Down the Rabbit Hole

In my last post I mentioned that I've started knitting a cardigan in laceweight. Stocking stitch. I have made good progress (aka, a few more inches of the back).

But I have a confession. I've also gotten distracted by the gorgeous patterns that are part of the Indie Designer Gift-along on Ravelry. It all started innocently enough. I checked out the Pinterest boards that have been put together.

All errors mine, not the pattern!

I got one Maroo Mitt knit up for myself.

But then my daughter saw it.

And wanted her own.

So I knit them.

(But they don't match. I miscalculated my yardage. She still loves them.)

Then I decided to check out the Scarves and Cowls Pinterest board. Not a problem. I could stop any time. I was just browsing, after all.

Tidewater Cowl by Marnie MacLean

Then I saw the Tidewater Cowl by Marnie MacLean. And I remembered my mother-in-law's subtle hint a few months ago when we drew names for the Christmas gift exchange. She commented that she'd love another hand knit like the smoke ring I made her a couple years ago.

Before I knew what I was doing, I'd bought the pattern. Found a skein of merino/silk yarn in my stash. And cast on.

Yeah...Much more interesting than stocking stitch in lace weight yarn.

Have I gone crazy?

Last week I got the itch to knit myself a sweater. I was inspired by all the great fitting sweaters being shown off as part of Amy Herzog's Custom Fit online sweater generator. I've knit many sweaters for myself but rarely wear them because they just don't fit right.

But after discovering Amy's Fit to Flatter series on her website, I learned more about shaping sweaters to fit my body. I knit one of her designs, Petrea, which I love (although it turned out a tad too big - my fault).

About 18" of stockinette so far!

So, armed with my measurements and an insane decision to finally use the 2 cones of Colourmart cashmere/merino 4 ply yarn I've had in my stash for 2 years, I took the Custom Fit plunge.

I decided to start with the classic 3/4 sleeve hip-length cardigan trimmed in seed stitch. I wanted a plain cardigan so I can see how the shaping comes together before I start moving on to adding stitch patterns.

I am not a tiny person. So there's a LOT of stocking stitch to knit in this cardigan. And I'm using a yarn that hovers somewhere between lace and fingering weight.

If you don't hear from me for a while, I'm lost in stocking stitch land! But I know this is going to be one gorgeous, well-fitting cardigan when I'm done with it. Because it'll fit me - everywhere.

Indie Designers Giftalong on Ravelry

A couple weeks ago, an idea was born in one of the Ravelry forums where designers hang out. What if we all banded together for one big pre-Christmas/Chanukah/Festive sale and knit/crochet-along? Like many great ideas, it snowballed, picking up speed and participants by the minute (not hour or day!). And so was born the Indie Design Gift-along.

What it boils down to is this: hundreds of independent designers are offering patterns at a 25% discount between Nov 1-Nov 15, 2013.

To make it more fun, we're having a knit/crochet-along for participants between Nov 1st-Dec 31st (because you know a few of us will be knitting well into the wee post-holiday hours trying to finish up those wooly gifts).

And no gift-along would be complete without prizes. And woah Nelly, do we have lots of prizes! And lots of ways to win those prizes. Prizes for progress pictures, random prizes, Guess the Designer prizes.

I'll have 6 of my patterns discounted. You'll be able to tell which ones are participating because the main pattern picture will have golden "gift-along" sales tag on it:

 

You'll see the gift-along tag on the Ravatars of participating designers. You can even grab your own snazzy Gift-along Ravatar to show the Ravelry world that you're knitting away on your holiday gifts (or treating yourself to something!). 

Maroo Mitts by Ambah

Personally, I want to make a pair of Maroo Mitts. I know the recipient will just love them.  

PS. I'm the recipient! ;-)

Blanket Fort Sunday

It's overcast and chilly this fine(?) Sunday morning. The kids have the right idea:

PS. The laundry basket in the lower left corner? That's what I get to do today.

Nemesis

”Miss Marple pulled down the mass of pink wool that encircled her head, a pink wool scarf of the same kind that she had once worn in the West Indies.
‘One of my names,’ she said, ‘is Nemesis.’”
- from Agatha Christie’s novel, Nemesis

Nemesis, with a pink wooly scarf.

 I love the way Agatha Christie incorporates knitting in her novels, especially the Miss Marple series. The pink wool scarf mentioned in the quote above actually features in two of the Miss Marple stories: A Caribbean Mystery and Nemesis.

Nemesis is also the name of my newest sock pattern, which was just released yesterday. It's a fairly straight forward cabled sock pattern. The cables are 1/1, which means it's a perfect project for those new to cabling or for anyone wishing to practice cabling without a cable needle. The stitch pattern is a 12 row repeat and only 4 rows have cables in them.

Sale: Oct 24-26th, Nemesis is only $1.50


E-book Details:
This pattern is part of an e-book series, The Agatha Christie Series, Volume 1. Follow along as I create designs inspired by Agatha Christie novels.

