Back in the Lineup

A while ago I removed this pattern from my Ravelry shop. I'm not even sure why, but since I made the Brookline cardigan free on Ravelry, I've been getting requests for the sock pattern. Here it is.

If you choose to knit these fun socks, DON'T do what I did. I used the leftover yarn from my Brookline cardigan, the lovely Sandnesgarn Babyull. It's 100% merino, no nylon. The socks were (note the past tense) equally lovely, but lasted about 10 minutes before the heels wore out. I guess I'd better indulge in a new pair. And I have this in mind for them.

It's Tanis Fiber Arts' sock yarn, a soft pink/grey. Perfect.
On an unrelated note, I took a pic of this 19C wall while out walking yesterday.

It's calling to me to design something. I'm just not sure what yet...

Palette for Early Spring, 2019

OK, so winter hasn't even properly arrived and I'm already thinking about what I want to make and wear for early spring. In fact, it's probably the uncharacteristically spring-like conditions that have me daydreaming about a new palette. This morning I pulled out my watercolours and spent some time playing with a new colour palette, a little softer than my current one.

Taupey, cool browns are a new addition for me, as is the burgundy, which is almost the colour of dried blood. Not very appealing, I know, as a descriptor, but it's the best I can do. I've toned down the deep grape from my last palette to a dusky violet shade. I've also added a dusky pink, and I've eliminated deep navy, which I find a bit harsh with my aging hair and skin, in favour of a greyed, denimy version.
Fortunately, I already have a lot of these colours in my yarn and fabric stash. See?

There's everything from mohair, silk, cashmere, and wool yarn to linen and cotton twill fabric. Can't wait to get started!

Old and New

The online knitting magazine, Twist Collective, is winding up, and as part of the process the designs I published in it have been returned to me to do with as I will. I have decided to make them free. They are:

1. Brookline
This was not a name of my own choosing, and I was never in love with the magazine photos or yarn, so although the name sticks, I'm showing the sweater here in two of my own photos, the first modeled by my daughter, Isabel, in fingering weight alpaca,

and the second in Sandnesgarn's Babyull. The latter is an inexpensive, soft wool with amazing stitch definition. So overlooked!

2. Sandridge
In this case, I adore what Kate Gilbert, the magazine's editor did with my sweater. She concocted a story line for this segment of the magazine, and set it in Montreal. That's a gorgeous Carol Sunday design in pale blue on the woman chatting (presumably in French) with the gentleman in grey. There are instructions for making an A-line woman's version of the sweater with buttons, and I also wrote a blog post on zipper insertion (where the zipper teeth are not visible).

3. Vinland
This hat and mitt set ended up being photographed in blue and green in a nautical setting, and although the pics by Carrie Bostick Hoge are, as usual, lovely, the truth is that I had envisioned the pieces in black with burgundy "berries and vines" and dull gold trim. Here is the photo of the sample I did for submission as modeled by Isabel on a wintry day.

So, you can see I have mixed feelings about magazine publication. It can be a wonderful way to get recognition of one's work, and that was especially the case a decade ago when Ravelry was still in its infancy and Instagram non-existent. But that recognition comes with some loss of control over yarn choice, photography, and how instructions are written and edited (see here for more on that topic in relation to Brookline). I owe a lot to Twist Collective and its staff, and yet now I am happy to take back ownership of these three designs. I hope to continue to see yet more projects on their Ravelry pages.