Spinning is Beautiful

My husband took this lovely picture this morning of the spindle spinning. It looks as beautiful as I imagined.

A little Spindle Spinning

It seems that spinning came back into my life. I am having a wonderful time spinning some Merino/Silk top on a drop spindle.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Our American Yarn Family

I was talking to my daughter a while back. She lives in France with her husband and her son, and like me she is a knitter. My daughter and I are fortunate enough to be able to talk everyday, and our conversations inevitably involve knitting. My daughter has always been an inspiration to me, and once again she inspired me.

She had been looking for projects to knit as Christmas gifts. She found a pattern on Ravelry, Demoiselle Arc-en-Ciel, by De Rerum Natura. She ordered the yarn for the project from De Rerum Natura. When she got the yarn, and as she knit the project, she shared with me her delight with the yarn. The yarn was soft, beautifully spun, affordable, and of course a local product, from sheep raised in France.

I decided I would knit my next project using an American made yarn. I went to my favorite Boston yarn stores and though they have the loveliest selection of yarns to chose from, I only found a few skeins of the American made yarn I was longing for. I went home, and started researching. In the process of researching American made yarns I discovered so many family-owned businesses, from the smallest to the biggest ones, all passionate about their yarns, that I thought I should write about each one of these companies, their yarns and of course design projects for them and knit with them. I look forward to telling the stories of our American Yarn Family.

So if you are an American yarn producer, and your yarn is spun from sheep raised in the US, and/or is spun here in the US, and you would like me to write about your yarn business, or if you are a reader and know about a lovely American made yarn you would like to recommend, please contact me.

One More Gatsby Vest, and More Knitting

I told you knitting the Gatsby Vest was addictive, and to prove it, here is the latest one I knit for Little Mr. L., my grandson. I wish I could show you a picture of him wearing it, but he lives across the Atlantic. So the picture will have to wait until Christmas when he comes to visit.
For now here is a simple picture. I picked Cascade 220, in Charcoal, and a beautiful currant color.

 I knit it in the 6 months size. It went so fast, I was done in a few hours!

Meanwhile, I have been working on 2 more projects. I have been designing a nice simple fairisle baby jacket, inspired by the fall leaves in New England. I am almost done knitting the prototype.

I used Cascade 220 for this first version, but have decided to use Brooklyn Tweed's Shelter for the final version . I cannot resist the soft colors. I think they will be perfect for this project. I am thinking about offering 2 versions of the sweater in the pattern, a steeked knit in the round version, and a knit flat version ( but still with no seams). What do you think?

The other project is only at the thinking stage. I have been imagining a cushy,double sided cowl, contrasting a solid background, with a lace foreground. I have picked my prototype yarns, Harrisville Designs Shetland.

I think I am going to have a lot of fun!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Thoughts

My thoughts go to the millions of people affected by hurricane Sandy.

The Gatsby Vest - New Pattern

I am so happy! The Gatsby Vest pattern is ready. I just uploaded it to Ravelry!

The pattern is clearly written, with beautiful pictures highlighting the features of the vest.

A fun contrast between the striped front of the vest, and the solid back.

A comfy fit at the tummy.

Comfortable armholes for fun playing.

Best of all, the pattern comes in sizes 3 months to 6 years!

You can click the "buy now" Ravelry button to purchase it. Happy knitting!

The Gatsby Vest

I always find it hard to write after a long time with no writing. It is not the I have nothing to write about, just that my writing muscle is asleep, and my inner critic quite ready to strike down each and every sentence I write! But I am determined to share with you my progress on my new pattern, the Gatsby Vest. The knitting is done, the testing is done, and the pattern is undergoing its final editing. I find this the hardest stage, checking and rechecking. My favorite moments when I create a new design, are the moments when I get the inspiration for a new project, the actual knitting (I like to knit the project myself first to see how it feels), and then the photographing.

This was a very fun photo shoot with mr. L., my youngest son modeling. We had a lot of fun playing with pine cones, and running around in the playground. He did not seem too puzzled by the camera, as i you can clearly see! The great thing is that it also showed the vest in action.

 The vest covers the back and the tummy perfectly, and it is comfortable, while giving that classic touch I love so much for young children, and it is perfect for a boy. There are so many wonderful patterns out there for girls, but very few for boys. Not to say that it would not work for a girl, but the simplicity of the lines, details, and colors make it a perfect boy garment. After all, the Great Gatsby inspired the vest! One thing I really enjoyed about knitting the vest, was how easy and fast it was to knit. The contrast between the striped front of the vest, and the solid back, kept me entertained, and before I knew it I had a finished vest for mr. L. to enjoy! The fact that it is knitted using a worsted weight has something to do with how fast it knits up...

OK, back to work on the pattern. I will live you with my favorite picture of mr. L. wearing his vest.

A Year Later

It is hard to believe, but my last post was a year ago. It feels like my last baby was just born, and there his first year is gone! I also became a grandmother during the year!I finished a degree in interior design! I did do some knitting during that time, mostly for the new little men in my life, but also ventured into rug hooking, and did a little sewing. Over the last few weeks, I have found a renewed energy, my knitting needles have been clicking feverishly... A new vest design for babies and toddlers... Inspired by the mythical Great Gatsby... I look forward to sharing it with you soon.