Friday, October 18, 2024
Me Before Brioche
Monday, September 30, 2024
Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival
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!
Thursday, September 26, 2024
Reverse Socks
Saturday, September 14, 2024
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.
Saturday, August 31, 2024
Flock Fiber Seattle WA 2024
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Granny Stripe Blanket
Thursday, August 15, 2024
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?
Monday, July 15, 2024
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 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.
Friday, July 12, 2024
Why did you make that choice? I-cords
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
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!
Friday, July 5, 2024
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!
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
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.
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!
Monday, June 24, 2024
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!
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Sasquatch Socks
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
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!