time.

Wow, where has the time gone this year? I cannot believe it is already September 30! So much has happened since the last time I posted. Life in general has been busier than ever, but I won't bore you with all the details. :)

On the knitting front, I released another pattern, Xenia, in early July and launched my new design website. Then later that month, my husband and I spent a couple days in Portland, Oregon and visited the Sock Summit Marketplace, where I bought some gorgeous yarns and met some great people. And of course, I've been working on several new designs which I hope to start releasing over the upcoming months. And yes, this includes sweaters! I'm so very excited to share my latest work with the knitting community.

I also hope to get more into the habit of blogging over the upcoming, cooler months when more time will be spent indoors. Don't give up on me!

xo Vanessa

Featured Finished Object Friday :: April 16-29, 2011

Friday is here, and it's beautiful and sunny out - what a wonderful way to end a week full of rain!

This will be the first of hopefully many biweekly Friday-themed blog posts showcasing some of the wonderful projects that have been finished before the time I publish the respective week's post. Seeing the projects made from my patterns has been SO inspirational and fun for me since I've started out in my designing, so I'd like to share a few with you in case you missed them on Ravelry.

I only wish I started this featured post sooner! There are so many great projects that have been finished in April that I'd love to feature in this first 'Featured Finished Object Friday' post. To see some of the finished projects completed prior to April 16 and the others that aren't shown here today, check them out on Rav!

Let's get started, shall we? :)

First up, Yarnelle's Sublime:

Ellen was one of my wonderful test knitters for Sacha and I love, love, love the way she is wearing the shawl in her photos. It drapes so elegantly across her arms and shoulders, and the color she chose is stunning. Not to mention her super cute pug named Inu that is quite the model herself. Check out Ellen's project page to see more ways to wear Sacha and the adorable little Inu rocking the shawl as well :)

MariaO's Charlize: 

Maria did an absolutely beautiful job on her Charlize, with both knitting and photography! Instead of a heavy fingering weight she used a DK Merino/Silk (a woman after my own heart! Merino/Silks are a fave blend of mine), and worked 5 repeats of Chart C (instead of the 3 or 4 as written) for a nice, large and squishy ruffle. This makes me want to knit another merino/silk, heavier weight Charlize myself ;)

balloonsue2's Alivia:

In the past year, tealy greens and blues have become personal favorite colors of mine, so of course I loved seeing Sue's FO! She also added extra repeats to make her shawl larger and it worked out beautifully!

This next Alivia also really caught my eye when I was browsing FOs: Valentina777's Alivia.

Valentina really changed Alivia's look with her modification of adding a lacey pointed border around the shawl's normally straight edge. She really made the shawl her own and I love the mods!

robertd's Kaliope:

This post cannot be completed without mentioning another one of my test knitters and a good Ravelry friend of mine, Lynn, who completed not one or two, but three of my shawl patterns in the last 2 weeks. Go take a look at her gorgeous Sacha and Charlize shawls! 

Kaliope was my very first shawl design, so seeing finished projects using this pattern is still very exciting for me. And the color she chose is beautiful and so perfect for this Spring and Summer!

In closing, I hope you enjoyed reading this Friday's first featured project post and that you gained some inspiration, as I have, from these beautiful projects.

Have a great weekend, everyone! :)

Note: The photos featured in this post are not my own and are the Copyright of the wonderful knitters mentioned above.

Introducing Sacha ~ April 2011 Design

I'm beyond thrilled with the beautiful weather we've had recently. In the past, I've had to fight rain and snow and darkness to get pictures taken for my designs, but yesterday my husband [the photographer], my dear friend Brooklynne [the model] and I [the designer/photographer's assistant :O)] took advantage of the beautiful outdoors and shot photos of my new design 'Sacha.'

Sacha is the triangular interpretation of another design of mine, Charlize. Since Charlize is personally my most worn shawl to date, I got the idea to make a triangular version as well and I couldn't be any happier with the result! I love it!

Brooklynne did such an amazing job modeling. It was so inspiring to watch her behind the camera. The photo shoot was pretty much the final touch to this pattern writeup, so Sacha is now available for purchase on Ravelry. Go buy, fave or queue it and check out the rest of the photos  :)

The overall pattern is pretty simple, with classic triangular shawl shaping and easy to read charts and written instructions. One stitch it utilizes is called the 'ssk-sl-pnso-sr' in this pattern. The pattern includes step by step written instructions on how to perform this stitch, but if you find yourself having trouble, I've created a visual tutorial:

I hope you love this design as much as I do! I know I'll personally get lots of wear out of it :)

Buy now for $6.00 USD

A Fresh Start

I’ve always been the first to admit I’m not much of a blogger. My numerous attempts at blogging over the last few years and small collection of poor neglected and abandoned blogs can attest to that. But, I figure it’s about time I gave it an honest shot. As an aspiring knitwear designer, the owner behind a growing online yarn shop, and someone who hopes to one day turn my passion into my livelihood, I want for you to get to know me, and for me to get to know you!

I’m quickly realizing that blogging just might be the best outlet for my many creative interests. I’m an avid knitter. I love to write and have a place to keep my thoughts organized. I’ve always wanted to be better skilled in Web & Graphic Design. Photography has so inspired me that my husband and I finally bit the bullet and bought a DSLR recently (although he seems to be more of a natural at it while I'm still trying to grasp some of the concepts). Anyway, what better way to combine all of my loves and pastimes than through blogging?

So, for the time being, please forgive me if I neglect to write for a few days, weeks or maybe even months. I’m new at this, but I promise I’ll try.