Me Before Brioche

Two color brioche can be so intimidating! Not only with funky looking abbreviations but also with RS, slide, RS, Turn, WS, slide, WS, turn...what the heck do those mean? Me Before Brioche is my latest shawl pattern and it's the perfect stepping stone into two color brioche. 

Me Before Brioche is designed using the same two color garter technique that two color brioche uses. First you knit the RS of your work, then slide your work back the beginning needle, then you'll work the RS again with your contrast color. Once you've completed your RS again then you turn your work to start using the WS. 

Why this shawl before brioche? If you already understand the mechanics of working each side twice then it won't be intimidating at all to approach the technique with brioche added in. 

Using two color garter you can create your own fades/gradients using mini skeins or leftovers from your stash. This effect can blend colors that look good together but aren't a gradient into a smooth transition gradient that will create stunning color effects. Me Before Brioche is a crescent shapes shawl which will wrap smoothly around the neck and ends with an i cord for clean finish. 

The original sample used 7 mini skeins of 37 grams each for a total yardage of 931 yards of fingering weight. The pattern itself is designed to use the amount of grams you have per skein so even if your grams weight is different than what I used it will still work out. Although the original sample and the pattern are written for fingering weight by adjusting your needle size you could knit it with sport or dk weight as well! 

I hope Me Before Brioche gives you confidence to move on to trying two color brioche and helps you play with color. Take a dive through your stash and see what you can come up with! 

Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival

We came to sell and did we ever! I love attending a new show because All Knit Up Designs is new for so many people! I enjoy talking about the process of my designing and how each design leads to the next one. 

My Mom and I have been to OFFF before as shoppers and I enjoyed it just as much as a vendor. There is a certain camaraderie that happens when you're selling at a fiber arts event. You're all there to sell your products but you're also surrounded by people who understand the amount of love, passion, and work that has gone into your business. It's not really a competition because everyone has their own style and customer base. With that, I'm usually one of the only designers there so I can't really speak from the dyers perspective on competition. 

Fiber events are also about creating contacts for your business. I usually come away with cards of people I'd like to collaborate with and handed out lots of cards to people who are contemplating wholesale. 

The Oregon fiber enthusiasts were lovely and full of praise for my designs. I can't wait to see which one's they knit up! The Scrappy Booklets were a big hit, I love that everyone is inspired by them. All Knit Up Designs debuted our signature scent created by Kaitlin of Woolin & Co. Citrus Mint is now available as a wool wash bar and a body bar. I hope this post fave you an inside into vending and made you want to attend your next local festival. Hopefully you'll be able to visit OFFF next year!

Reverse Socks

The start of my designing career (when I think about it) starts with Color Riot. But, I started designing sock patterns before that! Sock patterns allowed me to practice my design writing, fitting stitch patterns into certain parameters, and how to photograph knits to really highlight them. 

I went back to my roots on my latest project and worked my Reverse Socks pattern in a new colorway! You can out the original blog post about the Reverse Socks here. My new yarn was the exclusive colorway from Nano Stitch for Red Alder Fiber Retreat in Tacoma WA. I actually cast on these at Red Alder but it has taken me this many months to actually finish them. 

Although it's taken me this long to finish them I love how they turned out. I'm excited to stick my feet in them as the fall weather has hit Port Angeles in full force! I followed my Reverse pattern as written but added a contrast heel in. I wrote the pattern as a needle ambiguous pattern but I used a 9inch circular which is my preferred method. I hope this updated sample inspires you to knit a pair of Reverse Socks!

What is a knitting summit?

You may have seen (since 2020) posts, links, podcasts, etc. talking about knitting summits and having no idea what it is. Let me tell you! 

An online knitting summit is a meeting of the minds of knitting teachers from all over the world who come together and give you a short informational class about a knitting (or fiber) topic. The topics can range from beginning (learn to cast on) to advanced classes about colorwork and seaming! 

I taught at my first one in Feb 2024 and I was asked to teach an another! 

Knit Your Own Adventure Summit has over 20 teachers gathering to give you knowledge on knitting. I'll be teaching an Introduction to Mosaic Knitting, which is a technique I love and design with frequently. Many wonderful designers I know are participating and you are in for a real treat. You can take a look at the summit website and see if you have any interest in the classes. Visit the link HERE for the website and sign-up. 

Flock Fiber Seattle WA 2024

The first weekend of August was wild! After months of prep Flock Fiber arrived to Seattle! This was the second year of Flock but the festival completely changed venue and almost doubled the amount of vendors. 

