I’m right in the middle of knitting two prototype sweaters, trying to be very loyal to my large earth-colored projects, however, someone has very thoughtfully reminded me of how much I adore multi-color stranded knitting. Claire from NH Knits, contacted me a few days ago to share the news of her Stranded Colorwork Mitten KAL on Ravelry (I will be contributing a Base 8 pattern as a prize!) and now I can’t get the image of colorful mittens out of my head. I should put all my yarn under lock and key to reduce temptation. But maybe I could just design a little something in the meantime….
Tag: mittens
Head to Tail
In between working on my new sweater design (the pattern is getting close, I’m hoping for a release within a week or two), I managed to squeek out another mitten pattern. This one features a herpetological theme! Yes, four legged crawlies adorn the palms and mitten backs.
Once again, this design has taken awhile to get from the initial idea to completion. However, I’m quite happy with the results. Unfortunately, I knit the prototype pair in the larger size (the size is adjusted by working with smaller or larger needles) so they are too large for me to transfer into my personal mitten wardrobe. I guess I need to knit a second pair for myself . . . .
If you, too, find you have an irrational need to create a pair of critter mittens, you can find addtional pattern info here.
Wallflowers
Phew. Twenty fourteen was a great year for me in many respects, but I’m also very pleased to see the turning of the calendar – and I’m celebrating by releasing two long awaited patterns. I like starting off on the right foot!
The Wallflower designs began over a year ago (my how time flies) when I decided my mom needed a fancy tam and mitten set. Yes, I decided that without consulting her. Anyway, perhaps you’ve noticed, but I’ve been just a little bit obsessed with stranded colorwork accessories for the last few years. I love how the small pieces allow me to play around with color and design motifs in a way that’s more difficult with larger scale items.
My previous colorwork designs have leaned towards the whimsical (elephants, anyone?), however, that really isn’t my mom’s scene. I felt like she would prefer something a bit more subtle, like a simple, allover floral pattern. I also wanted to play around with positive/negative space and tessellated geometry, you know, just because. The resulting stitch pattern is a small scale checkerboard of diamonds framing stylized 4-petal flowers. For the samples that are featured in the pattern, I chose colors that are similar in value, so the resulting fabric is very subtle. However, the first prototype was knit in red and white, for a much more dramatic effect:
I love the way swapping out colors can totally change the way a design feels. I can’t wait to see what color combinations everyone else chooses!