Can I get a cool day please?

It may just be me, but it seems like this summer has been warmer than usual. I am not a big summer person anyways, so I tend to focus on the “hot”. I have been needing to do a photoshoot for my next design for, oh…the last 3 weeks or so. However, I haven’t been able to find a “reasonable” day to put a toddler in a wool jumper and take pictures.

Now, I could set up indoors to do it. But, the sweater is animal themed, so I think the outdoors may be necessary. Here, I’ll show you:

Yes, it’s screaming woodsy! It’s knit in fingering weight (Sunshine Classic Sock, YUM!). Now, I know…You say, “you live in North Dakota, isn’t it cold year round there?” Believe it or not, people have said that to me before. Nope, it’s not cool year round. Today is projected to be around 90 and tomorrow 95. I keep saying, “maybe next week will be better.” I can only chuckle because so far, that has not worked out for me. I am definitely a “fall” kind of person.  I’m not a fan of extremes whether they be too hot or too cold. I say to myself again, “maybe next week.”

Be sure to keep stopping by. Aside from my Malabrigo collection, I mostly took the summer off. I am diving headfirst back into things. I concentrate much better when the kids are in school. It’s almost not even comparable. I have a new women’s sweater design coming soon and some new accessories for the cold months that are inevitably coming!

Ebook Release: The Vintage Ice Cream Truck

I am so excited for this month! I can finally show you all the large project I’ve been working on most recently. I can also now breathe a HUGE sigh…and take a day off(maybe…). Anyways, have you heard about the Malabrigo Freelance Pattern Project? Well, if not, let me introduce you! Every month for a couple years now, Malabrigo has been supporting independent designers by sponsoring indie ebook releases. The past releases can be seen here.

My Ebook, The Vintage Ice Cream Truck,  was started with sketches last year. Actually it’s been one year exactly. So, this has been a long term project, but it has been so. much. fun. My theme was Ice Cream Truck. So, I tried to thing of a way to relate my pattern to ice cream. I also decided to take inspiration from vintage children’s patterns but, I also wanted them to have a bit of a modern twist.

First up, the pattern named after my favorite treat, the Limepop. I love lime popsicles. They have always been my favorite. Nowadays, I opt for the “real” lime flavored ones over the fake flavored ones of my past.

Limepop Sweater

The Limepop sweater has a textured body and stockinette sleeves. It is worked from the top down, in the round. I used Malabrigo Lettuce to knit up this sample. It’s a simple knit, but there is enough going on to keep you interested.

Up next is the complimentary hat, Limepop Hat. This pattern isn’t just for the kiddies, it’s for everyone! It’s unisex and comes in sizes 3/6 months- Adult L.

Limepop Hat-Adult

Limepop Hat-2/4t size

Next up is, Make Mine Strawberry. This is my ode to strawberry ice cream, my daughter’s favorite.  Sweet little details make this sweater a fun knit. Malabrigo’s Arroyo make it absolutely dreamy. I love knitting with this yarn!

Make Mine Strawberry

This is also knit from the top down. Sportweight Arroyo makes it a great transitional garment. It can be worn year round (well ok, maybe not in the sweltering heat).

Next up is Blueberry Swirl. Stripes and a larger gauge make this a fun and quick knit. This baby knits up FAST and of course, delicious in Malabrigo Twist. I think the sample took me under a day. Not kidding! Very much an immediate gratification type project.

Blueberry Swirl

Up next is the adorable Sammie! This cardigan was inspired by the ice cream sandwich. Who doesn’t love an ice cream sandwich (my favorite are tofutti cuties!!). Knit up in Rios, from the top down, this cardigan has wonderful details that make it a fantastic choice for those months when you are waiting for ice cream truck season.

Yes, it most certainly does have a shawl collar, and single row stripes. There is also a textured waffle pattern between the stripes and the ribbing.

Last, but not least is the Sammie Hat. This hat has the same stripe and texture pattern as the Sammie sweater. Just like the Limepop Hat, Sammie has a wide range of sizes! So, it is not just for the kids either!

