Author: Elanor

Mid-Work I-Cord

| Elanor

This is a combination of I-Cord cast on and bind off such that the fabric appears uninterrupted except for a horizontal I-Cord.

At the beginning of a RS row, cast on 3 stitches.
*Kfb, k1, k2tog, slip last 3 sts back onto LH needle, repeat from * to end of row.

In the pictures below, the I-Cord is knit in a contrasting colour. There is no reason why you can’t use the same yarn throughout, this was just for demonstration purposes.

You will have added 3 or 4 extra sts (depending when you stopped). On the next row, slip the extra sts over the following st to get back to the correct number of stitches for your pattern.

The sts on the needle after making the I-Cord tend to be loose. You can tighten them up by twisting the stitches as you work them.

COLLARED!!!

| Elanor

I’m now looking for testers for my latest pattern, COLLARED!!!

Now accepting testers for COLLARED!!!
COLLARED!!! A sequinned collar, perfect for the party season and last-minute gifts.

I’m using the Free Pattern Testers Group on Rav to do this

http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/free-pattern-testers/2336814/1-25#reply_form

I would also appreciate feedback on whether I should release this as a free pattern or charge for it. Merci beaucoup!

How You Doin’?

| Elanor

I’ve been up to no good! I have organised some tech editing on two more patterns and I have outsourced some knitting for the first time. I’m about 3 weeks away from releasing a dinky little hat and a great bit mofo of a blanket. I’ll give you a sneak peek of the blanket schematic:

can't tell you the name cos it's a surprise
can’t tell you the name cos it’s a surprise

I guess I could have just left it as a blank rectangle, but that wouldn’t have been very nice of me.
So, I’m VERY excited about things slowly, glacially, moving forward. I have the next 6 months planned out and they’re HECTIC. Expect the following:

  • Roxbourne hat, made from yummy, scrummy Fyberspates Scrumptious
  • Can’t tell you cos it’s a surprise for a friend blanket as schematic above
  • A multicoloured, fabulous, stash-busting marvel of a cowl/shawl/collar that I’m calling  Wildacres. Due November, it’ll look great over your clothes as a winter warmer. Here’s a pic of it in progress:
Wildacres sneak peek
Wildacres sneak peek
  • Then over the course of the winter, I’m aiming to get a boob-lovin’ tank sweater, some simple socks and an elegant little cushion out of my head and onto your needles. Fingers crossed, eh?

Cue little happy dance.

Luv ya! Happy knitting!

 

 

Kildare Beret

Kildare Beret - Back View
| Elanor

My first self-published design is up on rav!

Buy the Kildare Beret pattern through Ravelry!

This is the hat that I designed in the WoollyWormhead hat design workshop, so I’m uncomfortable about accepting money for it. On the other hand, I put a lot of work into it, so  I don’t want to give it away either. Greater exposure or not! So therefore I’m putting it up for sale, but I’m giving all proceeds to Tommy’s, who will make better use of it than I.

Tommy’s funds research into pregnancy problems and provides information to parents. We believe it is unacceptable that one in four women will lose a baby during pregnancy and birth.

I learned to knit when I was first expecting. Unfortunately, the pregnancy turned out to be what the docs call a “blighted ovum”, as my husband and I found out at the 12-week scan. Afterwards I was astounded by the number of women around me that had also had miscarriages. How come it’s not talked about? J and I felt like we were all alone in the world at the time. I finished knitting the little baby blanket I had started and my daughter has it on her bed now.

Spelling

| Elanor

Oh, cringe.

 

I’ve been spelling stockinette with a “g” for ages. On knitter’s web forums. In patterns. I hate it when I spell things incorrectly. I urge you to point out to me anything I get wrong. Please.

 

Thanks.

Hat Design Workshop With WoollyWormhead

| Elanor

One Friday last month I got an E-mail to say a place had opened up on the Sunday’s Hat Design Course with WoollyWormhead at ThisIsKnit. Boy, I jumped on that sucker as soon as I could. And then I did a little happy dance.

Then my sister got engaged and cue two days of hard-core Family drinking. (How dare she? I blames the BIL2B!)

So Sunday didn’t open pretty. Managed to get myself into town and round the back/front of Powerscourt townhouse. Squee’d over some lush goodies in the shop, especially some Coolree, which is new to the shop since I was there last in May, and then went upstairs to meet Woolly and make lust on her enormous piles of beautiful hats. Which we got to try on and see which suited the old noggins better. I’m sure I can wear anything, darlings, but none of them went very well with my bloodshot eyes.

We finally set down to the business of choosing what to make. I decided to go beret and made up a complicated stitch pattern. I needed to CO 60 sts. At which point I realised I had the shakes.

Six attempts later, I had JUST about got the thing going. Complicated stitch pattern had gone the way of the faeries and thankfully it was time for lunch. We all got chatting at a local eaterie (Calzone cafe) and Woolly was just so amazingly interesting. We heard a bit about her life as a designer, her little boy and the story of his first hat, and life in a double decker bus in a caravan site/artists commune in Italy.

Good food, company and some fresh squeezed OJ had me nearly human again, and when we got back, I could participate properly. Woolly helped me with figuring out the decrease rate for the crown and she gave us guidelines for grading. Her notes a great – concise but with a lot of information – plenty of stuff she’s gleaned over the years from designing. You can just up and run with it and design your own hats quite fearlessly, thanks to the way she’s put it all together.

So I did get a hat by the next day (only one of us got it done in the class). And best of all we got to see lots of Woolly’s upcoming or barely released designs.

And I’m getting me some Coolree next time I’m in Dub.