Vinca Minor

A new sock pattern for you on this rainy Monday evening.  (Lovely and rainy for New Mexico!)

The pattern says it, mostly, but I wanted to talk a little about my inspiration for these.  Sometime in like . . . darkest 2011 or something, I went to the Yarn Underground.  It may have even been the first time I went--it was that long ago.  I was wandering around, browsing sock yarn like you do, and my eye fell on this skein of Society Socks Fingering.  Once I saw the colorway name, I knew I had to have it, and it had to be socks for my mother.

My mom, you see, is a stone-cold hardcore gardener, and botanically-named yarn is right up her tree.  (So to speak.)

Being the procrastinatrix that I am, it took me years and years to get around to knitting them, but once I did, they were so quick and easy that I wondered why I hadn't done it before.

Anyway, they are this year's Mother's Day gift (given early so she could model for me, haha).  Love ya, Ma.

For all details and to purchase, follow the link (and take 50% off with code MAYDAY)!

Lapstrake

I am pleased to announce that after months (and months and months) Lapstrake is finally available!

You'll remember the teaser shots from the contest I held to name the thing, and here it is in all its glory:

This design came about as a result of a Ravelry meeting--Heather posted about a potential blog swap, and I suggested that we collaborate on a project.  She dyed the yarn--in a custom colorway, no less!--and I designed this little shawl.  This project has been great fun from start to finish, and Heather is a great collaboratrix.  I hope we can work together again in the future!

If you'd like to use Heather's yarn to knit your own Lapstrake, go to her website and use coupon code LANA2014 for 20% off!  Even better, mention in your order that you are knitting a Lapstrake, and she will provide you with a coupon code to get a copy free.

If you're too impatient for that, it's available on Ravelry here for 4.50 USD, and until September 30, you can take 50% off with coupon code CLINKER.  Some details:

YARN: T&H Fiber Works Heather's Favorite Sock (80/20 merino/nylon, 400 yds/100g skein) in colorway “Lana” (small version) and Wollmeise Pure (100% superwash merino, 575 yds/150g) in colorway “Krauterbeet” (large version).   Any fingering weight yarn will work well for this pattern.

NEEDLES: 3.25/3.5mm needle or size to obtain gauge.

GAUGE: 20 stitches and 40 rows (20 garter ridges) = 4” in garter stitch, washed and blocked.

SIZE: Small (pink): Approximately 42.5” wingspan and 16.5” top to tip, washed and blocked.

Large (purple): Approximately 56” wingspan and 20” top to tip, washed and blocked.

Huge thanks to Heather for donating her yarn (and time) and to Allison for sending me the Wollmeise that became the large version as a wedding gift.  Thanks are due to my models, Aspen Davidoff, Mickey the cat, Biscuit the dog, and “Touch the Sky" the bronze sculpture.  Also to Pat Harding, who takes pictures for me even when he doesn't want to.  The name Lapstrake was suggested by Ravelry user Tianaeve.  Thanks, Tianaeve!

Sale pattern yay

Everyone should go immediately to Ravelry and purchase my friend Kitty's new sweater pattern, Three County Highway.  It is cute.  See?

Photo © and courtesy Kate Heppell

Also it is half-price until July 28.

The Aki Scarf

Hop on over to my friend Amy's blog: http://dyedinthewool.wordpress.com/2014/04/18/aki-scarf-pattern-promotion/

Pictures © and courtesy Amy Pickard

And read how you can get this beautiful scarf pattern for free!

The Manly Möbius

My friend Brandon and I were browsing a clothing store when he said—fondling a machine-made horror—“I should buy a scarf!” I said (the refrain of knitters everywhere), “Don't buy that; I can knit you one!” It had to be a möbius, since Brandon is a theoretical physicist, and it's snug and warm to keep his neck cozy while he bikes to and from campus.

YARN: For Brandon's möbius, I used Zhonghua Wool, a gift from a thoughtful friend who was living in China. Any heavy aran or light bulky-weight wool would do nicely for this pattern. (Or cast on more stitches to use worsted weight.) I suggest Mission Falls 1824, Lamb's Pride Bulky, or Malabrigo Twist.

SIZE: One size, approximately 6.5 inches long and 12.5 inches wide (doubled) when washed.

Thanks to Brandon, my möbius inspiration and model, and to SQ for the beautiful yarn!

This pattern is available for $4 USD through Ravelry.