The amount of wonderful fiber enthusiasts was astonishing! Never before have we been that busy in one day. So many people came to the booth who had seen All Knit Up Designs at trunk shows and previous shows around the area and I appreciated every single on of you. To have so many people come and appreciate my designs and love on my bags induced so much joy. 

I debuted two new products at Flock Fiber; a new booklet focused on texture patterns and a kit for my textured Henness shawl. It's lots of fun bringing joy and new ideas to knitters. 

I definitely will be at Flock next year as this event is close to where I live. Hopefully All Knit Up Designs will bring new patterns, ideas, and bags to even more makers. 

Now that I'm home, the shop has been updated with all the bags and kits that came back. Were you able to attend Flock? Will you be back for 2025? 

Granny Stripe Blanket

As most of you know (if this is your first time here then welcome!) I am a knitwear designer. Iknit. But occasionally I throw in crochet but it's pretty much only a double stitch striped blanket, Hereby referred  to as Granny Stripe Blanket. 

This is actually my second one but his one is larger and has double rows of each color instead of a single row like my original. My double granny stripe was crocheted with all fingering weight yarn leftovers and mini skeins with a US C crochet hook. 

This granny stripe is made using a double crochet (US term) cluster stitch and was nice and meditative. I'm loving have this memory blanket on my bed, the smaller one is on my couch! I found this a fun alternative to a mitered square blanket and it was nice to play with yarn but not have to knit. 

Double Cozy Shawl

For my designing, most of the time I already have a sketch down or I can envision parts of a whole design when I find a yarn I love. Other times new ideas for a pattern stems from a design I'm already working on. I get a 'would that work if I try it this way' or 'what about this design with this shape + this one extra stitch.' My newest shawl pattern is one of those ones that stemmed from a design I was working on. 

Double Cozy is a sibling shawl to Comfy Cozy, similar to Comfy Cozy, Double Cozy is a top down triangle shawls that uses two skeins of fingering weighty. I used a double broken rib stitch that travels down the length of the shawl and really shows off hand dyed yarn. I wanted the graphic lines of the double broken rib to really show off. The lines remind me of the long lines of a sky scraper. 

Double Cozy is simple knitting with a bold effect that is perfect for social or tv knitting. y testers used a variety of gorgeous yarns in different weights that you should take a look at to be inspired. I'm definitely planning to knit another one and this time I want the base to have some cashmere init for a plump and luxurious shawl. 

Double Cozy used 876 yards of fingering weight but you can knit more or less repeats to fit your yard. My yarn is 100% Superwash Merino so anything your comfortable wearing around your neck is great! 

What will you pull from your stash for a Double Cozy Shawl? 

Puget Sound Beanie

I can't believe it's July already and I just released the third quarter of my subscription for sale! Who knew that an idea that was suggested less than a year ago would lead to such a fun and collaborative project! 

The third quarter inspiration is Puget Sound. There is no Washington without The Sound. If you don't know what Puget Sound is it's "...a large inland estuary connected to the Pacific Ocean. It is about 95 miles long and 1 to 5 miles wide with its northern boundary at Admiralty Inlet and ending in the south at the city of Olympia.  Around its shores live some 4 million people.” Puget Sound Estuarium. The part of Washington I live in isn't on The Sound but I've spent plenty of time there. 

The project inspired by The Sound is my Puget Sound Beanie. Puget Sound Beanie is a DK weight hat that features a simple lace pattern that mores like the currents of The Sound. I used less than one full skein so it's a great budget project! 

The yarn was dyed specifically for this project by Serial Knitters and fully encompasses the beauty of colors around The Sound. I particularly love the pops of coppery orange that represent the California Poppy's. 

The second collaborator for this quarter is Woolin and Co. with a beautiful wool wash to wash your new hat! The scent is Cedar and Lavender which just emulates Washington. 

The combination of all three of these pieces plus the project bag make of the perfect summer knit to show your love Washington. Puget Sound Beanie is simple and fun knitting to bring to your favorite beach or your next knit night. You can purchase the kit for Puget Sound Beanie here in my Etsy shop. 

Why did you make that choice? I-cords

Sometimes when you're readying a pattern you really just can't figure out why the designer decided to go one way or the other. One of my latest patterns, Discovery Cowl, uses a provisional cast on and then two i-cord bind offs. Why? Let me tell you. 