Sammie Hat-2/4T

Sammie Hat-Adult Med

So, I hope you have enjoyed my pattern collection. I sure enjoyed putting this together! Oh! and for the month of August, the ebook and single patterns are 10% off on Ravelry with the code ICECREAM. Happy Knitting!

ETA: Ack! I forgot to mention! Stay tuned for more MFPP this month. It will be a full month for the Freelance pattern project with two more ebooks coming this month!

New Pattern and Time for a KAL!

So, if you’ve been hanging around the pattern section at Ravelry, you may have come across some fantastic new patterns that have come out this week. My newest pattern, “Anonymous Vampire,” was among all the lovely new releases.

“Anonymous Vampire” is a crescent shaped lace shawlette. Worked from the top down, the  shawlette gets it’s shape from the rapid increasing at the edges. The top section is done in garter stitch which transitions into a simple, rhythmic lace pattern.

The design comes in two sizes: small and large. The small makes a nice scarf size and the large is more “shawlette” sized.  The yarn used in this design is Indigodragonfly Merino Sock, colorway: tiny bloodsucking dancer. The color is magnificent. I absolutely fell in love with this when I saw it. Now, I don’t jump at “red” yarns very often. But, I fell HARD for this one and had to have it immediately. Of course, with a colorway name like, “tiny bloodsucking dancer,” whatever I made with it,  had to be vampire themed.

See how nicely it would cover up “bites”. I have to preface the rest of this paragraph by saying, I am a HUGE Buffy aficionado. Huge…seriously, huge. Re watching the dvds got me through my 4th pregnancy(that’s a whole different story).  The name, “Anonymous Vampire” came from the Buffy website, BuffyGuide.com. They call the random vampires encountered and killed by Buffy and the gang, anonymous vampires. I figured I could use that moniker while knitting and testing this project. I thought I would come up with something better. I didn’t, so I just went with it. I hope you like it. I had fun making it. It was my first foray into lace design. I foresee more in my future.

Now, remember that KAL thingy? Itty Bitty Kiddie KAL. Oh yeah that… It starts tomorrow. I still do not have badges for project pages ready. I will attempt that photoshoot tomorrow. Let’s hope the toddler cooperates. Stop by my group at any time and join in the WHOLE month! Remember, it doesn’t have to be a pattern of mine. Though, if you would to knit one of my patterns, the kiddie patterns are on sale in my shop until September 15th. No coupon code needed.

 

 

Itty Bitty Kiddie KAL with prizes!

Are you knitting for a little one (well, even a not so little one)?  Pick a pattern any pattern (not just mine) and consider stopping by my group  for the Itty Bitty Kiddie KAL! Sign ups have started! The actual KAL will start September 1st, but a few days before I will start posting group questions. It will run until September 30th. These questions are just for fun, so there’s no pressure. It’s just sort of a “get to know you” type of thing.  I will also be getting together a “badge” for your project pages. I have a really cute idea, I just hope my toddler cooperates.

I have some prizes set aside including: a skein of Stroll Tonal Fingering colorway canopy, a skein of Malabrigo Rasta colorway Coronilla, and a skein of Lorna’s Laces Green Line DK in Carol Green and Zombie BBQ. I will see what else I can get together for prizes. Hopefully, I will find some fun stuff.

Also, until September 15, kids patterns in my store will be 15% off. No code required.

Again, I want to reiterate that this is not only for my patterns. Any pattern is fine!

Ok, so the picture below really has nothing to do with the KAL. I’ve just been messing with my new camera and photoshop and well this is what you get…a picture of my stuffed frog with yarn.

Come meet Miska! New Pattern Release!

If you remember from last week, I mentioned that I would have a pattern coming out early this week. Well, I had intended that pattern come out on Monday. But, Twist Collective was fresh on everyone’s minds (and why wouldn’t it be! GORGEOUS!). So, I decided to hold off a bit and release at another time. Well, now is that time!  I give you, Miska!

