New Pattern: Threadle Sweater

Now available on Ravelry: Threadle Sweater!

This design has been on the needles for a full year, so I’m extra excited to share it with you.

I designed the main cable pattern specifically to look like a lot of cabling, without the heaviness that complex cables usually give knitted fabric. The big cable weaves back and forth across the column, and reminded me of a dog agility maneuver called a “threadle” that allows the dog take two side-by-side jumps in the same direction by weaving between them.

A Hundred Ravens Epona — between 6 and 9 skeins, depending on size. To enable your obsessions, AHR sells “sweater bags” of yarn (all dyed on the same time to reduce variability) with a small discount as a thank-you for a big purchase. (Email the shop for details.)

This sweater is meant to be a comfortable “just throw it on” kind of garment — so it’s designed to be worn with a bit of positive ease. There isn’t any shaping in the body, but the ribbing under the arms means it will gently curve with the shape of the wearer’s body.

(shown in size S on a 5’9″ model with a 37″ bust)

 

 

 

 

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New Pattern: Kukulkan

Now available on Ravelry: Kukulkan!

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This striking shawl evokes the step pyramids of Chichen Itza, which served as a temple to Kukulkan. Little is known about the original mythology of this “feathered serpent” deity from Mesoamerica. In modern folklore, one story tells that Kukulkan flew to the sun to try and speak to it. The sun, too proud to speak to a plumed snake, burnt Kukulkan’s tongue.

20170114_143943Designed especially for Aesir Minis from A Hundred Ravens, this shawl highlights the beauty of gradient mini sets. The rectangular tabs are worked first. The main body is worked from a combination of picked-up stitches and cast-on stitches. After the main body is complete, the small solid squares are worked from picked-up stitches. No seaming required!

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This pattern has full written instructions (no charts). This pattern has been professionally tech edited.

 

 

 

New Pattern: Mini Mazy

 

Now available on Ravelry: Mini Mazy!

How did I miss this? This pattern went live in November, and it’s been a big hit! My apologies to blog readers who may have missed out.

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Lose yourself in the labyrinthine turns of Mini Mazy! This asymmetrical triangle-ish shawl is designed especially for gradient mini skein sets from A Hundred Ravens. The sample uses one set of minis in “Starry Night” and a skein of Iachos in “Loyalty” as the background color.

The design would also do justice to a highly-variegated skein, combined with a solid skein to anchor it.  I’m working up a sample in Tyche in “The Captain’s Parrot” and “Oceanus.”

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Mini Mazy is easily adapted to larger or smaller amounts of yarn, and to other weights of yarn. Simply choose a needle appropriate to your yarn, and knit until you run out of yarn.

Mini Mazy is worked sideways from the small end. The design uses basic increases and decreases and a handful of picked-up stitches to create the surprising right-turn.

 

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New Pattern: Mini Meltdown

 

Now available on Ravelry: Mini Meltdown!

Get 50% off from now until the end of July 2016 with coupon code SummerMeltdown!

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Colors melt into each other, draping beautifully around the neck in a mix of lace and simple stockinette stitch. Mini Meltdown was designed especially for gradient mini skein sets from A Hundred Ravens; the design would also work well with single-skein gradient yarn, as well as many tonal and mildly-variegated colorways.

IMG_0749Mini Meltdown is worked top down, both in the round and flat, using short rows to shape the cowl. Lacy sections are charted, with full written directions for all charts.IMG_0764

The sample used about 360 yards as pictured. It would be relatively easy for an experienced knitter to modify the design to be larger (which would, naturally, require more yardage).

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New Pattern: Mini Marvel Swing Vest

Just in time, for Vogue Knitting Live: 2015 in NYC … I give you the Mini Marvel Swing Vest!

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Are you anywhere near Manhattan?  No plans this weekend? Come visit me, Kate, and the Mini Marvel Swing Vest at Vogue Knitting Live. Ask nice, and I’ll let you try it on and give it a spin.  A Hundred Ravens has Booth #1006 on the sixth floor of the Marriott Marquis in Times Square (market hours and directions).  We’ll have plenty of mini sets as well as new colorways in Kate’s fabulous yarn, and of course all the usual suspects too.

 

Mini Marvel is a slouchy vest that features an asymmetric flare of color over the left shoulder – show off your gradient mini set from A Hundred Ravens! Also perfect for hoarded sock-yarn leftovers … go subtle or bold, the choice is up to you.

Worked sideways in garter stitch, the vest uses short rows to create the flare and swingy hem, and simple increases/decreases to shape the armholes. Finishing is limited to two shoulder seams!

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Many thanks to the lovely Libby for modeling Mini Marvel for me!  The owner of Stewart’s Florist (Townsend, MA) was so accommodating for our impromptu photo shoot — thank you!

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Hexipuff Update

Back in February, I decided to enter the madness that is the Beekeeper’s Quilt.  Beginning with my own sock-yarn leftovers, I began making hexipuffs … which quickly led to swapping with other puff-ers (and blankie-makers, et al.).  From there my decent into madness was swift and irreversible. I developed a daily puff habit, and some days puffed more than once. I’m going for 366 in 2012, and as of today I have 169 puffs completed.  Given my late start, I’m actually keeping up and even catching up — I’m only 27 puffs “behind” where I ought to be today (196 puffs).

Weirdly, my puffs-to-date make a perfect hexagon of puffery, with eight puffs per side:

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Lucky for me, I have lots (and LOTS) of mini skeins still to go — I’ve slowed down a bit on swapping for myself, but I’ve also become a mod in the Minimall group on Ravelry. Minis for one, Minis for all!

Cast-On Monday: Lacy Cardi Prototype, Cuckoo for Hexipuffs

Early last week I received a shipment of yarn from the UK.  All week I’ve worked almost exclusively on the prototype for a lacy summer cardi for KNIT Magazine.  The good news is … I’m nearly done!  I have a bit more of the back to do, then (short) sleeves, then it’s just wash, block, and ship.  Naturally I can’t share any photos or design details, but I think you’ll like it, when it comes out later this year.

The other knitting event in my life this week was hexipuffs: I have succumbed to the madness.  I have joined a mini-skein swap, and chopped up a skein of Butternut Merino/Tencel from Mind’s Eye Yarn.

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I also dug through my box of sock-yarn-leftovers for all my “premium” bits, and I’ve made four puffs already. I am using puff-making as a reward for chugging through on the design project. Which is not to say that the design project is a problem (not at all — in fact it’s quick). Rather, I’m not usually a monogamous knitter, so I have to find ways to motivate myself to stay on task. Mostly.

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