Thanks to everyone who helped me naming this wrap.

I’ve just finished uploading the pattern and have named it Captiva Wrap thanks to Frances who suggested it on my blog.  I also loved the name Juno, suggested by Kelly, but there several patterns by the name of Juno on ravelry.  Juno was extra fitting as for Christmas (when it was knit) I bought the soundtrack to the film Juno for my husband and that was what we listened to in the car (for anyone who has this soundtrack, ‘The Bee song”. named by my 3 year old, was a favorite and was on constant rotation).

Captiva Wrap

$5.95
add to cart

Following the gentle curve of a wave this wrap has a delicate scalloped lace edging.  Worked from side to side short row shaping forms a gentle curve and tapers to a tail making it wonderful for staying in place over your shoulder. The lace edging is worked with the body of the wrap so it is all worked in one piece.

SIZE

Width at top of wrap: 35 [39] inches/89 [99] cm

Width at base if wrap: 65 [75] inches/165 [190] cm

Length: 18 [18] inches / 46 [46] cm.

MATERIALS

Fyberspates DK Scrumptious (45% silk, 55% Merino; 241yd/220m per 100g skein); color: Water; 2 [3] skeins.

1 US 9/5.5mm circular needle, 24-inch/60 cm length.

Tapestry needle; stitch markers.

GAUGE

Gauge is given for after blocking.  Exact gauge is not critical for this project as the  width is easily changed by adding/removing extra segments.

14sts/30 rows = 4″/10cm in garter stitch on US 9/5.5mm needles

I wanted to thank everyone who has submitted a name for me, I’m still looking through them and trying to decide.  If anyone else wants to submit ideas keep going – I’ll make my decison tomorrow.

I’m having a really great time reading through all the ideas, some great ones in there!

The wrap that I knit at Christmas when I was in holiday is Florida is almost ready to release.  The charts are done, it has been tech edited and we are working on the final layout.  However I am having a hard time with a name.  While I was working on it I always described it as my ‘Wave Wrap’ or the ‘Scalloped Wave wrap’ but somehow they don’t fully convey the feel of the wrap.

If you want to give a go at naming the wrap I’ll love some suggestions, and if I choose your name I’ll send a copy of the final pattern pdf to you when it is releases (hopefully this weekend!).

Here are some photos of the wrap:

A couple of weeks ago I pledged 50% of pattern sales for MSF until the end of January.  This morning I added up the amount I made a donation of $801 to MSF.

Thank you.

Thank you to every knitter who helped to do this, you are such a generous bunch!  I know that many other designers feel this way also, as it it so much more than I would have been ever have been able to donate on a personal level.  I really can’t thank all of you generous knitters out there enough.

Since the start of the month all the UK knit classes are up for sale at

http://www.britishyarn.org.uk/

I’m so  looking forward to teaching at this camp, I’ll be teaching two full day classes and two half day classes and you can find them all here.  To book them you need to go to here and can book them by day.  So go check them out!

I’ve just published my first pair of socks on Ravelry – Casadh.

I have been playing with this stitch pattern for quite a while before I reached my final version.  The first time they were toe up socks in stripes for my 6 year old.  While they were cute the stripes didn’t really add to the design (and the combination of cables and a short row heel was tight to get on) I wanted to keep working on the the pattern.

I redesigned it to be cuff down and  knit a version for my husband.  Second time round I really like how they work.  The cabling is interesting enough to keep you alert but not too taxing!

The brown version was knit by my friend Sue for  her husband, I just love the color of the Krafty Koala yarn.

Casadh

€5.00

add to cart

Until the end of January I am donating 50% of sales from Centrique ALL Stolen Stitches patterns directly to relief for the Haiti earthquake.  There are also many other designers on Ravelry doing the same so take a look at the new ‘Help for Haiti’ filter on Ravelry at the top of the pattern page.

