The Cerise Baby Sweater Pattern is Ready!

The Cerise Baby Sweater pattern in sizes preemie to 24 months is ready (Link to the pdf at the bottom of this post)!

I love that it is a touch retro with a little Japanese inspiration...I love that it looks like a cherry against the pure, blue sky...

I love that the yoke looks so bold, like the coat of a precious little emperor...

I love that Cerise is as simple as it looks... I love that it is worsted weight... I love that it knits up so fast...

I love that $3 will be donated to March of Dimes for every $5 pattern sold...

I love that together we can make a difference in a baby's life... Thank you...

Click on the Buy Now button to purchase the pattern and immediately receive an email link to download the pdf file. (You do not need to be a Ravelry member, nor do you need to have a Paypal account.)

If you experience any difficulties downloading the pattern, or have a question about the pattern click my picture in the top right column to contact me.

Cerise Baby Sweater

You remember a few weeks ago I created a little preemie baby sweater. I have reworked Cerise since, and it is now ready to be published as a pattern which I will be offering for sale for $5 and will be donating  $3 for every pattern sold to March of Dimes an organization that helps babie start healthy lives.

Here are 2 little twin sweaters I knit for a friend who is expecting a boy and a girl in the fall. I love to test knit with a pupose.

Cerise knits up really fast using worsted weight yarns, one in a striping pattern, and the other a solid. The pattern will be offered in sizes from premie to 24 months. Easy garter stitch and thoughtless stockinette as well as no seaming will make this project a breeze no matter how close your deadline is! I have to warn you, though, these baby sweaters are addictive, I have already knit 6 of them, and am working on a 7th one using some handspun for the colorful yoke.

The pattern should become available tomorrow evening. Mr SockPixie will help me set things up so that you can download the pattern easily after purchase. I can hardly wait to show you the particular sweater I selected to be in the pattern's pictures. Same easy pattern but a completely different feel... Shall I say that I am crazy about it?

Singles

Though I have been quiet in the blog world since my return from Paris, I have not been idle. I have been spinning a storm.

I have fallen in love with spinning worsted weight singles. I love that the colors retain their brilliant contrast.
Though I love plied yarn, I find that the colors are attenuated by the plying.
With singles I get to spin a usable yarn in a shorter amount of time, and the colors delight me. Imagine an hour and one half of relaxed spinning and a glorious skein to show for it.

Here is one of the many singles skeins I have spun. It is spun out of a Blue Face Leicester I hand-dyed a few months ago.

When spinnning singles you intend to use as singles, it is important to not overtwist. I set my wheel on the largest whorl in order for less twist to be put in the yarn. I also set the wheel so that it will have a fast uptake. I also make an effort to treadle slowly (I usually put apeaceful music on with a slow beat, somehow that helps remind me to go slowly.) I try not to hang on to the yarn too long, but rather let it slide quickly between my fingers.

The result is a beautiful, soft, yarn that holds together well. I do not full my worsted weight singles as there is enough fiber in them for them to hold well on their own.

I usually let the freshly spun singles sit on the bobbin for at least 24 hours, and then set them. To set them, after winding them into a skein, I soaked them in a lukewarm bath with a little soap. I let the skeins soak for about 30 minutes. I then rinse the skeins in cool water. I gently squeeze the water out, I thwack them, and then hang them with a weight at the bottom.

Et voila! Delicious yarn to be eyed, petted and knit up!

Meet the Trouvillaise in Petite Purls

I have been unduly quiet, I know, but I am back. Thank you for checking on me.
I am coming back to my blog with something I am really proud of.
I am so happy to share with you my secret project laTrouvillaise, a classic looking bathing suit I designed for the summer 2010 edition of Petite Purls.

I wanted it to have the feel of my childhood holidays in Normandie, I wanted it to be fun, cheerful, and easy to wear, perfect for playing...

To knit a bathing suit, there is no better choice than Cascade Yarns' Fixation. Just the right amount of stretch for a perfect fit. I picked the colors after the color palettes so often found in the early 50's. The possibilities are endless though, and why not a 2 color palette...

I designed the bathing suit to have a comfortable fit, with wide shoulders to protect them from the sun, and nice legs to avoid the bathing suit riding up with even the most emergetic games.

I am sure you all recognize Miss SockPixie as the model. We had so much fun together taking these great pictures of her wearing La Trouvillaise. We were so lucky, we only had a short window of time to take the pictures, and the heavens smiled on us. The weather was incredible that day.

Miss SockPixie is in love with the bathing suit, and has been wearing it secretly around the house only since this was a secret project. She can hardly wait to go the beach and wear it.

I won't hold you any longer. I know you will want to go check this wonderful new issue of Petite Purls. It is full of beautiful projects for our little ones. Happy Summer Knitting!

Cerise Baby Sweater Pattern

Click on the Paypal Now(you do not need to be a Ravelry member, nor do you need to have a Paypal account) to purchase the Cerise Baby Sweater and download it easily.

If you experience any difficulties downloading the pattern, or have a question about the pattern click my picture in the top right column to contact me.

The Preemie Baby Sweater Continued...

If you remember, a few weeks ago, I knit this little preemie sweater for my friend's new little baby.



I had to knit something really fast, and so designed this little sweater. I loved it so much I decided to work on the design to make it into a pattern with a range of sizes from premie to 18 months.

I have been reworking the design, and am now in the final stages of testing the pattern.

Next come the photos and then I should be ready.

I will be offering this pattern for $5 as a downloadable product and I will be donating $3 for every pattern sold to the March of Dimes Foundation, an organization which supports research and programs that help babies begin healthy lives.

That's it for tonight.
Back to work...

Millinery Flowers from La Droguerie

While in Paris, I went to La Droguerie , the most beautiful craft store I have ever seen. There I bought some yarn and the most precious colorful velvet millinery flowers.

I found the little flowers at the far end of the store, so pretty in their little glass jars, catching the gentle sunlight that filtered through the nearby window.

I had been wanting to buy some for such a long time, but could not find any here in Boston. So when I saw them, my heart jumped, I grabbed a little straw basket and started picking the most colorful miniature bouquet.

I do not plan on making hats, though maybe who knows, one day I may try my hand at that too. I have been playing with different ideas, using them to create jewelry, headpieces, to adorn knitted garments, of for dresses.

For the time being, I am just enjoying looking at them... thinking about the yarn colorways they could inspire me to create...