12.30.2012

A New Collection In the New Year




Something new and exciting is coming to Never Not Knitting in 2013...


A new collection of 12 hand-knit designs compiled in a new self-published book!

I have been working hard on this group of knits for sometime now and am extremely proud of them.
The book will be finished up soon, so I am excited to finally share some photos and details with all of you!

There is more information to come.. but for now.. can you tell what the "theme" behind the new design collection is?






12.28.2012

The Never Not Knitting Podcast : Episode 69 : Eager to Learn

Episode 69




Click here to download the mp3 file for episode 69


Shownotes:








Follow ME on Twitter!





Enter to win one of these two new knitting books by leaving a comment under this post by January 15th. 
Don't forget to leave your contact information!

The winners will be announced on Episode 70.

Thank you for listening!






12.16.2012

A Sweater for Leo


I just finished this wee little fisherman's pullover for my cousins new baby boy, Leo.



This pattern, Fisherman's Pullover, is from the book 60 Quick Baby Knits. Recognize this yarn? I used the leftovers of my Madelinetosh DK in Vintage Frame from the Gramps Cardigan.

As soon as I saw this little sweater pattern in the book, I fell in love. I love little preppy boy sweaters like this! I have all of the yarn to cast on a larger size for my son next.

This sweater has everything I like in a pattern.. It was interesting but not too hard.



 I love the way these cables turned out. (They are so pretty.. err.. handsome!)


It looks like it will be a warm, cozy sweater to keep little Leo warm this winter. I look forward to shipping it out to New York tomorrow. I hope my cousin loves it! :)


12.14.2012

Knitting Cupcakes



Earlier this week my daughter got to read her new story, Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf to her first grade class, as well as the kindergarten class with her teacher from last year.

In honor of this special occasion, I wanted to make some knitting themed treats for her to be able to pass out to the kids.

With the help of Pinterest, I found this idea for edible marzipan yarn balls

I couldn't make them as nice as the ones in the tutorial.. but they still turned out cute. These suckers were extremely time consuming! It took me about 10 hours to make 35!!

(I of course chose the signature green from my Never Not Knitting logo... of course.)


And then my husband and father-in-law made these awesome mini knitting needles from wooden dowels and  wooden screw hole covers for the ends. 

I LOVE THESE.


The last component was 35 freshly baked and frosted cupcakes. 


Put it altogether, and we got this...



A cute knitting themed little cupcake.


The great part about it was that after the cupcake is eaten, the knitting needles can be washed and used again for actually learning to knit. They aren't as nice and smooth as regular knitting needles, but they were a great inexpensive alternative to purchasing a set of needles for every student in the class.

Plus they are miniature. And everything that is tiny is just cute. :)


We provided a little ball of "real" yarn and a set of knitting instructions to all of the kids in the class so they could try it on their own.


I was so pleased by how everything turned out. Of course my daughter was so excited to dress up like Annie and to share the story with the other kids. And I was thrilled by how well it was received. The kids seemed extremely enthusiastic about the story, about learning to knit, and of course.. the cupcakes!




And before my daughter read the story, I was able to talk to the class a little bit about knitting and yarn. 
That was so fun for me to share a few fiber facts with these little ones. I asked them a few questions to test their knowledge and the answers were adorable and hilarious.

Here are a few of my favorites. :)

Me- Does anyone here know what yarn is made from?
Answer- fuzz.

Me- What kinds of things can you make with yarn?
Answer- paper towels?

Me- Has anyone had to practice something a lot before you became good at it, like Annie with her knitting?
Answer- Yes, I tried broccoli.

In the end the story accomplished exactly what I had hoped. All of the kids seemed genuinely enthused about learning to knit. I saw many kids after school holding the yarn and knitting needles trying to make stitches. I wished that I had more time that day to help these future knitters get started.. but hopefully we can do that another time. I can't wait!


12.12.2012

Sheepish Revisited




My kids are getting big. :(


My daughter is in first grade and that newborn baby of mine turned 1 without even asking me.



But on the bright side... he can now fit into a 12 month sample of my "Sheepish" cardigan design.
I loved seeing my daughter wear this little sweater years ago when I made it for her, (Hers was in a size 2) and it is equally fun seeing it again on my baby boy.

Its a great versatile pattern. Soft, cozy and sheepy. :)

(And by the way.. over the years many knitters have written me about these fabulous sheep buttons. They are available from this website here. They really do make the sweater!)


