Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Here in Canada our Thanksgiving is but a distant memory of delicious foods and cozy naps on the couch. But in the United States, the festivities are just beginning.

Part of the U.S. Thanksgiving tradition is Black Friday - so called because it's supposedly the day that most retailers start making a profit for the year (out of the red ink in their ledgers and into the black). On Black Friday, many retailers open their doors early and offer special discounts, creating a stampede of shoppers looking for bargains. Cyber Monday is the online version of that, taking place on the Monday after Thanksgiving.

The knitting world is no different. There are tons of deals to be had on all things fiber related. One designer, Marly Bird Knits has put together a list on her blog of designers and retailers who are offering special Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Check it out and plan your strategy!

And yup, yours truly is on the list. All my individual patterns will be 30% off Nov 29th to Dec 2nd. The new release "And Then There Were None" isn't included because it's already discounted. And the e-books aren't part of the discount either, since they already offer a discount over the individual patterns.

Hey, look at that!

One of our busier participants in the Indie Design Giftalong just posted a short interview with me! She's a young knitter who is showing a lot of talent and enthusiasm, which is great to see.

Want to know what I said? Check it out.

Indie Designer Giftalong Twitter Party!

The Indie Designer Gift-A-Long is hosting a couple of GAL parties on Twitter. Please join in for chatter about the #giftalong with your fellow crafters and have a chance to win some great electronic prizes, including patterns from participating Indie Designers including Kate Bostwick, Leah Michelle Designs, Maureen Foulds, Kylie McDonnell-Wade, Selina S, Nina Machlin Dayton, Faye Kennington and more!

Join us on Twitter at:
GMT - Wednesday, 4 December 2013, 17:00:00 (EST - Wednesday, December 4, 2013 at 12:00:00 Noon; PST - Wednesday, December 4, 2013 at 9:00:00 AM) Follow host @BeZenCilla to join in!

or

GMT - Friday, December 6, 2013 at 00:00:00 (EST - Thursday, December 5, 2013 at 7:00:00 PM; PST - Thursday, December 5, 2013 at 4:00:00 PM; AEDT - Friday, December 6, 2013 at 11:00:00 AM) Follow host @ukeeknits to join in!

You can convert the time to your timezone here if not listed.

And Then There Were None

I first read this Agatha Christie novel back when it was still called Ten Little Indians. And the plot has always stayed in my memory.

So when one of the Ravelry sock forums issued a design challenge with a literary theme, the idea for this sock design leapt to mind as I was literally falling asleep. It excited me so much that I couldn't fall asleep until I got out of bed and wrote out my idea and starting sketching it out.

“And Then There Were None” is a cabled pattern inspired by the Agatha Christie novel of the same name. In the novel, ten people who had been involved in the death(s) of other human beings but either escaped notice or were not subject to legal repercussions, are tricked into coming to an island.

Although they are the only people on the island, and cannot escape due to bad weather, each guest is killed in a manner seeming to parallel the deaths described in the nursery rhyme “Ten Little Indians”.

Mirroring the novel, the sock begins with 10 strands of cabling which intertwine and divide as they meander down the leg. Beginning on the back of the leg and one by one, the individual strands of cable are cut off, “killed” as it were, just like each guest on the island.

The final 3 strands of the cabling continue down the foot, cutting off one by one near the toe, until only 1 is left: the murderer of the other 9 people. Then, it too is cut off – in the story the murderer himself dies on the island.

Can you spot the ‘guilty’ cable without reading ahead in the pattern?

10 little sock patterns

This pattern is perfect for the cable-holic. There are 5 or 6 different size cables used, with the front and back cabling being different. You will be forced to think while you knit this. And if you weren't a cable expert before this sock, you will be after you finish.











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.

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

Buy in November 2013: $16
Buy in December 2013: $18

The 'bodies' are starting to pile up.

More victims.

A close-up...

Wrought Iron - Toe up version now available

The title says it all! I've released the toe up version of my Wrought Iron pattern.

Anyone who has purchased the pattern through Ravelry should receive an automatic update to their library. If you didn't, please contact me through Ravelry.

One of the benefits of knitting toe up is that you can use up all your yarn, knitting until you run out. You can also try on the sock as you go, ensuring the perfect fit.

Ready, set, knit!

My dream 1st dance

I've been married for going on 19 years now. We had a small, perfect wedding with only 55 guests. The ceremony, reception, photos, and dinner were all at the same venue. We also decided not to have a dance, as most attendees were aunts, uncles and grandparents. It was more of an intimate family reunion vibe.

But....if we'd had a big wedding. And if choreographed dances were a thing then, as they are now? This is what I'd want our first dance to look like:

Going with the tide

Seems like I am very determined to avoid all that stocking stitch in my Custom Fit cardigan.

Over the weekend I finished a Tidewater Cowl. The pattern is part of the Indie Designer Gift-along going on in Ravelry. (The 25% discount ends on the 15th, so I'm getting all my patterns purchased before then.)

Knitting the lace was so much fun. And it practically knit itself. The pattern is simple and easy to follow. Without any mods it took less than 1 skein of a yummy merino/silk blend by Candy Skein.

I apologize for the quality of the photos. It's dark and grey here and the good camera is unavailable at the moment.

Blocked (except the points)

Cozy! Do I have to give it away?

Howling

Howlcat, by Alexandra Tinsley.

It happened again.

Meet Howlcat by Alexandra Tinsley. It's a hat. It's a cowl. It's super versatile.

It's a hat!

And it's next up on my queue of things to knit. I think it'll be perfect for my dog walker.

It's a cowl!

This Indie Designer Gift-along thing is killing me. I mean, who can resist 25% off patterns?







Photos by Travis Schuster, used by permission from Alexandra Tinsley

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.