Showing posts with label My Designs. Show all posts

Tadpole

The sample I sent away for photos to go with the pattern I had published in Knit Now magazine, Tadpole Romper, arrived back in the post last week.  This also meant that the rights to the pattern have reverted back to me and I can now offer it for sale on Ravelry!

As I wasn't allowed to use the professional photos taken for the magazine in my pattern and I knew the sample would be too big for my Little Man yet, I made another romper for him to wear now.


He looks just gorgeous in it and is so snuggly warm - like a cuddly teddy bear according to his Pop.  He definitely gets the comments when I take him out wearing it!


This one I knit in Red Riding Hood Yarns' Belle in the Spruced Up colourway from last year's Winter Yarn Club.

It's a perfect pattern for a coming home outfit for any newborn!
Sized for NB-24mths
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KAL with Me!

Did you know that I'm hosting a KAL (knit-a-long) for my patterns this month?  It's over in the Budding Designers Downunder group on Ravelry.  (You can find a discount code for 25% off all my patterns until this Friday over in the thread.)

And I even have a couple new designs that I've released in time for the KAL too!

You might remember a while ago that I designed a vest pattern for a new nephew of mine.  And then the pattern just sat there mostly written up but not finished.


Turns out having a little boy of my own to knit for is making me hurry up and finish the boy designs I have in process!

This one is called Billy and is available in sizes NB to 10 years.  You can purchase it through my Ravelry store for $US6.


The second pattern release from me this month is yet another waiting-for-me-to-get-around-to-it design. 


This one is a cowl that I knit for the MiddleMiss last winter, then I tweaked the pattern and knit one for the BigMiss and that's as far as I got - that one sat around waiting for buttons which only happened recently!

This pattern is called Herring and you can download it for free through my Ravelry store.

I'm also hosting an Accessories KAL this month in the same group so this pattern will be perfect to enter in that.


For the KAL I'm making another Billy for the Little Man as the one he's modelling is being sent off as a gift to a friend's new baby boy.  And I have to make another cowl - for the LittleMiss this time - so I might try enter that in the accessories KAL too!

Try join in either KAL - there's some good prizes to be won!
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A New Design in Process!

Are you like everybody else and madly rushing around getting ready for Christmas?

There's plenty of 'mad' and 'rush' going on round here, though mostly because our life is undergoing a few changes (don't worry, it's all good so far!) which means a lot of extra work in the meantime.

But I have still been knitting, and even a bit of crochetting for a change!

Here's my latest FO:


This is a tunic I've designed for my BigMiss.  It hasn't quite worked out as I'd like - I wanted it to be a little longer - so I've ordered some yarn to knit one the right length for my LittleMiss also.  I'll still work on getting modelled photos of this one on my BigMiss soon anyway.

I'm just working on the final modifications to the pattern, then it should be ready to go to testers!


And I'm thinking about starting up a Ravlery group for my designs...
What do you think?
Good idea, bad idea?
Will I run out of things to talk about, or will I bore people with too much talk?
Will I be the only member?
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Freedom Knitting

I feel like I've been in a constant state of limbo most of the year with my knitting and pattern writing. 

Because of a serious lack of communication from a certain yarn company (that I'm not so fond of anymore), I always had to make sure I wasn't committing to or concentrating on much just in case  today I'd get the email to say it's all go and I have 8 weeks to write and knit two complicated patterns (if only they had let me know - way back in March - what yarn to design for!)

Little Plum Yarn Supertwist Sport in Mocha

But the freedom I'm feeling now it's all done and over makes me love knitting again!  (I'd started to loose the love for it, I suppose that's what happens when it's a have to.)

Little Plum Yarn Supertwist Sport in Peony

Even though I've been in Pattern-Writing Limbo, I've still been planning new designs to work on as soon as I could. 

And buying yarn to knit them with!

Olive & Emma 4ply Merino in Cade with Trim

So now I've just cast on to make a variation of this pattern:

That's my Little Man at just 6 days old - he turned 6 weeks old yesterday and not really fitting this cardy anymore!

I'm making a few changes to make it a little more quirky and funky.  I can't wait to show you the finished knit!  (I'm using the grey and brown yarn above which is a made-for-me colourway from Olive & Emma. It's looking gorgeous so far!)


Joining in with the other creative folk at My Creative Space.
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Like a Lead Balloon

I mentioned in my previous post about being super busy getting some patterns ready in order to meet a deadline.

Well, turns out I could have taken things a little slower as I've just found out that they've dropped me from being included in the collection!


And all because their yarn never arrived for me to knit the sample with.  And it's too late for them to get someone closer to knit it as their photoshoots have started.
(This is the third time their yarn hasn't arrived - I'm still waiting on an order I actually paid a lot of money for.)

I really feel like being annoyed at the yarn company.
(Besides the fact that they hadn't told me what yarn bases I was designing for until confirmation of the final deadline so couldn't even start working on the pattern, I'd had no contact from them since saying they were 'sending the yarn soon' which was only allowing 7 weeks to receive the yarn, knit the two samples and send it back to the US - they never even told me what size models I was knitting for!)

But really, I should just be annoyed with the unreliable postal system.


