Baby’s Magic Blankie

Baby’s Magic Blankie is now available for purchase as a download, for $6.00 either on Ravelry, or directly through the blog by clicking this buy now button.

If you like this pattern you may also wish to purchase A Study in Grey, the shawl pattern that inspired this blanket.

You can buy both patterns at the same time for $9.00 total, either on Ravelry, or directly through the blog by clicking this buy now button.

Based on the shawl A Study in Grey, this blanket has the same fundamental elements, but is knit on larger needles with a heavier yarn for a faster knit. This pattern also calls for a machine washable yarn, to make it as household friendly as possible. Available in two sizes, the baby size is perfect for bundling a baby up in, while the adult size is great for pulling around yourself while watching a movie and knitting, or reading a good book.

If you like this pattern you may also wish to purchase A Study in Grey, the shawl pattern that inspired this blanket.

You can buy both patterns at the same time for a reduced price of $9.00.

Yarn: 1000 – 2100 yards (914 – 1920 m) of Knit Picks Stroll, or another fingering weight yarn

Needles: 1 set of US size 5s (3.75mm) circulars, and 2 US size 5 DPNs

Notions: 8 stitch markers
1 row marker

Gauge: 6.5sts/inch; 8.5 rows/inch in stockinette stitch

Blocked Dimensions: baby (37″x37″); adult (37″x74″)

Skills Used:
provisional cast on
knitting and purling
slipping stitches
picking up and knitting stitches
grafting
weaving in ends
blocking lace
knitting 2 and 3 stitches together
yarn over
slip, slip, knit
knit 2 together- through the back loop
slip, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over

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A Study in Grey

A Study in Grey is now available for purchase as a download, for $6.00 either on Ravelry, or directly through the blog by clicking this buy now button.

If you like this pattern you may also wish to purchase Baby’s Magic Blankie, a blanket (available in a baby as well as adult size) pattern inspired by this shawl.

You can buy both patterns at the same time for $9.00 total, either on Ravelry, or directly through the blog by clicking this buy now button.

Knit out of 100% baby alpaca, A Study in Grey looks great carefully draped over an elegant evening dress for a dinner party, casually thrown on over jeans and a shirt for a day of running errands, or wrapped around your shoulders to combat the air conditioning in a too chilly office building. The garter-based, knit on border lends a nice contrast to stockinette-based body, while the field of small and simple drops that make up the main body contrasts with the triangles which make up the base for the border. Yet the very subtle diagonal lines present in both stitches holds the piece together. All of these features combined create and air of Victorian inspired elegance.

Though this piece is knit on small needles using lace weight yarn, the easy to memorize pattern makes this shawl a good beginners lace project, and a relaxing project for the more experienced lace knitter. The main body of the stole is knit in one piece, beginning with a provisional cast on, then the border stitches are picked up, and the stole ends with a knit on border.

This download comes with a “printer friendly version” of the pattern, as well as a “normal version.” The idea of the “printer friendly version” is for the knitter to have a much smaller file, with all of the essential pattern information, but without the very large color intense photos. Along with a larger file, with the pattern and lots of photographs, as well as a description, and spacious formatting.

If you like this pattern you may also wish to purchase Baby’s Magic Blankie, a blanket (avalible in a baby as well as adult size) pattern inspired by this shawl.

You can buy both patterns at the same time for a reduced price of $9.00.

Yarn: 1700 yards (1554 meters) of Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud, or another lace weight yarn

Needles: 1 pair of US size 2s (2.75mm) circulars, and 2 US size 2 DPNs

Notions: 8 stitch markers
1 row marker

Gauge: 10sts/inch; 12 rows/inch in stockinette stitch

Blocked Dimensions: 25″x56″

Skills Used:
provisional cast on
knitting and purling
slipping stitches
picking up and knitting stitches
grafting
weaving in ends
blocking lace
knitting 2 and 3 stitches together
yarn over
slip, slip, knit
knit 2 together- through the back loop
slip, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over

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The Front Without Changing Pictures

On the pattern writing, and 10kH front (or the front without changing pictures), last Friday a friend and I did a 2 hour long, 10 piece photo shoot. Outside, in the middle of the afternoon, in the middle of August. That was an experience I hope never to repeat (though I probably will), but we had been trying to schedule this all summer, so I wasn’t going to let a little heat get in the way.
Next in the pipelines pattern wise is lining up test knitters for the Dancing Girls Scarf. I’ve got two test knitters, and am still looking for a third.

