Archives for April 2017

I am a huge fan of Susan B Anderson’s work. When Mary Lou, Gale, and I were planning our book, Drop Dead Easy Knits, she was one of the first designers who came to mind to create a pattern for us. And she did not disappoint. Her Bear in a Bunny Suit is one of my favorite patterns in the book. So imagine my joy when Susan wrote and asked me to design for her wonderful yarn brand, Barrett Wool Co.

Susan and I chatted about design ideas and color choices. A few days later a box of beautiful yarn arrived. With yarn in hand it was an easy thing to create a design in this delightfully squishy American wool. Barrett Wool Co’s Home seemed to demand that I create a design that takes advantage of its lovely, cozy feel. It whispered in my ear that a combination of garter stitch and mosaic would be just the thing. Sonora is the result, and Susan released the pattern yesterday. (If you click through, that link will take you to the Ravelry page where you can see Susan’s gorgeous photos taken at the Grand Canyon. They will take your breath away.)

Before I shipped the sample off to Susan, I bribed my daughter IJK to venture out to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, on a cold but sunny February day, to take some photos. IJK was a sport and modeled the shawl despite the cold. The giant wool shawl and an offer of a delicious lunch played no small part in convincing her to tough it out.

Susan is offering the pattern at the discounted price of $4.00 until tomorrow, April 30th with the coupon code SONORA. You can read more about the design and see Susan’s suggestions for additional color combos on the Barrett Wool Co blog.

 

Each time we do a book event for Drop Dead Easy Knits, the Polliwog Popover is one of the samples that everyone loves. For good reason, this sweet baby sweater is a breeze to knit and who can resist an adorable baby in a hand knit?

Mary Lou Egan’s design not only looks good, but is designed to fit well, with overlapping shoulders so the neck isn’t too tight to squeeze over baby’s head. The design is smart and simple in it’s construction, making it a pattern you will turn to again and again.

Knit all in one piece, the Polliwog Popover begins at the bottom edge, where it is worked in the round up to the armholes. Next the stitches are divided in two and the front and back yokes are worked separately in 1×1 ribbing. Once the yoke is complete, stitches are picked up around the armholes and the adorably striped sleeves are worked downward from there.

One of the things I like the best about Polliwog is the potential of this pattern. Between the striped elements and the yoke there are endless options for creating a combination that is uniquely your own. Here’s a version that uses three colors, where the yoke contrasts with the stripes.

And what about a cute version where only the sleeves have stripes?

Or make body stripes that match the yoke and sleeves in a contrast.

Or get playful and mix up the stripes and create mismatched sleeves.

Try one of these, or come up with your own twist on Polliwog. Your imagination is the limit. As for myself, I could do this all day. If only I didn’t have a long to do list for today.

If you decide to put your own twist on Polliwog we’d love to see your version. Just shoot Mary Lou, Gale, or I a Ravelry message, send an email, or tag one of us on Instagram (mlegandesign, galezucker, throughtheloops).

 

Hi, remember me? I’m the blogger who hasn’t written a post since January. How time does fly. I always have the best intentions, but one thing leads to another and months go by. Anyway. . . I’m here to let you know that I updated an oldie but goodie — the Moody Kerchief.

I originally designed this pattern in 2010 and have been meaning to update the pattern with a larger size for several years now. So when the good folks at The Fibre Company wrote a few months back to explain that the yarns I’d used for the original pattern were discontinued, and offered to send their lovely new yarn, Luma, as a substitute, I knew the stars had aligned and it was time.

The new version of the Moody Kerchief is now on Ravelry. If you’ve purchased the pattern in the past you have probably already received the update. (Check your Ravelry account or the email address you used with Paypal when you bought the pattern for the notice.)

If you haven’t purchased the pattern yet, you can get $2 off with coupon code: moodyupdate. Here’s a link to take you directly to a page where you can enter the code and add the pattern to your cart.

I used Luma in Blanca and Aizome. But since I think this new yarn is so lovely — butter soft and perfect for summer with its blend of merino, cotton, linen, and silk — I couldn’t resist pulling together a few alternate color ways. I’d love to see the combos that you put together.

Breton and Ciel

Kiwi and Willow

Sangria and Flamingo

Grigio and Goldenmosa