12.02.2012

Baby Sophisticate Sweater #2



A few weeks ago, in honor of my friends baby shower, I knit up this little 6 month size Baby Sophisticate Cardigan for her soon-to-be born, baby boy.




And I had to include this bow-tie and baby fedora because a gentleman has to look his best, of course!


I knit up this sweater in no time flat using one lonely left-over skein of Malabrigo Merino Worsted in the Paris Night colorway from my stash. 

This is such an easy little knit, so perfect for a quick baby shower gift. 

(Apparently my sister-in-law also thought so, because she showed up to the baby shower with the gift of a  hand knit Baby Sophisticate Cardigan too. )

(In the same size.)

: O

I first fell in love with this pattern when I first made it over a year ago now, 
when I was expecting my own baby boy.  This sweater and a matching knitted hat was the very first outfit he ever wore. My husband put it on him in the recovery room right after birth, and it was this sweater that he wore home from the hospital. 

I will never forget that site of my new, snugly, sweet boy enveloped in this cozy hand knit. 
This particular pattern will always hold a special place in my heart because of it.



11.29.2012

The Never Not Knitting Podcast : Episode 68 : The Comedy of Errors Sweater


Episode 68


Click here to download the mp3 file for episode 68

Shownotes:



















Enter to win a signed copy of the limited edition Mabel's Closet booklet by Hannah Fettig by leaving a comment under this post by December 15th. Don't forget to leave your contact information!

The winner will be announced on Episode 69. 

Thank you for listening!




11.20.2012

Pleated Neck Scarf


Back in January of this year, Amy Clarke Moore from Interweave contacted me and asked if I might be interested in contributing a design to the ever beautiful Jane Austen Knits magazine. Being a fan of all things Jane Austen, I was immediately interested and started scouring the Internet for design ideas.




I then came up with this.

This Pleated Neck Scarf knit from two different colors of Rowan Kid Silk Haze and fastened with a crocheted flower button. It's ethereal, feminine and reminiscent of the ruffled collars commonly worn in the Regency Era.



Photos courtesy of Interweave. Photography by Christa Tippmann


Believe it or not.. this is my first REAL, ACTUAL published magazine pattern. (in print)
Kind of exciting! :)

Find the pattern in the latest issue of Jane Austen Knits Fall 2012.




11.12.2012

Last Chance!



Just a reminder that pre-orders for Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf will be ending on 
November 15th at the end of the day. (Please see below)

(Update 11-19-12: The pre-order promotion has now expired. Thank you everyone for your support! We look forward to shipping the books out to you!)


This is your last chance to order this
Price: $18.95



And get this,


 and this.

In this.

For only the price of this.


In all seriousness... the Deluxe Edition-Gift Set is only free for pre-orders. 
Once pre-orders are over (beginning on November 16th) 
the Deluxe Edition will go to it's regular price of $26.95.


That means that if  you order the book before the 16th.. you will save $8 on this awesome gift set!


The books are being shipped to us now and we are so excited to start sending out your orders. 
Thank you everybody for all of your support. :)





11.09.2012

A Day In The Life Of An Illustrator



In putting together our latest book, it was fascinating for me to learn of all the steps involved in creating just one book illustration. Talk about a lot of work! I had no idea what kind of labor and time went into this type of artwork. I now look at my daughter's picture books with renewed appreciation!

I invited Neesha Hudson, the illustrator of Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf
to share her illustration process with us. 
I hope you enjoy this journey of seeing one page from conception to completion.




"I start with a very rough, quick sketch to get the general feeling and composition."





"Then refine that sketch into a line drawing. 
This is exactly how the finished illustration will look."




"I then transfer the drawing onto illustration board by laying carbon paper underneath my 
line drawing and tracing over it."


"I then ink the line drawing with FW waterproof ink. Once the ink is dry, I apply thin washes of watercolor. The first layer is yellow applied to the whole image to get a base. While the paint is still wet, I dab some red in select areas, like noses and cheeks."


"Sometimes I have a little helper." :)


"Finished watercolor."




"I then scan the watercolor and paint it digitally. As you can see, lots of beverages are involved in the process!"


"Finally, the finished illustration!"




"And here it is with text."





From "this" to "this" in approximately 10 hours time. Amazing! Thank you Neesha!