Wrapping up this Year's Etsy Life Cycle

Procurement, production, photography, product listing, promotion, packing orders--the Etsy business cycle. It's been keeping me plenty busy as the year winds down.

During my hiatus related to my parents' aging and passing, I lost a lot of momentum in regards to my shop. The time spent with Dad and Mom was so important and so full of blessings. that I have absolutely no regrets.

It's taking a lot of time and effort, but slowly and surely I am regaining my footing and online confidence again. I'm hoping that my sense of humor returns soon, too.

Over the next several posts I'll get you caught up with some of the things that have been in the works. In this post there are some wraps in holiday photos.

The shawl in the Old Shale stitch variation was finished. I decided on a different gift for the redhead, so I put the shawl in my shop. This is how it looks when worn as a scarf:

The Candlelight Shawl in Alpaca and Merino

It's so unbelievably soft and luxurious that it was tempting to keep it, but alas, not the perfect colorway for my skin tone.

Here are some product photos that were re-shot in order to have a little Christmas spirit in the shop:

Chevron Scarf in Sangria Colors - Hand-spun and Commercial Wool

Salsa Fever Shawl - Dropped Stitch Shawl or Oversized Scarf

It's been fun to make the shop a little festive for the season. These photos were fun to take.

Update on the Old Shale Shawl Project

Three week ago I shared a photo of a swatch for a ripple pattern that is a type of Old Shale Pattern, of which there are many variations. I started a shawl in this pattern as a gift, and it has been fun to knit because of the relaxing rhythm to the undulating waves.

This shawl combines three different yarns: one laceweight merino yarn has been paired with a thin yarn that is a combination of 78% Suri Alpaca and 22% nylon. (See the ball on the lower left corner of the photo.) The Suri Alpaca has a superb fiber halo, almost like mohair. The third yarn is the other ball in the picture. It is 100% superfine alpaca. I am alternating these two balls every two rows.

This shawl is 90% complete. When it's been finished and blocked, I'll post more photos of it and also the ball bands from the yarn.

The colors are like candlelight or the canyons in Utah. (It's for a redhead who is going to look great in it.)

Wave Hello

A girl just has to swatch if she wants to create new design ideas. It may not feel productive to knit up a little square, but it is a critical piece of information about whether your finished design will actually work like you think it should.

This past weekend I was on the search for some kind of ripple or wave pattern to use in an Outlander-inspired scarf/shawl. So off I went to the my knitter's bible bookshelf to consult the Barbara Walker Treasury books and found the Old Shale pattern, a traditional Scottish knitting stitch.

Next I consulted this great book, 200 Ripple Stitch Patterns, by Jane Eaton. She has a couple of Old Shale variations in her collection.

The cool thing about this book is that it includes both knit and crochet stitch patterns. It's a great resource if you like to make afghans!

I made a half dozen swatches before creating a favorite variation. The swatch in the photo was the last one to be made before I decided what to do for my shawl.

I'll be writing some more about the Old Shale pattern later and sharing photos of the project in progress. Meanwhile, here is a treasure for you. It's a baby blanked called Old Shale Variations, by Mary Spanos, that uses over 40 different variations of the Old Shale pattern, and it's a free Ravelry download. Cool find! (There was one pattern almost the same as mine, but not quite.)

Have fun exploring, and share in the comments any of your ripple experiences, or what you are working on now.

A Wrap to Treasure

It's for me. That's what I decided after spending 40 hours on this wrap, because I became so attached to it. Here it is scarf style:

This wrap/scarf was fun to make. I was going for an organic look that was somewhat wispy but weighted and textural. It is made from a lightweight single strand of soft merino wool by Madeleine Tosh. The product line is Prairie and the hue is French Grey, which sadly is a discontinued color. In some light it looks grey, but mostly it looks taupe.

Here it is as a wrap, lightweight, but surprisingly warm:

The techniques used were knitting, crochet, hand-stitching and beading. In the close up photo you can see the beaded edging:

Now I'm working out ideas of how to making something similar that won't take as long, so I could make some that would be more affordable and easier to document if I ever get around to pattern writing.

Meanwhile, come on cool weather! I'm ready for you!

Same Fiber; Different Projects

In November and December I finally put new inventory in my shop. You see, I was frantically knitting my way through grief again. After each of my parents passed away, knitting became a solace.

This series of items are all from the same type of fiber in similar colorways. All were fun to make and cheered me.  The cowl, or infinity scarf, unwrapped:

Vineyard Celebration Cowl

It was designed to hug the neck closely, so it is practical in cold weather. Don't you get annoyed with cowls that hang down too far and do nothing to protect your neck from the cold?

