Introducing: Oakdale

When it comes to my own designs, I never wear them until I have a chance to do the official photoshoot because I want to keep them as pristine as possible for the pattern photos, and for this particular design the weeks between completion and photography were super tempting.

I designed Oakdale as my dream sweater, and it turned out pretty much exactly as I hoped: as in crazy-close to the original sketch. The only difference is the neckline, which is more boatneck than crew (which I prefer).

Still in my colorwork period, it started off with an acorn motif and a desire to do a 40s-50s style sweater.  I wanted it to be seamless and easy to knit, so I decided to do it as a raglan sweater, and since I hadn't decided what I wanted the neckline to be I started at the bottom and worked my way up, figuring I'd decide by the time I got there.

There's no shaping in the body of the sweater, but 1-2 inches of negative ease, plus the nature of the colorwork stripes, makes for a shapely-looking sweater. If you wanted to make it even MORE shapely, you could switch the Stockinette stripes for corrugated ribbing easily.

The front and back are entirely the same until after the yoke decreases are completed, then there are a little over an inch of short rows on the back neck to raise it up a bit higher than the front for comfort in wearing. The sleeves, neck and hem are all finished off in a K1, P2 rib that mirrors the striping pattern.

For the sample I used Cascade 220 in Chocolate Heather, Smoke Blue and Straw. But it would work in any worsted weight yarn with a reasonable color range.

A big shout out must be given to Bristol Ivy, fiber artist, who served as color consultant, photographer and tech editor for this pattern.  And a mini shout out to the Canal School in Westbrook, which served as a charming autumnal backdrop, when our original location fell through.

The pattern is written for sizes 30 (32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58)”/ 76 (81.5, 86.5, 91.5, 96.5, 101.5, 106.5, 112, 117, 122, 127, 132, 137, 142, 147.5) cm at the bust and is perfect for your next sock hop or pep rally.

Oakdale is available for purchase for $7.00 USD

or you can queue it up on Ravelry.

PS - Did you know about the new mailing list? You'll receive notification about all new Ms. Cleaver Creations patterns as well as special discount codes and offers.  Sign up Now!

Sneak Peaks

I just wanted to pop in to show a sneak peak of a design currently on the needles

and shot from my photoshoot with Bristol Ivy yesterday that was too fun not to share!

November's gonna be a big month for new designs for me, which is a good a time as any to introduce a new mailing list. I promise I will never share your email address and there won't be any spam, just updates on new pattern releases and sales, giveaways, etc.

Sign up Now!

Introducing: Shoots & Ladders

I'm pleased to formally introduce Shoots & Ladders, the design I teased a few week back. Shoots & Ladders is an any season cowl, inspired by the orderly rows of plantings in gardens. I wasn't able to plant a big garden this year, but I did produce a few of these cowls.

The spring/summer version of the cowl features Elsebeth Lavold's Hempathy, which results in a drapey cowl, with well defined lace motifs

The more ethereal Winter version is knit in Rowan's Felted Tweed DK, resulting in a more structured cowl with a bit of halo.

Both cowls utilize approximately 300 yards of DK weight yarn and is knit in the round. The lace pattern is charted and decreases in the "ladders" section give the cowl a pleasing tapered shape.

The pattern is available for $4.00 USD

or you can queue it up on Ravelry

Photos, except detail shots, by Bristol Ivy.

Introducing: Zoetrope

I had so much fun coming up with this pattern, though like most of my patterns its seems,  it had a long time going from inspiration to release.

Shortly after I took up running* last year, I quickly learned that if I wanted to run in the cold I would need a good hat and being a knitter, I thought I could create an awesome running hat. I was in the midst of a colorwork binge and thought a running hat with a running motif would be fun, and then I remembered my history of photography class from college and Zoetrope was born.

In that class, one of the photographers we learned about was Eadweard Muybridge, who in 1877 accidentally helped create the motion picture by winning a bet for a friend. The bet was whether or not all four of a horses hooves left the ground while in a full gallop, by utilizing a series of cameras, Muybridge proved that they did (wild times in 1877!).  Muybridge also discovered that by placing the series of images on a spinning disc, when viewed though a single opening, the spinning image appeared to move. Like this!

