New Pattern: Downy Hat

December 28, 2018 Bonnie Sennott

The Downy Hat has winged its way into my Ravelry pattern store, where it’s 20% off with the coupon code DOWNY20 through January 2.

This stranded-color toque was inspired by the colors and markings of one of my favorite winter birds, the downy woodpecker. It comes in four sizes, with circumferences of 16 (18, 20, 22) inches/41 (46, 51, 56) cm, which means you can make a Downy for everybody in your family.

Topped off with a fun pom-pom, the Downy Hat is knit with four colors of DK weight wool. For the sample, I used a beautiful yarn called Buachaille, by Kate Davies Designs, in Highland Coo, Haar, Squall, and Ptarmigan.

You can find Downy in my Etsy shop as well, where it’s also on sale for 20% off through January 2.

If you plan to make a Downy Hat for yourself, consider joining the Treat Yourself KAL in the Ravelry Blue Peninsula group. This lively annual knitalong is all about making a project that makes you happy, a garment or accessory just for you, in yarns and colors you love. It starts on Monday, January 14. As always there will be lovely prizes of yarns and other self-care goodies. Find the Treat Yourself KAL here.

Thank you very much for reading!

New Pattern: Tutti Wrap

December 4, 2018 Bonnie Sennott

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the coldest months of the year are just ahead, and that means it's time to wrap yourself in warm, woolly knits. I've got a new design that will help you do just that: the Tutti Wrap.

Tutti is a big rectangular wrap that epitomizes hygge — the Danish quality of comfort and coziness. It's on sale for 20% off in my Ravelry pattern store with the coupon code TUTTI20.

Tutti is one of six designs in a new Stitch Sprouts collection featuring their Crater Lake yarn, a soft bulky weight merino with great stitch definition. The collection also includes a shawlette by Barbara Benson, a cowl by Mindy Wilkes, a hat and mitts by Heather Zoppetti, and a pullover by Jennifer Dassau.

When the call for submissions went out early this year, I was struck by the architectural details in the photos of barns in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania: metal bands encircling a silo, diamond-shaped hinges on barn doors, weathered windows. I pulled out my graph paper and began playing around with geometric motifs and knit-purl textures. I landed on a sequence that brought all of these elements into play, and the result was Tutti.

The Ravelry Tutti sale continues through December 31. The pattern is also available in my Etsy shop and from Loveknitting.

Thanks very much for reading!

New Pattern: Pom2 Pullover

November 26, 2018 Bonnie Sennott

Just released: the pattern for my 2018 Rhinebeck sweater, Pom2. It’s now available in my Ravelry pattern store, where you can save 25% with the coupon code POM25 through December 2.

Since I designed Pomegranate back in 2011, I’ve changed a lot and so has my style. These days, I’m happiest in simple, comfortable sweaters. So I decided, why not rework Pomegranate into a pullover I’d love to wear now? With an easygoing, relaxed fit, Pom2 is definitely a sweater I’ll live in.

Pom2 and Pomegranate share the same lace stitch but otherwise are completely different designs. The new Pom2 has no waist shaping, modified drop shoulders, and simple 1x1 ribbing. It’s worked in the round from the bottom up, and the construction is entirely seamless.

Reverse side, Pom2 Pullover by Bonnie Sennott

For the sample, I used a cone of Bartlettyarns Sport that I purchased at Rhinebeck in 2017. The heathery terra cotta appealed to my love for warm, rich colors and I was delighted by how well the yarn worked for the lace panel. It has a soft, rustic effect and feels good both while on the needles and in the fabric of the finished garment. It comes in both cones and skeins, and in the pattern I’ve calculated how many skeins are needed for each of the six sizes. I’ve also included full yardage for each size, should you wish to use another yarn.

If your personal style leans toward the more fitted original Pomegranate, which has waist shaping, set-in sleeves, and a pretty twisted rib folded neckband, don’t worry — it’s still available, and it’s also on sale. The coupon code POM25 can be used in my Ravelry store for both patterns, through Sunday, December 2.

If you prefer shopping for patterns at Etsy, I have some nice news: all patterns for garments (sweaters, tops, and vests) are 25% off in my Etsy shop through December 25. (No coupon code required!)

I feel like Rhinebeck is not really over until my Rhinebeck sweater pattern is published. Now, it’s time to start daydreaming about next year’s Rhinebeck sweater!

