It's this time of the year again: the Indie Design Gift-A-Long event has started!

What's this, you ask? Now, the Indie Design Gift-A-Long takes place on Ravelry, a free website for all fibre enthusiasts,  and it is an almost 6 week long KAL/CAL of holiday gifts made from patterns designed by a rather extensive list of independent designers. From November 22nd  to December 31, 2022 there will be fun games, contests, and 8 KAL/CALs that will help you get your holiday knitting and crocheting done with companionship and fun!

The event always starts with a pattern sale for a couple of days only, with all participating designers giving you a 25% discount on some of their patterns. And as so often in the past, I'm thrilled to be one of them. See some of the patterns included in my sales bundle below. Do you want to learn more? Check out the Indie Design Gift-A-Long group on Ravelry for all the information and join the fun - see you there!

Knotions is an online  magazine, dedicated to make crafts as accessible as possible to crafters of all skill level. You can't only get new and trendy and also professionally tech edited knit and crochet patterns, but also find tutorials for a variety of techniques to guie you through the crafting process.

The latest issue of Knotions Magazine is now life and it's a collection with patterns in different colourwork techniques. And I am more than happy to tell you that one of my sock designs was chosen for this issue: Up, Down and All Around.

The color sections on these socks form staircases that go up and down and all around. These socks are knitted from the cuff down, mostly in an intarsia in the round technique. Whether intarsia in the round is a new technique or not, these socks will be a gorgeous addition to your sock drawer! There is a detailed tutorial with pictures to explain the technique and lets you confidently try out intarsia in the round.

The pattern is written for two colors named MC and CC, although there can be up to four colors used, as shown in the sample. It is a great pattern to use up partial skeins of yarn.

Not even the middle of November  and I keep singing Christmas songs? That's unheard of, but there is a reason: my newest pattern!

Scandi X-mas Socks, inspired by the Scandinavian knitting tradition with all their stranded motifs and my love for socks, that are easily made unique.

The pattern comes with lots of different motifs, from traditional to cute and funny, which can be used as an accent stripes or form an all-over pattern. Instructions are given for either way and for three different sizes.

For this pattern I collaborated with The Fibre Co. and I had the pleasure to knit with their Amble yarn. Amble is a fingering-weight yarn made from a blend of eco-friendly washable wool and alpaca for comfort as well as recycled nylon for strength. It comes in 26 different colours and is a perfect match for colourwork projects.

It's November, folks, and you know what that means? In our neck of the world the colder season is about to start and we will probably spend more time indoors than in the past few months. And what makes a home more welcoming and cosy than handmade decorations?

This matching pair of cushion covers uses stranded knitting. Both are worked using the same colours, but feature different patterns that combine the clean look of geometric shapes with traditional Scandinavian stitch patterns.

The pattern for Wintertime Cushions, a while back published in Knit Now Magazine, is now available for iindividual download from my Ravelry store, here.

I was very happy when I learnt that one of my patterns was chosen for Brown Sheep Company's mystery knit along this autumn and I am even happier that I can finally share some pictures with you. So, so hard to keep the design a secret to not spoil the fun for all the knitters how play along in the mystery knit. But now it's over, the first finished shawls were already posted on Instagram, so here it is: Swift as an Arrow.

The shawl illustrates the versatility of Brown Sheep Company’s Shepherd’s Shades yarn, utilizing the three hues within a colour gradient to mark the progress of an asymmetrical triangle shawl as it moves from light to dark or dark to light. The heavy weight yarn combined with easy to work lace and mosaic stitch patterns contribute to a swift and enjoyable knit even for less experienced knitters.

The shawl is an asymmetrical triangular shawl knitted on the bias from one top corner towards one of the long sides. The colour blocks feature an easy to memorize lace stitch pattern, reminiscent of rows filled with arrowheads. Utilizing a three-colour gradient amplifies the design of the shawl. Knitters can choose for their shawl to progress from light to dark or dark to light. The colour blocks are connected with stripes in mosaic knitting technique. This technique is worked with one colour at a time.

Even though it feels a lot like spring  - 18 ° C today and more to come in the next couple of days -  we are well into autumn and the colder season lies ahead. So the perfect time to start knitting on a new hat and mittens, don't you think?

The Boreal set, named for the coniferous forests of the northern hemisphere, uses a simple yet stunning colourwork motif to transition from one color to the other and back again. The colours are reversed between the hat and mittens not only for the effect, but also to make two skeins of worsted weight yarn sufficient for both items. The sample was worked in Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage in colourways Moorland and Thyme.