History lesson aside, I took Muybridge's "Horse in Motion" images and converted them to a colorwork chart, which is framed within a filmstrip. Each of the horse panels are different, meaning that if you spun it fast enough and while looking through a slit, the horse would appear to be running. Or you could just look back up at the animated gif above.

The hat is knit out of Quince & Co's DK-weight Chickadee in Egret (white) and Crow (black). One of my testers also successfully used a fingering weight yarn.

Zoetrope comes in three sizes: 17.5, 20.5, 23.5 inch/ 45, 52, 60 cm circumference, features an optional braided tassel, and, if I may say so, is a little addictive to knit, as once the horses start to appear, I just wanted to keep going.

Zoetrope is available for purchase for $5.00 USD

or you can queue it up on Ravelry.

*haven't really run since.

The Things We Do For Our Craft

Bristol and I headed out to the Falmouth Nature Preserve this past Saturday to do a photoshoot for a pattern I'll be releasing in a few weeks.

The things we do for our craft. :)

Introducing: Alaria

photo © Carrie Bostick Hoge

Yesterday, I had the absolute and distinct pleasure of releasing a pattern with Quince & Co.

Every since this Maine-based yarn producer opened up shop literally up the street from where I work, I've been a hugefan and when the opportunity arose to publish this shawl pattern with them, I leapt at the chance!!

I still can't believe that that's my shawl up there. It's more to do with Carrie's photography than anything else, but man, I love the Quince photos.

photo © Carrie Bostick Hoge

One of my knitolutions for the year was to design a shawl and I knew I wanted to do something ocean-inspired, without leaning on my usual oceanic blues and turquoises. (Not that I've given up on those). When I picked up these skeins of Tern and saw the colorway was called Seagrass, that settled it.

Alaria (the name is from a genus of seaweed) flows between three simple lace patterns reminiscent of aquatic foliage. The shawl is a traditional triangle shape and all lace work is done on the right side rows only.

The sample was knit in two skeins (about 440 yards) of Quince & Co.'s Tern - a fingering weight silk/wool blend. It blocks beautifully and the silk gives it just a hint of sheen. (I will note that when I knit the sample, it used up all the yarn except for a teeny-tiny amount, so depending a knitter's gauge, it could sneak into a third skein).

As designed, the shawl is a great size for throwing over your shoulders or bunching up as a scarf, and should a larger shawl be required, additional repeats of 24 rows can be easily added to the first and/or second lace patterns.

photo © Carrie Bostick Hoge

You can queue up the pattern on Ravelry, or purchase the pattern via Quince & Co ($6 USD).

Introducing: Smocked Tank

Since I first started publishing knitting patterns in earnest back during the spring  of 2010, I've had a significant backlog of items that I came up with and knitted way back when and am only finally getting around to making patterns for them. (See Exhibit A.)

While the Smocked Tank isn't the last of the backlog (there's one more to go), it did take the longest from incubation to actualization. I hope you'll agree it was worth the wait.

I first knit this idea for myself in June 2008. So, um three years later, here's the finished product. Graded for  bust sizes 30 (32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48) inches/ 77 (81, 86, 92.5, 97, 101.6, 106, 113, 117.5, 122) cm.

Knit in the round from the bottom up, the tank is very fitted, with curvy side shaping and is finished off with i-cord straps.

The tank utilizes 455 (495, 525, 585, 620, 670, 700, 720, 765) yds of worsted to aran weight yarn with a significant silk, bamboo, or rayon content for drape and sheen. Knit to a gauge of 18 sts and  24 rows = 4”/ 10 cm in Stockinette stitch on size 10 US / 6 mm needles.

The sample was knit in Berroco Ultra Silk in 6138 Lilac; 98 yd/90 m per 50g/1.76 oz skein; 40% Wool/ 40% Nylon/20% Silk, which has since been discontinued.

