Category: News

Feeling all the Summer Vibes :: Now available on Ravelry and knitgraffiti.com!!  Summer Vibes is a lightweight, asymmetrical triangle shawl with textural arrow stripes, knit using the two-color brioche stitch. There are two size options for this shawl: Small and Large. They both start the same way, and the pattern repeats are simple and easy to memorize. The Small size is meant to be more of a shawlette, to be worn as an accent to your favorite summer dress. The Large size is perfect to drape around your shoulders or neck on a chilly summer evening.  I am offering an introductory discount, receive 20% off using coupon code VIBES through Thursday, July 13 at midnight Central!

Do you live in a sub-tropical climate where it is hot, sunny, and humid basically every day of the year? Well, I do. But I haven’t always lived here. I grew up in the great north….well, in the great state of Michigan anyway. I have been used to hot summers (at least they were to me), cold and snowy winters, crisp autumn days walking on crunchy fallen leaves, and warm springs that bring green and color back to the world. When we moved down to South Texas last year, I wasn’t quite sure what to think. But I knew one thing was for sure, I needed to find ALL the lightweight summer yarn if I was going to keep knitting!!

I was lucky enough to meet Veronika and Danny of YOTH yarns at DFW Fiber Fest this past April, and Ve was knitting with the most scrumptious-looking cotton yarn! I knew I had to try it. It was a brand new yarn line they were about to start carrying, which you all now know as Best Friend. Don’t you just love their yarn base names and colorways?  It makes me feel connected to them, to their family.  Anyways, I knew I had found the ultimate lightweight yarn to use and wear in this hot climate, yes!!!  I was so excited.  I immediately started dreaming about a subtle two-color brioche shawl that would be very simple in construction, but oh so fun to knit.  So I came up with this variation on my Sizzle Pop stitch pattern, which mimics the look of arrows rather than full chevrons, with plain two-color brioche in between.

Using less than two skeins of Best Friend yarn, which is a Light Fingering weight cotton / wool blend, this shawl is sure to give you all the Summer Vibes. This asymmetrical triangle shawl is knit on the bias from tip to edge, using a combination of even two-color brioche knit on the bias, and two-color brioche arrow textural stripes to keep the pattern interesting. For the Large size shown here, I used Natural Vanilla for the Main Color, and Oyster for the Contrast Color, for a beautifully subtle two-color brioche.  Be sure to check out all of my wonderful test knitters’ projects for different color combinations, which are sure to inspire and delight!!

Thank you so much for reading about my design process, and for all of your support.  It means the world to me.  Happy summertime knitting, my friends!!

Introducing my newest shawl pattern, Breezy Cabana!!  You can find this pattern both on Ravelry, and knitgraffiti.com!  Breezy Cabana is a striped, textural asymmetrical triangular shawl, knit using the condo stitch and simple garter stitch. With the generous wingspan and depth, this shawl is extremely wearable. The condo knitting creates a breezy, open fabric, making this shawl ideal for summer days and chilly nights.

Receive a 20% discount using coupon code SUMMER through Friday, June 23, 2017!  Offer will end at midnight Central time.

I started this shawl design a few days before my 36th birthday this year. It was at a time when I was feeling a tad overwhelmed, very busy with work, taking care of two small children, and just a little burnt out. I wanted something for my hands to work on that didn’t require too much thought, but could also be turned into a design to be shared with the world.  I didn’t want to have to count stitches, or pay too much attention to it, yet stay engaged and have a lot of fun!

I had this GORGEOUS Pure Cashmere lace yarn from Hedgehog Fibres in my stash, and was so drawn to the bright colors together. They just reflect summertime to me, sitting by the pool, drinking Mai Tai’s, and just relaxing.  Are you wondering how that amazing mesh fabric is created?  Ever since I first opened up my copy of Vogue Knitting’s first Stitchionary, I was fascinated by the condo stitch.  It was so weird and fun!!  By knitting one row with the Small needle, and the following row with the Large needle, an open mesh fabric resembling dropped stitches is created!  I actually knit my first design using this fascinating stitch, but didn’t publish it until many years later (aka my Condominium cowl), but I digress.  I knew it would make the perfect lightweight summer shawl, especially with a lace weight yarn.  Then I thought….what would garter and condo stitch stripes look like?!  Everyone loves garter stripes, right??  They are so engaging, yet so relaxing.

