Skylark's Fashion Extravaganza

You know Sharon if you have ever visited my ravelry group, Sivia Harding Knits. Sharon (skylark on ravelry) is the behind-the-scenes mama figure moderator who greets each and every new member with warmth and panache, and even trolls the new projects lists to find folks who might want to join the party.

At a risk of embarassing Sharon and making all of you jealous, she is an unparalleled helper, never complains about the work load, and even test knits for me from time to time - and she is an amazing knitter! You should check out her projects. Really.

Her latest enterprise is the Fashion Show, a growing compendium of photos of people's versions of my shawls. It is a magnificent thing to do, huge in scope, and I am starting to worry about whether Sharon has time to eat and sleep in the face of it all.

So, just to make it a little easier on Sharon, if you have posted pictures of yourself or a friend modeling a Sivia Harding shawl, send a link or leave a comment. We'll add it to the list, and we thank you.

Now back to previously scheduled insanity.. getting ready for SS09!

To Socks and Beyond

Someone told me recently that my two new patterns, which will be debuted at Sock Summit 09, are “way beyond socks.” I just love that phrase. In a way, it was a great complement, as socks are rather prosaic knitted items and I strive for the unique and well, special. But functionality is key too, as for all sock-like knitted items that are expected to perform well and look awesome.

Form and function.. both so important, don't you agree?

So here, without any more ado, are my two newest creations.

Continuum, so named because my inspiration for the cable design was the Tibetan never ending knot that symbolizes the interconnectness of all beings. Continuum is a cabled and beaded series of leg warmers in three lengths, in dk weight yarn. Here again I thank my friends Sparklefaerie and M.Scott, her able and willing photographer.



The shortest version, cuffs that are meant to go over boots or knee socks.



The longest version, thigh high and bell bottomed leg warmers that drape beautifully.





And these shortie leg warmers, so cute on Sparklefaerie, that warm your knees when your boots aren't quite high enough.

Next, Blossom Dearies, beaded baby booties that are meant for the most angelic of little feet. I named them after one of my favorite singers as a tribute to her tiny but perfect, angelic voice.







Thanks to Zoe Gee, mother of the little angel in this picture, and the angel himself, Teijo Tso.

These patterns will be found at the Sock Summit vendor area at the Carolina Homespun booths and at WEBS. And after Sock Summit, elsewhere of course.

Happy journeys.. to socks and beyond!

Fiddling Around

Yes, I am on a crazed sock marathon. Yes, I am counting the minutes, hours and days until Sock Summit.

Yes, I have a new sock pattern.. first seen in Dye Dreams' Four Seasons Sock Club this year, and the lovely Dye Dreams folks have generously allowed me to publish it myself just a few months after their club had it.

So.. here it is folks, with another brilliant M.Scott photo to grace the pattern cover. Those are Sparklefaerie's feet inside the socks too, in case you wondered.

Pattern specs:

Toe up gusset heel sock in three sizes with high instep option for all sizes. Beads are included (of course!) and I used the crochet hook add-as-you-go method for this one. So much fun!

In addition to the Dye Dreams' Panda Sox, a new bamboo blend which knits up beautifully, I have used Curious Creek Fibers' Wasonga, which has a very silky feel.

You can now purchase the Fiddlehead Sock pattern on my site and on ravelry.

If you are coming to SS09, you can see them in person! Yay!

Pure Enchantment

We never know the hidden talents of folks we see every day.

For instance, I knew Jamie from our working together at Three Bags Full where she is assistant manager, and I had met her husband in passing. I even knew that he is a photographer, but that is as far as my knowledge went.

Fate, or perhaps just the openhearted generosity of Jamie and M.Scott, threw us together to solve a problem: How to get some photos of my silk Aphrodite while it is still in my possession? Having kept one of the two Aphrodites that were part of the Twist Collective trunk show when they visited Three Bags Full recently, I knew that I wanted, no needed some new photographs of this piece. Jamie and M.Scott came through in a flash, and what a flash it proved to be! They are a brilliant team. This is just a taste of what was filmed that day, with more to be seen soon on the Twist Collective blog, and on the cover of several new patterns to be released soon.

OK, here is another taste:

Please click for bigger so you can see all the lovely detail.

Jamie (known professionally as Sparklefaerie) can be seen at sparklefaerie.com; M.Scott at altphotoart.net.