Seems I'm in full swing these days - yet another pattern was added to my Ravelry store. Okay, the pattern was ready months ago, but as so often it took forever to take pictures. But the autumn weather was kind to me and for once we had pleasant days with our vine in full autumn leaves. Perfect photo spot  and thankfully someone was around to model the cardi.

The Sandness Cardigan has a wide cable panel that runs down both fronts and the back. To make the eye-catching cable panel the main feature all other parts are worked in Stockinette stitch. The cardi is supposed to have a slightly oversized silhouette, enhanced by the way the dropped shoulders are worked.

If you follow my chitchat here, you've probably heard before that I would love to live somewhere near the sea. It definitely is my happy place, not the least because it is always such a spectacular sight when the tide rolls in and waves crash the shore. The waves foam up the water and the sea glitters in multiple colors.

So it's no wonder, that the sea inspires me again and again in my knitting designs. The motif used in my latest designs, Tides hat and mittens, is reminiscent of breaking waves, and the motif is worked in multiple colors to further enhance the idea.

The pattern is included in the newest Knit Picks collection Scrappy Knits: Projects for Partial Skeins, a collection compiled to make use of leftover bits of yarn and single skeins. Included are hats, mittens, cowls and adorable home decor projects in a vairety of techniques including stranded colourwork, stripes, colour blocking and texture. These quick projects will be suited to anyone's style based on the chosen palette and they work up fast enought to make some fun treats for yourself or your loved ones.

My contribution to the collection is the Tides set, worked from just three skeins of Brava Sport, one in each colour, for both items. Hat and mittens are worked in rounds from the bottom up. The bands in stranded knitting are used to change from one color to the other.

It's not only sock weather, but also hat weather - at least when you ask my mum. She often goes out for walks early in the morning and at temperatures just a bit above freezing point I see the need to keep one's head warm. Her newest favourite hat to wear is this one: Devonshire Beanie.

Not only is she a big fan of natural colours (or as I call them non-colours), but this hat is knitted from a real luxurious yarn: Lang Yarns Cashmere Light with 88% pure cashmere. Definitely a special treat!

The Devonshire Beanie uses a rather unusual construction method: First the cable band is worked from side to side and joined in the round, then stitches are picked up on either side of the band to work the ribbed brim and the crown in Stockinette Stitch. If desired, a pompom embellishes the beanie.

At least where I live. But although I am not a fan of cold weather, at least my feet stay warm thanks to the zillion of handknitted socks I have in my drawer. And here is my newest addition: Riley Socks.

Just a few slipped stitches are needed to change a pattern of rather unspectacular single stripes into a pattern witn an op-art effect.

The socks are worked cuff down with one colour at a time in ingle stripes. They are interrupted at regular intervals by squares formed with slipped stitches. The different tension of the squares bends the stripes slightly, creating the desired effect. The heel is integrated so that the heel flap is worked in rounds at the same time as the leg.

For me one of the hardest parts to get a pattern ready for self-publication is to get pictures that show the pattern well. And this is especially true when it comes to garments. So I was thrilled when my husband offered (hm, okay, maybe I should they he agreed...) to model the Straightaway Cardigan for me. Well, it somehow turned into a major task thanks to the wind we had that day during our visit to the North Sea coast - but then, I think the windswept look fits the relaxed style of the cardi.

The  oversized drop-shoulder cardigan showcases an allover geometric pattern that combines brioche stitch and garter-stitch squares in interesting vertical and horizontal lines. The edging is worked in garter stitch to enhance the garter squares in the cardigan body. The cardigan is worked back and forth in rows from the bottom up in separate pieces and seamed. It is supposed to be worn open and is worked without any closure. And, what I really like for my cardigans, this one is worked with pockets.

With autumn just around the corner here in the northern hemisphere, how do you feel about a knit along? Brown Sheep is hosting their fall KAL on their website and they are just about to start. The mystery knit is an asymmetrical triangular shawl that illustrates the versatility of Brown Sheep Company’s Shepherd's Shades yarn. 'Swift as an Arrow' as the shawl is called, utilizes the three hues within Shepherd’s Shades unique colour gradients to mark the progress of an asymmetrical triangle shawl as it moves from light to dark or dark to light. Not enough information, you say? Well, it's a mystery knit along, with bits of the pattern released over the course of four weeks, so I am afraid I have to keep you in suspense for now. But just look at some of the lovely colour combination that could be used.