There are currently 5 patterns included in this e-book: 4 sock patterns and 1 shawl pattern. One more sock pattern will be added by December 1st. When you purchase the e-book you will automatically receive the new patterns when they are released and added to the e-book. In total, there will be 6 patterns in the e-book.

This e-book represents a significant savings over purchasing the patterns separately. And the earlier you buy, the more you save.

Buy in October 2013: $14   ($2.33/pattern)
Buy in November 2013: $16  ($2.66/pattern)
Buy in December 2013: $18  ($3.00/pattern)

Currently published in the e-book (in addition to Nemesis):

The Vicar's Wife

The Man in the Brown Suit  (photo courtesy of Holly Isaac)

Styles Court

Joanna Lymstock

NMO and a chance to win yarn, patterns and socks

The internet, and more specifically Ravelry, has brought me in touch with so many lovely people. People I would never have met in real life.

Occasionally I get overwhelmed by all the negative stories in the media, on blogs or which people share in the various forums I read on Ravelry. That's when I try to think about the good people I've met and heartwarming stories I've read. People who have persevered through personal trials and survived, even thrived sometimes. People who've come together on Ravelry to help out a single mother or victim of domestic violence. Sometimes the support is a stream of encouraging words, sometimes it's clothes or toys (for the kids), and sometimes the support is monetary.

I've sent money and clothes to Ravelry community members. I do it because I've been very fortunate in life. I have a well paying job (as does my husband. I have a house, a healthy family, great friends and I live in a country where health care is free (although paid for with taxes). So I pay it forward when I can to people or causes which I find worthwhile. I want to know my resources are helping people directly, not funding administrative overhead.

To that end, I share with you some information from one of my Ravelry friends, Stacey. Stacey has NMO and is raising funds for NMO research. Even if you don't or can't contribute, I hope you'll at least find the information about NMO interesting.

From Stacey:

NMO stands for  euromyelitis optica, originally known as Devic’s Disease. NMO is a rare, incurable autoimmune disorder. (There are an estimated 4,000 cases in the United States and a half million worldwide) The body’s immune system attacks its own healthy cells, most commonly in the optic nerves and spinal cord. It can cause temporary or permanent blindness and/or paralysis, and may have periods of remission and relapse. 

The Guthy Jackson Charitable Foundation ( http://www.guthyjacksonfoundation.org) was started when Bill Guthy and Victoria Jackson's daughter was officially diagnosed with NMO in June 2008. Because NMO is considered an orphan disease, there is little or no research funding available. The Guthy Jackson Foundation puts 100% of donations into research. That's right 100%. They even "pay back" the paypal fees that they incur with donations out of their operating budget.

How do you get a chance to win?

Click here to go to the Guthy Jackson donation page, choose “Memorial Donation” and put Stacey Pope in the “purpose” section.  For every $10 you donate, you’ll get one entry. If you share this contest on Facebook, Twitter or wherever (and let me know), you’ll get another entry.
Deadline to enter is November 1, 2013 (12 noon Texas time) and I’ll be announcing the winners on November 2, 2013.

Prizes:

• Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Green w/Envy and any one of Maureen Foulds patterns (left)
• Approximately 2310 yards of Cash DK (merino/cashmere/nylon) in the Superhero Collin color way. (center)
• Beaverslide Dry Goods 2 ply sport/sock yarn in Hidden Lake and any one of Maureen Foulds patterns (right)
• A pair of hand knit socks from Maureen! Even better, they will be the prototype for her next design! (measurements will be needed by 11/8 and socks will be sent in late January/ early February)

PS. I asked Stacey what she meant by an "orphan disease". Here's what she said:

Orphan disease: a rare disease that only affects a small percentage of the population(i.e. only estimated at 4000 people for NMO). It's a nicer way of saying there is a lack of treatment and resources because it's so rare.

Basically: "A condition for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available in the United States a drug for such disease or condition will [be] recovered from sales in the United States of such drug"

Toe up socks for everyone!

Back in September I announced that I’ll be attempting to make my sock patterns available in toe up versions as well as cuff down.

I’m pleased to share that the first two of my toe-up conversions are now available.

The Man in the Brown Suit was easy to convert. The chart can be worked from the top or bottom. It was ‘just’ the toe, heel and cuff instructions which needed to be modified.

I picked Styles Court as the next pattern to convert for two reasons. It is one of my most popular patterns (after appearing on the Yarn Harlot’s blog), and I was working with a technical editor to fix the errors in the cuff down version. So it seemed to make sense to convert it into a toe-up pattern at the same time.

Styles Court required a bit more back & forth with the tech editor. Due to basic differences in heel construction, we decided to scrap the small amount of detailing in the heel. We had a choice between complicated instructions to create the exact same look on the heel, or simple instructions for an unpatterned heel. I opted for simplicity since the impact to the overall design of the sock is minimal.

If you have purchased the cuff down version of the pattern you should receive an update notice and your Ravelry library should be automatically updated. Updates will also be available on Craftsy and Patternfish.

Happy Knitting!