So if you need a quick summer knitting project, with a bit of a romantic flair,

the pattern can be queued up here, or downloaded for free  via the links below:

Waltz in Grey

It seems like the sweaters I dislike knitting the most, end up being the sweaters I wear the most. Case in point, That D@#n Sweater, which I wear ALL the time.

This sweater falls into the same category. The pattern is Pas de Valse by Marnie MacLean. The pattern itself is fine, but I really lost my knitting mojo working on this thing. I blame too much stockinette stitch on size 6 needles. I knit the size closest to my actual bust size, with about 1 inch of ease. I wish I had gone one size up, but I thought it would grow much much more than it did when blocking (the yarn is alpaca/nylon sock blend from Snowshoe Farms that I picked up at Rhinebeck). I did end up going up a size on the sleeves, which I'm awfully glad I did.

The finished product is very wearable - I think I've worn it three times this week already, but in the end, it's just not my favorite. I didn't care for knitting it and I think the style of the finished object, though lovely, just isn't me. I'm not really a drapey-style gal. Of course, I say this, but because the color really fills a need in my wardrobe, I will still wear it a lot.

I guess I'll just need to get in touch with my inner Eileen Fisher when I do. :)

If We Dye, We Dye Together

This is what a day's worth of dying by a bunch of enthusiastic amateurs (and one real pro) looks like and is yet another reason why I am a part of the bestest knitting group ever.

Because these guys?

Awesome.

One of our members, Bristol, happens to be an all-around fiber pro and locally dyes yarn and fiber for the Fiber Gallery and even made a nifty hand-dyed fiber/yarn calendar for 2011.

As part of one of her bazillion jobs, Bristol also works as Creative Designer and Instructor for SuriPaco farms and she needed a few guinea pigs to test out SuriPaco's facilities for upcoming dye classes. The Portland Knitters on the Town (PKOTT) were nice enough to oblige.

Aside from the usual group we were joined by Aimee's husband and the young Maggie (which was a good thing since our regular Maggie was out of town) and the adorable Sadie.

We measured out the base dyes from powder (and safety first- wearing dust masks!)

Prepped the yarn for dying by tying it (loosely) and soaking it.

We kettle-dyed

And hand-painted

(If only you could see how zombie-like my hands were in color here!)

And we pulled out skein after skein of lovely yarn:

And braids of roving:

And admired our hand-iwork.

Here's my three pieces:

Introducing: Domenic

To ring in the start of spring, I'd like to introduce my newest pattern, Domenic.

Domenic was inspired by my little cousin once removed. When I found out he would be soon be joined by a little sibling, I told him I'd like to knit a toy for his little brother or sister and asked him what kind of animal he'd think they'd like. After a little thinking (and a little encouragement from mom) he decided resoundingly - a duck!!

Domenic is knit in the round from the bottom up and features a short row tail. The wings and beak are picked up from holders and worked using the magic loop technique. Knit seamlessly in a sturdy cotton yarn, Domenic can handle a lot of cuddling and go in the wash.

The Stats:

Finished Size: 11 inches/ 28 cm tall.

Yarn: (MC)1 skein Lily Sugar ‘n Cream Solids in 18010 Yellow:  200 yd/ 184m per 113g/4 oz skein; 100% Cotton. (CC)1 skein Lily Sugar ‘n Cream Multi in 19605 Creamsicle: 150 yd/ 138m per 85g/3 oz skein; 100% Cotton.

Scraps of black or dark-colored yarn for eyes. Several lengths of scrap yarn

Gauge: 20 sts and  26 rows = 4”/ 10 cm in Stockinette on size 6US/ 4 mm needles.

Needles & Notions: Size 6 US / 4 mm circular needles in 24 and 40 inches. Set of Size 6 US/ 4mm double pointed needles (Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.)

Removable Stitch Markers Tapestry needle Polyester stuffing

You can queue up the pattern on Ravelry or you can purchase the pattern here:

$5 USD