New Pattern: Tortoise Shells Socks

Just published: a new sock pattern called Tortoise Shells.

Worked in the round, from the top down, the Tortoise Shells Socks feature cable-and-lace medallions (like tortoise shells in miniature) encircling the upper leg. Pretty columns of faux-cable twists flow down to the foot, set off by a bit of 2x2 ribbing at the sides.

They're knit with 385 yards/355 m of sock yarn. The sample pair are in Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere, in a colorway called Strange Harvest. I loved this color more and more as I knit the socks. Its rich blend of golds and greens seemed absolutely perfect for fall.

The pattern provides complete instructions for a women's medium size. You can easily make them smaller or larger by changing the needle size and/or yarn weight. The stitch patterns are given in both written form and charts, and instructions for grafting the toes using kitchener stitch are included.

The test knitters in the Blue Peninsula Ravelry group have had very positive things to say about these socks: "This pattern is practically knitting itself!" "Pattern is well written and creates a lovely finished project." For me, it's been great to see that these socks look good in both variegated yarns and solids. View finished and in-progress Tortoise Shells here — maybe they'll inspire you to make your very own!

P.S. Did you know Etsy is holding a big Labor Day Sale? I'm excited to join the fun, with 25% off individual knitting patterns in my Etsy shop, August 31 through September 4. There's no minimum and no coupon code needed. It's a great time to stock up on patterns for your fall projects!

Sneak Peek: Tortoise Shells Socks

The pattern is edited, testers are knitting up the socks, and photos are in the bag. I'm almost ready to publish this new sock pattern!

Look for the pattern early next week. I'll be sending out the newsletter next week, too — with a special discount code. So watch your email! If you don't already subscribe, you can sign up here.

Have a beautiful weekend!

A Sock's Progress

I saw a few red leaves on a maple tree in the backyard the other morning. That, and new coolness in the air, made me realize it's time to savor every remaining moment of summer.

I love the freedom and ease of wearing sandals, but even so, I'm not sad to start thinking about wearing my hand-knit socks again. I've had a great time the past few weeks working on a new sock design. It's got cables and lace, something for everyone. The yarn is the luxurious Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere. Cashmere! Always a happy fiber to knit with.

One sock is done and I've sent the pattern to the tech editor. That's progress!

If you're interested in test knitting, please keep an eye on the Blue Peninsula Ravelry group — I'll post a call there pretty soon.

Throwback Thursday: Pomegranate Pullover

It may be far too warm for wool sweaters right now, but that doesn't stop me thinking about them! The knitting part of my brain is already obsessed with fall. In fact, this week I cast on my Rhinebeck sweater. It's a new design — a pullover in worsted weight yarn (Quince & Co. Owl). More on that in the weeks ahead.

With this post, I'm introducing a new feature on the blog — Throwback Thursdays. Every now and then, I'll post about an "oldie but goodie," to introduce newer followers of my designs to patterns they may not have seen yet (and maybe remind longtime followers about designs they forgot they had in their queues!).

So let's start with one of my most popular sweater patterns, the Pomegranate Pullover.

Knit in sportweight yarn (I used Quince & Co. Chickadee), Pomegranate features a wide lace panel on front and back, deep hip ribbing, and crisp twisted ribbing on the sleeves and neckband. It's worked in the round from the bottom up and there's not much seaming — just the shoulders — because the set-in sleeves are worked top down, using short rows to shape the sleeve caps. 

It's a versatile, classic pattern that looks terrific on many different figures. More than 170 knitters have posted finished Pomegranates on Ravelry, and it's really wonderful to see the wide range of colors and yarns they've used with great success. It's also nice to read how some knitters have made modifications to make this design truly their own. Some have knit long sleeves, some have converted it to a cardigan, others have skipped the lace on the back, and some have changed up the style of the neckband.

Want to give Pomegranate a try? The pattern is on sale in my Ravelry store for 25% off today through Sunday, August 6, with the coupon code POM25. Happy fall knitting!

