Tag Archives: Designs

The last pattern of the Beachwalk Knits collection, the Bolinas Cardigan, is now live! The sample is done in Kelbourne Woolens Scout, a really nice workhorse wool yarn.

Here are the details!

This gorgeously cabled, oversized cardi is sure to keep you warm on chilly days or evenings!

The sweater is knit from the top down, with stitches picked up from the shoulder straps, fronts and back joined at the armholes, and the garment continued in one piece.

The sleeves are worked by picking up stitches along the armhole, working short rows for the cap shaping, then continuing in the round.

Sizes
Women’s XS (S, M, L, XL, 2X, 3X)

To fit bust: 28 (32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52)“ / 71 (81.5, 91.5, 101.5, 112, 122, 132) cm with 5½ – 7” / 14 – 17.5 cm of ease

Finished Measurements
Bust: 34½ (37½, 41½, 45½, 50½, 55, 58¾)“ / 87.5 (95.5, 105.5, 115.5, 128.5, 139.5, 149) cm

Shown in size 2x

See schematic for full measurements.

Yarn
Kelbourne Woolens Scout, 100% wool (274 yds / 250 m per 100 g), est 5 (6, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9) skeins approx 1293 (1380, 1516, 1706, 1923, 2224, 2345) yds / 1182 (1262, 1386, 1560, 1758, 2034, 2144) m, shown in Oatmeal.

See pattern notes regarding yardage.

Needles
US 4 / 3.5 mm needles or size needed to obtain gauge
US 3 / 3.25 mm needles or one size smaller than size needed to obtain gauge for ribbing

Your choice of circular or straight needles for flat knitting and circular or DPNs for in the round
Spare circular needles for tubular bind off

Gauge
22 sts and 32 rows / rounds in 4” / 10 cm in Spot Stitch pattern
Approx 30 sts in 4” / 10 cm over cabled patterns

Notions
(10) stitch markers; waste yarn or stitch holders; cable needle; yarn needle

Skills
cabling, reading charts, picking up stitches, short row shaping, optional tubular bind off

Meet the Carpinteria Shawl!

I love playing with vintage lace patterns, and adapting them to more modern designs (Tricho, Cereus, Ferru, Buteo, Pygmy Owl, Beneath the Moon, Isn’t it Romantic?, Under the Sun). This one uses the big flower from Niebling’s Anemone but changes its center stitch pattern to reflect the stitch pattern of the body as well as a few other tweaks.

The pattern includes a section on blocking as well.

Do check out the images from the test thread here — you can see it in different colors and yarns!

Here are the details!

This lovely crescent shawl, worked from the textured portion to the lacy edging, features a leaf and flower pattern inspired by Niebling’s Anemone table cloth pattern.

Carpinteria californica, also known as the Bush Anemone, is a California native plant, with glossy green leaves and beautiful white flowers.

One size, easily altered

Finished Measurements
Length along bottom edge: 103¾“ / 263.5 cm
Length along cast on edge: 51¾” / 131.5 cm
Depth along sides: 21” / 53.5 cm

Yarn
Elemental Affects Cormo Lace, 100% Wool (1140 yds / 1060 m per 4 oz / 112g), 2 skeins Chambray
As knit, shawl weighed 152 g and used 1548 yds / 1415 m.

Needles
US 1.5 / 2.5 mm circular needles or size to obtain gauge

Gauge
23 sts and 23 rows = 4” / 10 cm in WFS pattern, blocked (see Swatch directions)

Notions
(7) stitch markers to separate repeats, yarn needle

Skills
Lace, reading charts

2017 started a little slower for me with self-publishing: I put a lot of time upfront into the Winery Knits eBook in order to get it ready for deadlines.

Once I realized I was going to self-publish my designs on my own, I kicked my designing into gear with some gorgeous shawls: Under the Sun (below, top) and In Love With the Night Mysterious (below, lower).

Next up was the Coronado Cowl.

I also had two stranded projects with Knit Picks: the Blodwen Cowl and the Morgan Mitts.

After those, I started publishing the patterns from Winery Knits. I love this collection: I love the yarns, the colorways, and the yin/yang of the Aran Lace vs stranded patterns. See pics at top.

• Atlas Peak
• Dry Creek Sweater
• Willow Creek Mitts
• Spring Mountain
• Chalk Hill Mitts

I interspersed those releases with a few other releases with yarn support I arranged at summer TNNA: Tafoni and Escondido shawls.

