New Pattern!!!

 That's right! I've got an adorable new pattern being released later today in Knitcircus Magazine, Issue #16, Winter 2011.

Can you stand the wait?!

Here's a teaser of the pattern, to tide you over until the release later today. Links will be posted to the actual issue as soon as it's available. I'm on pins and needles!

Isn't that ribbon just too cute?

My Little Dragon

My little dragon was too excited by his own feet to let me get a good shot of him in his costume! Maybe next year?

Introducing Sugarboo Mittens!

Sugarboo Mittens

How about a simple pair of adorable mittens for the wee folk in your life? These are a great way to keep their small fingers warm. Since they work up in jiffy they are perfect for a sudden snowstorm! They also make a great last minute gift so why not knit some for the holidays?

The Sugarboo Mittens pattern is available on Ravelry and includes three sizes ranging from 12 months to 6 years of age. They only take about 40 - 80 grams of a heavy DK or light worsted yarn - that means they work up fast and are a great way to use up odds and ends from other projects.

I hope you enjoy knitting them as much as I do. Now I'm off to knit my own Sugarboo another pair! 

Teaser!

It's that time of year when all knitters start thinking about gift knitting...and wishing they had starting thinking about it earlier. This pattern is a perfect knit for all the wee ones on your list - it's quick, cute, and a stash buster to boot! Stayed tuned!

Rhinebeck!

So much pretty yarn!!!

My family and I spent the whole weekend at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, New York and it still wasn't enough time to see everything. Wow, what an amazing festival! It was like the Big E and Sock Summit rolled into one. The place was just stuffed to the gills with knitters, fiber artists, dyers, farmers, and families looking for some weekend fun. I saw so many amazing knit goods as well - gorgeous shawls, socks, sweaters, hats, and scarves...it was so inspiring.

We got there on Saturday morning around 11:00 am and dove right in to the fiber madness. We started out a little overwhelmed and not sure what we should expect or do first, so we just wandered into the building immediately in front of us. It was chock full of vendors. So were the next 4 buildings. Our morning was spent admiring yarn, petting sheep, cuddling bunnies, examining spinning wheels, and nuzzling llamas and alpacas.

Sanguine Gryphon

I loved visiting the Sanguine Gryphon booth. We got there after the mob cleared away so it was busy but not overwhelming. There were some gorgeous samples hanging in the booth including the beautiful Lalique that I fell in love with at Sock Summit. I even got to visit my Duchess Anna socks and show them off to my husband.

I want a sweater like this!

While looking for lunch and an ATM, we accidentally stumbled into the building that housed the food vendors. Not the vendors selling lunch and other ready to eat foods, but the fancy food vendors that were there to exhibit their wares. We were suddenly surrounded by all sorts of tempting treats and tastes. First we sampled the wines on tasting, then the cheeses, then the savories, and then the sweets. YUM! Boo was a particular fan of the cheese tastings - I think he sampled 22 varieties. He spit some of the riper tasting cheeses onto the floor like a good toddler, but I'm still not sure how he fit the rest into his tummy. Then he managed to charm the bakery ladies into giving him tastes of all their wares, including ones not actually being sampled. He managed to find room for all of those too.

Socks That Rock in Festival of Lights

I split of from my fellahs for the afternoon and went in search of yarn. I must have visited every vendor that was there. Since it was the first day, I wasn't planning to make any purchases - I was simply scoping it out to plan my shopping strategy for the second day. One beautiful skein of yarn caught my eye though and it demanded to come home with me. Festival of Lights, a seasonal colorway from Blue Moon Fiber Arts was my first Rhinebeck purchase and the only one of the day. It's so pretty!

On day two we decided to get there a bit earlier to beat the morning traffic and the afternoon crowds so we were parked (in a prime spot!) by 10:00 am. I was past the gate and happily trolling the vendors by 10:15!

