New Pattern: Mount Pollux Pullover

Sweater weather is finally here! There's been a delicious crispness in the air in recent days, and I'm so excited to finally break out my hand-knit cowls, fingerless mitts, hats, shawls, and sweaters. As I type this, I'm wearing a brand-new sweater design, just released on Ravelry: the Mount Pollux pullover.

This roomy tunic-length pullover is named after the Mount Pollux Conservation Area in Amherst, Massachusetts, where the photos were taken. It's designed with a comfy, relaxed fit (shown here modeled with about 10 inches/25 cm positive ease).

To celebrate its release, I'm having an introductory sale: through Sunday, November 19, save 25% on Mount Pollux in my Ravelry store with the coupon code MTPOLLUX25.

Mount Pollux is worked mostly seamlessly. After the split hems are worked flat and joined on a circular needle, the body is worked in the round to the armholes. The upper front and back are worked separately and the shoulders are seamed. Stitches for the sleeves are picked up around the armholes and the sleeves are worked from the top down in the round. I love this method of knitting sleeves because you can try them on as you go to get exactly the length you prefer.

Knit in worsted weight yarn, Mount Pollux features a satisfying mix of knit-purl textures, garter stitch, and lace. For the sample, I used Quince & Co. Owl, a wool/alpaca blend. This was my first time knitting with Owl, and I fell in love with its softness and lovely halo. It knitted up effortlessly into a sweater that's incredibly warm — perfect for chilly winter days ahead.

I loved knitting this sweater — it was one of my favorite projects of 2017. And I love wearing it even more. I hope you enjoy it, too. Thanks very much for reading!

Sneak Peek: Mount Pollux Pullover

I'm excited to be putting finishing touches on the pattern for my Rhinebeck sweater! Just a few more photos to edit and final tweaks to the text and it will be ready. It's called Mount Pollux, after the conservation area in Amherst, Massachusetts, where I shot the photos.

With this design, I'm bucking the "rule" that lace is for spring and summer. The sweater combines a lace stitch that's dense rather than open and airy with contrasting knit-purl textures and garter stitch accents. Worked in wool/alpaca worsted weight yarn (I used Quince & Co. Owl), Mount Pollux will keep you warm and cozy all winter.

This sweater is meant to be worn with a good amount of positive ease, for a relaxed, oversized fit. On my sister Betsey, who modeled, the sweater had a lot of ease (about 10 inches). On me, it's more fitted yet still relaxed, with about 6 inches of ease — just the look I was hoping for.

I look forward to releasing the pattern next week. If you don't already subscribe to my email list, now's a good time to sign up — there will be a special coupon code in the next one.

New Pattern: Ischnura Shawl

Ischnura, a lace-and-garter stitch crescent shawl, is now available on Ravelry. Knit in bulky weight wool, it's a warm and cozy accessory for the winter months ahead. Now through Sunday, it's 25% off with the coupon code SHAWL25.

Named after a genus of damselflies, Ischnura is the third and final lace accessory in my Dragonfly Days collection (the others are the Enallagma shawl and Cordulia cowl). The three patterns may be purchased individually, or in a combined ebook for just $12.

Ischnura is knit with three skeins of Brooklyn Tweed Quarry, a bulky weight wool with beautiful stitch definition and a very high "squish" factor. The blocked shawl has a wingspan of 72 inches, so it's long enough to wrap around your shoulders and stay warm on even the coldest winter day. 

The knitting begins with a pretty lace-and-cable stitch pattern that produces a gently scalloped edge. Following the lace, short rows are worked in garter stitch to shape the shawl. The pattern provides full, step-by-step instructions for the short rows. And the lace stitch is provided in both a chart and written, line-by-line instructions — so whichever you prefer, you're covered.

Ischnura would be a great pattern to make for the Free Fall KAL in the Ravelry Blue Peninsula group (and a beautiful holiday gift, also!). The KAL continues through November 15, so there's still plenty of time to cast on. One of the prizes is a shawl pin from Ideas in Wood, like the one shown in the photo below. Join the KAL and see what everyone's making here.

This was my first time designing with Quarry — and now that I've seen how well it works for cables and lace, it may not be my last. I enjoyed every moment of knitting this shawl, and I hope you like it as much as I do.

Thank you very much for reading!

Sneak Peek: Ischnura Shawl

We're finally getting some fall color here in western Massachusetts. What a warm and late fall it's been! I got some lovely shots of Ischnura, my upcoming shawl, along the Norwottuck bike trail this morning. It brought back memories of the day last summer when I took photos of the Enallagma Shawl, the first design in my Dragonfly Days collection.

Then, it was warm and humid, and there was lots of Queen Anne's Lace and purple loosestrife by the fences on the trail. Today — red, yellow, and orange leaves, and cattails bursting. A completely different, but equally beautiful scene.

