It’s spring, and things are changing. The weather is getting warmer, even though the wind likes to pretend it’s colder outside than it really is.

When the seasons change like this, it always makes me more appreciative if little things in life. There are lots of little things I love, like…

My Julep Maven It Girl box! Such great colors.

Visiting the Bean with my German friends, and taking funny pictures with my boyfriend:

Shopping downtown, surrounded by the tulip boxes:

Big blue skies in the loop:

Big hair, big curls, and cute tops with sailboats:

Saying goodbye to snow, and hello to spring rain:

And! Finally finding my favorite beer from a microbrewery in California at a Trader Joe’s in Chicago:

I’m packing my bags and getting ready to head on a plane for Stitches West. I’ll be in booth #1133 with Little Red Bicycle this year.

I have a new pattern coming out called Like Honey Cowl, which features cables and textures reminiscent of spring time, honeycomb, and warm weather. This pattern will be debuted at Stitches West, and pre-orders will be available. It will be coming out after the Great Cowl KAL, but available to Stitches purchasers a few weeks in advance.

See you this weekend! Until then, enjoy my excited face:

I’ve never been big on New Years resolutions. It seems like a lot of pressure on one goal – why would you do that to yourself? There are a lot of things I would like to be improving of changing for 365 days, but nothing that I’d be willing to commit to over one-too-many drinks on New Years Eve! But, I do like the idea behind setting goals and improving things about yourself, so I make goals.

Ok, they’re basically resolutions. The word “resolutions” just sounds weird to me after you’ve said it 5 times like I have in this post.

… goal 1 should probably be to get better at counting.

Anyways! Goals for 2012! Do you have goals for 2012? Are they personal, professional, or knitting related? Mine are all 3, oddly enough. Perhaps I should think about improving my ability to over commit myself to my list for 2013?

Read 52 new books.

This one is kind of a cop out, but still important. I did it last year, and in 2010, and killed it in 2009. I’m still sticking with this challenge, though. My taste in books has changed a lot, and I am spending a lot more time with audiobooks than I am with printed ones. Even though I’m constantly reading, finishing 52 new books is a challenge for me.

Stick to my publishing schedule.

Over Thanksgiving, I sat down and mapped out all of the patterns I currently have in any stage of development through June. I’m giving myself 10% room for error because, well, you can’t be perfect every time, and 90% is a pretty impressive goal. I kind of regret forcing myself to stick with the 10% wiggle room thing, because that only gives me about 4 extra days. The schedule is not set in stone, nor is it perfect. It gets tweaked when projects get fast tracked, or adjusted to accomodate new KALs, or switched around to match my sales and new trends. Regardless, I will be constantly evaluating my publishing schedule, and sticking to it to the best of my abilities.

Spend more time with other hobbies.

I love painting with watercolors. I am not very good at it, I’m quite horrid, actually. But part of that stems from my weird appreciation of, and attitude toward, art. I don’t spend enough time with my watercolors, and it makes me sad.

Visit more of my local knitting groups.

I haven’t been to many knitting events since I moved. Quite frankly, it has been a bit overwhelming going from a town with one LYS 20 minutes away, to an enormous city with tons of stores within a 30 minute public transportation ride.

Teach more classes, make more appearances, do more.

I miss teaching, speaking, trunk shows, and appearances. A lot. I had to turn down some offers during 2011, and it made me really sad. I regret not having a sample in at Vogue Knitting Live, and I am bummed that I couldn’t make it to Stitches Midwest this year. But no more NO. As long as it can fit reasonably into my schedule, I will try to make it happen.

Keep Sunday brunch alive.

This is probably my favorite tradition that Colin and I have. Every Sunday, we visit Café Selmarie in Lincoln Square and have delicious brunch. It was a tradition I shared with anywhere from 2–10 friends when I lived in California. It’s a lot different only going with Colin, but it’s a good different. A fun different.

Save money.

I did a decent job on this one during 2011, but I’d like to try harder. Part of saving money is keeping better track of my personal and professional finances, which I finally got a handle on using Outright and Mint. I am easily seduced by graphs, ok!?

Last month (wow, is it really September?) there was a party at Knit 1 here in Chicago. I got to meet a ton of knitters, eat some tasty cheeses, and have a little trunk show. It’s been awhile since I had a trunk show – moving across the country appeared to have to instilled a fear of packing things in me that has made me take a break from them for awhile.

But! My first trunk show in Chicago was a lot of fun, and I look forward to having another. Here are some of my favorite photos from the party.

Did you purchase a pattern at the Knit 1 Party? Please read this post!