     

So yes, the Pure Cashmere lace is gorgeous, right?  Well, it has actually been discontinued…..BUT some of you may have some skeins in your stash, right?  Maybe some gorgeous OOAK Club colors that you have no idea what to do with?  Here you go, this is the perfect pattern for you!!  Hedgehog also has a new Cashmere Merino lace weight yarn that would work perfectly with this pattern!  I’m actually working on another version right now, alternating between Cashmere Merino and Kidsilk Lace, it is quite delectable.

     

Did I mention that this pattern is completely customizable? Oh yes, grab ANY two skeins of yarn from your stash (or your LYS, or Hedghog Fibres glorious shop update scheduled for later today!!!!!!!), and knit up this shawl!  The pattern is written as more of a formula, so you can apply it to any yarns you may want to use.  I have also included extensive notes to help you, with needle sizes, possible yarn choices, and a detailed schematic.  Be sure to read more of my detailed notes on the pattern pages as well, both on Ravelry and knitgraffiti.com!

Did you notice something else?  No brioche!!  This pattern is very beginner-friendly, but also an engaging project for even the most seasoned knitter.  Happy Summer, folks, and I hope you all enjoy this pattern as much as I did!  xxx

Happy June! I am beyond excited to introduce my newest brioche shawl pattern, Dandelion Fields!  This knitting pattern is available both on Ravelry, and knitgraffiti.com.

Dandelion Fields is a half circle shawl with delicate lace inspired by blooming dandelions, knit using the two-color brioche stitch. Using two skeins of fingering weight yarn, this shawl is the perfect lightweight summer accessory to throw around your shoulders. The idea and inspiration for this shawl came to life by imagining rows of dandelions in a field, blossoming and blooming until finally releasing their seeds into the wild.

This shawl was knit in collaboration with Shari from Peepaloo Fields! She has put together some gorgeous kits for this shawl, with many different color combinations! Including one for the sample shown here. Follow this link to her shop. Many thanks to Shari for her beautiful yarns and brilliant ideas!

I would love to share a bit about how this shawl design came to be.  I found Shari’s gorgeous yarns last year while perusing indie dyers on Instagram (you can find her as @peepaloofields), and was instantly in love.  Her imaginative color combinations, her subtle speckles, and pastel beauty drew me in, and I was immediately hooked. I love working with indie dyers, it’s my favorite.  So I was incredibly excited when we started chatting and emailing, and decided to collaborate on a project together!  Of course, she asked if I would design a brioche shawl….and of course, I said….YES, PLEASE!!  The first thing she said to me was, “Can you create a circular dandelion shawl? Brioche has always looked like dandelions to me.”  I was almost immediately inspired, and began sketching like mad!  The increases made with brioche stitches really do look like dandelions opening up to seed, don’t they?  I didn’t see it until she had mentioned that!

While I was researching, sketching, and swatching my new stitch pattern ideas, Shari was coming up with brilliant yarn combinations.  We both finally settled on Pontoon and Burnt, the beautiful colors you see in my sample here, and in the photo above.  A half circle shawl seemed much more practical, and the design flowed from there.  The stitch patterns used in this shawl were a mixture of buds from Knitting Fresh Brioche, by Nancy Marchant (aka the Brioche Bible), as well as some of my own creation. I am so grateful to be able to work with other creative minds, to truly collaborate and make something together.  That’s fiber magic.

I hope you enjoyed reading a bit about Dandelion Fields.  It is such a joy to be able to share my passion with all of you, thank you for reading.  Receive a 20% discount through the weekend using coupon code JUNE, both on Ravelry and knitgraffiti.com. This introductory offer will end on Sunday, June 4 at midnight Central time.