Picking up from an i-cord is difficult for the average knitter. Honestly, that pretty much is the whole reason. Picking up from the i-cord requires making sure the cord isn't twisted as you pick up. The stitches also aren't always easy to visualize picking up (one strand or two!) and can be very frustrating. 

I'm proud of creating patterns that are fun and easy for the average knitter and a next step for a beginner. While a provisional cast on isn't the easiest, it is easier that the i-cord pick up. If you are confident in your skills then you can most definitely do an i-cord cast on and pick up stitches but you don't have to. 

I hope you enjoyed this look into design choices! 

Textured Henness

 The economy is hard and it has been for many years. One of my goals of my business is to make knitting as financially accessible as possible. For the past few months I've been addressing how to make changes to a pattern you already own to make it completely different. This Textured Henness is the first finished example! 

The original Henness (you can check out the post here) used two fingering weight yarns, one a solid color and one a variegated, and striped them together with a cabled bind off in a crescent shape. 

My Textured Henness used the exact same pattern, crescent shape, stripes, and cabled bind off but I used one skein of fingering weight and one skein of mohair/silk lace weight. The yarn I used is from Craftily Dyed Yarn in the Succulent colorway, definitely a COVID lockdown purchase that I am so happy with!

This contrast of weight in the same color make a stunning and elegant effect. This sample looks completely different than the original; other than the bind off you can hardly tell they are the same pattern.

This about how many patterns you've knit and loved which you can make look so different just by changing weights or fibers! You can take a look through your stash and see what different combos you can come up with. 

Do you like this new version of Henness? Inspired to take a dive through previously knit patterns? I can't wait to see! 

Discovery Cowl

 Do you know what a yarn crawl is? Have you ever been on a yarn crawl? Let me tell ya about it. Usually a region close to you will have a host of yarn shops that come together and plan a few days (or a few weeks!) to visit each of the participating shops and fill out a 'passport'. Each shop usually has special yarn and patterns available during the crawl! 

Washington specifically loves yarn crawls! I designed for Bazaar Girls during the Puget Sound LYS Tour 2024. 

Discovery Cowl is a single skein pattern that uses fingering weight yarn and a simple lace pattern. Sometimes longer cowls can get bunchy when you wear them so Discovery Cowl has a row of increases that widen the circumference of the bottom of the cowl. 

Each end of the cowl is finished with an i-cord bind off to five a clean and finished look to this pretty lace pattern. I'm not usually one to knit much lace (I find it fiddly) but this pattern has a knit row between each lace section so you have a rest. The lace is only 4 rows so you'll be able to memorize Discovery Cowl and take it out and about no problem! 

The sample knit for the yarn shop was a single-ply merino yarn from Neighborhood Fiber Co in an exclusive shop colorway. My second sample (photographed here) was knit in a 100% merino yarn, multi-ply from Knitted Wit that's been in my stash for quite some time. 

Using different yarns for this pattern would be no problem! Anything comfortable around your neck and has ~400+ yards would be great. Discovery Cowl would look great in a solid, fontal, variegated or speckled yarn; you really can't go wrong! 

Leave a comment if you know what yarn you'll use! 

Spring Faux Hounds

When you look at a design online are you usually inspired by the colors and photography or the shape and the texture of the design? I know I'm inspired by a bit of both depending on the design. 

My original Faux Hounds has been very popular and was super popular at shows Aug-Dec of 2023 (the year it was released.) All Knit Up Designs vended at Red Alder Fiber Retreat in Tacoma WA in February of 2024 and it wasn't nearly as popular as before! Bummer, but not no big deal, we'll give it a try at the next show. 

Makerfest in April it had the same reception, nice but not running out of patterns like I did in the fall. That's when the thought set in that people just aren't as inspired by the fall color palette outside of the season! That was how I made the decision that a spring/summer color Faux Hounds was on the knitting list. 

I dug through my stash and found Neighborhood Fiber Co Organic Rustic Fingering in Canton (solid color) and Fierce Fibers Renai in Soft Kitty (gradient). These are both single-ply yarns and they made for such a squishy fabric on a US 5 needle. Obviously these are from different dyers but together the palette's were on point! 

So, this was how Spring Faux Hounds was born! Similar to the original pattern design I used a solid and a gradient ball of yarn so I didn't have many ends to weave in. This simple mosaic stitch pattern really highlighted the lovely combination of colorway and stitches. 

Spring Faux Hounds will now come with me to in-person events All Knit Up Designs is vending at. Keep an eye out so you can see it in-person! 