Here how it looks wrapped twice around the neck. Compact, snuggly, soft, and warm.

Then, there had to be the scarf/wrap version. Same design only longer, and no weaving together of ends for me. Hooray! I could just knit and knit!

This scarf is knit in stockinette stitch (jersey). You have to continually switch sizes of knitting needles to accommodate the two different yarn weights if you do not want the thinner yarn to have large holes like in scribble lace. This is the same idea as scribble lace, but, the scarf's thicker yarns create a denser product for winter warmth.

The thinner yarn for these two projects has sequins. (Love them!) They cheered me up while knitting, and if you are knitting your way through grief, you get help wherever you can.

Because the scarf is jersey knit, the edges tend to roll towards the back. You can shake it out from the long sides and wear it as a shawl or wrap:

Finally, this twisted rib scarf was made by alternately two different colorways of the fat yarn every two rows. Same idea as Brooklyn Tweed's Noro Scarf, but a much thicker and softer yarn and cool twisted stitches. One of the colorways was the same as the one used in the Vineyard Cowl and the Vineyard Scarf.

Twisted-Rib Colorplay Scarf

It's fun. Super thick, soft, long, and skinny. I may need to knit one for myself.

Star Lattice Stitch on the Needles

Yesterday it was way too sunny and nice to knit, but today I am back at it. On the needles is a star lattice pattern for a warm winter scarf.

It's eight inches wide and will be at least six feet long.

Knitted Love

Hearts and knitting combine for great gifts even after Valentine's Day!

Knitted angora blend cowl "Hearts" by foldi

Merino wool beaded fingerless gloves by evarica

3 Knit Heart Ornaments by Rue23Paris

Art Yarn Scarf

So much fun to make!

This is the scarf that was knit from the art yarn in the last post.

You can also wear it wrapped like a cowl by using a scarf pin to fasten it.

All of a sudden I feel a new zest for spinning!

If you are interested in purchasing some read-to-knit arty yarn or if you want the fiber to spin your own art yarn, Elizabeth Drake, the friend from my spinning guild who created the fiber batt for the scarf in this post, has just opened her Etsy shop. She will be stocking it soon with all kinds of yummy fiber. Mark her shop as a favorite and visit it often to see what she is selling.

Finished with Holiday Knitting!

Wahoo! Today I finished all my gift knitting for the holidays--and it's not even Fall yet! I started in January because it was too crazy last year knitting all those fingerless mitts at the last minute.

Can't show you pictures--you never know who might be peeking--but here are some cute patterns for sale on Etsy for holiday knitted gifts. If you are looking for ideas, check these out:

Holly, Ivy, & Steve--Three Christmas Hooligans Ornament Knitting Pattern by dangercrafts

Petal Hat Pattern in Adult, Infant & Child Sizes by PinkPolishDesign

Christmas Trees Beaded Dog Sweater Knitting Pattern by mysavannahcottage 

Sock Knitting Pattern: Luxury Lace Socks by WearableArtEmporium

Christmas Lights Alpaca Scarf PDF Pattern by PhydeauxDesigns

Wool Snowbaby Knitting Pattern by woollysomething

PDF Knitting Pattern Bavarian Twist Stitch Christmas Stocking by MountainMist

 Xmas Elf Stocking Cap PDF Patten by lillebarn

More Swatching

You've got to learn to love making swatches if you want to design knitted or crocheted items. I don't really love it, to be honest, but I am learning to like it because is saves time and heartache in the long run.

Some hand knit and machine knit swatches.

When you are knitting someone else's pattern, you make a little swatch (4 inches square at a minimum) because no two people knit or crochet at the same tension. Even on a good day, you might not be able to match the tension in a project that you had when you were working on it the day before. That's because we can be looser or tighter with the hooks and needles depending on our mood and physical state.  If you want your garment to come out the right size after spending all that time knitting, it's a good idea to make a swatch. Maybe even two.

In general, I tend to knit tightly and usually have to go up a needle size or two to match someone else's pattern gauge, and if I am tense or hassled or tired, even three sizes bigger.

Machine knit swatches are faster to make but pile up quickly.

Okay, it makes sense to swatch someone else's design, but why do you swatch your own? Well, the ideas that seem the greatest in your head don't always end up working out so well in the hand. A swatch will show you where your thinking was off and help you to modify a design idea.

Accessories are often smallish in nature, and it can be argued that one might as well make the whole item right off; however, if you are making anything larger than a breadbox, or even a toaster, a swatch is a good idea.