We came back from our holiday at the end of last week.  At 7 in the morning we came into Shannon airport to -7 degree temperatures, freezing fog and a dead car battery.  10 minutes from landing the pilot announced ‘ we are coming into freezing fog, with minimal visability.  We are going to attempt landing but if it’s not possible we’ll circle around and land in Dublin.’   Now this is probably not a big deal if you are not travelling with 4 kids from 3 to 11, mountains of bags and a home that is not in Dublin (we would still have to get back to Shannon for our car!).  Luckily we still landed, hacked our car open with a credit card and got a jump start for the dead battery.  My poor frozen husband couldn’t even get a coffee at the first petrol station we stopped at as their water was frozen!!

Strangely we must have all been in a very good mood from the holiday because somehow it just didn’t seem like that big a deal.  Even coming home to a frozen (brand new) pump, leaking heating system and broken shower….. at least we  had our new wood stove, it really came into its own.  Having parents living next door helps a lot too, you are never stuck!

The boys all got to enjoy some great snow on Sunday, the first we have had in years.  The slid down the front lawn, built snow men and tossed snow balls at each other.  Now today we are being battered by rain storms with flooding.  Life is never dull.  Now if only the schools would reopen and I could get back to work.

I got lots of knitting done while I was on holiday (and bought lots of wool!).  My sister in law gave me two big bags for alpaca from peru so several pairs of mittens were finished before we came home to be prepared.

I finished (and photographed) a wrap with some more lovely Fyberspates Scrumptious yarn (sneak peak below), photographed a cotton cardi and knit up my first sample of a vest idea I’m working on.

Sneak peak of new Fyberspates Wrap

A little while ago I finished up a pair of socks with an entwined cable pattern I love.  It took a lot of experimenting and several pairs of socks before it worked out just right but it is almost ready to publish now.  They will be called ‘Casadh’ which is the Irish for twisted which seemed rather fitting for them.  This version was knitted by my friend Sue for her husband.  These socks are designed for a man but as the pattern is ribbed there is an awful lot of stretch.  With the foot length shortened they fit me fine as well.

I’ll post a few more photos of our holiday and the holiday knits in a few days when life starts getting back to normal.

As with most of Ireland Cork is getting pretty nippy at the  moment.  I manage to forget every winter just how cold it can get!  I think I might be in need of an extra chunky wool sweater or two…

On a warmer note a few months ago we installed a stove to replace our fireplace which we rarely if ever use (partially due to my complete inability to light it sucessfully!) The stove is really wonderful, warm, easy and foolproof to light even for me!  What more could you ask for!

A few months ago I began the process of putting together my ebook ‘Wearable Lace‘.  It is now officially finished, all the 5individual pdfs are compiled into one 20 page booklet.  As well as the patterns I spend a few pages in the booklet talking about lace, how to work increases in lace and I’ve even got a photo tutorial on a provisional crochet cast-on.  Moving from single pattern pdfs to a complete book took more work than we had anticipated but I’m very happy with how it turned out.  So go take a look!

Looking back over my last few posts I realized that I never posted about the final pattern published in Wearable Lace’ Midnight Shrug.

Midnight Shrug

add to cart
or Wearable Lace

I love this photo (location rather than me!).  It was taken at one of my favourite spots on a sunny day in September in James Fort in Kinsale.  There are in the process of restoring the old fort but most of the area is wild with big open fields and plenty of room for the boys to run.  We always have a great time when we go there.

I got my first 2 boxes of printed patterns yesterday, it’s very exciting!  Both of them are for my Fyberspates Patterns, Centrique and Trilo.  I love seeing the patterns printed up, they feel so substantial.

I’ve just sent out a big stack of packages to shops in Ireland and the UK full of patterns.  If you’ve orderd some you should have them very shortly.  If you are interested in ordering these two patterns for your shop just send me an email carol AT stolenstitches DOT com.

There should be a couple more Scrumptious patterns in the coming months that I’ll also get printed up so soon we’ll have a great collection of patterns out there.