To add to my techno woes while at knitcamp my new (just 3 months old) little netbook died on me.  It froze and when I tried starting it up it told me I had a primary hard disk error.  Doesn’t sound too good does it?  As it’s so new it’s still in warranty and can be sent back (of course I don’t have any phone so I needed to make an international call on my mobile to get it sorted out!)

Luckily my last techno issue might actually be something we can fix ourselves.  My desktop computer has been crashing frequently when it sleeps.  DH has been looking into it and it looks like it is a video driver that needed to be updated.  So fingers crossed that it stays working, I’ve had quite enough issues!

On a positive note last week at the end of my Knit Camp visit I had an interview with Robin Hunter posted here.  Go take a look!

I have never taught so many classes one day after another so a full week of teaching was quite an experience in itself.  By Friday I was starting to croak rather than talk but some hot coffee seemed to help!  On top of talking for long classes meals were in a cafeteria so there were always new and interesting people to talk to….as well as every evening!  I had the best time all week with Woolly Wormhead, we had met before but I hadn’t expected to spend so much of the week hanging out together…anyone who gets the chance, she is lots of fun.

Over the course of the week I discovered that I really, really love short rows.  Now, I had known that before… but talking to students every day I realized just how obsessional that was.  I think that every class but 1 I ended up talking about short rows at some point! Half of knit camp may now be as in love with short row set-in sleeve caps as I am.  That’s not a bad thing!  Needless to say the class I had the most fun was (wait for it)..the short row class.  I got to go through tons of different ways of constructing them and everyone found one that suited them.

This wonderful bag (hand quilted!) of gifts was given to me by a group of Portuguese knitters.  They had made gift bags for all their tutors and it was such a kind, thoughtful gesture that it nearly made me cry!  (Hand painted yarn, little Portuguese knitter statue, and pretty cards, pencils and notepads from Porto).

After my week of teaching I am looking forward to my  next few teaching engagements in Ireland.  In Autumn I’ll be at Crafty Alley and a couple more shops.  Anyone down Killarney direction please come along.  If there is particular class you’d like to see let me know, I’m just planning it now.

Now back to Knitcamp.  As well as having a wonderful time in all my classes (the students were superb) I also enjoyed every evening.  First night (Monday) we went to the EZ dinner.  I met Marleen and Nancy Marchant before the meal.  Both live in cities in the Neatherlands that I have relatives living in so I felt right at home!  During the meal Marleen introduced me to Jon and his husband Roy.  Marleen has designed several shawls for Jon and I can see why, his yarn is just delicious with wonderful colors.  On my other side there was a knitter from Alaska and we had some great chats (please forgive me, I don’t remember your name…if you read this please fill me in!).

Tuesday night (I did warn you that we went out every night!) there was the pub quiz.  Woolly Wormhead had arrived by now and we arrived at the quiz late.  I dragged her onto our Team Twilight and let me tell I doubt we would have know how many patterns she had published without her on the team!

Wednesday night was Stitch n’ Bitch night with Debbie Stroller (just in case you don’t know who she is go pull out that Stitch n’ Bitch book from your shelf!).  It was very surreal to have a knitting legend going from group to group introducing herself!  I actually forgot my knitting that evening and ran back up to the dorms to get it.  Just wouldn’t have been right  not to have it with me.  In fact as far as knitting went I did very little all week.  My mind was so in the teaching I didn’t have much extra mental space left for knitting (as well as the fact that most of the work I’m doing right now is secret so not the best for a huge knit camp!)

Thursday we headed off campus to a pub close by and bumped into the gang above.  What a fun night we had, I feel as though I haven’t had such an easygoing relaxed night out since I was a teenager.  It’s nice once in a while to get transported outside your everyday life.  In fact that’s a bit what the whole week felt like.  The first time in 12 years I left all my daily responsibilities behind.

By Friday night we were fading and my friend Sue arrived from Cork and whisked us off for a great Indian meal in Sterling.  Even though for cafeteria food it wasn’t so bad I was in serious need of some variety.  Also the early meal time was more than I could manage, I was so hungry by most mornings that I was retching with hunger (no, I”m not very good at looking after myself!)

Isn’t this just the craziest Briyani you’ve ever seen?  The bread was cooked in a dome over the top of the pot!