Swatch for a current project that's way bigger than a breadbox.

Crochet & Knit Genius: Vanessa Montoro

Haven't heard of Brazilian designer Vanessa Montoro? Her crochet and knit fashion genius is a recent discovery for me, too.

Vanessa's designs have a timeless, rustic elegance and are crafted from luxury handspun threads of wool and silk which are dyed with pigments from organic materials such as coffee, mate-herb, and eucalyptus.

Checkout this video that showcases her work:



And also check our her website...

Viking Knitting

For years I've been waiting for the right opportunity to take a class in viking knitting--and a few weeks ago the time was finally right!

Working with wire can be really challenging to learn, but the finished pieces are so much fun to wear.

This technique does in fact create a knitted wire tube, but the process of creating it is counterintuitive.

The work is done in the opposite direction as you normally work with knitting needles. That is, the "stitches" are worked from the top down by weaving the wire underneath the previous round.

It really is more of a weaving technique, but the end result produces a "fabric" of twisted knit stitches that is very durable.

Here the ensemble that went on my arm to the office today. It's a lot of fun putting different textures together. I made the top bracelet using an old 2-ply braiding technique and the middle one is a bead crochet rope bangle.

And the viking knit bracelet really needed a companion necklace. Here's a little detail showing one of my favorite frog beads.

If you like wire jewelry, be sure to stop back by the blog on Friday. There will be an interview with a young artist who does amazing jewelry design with wire crochet.

Dance and Knit or Crochet

Wow! Now this is my kind of event: a tea dance at a venue with a "great big shiny dance floor", a DJ playing music from the 20s, 30s, 40, & 50s, and a "knitting, crochet, and craft corner." You can read the announcement over at the Artyarn blog.

Leave it to the Brits to come up with an event featuring such a marvelous combination! If it were close by, Mr. Cha Cha and I would surely go. I could take both my dance shoes and a knitting project!

So, what would one where to this tea dance that has a craft corner? Something both crafty-fashionable and danceable. Something like one of the artsy, sexy items below would be just perfect.

Recycled crochet doilies dress are really hot right now:

Recycled Doilie Dress by thewindowlady

Cocoon Crochet Dress (Reserved for Martha) by Ruby Pearl

I'm not sure you could easily dance in it, but this crochet tunic is pretty sexy:

Irish Lace Tunic by FlyingcowBG

How about this not-only-for-weddings dress:

Peach Wedding Dress by subrosa123

Or, if you want to crochet your own very danceable dress, check out this Lily Chin pattern available through the Interweave store.
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Bring on the Cold Weather!

This time of year it's fun to bring out all your lovely knit goodies from storage. I just love feeling all snugly in a special scarf, sweater or winter hat.

Coming to the shop soon is this extra snugly scarf, called "Wine Bars". It is knit up from two different yarns in a traditional pattern done in a modern way. The wine bars are knit from a soft commercial yarn that is a wool/acrylic blend. The lighter garnet stripes are of my own handspun bulky 2-ply yarn. This particular scarf has a lot of heft and will really keep you warm.

If there were time to knit for me...

I'd make this gorgeous keyhole scarf, Rodekool, designed by Nancy Marchant and featured in the Deep Fall issue of Knitty.

It's worked in brioche stitch, which has captivated my imagination since I bought the designer's book:

Alas, it will have to wait because I'm in the thick of knitting hats, cowls, and neckwarmers for my store. There will be photos as soon as they are dry enough to take off the blocking table.

Mondo Lace Cowl--Asterisque

My love affair with Asterisque began with a browse through the Etsy store Phydeaux. Brenda, the proprietress, has a wonderful aesthetic that resonates with me because of her application of color and texture in her designs. As luck would have it, I won a giveaway on Brenda's blog and got to chose a pattern from her store. I took no time to make my choice.

As soon as the pattern arrived, out came the knitting needles that look like broomsticks. Darned big old things that feel unwieldy in my hands.

I never have liked working with size 19 straight needles or anything larger, and this time was no different. A quick change to an Addi size 19 circular needle made a huge difference and everything start to click!

This super fast project has ginormous flare and can be worn multitudinous ways.

It feels so soft and cosy that cold weather is seriously gonna be fun this year.

As an added treat, I also won this marvelous wash for fine fibers on the giveaway:

It smells so great that I may add it to my bathwater!

Knitting patterns for Brenda's beautifully contemporary designs can be found at Phydeaux Designs or on Ravelry.