Morning Dew shawl knitting pattern

Hi!
Just want to spread the word a little bit.

My latest knitting pattern has been released on Ravelry today. It's called Morning Dew shawl. This is a triangular shawl knitted top-down with beads and funky tails on the bottom border :)

You can find more details about it here on the pattern's page -

And if you are interested - you can buy this pattern right away by hitting this button -

BOGO 50% off sale on hats!

 

Hey! I'm running a BOGO 50% off sale in my shop on all the hats in my shop. You can order any design in more than 10 different colors! Oh, the possibilities....
Just use coupon code HATS50OFF during the checkout and you will have your discount! 

Please also note that these hats are made to order! If you want to order 4 and more hats please contact me through Etsy prior ordering. You can find more details about material, sizes and available colors in the shop. 

Sale expires on Feb 10 ;) Don't miss it!

How to: Easy way to knit a Nupp

Hi!

I've decided to put here some 'How to' posts from time to time to which I can refer in my patterns later. And who knows - maybe you'll find something useful too.

Today I will show how I knit a nupp. As for me this is an easiest way to knit the nupps - without any turn arounds, or hooks, or knitting and purling back and forth. And this is actually a classic method for knitting nupps in laced shawls - they are bumpy, but not to hard.

So, it's really easy and I've just made a few photos to help you understand the whole process but don't get scared by a lot of photos - it's much easier than it might look.

Ok. Let's say you need to make a nupp in the next knitted stitch you have on the left needle.
1. Knit through that stitch as usual, but pull the stitch a little bit further then usual. And don't slip the knitted stitch from the left needle. Keep it on the needle! Something like this:

Goodbye 2014! Hello 2015!

Hi!

I still can not believe it is 2015 already! Happy New Year, guys!
This will be a very short post with only one pic - the collage with my projects from 2014. It's not all of them though, as I didn't take any pics of repeated projects.. But still - it's nice to see them all together.

Hope that 2015 will be as productive as 2014 was!

Pistachio braids

A few weeks ago I bought a very pretty cotton yarn for my spring and summer creations. It is a Knit Picks Shine Sport (60/40 cotton and wood fiber). Amazingly soft yarn with a very slight silky touch. Usually I'm not a huge fan of cotton yarns because they are dry and even though it's soft - I don't like to hold it in my hands for a long time (I mean while knitting). But this blend was very comfortable for me and from now on it is in my favorite yarns list :)

So I bought a few balls of Pistachio colorway and a few of Serrano.

I decided to use a Pistachio first and I really want to make something with braids, not lacy. Probably I just got tired from all the lace projects lately.

So here is what I've got:

Mom's laced pullover

A few months ago my mom asked me to make her a laced pullover for spring and early summer. She already found some pattern in Russian knitting magazine and I just have to choose suitable yarn for this project.
I was hoping to find some blend with 1) cotton or 2) vicose (rayon) or 3) bamboo as these fibers are perfect for summer knitting.
I made three swatches and somehow the winner was Viscose/acrylic 60/40 blend - Mallorca from Ice Yarns. I have to say that I was pretty sure that Acrylic will make this yarn awful. But.... The yarn is really good and soft, nice to skin and pretty cold because of rayon (perfect for hot days). I like it so much that I also making myself a jacket with it :)

RCL #2 :)

And here is another one variant of Reversible Circles of Lace.
It is made with Wolle's Color Changing cotton as well in a lovely New Light colorway.
So good for summer :) Love it!

Reversible Circles of Lace

Hi!
I just want to show here a stole I finished few days ago.
This design is a Reversible Circles of Lace by Christina Consiglio
The pattern is great - very easy to follow and remember. It's a perfect knit project when you just need to keep your hands busy.

Forestry cardi

Hi!

Gosh... I haven't been writing here for so long.. I guess it's time to wake up and post here more often :)
So I decided to show you my new cabled cardi.
It is a Forestry (or Old Penny Cardigan) by Veronik Avery.

The pattern is very clear and easy. It is actually took me 4 days to knit this cardigan :) I didn't expect that I'll knit it that fast... That's why I was waiting for other supplies to finish it. It isn't a good story as it took a month for buttons to come.. But now it's all great: buttons are where they should be and I'm pretty happy with my new cardigan.

Dreaming of cold days..

It is still pretty warm in California... I really miss autumn from my childhood - with cold wind and bright orange and red leaves. I also miss winter, of course. And though it's not that cold here in winter I really want to knit something cozy, that would remind me cold snowy days.
And what can be more winter-style than sweaters with Norwegian pattern? I always wanted one since I was about 8 years old. And a few weeks ago suddenly I decided to knit one for myself. Well, I thought it was suddenly. But then I remembered that a few days ago from that day I saw a picture of mine in a lovely sweater with such pattern. I'm a little 6-yr old shy girl on it and I  remembered that I loved that sweater sooo much. I was wearing it all the time! So probably when I saw that picture something is clicked in me, even though I didn't realised it at first.