So I've spent the afternoon feeling pretty stink about the whole deal, especially as one of the patterns was a very tricky design to write up that cost me days of late dinners and grumpy children.  I'm not quite sure how to tell J as he was starting to get annoyed at me for taking it on when having a new baby and now I'm not even getting paid for it!  (The original contract deadline was May, when a new baby wasn't an issue, but was delayed so the closer to my due date I was without hearing final dates, the more nervous I was getting.)

But on the upside, I suppose I now have two patterns in the almost finished stages (they were going to be tech edited then were ready to go) that I can self-publish.
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My Needles Seem to Fly...

I've been knitting like crazy lately.  Or so it seems with all the stuff I'm getting finished!

I think it helps that lots of it is small, so it's quick to make.

So here's a little run down on some of the stuff you saw blocking in a previous post:


I made this Paprika vest for MiddleMiss.


It was done as part of the Olive & Emma KAL on Ravelry.


The colourway is Baby Blue Eyes and is the perfect colour for MiddleMiss!


Though I was a little disappointed with the fit.  I chose the size according to her chest size (size 5yrs) but knit to her age length (size 7yrs) and pre-blocking it really didn't fit!  I managed to stretch it out a lot when blocking and it's ok now, but won't last long.


I do really like the cabling details on it though.




This is a little NB cardigan I made for a friend's new baby.


I had originally intended on using the apple chart from here, but the apples looked too big for such a little top so I sort of made up my own smaller version.


This was my third attempt at colourwork and I think I'm getting better, though it's still a little tighter than it should be!




This vest is one I've made before for my nephew.  This time, though, I changed the pockets and made the collar longer which I think looks much better.  Right now it's enroute to Canada to some friends who have just had their first baby (a boy) and with no appropriately aged babies around, I don't have any nice modelled photos.

The pattern is in-process - I just need a hurry up to do the little tweaks and send it off to testers!



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A Knitterly Update

It's school holidays here at the moment.

Which is why it's taken me this long to write a post! 
(I always try and spend extra time at work the week or so before holidays so I can spend less time there during them!)

A lot has been going on for me crafty-wise.  Knitting like crazy to finish things, buying yarn, getting yarn club parcels in the post and, would you believe it, I even did a spot of sewing!

So, here's a quick photo round up of a few things I've been knitting:


I knit this little NB hat for an online friend's new baby girl.  She's named Rose which is why I thought this was the perfect hat pattern for her!
It's Rosy Scalloped Hat by Tot Toppers/Kate Oates knit in Vintage Purls sock yarn (held double) colour Amythestos.


This is the progress I've made on my cardigan for LittleMiss that I first mentioned here (for Red Riding Hood Yarn's KAL).
It doesn't appear that it will be finished in time to be included in the KAL (even with the deadline being extended to the end of this week), though Hannah did mention that 'started, but not finished' can be included in the WIP category.


Because I couldn't see me finishing the cardi, I decided to whip up a quick cowl idea I'd been wanting to try for the girls to be included in the KAL.  This is based on the stitch pattern of the Big Herringbone Cowl and knit in RRHY's Riche (worsted/10ply) colour Sweet As Pie Light Trim (this was a custom colour Hannah dyed for the sleeves on my Sweet As Cardigan but I only used the darker trim).

As this colour was technically MiddleMiss' (as the cardigan is hers) the cowl had to be for her too.  Now I have to make another one for BigMiss as it was her that I'd promised it for first (but the yarn she chose wasn't RRHY so couldn't include in the KAL!)

And as soon as I've knit the next one, I'll be putting the pattern up for free on Ravelry!  (It's so simple and quick - knit on 10.00mm/US size 15 needles - that I got this one made in two evenings!)


Sharing with the other crafty types at My Creative Space.

P.S. I'll try catching you up on all the rest of my crafty stuff in posts to come - I have lots of fantastic new yarn dyers to talk about (and show off yarn purchases from!) as well as other things I've been working on.
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Knitting A-Long

On Ravelry, Red Riding Hood Yarns is having a KAL (Knit-A-Long) for the month of June (start and finish any project in RRHY during the month of June and share your projects on the way).  I was undecided if I was going to join in as I have so much knitting I should be doing and the plans I had for my RRHY skeins were not on my list of 'have-to's.

But then I finished my Billy vest (the re-knit) and had none of my planned knitting ready to go so I did a little swatching, then tweaking of pattern numbers and cast on (yet another) new design using the Nymph colourway (first installment in the Winter 2011 Yarn Club).


This club installment yarn came with a set of perfectly colour matched mermaid buttons so I had to design something that would use them both together.  The plan is for this to be a jacket with simple cable panels down the front and sleeves and pepped up with pockets and a belt.  I just have to make sure this size 5 uses exactly 5 buttons as that's all I have!

The picture shows the collar so far, which is where I was up to last week (and never got around to posting on here about at the time).  I'm a lot further on now, due in part to lots of driving on our weekend away to Taupo (being stuck in a car for hours is great for guilt-free knitting time!) but seem to have mis-placed the camera so can't show an updated progress photo just yet!