Cabled Pines Cowl

As I've talked about many times before, up here on the Olympic Peninsula it is soooo green! It's my favorite part of driving home when we go out. With all that green there are gorgeous trees, with the gorgeous trees developed Cabled Pines; a slip stitch cable cowl that will make you think of trees. This cowl was specifically designed for the Salish Sea & Sky Retreat by Kas from Seattle Sky Dyeworks! 

Cabled Pines is a single skein cowl using two different slip stitch cables and squishy ribbing. This great accessory uses one skein of fingering weight yarn with ~400 yards. 

This cowl was designed with a variegated/hand dyed yarn which I used to highlight the ski stitches. You have so many yarn choices that would work for this pattern. Cabled Pines would look great in a solid or kettle dyed yarn, a variegated, tonal or speckle! Check out the different tester projects to see what yarn they picked.

I designed Cabled Pines to be long so that your chin can be tucked in, but, as it is the same repeat over and over you can easily make it your preferred length. I hope this more in-depth information about Cabled Pines is helpful and I'll be seeing you knit one soon! 

Sasquatch Socks

I think that every mountainous region has a Sasquatch myth. Sasquatch stickers, cons, and paraphernalia are all over Washington, which is why I picked it as the second quarter theme of my knitting subscription! 

Sasquatch Socks (I know, very original) is a DK weight pair of socks that uses a loop stitch to make hairy Sasquatch legs! The yarn was dyed exclusively for the subscription by Selah at Big Foot Yarn Co. 

The kit includes a project bag sewn by me, the pattern, 100 or 150 grams of yarn, and a specially designed notepad by Sophia of Making Treasures. This kit was so much fun to put together, I love that the two different kits so far in the subscription have highlighted so many Washington small businesses. 

Sasquatch sock can be knit with any DK weight yarn. These are thicker socks so more aligned with a house slipper than a shoe sock so there doesn't need to be nylon. 

If you'd like to purchase a Sasquatch Kit you can check it out in my Etsy here. 

Happy searching Sasquatch hunters! 

Spring Fling Shawl

 Hey! Long time no write....I know, I know. I always have the busy excuse. Well, in April I did have a two week work trip to Colorado to vend at Makerfest so I was a bit busy! But I have a new shawl pattern out! 

Spring Fling is my latest shawl pattern and it has lace, bobbles, garter, and some ribbing! I wanted to cover all my bases and add a little bit of everything. 

Spring Fling is similar to Playground in only that it uses multiple stitch patterns and has a check off list so you don't get lost. Other than that, Spring Fling highlights mini skeins wonderfully and keeps you interested by switching up stitch patterns. 

The yarn, Yummy 2-Ply a 100% Superwash Merino, was provided by Miss Babs Yarns but I definitely have purchased this base before and I love working with it! It definitely feels like it has some cashmere in it but it's only wool. The website has lots of options with gorgeous colors! 

If purchasing yarn isn't in your budget then mini skeins from stash or two colors of fingering weight should work! The original sample uses just under 800 yards so a two color version would be great! 

Two of a Kind Shawl

Hey Knitters! We have 6 days of sunshine coming up this week and I am SO EXCITED! Spring is on the way and the colorway for my newest shawl is perfect! 

Two of a Kind Shawl is uses the same stitch pattern as my Two of a Kind Cowl using the slip stitches as well as an i-cord! Two of a Kind is the perfect shawl to show off two coordinating skeins of yarn that highlight each other as well as contrast. I think the i-cord helps frame the shawl and give it a bit more structure around the edges. 

I used two skeins of Yummy 2-Ply provided by Miss Babs yarn; this yarn is wonderful to knit with! Yummy 2-Ply is a plump multi-ply 100% merino yarn that is a staple in my stash. It has such great stitch definition and the most amazing array of tonal and variegated yarn. 

I think Two of a Kind Shawl could really be knit with whatever yarn you want to knit it in. You could use a gradient for one color and pair it with a solid, a mini skein set would work fabulous as well! Or you could follow as my original sample and just use two colors. A knitting friend thought that this pattern looks like veins of a leaf and want to knit it in greens, I can't wait to see! 

Dark Color Happy Scrappy

I usually knit my patterns once, I love the adventure of a new knit so I rarely reknit my own designs. But! Sometimes it can be hard for a knitter to see a design and relate to it if it's not in a color palette they use! I tend to knit my scrappy projects with a lighter color base but I decided to mix it up and knit Happy Scrappy for a second time and use a dark color base for the knitters who prefer a darker color palette. 

