Cryptozoology!

May 082013
 

So, so excited to have this new collection out!  Cryptozoology - the study of and search for animals whose existence is not substantiated by mainstream science – is an homage to all the weird mythical (or not?) creatures that roam this planet.  Six patterns span the gamut of desert dwellers to arctic wanderers.

The cover shows the Neck Kraken scarf in Knit Picks Gloss DK.  This entertaining scarf has tentacles in place of fringe, plus a hidden loop on the underside to draw one end through and keep it snug around your neck.

My absolute favorite of the bunch is Bigfoot + Yeti.  These felted slippers come in six different easily customizable sizes.  These are done in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted, then felted.  I can’t express to you enough how perfect fitting these things are.  There is shaping that makes these slip on your feet like buttah.

Sea Serpent Squish is a soft toy for the Nessie fans out there.  At a width of 19″, it would also make a super fun throw pillow!  This is worked up in Knit Picks Biggo.

Chupacabra Mittens feature the feared ‘Goat Sucker’ of Mexico and Central America.  El Chupacabra’s menacing face graces the backs of the hands while goats tile the palms.  Knit Picks Palette is used for these.

Knit Picks Stroll and Stroll Tonal blend for this easy colorwork Mermaid Cowl.  At a distance the image, like the mystical Mermaid, is hard to spot at first.  Upon closer inspection, you can see the tiled mermaid silhouettes.


Rounding out the Cryptid medley is the one closest to home for me, the Jackalope!  The Jackalope is a super cute jack rabbit with a twist.  This version is quite floppy and squishy.   This guy also uses Wool of the Andes Worsted.


Whew!  There you go!  These six are available on the Knit Picks website, as either individual downloads, an ebook, or as a physical book!  Check it out!

 May 8, 2013  contest, patterns Tagged with: , ,  1 Response »

Browns Crossing

May 062013
 


Browns Crossing is the old name of the Colorado town of Nederland. The tiny 1.5 square mile town is rich in characteristic Rocky Mountain charm but still retains much of the grit of the original 1800s settlement, a combination that I adore.

Like its namesake, Browns Crossing is beautiful without being cutesy, utilitarian without being pedestrian. A scarf-like length and width allows for it to be worn quite a few different ways for added versatility.

The yarn for this, Cephalopod Traveller, is incredible.  It’s super soft and the colors are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen.  When I was at Stitches West this February I was getting to the point of overload with all the yarns to look at and fondle, but when I came across their booth I was rejuvenated and excited, like I was seeing something entirely new.  I want one of every colorway they do!!

The Details:

Yarn: Cephalopod Traveller, 2 skeins in Gallifrey (how could I pass up yarn with that name??)

Yardage: Approximately 560yds

Gauge: 18sts and 24 rows = 4 inches / 10cm in Stockinette st

Suggested needle size: US size 10

Price: $5

Find this pattern on Ravelry!

 

 May 6, 2013  knitting, patterns Tagged with: , ,  4 Responses »

Rock, Paper, Scissors… SHOOT!

Feb 202013
 

Need some fancy adornment while trying to make a decision? Great for when flipping a coin or drawing straws just won’t do!

I am loving these new mitts.  I love making fingerless gloves that make me giggle and flash a huge grin.  This has turned out to be quite a conversation piece.  Take these babies on the bus and make instant friends!

The Details:

Yarn:  Two colors of fingering weight yarn.  The samples above are shown in Knit Picks Palette and Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock.

 

Yardage:  About 105yds of MC and 70yds of CC

 

Gauge:  30sts/ 34rows = 4″  for Small and 28sts/ 30 rows = 4″ for Large in stranded pattern

 

Suggested needle size:  US size 2 for the Small, US size 3 for the Large, plus one set of smaller needles for the ribbing

 

 February 20, 2013  patterns, Uncategorized 2 Responses »

Praha

Sep 252012
 

I swear the city of Prague glows at night.  Unlike many western cities with their neon and eerily green-blue nights, central Prague radiates this love with its warm lighting.  It’s so welcoming and cozy, like the illumination itself is wrapping you up and keeping you warm.  This sensation is what inspired this cowl.