The KAL is free and everyone who is interested can knit along - and! there are even prizes to win. Want to play?  You can find all the information on the Brown Sheep website, here, hope to see you around! :)

This year's Supersock World Championship is over and wow! What an event it was! 2307 pairs of socks were knitted by all the racers in only 10 weeks time. Quite an accomplishment. My contribution was rather small this year because real life and must-finish knits got in the way, but I enjoyed the event nevertheless.

Not the least, because so many of the racers loved the pattern I contributed: Patches. The smashing number of 158 pairs were knitted and it such a pleasure to look at the gallery. So many different and beautiful colour combinations, I'm thrilled! And also very happy to now release the pattern to the general public.

The pattern for patches includes a tutorial with pictures for the technique used and also design option to create a unique pair - like the pair pictured above, with patches in different sizes and postions - and it is now availabe from my Ravelry store, here.

And just like that it feels like autumn - time to open the sock drawer with all my handknitted socks. And the first pair that got into my hands is a pair I knitted ages ago: Checkers.

Checkers take a classic checkered pattern to a new level. The pattern combines stranded colourwork with textured stitches both featuring a checkered pattern.

These socks are worked in modules. They are worked from the cuff down in a combination of working in the round and working flat in rows. The cuff is worked in the round, then the back of leg, heel, and sole are worked back and forth. To join the front of the sock to the back, stitches are picked up along one side of the sole and back of leg, then the front of leg and instep are worked from the cuff down in rows, joining the two halves while knitting. Lastly the toe is worked in the round.

And not only am I wearing them today - you can now make your own pair. The pattern for Checkers is now available form my Ravelry store, here.

While I use all kind of modern technology all the time, I admit, when it comes to knitting I'm rather old fashioned and I prefer to scribble my notes on paper and I also prefer to knit from a paper copy. Well, that is until I discovered the Knitrino App, an app with interactive patterns.

Knitrino, created by two sisters, is like Google Maps for knitting patterns: Click a stitch to see how to do it, highlight your current place, track your progress step by step, see charts in your yarn colors, see only your size, and more. Knitrino’s goal is to make knitting more accessible, and to help people grow into the knitters they aspire to be. This innovative app is for knitters longing for better pattern usability and navigation using small screens.

Really an app I recommend knitters to give a try - so you can probably imagine that I was tickled pink when one of my patterns was chosen for this innovative app: Harmony Mitts. The mitts, are worked from the cuff up with a thumb gusset and mainly in ribbing for a good fit. The eye-catching feature is a cable panel that runs along the side of the back of the hand. And all you need to make these fly of your needles - from how to cast on to always keeping your place in the pattern - is included in the pattern in the Knitrino app.

Lately I've been struggling with my current project - simply because it is a pattern which will be released in winter and it's made  of warm and thick wool. Phew! Not something I really enjoy to knit with temperatures close to 30°C. So let me tell you about something that is much more fitting for this weather: a light weight and airy shawl.

Plasma Shawl is another of my patterns previously published in a magazine by Interweave and I finally found some time to turn it into an individual pattern.

Plasma is knitted in fingering weight yarn and it is what I consider a relaxing and easy knit. Basically it is all Garter and Stockinette stitch - the flame-shaped motifs only appear when the item is finished, when some stitches are dropped and unravel. The most fun bit of the project that creates a stunning effect in no time.

I told you about my hat pattern in the current issue of Knit Now the other day - but wait, there's more: Glitz Shawlette. Another one skein knit, perfect to work on in warmer weather.

The shawl is knitted sideways to make the most of one skein of yarn. It is started with only three stitches, and the stitch count of shawl body increases until about 40% of the yarn is used up. The shawl body is then worked straight with the next 20% of the yarn ball while continuing the edging, and finally the shawl body is worked with decreases until only 3 sts are left.

The sample was done in Scheepjes Stardust in colourway Virgo and with one skein the shawlette reaches a wingspan of approximately 156 cm (6.25").

With temperatures well above 30°C ist seems unbelievable but we're inching closer towards autumn here in the northern hemisphere - so it might be a good idea to start a knitting project for the cooler season. And to make knitting fun even though it's so hot, what would be better than a small one skein project like a hat? My suggestion: Autumn Foliage Hat, a brandnew pattern of mine in the newest issue of Knit Now magazine.

The hat uses an interesting stitch pattern and variegated yarn to great effect. It is knitted in the round from the brim to the top. The brim is worked in 2x2 ribbing, the body of the hat is worked using a textured pattern with short-rows to create wavy lines. The pattern enhances gradient yarns or yarns changing colours in long segments like Scheepjes Wanderlust.

Twiners are so intriguing, how they easily they find their way into even the most difficult spots, and they were my inspiration for my newest knitting pattern: Twining Twigs.