The pattern will be ready to publish just as soon as I edit all the photos and finalize the layout — probably later this week. 

In the meantime, here's just one of my Rhinebeck photos. It was bright and very warm at Rhinebeck on Saturday. I managed to wear my wool/alpaca sweater until lunch — then off it came. Because of the heat, there weren't nearly as many gorgeous knits to see, but still — better sunshine than rain, right? Once again, being there reminded me what a friendly and inspiring community the fiber world is. It was so much fun seeing all the beautiful sheep, goats, and alpacas, perusing yarns and spinning fiber (many from small farms), and meeting knitters and other designers. Can't wait till next year!

Countdown to Rhinebeck

The recent warm weather here in New England has been nice, but it also makes me a little nervous — is it global warming, or just an unusually warm fall? I hope these unseasonably high temperatures don't continue through the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival, coming up October 21-22. If it's hot, no one will want to wear their Rhinebeck sweaters or shawls!

I'm so looking forward to Rhinebeck — seeing (and petting and hearing) lots of pretty sheep and goats. And — of course — checking out everybody's gorgeous knitwear. Maybe if all of us knitters wish for crisp, cool, and bright weather, we can make it happen. Let's try!

I'm working like mad on my Rhinebeck sweater and am optimistic it will be finished in time. The pattern won't be published until November, but I can share a few details now: it's a casual women's pullover, with modified drop shoulders, knit in worsted weight yarn (I'm using Quince & Co. Owl, a wool/alpaca blend). It's worked in the round from the bottom up and the only seaming is at the shoulders (or, if you hate seaming, use a three-needle bind-off instead). More details soon!

The other new design I'm working on is the third and final accessory for my Dragonfly Days collection (the first two were the Enallagma Shawl and the Cordulia Cowl). This time around, I've mixed in some cables with the dragonfly lace, to create a crescent-shaped shawl. Worked in bulky weight yarn — Brooklyn Tweed's Quarry — it will be super warm and cozy, perfect for chilly winter days.

In other news: My Chili Pepper Cardigan from the fall 2017 Knitscene is now available as an instant download from Interweave. Did you know my patterns in the Interweave family of publications are available as digital downloads? I participate in the Designer's Choice program, which means my patterns appear both in the magazines and in the Interweave online store. It's a nice program both for knitters and designers — knitters can purchase individual patterns long after the print magazine is no longer on store shelves, and designers receive royalties for those digital sales.

To find my patterns at Interweave, just type the pattern name in the search box. Or, use these direct links:

Chili Pepper Cardigan
Mathews Street Vest
Firehouse Alley Cowl
Drafter's Cardigan
Nested Knots Hat
Stagger Cowl
Morgantown Hat

Are you going to Rhinebeck this year? If you're working on a Rhinebeck sweater, I hope it's going well and you finish with plenty of time to spare!

Throwback Thursday: Meadow Road Pullover

For those of us working on Rhinebeck sweaters, the recent heat wave here in Massachusetts seemed just a little cruel. But — hurray — it's over and more typical New England fall weather is at hand! So I thought this month's Throwback Thursday post really ought to be about a sweater — because what is fall for us knitters if not sweater season?

First published in fall 2014, Meadow Road is one of my most popular sweater designs. Knit in the round from the bottom up, it features a crisp lace-and-twisted-stitch motif on front and back. With a comfortable A-line shape, it can be worn with lots of positive ease or just a little — whichever you prefer. On the model, the sample was worn with about 4.5 inches of positive ease, but many knitters have opted for a more fitted look with great success.

Meadow Road's wide neckline is finished off with a simple edging of reversed stockinette; the long gathered sleeves, which are knit top down, in the round, have the same edging. The sleeves, by the way, are easily modified. Several knitters have opted instead for ribbing or for 3/4-length sleeves. See the project pages for finished Meadow Roads on Ravelry to get some great ideas!

I knit up the sample in Stitch Sprouts Yellowstone, a smooth, very soft sportweight wool/silk blend. Its crisp stitch definition and lovely drape made it the ideal choice for this pattern.

Now through Sunday, October 1, you can save $1.50 off Meadow Road with the coupon code MEADOW in my Ravelry pattern store. Visit the pattern page or use this link to purchase the pattern with the discount already in your cart. Thanks very much for reading!

New Pattern: Cordulia Cowl

Another dragonfly-inspired design has winged its way into my Ravelry pattern store! The Cordulia cowl is now ready for your knitting needles.

To celebrate its release, I'm having an introductory sale: through Sunday, September 24, save 25% on Cordulia with the coupon code COWL25.

Named after a genus of dragonflies, Cordulia is one of three lace accessories in my new ebook collection, Dragonfly Days. The first was the Enallagma shawl, released earlier this summer. The third and final design will be released this fall. 