Happy Scrappy is my bottom up triangle shawl that uses drop stitches to make fringe...which means there's no ends to weave in! Instead of using scraps for both the dark color and the light color I used a full skein of grey yarn from my stash and leftovers for the other colors. Just a fun way you can coordinate your yarn to knit the patterns you want! 

Stitch & Pitch with the Home team socks!

Have you ever been to a Stitch & Pitch? Have you ever even heard of one? A Stitch & Pitch is a ball game (baseball, football, soccer) that encourage needle artists to bring their projects and come and stitch at the game! 

In fall of 2023 my mom and I went to our first Stitch & Pitch game for a major league team, we went and saw the Mariners play! 100% honest I have no loyalty to any baseball team and was a terrible softball player but I do enjoy the atmosphere at games and thoroughly enjoyed my time at AT&T Stadium watching the Mariner win! 

This was a stitch & pitch game so there were quilters, knitters, crocheters, and other stitchers all seated in the same sections together! We had a great time getting to talk about the projects that were going on around us and then visiting the small market place...say what? Yes! There was some yarn and fiber shopping! I've joined the list for vending for 2024 with the Mariners to maybe you'll see my booth set up! 

The pattern I used for my Home Team socks is my Saddle Socks pattern, a simple garter embellishment on a stockinette background. I really like the difference in the color placement between the stockinette and the garter. 

Sock Round up for 2023

Why am I telling you about socks I finished the second half of 2023? Because I really fell behind on my blogging/photography when I was in California. 

I usually use socks as my purse and babysitting project, something that is small, easy, and won't get messed up if I pick it up and put it down at random times. 

The first to talk about it my 'Summer Socks' which is a colorway from White Birch Fiber Arts that is named Study in Peach Mint. These were fun and bright to knit during the summer. I added the heel color which has a bit of sparkle to them! 

The second two talk about it is a pair of DK weight socks with Fangirl Fibers! The yarn was gifted to me by my friend Brittaney who is great friends with the dyer. She wanted me to try out her yarn and see how great it was, and it totally is! The base was wonderful and knitting these during the fall was the perfect colorway. 

The third pair is a self striping yarn from Nomadic Yarns called Squad Gourds, like squad goals! I loved the colorway but the name just sealed it for me. Just like my peach/mint socks I added a contrast color heel flat because I like my stripes to stay in order going down the sock. If you use the original yarn as the heel then the stripes get messed up. 

Last but not least I have my Halloween socks! This is a colorway from a Halloween countdown I purchased a few years ago, I loved working with the yarn and thought the colors were great for Halloween time. Unfortunately the dyer isn't in business anymore. I used my Hemmenway pattern to knit these ones and also added a contrast heel. 

All socks were knit using a US 1.5 on a 9 inch circular. I never use anything else! Do you also use socks as a take-along project or a palette cleanser between different knits? 

Yarn Stash Tips

Hey Knitters! I know some of you are super fabulous and only buy yarn for 1 or 2 projects at a time and don't have a large stash, love ya'll but this blog post isn't for you! This is a post of the knitters who need help/want help with organizing their yarn stash so they can utilizing it easily! 

Here are 5 tips for your yarn stash! 

1. Sort your stash by Weight: Now I have my stash set up in shelving in my studio but you can do this with baskets, tubs, or bags too! Sorting by weight means that it's easier to see what yarn you have that will work for a certain design or project. No more digging around to find the right weight if they are all together. 

2. Sort by Color: It is so much easier to pair colors or see what you have an abundance of if you curate your stash holders by color. I find that I can pull different yarns together for projects when the colors are near each other. 

3. Keep a List: Make your life easier (and don't try to remember) what yarn you have in your stash by having a running list of your yarns, that list weight and color family. Keep it in a place you can take with you so when you're at a festival or a yarn shop you have a record with you. This makes it easier to buy for certain patterns you're interested in and pair new yarns with what you already have. Keep this list in a notebook, note apps on your phone or on Ravelry! 

4. Bag/Tie Yarn Together: What? When you purchase yarns you plan to knit in the same project, bag them together with the pattern so you don't forget what you had planned to knit. It will make it so much easier and relaxing to start a project when everything is already pulled together for you. 

5. Have a bug deterrent: Use some form of bug deterrent in your stash. Bags of lavender, cedar pieces, or moth traps. Keep all that lovely yarn safe and take preventative measures to keep everything just the way you want. 

I hope this post helps you love your stash even more!