My husband was planning to meet some friends and watch the Punkin Chuckin event (which sadly got cancelled!) at noon so I continued to browse and plot while he and my son were with me. My husband kept checking out spinning wheels in such a way that I think he may just have picked up on my not so subtle hints about what I'd like for the holidays. I'm not going to get my hopes up about getting one, but I will keep my fingers crossed. You never know!

Before parting ways, we stopped for an amazing snack of lamb ravioli. It was a little greasy but OH SO GOOD. I love lamb, my husband loves lamb, and it turns out that our one year old loves lamb too. I think he ate half the bowl himself. Good thing it was a snack! I found this delicious looking lamb ravioli recipe that I think I'm going to try out as a family meal. It was too good to eat just at a festival.


Now the shopping. I was amazed by my own frugality at Rhinebeck. This may have been because of the overwhelming number of vendors. It may have been because it was so spread out that I kept losing track of where my favorite vendors were located. It may have been that nagging voice in the back of my head reminding me about Stitches East and the New England Fiber Festival. I don't know...but my purchases were spare. One thing was for certain, it wasn't due to the lack of gorgeous fiber!

Don't Fence Me In (from sunsetcat.com)

I visited the Cooperative Press booth and was pleased to finally get the chance to meet Stephanie Tallent, an amazing designer who also happened to be my technical editor for Flickering Fire, the socks that were just published by Knitcircus Magazine. She's so sweet and so talented! I fell in love with a new mitt pattern of hers, Don't Fence Me In, so I bought a copy on the spot even though it will soon be published in her soon to be released book. I can't wait for it to come out - a lot of the patterns were on display at the booth and wow, talk about gorgeous. I love the Peacock Mitts. You can see a sneak peek of them here. I also picked up a skein of a gorgeous alpaca yarn from "A Touch of Twist" in Pattersonville, New York so that I would have a some beautiful natural colored yarn to knit them with!

Dancing Leaf Farm Bee Bop

Dancing Leaf Farm yarns were a discovery I made at Sock Summit this year so I was thrilled to see their booth at Rhinebeck. The colorways are just gorgeous. Dalis, the dyer, has an amazing eye for combining colors! I picked up two skeins of Bee Bop that I plan to use together to make a pair of boot socks.



All in all it was a wonderful weekend and I'm really looking forward to next year's festival! In the meantime, I need to start thinking about Stitches East...

Knitcircus Gifts 2011: Flickering Fire Socks

Flickering Fire socks in Amy March by Yarn Love.

May I present Flickering Fire, my newest sock pattern! I am pleased as punch that my pattern was chosen to be included in the newest issue of Knitcircus Magazine, Gifts 2011. It went live today and I can't say enough good things about all the amazing patterns in the issue. I strongly encourage everyone to head on over and take a look - you'll be so inspired!



Flickering Fire socks are the perfect quick gift knit. They take a single skein of DK or light worsted weight yarn (such as the luscious Amy March by Yarn Love that was used in the pair you see above) so they work up nice and swift into a soft, squishy, toasty warm pair. Everyone on your gift list will love them - who can resist bobbles?!

Aren't they gorgeous?!

The cables run all the way down the heel.

I've got a new pattern coming out!

And here's a little teaser for you:

Isn't it stunning?

This gorgeous little bit of cable is going to be making it's debut in Knitcircus Magazine, Gifts 2011 Special Issue which goes live on Wednesday, October 12th. I can't wait to share it with you!

First Birthday Party Fun

My scrapbook paper banner!

 

The wrapping paper was more fun than the presents

Boo's First Birthday Party was an official success! I wish I got better photos but there was so much going on. Hopefully I'll get more at his family birthday party this week.

A fun time was had by all. There were lots of little babies and small children running around to make everyone smile and a few extra grandmas to give out hugs.

A small selection of the birthday treats.