So I picked a pretty easy variant: a jacket with short sleeves and norwegian pattern designed by Drops. Easy because I also used the original yarn they suggest - Drops Baby Alpaca Silk (btw, I really like it :)). I chose a Brown as the main color and Blue Gray, White and Black as a contrast colors.

I must say that this sweater was actually the first one serious project. I mean with real sleeves, with jacquard pattern, with buttons :) As I usually knit something that doesn't really need any measures (like shawls, for example) this project was very interesting for me. I was excited about every part of the work...
And here is what I have now :)

 

Spearmint Tea shawl - free pattern!

And another one shawl. Absolutely improvised - Spearmint Tea.

I used for it a lovely Wolle's Yarn Creations Color Changing Cotton in Spearmint II colorway and US 4 needles.

Bigger on the Inside shawl

Today I want to show you some shawls. To be exactly - two shawls but one at a time.

The first one is Bigger on the Inside shawl by Kate Atherley.

Release: Butterflies in Nets Pattern

 It's been a while since my last post here. It's all because we have a vacation. Finally  :) A really short 10 days that we spent in Ukraine where my husband and me are from with our families. These days past so quickly that I even thought that maybe we shouldn't go there if we have such a short vacation... Besides, jet-lag is just terrible this time. It's been a week since we are back in California, but I still wake up at 5 a.m. %)

Ok, I have something to show. I finished this pattern of knitted shawl, literally, at the last minute. First I was going to write it down after we will back. But as I can't sit and doing nothing - so I started to write it at the last day before vacation. I finished it at the evening... And got up at 4 a.m. to go to airport. That was a crazy idea actually :) I shouldn't hurry that much with the releasing. That's why there was one mistake in the written instructions and I'm really sorry about that. It's all fixed now so don't be worry.

Chevron Lace Stole Pattern

Hi!

So today is the DAY! I've created a designers account on Ravelry and post my first design here!

It is a Chevron Lace Stole that I've shown you a few days ago. I finally write down the pattern today :)

You can buy it from Ravelry for $4

All you will need to make this featherweight stole is:
 - 100g of lace yarn (orig: Jaggerspun Zephyr wool/silk)
 - US 2 1/5 needles (3mm)
 - 15g of seed bead (optional)

That's it!

I' would be happy if you'll find this design interesting enough to try it :) Though I'm actually pretty happy enough even now :)

Have a great week!
Kate

Chevron stole with beads

Hello there!

Yesterday I've finished a new one stole.
I was thinking about something easy - only one pattern through whole stole without any laced border or anything like that.

I've picked a Pointed Chevron pattern from A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G. Walker.
I really like this pattern and I'm planning to use it a lot :)

Brown Alpine

Hi there!

Today I want to show you another one variant of Alpine scarf that I've finished yesterday

I've already knit this one before in turquoise color and now I don't know which one I like more :) The turquoise one is pretty bright so it can add some specific note to your look. At the same time this one - in brown shade - has more classical look as I think.

Mulberry Clap

Hi!

This Friday I've finished another one stole... I've already made one like this but this time I changed the needle size to smaller (3.5 mm) and of course it is made in another colour :)

So, it is an amazing Clapotis by Kate Gilbert.
I love this design so much... It's one of my favourite! It is simple but very elegant.

Here is some photos:

Silky vamp

Hi!

I wasn't sure should I post here or not... But after a few days I decided that it should be here too. But I warn you - I haven't made any great photos of this amazing shawl... Sorry for that.

I made this one shawl for a very bright and nice person. She likes bright red color and she lives in Florida. So I was looking for some bright red silk as it would be not too warm for that climate.
Unfortunately I didn't find anything like that anywhere :( Maybe I don't know a lot of places but I've searched on Etsy, on E-bay, google shopping, some on-line shops like WEBS.. Well, I've looked everywhere I know. Nothing.. Except one shop from Russia on Etsy :) They have a 100% mulberry silk in a good price and exactly the shade I was looking for - screaming red! So this yarn was going from Russia and it took almost 1.5 months %)
When it finally came to me I was so excited! Though I've never worked with 100% silk and seed beads before  - it was going pretty fast. I finished it in a week or so.
And here is a few photos.. Yes, those "not-so-great" photos.

My Fantasia...

Hi!
A few days ago I've finished a great  wedding shawl - it is an Ice Fantasia by Anne Hanson

The pattern wasn't very easy actually. First few charts was a little illogical for me and I couldn't remember them at all :) It was a bit challenging... But when I came to last charts of body - the work start going easily.

The border wasn't very easy too. I didn't really understand why it was always k2tog and none of ssk. This way it would be easy to remember the pattern I think, but I decided to work directly as pattern says. So the border took about 4 days which is almost the same as all body of the shawl.

Alpine stole

Hello-hello!

I'm back from all that Christmass and NY holidays and started working again, though it was hard :)

I have a one new featherweight lace stole in my shop. It was made with merino wool/Tussah silk blend in a magic turquoise color.