Meet Oliver

I have  a new pattern out in the winter issue of Petite Purls!

I have this goal to knit a new sweater every fall/winter for H (and his brother next year).  The first one was the Child’s Placket-Neck Pullover, the second was Henry’s Sweater, and Oliver is this year’s ‘winner’.

My pregnant brain had a really hard time focusing on anything for awhile, so the top down construction was really handy for saving my sanity.  It’s sized from 6m-16, so if I ever want to take a designing out, then I have a backup for awhile.  Plus, I think it would look awesome all in one color, with just a center stripe, or with contrasting collar/cuffs/zipper band.

I’m also insanely happy with the pictures my friend Katie took.  It was over 80 the day we did the photoshoot, so it was really a challenge to get the photos to look like winter.  Another stumbling block was Henry’s case of the sniffles.  But, none of that comes out in the photos.

Ravel it!

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3…2…1…

Woohoo, I have a new pattern in Petite Purls!!

H watched two different shows both featuring rocket ships in a really short period of time, and then all he could talk about was rocket ships, going to the moon, and outer space. So, because I’m the kind of knitter who takes an idea and runs with it (or I’m crazy), I decided he needed a cuddly rocket ship friend.

This was the final iteration. Yes it is big, but it is super cuddly. I have stolen it for my bed on more than one occasion. I think it is pretty awesome, but I’m a little biased. It’s nice to finally be able to show something I’ve been knitting.

My friend Katie took all the pictures you see here. I tried, but failed miserably, which of course meant taking our love seat outside not once, but twice. In 95 degree heat. Because I’m crazy. All that said, I hope you make a rocket friend of your own! Up, up, and away!

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Sock’s Revived- Octopus’ Garden

Designed for the Socks Revived Contest hosted by Elinor of Exercise Before Knitting.

Even though real octopi don’t collect shiny objects, the imagery in this song has stayed with me. The lyrics (and various Muppet versions) combined with the happy, Caribbean colors in the yarn inspired me to create these socks. The stitch pattern reminds me of the movements of the octopus as he crawls along the sea floor.

The sock is worked cuff down with instructions for a short row heel. If short row heels aren’t your thing, feel free to pm me for a standard heel option.

You can get the pattern for free on my design blog or on Ravelry.

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Henry’s Sweater

I can finally reveal one of my biggest super-secret projects. Say “hi” to Henry’s Sweater:

It’s from the latest edition of Petite Purls, an online magazine devoted specifically to children’s knits. I started the design process shortly after Thanksgiving and submitted it on a whim. It was such a pleasure working with the Petite Purls crew and I couldn’t have asked for a better first publication process.

The sweater above is knit with Spud and Chloe Sweater, which is scrumptious and so easy to care for. Perfect for kids wear because it is machine wash and dry-able. It just keeps getting softer and softer. This has become my go-to sweater for H. He even asks to wear it!

Here are a few other versions (in different yarn combinations) I knit while testing/writing the pattern.

Spud and Chloe Sweater, size 12 months. (I love this baby and his adorable dimple. He was the sweetest model ever!)

The Original- knit in Cascade 220 and scraps of Knitpicks Swish. I love that you can just rummage through your scrap bin to find yarn for the stripes. They don’t take very much yardage at all.

The second was knit with scraps of Cascade 220. A little more girly, perhaps the Henrietta version? I ran out of the heatherd blue while I was testing this size (6 months) and I used one of the contrast colors to make a ‘collar’. If I name it, it is a design feature, right??

On a side note, I wanted to publicly thank my friend Katie Wolfe, for taking such great pictures of the boys in their sweaters at our mini photo shoot. Kid’s photography is certainly not an easy job!

(Cross posted to my design blog.)

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