Indie Design Gift-a-Long 2018

November 23, 2018 Bonnie Sennott

It’s that time of year! Time for the Indie Design Gift-a-Long, an annual KAL/CAL where knitters and crocheters join together on Ravelry to make their holiday gifts. It’s a big virtual party with lots of good cheer, games, and great prizes (yarns, patterns, stitch markers, project bags, and more).

There’s also an amazing sale on patterns by more than 300 independent knit and crochet designers. Thousands of patterns are discounted 25% with the coupon code giftalong2018. You can use this same coupon code for each participating designer’s sale patterns, and you use it as many times as you wish now through midnight EST, November 29.

This year, I’ve got 20 patterns in the sale, including quick gift ideas, like the Fee-bee Mitts or Erste Cowl, as well as larger projects you might want to make for yourself after the GAL ends, like the Mount Pollux Pullover or the Notch Shawl.

Whether you’re participating for the first time, or returning for your sixth year, the Indie Design Gift-a-Long is a fun way to get inspired to cast on and finish your holiday gift making (and maybe try a tasty recipe or two!). Here are links to help you jump right in:

Indie Design Gift-a-Long

Bonnie Sennott: GAL Sale Patterns

GAL 2018 Participating Designers

Asteroid B 612 Scarf

November 9, 2018 Bonnie Sennott

I don’t have a science background, so when I first saw Interweave Knits editor Meghan Babin’s call for design submissions for a science-themed issue, I thought I might have to skip it. But for days the quote she shared from Carl Sagan’s Cosmos—“We are made of star-stuff”—kept knocking around in my head. It made me think of the final illustration in Saint-Exupery’s classic book The Little Prince—a desert landscape with a star in the sky, drawn with just a few simple lines.

I pulled the small, tattered paperback down from my bookshelf and opened it. There were all the watercolors I’ve loved for so many years: the boa constructor digesting an elephant, the box containing a sheep, the impressive baobabs, the Little Prince’s rose. There was the fox’s beautiful secret: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” I re-read the part where, before taking leave of Earth, the Little Prince gives the gift of his laughter to the narrator—a pilot stranded in the desert, trying desperately to fix his plane:

“All men have the stars,” he answered, “but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems. For my businessman they were wealth. But all these stars are silent. You—you alone—will have the stars as no one else has them . . . In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as though all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night . . . you—only you—will have stars that can laugh!”

Suddenly I realized that I did have something to contribute to a science-themed knitting magazine. I would create a golden muffler, like the one the Little Prince wears in so many of the book’s illustrations. And in honor of this wise book, which has meant so much to me since I first read it at age 12, I would call the scarf Asteroid B 612—the name of the Little Prince’s tiny planet.

Off I went to the nearest yarn store to look at yarns in appropriate colors. I chose a new-to-me yarn, Brown Sheep’s Prairie Spun DK, in the Swallowtail Butterfly colorway. I started swatching a stitch pattern that had a kind of “outer space” look—it reminded me of flying saucers. The design came together pretty quickly, and then I moved on to making a sketch to show Meghan what the finished scarf would be like.

For design submissions, I usually do a quick sketch, first lightly with pencil, then with ink—nothing too fancy or time consuming (because I’m always working in a hurry to meet the deadline!). But for this submission, I decided on watercolors. I don’t use watercolors very often, but I tried to put all my love for the book and its illustrations into my little painting and make it as close in style to Saint-Exupery’s pictures as I could.

Asteroid B 612 submission sketch and swatch detail

A year ago, Megan’s acceptance of the Asteroid B 612 scarf landed in my email inbox. I was so pleased that she chose the very same yarn that I’d swatched with, because I felt the Prairie Spun DK was perfect for this design. And I was moved when she thanked me for bringing “tears of joy” to her eyes and confessed that she, too, had read The Little Prince “innumerable times over.”

Asteroid B 612 may mean more to me than anything else I’ve designed. It came from the heart, and knitting the sample was a joy (even on days last winter when I worried whether I would manage to finish by the magazine’s due date!). I loved creating this golden scarf, and I hope knitters who have a special place in their hearts for Saint-Exupery’s beloved book will enjoy making it.

As I said, I don’t have a science background, but even so I am drawn to many of the designs in this issue, especially the Saturn’s Rings pullover by Adrienne Larsen (on the cover), the Solidago Hat and Cowl by illitilli (inspired by goldenrod stem galls), the Periodic Pullover by Annie Lupton (a chic interpretation of the periodic table of elements), and a classic cabled sweater for men, the DNA Pullover by Andrea Cull. It’s a stunning issue that I feel honored to be part of.