The stole features  a twig pattern that finds its way diagonally across the stole. It is started in one corner and is knit on the bias towards  the diagonally opposite corner. It is knit entirely in a twig  lace pattern, but to create a more interesting look the twigs  are placed at different intervals.

Twining Twigs is included in Knit Picks' collection Transitions: Lacy Patterns. The eight patterns in this collection are all knit with either sport or DK weight yarns, all with lacy stitch patterns to keep them plenty airy for a nice breeze. Perfect for a nice layering garment in the changing of seasons!

It's hot this summer - not that I complain! I love warmer weather - and I know that one or the other doesn't like to knit when it is very warm. I think it all depends on the project you want to tackle and my tip for summer knitting is: Small, quick and easy projects. Like for example mitts, which will be needed soon enough when the weather becomes cooler.

I recently republished the pattern for a favourite of mine - To and Fro Mitts. I just love the zigzagging lines and how neatly the thumb gusset emerges from one of the lines.

The pattern includes three sizes - woman's S, M and L - and each pair requires only about 250 yds of yarn. Doesn't this sound like a perfect summer knitting project? The pattern is now available from my Ravelry store, here: To and Fro Mitts.

Is summer the right time to wear your handknits where you live? Well, I think it depends on where you are and what you want to wear. Over here my beloved socks take their summer break at temperatures well above 30°C, but lightweight shawls or tees on cool summer evenings are definitely an option. Or a summer poncho, like Winona.

Winona is a tiny village located along historic Route 66 in northwestern Arizona. The area has been inhabited for ages—first by Native Americans, then by European settlers—and the Winona Poncho incorporates artistic influences from the different cultures that have populated the area.

The poncho is worked in a linen yarn in one piece from side to side in an allover wave lace pattern and then grafted.  The fringe adds the final touch to this bohemian-inspired summer poncho.

And just like that four weeks are over and the next issue of Knit Now magazine is available and - what can I say? - there's one of my patterns in this issue too: Acacia Stole.

The light as a feather stole combines traditonal patterns from Estonian and Shetland knitting. The rectangular stole is worked using an interesting construction method: It is started with the border of one short side knitted sideways, then stitches are picked up from the border and the main part (including side borders) is knitted in one piece; finally the top border is knitted on to the main part sideways and there are only a few stitches to graft. With this method there are hardly any finishihg touches, but of course the stole does need a good soak and blocking, to open up the lace and show the beauty of the pattern.

Really, sometimes I wonder whether I should take a break from playing around with new pattern ideas, because the look at my backlog of patterns I could have self-published by now makes me a bit dizzy. And the longer ago the pattern was initially published, the harder it gets to rewrite it into my style... So in an effort to make things easier for me a bit: Here's a pattern that was only published a couple of month ago in Knit Now magazine: With Love Socks.

These socks are knitted from the cuff down. They are worked with an integrated heel in intarsia in the round technique in a contrast colour. The leg and foot are embellished with stripes in stranded knitting with adorable heart motifs.

So, do you want to show someone you care? Why not do it  with these beautiful heart motif socks. The pattern for With Love is now available from my Ravelry store, here.

It's always exciting when a new pattern is released, but in this case I was even more anxious than usual, because Patches was chosen for this year's Supersock World Championship. If you follow my blog, you will have heard about it last year, when it took place for the first time. The SWC is a knitting game on Ravelry and basically it's all about speed. Each of the six rounds takes approximately two weeks and knitters have the choice between two patterns. For round 2 that started yesterday, my Patches were chosen to be the 'high octane' (so the a bit more challenging) pattern and I'm thrilled the pattern has been well received. :)

The socks are worked from the cuff down with a heel flap and gusset. Some parts like cuff and toe and ‘interim rounds’ between the patches are worked in the round. However, the main feature are the patches placed on leg and foot which are worked in intarsia in the round technique. The idea is to place these patches randomly (although there are rules for SWC to keep it a fair game for all participants).

Since all segments - cuff, heel, toe and the patches - require only small amounts of yarn, Patches is the perfect pattern to use up small bits of yarn left over from other projects. And it's also a great opportunity to go wild on colours. I've very much enjoyed seeing the colour combinations folks have chosen for the pattern. It's amazing how different the pattern looks in different yarns.