I was able to work with yarn companies that are longtime faves of mine (Anzula, Mrs Crosby, Dragonfly Fibers, Sunday Knits, Elemental Affects, Stitch Sprouts) and with some new-to-me-designing-with-their-yarns companies (Harrisville, Shalimar).

I attended summer TNNA, but not winter: my flight to San Jose was cancelled due to weather.

Although I didn’t publish as many designs as in previous years, I’m quite happy with those that I did.

The Chalk Hill mitts are named for the Chalk Hill appellation in northeast corner of the Russion River AVA in Sonoma County. Primary varietals grown here include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

I know Chalk Hill best as my bike-leg nemesis for Barb’s Race in 2007, my first and only half-Ironman triathlon. (At the time, Barb’s Race was an all-women’s half-Ironman triathlon, run concurrently with the full Vineman, raising money for cancer support.) The Chalk Hill area is gorgeous, but, oh, going up that hill was hard! The downhill and ride back to the transition area was awesome, though!

Cabled stitch pattern is both charted and written.

Read about the Winery Knits collection here.

Sizes
Women’s Small (Large); to fit 6–7 (7–8)” / 15–18 (18–20.5) cm hand circumference

Finished Measurements
Palm circumference, unstretched (note the lace cable pattern is quite stretchy): 5.75 (6.5)” / 14 (16.5) cm

Yarn
Shalimar Paulie Fingering, 60% Merino Wool / 20% Camel / 10% Silk / 10% Cashmere goat, 420 yds / 115 g, 1 skein, shown in size Large in Buttermilk

Needles
US 1 (2.25 mm) needles, or size to obtain gauge, for working in the round
US 0 (2 mm) needles for ribbing, or one size smaller than needle to obtain gauge, for working in the round

Gauge
32 sts and 48 rounds = 4” / 10 cm in Stockinette Stitch
Cable pattern, unstretched: 2.25 (2.5)” / 5.5 (6.5) cm

Notions
yarn needle, waste yarn, 3 stitch markers

Skills
cabling, maintaining stitch patterns

The Willow Creek mitts are named after one of the new AVAs (American Viticultural Area) in the Paso Robles area, the Willow Creek District. It includes the rolling hills west of Highway 101; some of our favorite wineries such as Cypher and Turley have tasting rooms in this area. The most common varietals grown include Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Viognier, and Grenache.

Read about the Winery Knits collection here.

One Size

Finished Measurements
Palm circumference: 8” / 20.5 cm

Yarn
Elemental Affects Natural Shetland Fingering (118 yds / 108m per 1 oz / 28g), in the following colors:
Fawn (MC): 2 skeins
Ciel (CC): 1 skein

Needles
US 1.5 (2.5 mm) needles, or size to obtain gauge
US 0 (2.0 mm) needles for garter stitch, or size smaller than needle to obtain gauge

Gauge
32 sts and 34 rounds = 4” / 10 cm in stranded stitch patterns
28.5 sts = 4” / 10 cm in garter stitch

Notions
yarn needle, waste yarn, minimum 3 stitch markers

Skills
cabling, stranding, reading charts, maintaining stitch patterns

October 16, 2017: I’m heartbroken over the devastation caused by the fires in Northern California. Please click here to learn about how you can help.

Here’s the Spring Mountain Stole! As for the companion shawl, Atlas Peak, I wanted to choose a mountainous name to tie in with the feather-evoking two-colored cable pattern and the peaked merge into the cabled section. It’s always exciting to see raptors overhead!

Did you know that there’s a company, Authentic Abatement, that rents out birds of prey to scare off non-native berry-eating birds?

The Spring Mountain appellation has been the site of two of our favorite and most memorable wine tasting experiences (both at Fantesca, including tastings of Fantesca wines and La Sirena wines). Lush, rich Cabs and Cab blends are the highlight here.

The shawl is worked in one piece from the bottom up, with stranded portions on either end of the textured center.

