As hard as it is to believe (well, for me, at any rate), summer is almost here. However, as it isn’t here yet, this is what we’ll call an extended forecast, and as such is subject to change (like when you check your handy-dandy radar app and it says “Rain in 204 minutes”—ask me how …
Book Review—Sojourn: A Knit Lace Collection
Next month will mark the first birthday of Sojourn: A Knit Lace Collection by Knit Picks (as well as of my Fenestra Shawl), so a review seemed in order for this week’s post. ‘Ware lace! The collection contains 14 lace shawl patterns of varying shapes and difficulty levels; 6 triangles, 2 crescents, 4 rectangles, and …
Covid-19 HopeRussia Fundraiser
I’ll be brief here, as it isn’t Wednesday; but this is urgent enough to share immediately. All my self-published patterns are 15% off on Ravelry until 7:00 PM EST on Saturday, May 9; all proceeds will be donated to HopeRussia and designated for their Covid-19 relief fund. No coupon code is needed for this sale—just …
Need to Know
We must have been at Corrie’s house, in the living room, some evening after supper. She was knitting a baby blanket, her favorite project, on the couch or in an armchair; I still remember the constant motion of her wrist (she knit English style and threw the yarn with her right hand) as she talked. …
Yarn Review: Kelbourne Woolens Andorra
First off, as P. G. Wodehouse would say, Kelbourne Woolens Andorra is the snake’s eyebrows. Let me elaborate. There are four—no, five—things that made this yarn seem like a good idea. First, Merino wool; softness. Second, Highland wool: sturdiness. Third, mohair: I don’t know exactly why, but it sounds nice. Fourth, 2ply: lofty, and gives …
Favorite Finds—Animals
At some point I turned around and realized that it’s been almost two months since the first installment of Favorite Finds; however, I’ve diligently cast my eye around the wide world of patterns since then and have come up with both arms full of knit and crochet treats! This post will focus mainly on stuffed …
Designer Tip #1: Put Together A Professional Proposal
Did you know that Jane Austen’s beloved novel Pride & Prejudice was originally titled First Impressions? While far less catchy than the title that eventually supplanted it, it will serve us well as a useful illustration. I bring it up for two reasons. First, as a working title First Impressions is actually an accurate representation …
Pattern Release—Mr. Bultitude
Novelties are not my strong suit; neither is being on trend, and certainly not being cool. But never say never, right? When Knit Picks released their super-bulky faux fur yarn, Fable Fur, I nearly had a laughing fit. Who would ever make something with that? A lot of people, apparently…including me. I tried to ignore …
Favorite Finds Inaugural Post—Celtic
This post will kick off what I hope will be a running series on this blog, titled Favorite Finds. The series will feature work by other designers; generally speaking these will be independently published patterns, both knit and crochet. Most installments in the series will revolve around a particular theme, such as a specific style, …