When I saw the first pictures of my latest pattern, I actually looked back at my files to see when I had the idea for it. And it came as no surprise that I started to work on it a couple of days after we spent a fantastic evening at an event dedicated to 'The Doors' with texts by and about Jim Morrison and lots of music. Clearly, my head was still in 70s mode and there might have even memories of 'Pril flowers' popped up... I guess these are unknown to anyone who didn't grew up in Germany, but back in the 1970s the detergent Pril came with adhesive brighly coloured flowers on the bottle and to my delight I was allowed to use them to decorate our bathroom door. Perfect motivation to make a kiddo do the dishes, don't you agree? But I'm wandering off - I had meant to tell you about my design. But maybe have a look yourself. :)

The shawl is knitted from the top down using pi shaping, with increases made using yarnovers which are closed in the Garter stitch sections. The pattern combines garter stitch with an easy to memorize net lace pattern. It requires four skeins of fingering weight yarn and the shawl has a wingspan of approximately 160 cm (63"). It can be blocked to a perfect half circle shape or as shown to an almost half circle with a wider wingspan.

Now, what do you think: Does this look 70s to you?

At least in my neck of the woods summer has finally come into full swing with lots of sunshine and warm weather. Aand what better knitting projects are there for hot days than lightweight lace projects? So it is a perfect match that Knit Picks released today there newest colleciton of lace patterns, Haven - Knit Lace Patterns. The collection includes 13 patterns for lace garments and accessories and I'm thrilled that one of my patterns made it into the colleciton: Ocean Mist.

This stole uses Shetland Lace stitch patterns and is also knit the traditional way. First a center is worked and border patterns are added on both sides. Finally, the edging is knit on sideways.

Shetland Lace has long been known for its airy, light-as-afeather appearance, just like the translucence of sea spray when ocean waves crash against the shore, which was the inspirations for the pattern name.

With some patterns it's the small details that make them special, isn't it? With Anacapa Wrap one of my favourite elements is the cabled tab cast on, that then leads into the border cable on each side of the shawl.

Anacapa is a rather big lace shawl, that sits really nicely on the shoulders, thanks to its almost three-quarter circle shape. It is worked in five lace segments worked in two different patterns which are devided by the same cable pattern that forms the border. As an eye-catching finishing touch a sideways knitted lace and cable edging is added.

I really like gradient yarns and I am always a bit disappointed when I can't use all the colours in a project, so with this design I tried to use up as much as possible. And I succeeded. I played a wee bit of yarn chicken - in the end I only had 1 gram left - but it was so worth it. Can you imagine not to use every single bit of this precious sock blank?

The sock blank was dyed especially for this project by Ella from Big Knitters and she kindly named the colourway 'Love, Mone'. :) The special colourway is available from their online shop, Big Knitters, but you can also choose to receive a different combination of three colours for your shawlette.

Now, what did I do with this beautiful yarn? I used it for the Crest of the Wave Shawlette and the pattern was released today in Knit Now issue 142.

Life is good in handknitted socks - so why not start a new sock project? My Peregrinate Socks are are the perfect pair to snuggle up on the sofa during wintertime, but they also make a perfect travel companion to wear on the plane on a long distance flight or while on a camping trip.

Leg and instep feature a brioche pattern called Fishermen’s Rib worked with knitting into the stitches one row below. The pattern is continued onto the toe. Some of the ribs meander from left to right and form a wavelike pattern. For extra cosiness the cuff in 1x1 rib is worked extra long and folded down.

Spring has make an appearance and what better way is there to celebrate it than with an airy shawl in sunny yellow? I'm happy to tell you that my latest pattern the Simple Things Shawl was released on Thursday in the latest issue of Knit Now Magazine.

The shawl is worked from the top down. The shape is created with five identical triangles, which are increased every fourth row on each side of the triangle. It requires three skeins of fingering weight yarn; the sample was knitted in Scheepjes Our Tribe (4-ply; 420m per 100g ball; 70% Merino wool, 30% polyamide) in  colourway Old Bewick.

The shawl shows perfectly the different results that can be achieved using the most basic and rather simple (hence the name of the shawl) knitting techniques: knit or purl decreases paired with yarnover stitches. The look depends on where and which way the decreases are worked.

Is it a good time to publish a mittens pattern in April with spring just around the corner? Yes, it is, when you wake up to 15 cm of snow on first of April, have temperatures well below freezing point at night and are a sun loving person like me... Kidding apart, I was asked whether it was possible to create a matching pattern to go with my Junction Hat, and I was happy to fulfil this request, so here are my Junction Mittens.

Just like the hat they are worked in a brioche pattern that looks like a cable pattern, but the effect is created by knitting three stitches out of three joined stitches, so it's a lot less complicated than it may look. The fabric created is voluminous  and warm - so definitely the perfect item for this cold start into April over here.

