Here I am, back in Italy (well, in my imagination at least) with a new pattern for you. This design reminded me of rows and rows of perfectly groomed grapevines and the leafy foliage that is produced on the vines.  I searched and found a fitting name, Vigneto, which in Italian means vineyard.

Vigneto Shawl is slightly asymmetrical and completely adjustable to your size requirements and to your available yardage.  Both the striped texture stitch at the beginning of the shawl and the leafy border pattern may be repeated any number of times.  It is begin at one wingtip with the striped texture stitch (the rows of grapevines) and ends at the other wingtip with the leafy border.  When worn, the rows of grapevines curve becomingly around your shoulders and then sprout into the leafy lace pattern.

The lace border features an unusual textured stitch.  I searched online to find any mention of this stitch and I couldn’t find a thing.  I didn’t want anyone to have trouble visualizing how this stitch is done so I produced a little video on the technique.

The first sample I knit using Dream in Color Smooshy in the colorway Scorched Lime.  I did Chart A (the striped texture) only 8 times and worked Chart B (the leafy lace border) 6 times, for maximum lace effect.  Love this yarn, it has just the right amount of bounce and body for this project.

The second sample I knit in an old favourite that never disappoints, Tosh Merino Light in the colorway Saffron.  Can’t you just see the sun setting over the vineyard??

I wanted to experiment a bit, so I knit Chart A 11 times, making a deeper striped texture section and I was still able to knit 3 repeats of the lace border.

I’m not sure which I like best, they both have their own charms.

Check out my project pages here and here for more details on sizes, yardage, etc.

Vigneto Shawl is available today on Ravelry here.

Ciao!

Sonetto is Italian for “a little song”.  Perfect for this design, as I think of it as a little song for spring.  We have had wonderful spring sunshine for the past few days here on the west coast.  After months of very damp,dreary, rainy weather we are overjoyed to be able to get outside and bask in the sunshine.

Sonetto Shawl came about because I wanted to try something a little different.  It is slightly asymmetrical in shape and design but very simple to knit.  It is cast on at one wingtip with a few stitches and then simply knit until it is large enough or you run out of yarn, whichever comes first.  There are gradual increases along one side, touches of very easy lace and a little soothing stocking stitch.  No short rows, no counting but enough happening to keep you interested.

And no stressing about running short of yarn.  You will need 100 – 150 grams of fingering weight wool or wool blend for this pattern.  I knit my first protype in Tosh Merino Light and it worked very well too.

The yarn used for the purple version is Baah yarn La Jolla in the gorgeous colorway Winter Purple.  This yarn is so lovely to work with.  I had not tried this yarn before but I am now a fan in a big way.

The green version is Wollmeise 100% Merino in the colorway Grunfink.  The color is so green, so vibrant it practically glows.  A very nice compliment to the Winter Purple version.

The Wollmeise comes in large 150 gram skeins, so this version is a little larger.  Normally I prefer my shawls to be more of a scarf size but I have to say that this larger version is very wearable.  It may be wrapped around the neck on a cool day, much like a cowl.  Or just nicely settled on your shoulders on a warmer day, as well as being worn as a large scarf.

I hope you are enjoying some sunshine wherever you are and perhaps some knitting as well.

Sonetto is available on Ravelry starting today here.  And lots more details on my project pages here, here and here.

I designed this shawl last summer, for the 2013 Wooly Wonka Heroines Club, January shipment. The theme this year was literary heroines and I picked the Anne of Green Gables series for my inspiration.  Today the exclusivity period has ended and the pattern is available for sale on Ravelry.

Anne at Wooly Wonka dyed this gorgeous spring green shade for my sample.  I wanted something bright and springlike both for the theme and also because this kit was going out in January.  I think everyone needs a shot of spring green in January to brighten up the month.  The yarn is Brigit Sock 100% organic merino.  Gorgeous yarn, gorgeous color!

I tried to knit the second version in a color other than green, I really did.  But I kept coming back to this color, Forestry, which just begged to be an East Gable Shawl.

This is one skein of Tosh Merino Light, colorway Forestry.

You can find East Gable Shawl and lots more details on Ravelry.

It’s been months since I have designed a shawl pattern.  I hope you like my new Cedar Grove Shawl.  Designing lace has always been my first love and I think Cedar Grove might be one of my personal favourites.

Cedar Grove is a top down triangle that may be worn in a variety of ways and is worked in heavy worsted/chunky weight yarn.   My favourite way to wear it is curled around the neck like a large scarf or cowl.