New Pattern: Enallagma Shawl

Just published today: a new lace shawl called Enallagma.

Named after pretty blue damselflies, the Enallagma shawl combines eye-catching lace with restful garter stitch. It's on sale on Ravelry for 25% off with the coupon code DAMSELFLY through August 1.

The lace section is worked straight without shaping, then the shawl tapers along one side, until just a few stitches remain. This means the knitting goes faster and faster as you go, since you're always working fewer stitches.

There are lots of ways to style Enallagma. Wear it loosely draped over your shoulders or wrap it once or twice around like a scarf. Wear the dragonfly lace in front or in back. Fasten it with a shawl pin for extra style.

For the photos, I chose a handmade pin from the Etsy shop ideasinwood. I was really thrilled when it arrived — it's beautifully crafted, and the little circle in the center of the design seemed a perfect match for the shawl's eyelet rows.

Enallagma is knit in DK weight yarn — you'll need about 600 yards/550 m. For my sample, I used a wool and mohair blend called Thelma & Louise from a small farm in Vermont, Wing and a Prayer Farm.

I've been following shepherdess Tammy White's Instagram feed and blog for a long time. She writes about her animals with so much love and affection, you really start to care about them — a lot! So I was thrilled to score a few skeins of Thelma & Louise at Rhinebeck last fall. Hopefully, the closeup photos here give you some idea of its softness and lovely halo. Without a doubt, it's one of the most beautiful yarns I've ever knit with.

Although I took lots of photos near water, no dragonflies obliged me and appeared in any of them — maybe it was too early in the morning? But that's OK — they're there in spirit in the lace. I know that whenever I wear Enallagma, even in coldest winter, it will take me back to summer and the magic of dragonflies darting to and fro.

Thanks very much for reading!

Sneak Peek: Enallagma Shawl

Spend time near any lake or pond in summer here in New England and you're sure to see dragonflies and damselflies. Since the lace in my new shawl design reminds me of them, I decided to call it Enallagma, after the pretty blue damselflies.

This shawl has an asymmetrical shape similar to my Notch shawl. But while Notch begins from a few stitches and grows wider and wider, Enallagma is just the opposite: after working the lace section, one edge gradually tapers during the garter stitch-and-eyelet rows until finally there are just five stitches to bind off. So the knitting goes faster and faster as you go, which I found to be a great motivator to keep knitting!

Can you see from these photos what a lovely halo the yarn has? This undyed wool/mohair blend called Thelma & Louise comes from sheep and angora goats with those very names at Wing & a Prayer Farm in Vermont. I purchased it last fall at the annual New York Sheep and Wool Festival (aka Rhinebeck) with a shawl in mind. Now, many months later, that glimmer of an idea is a reality.

Summer lace — in nature and in knitting

The pattern will be published just as soon as I finish editing photos and finalizing the layout. In the meantime, if you'd like to start planning, you'll need about 600 yards/550 m of DK weight or light worsted weight yarn, and US 6/4.00mm and US 7/4.50mm needles.

Pattern Spotlight: Plumtree Socks

Since I published the Plumtree Socks last month, eight knitters have already finished them. It's nice to see how quickly this sock design knits up! Sometimes it seems as though a pair of socks can take forever. They're not large compared to sweaters, but there's a lot of stitches packed into each sock. 

It's also nice to see that knitters have used a wide variety of yarns in a range of colors and they all look great. I love it when a design is adaptable and doesn't limit knitters' choices. 

The Plumtree Socks are a good "advanced beginner" sock pattern—perfect if you're ready to move beyond a simple "plain vanilla" stockinette or ribbed sock, but aren't ready (or aren't in the mood) for an overly complicated or difficult pattern. See what you think!

Elizabeth knit her powder blue Plumtrees in Coopknits Socks Yeah! She describes them as a "fun, relaxing knit," and it looks like her kitty likes them, too!

Nadia used Miss Babs Yummy 2-ply in sunny Jonquil for her Plumtrees. She modified the number of stitch pattern repeats on the leg and foot to get a perfect fit.

