Sightings at the LYS

My LYS had a knit along for the Sochi games and one of the patterns was The Hat In The Hat.  It has been so fun to see some of the finished ones.  My favorite though was when one customer used the leftover yarn and adapted the Fleckle Mitt pattern to worsted weight and made matching mitts.

Busy, busy

I just finished writing up yet another pattern for my LYS yarn...this time it is worsted weight and I am making fingerless mitts.  After writing three mitt patterns for the fall issue of Knit 1-2-3, I have mitts down pat and I think the latest pair is my best yet.  Okay, I will admit I still have a special place in my heart for the Fleckle Mitts.

I'm hoping to release this new mitt pattern and Not Your Average Slouch pattern by the end of the week.  I'll be putting my daughter to modeling work tomorrow!

Here's a peek at my designing station - aka the kitchen table.

Not Your Average Slouch

I've been working part-time at my LYS, Iron Horse, in Natick, MA.  The owner, Debbie, also has her own line of yarns which she hand-dyes (and they come from her sheep!).  A few weeks ago, Debbie asked if I'd be interested in writing up some patterns for her yarn - and of course my response was yes.

She gave me 2 skeins of her new sport weight super wash merino/cashmere/nylon blend.  The colors got me all excited and I couldn't wait to knit with them.  I realized why I liked the colors when I photographed it in progress - they match our sofa!

Debbie was looking for a few items for her patterns including a slouchy hat.  I found a wonderful stitch pattern that creates a bouncy, soft, stretchy texture that works divinely with her yarn.  My "in house model" is out of town for vacation but when she returns, I'll be having a photo session with her.

Here's a not so great photo but it will give you an idea...we've named it "Not Your Average Slouch".  This yarn and this texture makes it anything but average!

Weight Off My Shoulders

My godfather's sweater was looming large over me - his daughter called and invited me to his 80th birthday celebration.  I had 3 weeks to crank out most of the sleeves, seam it and knit up a turtleneck. The pressure was great and most of it was self-induced.  It was my own fault I let this languish for so long (started on July 30th).

I am happy to report I did it!  What a weight off my shoulders.  Here are some blurry photos - one of my DH modeling it and then of the presentation of the sweater at the birthday party.

Radio Silence

Whenever I get too busy, there is radio silence on this blog.  I apologize for that but know that being busy is a good thing for me.

Right now I'm working on 4 new designs for Knit 123.  The projects and knitting have taken over the family room!  There is a side table under that knitting - all my tools out and about - note writing, calculator, and of course some hand balm to protect my dry, busy hands!

I also will be releasing a new pattern as soon as I can get some photos - here's a sneak peak of it in progress.