Thank you, friends, and happy briocheing!

 

May the Fourth be with you, my friends!!

Rebel Two is now available for digital download, both on Ravelry, and knitgraffiti.com!!  Receive a 30% discount using coupon code HAPPY through May 5 at midnight Central time.  If you have previously purchased Rebel, you should already have this pattern waiting for you!!

As soon as I finished knitting the one-color version of this shawl, I KNEW a two-color one needed to be knit!!  I was searching through my stash to find the perfect color combo, and started thinking about what would inspire me the most.  My eyes immediately went to a skein of Hedgehog Fibres Sock yarn, in color Wish.  It looked like water….water….Naboo!  Padme’s home planet!!  Then I thought, how cool would it be to pair it with a sandy color, to go with Tatooine, Anakin’s home planet.  Thinking of Leia’s lineage, where she came from.  It turned out to be a perfect pairing, and really helped to showcase the stitch patterns!!

I truly hope you enjoy this pattern. 5% of the proceeds will be donated to charity for the life of the pattern.  This month, I will be donating to Elena Nodel and her fight for survival.

Happy briocheing, friends!  xx

 

 

Introducing the Y’all Shawl :: my newest brioche knitting pattern!  You can find this pattern on both Ravelry, and my website!

Fading from grass to sky :: an asymmetrical triangle shawl inspired by the beautiful Texas landscape, knit using a combination of one-color and two-color brioche.

I can’t remember the exact moment this shawl idea came to my mind, it happened so gradually.  We found out that we would be moving to South Texas about a year ago, when my husband landed a job as a professor at a university outside of Corpus Christi.  It seemed sort of a dream: living by the beach, finally settling down, buying our first home, and just knowing where we were going to be after a long time of moving around from place to place.  As we were driving down to our new home, I was blown away by the beauty of rural Texas!  The never-ending plains of waving grass, small trees sprinkled in, but most importantly, the wide, open, gorgeous, sky.  The sky!!!  If you’ve ever been to Texas, it is really hard not to notice that big sky.  Growing up in Michigan, you just didn’t see much of the sky, because there are such large trees everywhere!  Especially lining the roads and highways.  But not so in Texas.  You can see a thunderstorm rolling in from miles away.

After we moved down here, I started doing some research to see what kind of yarn shops and fiber festivals I could find.  DFW Fiber Fest was one of the big ones, so I submitted a few brioche class ideas, and excitedly was accepted!  That’s when I came up with the idea of a Texas-themed shawl to release around the festival, celebrating this gigantic state we now live in.  With some help from my Texas-born husband, the Y’all Shawl was invented!  The actual design of the shawl itself changed from month to month, but the name stayed the same.

I wanted to create a pattern that I could provide to my brioche students, utilizing both one-color and two-color brioche, as well as the increases and decreases that I adore so much.  The pattern represents waving grass, fading up to the windy blue sky, then ending with fluffy white clouds as the border.  The yarn I chose was also very important.  I wanted to use a yarn that was manufactured in Texas, and what better company than Madelinetosh!  Based in Fort Worth, Texas, and with so many amazing color ways to choose from, their Tosh Merino Light base seemed like the perfect choice.

And then there are the photos.  I knew I wanted to find a location that represented the idea I was portraying in my design :: open grassy plains with a wide open sky!  So we packed up our kids, the camera, and my cowboy hat and boots (which I got here in Texas, of course), and headed to a little park near our house.  It turned out to be a perfectly overcast day, and my husband captured the shawl beautifully, right in the middle of a frisbee golf course!!!

I hope you enjoy this pattern as much as I did.  It is so fun to knit, easy to memorize, and will fly off your needles! Receive a 20% discount all weekend long!  Use coupon code YALL on Ravelry, and no code required for my website.  Offer will last until Sunday, April 9, 2017.

Thank you for reading, and happy briocheing!