The pattern for Junction Mittens is now available from my Ravelry store, here.

The postie brought my copy of the latest Knit Now magazine today and that made me realize that I completely forget to tell you about some more new patterns. Because ta-dah! this time round there are also two patterns of mine included. Since we are heading into spring, the issue is filled with spring-like colours and motifs, and my first contribution fits the theme perfectly: Peach Lantana cowl.

The cowl is worked in fingering weight yarn in a favourite technique of mine: in  double knitting. This technique creates a reversible fabric with two 'right sides. I find this particularly attractive for long loop cowls with both sides visible at the time like this one with a circumference of approximately 130 cm. Or, wear it as a double loop and place the side to the outside that matches your wardrobe bests. Lots of possibilities and also lots of different looks depending on the yarn chosen. My second sample - I'll show you that another day - is a completely different style.

My second contribution to the magaine won't be a big surprise, since you all know by now how much I like to knit and design socks. ;-)

It's release day, folks, and I couldn't be happier! The lastest Knit PIck's collection with sock patterns is now available for download: Electric Slide!

And I'm thrilled to telll you that I have not one, but two patterns in the collection - woohoo!

First is Flowering Meadow.

These toe-up socks have an unusual gusset construction with the gusset increases worked on the instep and a stitch pattern reminiscent of flowers that is started on the instep and then gradually takes over the complete leg. In my opinion it's a stitch pattern that works very well with variegated, busy yarn, don't you think?

My second pattern in the collection is Bend Lines and if you've followed my chatting here, you may know that I have a special fancy for socks in ribbing pattern, even better when there is a way to spice the ribbing up a bit. Like with these ones.

Made good use of the wonderful weather we had in the past few days and finally got round to take pictures of some of my older designs - like the Tubac Stole!

This one was published in Interweave Knits a while back and the theme of the issue was the Southwest of the United States. Doesn't the colours used remind you of the blue sky and the desert-like landscape of that area? In addition I added in a mosaic slip stitch pattern in a nod to the culture of the Native Americans living in that area.

The stole has an unusual contruction method: it is knit from the centre out. The knitting begins with a double sided cast on in the middle of the stole and from there it is worked in rounds with increases at four corners. The first colour change is done in a geometric slip stitch pattern; the second colour change blends the colours into each other.

The stole can be worked to any size, but the number of stitches cast on determines the sizes, since all four sides grow the same number of rows from the cast on line.

Slowly, very slowly making my way through all the patterns that wait for a rerelease. And somehow it feels weird to republish a pattern for a hat and mittens set when everyone is waiting for spring to arrive - but the moment you walk outside in my neck of the woods makes you realize why now is a perfect moment. Brrr... so cold, -5° C when I left the house this morning.

The Changing Diamonds set is a modern and fun take on matching accessories. Both items use a geometric pattern in stranded knitting to change from one colour to the other. The motifs are different, yet similar enough to create a matching set and for a more playful look the yarns are used in reversed order for the second item.

The hat and mittens are worked in the round from the bottom up. Two 100g skeins of worted weight yarn are sufficient for this lovely set. Do you too need that extra layer of warmth were you live? The pattern for Changing Diamonds is now available from my Ravelry store, here.

And what better way could I pick than wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day with a new pattern? Well, it isn't actually brand-new, but a re-release of a pattern first published in Knitscene: Heartbeat Mitts.

A simple slip-stitch pattern and three colours of yarn is all you need to create the funky, lovable Heartbeat Mitts. The eye-catching pattern is easy to work, so the mitts are quick and fun to knit. The mitts are worked from the cuff to the top.

One of my favourite sayings is: Knitting is love made visible. Why, you ask? Well, because I think this sentence says all you need to know about handknitted gifts. I mean, just consider the time and all the handicraft that go into them. All this effort to treat someone else or yourself with something special... no wonder that for me, handknitted gifts are visible and touchable love.

So when pondering on a new design a while back I thought: why not take it a step further and include a typical symbol for love in the item? And what better match is there than a heart motif? And this is how my latest pattern was born: With Love Socks, available now in the latest issue of Knit Now magazine.

The socks are knitted from the cuff down and leg and foot are embellished with stripes with heart motifs in stranded knitting. An additional eye-catching feature is the integrated heel worked in intarsia in the round technique in a contrast colour.

A while ago we chatted in my knitting group about brioche knitting and I found it quite amazing that so many accomplished knitters admire the technique, but that many had never worked it. Some found it intimidating, others got the basics of the technique, but found patterning hard, some had never heard it. So the same day I started swatching and showed my progress around - and the idea for a new hat pattern was born.

