The Knitter issue 42

Photo from The Knitter

It's always a thrill for me to see my designs featured in beautiful knitting magazines. Knowing that knitters all over the world might pick up the needles and make one of my creations is a very nice feeling. I always hope that people will be happy with the result.

At the end of February I had a capelet design in the UK knitting magazine The Knitter. I love the magazine as it is beautiful, creative and always have interesting articles about knitting techniques and the history of the craft. I have been introduced to many interesting people and projects through the magazine. 

To me it was a double pleasure to be featured in The Knitter, as the model is knitted in a yarn from a conservation project! Nude Ewe wool is spun from the fleeces of Bedfordshire's conservation grazing flocks. Grasslands are a key feature of the English countryside. For centuries these habitats have been maintained by grazing sheep and other livestock. Without these animals the fields would turn to scrub, and England would lose the unique plants and animals that rely on the grassland habitats.

I have designed a capelet for Nude Ewe, and you can buy the pattern with lovely Wensleydale yarn from their web page.  The Lava capelet is knitted in the same yarn called “Wes”. Wensleydale wool is very soft and has a lustrous shine to it.  Happy knitting!

 

Saturday is work day.

It's not going to the office and spend the day there! It's all the other things I love to do. Knitting is one of them. A while back I started making patterns of my original designs. And that is work, fun work. It takes a lot of consentration to make sure that every one that picks up the pattern and work their way trough it will get the same result as me. I have to describe in detail what I did. When I have that right, it's the needle sizes, gauge, descriptions of stitches and so on. At the end the whole thing must be presented in an attractive way.

Today I did all that to my spring design; the Paris Scarf. I'm very proud of today's work and hope those who knit it are happy with the result of their labour - that adds value to work I did today! If you like to have a go at the scart you find it in my Etsy Store. Did I tell you how great it feels to see my designs knitted by others?

Slippers for toasty toes!

As it is too clod outside to go for a run or even a long walk I finally knitted a pair of slippers I have had in mind for a while. At the same time as knitting I made the pattern. They
turned out well I think.

To make a knitting pattern is time consuming, but once it's done it's done! Now everyone kan knit them for themselves or loved ones.

The side is knitted in Brioche stitches, which is fearly new to me. It was fun to test it out in a project and I'm sure it will appear in other projects too.

Pattern testing

Some months ago I started to make patterns of my knitting designs. It's fun and challenging at the same time. The challege is to write down exactly what I do, so anyone who does the same end up with the same result as I did!

I have tested my patterns over and over again and that means knitting them. Here are the latest results of pattern testings. The top is great to wear and it's fun to knit (thankfully - as I have knitted it a few times now..). The same goes for the Lacy Leaf Capelet. I'm now looking for a yarn so I can knit that for the party season and wear with a dress!!!

I made my first ever knitting pattern!

For many years I have designed knitted accessories, skirts and tops, but never written down what I have done. When I have made a second one, I have just looked at the first I made, and that can hardly be called a pattern! Finally, I got around to write it all down and work it into a real pattern that I hope every one can use! My first ever knitting pattern is for a decorative collar/neck warmer.


I did write down what I did as I went along knitting. I modified a lace pattern form a chart and marked the modifications I made. When I finished the piece, I decided that this was so well documented that it had to be my first knitting pattern! I search the internet to see if I could learn form experienced people. And I could. I came across http://chezplum.com/blog/2009/06/11/tutorial-how-i-make-my-knitting-charts-for-lace/ who in a very detailed and understandable way explained how to make a lace chart based on a excel type program. Thank you so much Sylvie! She is an accomplished designer and her patterns are on sale at http://chezplum.com/

When the lace chart was made it was easy to write down the instruction for how to make the collar. When I had finished I realised the need for additional information. The obvious is yarn and needles, but size, skill level, amount of yarn needed, gauge and where to get the yarn I used in the model. I knit a lot in Icelandic wool and Gudrún in Iceland sell this wonderful yarn on Etsy; www.TheIcelandicWool.etsy.com

Late at night I had managed to make the word document into a PDF file, that can easily be send by email to customers, and posted it proudly in my Etsy store "The High North".

Happy knitting!