The print and digital editions of Interweave Knits Winter 2019 are available now at Interweave. Watch for the print edition in bookstores or your LYS soon! You can also browse all 19 “classic and quarky” patterns on Ravelry.

New Pattern: Catbird Shawl

October 16, 2018 Bonnie Sennott

Catbird — a new crescent shawl pattern — has winged its way into my Ravelry pattern store. I designed it especially for the Rhinebeck 2018 colorway of Periwinkle Sheep Watercolors sock yarn. (Isn’t the color gorgeous? I was thrilled when I opened the package of yarn last summer.) The yarn and the shawl will be at Rhinebeck this weekend — find them in Building A, in The Spinning Room booth. To celebrate, Catbird is on sale through October 24. Use the coupon code CATBIRD25 to save 25%.

I was honored when Karin of Periwinkle Sheep asked me to design something with her beautiful yarn. As always, her Rhinebeck colorway is exclusive to the festival, and when it’s gone, it’s gone. So get there early in the weekend, if you don’t want to miss out.

Catbird is worked from the bottom up, with short rows in the garter stitch section creating the gentle crescent shape. It’s the kind of shawl that spans seasons — carrying you from fall through winter and into spring with ease. It’s also a quick knit, making it a great gift idea. The lace is engaging but not complicated, and it’s provided in both a chart and written form. So if you’re not a fan of charts, you’ll be fine.

Here’s hoping for great weather this weekend. If — like me — you’re still knitting your sweater — good luck!

Rhinebeck Preview in Black and White

October 5, 2018 Bonnie Sennott

With only a couple of weeks left until Rhinebeck, my mind is occupied with almost nothing else. Today it’s sunny and in the 60s — really perfect weather for a day wandering around the beautiful Dutchess County fairgrounds. I hope we have exactly the same weather for Rhinebeck. Last year, it was far too hot for wearing wool sweaters, so fingers crossed we don’t have a repeat of that.

This year Rhinebeck is even more exciting because I’ve created a new design just for the fair. It’s knit in the exclusive Rhinebeck 2018 colorway dyed by an indie dyer who will be there. Since I don’t want to spoil the surprise of the color, my photos are all black and white for now. But trust me, it’s lovely — really, really lovely — a soothing and calming color that goes with just about everything.

The yarn will be revealed and the pattern released during the days leading up to Rhinebeck. For now, I can share that it’s a garter stitch and lace crescent shawl, in two sizes. After working the lace, you transition to easy garter stitch short rows (very easy — you don’t even have to pick up the wraps, because they are hidden within the garter stitch). After the lace — which does require being attentive to a chart or the row-by-row written instructions — the project is refreshingly simple, perfect for taking along to a cafe or knit night.

The dyer and I both wanted this design to be a one-skein project. After knitting lots of swatches and trying out different lace ideas, I made my best calculations about yardage and cast on. And at the end, when I cast off, there were only a few yards remaining. Not ideal! So I wrote up the pattern for two sizes, one 60 inches long and the other about 66 inches. The smaller size definitely requires just one skein (or about 425 yards of fingering weight); the larger one calls for two skeins (475 yards). I did manage to squeeze the larger size out of just one skein, but it was a very close call and it’s possible the skein had a little extra yardage in it. I don’t want anyone to lose at “yarn chicken” when they’re nearly finished, so I’m recommending two skeins for the larger/longer size.

Will you be at Rhinebeck (or another fiber festival) this year? I’m getting more and more excited every day about seeing so much beautiful and inspiring knitwear all in one place, plus petting sheep, and goats, and alpacas, and bunnies. I can’t wait!

Sweater Sale and 100 Knits Book

August 31, 2018 Bonnie Sennott

100 Knits: Interweave's Ultimate Pattern Collection

Have you seen Interweave's beautiful new book of their most popular knitting patterns? I'm excited to have two designs in it — Chili Pepper Cardigan and Drafter's Cardigan.

100 Knits: Interweave's Ultimate Pattern Collection is a gorgeous compendium of hats, cowls, cardigans, pullovers, shawls, socks, and more. At 500+ pages, with lots of full-page photos and patterns by many, many talented knitwear designers, it's incredibly inspiring to flip through — a knitting reference you'll treasure for years to come. The only problem will be finding time to make everything in it that you love!

Chili Pepper Cardigan, by Bonnie Sennott

100 Knits: Interweave's Ultimate Pattern Collection is available both as a print book and a downloadable ebook from Interweave. It's also available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Sweater Sale!