We’re nearly at the end of the week now…if you’ve managed to read it to the end of this post you’re now probably almost as tired as I am.  The marketplace was amazing.  I got far more than I had intended, buttons, vintage buttons, shawl pins and a little pretty yarn I couldn’t resist (I didn’t want to add any weight going home!).  The night went on far too long but I did get to meet a personal hero of mine, Norah Gaughan, before the end of the night.  She had been suffering from a cold but was still up for a chat at almost midnight!  I even got to see her Ipad sketches.

And now I need to rest and recover from the week.  It was lovely to get home to the boys but I think they had so much fun with their dad all week that they barely noticed I was gone!  A big thank you to Jo and Doug (as well as the rest of the team) for putting this together and pulling it off.

Tuesday (All Day)- Knitting From The Side

Materials:
7mm/US11 circular needles
7mm/US11 dpns
7mm crochet hook (this size is less critical so close to that size will also work)
Waste yarn
stitch markers

I have some Fyberspates Scrumptious chunky yarn for the class (very gererously donated by Jeni..THANKS!) which will have to be doubled to get gauge (11 sts/18 rows per 4″/10cm).  If you are a fast knitter you may wish to bring your own yarn to ensure you have enough for the full class.

Wednesday (Morning) – Slip Stitch Patterns

We will be working through a series of slip stitch pattern swatches so you will need

2 yarns (dk/aran recommended); suitable needle
size for yarn (straight or circular).

Thursday (All Day) – Shaping Up Traditional Knits

Materials:

Aran weight yarn, 100% wool recommended.
US #8/5mm circular needle, 32-inch/80cm (or longer) for
in the round or straight needles if worked flat.
US #7/4.5mm circular needle, 32-inch/80cm (or longer)
for in the round or straight needles if worked flat.
1 set US #7/4.5mm double pointed needles (dpns)
1 set US #8/5mm double pointed needles (dpns)
Markers (m); Stitch holders; Tapestry needle; Cable needle
Plus: calculator, graph paper, measuring tape.
It is also useful if you measure or bring a well fitting
sweater for yourself.

You may not need the dpns during the class but to finish your sweater they will be needed.

Friday (Morning) – Short Rows

Materials:

Yarn (dk-aran weight would be best); straight or circular
needles suitable for yarn, measuring tape, stitch markers;
safety pins.

Saturday (2 hours, morning) – Magic Loop

This class will work on a toddler sock pattern using DK weight yarn.

Materials:

1 set of 3.5mm circular needles 80-100cm long (Addi
Turbos or Knit Pro are recommended)

DK wool; Stitch marker; Darning needle; Scissors; Measuring Tape.

Traveling from Ardara up to this pass involved a series of almost vertical corkscrew turns that our car objected strongly to!  After driving for 7 hours (it’s a long trip from Cork) I was glad to see our cottage, even if it was rather a misty view.

I knew there were a lot of sheep in Donegal but the sheer volume was out of this world..slumped on the side of the road, in our garden, hanging off the side of cliffs and even a few right up to the sea edge.

We made a lovely trip to Donegal Yarns also (can’t give any details away now though!) and met up with Chris who gave us a full tour.  It is a very sizable operation and had me just drooling over some of the wonderful yarns and colors.  Although the factory isn’t always open to the general public in the village you will find Studio Donegal which stocks a full range of their yarns.

Unfortunately the weather wasn’t too wonderful for the trip but armed with some heavy duty raincoats in our holiday house we spent most of the week exploring the amazing beaches.  The beach is near Malin Beag and had 167 (I think?) steps going down to it.  Looking up at the amazing cliffs with sheep along the side is worth the walk down.

Unfortunately I don’t have any photos of it but the most amazing beach we visited was Maghera.  I have never been on a beach quite like it before.  You approach from a small country road and before you get there there is a HUGE waterfall.  We managed to get some amazing garment photos in front of this for the book.  When you reach the beach you pass through a path with sheep (of course) on either side and reach the sand dunes.  The are huge and the sand is pale, pale yellow which is very unusual for Irish beaches which tend to have darker sand.  Some of the sand slopes further along the beach (piled against cliffs) reached 30-40 feet high and the boys spent hours sliding/rolling/running down them.  For the icing on the cake there are a series of caves running down the beach, some of which were very sizable.

On evening walks along our mountain top roads we often felt as though we were walking on a film set..