And what better yarn could I have picked than Mechita, a fingering weight yarn by Malabrigo Yarns? As many of you know I have a really soft spot for their yarns and even DH knows that the answer 'MMM!' when he asks what yarn I'm knitting with tells him the brand. (It's on my bucket list to go to Uruguay one day to visit their factory, but that's another subject.)

Anyway, Mechita is a single-ply merino yarn in fingering weight, with a yardage of approximately 385 m (420 yds) per 100g, it is oh-so-soft and available in many (I think more than 80) beautiful colours. I worked my samples in Poipu (above) and Sirenas (below) and I think the yarn works perfectly for this pattern.

Remembering the fun photoshoot I had with my DH for my Skewed Hat pattern a while ago. The pattern (which on its first release in Interweave magazine was named Glacier Ice Hat) gives you indeed a skew hat, thanks to the asymmetrical brim created with short-rows.

But the name Skewed Hat really stuck in my hat, not the least because of our first pictures. Skew is translated with 'schräg' in German and you also use the word 'schräg' in the sense of schräg. And that best describes the behaviour of my 'model' and  my attempt at taking pictures that day.

The knitting pattern for Skewed Hat is available from my Ravelry store, here.

Kicking of the New Year with a happy new design: Dotty Scarf!

The scarf is knitted in the round in stranded knitting and it's a fab project to go wild with colours and/or use up all the little odds and ends we all have in our stash.

The pattern is included in the current issue of Knit Now magazine, available from newsstand in the UK or online from Craftstash, here.

The latest issue of Knit Now hit the shelves of the newsstands yesterday, so it's finally time to share a new pattern with you! Believe me, waiting for the release day often is the hardest part when working with third parties on my patterns.... so here we go, here's my contribution to issue 136: China Rose Hat and Gloves

The set, knitted in a oh-so-soft Sirdar Snuggly Cashmere Merino DK, features a distinctive cable pattern that forms an arrow shaped motiv on a background in Stockinette stitch. Both items are worked in the round from the bottom up and the pattern includes instructions for three sizes.

... that was released this year, is also included in my sales bundle for the Indie Design Gift-A-Long: Do you speak knit? Cowl.

If you have plans to make one for yourself or a fellow knitter, don't miss out. The pattern is available from my Ravelry shop at a 25% discount for another two days, here.

Today’s the day! The Indie Design Gift-A-Long starts on Ravelry!

Participating designers will make their bundles of sale patterns available on Ravelry, on Nov. 23 at 8:00 p.m. (EST). Use the code GIFTALONG2021 on Ravelry to shop the sale patterns at a 25% discount through Nov. 29 (end of the day, EST). See the Gift-A-Long group on Ravelry, here, to read all about the 6 week long KAL/CAL of holiday gifts made from patterns by independent designers. There’ll be fun games and contest and KALs and companionship to help you get your holiday crafting done. Hope to see you there - have fun!

In case you are not on Ravelry yet: Ravelry is a free site for knitters and crocheters and you need to be a member to play along. It's absolutely free and all you need to do is to register.

Time flies and just like that it's that time of the year again: If you want to give handknit gifts, now it's the time to ponder on ideas and start knitting. So the latest issue of Interweave Knits Gifts comes at the right time - and I'm happy I contributed a pattern to it: Boreal Hat and Mittens.

Named for coniferous forests often found in cold climates (boreal = related to or located in northern regions), the two-coloured Boreal Hat and Mittens are knitted using a simple yet beautiful colourwork motif to transition from one colour to the other and back again. The colours are reversed on the second item for a more playful look and to make the best of two skeins of worsted weight yarn.

Despite the fact that I've been knitting like a machine lately (lots of new samples and also socks for the Supersock World Championship just for fun), I found some time to work on a pattern that was previously published in Knit Now magazine: Sonic Interference.

The striking effect in these socks is achieved by working an easy to memorize mosaic pattern. The pattern is worked with a single colour at a time – making these socks perfect for a first project using more than one colour!

The socks are knitted top down with heel flap and gusset. Cuff, heel and toe are worked in main colour only; leg and foot are worked alternating between one round in main colour and one round in contrast colour.

You didn't really think you had seen all the pattern when we were done with socks for Monday to Sunday, did you? Of course we are not yet done, because already The Beatles sang about 'Eight Days A Week!. ;-)

When I was a kid I actually found the title really funny, because I couldn't understand why they didn't know that the week only has seven days... Of course, now  I know that you say 'eight days a week' because with this way of counting you mean today in a week and count today as the first day. Anyway, for all of you who can't get enough of hand-knitted socks and who would like to have an extra pair for today, here we go with Eight Days A Week.

