New Pattern Release :: Meira

After last weekend's preview, I'm so excited to announce the release of my new shawl design, Meira! 

I can't say exactly what inspired this piece, to be honest. All I know is that all of the elements that came together in this shawl, and especially how they fit together, spoke to me the same way every time I sat down to sketch some new ideas. I knew I had to get this off paper and onto the needles as soon as I found the perfect yarn. Madelinetosh Pashmina definitely added to the beauty of the finished product, wouldn't you say?

After getting the charts in order, the knitting itself didn't take long at all and made for a very fun and enjoyable knit. I'm very happy with the finished result, and hope you love this shawl as much as I do!

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ABOUT THIS PATTERN
A beautiful balance of stockinette, lace and texture come together to create Meira, a crescent shaped shawl knit in a versatile, sport weight yarn. This piece will be easily worn throughout the year, no matter the season! Its generous wingspan wraps gracefully around its wearer in a variety of ways, providing just enough warmth on a crisp Spring day, a cool Summer’s eve, or bundled under a coat during the Fall and Winter.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Length: 68” (173 cm) across the top edge
Width: 13” (33 cm) down the center stitch

Measurements were taken after blocking.

YARN
• (2) skeins Madelinetosh Pashmina Sport, 75% Merino/15% Silk/10% Cashmere, 360 yards (329 meters) per 100g skein. Shown in colorway ‘Tart’
• OR approximately 515+ yards of any sport weight yarn

RECOMMENDED NEEDLES
• 32” (82 cm) long or longer circular needle, size US 6 (4 mm)
• (1) US 10 (6 mm) spare straight or circular needle (used for bind off only)

GAUGE
21 sts and 32 rows = 4” (10 cm) in stockinette stitch, unblocked

Getting exact gauge is not critical, but it will affect the final size and yardage needed for your shawl. Final size is also dependent on how gently or aggressively you choose to block your shawl.

NOTIONS
• (19) Stitch markers
• Tapestry needle
• Several rust-proof pins
• Blocking wires or smooth, strong string

$6.00 USD

Featured Finished Object Friday :: February 24, 2012

Since the last Featured Finished Object Friday post, the Knit Rhapsody user activity feed has been wonderfully sweater filled. It's definitely a sweater time of year, isn't it? I have a few on the needles myself and can't wait to share what they become with you, but for now, take a look at these beauties made by other lovely knitters :)

The first project I'd like to share with you is SplitStitch's Julissa. I adore everything about her sweater: yarn choice, color, and fit! Plus, this was Jesse's first sweater, and I'd say she did an amazing job, wouldn't you?

Next, is another Julissa, this one made by jessibean on Ravelry. Jessica used a beautiful dove gray yarn, dyed by Tanis Fiber Arts and the finished sweater looks gorgeous on her. And, after seeing two very lovely Julissa's made with this yarn base (including one made by the dyer herself), I'm thinking it's a must try yarn! I'm also quickly realizing why so many knitters love gray yarn! :)

This next project is a stunning example of my Ardelise design, which I haven't seen very many of quite yet:

Not only is the fit awesome and the color absolutely perfect for Spring, but after seeing the back of Davina's cardigan, I was even more inspired:

She cleverly used one of my personal favorite cable embellishments from the well known Gathered Pullover to add some visual interest to the back of the cardigan, and I really love this mod! I'm thinking I may need to follow suit and make a DK weight Ardelise a la sabinaknits, and add this cable detail a la twouglyducks! :)

I hope you've enjoyed seeing these projects as much as I have! Until next time ♥

Note: The photos featured in this post are not my own and are the Copyright of the wonderful knitters mentioned above. Click the links provided to see the Raveler's project page and more gorgeous pictures!

A Playful Day podcast, and a new pattern preview!

As a designer, I have had the wonderful privilege of meeting and befriending many knitterly people through Ravelry and Twitter. I don't know very many knitters in person, so it's nice to have a dedicated way to communicate with like-minded creative people!

More recently, I've had the opportunity to chat with the voice behind A Playful Day blog and podcast. If you haven't already tuned in to her show, be sure to check it out! She is very fun and a joy to listen to, and in her most recent episode, Episode 23: Stop! Sweater Time!, she talks about Julissa, which totally made my day. A very special thank you goes out to her! :)

In other news, I have a new design to share with you today!

I'd been wanting to do another textured yet lacy shawl since designing Sarai, and after some sketching and picking up the perfect yarn (Madelinetosh Pashmina in Tart-yum!) at Sock Summit last Fall, came up with this piece.

The pattern is in its final stages now, and I hope to be able to release it very soon. Stay tuned! :)

First FO of 2012

So today I'd like to share with you my first FO of 2012 - I know, I know... it's already February and I'm only just now getting something off the needles. But, I love this little FO lots, so it's still worth sharing :)

A friend of mine is due to have a little baby girl in one week, and since most of my friends and family have had baby boys, I had to take this opportunity! Knits for baby girls are always fun.

I didn't want to use the typical baby pink/pastels, so I decided to use a skein of Wool Candy Fondant Merino DK in Berry Compote from my stash. I loved working with this yarn, and am so glad I still have a sweater's worth for myself, especially since the dyer just had a baby of her own and discontinued the brand. The colorway is awesome, with splashes of light pink, brick and burgundy reds, and hints of coral. 

As you can imagine, the hat knit up beautifully as well:

My friend really loved a cabled hat I wore recently, so I settled on cables for this pretty little piece. After some trial and error, everything worked out and I really love the result!

In the meantime, even though I don't have any other FOs to share quite yet, this doesn't mean I haven't been been busy planning several projects, swatching and number crunching any minute I get, so I hope to share more with you soon. Until next time! :)

Featured Finished Object Friday :: February 3, 2012

In keeping with my New Year's Resolution of finally getting into the habit of blogging once and for all, one of the bi- (or tri-) weekly blog post themes I'd like to get started again is "Featured Finished Object Friday," which will showcase some of the gorgeous projects that pop up on my Ravelry Designer's User Activity feed 2 weeks up to the Friday of the post. As I mentioned in my first post of this series (back in April 2011-whoa!), browsing other knitters' FO and progress pictures of projects made with my patterns is one of my favorite things to do on Ravelry. I'm always inspired by yarn and color choices, modifications, and really love reading positive comments about my designs. It makes my day every time!

So, without further adieu, here are some of the finished beauties that popped up over January 21-February 3, 2012!

sabinaknits' Ardelise

SOWaters' Alivia

skilovr's Sarai

molliebatmit's Julissa

pfong001's Julissa

Note: The photos featured in this post are not my own and are the Copyright of the wonderful knitters mentioned above. Click the links above each photo to see the Raveler's project page and more photos.