My own #27



Pattern:     Vogue Knitting, Fall 2009 #27 Fair Isle Collar Jacket
Yarn:         Debbie Bliss Luxury Tweed Chunky 4 sks #03 cobalt
                 Debbie Bliss Luxury Tweed Aran 3 sks #15 charcoal and 1 each of #11 moss,
                 #21 magenta, #19 midnight, #7 natural
Needles:    US 10 1/2 (6.5 mm) 32" & 16" circular and US 8 (5.0 mm) 24" circular

My own #3


Pattern:   Knit Simple Magazine, Holiday 2009, #3 Cabled Shrug
Yarn:      Cascade Venezia Worsted  2 sks #174 Mulberry
Needles: US 8 (5.0 mm) & US 4 (3.5 mm)

I used a worsted weight yarn for my shrug and held it single instead of double and it only took 2 sks. I had the hardest time trying to find something to go with this dress. It was so hard to find the right color. I love this yarn and the color is just perfect!

A pile of beautiful yarn awaits me. I have decided to knit another #27 in the light blue that I could not leave the shop without, but I think I may modify it a bit in a bit. Submissions are calling and new designs are brewing in my head. Back to work.

Author: bluegirl -  Visits: 183Comments: 2

I have been working on 2 new patterns for my pattern line in the middle of working on tax return extension deadlines. I have emerged with my brain in tact, I think!

The first new pattern, Rainy Day Socks must be accompanied by a confession of sorts. I do not love to knit socks. Wait, what was that? I repeat I do not love to knit socks. With that said, I love to wear hand knit socks and I don't mind terribly knitting them in sport weight, hence the creation of the Rainy Day Socks. I really like the weight of these socks here in the Northwest, when it starts to rain and I need my feet to be happy and cozy.

I also love these socks, because they take just 2 skeins of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino and I can abuse them in the washing machine and have abused them in the dryer without a disaster! This is good news, because I have "accidentally" felted several pairs of mancake's socks that his mother made for him. She is an amazing sock knitter and can just whip socks up in no time and I help her by creating more demand by felting them soon after they are finished! Luckily, the socks do not go to waste, because apparently, felted mancake socks fit me perfectly! I do not felt mancake's sock on purpose. I repeat I do not felt mancake's socks on purpose.

 

Pattern:    Rainy Day Socks
Yarn:         Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, 2 skeins
                 Small Shown in #204 Aquamarine (MC) & #503 Pea (CC)
                 Large Shown in #9 Med Grey (MC) & #19 Moss (CC)
Needles:   US 3 (3.25mm)

Now for a special surprise, my friend Sarah and I own a Knitting Events Company together, called purlaway and this weekend we are hosting a workshop with Terri Shea, the Author of Selbuvotter. We will be learning all about how to knit the most beautiful mittens from her book. I am really looking forward to this as we have been planning it for over a year.

Several months ago, I decided that I should create a special mitten in our purlaway colors (green, orange and brown) to give to the participants of the event in our swag bags. We always have a gift bag for everyone that attends full of knitting goodies and I thought a mitten pattern would be fun. Of course, in classic form, I did not start the pattern several months ago when I had the idea. Nope, I decided to wait and start working on it during a very stressful tax deadline! MMMMM, math, I love math! Thank goodness for great tech editing and gracious test knitters!

The mittens are done, the patterns printed and I can take a deep breath and enjoy the weekend.

Here are the purlaway Mittens!


Pattern:   purlaway Mittens
Yarn:        Cascade Cash Vero, 2 sks  #006 Orange
                Crystal Palace Mochi Plus, 1 sk #554 Fern Rainbow
Needle:    US Size 6 (4.0mm)

Here they are in the men's size.

I am really excited about how these mittens turned out and hope that everyone at the workshop enjoys their pattern.

Off to the workshop.

Author: bluegirl -  Visits: 273No Comments

Well, I'm a Cover Girl! I never thought in a million years that I would be on the cover of a magazine, but here I am! Well, it's not exactly me, but it is my design.


Author: bluegirl -  Visits: 254Comments: 3

I am very proud and excited to announce (hence the announcements camp song in the title) that one of my designs has been published in the latest Vogue Knitting Magazine, Fall 2009.

