Design Update

I've been working my knitting fingers to the bone trying to push out some new designs and for once, I can finally say 2 of them are for neoknits! One is the plus size version of Sesame, but the other is brand new.

For the new design, I'm working with Handmaiden Flaxen and I love this yarn. Usually, I'm not a big fan of linen because it's a little rough on the hands, but combine it with silk and it's a whole different experience. However, the rough, textured look of the linen has been preserved. I love the way it has worked up in the lace pattern.

And the color of the yarn? The transitions between colors are so slight, they just melt together. The ladies at Handmaiden certainly know their craft very well.

Monday Yarn

Three cheers for Monday yarn!

What do we have this week?

Kaalund Yarns "Classic Two" in Wine

I'm thinking about making Ene's Scarf or maybe one of Knitspot.com's lovely shawls with this laceweight.

Lanas Puras Melosa Worsted in "Passion".

This one is earmarked for a design already. I love this color! The camera can't do it justice, the color is so saturated and juicy looking.

Ooops!

There have been a few errors spotted by some eagle eyed knitters for the Wallis Cardigan from Summer 08 Interweave Knits:

Back:
Rows 3-12: Rep Rows 1 and 2 five more times.

Inc Row: (RS) K1, M1 (see glossary), knit to last st, M1, k1

Right front:
Shape armhole: Cont in patts, BO 5 (5, 6, 8, 9) sts at beg of next WS row—39 (45, 49, 52, 57) sts rem. Work 1 RS row even.

Sleeves:
With smaller needles, CO 84 (90, 96, 100, 106) sts. Starting with a WS row, work 3 rows in St st. (It's usually a given you start on a WS row with a cast-on, but this has confused a few people. So it's not really an error, just could be added for clarity)

Shape cap: BO 5 (5, 6, 8, 9) sts at beg of next 2 rows—68 (74, 78, 78, 82) sts rem. Work 1 RS row even.

Knitty!

The new Knitty is up! Yay! Recognize anyone?

Gigi
by Melissa Wehrle

I really enjoyed this project and it went along fairly quickly. I believe it was knit in about 3 weeks way back in February, when I was only dreaming of Summer. After the temperatures this week in NYC, I wish I was still dreaming!

Possum Yarn?

My boss was in Australia and New Zealand a few weeks back and she was nice enough to bring back my assistant and I some yarn surprises. She told me that she had brought me back Possum yarn and I was intrigued. Possums don't exactly look like the most cuddly creatures, nor would I think of them as a yarny type of animal.

When she brought it in and I got to feel, I have to tell you, it was quite a nice yarn. The exact blend is 50% Merino Wool/40% Possum Fur/10% Silk. She told me that she had asked the lady what to buy for a knitter that sniffs yarn. The woman looked at her a little puzzled and pointed her in the direction of this particular yarn. (They have a website too)

I'm not quite sure what I'd like to do with it yet, maybe a stripy scarf? There is about 200 yards in each ball, so I have quite a bit to work with. I'm sure I'll be consulting the nifty Ravelry pattern search engine eventually for ideas.

Knitting Going On

It's been awhile, but there has been quite a bit of knitting going on. The only thing I can show you is my progress on the plus size version of Sesame, but I've also been working on my submission for Popknits. Popknits will debut in the Fall and will be dedicated to free vintage inspired knitting patterns with a modern twist. The design is something totally different for me and while it probably won't be for everyone, I think it's a really fun, unique kind of sweater. Sound intriguing? Sorry, you'll have to wait til September to take a peek!

For the new Sesame, I decided to try out some Merino Soft from Knitpicks because, well, it's cheap! I've also had several friends make sweaters out of this yarn and they've been pretty happy with the results. So I picked out Storm and Fog and away I went. It's been perfect subway knitting. The yarn is working out really nicely and I love the colors together. Since horizontal stripes are usually on the "no-no" list for ladies with curves, I toyed with the idea of making it all solid. I decided in the end not to go that route, but to make the stripes about 3/4" smaller than the original.

Also keep your eyes out for the new Knitty when it's released soon! I'm excited to be a contributer this time around. Just got the final pattern to check last weekend, so hopefully any day now.........