I have two pet peeves with most cowls for winter-wear: 1) looseness in the neck makes them drafty and 2) my lower chest often feels unloved and naked unless I have my jacket zipped.  This cowl was my answer to both.

Praha is worked flat then seamed in the back. Ribbing creates a very elastic cowl, allowing no need for closures. Short rows give it a close fitting shaping.


The Details:

Yarn: DK weight yarn. The sample above is shown Tosh DK

Yardage: Approximately 150yds

Gauge: 26sts and 25 rows = 4 inches / 10cm in k3p2 ribbing, unstretched

Suggested needle size: US size 7 and 8

Price: $4

Find this pattern on Ravelry!

 September 25, 2012  patterns, Uncategorized, Year of Color Tagged with: , , ,  No Responses »

Kraken Knuckles

Jul 102012
 

Warning: it is impossible to wear these gloves or mitts without feeling the need to wildly wiggle your fingers!

This is such an addictive pattern.  Seriously, I’ve knit three versions and I still want to make more.  It’s one of those where you finish one and immediately want to start another with new colors.  Oh, who am I kidding, I was already planning the next before I’d finish the first glove of a pair.  I never, ever take commissions to knit things but I have already accepted one for these since the person who suggested them came up with a really fun version that I was eager to attempt.

The background and palm-side consist of an easy to memorize four row repeat while the back shows off the kraken whose tentacles are your fingers!  The fingerless version works best when the kraken color is close to your skin color, allowing the two to blend together.  For this reason, I highly suggest Jamieson Shetland Spindrift or Knit Picks Palette, both of which come in an array of neutral tones.

The pattern includes four charts.  There are separate left and right charts for two versions, one for light colored kraken and one for dark.  There are also instructions for working a full glove or the fingerless version.  Two different sizes use the same charts, the sizing determined by the needles and gauge.  Lots of room for customization here!

And hello there, little baby cephalopod on the thumb gussets!  Try to hide but you are oh-so cute that you are hard to miss!

 

The Details:

Yarn:  Two colors of fingering weight yarn.  100% wool will work best.  The samples above
    are shown in Knit Picks Palette.
Yardage:  164-240yds, depending on size and version.
Gauge:  30sts/ 34rows = 4″  for Small and 28sts/ 30 rows = 4″ for Large in stranded pattern
Suggested needle size:  US size 2 for the Small, US size 3 for the Large, plus one set of
    smaller needles for the ribbing

Price: $6

Find this pattern on Ravelry!

 July 10, 2012  patterns Tagged with: , , , , , ,  2 Responses »

Izzy Gator

Jun 072012
 

Finally, a reptile in the Wattsolak collection!  I’m so happy to share this alligator.  Or crocodile.  I still haven’t fully decided what she is.  Does it matter?  They both give me the heebie jeebies.  The zoo in Denver has an exhibit with cute little tropical animals and some reptiles, plus a really great old sea turtle.  Then you turn a corner and – BAM! – you’re face to face with an alligator behind seemingly-not-strong-enough plexiglass.  My fight or flight instinct always pipes in and tells me it’s a really stupid thing to do to stand that close to a gator.

Mine is a little less intimating.  This one won’t spook you when you come around a corner in your darkened house.  I hope.

The pattern is written for worsted weight yarn but if you choose your needles wisely it could be done in any weight.  A tiny fingering one would be adorable!  Part of me really wants to knit one with worsted yarn doubled and size 13 needles for one the size of a true baby alligator.  Or crocodile.

The Details:

Yarn: Worsted weight yarn,
   shown here in Fancy Tiger
   Heirloom
Yardage: 250yds/227m green,
   40yds/36m contrast color for
   stripes, 15yds/13.5m white
   yarn for teeth, 5yds/4.5m
   black for eyes
Gauge: 21sts and 26rows =
   4 inches / 10cm in
   stockinette stitch
Suggested needle size:
   US size 6 / 4mm
Finished measurements:
   approximately 24″ long
Price: $5

Find this pattern on Ravelry

 June 7, 2012  patterns Tagged with:  No Responses »

Strelka the Valiant

Apr 032012
 

I’m on a dog kick, apparently!