Papyrus

I'm pleased to announce the release of a long-delayed but much loved pattern: Papyrus.

I can watch a pond for hours, fascinated by the ripples. There's always something surprising in living water, whether it be fish or flowers. This shawl was inspired by water and the things that dwell within—fishtails (do you see the koi?) dive below the stems of the lacy papyrus blossoms that trail away into nothing.

A top-down, triangle shawl knit in one piece, Papyrus is suitable for the advanced lace knitter and features patterned knitting on both sides. It is available via Ravelry for $6 (USD).

Papyrus requires approximately 600 yards of any laceweight or 950 yards of any fingering weight. The blue laceweight example shown used Knitpicks Shadow, colorways Jazz and Snorkel. The fingering weight example used Handmaiden Sea Silk, colorway Ivory.

Many thanks to Aspen, who not only took most of the pictures, but test-knit the pattern, creating the beautiful ivory shawl seen here.

Technical Stuffs

All my patterns are now linked in the sidebar (should you be filled with the burning desire to knit Mindless Socks. Or, come to think of it, just to read the patterns. Maybe I'm strange, but I like reading a well-written pattern, almost as much as I like knitting it. But anyway.)

(I use too many parentheses.)

For the present, I only offer automatic downloads via Ravelry, but if you'd like to purchase or obtain a pattern otherwise, just drop me an email at lanafactrix at gmail dot com. Each blog post contains info on pattern costs.

Sockses!

Another pair of Mindless Socks, in Regia Silk(55/20/25 wool/silk/nylon), of course!


These are 52 stitches for the foot (48 for the ankle) on 2.5mm needles. I think I still prefer working this yarn on 2mms, but this fabric is pretty nice regardless.


And of course I cast on another pair, this time in Pima Tencel (50/50 pima cotton/tencel), color 7779. I knit a pair of socks for my friend Rachel in this yarn ages ago, and they turned out well. These are for the Irishman (which is why they are ENORMOUS).


That's all the progress on the sock front--the Be Mine socks languish unstarted. But as soon as I'm done with some of this lace, those babies are next in the queue!

Herne is here

I'm proud to announce (finally!) the release of Herne!

Herne is named for a rabbit who belonged to dear friends--he probably wouldn’t have found much interest in the twiggy stems of the scarf, but he’d definitely have appreciated the leafy fronds that grow out of them.

Lacy, airy, and delicate, Herne is a quick and enjoyable knit. The pattern features both charts and written instructions. The scarf is worked in two halves and grafted. It is available for $5 (USD).

Thanks to the marvelous Nyx, I had way too many photos to include in the pattern. Some are up on Ravelry, and here are some of my favorites.

The Rav page linked above has the download link. Eeee!

Still stitching

I'm still working away on both the cross-stitch and my Irtfa'a--I swear I'll get updated pictures of the latter sometime soon. Maybe after this weekend--I'm headed to the Midwest for a wedding, and the cross-stitch isn't very portable, so Irtfa'a will be my traveling companion. (And no, it's not the wedding for which the cross-stitch is intended, thank heavens. That's not for a few more weeks. It's just wedding season, I guess!)

Meanwhile, I've been making progress on a few other things. This is the latest scarf for the Red Scarf Project KAL:The yarn is Cascade Venezia Worsted (70/30 merino/silk) in colorways 101 (white) and 104. Venezia is one of my favorite yarns--I designed the Manly Scarf out of it, and it's wonderful to work with. The pattern is my own--it's the Fleck Stitch from Knit and Purl. I like the look, and it's simple to knit.

I've also started another pair of Mindless Socks, once again in my beloved Regia Silk. This is the last I have(/cry), so I'm making the most of it.


That's all for the moment--stay tuned for book reviews and Malabrigo pictures. (Now you're intrigued, eh?)

*squee*

So a few months back I designed a scarf for my brother's birthday. I wrote up the pattern all pretty-like, and today I put it up on Ravelry. Since I put a lot of effort into it, I decided to offer it for sale rather than for free.

And people have actually BOUGHT IT. Thrilling! I may never realize this whole yarn store/designing for a living thing, but this is one tiny step closer.

In case you're interested, the pattern is up on Rav as The Manly Scarf.

(Oh, just so you know--the pictures are of my long-suffering friend R3. He's a good egg.)

Will the sock madness never stop?

The answer is no.