We all ate like kings! Boo's daddy dug a giant BBQ in the back and spent the afternoon grilling burgers and hot dogs and kielbasas. There were oodles of different types of chips and dips, a whole assortment of small cookies and crackers for the wee ones, and of course, desserts. I made the birthday cake, Dutch Cocoa cupcakes, Bourbon Vanilla cupcakes, Dutch Cocoa cookies, Sugar cookies, Bandy Soaked Cinnamon Apple Spice Cake, Candy Covered Raspberry Cake Truffles, and Lemon Iced Raspberry Thumbprints. We also had some generous folk bring along even more desserts, including a carrot walnut tea loaf and my grandmother's famous Sour Cream Coffee Cake. Oh, and there was ice cream too - French Vanilla, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Rum Raisin, plus sprinkles and cones for the kids. YUM! I'll be eating sweets for weeks...especially since I still need to bake my husband's traditional family birthday cake for Boo to celebrate his actual birthday with. I might need new pants after all this...

Party Prep!

Boo's first birthday is less than a week away! His party is on Sunday and I've been having a blast getting things prepped for this big bash. Just a few teaser photos to share with you:

I stitched a soft book from The Saggy, Baggy Elephant quilt panel.

A duckie appliqued onto a tee shirt for the birthday boy to wear.

 

 

Also in progress are oodles of tasty treats, a birthday bunting, party hats, and of course, some more toys. I'll be sharing in the next few days. Off to craft some more!

Hitting The Beach...

Inspiration has hit!

Sock Summit was a major victory in terms of getting my creative juices flowing again. I've got three ideas that I'm currently working on, with one of them actually on the needles. I'm so excited by it.

Kaiso, knit in Kells Sport from Three Irish Girls

I wore my Kaiso socks to SS11 because my friends wanted to see them in person. Surprisingly, I was asked if my socks could be put on display in the Three Irish Girls booth for the rest of the summit. If you remember, I knit them with my Three Irish Girls Spring Mini Skeins on Kells and folks had been asking repeatedly for ideas of what to knit with mini-skein sets. Well, instant example! I was more than happy to leave them there. I'm told that the socks were a big hit and people kept asking for the pattern.






Kaiso is not my pattern, it's a gorgeous Judy Sumner pattern from Knitting Socks East and West, but it had led me down a path of experimenting with patterns for the mini-skein sets.I now have a pattern that I'm incredibly excited about and I'm knitting the first sample this week. Take a look at the gorgeous yarn I get to knit them with:

Beachtown Mini Skeins on Kells Sport from Three Irish Girls

The colors are straight out of my backyard! I live in a fishing town, just blocks from the ocean, so it's only natural I should design something reminiscent of the seashore with names like Skipjack, Salt Spray, Bayside, and Driftwood. I can't wait to show these off...

After the Summit, Part One, Opening Day!

Sock Summit 2011 has come and gone. I think I have finally recovered enough to give you a recap of my adventures.

Thursday, July 28th:

(From Knitters Review)

We (my husband, son, and I) had arrived in Portland the night before so we woke up fresh and early for the first day of the Summit. Well, Boo did. His little 10 month old body was stuck in Eastern Standard Time, so he woke up for the day at 4:00 AM which meant that I got to as well! It wasn't too bad though - breakfast started at 6:30 and we got there early enough to meet up with our friends from the Three Irish Girls booth before they went to the Oregon Convention Center to set up for the marketplace. It was great to show off the baby and catch up with everyone before Sock Summit got into full swing. The excitement was just incredible as we all drank the terrible hotel coffee and chattered about our first day plans.

After breakfast, I walked the two blocks to the OCC (stopping at Starbucks to get some real coffee) and stood in line to get my registration packet for SS11. I must have waited in line for two hours to get my packet at Sock Summit 2009, but this year I was good to go in less than 15 minutes! They really had things streamlined this year. I had barely enough time to revel in the fact that I was back at the OCC, standing under the dragon boat, and surrounded by incredibly excited knitters before it was my turn.

(From Daily Skein)

Since my first class wasn't until 1:30, I left the convention center to run to the supermarket with my family. I like to pack my lunches each day so that I can spend more time socializing and enjoying the marketplace and less time wondering where to grab a quick meal.

