At any rate, I’ve got a couple of new knits to show off.  I’ve been focused more on designing lately, so my output has slowed down a bit.  But I do have some exciting news on that front–this Winter I’m going to have a sweater design featured in a major publication.  More on that after I get my contract and find out what exactly I’m allowed to disclose.

First up:

Pattern: Cecilia, designed by my friend Elin Berglund.
Yarn: Wollmeise 100% sockenwolle in Neptun

Perfect little cropped sweater for summer dress weather!

I’ve been big on little Summer sweaters that I can layer over dresses lately, which was the inspiration for my next sweater as well:

Pattern: Wispy, by Hannah Fettig
Yarn: Sundara sock in Flaming Flamingo

Loved how quick of a knit this one was!

And the spinning has continued as well:

Pigeonroof SW Merino in Emperor:

Pigeonroof SW Merino/Silk in Blueberry Tart:

Freckle Face Fibers SW Merino in “Lady of the Lake” (or as I call it, “Watery Tart”)

Freckle Face Fibers Merino in Gold Leaf:

FLUFF South African Fine Merino in “Cape Town”:

And then I finished up the second half of a couple of older braids of fiber–this first one, FLUFF South African Fine in Amandla, shows how far my n-plying has come since my first attempt:

And then this is the second half of my Hello Yarn Finn in “Winter Storage”, which I think is probably the most perfect yarn I’ve ever spun:

I’m on a smoothie kick ever since getting an awesome new blender–

Today’s smoothie:

- 1 yellow peach, with skin
- 1/2 of a small honeydew
- 1 pack of lemon flavoured organic yogurt
- 1/2″ vanilla bean, split down the center
- a squirt of honey
- a few splashes of orange juice

Yum!

Some of my friends had lately been extoling the virtues of signing up for a CSA (community supported agriculture) share.  Since I am seldom awake enough to make it to the farmer’s market on the weekends, I decided to jump on the bandwagon.  I got my first delivery today, and it’s awesome!  Here’s what was in my box:

- Red grapes
- Yellow peaches
- Some type of melon
- Mixed summer squash
- Hearts of romaine lettuce
- Carrots
- Corn
- Basil
- Onion

My fridge is now overflowing with fresh produce!  Now I just need to come up with a plan for how to eat the most perishable stuff first, since I only get a shipment every two weeks.

I’m pleased to announce the release of my newest sock pattern, Blueberry Bubbles.  This sock was inspired by the amazing color of the Wollmeise yarn used to make it, and is meant to represent a stream of bubbles rising through a glass of blueberry soda.

Blueberry Bubbles is written using charted designs, and a relatively simple collection of stitches–knits, purls, increases and decreases.  Because of the large stockinette sections, the socks are fairly simple to customize to fit.  Instructions are given to make the sock as shown, though guidance is given for adding in further calf shaping.

Yarn: Wollmeise 80/20 Twin Sockenwolle, colorway Hortensie  (though any fingering weight may be substituted), about 350-450 yards

Needles: Size 1 (2.25mm) circular or DPNs

Notions: Stitch markers, tapestry needle for working tubular bind-off

The pattern is available for $4 from my Ravelry shop.

Please let me know if you find any errors in the pattern.  Happy knitting!

I had just gotten done listening to an irate trademark infringer yelling at me on the phone and generally ruining my afternoon, when what should arrive, but some gorgeous flowers from my guy! =D   So pretty!

I actually have a new cupcake recipe to post, but I don’t have it in front of me, so it will have to wait until later.  Sorry!

On the knitting front, I have a few new finished projects to report:

Ravelry link

This extra-wide Frosting scarf was a gift for Melyssa.  Hopefully it kept her nice and warm on her trip to the east coast!  Pattern link is in the sidebar to the right.

Ravelry link

My latest sweater

Ravelry link

And finally, a nice bright circle scarf.  I love the red/turquoise color combination!

I’ve also been spinning a fair bit:

“Fightin’ Irish” merino/silk from All Spun Up, a gift for big-time Notre Dame fan Carrie.

“Tropical Waters” superwash merino/silk from UrbanGypZ, a gift for fellow blue/green lover Megan.