The Dragonfly Days collection was born during the early days of summer 2017. As I swatched a pretty lace stitch for the Enallagma shawl, I really loved two things about it — the way the cast-on edge naturally formed gentle scallops, and the way parts of the lace resembled dragonfly wings.

The more I worked on the shawl, the more I wanted to explore the lace stitch further. So I played around with it, modifying it to create Cordulia. From start to finish, designing this cowl was an enjoyable process, and I can't wait to work with this beautiful lace stitch again for another design.

I’ve always been fascinated by dragonflies. I love their glittering wings. I love watching them dart back and forth over the water. Although they’re so quick, they make me want to slow down — slow down and pay closer attention to the natural world. 

With the Dragonfly Days patterns, you can keep the warmth of summer and the magic of dragonflies near you all year long. I hope you enjoy them — and thanks very much for reading!

Sneak Peek: Cordulia Cowl

The marigold-dyed cowl is finished! Here it is, just off the needles and ready for blocking:

I'm going to call it Cordulia, which is a genus of dragonflies. This is my second dragonfly-inspired design (the first was the Enallagma Shawl). I used a 24-inch US5/3.75mm circular needle and one skein of Foxhill Farm DK-weight Cormo, which I dyed with marigolds (it took about 295 yards/270 m). If you're curious about how I dyed the yarn, there's more info in this blog post.

Here's how it looks after a light blocking:

I've finished the pattern and sent it off to my tech editor, so it won't be too long before it's ready to publish. Look for it before the end of September.

P.S. The Free Fall KAL in the Blue Peninsula Ravelry group just kicked off the other day. Each week as we knit, we're also discussing a different topic. This week the topic is: What are your favorite resources for learning new techniques? Books and magazines, classes at your LYS, online videos, your knitting group?

You're welcome to join the KAL anytime between now and November 15, to share your thoughts and knit any of my designs (new projects and WIPs are both welcome). At the end of the KAL, prizes will be awarded randomly to posts in the discussion thread, so everyone who participates has a chance to win, even if they don't finish their project. Hope to see you!

Free Fall KAL

Ready to start a new knitting project for fall? Come join us for the Free Fall KAL in the Ravelry Blue Peninsula group! 

Lasting just over eight weeks, the Free Fall KAL allows plenty of time for finishing larger projects, like sweaters or shawls, without feeling pressured. To keep the focus on the fun of knitting and getting to know fellow knitters — rather than on finishing by a deadline — the prizes will be awarded randomly to posts in the discussion thread. So if you tend to avoid knitalongs because you're not a fast knitter, or just don't like knitting with a deadline looming over your head, this is the KAL for you.

The Free Fall KAL starts next Friday, September 15. I hope you'll join us!

Marigold Dyeing

Happy Labor Day! I hope you're having a beautiful holiday (or a beautiful regular day, if you're not in the U.S.). I've just come back from a ride on our local bike trail. So glad I went! It's sunny, a little breezy, and an all-around gorgeous day. After yesterday's rain, there was no doubt in my mind that today had to include getting out in the sun.

Sunshine has been the theme of this long weekend (even during the rainy parts), thanks to my latest natural dyeing experiment. I decided to try dyeing with marigolds, using some Cormo yarn that I bought from Foxhill Farm's booth at the Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Fair in May.

It was a great success! The flowers produced a beautiful sunshine-y yellow:

After consulting my favorite natural dyeing reference — Jenny Dean's Wild Color — I gathered both fresh and spent blooms from the pots of marigolds on my balcony and let them soak in water for about an hour. I strained the water into my dye pot — an old enamel pot I picked up for a few cents at a yard sale — and heated it to a very gentle simmer. While the dye pot was heating, I prepared the yarn by immersing it in a mordant bath, using a tablespoon of alum for the mordant. 

After letting the dye pot cool down a bit, I added the yarn, which immediately took on a yellow hue. So pretty! I then put the pot back on low heat and let it stay there for about 45 minutes, gently stirring the yarn every so often to promote even dyeing (but not agitating it, to avoid felting).

I'm not usually drawn to yellows for knitting but this one is just so cheerful. I couldn't wait to get it on my needles. While the yarn was drying, I got busy plotting and charting. I've already cast on a new design — a dragonfly-inspired cowl, using a modified version of the lace stitch from my Enallagma Shawl. It's coming along nicely:

Every time I wear this cowl, it will remind me of summer sun lighting up the marigolds. I'm definitely going to save more of the spent blooms for dyeing again later this fall, after Rhinebeck (I'm hoping to pick up more yarn for dyeing there).

Have you ever dyed with marigolds? Or other flowers? Please leave a comment — I'd love to hear how it worked out for you. 

P.S. We're starting to plan the next KAL in the Ravelry Blue Peninsula group. I've set up a poll to find out what everybody would like to do. Hope you'll come and vote, and join us for fall knitting fun!