My first day started with "Making the Next Monkey", a class taught by Amy Singer of Knitty Magazine. This class was incredible! I got a three hour lecture (with a slide show!) on how to design and prepare a pattern that will have the best chance of getting published in Knitty. Some of the tips were Knitty Magazine specific, things that Amy prefers or things that really tick her off. One good thing to note - she hates plastic feet! Never submit a photo of a sock on a plastic model foot if you want any chance of her liking your design! Other tips were applicable across the broad spectrum of magazine submissions such as great advice about how to improve your photography skills. I took 7 pages of notes during the class and came away feeling like I'd really learned some valuable things. It was an excellent start to the Summit!

Since the Marketplace opened immediately after class, I rushed to get a fresh cup of coffee before joining the queue. I'd been up since 4:00 in the morning and I really wanted to be sharp for the wonders I was about to see! I met up with some of my friends who were already in the line and we anxiously stared at the doors in anticipation.

Me, shopping at Three Irish Girls on Opening Night. (From The Yarnista)

The minute they opened we made a bee-line for the Three Irish Girls booth! I had met these lovely ladies (and gentleman, I can't forget Kurt!) in the 3IG forums on Ravelry so it only made sense. Boy, was it amazing. Knitters are so polite. We all were in a rush to get to our booths of choice but there was no shoving, no pushing, just enthusiastic knitters that were laughing and excited even when inside the PACKED 3IG booth. Seriously. It was packed. I wound up crawling on the floor to get around it because there was more space down there. (Yes, I'm a nut and I'm addicted but her yarn is so amazingly gorgeous that I don't care.) I wound up purchasing 6 skeins there that first night. That wasn't all that I got there over the course of the convention, but I didn't want to blow my budget all at once.

BMFA Socks That Rocks, Flash Mobbin'

BMFA Socks That Rocks, Sock Hoppin'

After the sock yarn buying explosion at 3IG, I left my friends behind to visit two other booths on my must hit list. First up was Blue Moon Fiber Arts. They are the fabulous creators of Socks That Rocks, a really gorgeous hand-dyed sock yarn. At SS09 I was able to scoop up armloads (ok, six skeins) of Socks That Rocks Mill Ends, one of a kind skeins that were remaindered because they were imperfect in some way. Or in my language, a bargain. Since Mill Ends are really popular, I wanted to shoot over to BMFA right away to score another armload this year. Sadly they didn't have any this time around. What they did have were two Sock Summit Special Colorways, Sock Hoppin' and Flash Mobbin'. They were really pretty but since I was on a mission I was able to resist temptation.

L - R: Irish Sea Moss, Melon Gelato, Petal Pink

Dublin Bay was my other booth of choice that first evening. I do a lot of shopping at the Dublin Bay online store because they stock both 3IG and Yarn Love sock yarns - two loves in quick stop! I had a tip that I would be able to find one of a kind Yarn Love skeins there and they are very, very rare. Since my big thing stash-wise this trip was to only buy things that I couldn't get elsewhere, I knew this was a must shop destination. Boy, was I right! I found three gorgeous skeins of Juliet that were screaming to come home with me. I can't wait to see what they become.


The rest of my shopping time was spent wandering the aisles, seeing what there was to be seen. There were a whole bunch of vendors that I remembered from SS09 but mixed in were some names that were new to me. I had a great time just petting yarns and collecting business cards with the intent to hard-core shop the next day.

I headed back to the hotel at 6:30 when the Marketplace shut down for the night. After a picnic dinner with the family, I headed off to the hotel's meeting room for a 3IG Ravelry Meetup. Boy was that a good time! About 20 of us were gathered together, knitting socks and hanging out. I had been chatting with all of the folks there online for years but had only met about half in person - at Sock Summit 2009, of course. It was great to meet the rest of the online crowd and really connect names and faces together. I stayed up laughing and knitting and chatting until 3:00 in the morning! I regretted it when Boo woke up at 5:00 AM the next morning, but it was a blast.

Where Have I Been? Not Knitting...Until Now.