Here are the latest Mindless Socks.


Yarn: Regia Silk (55/25/20 merino/polyamide/silk--unfortunately discontinued), colorways Nairobi and, um, plain white? The number is something boring like 0002.

Pattern is mindless socks, of course, done with 52 stitches on size 1/2.25mm needles. That creates a very fine, thin sock that could easily be worn with everyday shoes.

I really like this combination of yarns--it satisfies both my frugality and my aesthetics. You'll be seeing similar socks as I work through the remainders of previous projects. I'm also on a yarn diet, so I can't buy any new sock materials for the foreseeable future. *sadface*

A few new things

The cardigan is still on Sleeve Island--but at least progressing, however slowly. Maybe by next week I'll have the sleeves done so I can block everything and start putting it together? A girl can dream. (Note: sleeve one is not yet done. This is perhaps an unrealistic goal.)

Meanwhile, I've cast on some new stuff that will probably move at a snail's pace while I continue to focus on the sweater.

First, the beginning of a Dreams of Madeira scarf in JoJoLand Harmony. (I think it's colorway HC02; I don't have the ball band handy.)


Although the yarn is very, very fine and a little tricky to work with, it's absolutely gorgeous. Aspen knit a beautiful Gail from the same stuff in colorway HC08--go check it out.

That's going to be my knit night project for the near future--the lace pattern (thus far) isn't complicated, so it's a good choice for sitting around gossiping.

I also began (of course) a new pair of Mindless Socks with some Regia leftovers. (Oh, by the way, the pattern is now available as a Rav download.) My hope is to use up all the stripey stuff on heels, toes, and cuffs so I can get three or four pairs out of the white. We'll see.


Anyway, time's a-wastin'--and this sleeve won't knit itself.

Almost forgot!

I neglected to mention--I put up the pattern for this little scarf the other day. It can be found as a Ravelry download here. (Those without Ravelry accounts can email me if interested.)

Mindless, mindless

More mindless socks, destined for my aunt Joanne. (I offered her the choice of my sock-yarn stash, but she wanted these . . . and since the first one was almost finished already, I didn't object.)


Pattern: Mindless Socks. One of the things I like about these socks is how they relax out so beautifully after a first wash. The picture above was taken before washing, the other two after.


Yarn: Regia Silk Color, 55/25/20 wool/polyamide/silk, colorway 0187 "Siena." Size 1/2.25mm needles--I used a set of lovely ebony Lantern Moon needles given to me by a friend, and I highly recommend them.


The next pair of mindless socks is already on the needles--now to finish my swallowtail.

Designing thoughts

I've launched an ambitious project (just in time to start moving . . . I really have the world's best sense of timing): I'm designing a lace shawl. It was inspired by the recent purchase of several KnitPicks Lace Samplers, which have lots of yummy laceweight.

I'm using Shadow (100% merino) in "Jazz." And here's what I have so far:


Bad photo is bad, but you can see the gist. I think it's going to be pretty . . . if I can work out all the math.

The concept is pretty simple--I wanted something watery (inspired by the "Atoll" colorway sampler), so I chose this fishtail pattern. Looks appropriately ripply, no?

This designing thing is interesting. This is not only my first real effort at designing lace, but it's my first time thinking about the flexibility and readibility of a pattern for other people. Nyx and Aspen have already demanded volunteered to be test knitters, so there's a guaranteed audience for this one. Just thinking about really formalizing the pattern makes me a little dizzy, though. I don't know how Anne does it. Speaking of which, I read a fair number of knitting blogs, but Anne's is the only one that really delves into her designing process. Anyone have a recommendation for another designer's blog that gets into the knitty(hee)-gritty?

Mindless socks!

Edit, 9/7/09: Pattern is now available as a Ravelry download at this address. It's free!

It started innocently enough. I wanted perfectly mindless socks to knit. I investigated. I experimented. And I ultimately developed mindless socks. Then Aspen requested the pattern. Then she passed it along to her mother . . . and it occurred to me that other people might like it too. So I dressed it up as a PDF--complete with pretty pictures--and now it is available for all and sundry to enjoy! Pictures and more info are also up on Ravelry.

Pattern: Mindless socks

Size: Women's largish, easily adapted.

Suggested yarn: Regia Silk Color or any fingering-weight sock yarn.

Suggested needles: Size 0/2.0mm, set of 5 DPNs.



Happy knitting!