Happy Gloves to You!

The Rolling Thunder Glove pattern is available as a free ravelry download. Some of you already found it on my website as a freebie, but now the rest of the knitting world will be discovering it!

The Rolling Thunder glove is an offshoot of the Rolling Thunder sock pattern that was published in Knitty.com in the Spring 2006 issue. The gloves came about because I wanted to make a new pair to replace the samples that walked away with my mom after she visited me last fall, but I just couldn't quite make myself do the pattern as written... hehe. This familiar to any of you? No, I thought not...

There will be a class featuring these gloves at Three Bags Full knit shop in January, so be sure and sign up for that if you are here in town and you thnk you may be interested... it is a fun glove pattern with a hemmed cuff, beads, and a nicely shaped thumb.

May your holidays be peaceful and filled with joy! All wishes for a happy season of light, from snow blanketed Vancouver...

I Created a Monster

Sometimes teaching people how to make socks is like sowing seeds in the wilderness.. This picture from Susan, brought to me via another student's Blackberry, was one of the best presents I have ever received!

And here's to sockoholic bliss!

Buried Treasure, Unearthed

What is it about cables and beads that is so magical together?

Many of you have been asking about the Buried Treasure Socks pattern that appeared in Yarn Magazine last year, as the magazine is hard to find here in North America.

Good news.. the pdf pattern is now available for purchase on my website and on ravelry!

When I designed this sock, I had wanted for a long time to make intensely cabled socks, and here they are... elegant socks with cables galore, plus a “buried treasure” of glittering beads. The cables cause the leg to draw in more than usual, so the number of leg stitches has been increased to compensate. These extra stitches are then decreased in the gusset with a special technique.

The yarn I used for this pair is Sweet Georgia's Handpainted Sock, and the pattern requires approximately 226 (254) size 8/0 beads. The socks are sized for women’s medium and large. Retail price is $6.00 and download is immediate from either source.

I actually added this pattern to my projects a couple of days ago but ravelry was having a little trouble with accepting pattern uploads then... happy happy, all is fixed now...

New Year, New Lace

Harbour Lights has some new fans over at the IcelandicLaceShawl group on Yahoo. They voted to start a KAL featuring my pattern on January 1, 2009. I have become a member of their group and they are a very enthusiastic bunch over there!

You too can join them if you have been hankering to knit this shawl...

What a great way to start the year...

Rings of Harmonia

Harmonia's Rings is now available!

This newest addition, a warm and graceful cowl design, was born during the One World Moebius knit along that started right before the US election in November.

This is reflected in the name of the cowl, “Harmonia’s Rings," after the Greek goddess of contentment and harmony. The spiral shape of the center and the outlying rings of the cowl look exactly like the ripple effect that happens when a droplet falls into a pool of water…

Thanks to all for their encouraging remarks about the project so far! I love this piece which is quite sculptural and very cozy and warm. It is made in rings of telescoping pleats that arrange themselves cozily around your neck, and the cowl can also be stretched up over most of your head if desired, making it a sort of honorary wimple.

I used two yarns for these samples, Blue Moon Fiber Arts' Peru in Valkyrie (the purplish sample modeled by Christa Giles) and Berrocco Ultra Alpaca in Tanzanite mix (the tealish sample modeled by me). I believe any soft, warm worsted weight yarn would work for this design.

You may notice also that the design features a beaded picot bind off at the edge of the spiral opening. I couldn't resist adding beads, although there aren't many.. but I reserved a place of honor for them.

This is a design that will perplex your knitting (and non-knitting) friends, and I guarantee that no one will be able to figure out how the thing was constructed!!! It will be our little secret. The actual knitting is easy and suitable for beginning knitters. You will need to know Cat Bordhi's Moebius cast on. But you will be a better person for learning this... you can thank me later.

May contentment reign...