The yarn I have used is an old favourite of mine, Cascade Eco Wool.  I’ve used this yarn multiple times over the past few years and I always love the result.  But I especially love it in lace.  This yarn blocks so beautifully in lace and is so warm and cozy for the cold months.  And I love this color, it’s called straw and seemed perfect for the fall months.  One skein will get you the size shown which is approximately 58 inches wide by 26 inches deep.

Here’s a little bit of a background story on the design.  I had the design worked out before I went on vacation and I took it with me so I could knit the sample as one of my holiday projects.  I did get the sample knit but the downside was that I wasn’t really paying attention to the design.  I just merrily knit away, finished the project and stashed it away in my suitcase.  When I returned home, I pulled it out and blocked it and well let’s just say I was underwhelmed with it.  The lace pattern was pretty but the centre spine stitches I had chosen to knit as 3 stitches in seed stitch.

Now that I looked at it in the cold harsh light of home, I really was disappointed in it.  It needed to be reworked so I started again swatching and changing up the centre spine.  Maybe the holiday fairy dust was still clinging to the design because the first thing I tried worked really well.  I loved it and now I think that the centre spine really makes the design.  Yes, I had to knit another complete shawl incorporating the changes but I think it was definitely worth it.  Now I can’t seem to stop thinking about a version in cream or natural, in something decadently soft such as Malabrigo…

Cedar Grove Shawl available on Ravelry here.

Fall is passing quickly as it always does.  I was away on holiday for about half of October so it seems to be passing a little faster than usual this year.

Here is a peek at where I spent my holiday this year.

Once again this year I was lucky enough to be asked to design a pattern for Wooly Wonka 2013 Heroines Clubs.  For 2013 Anne has chosen favourite literary heroines as the theme for her popular club.  There are two year long clubs to choose from, accessories or shawls.  And they should both be spectacular.   Each kit includes a pattern and a beautiful skein of hand dyed yarn especially dyed for that pattern.  Anne also runs KALs for each kit on her group on Ravelry. These KALs might be just the incentive you need to get knitting while you chat with some of your fellow club members.

My pattern begins the new year with the January shipment for the Accessories club and my heroine is Anne of Green Gables.   Anne is the girl that everyone loves and I sometimes still delve into Lucy Maud Montgomery’s books for a glimpse of childhood. I sent Anne at Wooly Wonka some images of the color (green, of course) that I wanted for my design and soon after a package arrived with the perfect shade of green.  The yarn is fabulous, an organic merino that is so soft and satisfying to knit with.  Perfection.  And that is all I can tell you now.  But please visit Anne at her group on Ravelry for more details about all the kits that will be included in the 2013 clubs (follow the links above).  She gives awesome customer service!

This back yard might look familar to you as the setting of most of my pattern photos.  Today, no knit wear, just fantastic colors.

I’ve finished my ebook!  I began work on this project back in the spring and it has finally all come together.  I couldn’t be happier to present to you my Urban Forest Knits ebook.  It is a collection of five small accessory patterns for fall and winter.  First up, the Urban Forest Hat in sizing for big and little folk.   This hat looks good on every man, woman and child who has tried it on.  And everyone has loved that color!

I have to tell you about the yarns used in this collection.  When I was planning the collection, I wanted to use one yarn line, in coordinating colorways so everything would be harmonious.  I got my wish from Sweet Fiber Yarns.  I have chosen Melissa’s Cashmerino Line using both the worsted and the sock weights.  This yarn has always been one of my favourites and in her new colorways it is superb.  Thank you, Melissa!

The Urban Forest Hat is shown in the worsted weight, in the colorway Hippolyta.  My new favourite colorway!  In the photo above, it shows hints of pink and looks quite feminine.  But look at it below, the very same hat.

Decidedly masculine on a man!

And here’s the child’s version, shown in the colorway Luna.  Love!

I had so much fun with this design that I did a second hat, this time more feminine, for girls big and little, the Hollyburn Hat.  This time I used the fingering weight Cashmerino in the colorway Nocturnelle.  That little bit of contrast color is the leftover worsted yarn from the child’s Urban Forest Hat.

Here is the same hat on a child, it fits with a slight slouch to it.

I’ve included directions in this pattern to make a even slouchier version, here it is, shown in another yarn.

The Seawall Cowl is worked up in the Cashmerino worsted, colorway Black Currant.  This design is completely reversible, so no fussing about which side is showing.  It’s a great length, wear looped once on a cool day, or looped twice around the neck on a really cold one.

The Deep Cove Scarf is also done in the worsted weight yarn and back to my favourite Hippolyta colorway.  This piece is a rectangular scarf knit sideways for speed and it really does work up fast.