Joining in again with My Creative Space.
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Opps, I Knit too Much!

So, in the excitement of knitting out all my goodies in my Magic Yarn Ball, I didn't really pay enough attention* to how long my vest was getting and started the pockets too far down.


So now I have to frog it all the way back to 6cm above the pockets and do them all over again!

But I should look on the bright side - it'll give me a chance to get better photos of the pocket construction so I can include a tutorial for it in the pattern (I did take some, but they turned out really blurry).  And I'm thinking I might make the pockets a bit wider too.

Joining in with the crafty makings over here.




*It was actually an error in my measuring rather than a 'just kept knitting' mistake - I measured from the underarm instead of from the back neck!
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Oh, the Excitment!

It's finally released and I can show you my latest design!

Wasabi


I had the privilege of being included in the latest (Spring 2012) issue of Petite Purls - my first ever published design!


For it, I designed a lacy top-down, raglan style cardigan.  I wanted to keep it modern with a low v-neck, large rib bands and a shorter, cropped length in the body.


In my usual style, the construction starts in an unusual manner. The lace yoke/border is started with a provisional cast on and worked in both directions across the back neck. Short rows are used to provide shaping. Stitches are then picked up along the border edge and the body is worked down from there.

It’s not really as complicated as it sounds!

It's sized for 2-10 years, is worked in fingering weight yarn and you can find the pattern for FREE right here on Petite Purls!

Don't forget to check out my other designs!

And for those that are on Ravelry, here's the pattern page.  Please link your projects as I'd love to see them!
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A Splash of Sunshine

If your week's been anything like ours weather-wise, then a little sunshine-yellow brightness is in order...


LittleMiss no longer fit the first Clara I'd made so a new one was in order.  I let her choose her own yarn from my stash box and she picked this bright yellow yarn.


It's Vintage Purls Sock (75% Superwash merino, 25% Nylon) in the colourway 'Yellow Submarine'


 I only just had enough in one skein, though I would've liked to make it one more lace pattern longer.  I added beads to this one too, and did a fancy plaited ribbon tie (three shades of yellow about 2mm wide) with beads hanging from the ends.





And, in case you're wondering, I made this back in December and took the photos then!
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Exciting News #2

Ever heard of Three Irish Girls?

It's a yarn dyeing company based in the States and I love the way Sharon, the owner/dyer-extrodinaire, has it set up.  You get to pick from a choice of yarn bases and have it dyed in a choice of colourways.  And I mean a choice!

There are currently 14 different yarn bases to choose from, ranging from fingering weight to bulky, including superwash, non-superwash, sock and even a silk merino yarn!  And there are currently 84 (yes, I counted them!) different colourways to choose from, including semi-solids and variegated.  How do you choose with that much choice!?

Doesn't the photography just make you want to buy some?
Colourway details here.

So, why am I telling you all this?  Well, it's because sometime at the end of last year I saw a call out for design submissions to be included in their new 'Lookbook' (a publication that showcases their new colourways including a range of patterns that are available for purchase through their website - click the link to browse through the last one, it's gorgeous!)  And can you guess what I did?

Yep, I submitted a design!  But not just one, I submitted three and two of them were accepted!  So more crazy deadline-designing/knitting will ensue.

Though I won't be able to tell you anything about the designs (I can say that they're children designs and one is a girl pattern and the other is a boy/unisex pattern) until the new Lookbook is released.  Or even show you the yarn when it arrives as it will be a new colourway!  I think the Lookbook will be released sometime around or after July, so I will let you know about it all then.




PS.  Don't forget to check back for the last instalment of 'Exciting News' coming soon!
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Exciting News #1

So you want to hear about my exciting news?

A couple of days after our holiday finished and I was busy trying to catch up on the three weeks off work, I got an email.  The sort of email that goes "...we are happy to tell you that we have accepted your submission for xx (pattern)!"

I was very excited and had to tell all my knitter family/friends!

But, I had only got as far as working out the numbers and doing a small construction swatch when I sent off the submission.  I had decided to not think about it until I heard back in case I was disappointed and it wasn't accepted.

Turns out that wasn't too smart an idea, really!  I had just six weeks to write up the pattern, knit the prototype, take photos and email it through by the deadline.  And this was a 4-ply (fingering) garment in size 8yrs I was making!

Everything turned out ok in the end.  I managed to just get everything done by the deadline (except for an email issue - don't try and send too many high res photos in one email!) and the sun even co-operated for the photo shoot.

You're probably wishing I would give more details about the pattern, but you'll just have to wait until it's released!  Though I can tell you a few things about it:
  • it's a girl's pattern
  • it'll be free!
  • it'll be in the spring issue of Petite Purls, due out in April 2012
  • and I will let you know on here when it's up and all the other details too!

And because a post isn't complete without a picture, here's a sneak peak:





PS. You might have noticed I titled this post #1.  That's because I have MORE news to tell!  Watch this space, it just gets more exciting...(well, for me at least!)
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Ain't He Cute?

I noticed that I hadn't posted any photos on here of my nephew wearing the vest I mentioned yesterday.


And he's too cute not to.


More cute pictures on my Ravelry project page.
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