Yarn Kits!

I ♥ yarn. Do you ♥ yarn? Do you sometimes wonder if a specific yarn will work for a particular design? Then I have some exciting news for you. Ellen at Earthfaire.com offers yarn packs for many, many patterns. Some of them are incredibly gorgeous - I mean, have you seen the Scottish Thistle shawl and the Aquitaine beaded cuffs?

As of today, I'm excited to announce that her kit offerings include one of my designs: The Tree of Life in Summer! Her kit has two yarn options: Crystal Palace Mini Mochi in "Leaves & Sprouts" or Universal Yarns Poems Sock in "Sky & Earth." Aren't they pretty?

The kit doesn't include a copy of the pattern, so if you need one, you can buy it right now or head over to Ravelry or Patternfish and buy it from there.

More pattern kits will be available in the future. Keep an eye out for the rest of the Tree of Life series. If you want to be ready when they become available, you can get an e-book containing all 5 patterns: The Tree of Life Through the Seasons.

Happy knitting!
~ Caroline

Cool beans

If you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Here in Pennsylvania, we've been having an extreme heat wave for a couple weeks now. We hope it will break in a day or two, but you know things are messed up when 88°F (31°C) sounds cool.

Does this stop us knitting?

No it does not.

That's what air conditioning is for.

I've been making a sweater (Tempting II from Knitty, Winter 2005). Which goes to show that even 11 years later, a good pattern is a good pattern. Overall ribbing is flattering, and the yarn is a beautiful one-off colorway from Potlock Yarns called "Pools." My only change so far is that I'm making the sleeves long, figuring I'll get a lot more use out of it that way. If it's cold enough for a worsted weight sweater, short sleeves won't provide enough warmth.

Here's the "cool beans" part of the post. Remember Dewdrop Paths? I learned today that it was featured in the KnitPicks Blog as #1 in their list of "9 Things We're Loving for August." Go have a look - their other selections are summery items in shades of blue. I'm particularly fond of the stacking mug (#2) and the dark-blue semi-solid yarn (#4).

 

Happy knitting,

Caroline

An age and a half, and 6(!) new designs

Well, hello! It's been an age and a half since I last blogged, hasn't it? It's not for lack of things to post, either. Thank you for sticking with me, and I hope to have some interesting things for you today. 

I used to have a pair like this with the
colors reversed and earwires instead
of posts. Have you seen any for sale?
Please let me know!

Since you last heard from me, I've discovered the Vintage Mexican / Latin American Jewelry section of Ebay.  I <3 silver, turquoise and llamas! I used to have a pair like the sunbursts at right, but with the colors reversed and fish-hook earwires instead of posts. One got lost, and I now wear the remaining one as a pendant. I'd love to have another pair like the originals. If you see any for sale, please let me know! (There is a pair with rainbow enamel available, but they're just not the same.)

Oddly, the alloy used in much of the jewelry is called alpaca silver. It is also known as nickel silver, German silver, new silver and paktong, and contains copper, nickel and occasionally other metals such as zinc, tin, lead or cadmium. I'm sure the jewelry wouldn't use lead, but it is used for other applications. I clean mine in jewelry cleaner, but apparently you can also use lemon juice or a mild soap to remove tarnish. (I learned that at wisegeek.com.)

Shepherdess with llamas

You'll find a large number of jewelry pieces I like on my Pinterest Jewelry board. That Margot de Taxco - what a designer!  Fair warning: if I intend to buy an item, I won't pin it until the sale is over. :) Others which may show up at any time. There are some interesting combinations, such as sterling with amethyst, turquoise and coral. Some of them would make great shapes or colors for a knitted piece, don't you think? I particularly like the quetzal birds and, of course, the llamas.

Meanwhile, there's always knitting going on in this neck of the woods. I have released some new designs. Here's a heads-up that if you want to be notified immediately (or ASAP) when I have a new pattern for sale, it's best to follow me on Twitter or Pinterest. Designs will show up there before they show up here. But now, for your inspection: three shawls, a top, a scarf, and a pair of ankle-warmers. Enjoy, and happy knitting!

~ Caroline :)

Flight of Peacocks

Phasianinae

Flight of Peacocks is a wide, curved lace fichu with optional beads in the edging. This is my favorite shawl shape because it sits so well on the shoulders without bunching at the neck.
$6.95 at Ravelry | Patternfish

Phasianinae are one-skein wrist or ankle warmers which match the Flight of Peacocks shawl. The name comes from the subfamily in the Latin name for peacocks.
$4.95 at Ravelry | Patternfish

Ivory Palace Fichu

Carmencita Scarf

Ivory Palace Fichu is another wide, curved wrap with delicate lace, is named for the "Ivory Palace" rose.
$5.95 at Ravelry | Patternfish 

Carmencita is a quick-knit, bulky lace scarf which will keep you warm on the coldest days. The scarf in the photo used one skein of Schaefer Yarns Esperanza, colorway "Clara Barton." $5.95 at Ravelry | Patternfish