The past few weeks were a much needed break from all the crazy deadline knitting. The Fourth of July was great fun! We had family and friends over for a BBQ, went to the parade, saw the fireworks...little Boo even got to splash in a kiddie pool for the first time!

I found some time to play in my studio on non-knitting projects, including a fun little nautical romper for Boo:

Isn't it adorable?

I spent a lot of my time working on designs, submitting two for potential publication and swatching for a third. Some patterns were written and charts were formatted, yarn was sorted into piles and put away, leftovers were wound into neat balls and labeled. All in all, it was very productive...even if the only knitting I did manage to accomplish for myself got frogged. I was 2/3 of the way through a second sock before I realized it was on the wrong size needles. Oops. That project is now in a time out.

Currently I'm focused on two things knit-wise, and both are awesome. Firstly, my next to-be-published pattern, which will be out in time for holiday gift knitting, is currently on the sample needles. I've got three different colorways and sizes going and they are all gorgeous!

Secondly? Sock Summit of course! I will be on an airplane flying to Portland in less than two weeks! What socks do I wear? What socks do I bring? What socks do I bring to knit while I'm there? I'm working on my homework and getting a wish list together for the marketplace. I'm also, fingers crossed, going to have a great Handmade By Jaia totebag to stash all my new yarn in. I'm just so excited. I get to see old friends, meet new ones, take classes, fondle yarn, and talk knitting all day long. Could it be any better?

Introducing Dewdrops!

I'd like to introduce you all to Dewdrops, the Three Irish Girls Sock Yarnista Club pattern for the month of May.

Dewdrops from the front

As the pattern says, "May is the time of mist and flowers as spring is newly sprung. These socks were inspired by the sparkling morning dewdrops on the little flowers appearing the gardens. A floral lace pattern is accented by silvery beads that reflect the light and bring the crisp spring mornings to a pair of simple yet stunning socks."

Dewdrops from the side

These lovelies are knit with Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock in Dusty Lavender and accented with size 6/0 silver lined lavender beads. Sharon, the amazing force behind Three Irish Girls, took the gorgeous photographs that you see here.

I loved every moment of working on this pattern and it turned out exactly as I'd hoped, delicate and elegant. I'm very much looking forward to collaborating with Three Irish Girls again!

At the moment, the pattern is only available to club members, but it will be made available to all on the Three Irish Girls website in a few months. How exciting!

My Little Bit of Happy

Rainbow Kaiso

I finished my Rainbow Kaiso and wow, they are almost too much! I had a bit of doubt when the first sock was done - I wasn't sure if I was getting the look I'd hoped for. Perhaps it was looking a bit clown like? I asked my husband for his opinion and he suggested mixing up the stripes on the second sock as a way to improve them. After I looked at him like he was crazy, I realized he was right! I cast on the second sock and here are the results. The pair look insane but so much fun. I put them on right away - they made my feet smile.

In design news, I've started work on a new project. I've long been enamored with the work of Heather, the dyer behind Mad Color Fiber Arts (formerly Sereknity Yarn and Fiber). She has some of the most saturated colorways I've ever seen and her bases are a joy to knit with. She gave me a pile of her yarns to play with and I've created a new design inspired by her rich palette.

Purple People Eater on Verity

I find that I often want to knit socks with a deeply saturated semi-solid yarn but find that any patterning winds up getting lost. It's often a struggle to find patterns with any sort of interesting stitch patterns that work with such colorways. Taking that as my challenge, I've worked up a new design that does a fantastic job of showcasing a colorway while adding enough of a pattern to keep with sock interesting - both visually and while you knit away! I'm happily knitting away on a sample pair to share with you but in the meantime you'll have to settle for a teaser of the wonderful colorway I'm working with.

Rainbow Redux

Bryn Socks

 You know how it's nearly impossible to decide what to knit next when you have a whole world of possibilities open to you? Well, after I completed my latest sample pair for the design about to be published I was at a complete loss. I could knit anything I wanted, something I hadn't had the opportunity to do for two months. The first thing I did was quickly finish up the Bryn Socks. That took all of 10 minutes. I love knitting worsted weight socks because of the nearly instant gratification but then I was done. What Now?!



