Ready For Stitches West!

I'll be heading off to the Stitches West convention this week and I am awfully excited!

I will be sharing booth #1139 with the amazing Lisa Sanchez from Becoming Art again this year.

I will be there with all of my patterns, many knitted samples, and of course lots of copies of Coastal Knits... oh and a cute baby too.

I'll also have lots of fun little things there to give away to all of you.. so be sure to stop by and say hello!

Just look for the blonde girl covered in spit up holding a baby. :)

There are two book signings scheduled if you would like to bring your copy of Coastal Knits for me to sign.

Friday 2/24 booth #1139 I will be signing books from 2:00-2:30

Saturday 2/25 booth #931 (Alpenglow Yarns) I will be signing from 11:30-12:00

But if you happen to catch me at any other time during the show, I'll be happy to sign it for you then too. :)

I look forward to seeing all of my friends again and meeting new ones. See you soon!

Leaves of Gold

Just sharing a recent knitted sample of my Cedar Leaf Shawlette pattern in Malabrigo Silky Merino in the Sand colorway. The golden leaves are so very pretty.

 This was expertly knit up for me by greentrianglegirl on Ravelry.. who also happens to be the host of 

A Playful Day podcast... where I made a recent guest appearance.

What a small world it is.. :)

Winter Trails x 3

I just received my three samples of my new Winter Trails pattern back from my test knitters.. and before I put them in this month's trunk shows, I thought I would share a picture.

For this pattern, I chose to have it tested in three different worsted weight yarn blends,
but all in a wintry off-white. 

I love seeing the differences that yarn choice makes in this design.

From the right: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Natural, Cascade Venezia Worsted in color #101, and Cascade Cloud 9 in color #101.

I think that my favorite has got to be Cascade Cloud 9. I have always really enjoyed how a fuzzy yarn like this looks knitted up in cables. (Here is another example of great cable-to-fuzz ratio. Oh and here is another favorite fuzzy knit.)

Thank you to Veronika, Stephanie, and CeRae for doing such a great job on these knits for me!

Pattern available HERE.

Winter Trails

I am happy to tell you that there is a new addition to my pattern line! 

And yes.. since you asked.... I AM proud of myself for completing this pattern while having a new baby in the house! :)

Although I seem to be designing at a snail's pace these days, I am very happy with how this hat turned out.

 The cable pattern weaves through itself and is very fun to work up. Also.. the entire project knits up quickly with a worsted weight yarn. The end result is a squishy, cozy, elegant hat, perfect for a cold winter's day.

For the hat pictured, I chose The Fibre Company Organik yarn in Arctic Tundra after being 

inspired by this lovely knit. What a fabulous yarn this is! 

This is my first time working with it, and the texture of this yarn is amazing. 

Soft, slightly shiny, slight halo.. gorgeous.

Here is the pattern information for those of you interested in knitting up a Winter Trails hat of your very own:

SIZE

Women’s Medium-Large

(fits 19–23” / 48–58cm head circumference)

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Brim Circumference approx 17” / 43cm unstretched.

MATERIALS

The Fibre Company Organik [70% Merino, 15% Alpaca, 15% Silk; 98 yd/90m per 1.75 oz / 50g skein]; color: Arctic Tundra; 2 skeins or approx 180 yd / 165m of a worsted weight wool or wool blend.

Alternate Yarns: Cascade Yarns Venezia Worsted, Madelinetosh Tosh Merino, Malabrigo Merino Worsted

1 16” / 40cm US7 / 4.5mm circular needle for brim.

1 16” / 40cm US8 / 5mm circular needle for body of hat.

1 set of US8 / 5mm double pointed needles

Cable needle

Stitch marker

Tapestry needle

GAUGE

18 sts/ 24 rows = 4" / 10cm in Stockinette stitch on US8 / 5mm needles or size needed for accurate gauge.

The pattern contains both charted and written instructions.

As always, thank you to Julie Crawford for modeling and to her husband for the excellent photography. 

I hope that you enjoy the pattern!

Ruby Leaves

I just recently had this lovely set of pattern samples knit up for me by one of my fabulous test/sample knitters, Anne. This is my Autumn Vines Beret and Oak Grove mitts worked up in the lovely Road to China Light yarn in the Ruby colorway by The Fibre Company. I've used this yarn before but I especially I love the elegant look it gives to these designs in particular. The slight fuzzy texture and sheen is so luxurious!

Although the stitch pattern is different, I've always felt that this hat and mitt pattern would serve as an excellent coordinating set, especially knit up in the same colorway like this.

I often have samples knit up for trunk shows and to put on display in different venues... but this particular set.. I wish I could keep. It's so pretty!

Autumn Vines Beret pattern found HERE. 

Oak Grove mitt pattern found HERE. 

Yarn found HERE.

Good Things

There are so many good things lately that I have been very happy and excited about...

First of all.. on a personal note.. our little guy is now 2 months old and is all smiles these days.

Just a smiling face sitting atop a pair of shoulders. No neck in sight. :)

Aside from that, I've felt re-enthused about my knitting and have been working on a new design!

Squishy elegant cables are always a treat.

Also. I am planning out a trip to Santa Clara, California at the end of February because I am going to be a vendor at Stitches West again this year! The neckless baby and I will be sharing a booth again with Lisa Sanchez from Becoming Art. Crazy? Yes, probably. But it will be fun.