Selenite

Cueva de los Cristales, Naica, Mexico

Selenite is a modern asymmetrical capelet with knit-purl texture with seed beads throughout for a little sparkle. It's named for the crystals its patterning resembles. This is one of my favorites to wear - so cozy! Have you ever seen photos of the Cueva de los Cristales (Cave of the Crystals) in Naica, Mexico? Here's a Google image search if you want to see more. Those are Selenite crystals. Pretty fantastic, eh? 
$5.95 at Ravelry | Patternfish 
 

Tulipa Clusiana

Tulipa Clusiana is a pullover peasant blouse with Bavarian twisted-stitch ribbing for a shapely fit. Sizes XS-5XL, bust 30-62" (76-157.5 cm). It's worked from the top down and almost entirely in the round.
$6.95 at Ravelry | Patternfish

Sky Blue Lace

Have you ever wanted a pattern that's good for working while traveling? I have. I favor shawls for this, for several reasons:

• One yarn: no cutting, and therefore no need for airplane-contraband scissors.
• One piece: new sewing, therefore no need for needles / clips which are easy to lose.
• Lightweight yarn: easy to fit in a purse or carry-on.
• Short instructions: easy to keep track of.

Enter Alandaluz. It's a one-skein, top-down fichu with wings, so it sits securely on the shoulders without bunching or folding like a traditional triangle. It has two lace patterns in the body and an easy sideways edging, but they're fairly intuitive, so it's not necessary to refer to the chart so much. I assembled the lace patterns to look like feathers, with quills at the center and feathery bits at the outside. After blocking it, I also see a resemblance to a dragonfly - also appropriate! Sky-blue yarn just seemed right. (It's Cherry Tree Hill Suri Lace Semi Solid, 100% suri alpaca, in case you were wondering. I've used it before, and it's an absolute dream with only one caveat: it doesn't like to be frogged. The alpaca fibers stick together.)

You want to talk about World-Wide Knit in Public Day (or week)? It's got nothing on me. :) I worked on this fichu in cars, planes, two airports and three countries. As for the name, Alandaluz is Spanish for "winged light." I borrowed the name from the eponymous (and now, sadly, closed) resort in Ecuador. Their etymology: “luz” is light; an “ala” is a wing; adding an ending to the noun makes “wing” into “winged” to connect the two. I've been informed (thank you, Marie-Christine) that the word is also related to the Arabic Al-Andalus, which may be derived from either the Germanic Vandal tribe or the Arabic name for Atlantis. That's entirely possible. I love that the word means something in multiple languages. For more fascinating explanations, see the Wikipedia article here. Given that the region of Andalus covered modern-day Spain, maybe it’s a multi-lingual pun? One of the sections in the article refers to a Berber dynasty called the Almohads. There's a certain similarity in that name to the Spanish "almohada," but I doubt they had anything to do with pillows ... at least not linguistically.

So, there's your new pattern for the day. Another lace fichu is in the works, coming soon. Meanwhile, happy news - do you remember Peter Lorre, the Mysterious? It was originally published by Sanguine Gryphon, which has since divided and become two separate yarn companies - The Verdant Gryphon and Cephalopod Yarns. In addition to the sources of Ravelry and Patternfish, as of today Peter Lorre is now available through Cephalopod. They also have some other great patterns, with presumably more to come. Check 'em out!

Have a fantastic day. Happy knitting. :)

Alandaluz Fichu - $5.95
Ravelry | Patternfish

Peter Lorre, the Mysterious - $6.00
Ravelry | Patternfish | Cephalopod Yarns

Hola! It's been a long time between posts, hasn't it? I'm sorry about that! March was an especially busy month for me. I do have a new design for you, though: Summer Comes Early to Downton, a floral wrap double-knit in mohair. You can probably guess what series I was watching when it came time to name the pattern. The wrap is truly reversible, with knitted-on lace at each end. The idea came from someone who requested a "large, graphic floral in red and black." The rose motif was based on a flower in a 16th century Venetian fabric, with my own leaves and swirls added. I knit the shawl in red and black (actually, it's a very dark navy blue, if you look closely). I think it would be gorgeous in light, summery colors, perhaps white and lavender or cream and sky blue. KnitPicks has a new mohair-silk blend yarn, Aloft, which would be perfect. But first you'll need the pattern ... 

Summer Comes Early to Downton
Download for $5.95 from Ravelry or Patternfish

Meanwhile, I have recently discovered Pinterest. It's a great online pinboard, wonderful for visual bookmarking. I'm having lots of fun collecting and grouping things. For years I have been the queen of subfolders, using them to organize my photos and other files. Pinterest makes that so quick and easy! If you have a few moments, you may enjoy visiting my boards. My favorite so far is Paradise. Adam and Eve may have lost Eden for the present, but there are still places where we can see glimpses of it. Imagine the entire earth looking like that, because one day soon, it will! On my other boards, you can see My Designs, Best Knitting Resources, Design Inspiration, Books I've read more than once (and will likely read again), and more. I hope you'll find something new that you will enjoy too.

I have another busy few weeks coming up, but there will be more patterns for you in the next couple months. In the works: a laceweight cardi in 9 sizes, great for the warm weather. The sample is approximately 70% complete. Stay tuned.