Sugar

I'm happy to say that my newest design, Sugar, is included in the latest edition of Petite Purls.

I loved knitting this sweater.  From the open, lacy look, to the yarn, it all came together easily.  

The yoked cardigan features an i-cord cast on and bind off.  I have to admit I was hesitant about including both of these techniques in the design.  I tried an i-cord bind off unsuccessfully two years ago when I was knitting a blanket for my youngest niece.  I gave up after a few tries and just crocheted a neat little edge around the whole thing.

But a more recent try at knitting Paper Dolls by Kate Davies encouraged me to give the i-cord cast on a try.  And it was such a success that I figured it was worth trying the i-cord bind off again.  And this time the technique just made much more sense to me.

Some knitters say that you should let the yarn speak to you and tell you what it wants to be.  As I've followed this advice more recently, I've abandoned more projects than I care to admit because the yarn just isn't the right fit for the pattern I'm working on.  But I think the same thing can be true about techniques.  Sometimes you just have to wait for the right project and what was difficult before is easy now.  It's all about patience I suppose.

I hope you enjoy knitting Sugar as much as I loved designing it!

  

new pattern in the works

Despite the 80 degree days, until just yesterday, and time still spent at the beach, there are hints of fall in the air everywhere.  The mornings are cool, pumpkins are popping up on doorsteps, and some of the leaves are even changing.

I've recently finished up a new design: a girls' sleeveless sweater with a textured cowl neck, worked from the bottom up with minimal seaming.  It's a sophisticated little sweater and cozy warm too.  Perfect for fall. Or not too cold winters.

I'm looking for some knitters to test the pattern for me.  And I'm in the middle of knitting up another one myself.  If you'd like to test  the pattern, you can sign up in the Free Pattern Testers forum on Ravelry.  Thanks!

Low Tide Convertible Mittens

I am very excited that my most recent design--the Low Tide Convertible Mittens--has been published by Three Irish Girls! My inspiration for the design came last winter and spring when I was walking the beaches in Maine. I was looking for sea glass but every time I stopped to pick some up, my fingers just ached from the cold. I wanted a convertible mitten, but I also wanted to incorporate a lace design that reminded me of the water. So the Low Tide Convertible Mittens were born.





I knit the sample for this design in Three Irish Girls' "Zephyr" colorway on Springvale Super Merino. It's a beautiful, soft yarn that's machine washable. She's released a number of new colorways and patterns--all available to see in the Fall Lookbook.

To purchase the pattern for the Low Tide Convertible Mittens, visit Three Irish Girls' website here: http://www.threeirishgirls.com/product_p/p-lowtideconvertiblemittens.htm

a sweater for my baby

I've been thinking about designing a sweater for a while now, and had an idea for one I wanted to knit. I finally found the right yarn and enough time to sit down and figure it all out. I ran out of yarn before I could finish it up exactly as I wanted to, and now that I've knit it once, there are a few things about the design I would change, but I'm happy with it.

So here's her sweater. And she's adorable, if I do say so myself.

reverse rice stitch cowl: free pattern

I designed a cowl for myself late last fall. Read my first post about it here. As promised, here's the pattern.

Reverse Rice Stitch Cowl

Yarn: 1 skein DK weight wool. I used a local alpaca, 150 yards to the skein.
Needle: size 7 16” circular needle
Other materials: stitch marker, yarn needle

Gauge: not terribly important, but approximately 5 stitches per inch in pattern

Finished size: 18” around and 8” high

CO 90 stitches using a stretchy cast on. I used the german twisted cast on method for this cowl, but the long tail cast on method would work too. Here's a video teaching the german twisted cast on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfFadEumBak

Join in the round being careful not to twist stitches. Place marker.

Row 1: Knit all stitches
Row 2: *K, Ptbl, repeat around

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until cowl is desired length and end on row 1.

Bind off using a picot bind off that creates a 2 stitch picot. To do this, cast on 2 stitches using the cable cast on method. Bind off 4 stitches. Slip the stitch on the right needle onto your left needle and repeat casting on 2 and binding off four until you've come to the end of the round.

I found these directions in Knitty to be very helpful in illustrating the picot bind off: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall06/FEATfall06TT.html

Weave in ends and wear!

This is the first pattern I've ever written down. If you find an error, please let me know.

©2010 Pumpkin Pie Baby.

I'm happy to have crafters hand knit finished objects from my patterns to sell. I only ask that you please provide credit to me in your listing as follows:
This cowl is knit according to the Reverse Rice Stitch Cowl pattern designed by Pumpkin Pie Baby. You can find her patterns here: http://pumpkin-pie-baby.blogspot.com.

Please do not sell copies of the pattern or make copies for distribution. Thank you.

reverse rice stitch cowl

Here's the back story for my cowl. This past August, something happened that made my husband feel badly for me. I honestly cannot remember what that something was. I'm going to guess he felt badly that I was sleep deprived and overwhelmed as a new mother of 3 because that was how I felt just about every day last summer (and now).

So, my husband came home from work with a beautiful skein of hand dyed alpaca yarn from a local farm. He had stopped at a farmer's market during the day and had bought me a little treat to make me feel better. If I'm remembering correctly, I believe he also brought me home some lobster, and at the time I was too embarrassed by his generosity to tell him that my parents had already taken me out for lobster earlier in the day. But I got over my embarrassment quickly and enjoyed the dinner he brought me.

On to the cowl: I wanted to make sure that I knit the yarn he gave me into something special. I spent some time looking online at different stitch patterns and came across the rice stitch. What I liked about rice stitch is that the right and wrong sides of the fabric are different but equally beautiful. I designed the cowl to be worn with either the right or wrong sides facing out. Either way will work. In all honesty, though, I find myself liking the "wrong" side of the cowl more.

This is one of the first knit items I've ever designed myself, and I'm really happy with the results. The picot edge was a last minute decision as I was binding off and I think it adds another layer of texture to the cowl.

The "wrong" side first:

The rice stitch:

I will post a pattern for the cowl as soon as I get it written up.