I want to thank my son Damien for all of the photos, he had his camera with him and allowed me to use his photos.

I had a multi-colored alpaca yarn (Artesano Hummingbird) and I got a small ball of red Artesano dk yarn for contrast.  I had envisioned the rows of pattern stitch in alternating multi color and solid color but so much red came up in the multicolored yarn at the yoke that I didn’t quite get the contrast I was hoping for.

I did however like the basic concept so I thought I’d give an adult version a go.  So at Christmas armed with 3 different colors of Brown Sheep’s Lambs pride I began a version for myself….

This time I had a wonderful turquoise color that I loved, a little of a multi-tonal turquoise and some orange.  This version introduced the idea of  the garter stitch accent bands to combine the two colors that were similar but not the same together in a cohesive way.  Now while the orange band are fun the brightness may be a it much for some!  A lighter shade of blue would be a more subdued  way of combining a third color.

I knit this while I was on holiday and I was lazy.  I didn’t do a gauge swatch (which I should have cause my knitting can be a little on the loose side!!) and I ended up with 17 rather than 18 stitches per 4 inches.  As you can see on the sleeve there is too much room for me, and the back has too much looseness for me.

I also decided at this stage that I liked the way the stitch pattern worked when it was slightly smaller…which brings us to the third and final version of Eilonwy…..

As I was finishing up the second version Sundara contacted me asking if I wanted to use her yarn in a design.  This design immediately came to mind and we settled on the wonderful Aran Silky Merino for the final version.  When the yarn arrived Sue (who is also the model for these shots) knit the final version.  She like the way this yarn worked at a tighter gauge and after much swatching and calculations the final version was designed and knit.  I love the way the two colors blend together around the circular yoke, very subtle but still with a great texture.

Knit at the tighter gauge the yarn didn’t go quite as far as we had expected and we wanted to make full use of the contrasting color so the bottom band has changed from the alternating color version to a solid band.  When you are knitting it you can decide yourself which you like best.

Eilonwy $5.95

add to cart

Showcase the beauty of hand dyed yarn with this wardrobe staple. This cardigan is a great way of combining 2 or 3 complementary colors that blend together well and is idea for hand dyed yarn. Knit from the top down with circular yoke shaping, options are given for 2 or 3 different colors to be used.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Chest: 27.25 (30.5, 34.5, 37.5, 41.5, 44.75, 48.75, 52, 56)” / 69 (77, 87.5, 95.5, 105.5, 114, 124, 132, 142) cm
Note: Buttonband is not included in this dimension.
Length: 21.25 (22, 22.5, 23, 23.5, 24, 24.5, 25, 25.5)” / 54 (56, 57.5, 58.5, 60, 61, 62.5, 64, 65) cm
Size 34.5”/87.5 inches modelled with minimal ease.

MATERIALS
Sundara ‘Aran Silky Merino’: (50% silk / 50% merino wool; 200yds/183m per 100g skein);
MC Color: Exotic birds; 2 (2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4) skeins
Note: Size 34.5”/86.5cm uses 2 skeins almost completely, so you may require an extra skein.
CC1 Color: Classic Car; 2 (2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3) skeins
For three-color version only, CC2 of desired color: 1 skein

GAUGE
20 sts/32 rows = 4”/10cm in stockinette stitch on US 7/4.5mm needles
20 sts/38 rows = 4”/10cm in garter stitch on US 7/4.5mm needles

My newest design Leitmotif Cardigan is out in Interweave Fall 2010.  The seed for this design started last year when I designed Raspberry Layers.  Obviously the finished pieces are very different but the basics of the construction method I used are there!  This cardigan starts at the center of the back with a provisional cast-on, works out one side (casting on the front when you come to it) and using a 3-needle bind off at the side seam.  The sleeve cap is then shaped using short rows and the sleeve is worked downwards in the round.  The second half is worked in the same way from the provisional cast on at the center of the back.  Working on half a cardigan like this at a time it can look a bit funny and floppy but the end result fits really well…and its fun to knit!

The yarn for this project was Terra from the Fiber company which was a lovely yarn to work with.  Even though it knit up to a fairly large gauge it felt really light weight a airy.  It has a very interesting mixture of fibers; baby alpaca, wool and silk.  Even though the alpaca was the dominant fiber it actually felt more like a wool/silk mixture with just a few longer hairs giving the alpaca content away!