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted – I promise I have a lot more coming for you this week! But two important things first:

All patterns 10% off until Tuesday 6/21 11:59 p.m!

I miss knitting. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to sit down and work with my needles. In honor of my joyous return to knitting, all of my patterns are 10% off until tomorrow night. You have Amanda to thank for this: she took me to knit1 on Saturday and I got my knit nerd on. Celebrate being a knit nerd with me and enjoy 10% off!

Roxanne photo contest update

The winners are going to be posted this week. Better yet, the winners are going to be posted on Thursday 6/23 in the afternoon. I picked a few more winners than they were prizes, but I’m allowed to do that because I’m the designer. Haha! No winners have been contacted yet, I will reveal everything on Thursday.

Every few months or so, I’ll get a random rash of messages about one specific element of my patterns. I’m not sure how it happens, but I’ll get an average of 5-10 messages on a daily basis about one thing. I don’t mind it. In fact, I love getting emails and messages from people who are knitting my patterns. It’s really nice to talk to people who are working up my stuff. I don’t get to hang out with a lot of local knitters, so I crave the connection. O please! Keep sending me messages! I love them!

But I’m getting away from the point.

This week, the messages have been about Saroyan. I’m assuming it coincides with a group on Ravelry doing a KAL, since that’s where most of the messages come from. If you’re doing a KAL on Ravelry, don’t be afraid to ear burn me! I will happily jump in and answer questions. Like I said: I crave the connection to my fellow knitters.

A lot of people have some issues with the garter stitch edge curling over on their scarf. Let me first say that when I designed the scarf, I did so with the intention that the edge would roll. I wanted it to be warm and cozy. I knew that the loosely knit stockinette stitch wouldn’t necessarily provide me with the warmth I was hoping for. I made the decision to work the body in stockinette stitch rather than garter stitch. You can, obviously, choose to knit the body of the scarf in garter stitch, but that doesn’t answer the question or address the concern.

The edge isn’t actually what curls. If you look inside of the curl, you’ll notice that the garter stitch edge is nice and flat. What’s happening is the body in it’s stockinette stitch massiveness is idling up around it.

But why doesn’t the other edge curl? The leaf edge doesn’t curl because of a few reasons. First, a larger portion of the leaf side of the scarf contains increases and decreases. These simple stitches help to change the direction of the stockinette stitch and trick it into not turning into a tube. The straight edge is much more inclined to curl because there is nothing to stop it from doing so. All of the stitches are going in the same direction.

A second reason is because of the leaves themselves. When the leaves are blocked out, the edges curl, but only that one edge stitch. It gives the leaves a three dimensional appearance, which I find to be a nice extra feature of the scarf.

And finally, the third reason is how the scarf is worn. Almost everyone who wears the scarf, at least that I’ve seen, places the garter stitch border up around their neck and the leaves down, resting on their torso. Of course, there are several hundred million different ways to wear the scarf, and not everyone wears it that way. So this only applies to you if you wear the scarf in that manner.

But! There are some things that will help combat this curling. While I can’t change the characteristics of stockinette stitch, I can trick it into behaving nicely. In general, the more loosely you knit stockinette stitch, the easier it is to cure the curling with a good blocking.

If loosely knit stockinette stitch is not your thing, you can also try expanding the width of the garter stitch border, or, alternatively, knitting the entire body in garter stitch. You can also try swanky things, like adding seed stitch to the body instead of solid stockinette.

At the end of the day, though, it will curl. There’s nothing I can really do about that unfortunately. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make stockinette do exactly what I wanted it to, but there’s no bippity boppity boo fairy godmother magic at my disposal.

Don’t get discouraged if your scarf curls. A lot of people say “but I see pictures of everyone else’s scarves and they don’t curl!” Well no. Would you share a picture of your scarf curled up into a teeny tube? You’re most proud of your work when it looks the best. People take pictures of FOs when they are fresh from the blocking board and in their most pristine state. I try to let my objects relax a little after being pulled off of the blocking boards to give a more realistic portrayal of how they will function on a day to day basis.

