New Kickstarter Reward and the GN Blog Tour

If you haven't yet backed our Twin Peaks- inspired knitting pattern book, here's another incentive to get in on the action.

We've got an exciting new reward available!! My good pal Heather at Ewe Ewe is donating a Double Deco kit in the original colors. WOW! That's right. 10 balls of lovely Ewe So Sporty and the pattern, for your knitting delight.

This reward is now available on our Kickstarter page, here.

While you're in the Twin Peaks spirit, check out Teresa's guest post on the RainCityKnits blog about her Log Lady sweater for the Great Northern collection!

The Great Northern Blog Tour will continue through October 9th, when the Kickstarter campaign ends. See the schedule and check 'em out!

TNNA recap!

Last weekend, the yarnfolk gathered in Columbus, OH for the fall 2015 TNNA tradeshow. This bi-annual event is where vendors sell yarn (and other crafty things) to store owners, people from all areas of the industry gather, classes are taught, and all the new designs and products are previewed before they get released to the public.

This was my first TNNA as a full-time designer, and I had a great time. I met some awesome folks, knit (although not as much as you might think), drank tons of beer, and hung out with designer and yarny friends new and old. There were also some meetings in there, too.

Beer flight at Wolf's Ridge, our first "meal"

L to R: Heidi Gustad, Carina Spencer, Allyson Dykhuizen, Me, Teresa Gregorio.

In the mornings, I hung with my friend Heather in her Ewe Ewe Yarns booth. I've worked with Heather's yarn a lot over the years and am a big supporter, so helping her sell it was no problem!

My wrap "Rainbows and Unicorns" in its natural environment

Heather Walpole and me rocking the knitwear

A huge reason that I decided to go to TNNA was that Teresa Gregorio and I are working on a project together, but had never met in person before. Teresa is awesome, and you should check out her designs if you haven't already. We had a very productive, fun time working together and not surprisingly, got a lot more done when we were sitting on the same couch than during our email sessions.

Schemin' (via @canaryknits on instagram)

Filmin' (via @canaryknits on instagram)

You may have heard rumblings about our project (and if you know me or Teresa personally, you certainly have), and we are almost ready to make an official announcement. Stay tuned for that!

Overall, TNNA was a great experience and worth the travel. I had never been to Columbus before and was pleasantly surprised with what it has to offer.

We're working on a YarnTalk episode about the show, so check back for that in a week or so!

Synergy shawlette in Creative Knitting Magazine

I am very pleased to tell you that my shawlette pattern Synergy is in the current issue of Creative Knitting Magazine! Spring 2015 is looking bright and lovely.

This is a variation on my Double Deco wrap, which is huge and long. Synergy is much smaller with different shaping and striping and is perfect for spring. A quick knit with simple details!

If you can knit, pick up stitches, and decrease, you can do this. Pick 4 colors and go for it!

Finishing up the KAL

My Knit Along with Ewe Ewe (and you?) is wrapping up! Today is the final official day of the Double Deco KAL and I posted about it over here.

I am in love with my new Double Deco wrap!

I knit really loose and it is HUGE.

It's officially cold in Chicago, so I have been using it constantly. Stay warm, fiber friends!

Double Deco Madness

We're into Week 5 of the Double Deco Knit-Along! So many great projects.

I love seeing what colors people chose. Some bold, some subtle, all awesome. These photos are a little old at this point, but you can see the color choices at least. I'll post another update once I have some more current pictures.

Keep it up, knitters!

Great TV Knitting

I don't think it's a secret that many designers watch things while knitting. I can only do this when the work is not very "think-y" and doesn't require many visual check-ins... so, garter stitch is the absolute perfect thing to knit knit knit while my attention is elsewhere.

Before you get too jealous of all the lazy, wonderful times I am having watching television, I'd estimate this is probably 10-15% of my worktime... and I usually do it at night after dinner.

While knitting my new Double Deco for the Knit-Along, I have been watching Hannibal and just started Outlander. These are verrry different shows (note to self/everyone: don't watch Hannibal before bed!) and shouldn't be watched back-to-back or whiplash may occur. I MEAN:

"I have feelings for you maybe" 

"I consider you my only friend and maybe also want to kill you and maybe you also want to kill me and maybe we just ate someone together and hey are you hungry cuz I got some nice flank steak in the freezer..."

So.

But hey! Back to the knitting. This is the tops when it comes to letting those stitches fly.

If you still want to join the Double Deco KAL, it's not too late! Check out the Ravelry thread, pick out your colors, download the pattern, and get started. 

If you're already knitting along (or crafting something else) while you watch something, leave a comment and let me know what you consider the perfect TV/movie/knitting combination!

Double Deco KAL begins!

Hey there! Are you knitting along with us yet?

 

Check out my Week 1 techniques post over at Ewe Ewe. We're casting on and getting started. Next week we will finish the first section of Wing 1 and Wing 2.

Make sure to label your posts with #DoubleDecoKAL so we can find each other! I can't wait to see what you're up to. So far the colors people have chosen have been super fun.

Double Deco Knit Along!

This is exciting! I'm leading a KAL for one of my favorite recent patterns, Double Deco. 

 

Starting Wednesday October 1st you can knit along with us, learning tips and tricks along the way... and in the end you'll have your very own gorgeous wrap.

Head over to the Ewe Ewe blog to find out how to join in. There's a coupon for 25% off the pattern price!

Once you've got your materials, join us on the Ewe Ewe blog and/or the Double Deco KAL forum on Ravelry!

Here are the colors of Ewe So Sporty I'll be using for the new version of the shawl. What do you think? If you're having trouble choosing colors, check out my color combinations blog post!

 

Double Deco Shawl knitting pattern!

I'm so excited to share this with you: My new knitting pattern Double Deco is now live on Ravelry!

It was designed with Ewe So Sporty which is just lovely to work with. A soft, springy merino sport weight and it's washable... can't beat that.

Tina (my dressform) can't help being bootylicious

This shawl is looong, perfect for wrapping yourself up on these chilly afternoons. It's a simple knit (deceptively so) with a bold graphic style. The knitting is mostly very very easy garter stitch (knit stitch forevaaah!) -- If you can increase (kfb), pick up stitches, and knit, you're good to go on this. TV knitting at its finest.

Like wings!

There are so many ways to wear this. And think of all the 4-color combinations you could do! I want to make a more pastel version at some point. 

Thanks to Heather Walpole at Ewe Ewe Yarns for the yarn and inspiration.

I hope you enjoy this fun pattern!

Double Deco Shawl knitting pattern

$6