When I was at Stitches West this year, I heard a lot of people buzzing about Knit City, an event being put on by Knit Social. Knit City is Vancouver’s very own fiber festival, with great classes, vendors, and amazing people, all under one roof for two days.

Even though I was born and raised on the west coast and have visited Seattle twice, I never made it up to Vancouver. Never one to say no to traveling to new places, and never saying no to traveling for knitting-related events, I jumped at the chance to attend Knit City.

I’m very happy to announce that not only will I be teaching a class at Knit City, but I will also have my own booth chock full of patterns, samples, kits, and more.

I took a little vacation last week to visit my family in California. I hadn’t been back since I moved to Chicago last year, and it was wonderful to see everyone. I also got to spend some time up at Sea Ranch, and was able to see baby harbor seals in the rookery. It was just about the most relaxing vacation I could ever have. But now I’m back to work, and things are back to normal. There’s no such thing as too many beautiful vacation photos.

Colin’s parents have a massive cat bigger than my torso.

Sophia’s, our favorite restaurant and bar to visit in Davis.

On the way up to Yuba City to see my mom.

Fake sheep on the hills in Sonoma.

Everything is incredibly green right now! California been getting so much rain.

Real sheep!

Random statue in a field in Napa.

Wine! Wine!!

And then there was Sea Ranch! One of my favorite places to visit when I go to California.

Relaxing with my ocean view.

There are some baby harbor seals with their mamas on the rocks.

Morning view.

Colin’s idea of a suitable wine pour while vacationing.

Sunset.

Sea anemones!

Hanging out in the tide pools.

Little waterfall and small creek running into the sea.

Waves, and the bluest ocean I’ve seen in awhile.

Sea Ranch.

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:

Comprised of 3 patterns, the Arch Shawls collection features stitch motifs inspired by elements of Venetian architecture. I don’t claim to be an expert on architecture, but the vast buildings throughout Italy inspired me to create shawls based on the styles used in their unique structures.

Voussoir Shawl is modeled after the wedge-shaped bricks that fill in the gaps in archways left behind by regular, lesser bricks. The smocked cable motif stacks rows of stitches in a simialr fashion, creating miniature archways of cabled stitches. Paired with ribbing, this scarf has no proper top or bottom.

From now through May, you can purchase the delightfully squishy yarn used in this shawl at 10% off! Aerten DK is a luxurious superwash merino, cashmere, and nylon blend. Visit Wooly Wonky Fibers to purchase – you’ll need 2 skeins for this shawl.

Voussoir Shawl, $6:

buy Arch Shawls collection now ($16)

3 patterns: Lancet Shawl, Squinch Shawl, and Voussoir Shawl (shown)

Yarn shown: Wooly Wonka Fibers Aerten DK (80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon. 230 yards per 100 grams), Color shown: Bittersweet. Approximately 2 skeins used.

Needles: US 7 (4.5mm), circulars recommended due to item construction. 4 sts per inch, stockinette stitch.

Finished size: 10 inches at deepest point, 66.5 inch wingspan.

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately crafting two new components of my site. I probably could have saved myself a lot of stress and hair pulling if I asked someone else to do this for me, but I wanted to make sure it was just so. There is still some tweaking to be done for each site, but they’re pretty much ready to go.

LYS

This has been in the works for quite awhile. It’s actually a little embarrassing that it took me so long to put together.

LYS is a site that allows yarn stores and other retailers to order printed copies of my patterns, commission designs, request samples, and purchase course instruction licenses. The simple interface allows you to keep track of previous orders, and it also grants you access to quick and easy pattern info, with direct links to yarn requirements, and suggestions for skill levels and projects.

This site is publicly accessible to everyone. You can check out order policies, or browse patterns.

Note that even though the site is publicly accessible, it is only for wholesale purchases. If you’re interested in buying my patterns for individual use, please visit my shop here.  

Members

Currently in a testing phase, the membership site grants users exclusive access to membership content. For the time being, the site is invite-only: winners of the Great Cowl KAL have been invited to join the 2012 Cowl Club, which includes all cowl patterns published this calendar year.

In the coming months, I will be introducing new things on the membership site, including:

• KALs
• Additional membership levels: some will be Members exclusives, others will be bulk pattern purchasing discounts
• Online classes
• Video tutorials
• Live chat sessions – video and regular chat
• Much more to come, I can’t give all the fun away now!

The site makes use of threaded comments, so users can keep track of who said what, and when. Members also have access to digital download libraries for their patterns (this is currently NOT connected to Ravelry, but may be sometime in the future if I can figure out how to finagle it). Content is all partitioned, so members only see the content that is approved for their level.

Interested in joining the membership site? Sign up for updates here. Note that you will only receive updates when new membership levels are available.

Honeycomb cables and textures come together with bright, vibrant yarn to make a cowl that is just as emblematic of spring as the flowers and buzzing bees enjoying them.

I wanted a cheery cowl that I could wear in the mornings to help stave off the chill that wasn’t too heavy. This delightful DK weight is bouncy and soft, perfect for a spring knit.

Although the cable pattern and smocking may present a challenge for beginning knitters, its repetitive nature is a great way to become an expert at cables in one project. A cable need is required, as the smocking is (probably) impossible without one.

Like Honey Cowl, $6

The Great Cowl KAL set, $24
A Very Good Cowl Indeed • Blueberry Scowl • Like Honey Cowl • Perpetually Persistent Cowl • Weeble Wobble Cowl

Yarn shown Little Red Bicycle Unicycle DK (100% superwash merino, 260 yards per 115 grams), color shown: Bee’s Knees. Approximately 112 grams used.