Miska is a top down raglan work with a contrasting color for the edgings and a cute little ruffle. It comes in a wide range of sizes: 3m[6 m, 12 m, 18 m, 2T, 4T, 6, 8].

Miska was knit up in Blue Sky Alpacas Skinny Dyed Cotton. The main color is glacier and the contrast is gardenia. This yarn knits up a beautiful fabric and shows details very well. The twisted rib front shows really well.  But, this would work up in a wool just as nicely too.

The top is a little difficult to classify. It’s sort of a shrug, a cardigan, and a top all rolled into one. it would work well over anything from jeans and a tee to a little sundress. It’s really quite versatile.

Let’s not forget the cute little model! Adorable, isn’t she? My test knitters really seemed to like this test knit. So, I am going to take that as evidence that it is a “fun” knit. So, there you have it, Miska! Stop by Ravelry and say hi in my group, The Tofu Shack. Still thinking on the KAL for next month. Hopefully, I will have more details soon including what I will have for prizes!

Friday! Friday!

I see into the future and I see a new pattern release coming soon! Yes, I think early next week, I will have another pattern for you. I also have a shawlette going up for test knitting next week!  Wooo!

All week, I have had this desire to design a new hat. I need to get this sample knit done and then yes, it’s hat time. Maybe a scarf too. I don’t know! I just really want to make a new hat. I have this GORGEOUS skein of The Plucky Knitter Superwash Merino Worsted in Princess Phone and it’s calling to me. It’s saying, “make me into a hat…NOW!”

I had a bit of a dilemma with the blog this week. I can’t really show you any of my WIPs and I don’t have a new finished object that I can show you either! I will definitely have a FO for you next week though! I promise. What can I show you? I can show you something silly.

I decided yesterday that I really needed to clean off my desk. All of the yarn I had on it was just too much to deal with! I was afraid they would start sprouting baby skeins and then I’d really be in trouble(or in heaven, madtosh baby skeins, yes please!!) But, yes ALL of this yarn has now been moved to another, more secure location. Of course, I got two skeins of yarn in the mail today so…it starts again. sigh. The princess phone skein is in this picture!  Can you find it? There is also a WIP in this picture. So, technically there is a WIP picture this week. I have an in progress Stripe Study. I have no idea when this will get finished. I haven’t worked on it at all this week!

To close out this mish mash post. I have been thinking about doing another KAL. Though, this one would be a bit different than my Momo KAL. I am thinking of doing a baby/toddler/kid KAL in my group. I have lots of kids patterns and I thought it might be fun. Could do a giveaway or two or something. I am thinking about September for this. So, let me know what you think!

 

New Patterns and a Gift Card Giveaway!

Hey there guys! I’ve got some releases and a giveaway. First off, I have TWO new patterns today! Both are for babies/toddlers and both are knit up in Shine Sport yarn from Knit Picks.

First is the Garter Stripe Polo:

This is knit top down, in the round. The sizes available are 6months [12 months, 18 months, 2T, 4T]. I really like it. It’s a quick knit that looks fantastic with many different color combos!

Secondly, there’s Miss Abbey. This is also knit from the top down and joined in the round after the keyhole neck feature.

The garter bands on the sleeves and hem provide a simple adornment that looks very cute!

Knit up in a snuggly cotton blend, these two are great summertime knits.

 

Now for the giveaway. Well, this comes about because I completely forgot to submit ads on Ravelry for June. So, I have no ads for this month to spread the pattern love. Big fail on my part. My excuse is that in my insanity that was May, I just completely forgot about ads! So, in order to “spread the love”, I want to do a Knit Picks gift card giveaway. Basically, I will give you a $10 gift card to Knit Picks if you A) post a comment letting me know what you think of the patterns B) let me know your ravelry ID and C) favorite or queue one of these new patterns.  I need to know your rav ID so that I can check if you either loved or queued a pattern. I figure this is my attempt at advertising for the month! I will randomly [random.org]choose a commenter, check ravelry and then send you a gift card! You will have until June 15th and 1:00pm to enter this giveaway.