See.. so many good things.

A Baby Owl For a Baby

When I was recently invited to my friend's baby shower celebrating the birth of her new baby son born only 3 days before my own.. I was a bit concerned. Not about attending. But about getting her a gift.

These days, I rarely get out of the house.. Not only does it seem to take half the day to get myself ready to go anywhere, but between lugging around a huge diaper bag, and a baby carrier containing a baby that may start screaming at any moment.. shopping is a bit nightmarish at this point. Not to mention.. my first attempt at grocery shopping with both children last week has left me traumatized to the point in which I may never recover...

So I am very happy to say that with a little ingenuity and the help of the internet..  I put together a clever little baby gift (if I do say so myself) without leaving the house. 

In keeping with the "owl themed" baby shower, I purchased these sweet hand-painted little owl shirts from this awesome etsy shop. A onesie for baby Logan and a little tee shirt for his older brother, Cole. 

I just love these..

I then found a stray envelope and handcrafted a personalized card using the computer and some of my daughter's construction paper.

And then comes the cutest part.

Using some scraps of yarn, felt, some left over buttons, and this pattern as a guide,

I created this cute baby owl as a present topper...

..and attached him to the box like this..

All of the wrapping materials were recycled as well.. 

(because I am one of those people that carefully folds up and hoards 

wrapping paper and ribbons when I receive a gift.)

So there you have it.

An owl themed gift created from the comfort of my own home.

And by the way.. she loved it. :)

Behind The Scenes of Coastal Knits

Over the past few weeks I have gone through my pictures from the photoshoots for Coastal Knits and was reminded of how much I enjoyed that experience. For those of you familiar with our book, you'll know that it isn't me modeling my designs, it's actually my former babysitter and friend Andrea.

Hannah and I had originally intended to model for the book ourselves, but since I ended up pregnant during the time the pictures were taken.. I wasn't exactly feeling or looking very "model-y".

It really worked out well however because not only did Andrea make for a perfect model, but now I have a super cute and squishy baby too! :)

We spread the picture taking over three separate days using the evening time for the best light. 

My husband, daughter, and Andrea's fiance, Hunter accompanied us each time. 

On a side note.. Both Andrea and Hunter are two of my most favorite people and couldn't make a cuter couple! 

In fact.. you podcast listeners might be interested to know that Hunter is also the voice behind the Never Not Knitting podcast theme song! We have known Hunter for years. He is an amazing and talented guy, and proved to be a great help on the photoshoots as well. He worked the second camera for me and helped us carry coats, props, and even my daughters pink sippy cup. What a guy.

We were able to capture some really pretty model shots of Andrea for the book, but it wasn't all serious work all of the time...there were definitely some silly times too.

Additionally.. Andrea was such a great sport because I made her do all sorts of uncomfortable things.. like model in front of onlookers. 

That's the awkward part about photoshoots in public places. :)

I also made her climb eucalyptus trees for the Rustling Leaves Beret photoshoot.

and instructed her to stare at them lovingly...

Which she actually did. 

Poor girl. I really put her through it. :)

We weren't the only ones who had fun though.. my daughter LOVED exploring our coastal locations with my husband while we were busy taking pictures.

She walked the flower fields of Shell Creek Rd...

Ran through the waves at Morro Strand Beach...

Climbed the gnarled oaks in the Los Osos Oaks State Reserve...

And walked the Moonstone Beach Boardwalk with us.

And had a fabulous time with Andrea as well. 

Andrea started babysitting for us when my daughter was only 8 months old and the two of them have a very special relationship. My daughter looks up to her so much. It is very sweet.

What a fun experience it was creating this book with friends distant and local. It was a lot of work, but I will always look back on the process with fond memories.

Thank you again to Andrea and Hunter for all of your help with our project. 

We couldn't have done it without you!

1 Month

Someone that I know is now 1 month old...

...and has gained 3 pounds...and grown 2 1/2 inches...as you might have noticed.

I haven't wanted to mention it to him, but his Owlet sweater is already growing a bit snug around his tummy. And lets not even get into the double chin situation. :)

The month has gone by all too fast. I can't believe how much he has already changed and grown.

The past few weeks have reminded me of how unbelievable time consuming newborns can be.

It is amazing how much I work and how little I accomplish. At the end of the day I try to remind myself that this is the most important job I can be doing right now.. taking care of my little chubby guy.

The rest can be put on hold for the moment because this special time won't last long... and in a year from now I will miss this roly-poly baby in his handknit sweater sitting on the couch with his big tummy and multiple chins.

Somehow between all of the feedings, diapering, and soothing.. I managed to knit up this stripey little hat for him a few weeks back. I'm a bit surprised that I actually got this done. I rarely have time to myself anymore, and when I do.. Instead of knitting, I find myself exhausted and staring blankly at the living room wall. I know that when we get into more of a routine, I will have more energy and get my creative enthusiasm back.

This little hat was knit from two stray balls of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, and I made up my own pattern using Kate Oates awesome Math For Hats book as a guide. 

I love the way this little project turned out and I think baby does too... maybe.. I dont know.. It's kind of hard to tell. :)

It just feels good to get something off the needles. It makes me feel productive.

Blogiversary Book Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Tonia!
The winner of the Blogiversary Book Giveaway!