1. Delicious pumpkin raviolis from one of my favorite Italian places with a garlic butter sauce for a simple Valentine’s day dinner
2. Finishing the first pair of socks I’ve ever knit for a person with feet bigger than me
3. A fantastic Valentine’s day party at Kristine’s gorgeous new storefront for A Verb For Keeping Warm with the ever delightful Casey and Jess of Ravelry fame
4. STITCHES WEST!! Saturday!
5. Getting 4 samples photographed and written up into patterns
6. Publishing Luna’s Shawl (right) – the first of many new shawl patterns I’m working on that focus on creating unique shapes or using different methods of construction
7. Getting my books for the Traveling Woman Collection printed. Seriously, they’re awesome. It’s a BOOK.
8. New business cards! They match the website!
9. Emailing the winners of the Traveling Woman contest – I love making people happy!
10. Sharing sneaky designs with some of my favorite indie dyers
11. Getting ahold of some new Little Red Bicycle Tandem Lace in a gorgeous colorway for a back-to-basics lace shawl
12. Eating hot pink dark chocolate chip cookies that are bigger than my head
13. Prepping everything for a post-Stitches Femme Fatale Fibers mega sale
14. Casting on something for me that’s not a design and not a gift: a Whipser Cardigan, knit in some leftover Femme Fatale Fibers Venus Fingering in an unreleased colorway called Captain Jack (of Torchwood, not Pirates)

It’s only Wednesday, but it’s already shaping up to be an excellent week.

See you at Stitches West on Saturday!

I’m happy to announce that I’ll be doing a Meet ‘n Greet at Stitches West this year! You can stop by and say hi or show me your Traveling Woman, buy a printed copy of the Traveling Woman collection, or just secretly stalk me from afar. Bring your camera! I’ll be too busy talking your ear off to take pictures.

Stitches West Meet ‘N Greet
with Miss Babs

Booths 914, 916, 918
Saturday, February 19, 2011
12:00-3:30pm

FREE pattern giveaway! to be debuted at Stitches West

Stop by and say hi! I love to meet people who have knit my patterns. If you’ve knit Traveling Woman, bring it with you! I would love a picture with you wearing your Traveling Woman.

Here’s a sneak peek of something Miss Babs and I have been working on. It’s called Luna’s Shawl, and it will be available for purchase at Stitches West (and on my website) within the next few weeks:

Shown in Miss Babs Yummy Sport Weight in Luna Granite

The shawlette version uses one full skein (literally! Only inches left) of Miss Babs’ generous Yummy Sport Weight (pictured). The shawl version uses one skein of fingering weight. More details and pictures soon!

There are some benefits to living with my boyfriend, the largest perhaps being that he’s a photographer. A bigger bonus? He willingly takes pictures for me. It’s fantastic. Observe:

Photo courtesy of Colin FitzGerald, colinfitzgeraldphotography.com

That’s me, modeling a new pattern due out soon.

Is it just me or do I look like the one of the worms from Tremors? I think it’s the color of the yarn. Very Tremor-like.

It’s been awhile since I posted an update the status quo over here. I suppose I’m a bit over due!

Dyeing: I’m temporarily suspending dyeing. My current living situation doesn’t really have the adequate space or utilities needed. I should resume dyeing again in Fall 2011. I do have some back stock, so if you’re looking for a particular color, please email me.

Instead, I have paired up with didisaurus of Little Red Bicycle (on Etsy) to help dye yarn specific to projects in the bold, dynamic colors you are used to. Didi and I have worked together from day one: supporting each other through the process of setting up our businesses, attending Stitches West together, and providing each other with a healthy dose of sanity. I know you’ll all love the stuff we’re working on currently. A lot of the stuff we’re working on will be available in kits very soon!

Traveling Woman: Sort of in suspension. It’s a large project and it’s constantly in the works. I’ve reformatted the way in which I’ll be releasing the pattern to make it easier for people to read. Rather than releasing one, large ebook pattern, I’ll be releasing three smaller patterns: original shape, triangle, and rectangle scarf/stole. All three patterns will have options for different sizes and yarn weights, as well as suggestions for modifications to make the pattern for men. The patterns will be sold separately, and also bundled together as an ebook for a slightly cheaper price.

Funke Family/Arrested Development Socks: Currently in the works are socks for Tobias and Lindsay. Maeby is already finished. Once they are all three completed, you’ll have an option to buy the set or the patterns individually. People who have purchased Maeby already can contact me to arrange special pricing on the remaining two patterns when they’re available. A kit for Tobias featuring Little Red Bicycle yarn will be made available when the pattern is published.

Bones series: It’s been awhile since I was able to touch base with my Bones patterns. I’m working on a sock for Daisy at the moment. A few other things are on the drawing board, but not near product quite yet.

Short row shawls ebook: I’ve been experimenting with short row shawls lately. I hope to release a short row shawls ebook within the next year. All of the patterns containing instructions for both fingering and worsted weights.

Club designs: I’ve been working with Woolgirl on a few designs for a her club. Both patterns – A Very Good Cowl Indeed and Lollipop Socks (not yet on Ravelry) – have been distributed to the club and will be available for purchase 6 months after their exclusive release.