I had such a blast designing and knitting Sputnik the Magnificent that I was a bit sad when the pattern was posted and it was all done with.  Obviously I still had some stranded toys in me.

Strelka had many inspirations, most of which came from childhood favorite dogs.  In Strelka is a little of both Droopy Dog and George P. Dog, plus a large heaping of the Fisher Price Little People dog.  Although as an adult I am not much of a dog person, I adored them as a child due to these wacky cartoon versions.  I hope Strelka carries along some of these same characteristics well!

 

The Details:

Yarn: fingering weight wool, shown here in Knit Picks Palette
Yardage: approximately 125yds in MC (shown here in light gray) and 100yds CC (shown here in dark gray)
Gauge: 34sts and 38 rows = 4 inches / 10cm in stockinette stitch
Suggested needle size: US size 1, either 4 DPNs or one long circular
Finished measurements:  approximately 13.5″ tall
Price: $4


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 April 3, 2012  patterns Tagged with: , , , ,  2 Responses »

Howard

Mar 122012
 

Some patterns, it seems, have a mind of their own.  I had a really cute sketch for this dog.  It was a sweet little beagle with floppy ears and spots.  Somehow the prototype took on a life of it’s own and decided at some point that it wanted to be a dachshund instead.  I obliged because, really, how can you say no to a face like that??  I love that it became what it did.  The long body is a prefect size for grasping and the floppy legs give it a real goofy quality.

The pattern comes in two sizes.  The above example is in sport weight while a worsted version will give you a bit larger of a dog.

The Details:

Yarn: sport weight yarn for the small (shown) or worsted for the large
Yardage: approximately  150yds of either weight
Gauge: 24sts/4″ with sport weight for small, 20sts/4″ with worsted weight for large
Suggested needle size: US size 4 for small and US size 6 for large, either 4 DPNs or one long circular
Finished measurements:  approximately 15″ long for small, 20″ long for large
Price: $4

Find this pattern on Ravelry

 

 

 March 12, 2012  patterns Tagged with: , ,  No Responses »

Fightin’ Words!

Mar 062012
 

Spring is currently flirting with Colorado, making us all want to rip off the winter coats and cast aside the heavy mittens.  Unfortunately Mother Nature is a cruel temptress and still has snow and darkness in store for us.  I’m getting pretty surly towards winter this year.  Having already powered through months of chilly temperatures, colds, and frozen toes, I’m ready to sport these mitts and fight off the rest of winter.  I’ll clear a path for you, Spring, not stopping until I see those daffodils and crab apple blossoms!

The Details:

Yarn:  Two colors of fingering weight yarn.  100% wool will work best.  The sample above is shown in Knit Picks Palette.
Yardage:  About 90yds of MC and 70yds of CC
Gauge:  30sts/ 34rows = 4″  for Small and 28sts/ 30 rows = 4″ for Large in stranded pattern
Suggested needle size:  US size 2 for the Small, US size 3 for the Large, plus one set of smaller needles for the ribbing

Price: $5

Find this pattern on Ravelry

 March 6, 2012  patterns Tagged with: , , , , ,  No Responses »

Dak Mai

Feb 032012
 

My old friend Daren is a professional photographer. He returned from a few years in Thailand last spring just about the same time that I finished my pattern for the Topsy Turvey Werewolf. We made a trade (a photoshoot for a home cooked steak dinner) which turned out so well that I talked him into another shoot for the Recess for Grownups pattern. This time I promised him a hand knit.

Everything in the resulting project was a collaboration between me and him. He wanted orange and gray, cables, and earflaps. It was fun to have a little bit of someone else’s brain in this project to step outside what I’d normally think of. I love the end result!

On the photoshoot for this hat, we both laughed at the idea of a photoshoot for a new pattern that resulted from payment for another photoshoot.  Perhaps the next thing I knit for him will end up as a pattern too.  Stay tuned…

The Details:
Yarn: two colors of bulky weight yarn
Yardage: approximately 128yds for the MC and 46yds CC
Gauge: 17sts/24 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
Suggested needle size: US 8
Sizes available: one
Price: $3

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 February 3, 2012  patterns Tagged with: , ,  1 Response »
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