Needle US 6 (4mm) 16” circular, 4 sts per inch stockinette stitch.

Finished size: 9 inches tall, 20 inches around

Comprised of 3 patterns, the Arch Shawl features stitch motifs inspired by elements of Venetian architecture. I don’t claim to be an expert on architecture, but the vast buildings throughout Italy inspired me to create shawls based on the styles used in their unique structures.

Squinch Shawl is modeled after the curious squinch arches used in buildings with domes. The tiny triangles hold up each vast roof, a centuries old marvel of engineering. Paried with garter stitch, this reversible stitch pattern makes excellent use of both lace and texture.

Squinch Shawl, $6:

buy Arch Shawls collection now ($16)

3 patterns: Lancet Shawl, Squinch Shawl (shown), and Voussoir Shawl

Yarn shown: Miss Babs Yummy Handpainted Sport Superwash (100% superwash merino, 335 yards per 150 grams). Color shown: Lady Bug.

Needles: US 6 (4mm) and US 7 (4.5mm) Circulars recommended due to item construction. 4.5 sts per inch (US 6), stockinette stitch.

Finished size: 7 inches at deepest point, 65 inch wingspan.

I’m very happy to introduce a new pattern collection: the Arch Shawl Collection. Comprised of 3 patterns, the Arch Shawl features stitch motifs inspired by elements of Venetian architecture. I don’t claim to be an expert on architecture, but the vast buildings throughout Italy inspired me to create shawls based on the styles used in their unique structures.

Lancet Shawl is modeled after the Gothic lancet arches favored by Venetians, with the elaborate points of mimicking the dramatic arches in buildings across the canals. One of three in a series, the Lancet Shawl uses lace weight to emphasize the openwork lace motif.

Lancet Shawl, $6: 

buy Arch Shawls collection now ($16)

3 patterns: Lancet Shawl (shown), Squinch Shawl, and Voussoir Shawl

Yarn shown: Little Red Bicycle Unicycle Lace (100% superwash merino, 840 yards per 100 grams). Color shown: Ursula. Approximately 420 yards required.

Needles: US 6 (4mm) and US 7 (4.5mm) Circulars recommended due to item construction. 5 sts per inch (US 6), stockinette stitch.

Finished size: 13.5 inches at deepest point, 68 inch wingspan.

One of the most common questions I get from people is how they can increase or decrease the size of a shawl, or how much mileage they can get out of their yarn if their gauge is a little different. Calculating yarn usage based on yardage is very difficult for me. Yarn often times come with more yardage than labeled, and sometimes less, and drape, gauge, and personal preference actually have a huge impact on yardage requirements.

But calculating by percentage – that’s where it’s at. I size my patterns up and down, and check to make sure they will work with commercially available yarns, using a percentage formula I’ve honed over the years.

I wasn’t sure if including this kind of information in my patterns would be helpful, or a hinderance, so I’ve left it out of all my releases. But you know what? I have the information, I should share it with you. I don’t do this math for every pattern, but I do it for a lot of them.

I am hoping this year to release a tool that will do this math for you: you enter the information into the tool, and it will churn out the percentages and yardages for you. But! That’s a little far off, and involves me writing code, so this will have to do for now. I envision the tool as being more helpful than the chart listed below, but I want feedback from you guys before I delve into something so time consuming. What do you think? Would it be helpful to calculate your percentages and yardages?

Here are the percentages for the two sizes included in the Luna’s Shawl pattern!

I use a program called Soulver to generate the math for these.

I cannot vouch enough for Soulver. It’s an amazing tool, and it’s great for people who need to do math and save their calculations. The best part about it is that it works with words, not just numbers. Instead of making a special row in Excel for your formula labels, you put them right in with the equation. It’s easier to move things around and adjust calculations, plus you can export to PDF, HTML, a CSV, plain text, or email. And it will keep your labels, formatting, and everything, so whoever you share it with can follow along easily. It is worth every penny.

Hoorah! The last pattern in the Great Cowl KAL. Scarf + cowl = scowl. I really like infinity cowls, and I also love unnecessarily long scarves. Who says you can’t have both? Knit flat, this scarf features optional buttons, allowing it to be wrapped up and worn as a cowl. This clever little project incorporates textured motifs to bring out the tonal colors in semi-solid yarns without obscuring them. Add some versatility to your wardrobe with the multi-purpose project!

The Great Cowl KAL: Project Stats

This is the fifth and final pattern in The Great Cowl KAL.
Ravelry Page • FO link coming soon

Blueberry Scowl, $6

The Great Cowl KAL set, $24
A Very Good Cowl Indeed • Blueberry Scowl • Like Honey Cowl • Perpetually Persistent Cowl • Weeble Wobble Cowl

Cost: $6 (or free if Perpetually Persistent Cowl was completed and submitted by 3/5 at 8 p.m. CST)
Due date: March 24, 2012 at 8 p.m. CST
Prize for completion: shh, it’s a surprise

See all rules here.

Blueberry Scowl

Ravelry Page • FO link coming soon

yarn. Approximately 400–430 yards worsted weight.

yarn shown. Another Crafty Girl Merino Worsted (100% superwash merino; 215 yards per 100 grams) Color shown: Blueberry.

skill level. Adventurous beginner. Knits, purls, and some picked up stitches.

gauge. 5 sts per inch in stockinette.

notions. 2 stitch markers, darning needle, 3 buttons (approximately 1” in diameter)

notes. The 1×1 ribbing and the 2×2 ribbing will want to block out at different widths. Block your scowl according to the 1×1 ribbing: this will leave your 2×2 ribbed edge a little relaxed.