“Non-Fruity Pebbles” merino/cashmere/silk from FLUFF, destined for a project together with the next one–

“Chocolate Chips”, also merion/cashmere/silk from FLUFF

And finally, “Bantha Lair”, BFL/Silk from All Spun Up.  The colorway was originally named “Ice Cave” and it totally reminded me of the Empire Strikes Back =P

I’ve got several new knitting designs that I’m working on.  The next one to be released is currently being test knit, and I expect to be showing it off very soon!

Our guild took down the Lich King last night, making us the 6th (I believe) guild on our server to accomplish that feat, and the first 10-man raiding guild to do it.

Finally my gear is getting back to the good old days when you could tell how epic my character was by how glowy her equipment is.

Also, the lobster bib guild tabards that I pressured Rob into adopting for the guild are awesome =D

I gather, from a friend who was living in Paris recently, that the color purple is the big current fashion trend–everyone is wearing it, even the men.  Lucky for me, I love purple too!

This is my second finished sweater for the year so far.  I’m trying to keep on pace at one a month, and so far so good!  This sweater was especially cool because it used a pretty limited amount of yarn, so it was perfect for this color, which I love, but I didn’t have a ton of.  I’m wearing it to work today.  Shivering a bit, because it’s freakin’ cold today, but fashionable =)

The sweater pattern is Abalone, and it’s knit using Sundara ASM in Wild Blueberries.  More details on my Ravelry project page.

Anyone who watches my Flickr stream probably has a good idea of the sorts of things I’m up to lately.  Just finished some spinning projects:

Merino/Yak from FLUFF Fibers (hard to spin, but SO soft):

Superwash BFL from Hello Yarn:

And here’s the first sweater I completed this year, in January–a Lightweight Pullover knit with Madelinetosh Pashmina in Cherry (Ravelry project page):

I have actually been trying to get my baking mojo back as well.  I’ve made banana bread twice in the last few weeks, and I made some cornbread to go with my chili for our office chili cook-off.  Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find the pictures!

I’ve also hit a roadblock in my baking adventures due to the fact that my mixer is busted.  I’m going to buy a new one, but I’ve been waiting for one of those Bed Bath & Beyond 20% off coupons that seem to arrive every day when you don’t need them, but now that I want one?  Nowhere to be found.

For some reason I always seem to feel compelled to finish a knitting project for Valentine’s Day.  Perhaps it’s because I love pink and hearts so much.  This year’s project celebrates both of those loves, with my new sock design, Love Bugs.

The Love Bugs pattern is available from my Ravelry shop for $4.00

Yarn: The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! (shown here in limited edition colorway Love Bug), or other fingering weight sock yarn, approximately 350-400 yards

Needle: 2.5mm (US 1.5) circular for magic loop (or DPNs or two circulars depending on your preferred method)

Gauge: 30 stitches, 44 rows, over 4″

Sizing: Adjustable to fit, but model is designed for average US Women’s size 8.5

General knowledge of basic knitting techniques (k, p, m1, etc.) is required to knit this pattern.  In addition, a familiarity with twisted stitch crosses is helpful, though the techniques used are described in the pattern.

As always, if you find any errata, or if something in the pattern isn’t clear, please let me know.

A little early I know, but my guy has kicked it off right with surprise roses at work today :D  He’s the best!

For those of you who have knit or are thinking of knitting a Frosting, this cable pattern will likely look familiar to you.  I need a simple, warm cowl pattern to show off some handspun yarn, and this is what I came up with.  This is really more of a recipe than a proper pattern, but I think that it, combined with my last post for the Frosting scarf, should give you enough to make your own!

Materials: Approximately 150 yards of aran weight yarn

U.S. Size 10.5 circular or double-pointed needles

Cast on 72 stitches, join for working in the round  (to increase or decrease circumference, add or subtract multiples of 4)

Knit 3 rows of 2×2 ribbing.

Begin cable pattern–

Row 1: (C4F, k4) repeat to end of row
Rows 2-4: knit all
Row 5: (k4, C4B) repeat to end of row
Rows 6-8: knit all

When cowl is about an inch short of your desired length, work 3 rows of 2×2 ribbing, then bind off.

When picking a length for  my cowls, I tend to make them fairly long, so that when worn, they will squish up around the neck and still have a fair bit of height.