Here it is!

Pattern:     Vogue Knitting, Fall 2009 #27 Fair Isle Collar Jacket
Yarn:         Debbie Bliss Luxury Tweed Chunky 4(5,6)sks #14 yellow
                 Debbie Bliss Luxury Tweed Aran 3(4,4) sks #6 eggplant and 1 each of #11 green,
                 #21 magenta, #5 grape, #& natural
Needles:    US 10 1/2 (6.5 mm) 32" & 16" circular and US 8 (5.0 mm) 24" circular

I am currently in the process of knitting my own #27 as the one featured in the magazine now belongs to Vogue Knitting and gets to travel around in the Fall 2009 trunk show. Oh, the places it will go! As soon as Sarah brought the yarn into the shop, I picked the color I wanted for the main body of the sweater



and the colors for the collar. Of course, since then, I have gone through about 10 different color variations for the collar!

I also have helped several friends and customers at the shop pick out their colors and can't wait to share photos of all the jackets when they are finished. And yes, I am extremely flattered that all of these people want to knit my design.

Back to my jacket though, because really this all about me, right? My color is all picked out (blue of course), I complete the main body of the jacket (as shown in the picture above), change my mind about the colors for the collar again and finally ask Sarah to order more colors of the Aran, so I can have more choices than the 50 that are already at the shop (ok exaggeration). Now the jacket sits, waiting for the new colors to arrive, so I can be completely satisfied that the right choices have been made.

And then, the backordered colors of the chunky come in and in the mix is this color that is so tempting that I fell down on it right away. My knitting friends and I never say, "Hey, I bought some new yarn today and I just love it." Instead we say, "I had an accident at the shop today and fell down on some yarn and luckily was unharmed, because the yarn cushioned my fall." 

Here is the new color. Notice it is also a shade of blue. Shocker, huh!?



Hmmmm, what to do? Rip the first jacket and buy more skeins of that color, so I have enough to knit something else and then knit #27 with the new color that I just cannot live without?

or knit both of them, so that I have two #27 jackets?

What to do? What to do? Thoughts anyone?...

Author: bluegirl -  Visits: 388Comments: 3

Well, here it is. My first ever blahg (story about "blahg" to follow at another time) post. Some, who will remain anonymous, will give me grief about this and most will not even know this is here, but if you are here, then welcome.

bluegirl knits is my knitwear design company and this blahg will feature a lot of what is up with bluegirl and me as a designer, but it will also share the other stuff I knit and some snippets here and there. And with that said,

on to the afghan...























Pattern: The Great American Aran Afghan from Knitters
Yarn: 16 skeins of Cascade 220 Heathers (100% Peruvian Wool) (220 yds/100g) #2446 Bronzed Green Heather
Needles: US 5 (3.75mm), 6 (4.0mm), 7 (4.5mm), 8 (5.0mm)

This afghan marks the birth of a friendship. My friendship with Sarah, owner of my now LYS and employer, Knot Another Hat. My mancake (husband) and I moved to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon sometime in 2006. I was on a career break, so I had lots of time on my hands to sit and knit at the shop and get to know Sarah. We hit it off right away and I knew that we were going to be great friends.

I decided in January of 2007 to take an 18-month Afghan class from Sarah, which turned out to be more like a 30-month class with all the breaks we took. For example, Sarah decided to have a baby, so we had to take a few months off for that. And then we had to take the holiday season off and then of course there is the summer.....and.....and....and....



















The class began with 9 people and by the last class, we had lost many. Three of us (including Sarah) actually got our squares put together and blocked and ready for the border. Every time we would see each other, we would say, "hey, let's get together to motivate on that 18' of border". We did not meet, but last week I got a big ole bee in my bonnet!

I started knitting the most monotonous 18' of cabled border in my life! I finished the border in 4 nights and attached it to the blanket on the 5th and was blocking it the next day. I was possessed, actually driven by the thought of finishing my afghan before the rest and not even mentioning it. Sneaky- yes. Devious-yes. Done with a big afghan-yes. Still friends with Sarah-yes.

And that is the story of my afghan.

Author: bluegirl -  Visits: 621Comments: 5