I had three options:

1. I could work on my next design. Tempting but I decided I deserved a break since I'd just mailed off my Under the Sea idea. The sample for that would need to be knit so that I could actually write up a pattern, but it could wait.

Three Irish Girls Spring Mini Set on Kells

2. I could knit a sweater with the gorgeous Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in Dusty Lavender that I scored at the Webs Tent Sale (If you've never been, my goodness you need to go. It's amazing!) on Saturday. Also tempting, but it would require a bit of thinking and I wasn't quite ready for that.

So that left option 3. I could give into temptation and knit the pair of socks that had been playing with my imagination for months now. Rainbow striped Kaiso.

I'd been thinking about knitting another pair of these socks for a while now. A few months ago while perusing Ravelry, I came across a pair of Kaiso that had been knit in multicolored bands. I loved idea behind them and knew instantly that I'd finally found a home for my Three Irish Girls Spring Mini Sampler Set on Kells. It was about time too - that set had been knit and frogged so many times as it tried to tell me what to. Well, I'm only about halfway through the first sock but it's love at first sight. How fun are these?!

Rainbow Kaiso - In progress

Completed!

It's done! My last pattern sample is done! It is currently blocking and drying and tempting me to put it on. I am so in love with this pattern. I can not wait until it is released.

Under The Sea fabric, available from Spoonflower

So, what do I do now? Work on another submission of course! This time my working theme is "Under The Sea", partially inspired by the adorable Spoonflower fabric on the left, and I'm exploring a technique I've never tried before. It's going well and the colors are so much fun to play with. I'm going with springy, fresh colors: hot pink, turquoise, lemon yellow, and lime green. It's such a change from my recent projects and a big breath of fresh air. I hope it works up as awesome as I'm envisioning it...fingers crossed!

Sock Summit Success!

I am a very happy sock knitter. Sock Summit 2011 registration went off without a hitch and I'm now an official Sock Summit Student!

What is my schedule?

• Making the Next Monkey - Amy Singer
• Kids' Socks - Sandi Rosner
• Knit Happy: The Psychology of Color in Knitting - Sharon McMahon
• Darn It! - Merike Saarniit
  

I also have a ticket to the Opening Night Reception. I really enjoyed all the speeches at the reception last time, so I thought it would be fun to go again. I only got a single ticket though - my husband and son would not enjoy the event so I thought I'd be a nice wife and mom and let them hang out in the hotel and swim or order a pizza. They will be dragged around to enough knitting events that weekend without it!


Now, the real fun begins! What do I knit to bring with me to wear? What projects should I bring? What shoes should I wear to show off my socks? Can I find a knitting tee shirt small enough for my son, in a 12 month size? Can I convince my husband to wear a knitting tee shirt? Should I make a Handmade By Jaia tee shirt? How little can I pack so that I have more room to bring home yarn? (I bought 32 skeins last time, plus 6 balls of roving, 2 drop spindles, 4 books, and some buttons, plus I had my official swag.)

Sock Summit 2009 Yarn and Fiber Haul!

Oh, and speaking of swag, this year I kept it to a Sock Summit pin, a few bumper stickers, and a pub glass. Last time I got a tee shirt but it fits all funny so I never wear it. I might make it into a tote bag to carry around the marketplace though...


My family is also planning to make a whole vacation out of the trip - in addition to the time spent in Portland, we plan to spend a few days visiting Seattle, my husband's old stomping grounds. I've never spent any time there beyond the airport but I know a lot of knitters in the area and I hear they have some great yarn shops! I'm looking forward to exploring both cities. My only previous explorations in Portland were the yarn shops, the Japanese Gardens, and Sur La Table. Any hints on where to go this time in Portland and/or Seattle?

Sock Summit Registration!!!