For her fiery orange Plumtrees, Brenda used one of her own hand-dyed sock yarns (End of the Row Yarns). Her pattern page says that "the end result is a beautiful sock that fits great!" As a designer, I can't ask for better feedback. 

Beth knit her Plumtrees in orange, too. She used Jill Draper Makes Stuff Splendor Sock in a summery colorway called Tiger Lily.

Miss Babs Yummy 2-Ply has been used a couple of times so far. Hattie knit her Plumtrees in the juicy Ladybug colorway. She says it's "the ideal sock pattern."

Another juicy color is Countess by Fiberstory FAVE Sock, which Barb used for her Plumtrees. It made me so happy to read on her project page that she's gotten her sock knitting mojo back. Yay!

If your color preferences veer toward neutrals, you may like Sabina's grey Plumtrees. She knit them up in the Great Grey Owl colorway of Madelinetosh Twist Light, and says the lace pattern is "rhythmic and relaxing." 

Me, I love socks in a rich gold or yellow ochre (witness Couplet), so I have to admit I really swooned over Amy's golden Plumtrees in Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Lichen. I also was happy to read that she's glad the pattern includes directions for Kitchener Stitch (for grafting the toe). I know knitters can look Kitchener up, but I feel the pattern is more complete and helpful if the instructions are right there when you need them.

I hope you've enjoyed this colorful parade of Plumtrees! If you'd like to try the pattern, take 20% off in my Ravelry store now through Sunday, July 23, with the coupon code COLORFUL.

New Pattern: Chili Pepper Cardigan

The fall 2017 Knitscene is out! It's full of beautiful sweaters—including my Chili Pepper Cardigan.

Chili Pepper is an open-front cardigan featuring a pretty lozenge stitch on its cuffs and fronts. It's a comfortable classic you'll wear for years to come—and it's equally at home in the office or on weekends.

Knit in DK weight yarn (Valley Yarns Northfield, a soft merino/alpaca/silk blend), Chili Pepper is nearly seamless. It's worked in one piece to the armholes, then fronts and back are knit separately. After seaming the shoulders and back neck, the sleeves are worked top down, in the round. A touch of shaping gives the body a swingy, A-line shape.

In addition to lots of great patterns, the fall Knitscene has an article on slipstitch colorwork, tips for getting a good fit, and an interview with Krysten Ritter. Find it at your favorite yarn shop or bookstore or purchase the digital issue directly from Interweave.

Photos: F&W Media/Harper Point Photography

Celebrations: Blue Peninsula Newsletter Anniversary

In July 2014, I finished writing the very first Blue Peninsula newsletter and sent it off to my new subscribers—an exciting step in my journey as a knitwear designer! Since then, I've grown to love sending out the monthly updates about new patterns, sales, knitalongs, and other events.

Now, three years later, the newsletter is going strong and continues to be a joy to write and send. So a celebration and thanks are in order! The next newsletter will have something special in it only for subscribers. It's going out this coming week, so now's a great time to subscribe if you don't already. Sign up here.

Lots of planning + lots of yarn = new designs for you! Shown here: My Blue Peninsula planning/task journal (by Peter Pauper Press) and Fibre Co. Meadow, left over from my Calliopsis Cowl.

A New Look for Blue Peninsula

Hi, and welcome! I'm so excited to launch a brand-new look for the Blue Peninsula website. 

The old site was really just a customized blog. It was ready for retirement ages ago—I simply needed to find the time to set up a new site. So here it is at last, all shiny and new and ready for visitors. Have fun looking around—I hope you like it.

To celebrate, I'm having a pattern giveaway! FIVE comments on this post will be chosen randomly to receive a coupon code for a free pattern from my Ravelry pattern store. All you need to do is leave a comment with your Ravelry username and answer this question: Have you started planning your fall knitting projects yet? If you have, what are some patterns in your queue?

I'll choose the winners on Friday, July 14. Good luck!