Size
One size (can be easily altered)

Finished Measurements as shown
Length: 85¼” / 217 cm
Width: 15½” / 39.5 cm

Yarn
MC: Sunday Knits Nirvana 5 ply, 92% select fine Australian merino / 8% premium Mongolian cashmere (137 yds / 125 m per 50g), 6 skeins, shown in Earth. Actual yardage: 715 yds / 654 m
CC: Sunday Knits Angelic 5 ply, 75% extra-fine Australian merino / 25% ultra soft French angora (137 yds / 125 m per 50g), 2 skeins, shown in Sky. Actual yardage: 165 yds / 151 m

Needles
US5 / 3.75 mm or size to obtain gauge for cabled, stranded pattern
US6 / 4 mm or size to obtain gauge for Spot Stitch pattern

Gauge
27 sts and 26 rows = 4” / 10 cm in cabled, stranded pattern
18 sts and 21 rows = 4” / 10 cm in Spot Stitch pattern

Notions
yarn needle, cable needle

Skills
cabling, stranding, reading charts

This lovely light fingering weight shawl, worked as a wedge , incorporates an Aran lace and geometric side edging, with a lacy textured body. The versatile shape can be worn a variety of ways!

One Size (Easy to alter size)

Finished Measurements
Height (from cast on to last row, along edging): 64” / 162.5 cm
Top Edge: 16” / 40.5 cm
See Schematic for more details

Yarn
Dragonfly Fibers Dharma, 50% yak / 50% mulberry silk (480 yds / 439 m per 4 oz / 113 g), 1 skein of Dragonberry. As shown shawl used approx 442 yds / 404 m.

Needles
US 2.5 / 3 mm needles or size to obtain gauge
US 5 / 3.75 mm needles for bind off

Gauge
22 sts and 36 rows over 4” / 10 cm in Textured Repeat
Gauge is important. Alterations in gauge will affect yarn requirements and finished size.

Notions
yarn needle
cable needle
2 stitch markers

Skills
lace knitting
cabling
twisted stitches WS (for double yarnovers)
both charts and line by line instructions provided

The Dry Creek Sweater is named after my favorite AVA ((American Viticultural Area) in Sonoma County, the Dry Creek Valley. This was the first name I came up with for a pattern in the Winery Knits Collection — that’s how much I love the area!

Talty and Bella are some of our favorite wineries in this area. The area is especially known for Zinfandel, one of my favorite varietals.

The valley itself is wonderful for cycling. You can ride around the lower perimeter of the valley, over very gentle elevation variations (you can’t really call them hills), viewing the vineyards in the center of the valley.

Read about the Winery Knits Collection here.

Sizes
Women’s XS (S, M, L, XL, 2X, 3X)

Finished Measurements
Chest: 32¾ (37, 40¾, 45, 49¼, 53½, 57¾)”
83 (94, 103.5, 114.5, 125, 136, 146.5) cm
To fit with approx 4-5” / 10-12.5 cm of ease.
See schematic for other measurements.
Shown in Size S.

Yarn
Harrisville WATERshed, 100% Pure Virgin Wool, 110 yds / 50 g, 8 (10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19) skeins, shown in Driftwood
880 (1030, 1155, 1365, 1550, 1825, 1990) yds / 805 (942, 1056, 1248, 1417, 1669, 1820) m

Needles
US6 (4 mm) circular needles, or size to obtain gauge
US5 (3¾ mm) circular needles for ribbing, or one size smaller than needle to obtain gauge

Gauge
19 sts and 30 rows / rounds = 4” / 10 cm in Spot Stitch Pattern
average 22.5 sts = 4” /10 cm over cable panels

Notions
yarn needle, waste yarn, minimum 8 stitch markers

Skills
cabling, reading charts, maintaining stitch patterns

The end of last week the rights to the Flidais Stole returned to me. I’ve since laid it out in my own pattern format and added line by line instructions for the chart.

Here’s the pattern info!

The Flidais Stole combines multiple Aran Lace patterns for a beautiful, romantic result.

Both charts and line by line instructions are included.

Flidais is the Celtic goddess of the woods and wild things.

One size
Can by altered lengthwise by working fewer or more repeats

Finished Measurements
15 inches / 38 cm wide by 78 inches / 198 cm long

Yarn
Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted, 100% Peruvian Highland Wool (110 yards/50g), 10 balls. Shown in Briar Heather 25982.

Needles
US4 / 3.5mm straight or circular needles, or size to obtain gauge

Gauge
24 sts and 28.25 rows = 4 inches / 10 cm average over Flidais pattern, blocked.

Notions
yarn needle
cable needle

Skills
cabling, novel cable stitches (definitions/directions given), simple lace, yarnovers, decreases, knit through the back loop
pattern is both charted and written line by line