As summer draws to a close, it's time to start planning your fall sweater knitting — and to make that easier, I'm having a sale. Save 20% on Blue Peninsula pullover, vest, and cardigan patterns in my Ravelry pattern store with the coupon code SALE20. The sale ends Tuesday, September 4 and you can use the code as many times as you wish. (Magazine and yarn collection patterns are not included.)

Happy Labor Day Weekend (if you're in the U.S.) and happy fall knitting!

Clockwise from upper left: Wichita Vest, Meadow Road Pullover, Mount Pollux Pullover, Goodnough Cardigan

Pattern Release and Yarn Giveaway: Wonderberry Shawl

August 13, 2018 Bonnie Sennott

How much I enjoyed knitting up this Wonderberry shawl! From start to finish, it was a relaxing, meditative project. The new garter and eyelets edging really appeals to my love of simplicity, and the new yarn — Periwinkle Sheep Watercolors II in Rose Quartz — is so soft, and so pretty. I'm not sure I'll ever take this shawl off.

The expanded and updated pattern is now available in my Ravelry pattern store, where it's 15% off with the coupon code WONDER15.

The Wonderberry pattern offers instructions for three sizes and two different edgings — the new garter and eyelets option, as well as the original beaded scallops. If you've never knit with beads before don't worry — it's not hard at all, and the pattern gives complete instructions for the crochet hook method of adding beads to your knitting.

If, like me, you're smitten with the lovely Rose Quartz colorway of the Periwinkle Sheep Watercolors II yarn, I have really good news for you. Karin has donated two skeins for an Instagram giveaway! See this post in my Instagram feed for details. I'm so happy that a couple of lucky knitters will get to try this sumptuous yarn for themselves. If you can't wait to get your hands on some, head over to Karin's shop, right here.

The Wonderberry pattern sale continues in my Ravelry store through Friday, August 17.

Thanks very much for reading!

Pattern Release: Next in Line Afghan

July 22, 2018 Bonnie Sennott

At long last, the Next in Line pattern is here! It's available on Ravelry and in my Etsy shop.

This log cabin afghan is worked from the center outward using four colors of worsted weight wool. The pattern includes instructions for two sizes, a smaller throw or a larger afghan. Finished (blocked) measurements are 43 inches/110 cm by 56 inches/143 cm for the throw, and 52 inches/133 cm by 60 inches/153 cm for the afghan.

There are no seams in this design — from the very first log to the last, it's one continuous piece of knitting. After you finish a log, you simply turn it to the left and pick up stitches for the next log along the top edge. Each log has just two colors, a main color and a contrast color (used in a stripe pattern). The design is named Next in Line because the contrast color of each log is the main color of the next log.

You'll need four colors of worsted weight wool for this design — see either my Ravelry pattern page or Etsy listing for details on yardage, needles, and other specs. It's worked in garter stitch throughout, but I've kept things interesting by varying the main color and contrast colors in each log, as well as the placement of the stripe pattern. In all, there are five different color and stripe combinations, which begin to repeat after a while, lending the design a visual coherence as it grows.

Two of the five different color combinations in my sample use silver grey as the main color, which gives it a calm, quiet look. That's something to think about when you choose colors. There will be more of Color 1 (in my case, silver grey) than Colors 2, 3, and 4 in the blanket. What do you want the overall effect to be? Bold and dramatic? Soft and soothing? Bright and cheery? Give yourself the freedom to express your own, unique inner spirit through color!

The four yarns used for the Next in Line Afghan are Cascade 220 #8401 Silver Grey, Cascade 220 #4010 Straw, Cascade 220 #8012 Doeskin Heather, and Valley Yarns Northampton #42 Lake Heather.

It was quite a journey, designing this afghan. When I cast on January 1, for the Fringe and Friends Logalong, I wasn't sure how far I'd get, as I'd never knit a log cabin project before and didn't consider myself overly fond of garter stitch. I chose a few colors in my stash that went well together (left over from my Journeyer and Grainline pullovers) and got started more as a lark than anything else, to see if maybe I could come up with something that would be a nice wedding present for friends who got married last January.

Before long, knitters on Instagram began asking for a pattern. My design plans for 2018 hadn't included a large, cozy blanket, but I felt like I could not let you all down. So finally, here it is!

I really loved this project from start to finish, and I hope you do, too. I look forward to seeing Next in Line afghans in all sorts of beautiful colors! If you post your progress on Instagram, tag your photos #bluepeninsula and #nextinlineblanket so I'll be sure to see them.

Thanks very much for reading — and happy log cabin knitting.

LINKS
Next in Line Instagram posts
Ravelry pattern page
Etsy listing
Next in Line blog posts