy with how it turned out! (I really need to get some good photos of me wearing it to an actual bout.)

Pattern: Alhambra by Anne Hanson (Ravel that sucker!)
Yarn: Whisper Merino Laceweight from The Woolen Rabbit; Chiquitita

I was able to give this to her right before my wedding. I love giving her things that I’ve knit; it’s like a thank you to her for teaching me.

Some friends of ours have a baby girl who just turned 7 months old the other day, and I decided that Baby Harper needed a jacket for Fall:

Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann (Ravel that sucker!)
Yarn: 4th of July from Briar Rose Fibers; 7130

I just love the simple lines of this pattern. The yarn was leftover from the Christmas Hat I knit up for my husband a few years back, and it was sooo perfect for this BSJ! So warm and squishy… Harper and her parents love it!

This next project was one that I had originally picked out some Malabrigo worsted for, then decided that the colors were too much for the cables. The softness of the yarn was perfect, though, so I just picked up another skein of Malabrigo in a different colorway.

Pattern: Celtic Cable Neckwarmer by Lindsay Henricks (Ravel that sucker!)
Yarn: Merino Worsted from Malabrigo Yarn; 204 Velvet Grapes

The picture still really makes the colors pop and hides the cables, but in person the colors are just enough yet not too overwhelming. It’s my new fav piece; I’m wearing it right now!

My current WIPs are mostly for Socktoberfest, but that’s a whole other post! I also have a few requests from friends that I need to get going on… There’s just not enough time in the day! I’ve also been contemplating the jump into dyeing, and trying to spend more time on my spinning wheel. All of this on top of being a new wife, and trying to figure out where I want my career to go! At least the knitting and spinning affords me some quiet time for contemplation.

Our photographer and his lens loved the shawl.

My Momma made my beautiful dress; I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect dress!

<3

Now that we’ve set a date, that means I finally can say with absolute certainty when I’ll be able to wear this:

That is a happy thought, indeed!

Pattern: Aeolian Shawl by Elizabeth Freeman (Ravel that sucker!)
Yarn: Whisper Merino Laceweight from The Woolen Rabbit; Arabian Nights

Another Aeolian! I loved the pattern so much, I had to do another one. This time I didn’t place the beads where the pattern says to (except the three bead groups in the Agave and Edge Set-up Charts) and instead of doing nupps, I placed beads. With the weight of the yarn I used, I think this was perfect! I also found myself in a major bind; I totally screwed up the middle in the Edge Set-up Chart, and ended up improvising the center edge of the shawl.

It seemed to come out alright, so I’m good with that!

Pattern: Autumn Hat by Ruth Sørensen (Ravel that sucker!)
Yarn: Wool/Acrylic 8/2 from Kauni; EV

My first ‘real’ colorwork, I wore this hat all Autumn and received many compliments. Love it!

Pattern: Ivy Vines by Anne Hanson (Ravel that sucker!)
Yarn: Berry Sincere Sheep, hundspun from Tactile Fiber Arts fiber; Berries and Cream

Pattern: Ivy Vines by Anne Hanson (Ravel that sucker!)
Yarn: Silk Blend Manos del Uruguay; 3043

Both of these cowls were Christmas gifts; what a beautiful, quick knit!

New strategy for next year’s Christmas knitting: start early. And when I say ‘early’, I mean ‘now’.

What a weekend! Saturday I drove down to Portland for Sock Summit, which was incredible!! I stayed with a friend in Dallas OR Saturday night, then drove back up to Portland for a class Sunday morning. If I didn’t have to work, I would have been there the whole time! It’s just amazing to walk into a huge conference area surrounded by people that you’ve never met before, and still feel completely at ease with everyone and everything. Knitters are just so neat like that; people from all walks of life, coming together in friendly near-chaos. So cool.

My class was on knitting lace socks, taught by Anne Hanson. I’ve drooled over and knit up several of her designs, and her blog is a highlight on my RSS feed. Though most of us in the class were already lace knitters, it was fabulous to hear her go over the fundamental basics of lace. I figure there will always be something I can learn from someone who has been knitting since she was five years old. It was such a wonderful opportunity, and I feel very fortunate to live within driving distance of the Summit, as well to have won the class spot in the lottery. I can’t say anymore that I never win anything!

It was terribly difficult to behave myself in the Marketplace, but I had to. (I’m saving my pennies for a new Macbook Pro.) I decided to not get any more sock yarn, even though I was surrounded by it! I already have enough sitting in my stash, so I turned my focus on other things. My fiber stash isn’t all that great, so I started out by stopping at the Tactile booth to see what they had. Brooke and her darling baby boy helped me pick out a sampler of Alpaca:

Five ounces of the stuff! It’s sooo soft and yummy, and Brooke showed me a new spinning trick. I can’t wait to try it. My next stop was to see Chris from Briar Rose Fibers; her booth was brimming with so many beautiful yarn and samples, I had to sleep on it before I could decide which to buy! The lace bug that has bitten me prevailed, and I walked away with 2500 yards of Angel Face Alpaca laceweight:

2500 yards! More than enough for a couple of decently-sized shawls; maybe one as a gift, and one for me. Finally, I wanted more fiber, and I kept going back to the Girl on the Rocks booth. Karrie had some wonderful fiber and yarn, and after much deliberation and drooling I bought this:

Superwash Merino, white with dashes of blues, purples and greens, all my favorites in one. LOVE. And there’s nearly five ounces of it, which can get me quite a bit of yarn.

I’ve also been knitting some socks, of course. Last week I started some Roger Socks, as well as a pair of Waving Lace Socks for Anne’s class. I’ve just started the lace socks, and I’m on the heel of the first Roger sock. Socks are so wonderfully portable. I actually found myself knitting on one while I was stuck at a dead stop in traffic during rush hour last week. Yet another example of how incredibly awesome socks are.