And lastly, my Tree Top Gloves, shown in the Cashmerino sock, colorway Black Currant, same as the Cowl.

Here are a few more shots of the collection, taken in Vancouver area parks during our glorious September weather.

A huge thank you to my family for being such good natured and awesome models.  And to Teresa, Gill, Elizabeth and Sue, thank you so much for test knitting these patterns for me.

The patterns are each sold separately or you may purchase the whole collection as the ebook Urban Forest Knits.

I’ve been designing shawls all spring and into the summer but I really wanted to try some other accessories for fall.  I am working on an ebook of 5 small accessories that I’m pretty excited about.  More about that later in the month, but for now, here is a look at my newest pattern, a cosy cowl to wear for the fall, my Magpie Cowl…

The yarn I have used is Sweet Fiber Sweet Merino Lite in the colorway Ina’s Red.  This red is full of complex shades and is perfect for showcasing the small textured lace pattern that makes up the cowl.  As usual, another stunning colorway from Sweet Fiber.  Melissa advises that her Cashmerino Sock would also be perfect with this pattern.

You could also use any fingering/heavy fingering weight yarn from your stash.   The quick construction is really just a rectangle so the proportions could be easily changed to suit your taste.  Make it longer, shorter, wider, narrower, knitter’s choice.

The easy lace pattern is quick to memorize and I found it quite intuitive to work.  (It’s reversible too, the wrong side of the pattern is slightly different but I think, equally nice.)

Here’s a close up of the pretty stitch pattern.

Be patient and go slowly while learning the pattern stitch.  You will pick up speed as your hands learn the rhythm of the stitches.  Soon this will be flying off the needles without even glancing at the pattern.

Lot’s of options for wearing it too.  Wear it with the buttons in front, on the side, in the back, all buttoned up, or unbuttoned.  I had fun playing with it.

The holes in the lace become the buttonholes wherever you decide to place your buttons.  A simple and satisfying project.

Magpie Cowl for sale on Ravelry today.

I’ve been madly knitting away this month on various design projects.  But in between designs I needed a little break so I made these.

I’m in love with these little cuties and I’m not the only one!  When my 3 year old granddaughter saw her pair, she put them on and despite it being a very hot day in August, kept them on her feet.  She was still wearing them several hours later when I left to go home.  Just what a knitter craves!  Appreciation!

The two year old has not seen her pair yet so I’m hoping they get the same reaction.

Details here.

Another summery shawl for you today!  I enjoyed designing Summerside so much that I decided to do a another semi circular shawl before the summer passes us by.  I love this shape for hot weather, it sits gently on your shoulders without making you feel too smothered and I think it is perfect for a cool summer evening when the wind begins to blow a bit and those tanned shoulders need just a hint of warmth.

Rose Harbour Shawl is a semi circular shawl worked from the top down.  It has a deep lace border that is adjustable in depth to suit your yardage available and desired size.  The green version features 5 repeats of the lace pattern and is the perfect size for a summer shawl:  (blocked) 42 inches by 17 inches deep.  I really love the colorway, it’s Tosh Merino Light in Filagree.

I loved my first sample so much that I wanted to try a two color version.  At 88 Stitches Yarn Shop last friday we had some excitement in the shop, a delivery from MadelineTosh.  We have been waiting for Tosh Merino Light all summer and it had finally arrived!  To say we were excited is an understatement that only a knitter would understand.

It was so difficult deciding on which colorways should come home with me.  I wanted to adopt them all.  But I finally made my selection.  The day before I had blocked my first pattern sample for Rose Harbour using one of my cherished skeins of Tosh Merino Light from my stash and now I had multiple skeins of  this same yarn in front of me, begging to be knit with.  I choose two of the skeins, Cove and Badlands, and immediately began a second shawl with these two colors.  I think they work really well together.

For this one, I did 6 repeats of the lace pattern and ended up with a blocked size of 50 inches wide by 18 inches deep.

I especially love the little edging, it’s a variation of the picot bind off that I came up with to help with blocking.  There is a tiny hole above each picot that is perfect for blocking wires.  This makes it a breeze to block a nice smooth curved edge at the bottom of the shawl.

Rose Harbour Shawl is available on Ravelry.  Happy summer knitting.

My new shawl pattern, Summerside is out today!  Summerside is a semi circular shawl worked from the top down and has a deep romantic lace border.  This border easily adjusts to different lengths depending on your yardage.  One skein of fingering weight yarn is all you need.  I think this shawl would be lovely over a summer dress for a little warmth when needed.

Details on the pattern page on Ravelry found here.