I don’t often get a chance to knit for myself but I’m working a a version of this for me.  I had some purple cascade eco plus wool in my stash that is knitting up to a good gauge for the project.  I’ve done one half of the body but I’m so busy right now I’m not sure how long I’ll have to wait to get the second half finished!

Last week the second version of Iced (in green this time) that Torya knit arrived.  It took me a few days to get around to weave in ends, put on buttons and block it but I eventually got it finished up and we took a few photos.  This time it is knit in the small size which has around 1″ negative ease for my bust.  To compensate I put the buttons on the button band so that it doesn’t fully cross over (you can see in the details below).  I’ve also shown a small detail of the side showing the waist shaping which you couldn’t really see in the first version.  For anyone going to UK knitcamp in Scotland next month I’ll have this version with me for the Knitty Fashion show.

I’ve also had a new pattern come out in Interweave Fall 2010 here.  Its called ‘Leitmotif Cardigan’ and I’ll blog very shortly with more details about it and some of my own photos.

Btw if anyone has hairstyle ideas send them to me..I was leaving my hair grow this year (as well as having my MIL’s hairdresser attack me with dye at Christmas!) but I’m contemplating cutting it again.  I just love getting a new hairstyle!

I got a few balls of Drops Ice a couple of years ago.  It is an unusual yarn, a bulky cotton/acrylic blend that has almost a velvety rope texture (if you can imagine that!).  I began by knitting several swatches in different stitch patterns but they really didn’t work with the yarn.  It sat for several months unused until I picked it up again and realized that it really need something simple.  So Iced was born..I knit it in time for a Florida holiday, simple and casual.  Neutral enough to be worn with everything (I pack light and didn’t bring anything else warm!).  This is good TV knitting, top down with raglan shoulder shaping.  The front shawl collar is knit in garter stitch with a little short row shaping at the back. (As with almost all of my designs there is of course some waist shaping!)

When we arrived in Florida we met my sister in law (Nicki in the photo) and she tried the cardigan on and fell in love.  It was made for me so it was a little large on her but that kind of suits here style.

Here is a photo of me half asleep on the beach wearing the cardigan.

I still love the cardigan as a great everyday staple, Torya ( thank you!) has made a second version for me in green that just arrived this morning that fits wonderfully.  When I put some buttons on it and block it I’ll share a few photos.  This version is in the smaller size so there is no ease, if you feel the fit is too loose it works well with little to no ease also.  Anyone inn Knit Camp in Scotland will be able to see this version in the Knitty Fashion Show.

I’ve been busy planning my classes for Knit Camp in Scotland and have some good news for anyone taking my Knitting From the Side class.  Fyberspates have kindly agreed to donate the yarn for this class.  You’ll all get a chance to try out their wonderful Scrumptious yarn.  The Raspberry Layer pattern we will be using in the class uses a chunky yarn that she is no longer producing but the DK weight held double produces the correct gauge so that’s what we’ll be using in the class.  This is a great class for a knitter who is past the basics and wants to learn some new techniques.  The cardigan begins with a provisional cast on at the center of the back, works out each way one at at time and uses short rows to give shape to the cardigan and also uses short rows to produce a little sleeve cap.  I have a pattern coming out shortly that also uses a similar construction technique but looks quite different.

I’ve got several new patterns (2 published elsewhere and 2 self-published) coming out over the summer.  I can’t talk yet about the other patterns but the next self-published pattern uses delicious Sundara Aran Silky Merino.  This was knit and modeled by Sue and I’ll leave you with a tiny little sneak peak….you should be able to see the completed piece in a few weeks!

From top to bottom:

First row we have Tricotonrideau using a lovely white Cashmere yarn and Flutterby uses Knit Picks shadow tonal laceweight in a vivid red.

Second row ewephoric is using Cascade’s alpaca lace and she has added a lace pattern to the front panels that I just adore!  Next to her is Cathwood using Luna bluefaced leicester/silk yarn showing us that it works really well with a variegated yarn.

Bottom row we have our last two debindubai uses some lovely bright posh yarn and the cardigan looks just perfect with that outfit!  Our final knitter fiddleflower is using malabrigo lace and made the cardigan her own with shorter front panels and the longer 3/4 sleeve option.

Thank you for everyone doing the KAL with m