I’m hoping to have the Dancing Girls scarf done and out to testers today or tomorrow. Once I’ve gotten okays from all of my test knitters for A Study in Grey and the blankie, I’ll proof the patterns, get photos of the blankie, and publish the patterns, hopefully by the end of the month. The pattern release for Dancing Girls will probably follow a week or two behind Study in Grey and SiG, because I’m only going to ask my testers to knit a handful of repeats before I release the pattern.

I’m finding that there are some days that I do nothing, or close to nothing, but then there will be a string of days when I’ll work for 5, sometimes 6 hours, towards my modified 10kH. It feels like there are getting to be fewer and fewer days where I’m working for an hour or so, and more days when I’m putting in at least 2 or 3 hours. I’m thinking that this might be because I’ve started including more of a variety of activities as counting towards the 10kH.
Looking back on my first post originally the goal of the 10kH was (ignoring the art part, which has since dropped off the face of the earth), to “work on knitwear design paperwork for one hour everyday” I’ve decided revising this statement to “work on knitwear design for at least an average of one hour everyday” would be more accurate, and productive goal. Yay productivity!!!

And so ends a very long update, in two parts.

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The More Photogenic Front

August is turning into a surprisingly hectic and busy month around here. I’ve got 4 new designs on the needles (some of which you’ve seen before, some of which you haven’t). 2 designs waiting in the wings to be re-knit out of commercial yarn, and 2 other designs waiting to be cast on for the first time. I’ve also got a back log of pattern to write up, and publish. And as always there are shows and school, complete with solid deadlines, to work on.

Moving to what’s on the needles, why don’t we start with the “new” stuff.

While this is technically a re-knit, the original was a Christmas gift for a friend’s mother so I don’t have it anymore. This scarf is primarily a simple lace design flanked by two cables on either side, and decreases to a point at either end. In order to make the points to be symmetrical, a provisional cast on is used and then the scarf is worked from the center out. Currently being called A Goosey Gaggle, I’d love alternative name suggestions. Due to the heat and humidity I’ve kind of put this project on hold until the humidity drops (or I can take over one of the two rooms with air conditioning), because the yarn currently feels sticky and prickly while I’m working with it, and this is entirely due to the heat and humidity.

I finished the get well shawl for my relative, and I’m hoping to get it blocked some time this week, Thursday evening, maybe Friday. This is a re-working of that slap dash design, into something with cleaner lines, smoother yarn, smaller needles (not by much), and two sizes. Named Bloody Waves, and being knit out of 100% rayon-bamboo, I’m having some issues with the second ball of yarn. It almost looks and feels like the yarn has been damaged by the sun, but that is based on what I’ve seen of sun damaged books and other cellulose based fabrics.

My SiG baby blankie is in the home stretch, I’m knitting frantically on the border, racing neck and neck with my test knitters. I’m hoping to put in a big push this weekend, and maybe even finish by Monday. This project has really shown me how bad a test knitter I would be. I can barely follow my own pattern without changing something!
I’m still looking for a better name than SiG Blankie, and while I could go with A Study in Blues and Browns, that feels a lot like an artsy fartsy cop out name. While the blanket sort of feels like it wants something whimsical and child-like.

This picture could probably simply be copy and pasted into knitting updates about Icy Fields for at least the next month, if not the next two months. While I’m less than 50 rows away from being done, each of those rows has about 1,100 stitches in it. Sigh. The problem with the shawl right now is that it takes about the same type and amount of effort and concentration to work on as the blankie, but the blankie has a deadline. So Icy Fields gets put on the back burner. I’m thinking that once the blankie is done I’ll put a conscious effort into working on this project, rather than simply picking it up and doing a handful of repeats every few days or so.

I’ve decided to split this update into two parts, because of how long it has become. Part two, covering the pattern writing and an update to my modified 10kH will be published tomorrow, maybe the next day.

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Photo Shoot Sneak Peek

Here’s a sneak peek from yesterday’s photo shoot.

Live is a little crazy, and unpredictable at the moment, but I’m hoping to have many of these patterns available soon.

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Knitting Patterns for Non Ravelry Members

Non-Ravelry members can now purchase original knitting designs from the Original Designs page in the sidebar.

While there are only two patterns for sale currently, more will be added shortly.

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