Today is Sock Summit Registration Day! I'm super excited that I'm able to attend again this year since it was an incredible experience in 2009. I met so many wonderful friends from Ravelry in person for the first time, learned a whole boatload of knitting skills, met some amazing knitting superstars, and of course, did some major stash enhancement.

After taking a full course load last time around and feeling over scheduled, I decided to try a different approach this year and limit my classes so that I can spend more time in the marketplace. I feel like I missed out on enough time shopping, watching the demos, and knitting with my friends. I will also have my son and husband with me this year and I'd rather be spending time with them too!

I've been pouring over the class listings all morning and I've narrowed it down to my two top choices and then two backups. Mostly, I've chosen the classes because I'm interested in the teachers themselves rather than the subject matter, though I find that interesting as well. Fingers crossed I get in! I'm also thinking about attending the Opening Ceremonies and what swag I want to order. Probably a beer glass and a few bumper stickers. I need to save my money for the marketplace.

In actual knitting news, I just finished the knitting the first half of a design sample that I'm so excited about. The yarn that was chosen is absolutely gorgeous and shows off the pattern better than I could have hoped. I can not wait to share this! Additionally, my Bryn socks are coming along nicely. I'm expecting to finish the first sock today. Hopefully the sun will come out so I can photograph it for sharing.

I'm off to go knit and wait for registration to begin. I can't wait to find out what classes I get into!

The Inbetween Times

Not Dreaming of Sheepn..ts Socks

In between writing patterns, I like to whip out simple projects that give a feeling of instant gratification. Since I sent out my most recent design the other day, I decided it was time to reward myself. I noticed a contest on Ravelry - knit Allison Janocha's Insomnia socks by the end of May and get entered to win a gift certificate to Pulling at Strings. Well, I adore Pulling at Strings and Allison is a fantastic designer so I decided to jump on it. I chose to cast on with Three Irish Girls Kells Sport in the limited edition Sheepn..ts colorway.


 What a pleasure they were! The texture of the pattern did a wonderful job of preventing pooling, something that I really don't like very much. I cast off yesterday and have been wearing them all day. Happy!

L - R: Bryn on Springvale, Berocco Vintage

What next? I should have started work on my next project but since I caught my son's cold, I decided to cast on a second pair of instant gratification socks. This time I chose the yarn before the pattern - Three Irish Girls, again. I decided to use Bryn on Springvale Super Merino, one of my favorite yarns for making boot socks. It's so squishy and soft AND it wears like a dream. I also noticed that I had scraps of Berroco Vintage in a purple that matched exactly which meant that I was going to knit up a plain vanilla pair of boot socks in Bryn (to show off the gorgeous colors best) with purple contrast cuffs and toes. Simple, east, fast, and fun. I can't wait to see how they work up. I hope the colors don't pool!

Off and running...

Today is a pretty exciting day for me. I'm off to the post office to mail my newest design sample to the lovely folks who want to publish it! I'm really happy with the design and I hope they will be too. It's due to be released this summer and I just can't wait to share it with everyone. I wonder if I can post a teaser? I'll have to look into that.

In the meantime, my patterns are now available through Coveted Yarns in Gloucester, MA in addition to being sold through Ravelry. They are the first retail store to ask to carry my designs and I think it's pretty amazing. They were launched during the North Shore Yarn Crawl last month and recently were added to Coveted Yarns' online catalog as well.

Cranberry Tart Socks

Snowbound Sock

Kelpie Socks

Coveted Yarns is my LYS and they are a great shop to have down the street. The selection of yarns is incredible and Robert, the owner, is adding more lines almost daily. If they don't have what I'm looking for in stock then he's always willing to place an order for me. Oh, and I need to mention that they have a treasure trove of Brown Sheep overstocks. Can you say large man's wool sweater for under $50? I like to enhance my stash with sweater quantities now and again.

In other news, I've got a new, non-knitting project underway for a change. I've always loved creating clothing for children and I'm finally at a point where I can start to explore that more fully. I've got a sweet selection of dresses for little girls that I am creating for just for summer. They are one of a kind confections and such a treat to create. I'm looking forward to sharing them.