We are almost done with our musical journey through the week - it's Sunday! Which is one of the days I had an idea in my mind right from the start of designing the weekday socks because one of my favourite songs is “Sunday Girl” by Blondie. Even though it’s one of the songs I am not quite sure what it is about – a pretty girl whose boyfriend is cheating on her? Never mind! I love the melody and enjoy to sing along.

For me it’s the perfect summer, sun, easy-going party song, so I picked a cheerful colour and a lacy pattern for my Sunday Girl Socks. The all-over pattern, two different alternating lace stripes, leeds into the heel flap which is integrated into the leg and knit with the leg in the round.

Well, in the introduction to my Eight Days A Week Collection I mention that the choice of the songs was done without a meaning behind it. The compilation is by no means a ‘best of’ nor is it the music I typically listen to, but I’ve chosen songs that I like for one reason or the other – may it be the voice, the melody, the rhythm, the lyrics…, songs that were earworms at a certain time, songs that I had an idea how to interpret in a pattern… you get the idea.

In today's case we talk about an earworm that by the time it was popular I found quite annoying... Saturday Night by Whigfield. Dee dee na na na...

Back in the 90’s when the song was popular, I lived in Spain next to an open-air club. Can you guess what I listened to every single night and sometimes even more than once? Hm... But I sure gave me an idea for my Saturday Socks. If you’ve ever seen a crowd doing the dance to this song, I’m sure you know right away why I created a ‘waves’ pattern for these socks.

I figure it's only fair to admit that I was quite happy when I reached the Friday socks in my musical journey through the week, because I knew right from the start what my Friday song would be: Friday I'm in Love by one of my favourite bands ever, The Cure.

Okay, there are songs I like better by the band, but Friday I'm in Love is a happy song to sing along and of course it was quite easy to come up with an idea for a pattern. I went with an all-over pattern with small hearts worked in purl stitch on a background in Stockinette Stitch. A fancy detail are the ribbed stripes that divide front and back and that are carried along the patterned heel flap and the toe.

Just like Wednesday, Thursday doesn't seem to be very high on the list of popular weekdays when it comes to song titles. It took me some research and listening to songs to find one to use as my inspriation for my Thursday socks and in the end I decided for Thursday's Child by Tanita Tikaram. Do you know the song?

I admit, I have no idea what the song is all about, but I love the happy folksy spirit of the melody, so I chose a playful all-over stitch pattern to go with this feeling. Floats created by slipping stitches are gathered to form 'butterflies'; a stitch pattern that works very well with variegated yarn. To even up the negative ease created by the slip stitch pattern and also for decorative reasons, the heel, sole and toe are worked in Eye of the Partridge pattern.

What I leart from my 'musical journey through the week' is that there are weekdays that are not very popular with songwriters. Like Wednesday... ;-) There aren't all that many songs with Wednesday in the title and it took me a while to decide on the song that I really like to use for my Wednesday Socks. In the end it was a sad song once again: Wednesday Morning by folk rock band America.

Wednesday Morning is a song about parting from each other, so I chose a single wide cable that is running down the front and the back of the leg and which is parting into two small cables to form the heel respectively the instep. The instep is worked in a subtle eyelet pattern, thinking abou the line in the lyrics that says 'Wednesday evening was the first time she cried'.

The socks are knit from the cuff down with heel flap and gusset. The 'split cable' is continued onto the heel flap and the gusset is patterned also; it is worked in the all-over textured background pattern.

Es ist endlich so weit  - Blue Mondays 'Geschwister' sind offizell erschienen und ab sofort gibt es die englischsprachige Eight Days a Week Kollektion in meinem Ravelry Shop. Die Kollektion beinhaltet acht Sockenmuster, eins für jeden Tag der Woche plus ein Bonusmuster. Alle Strickmuster können als Einzelmuster erworben werden oder - zu einem erheblich reduzierten Preis - als Gesamtkollektion mit allen Mustern.

Ich möchte Euch gerne jedes einzelne der Muster vorstellen und da ja heute Dienstag ist, hören wir doch mal rein, welcher Song mich inspiriert hat.

Hier sind meine Ruby Tuesday Socken, natürlich so bennannt nach dem Klassiker von den Rolling Stones.

At long last - Blue Monday's 'siblings' made an appearance and as of now the Eight Days a Week collection with one sock pattern for every day of the week plus one bonus pattern is available from my Ravelry store. All patterns can be purchased as single download or - at a heavily discounted price - as collection including all eight patterns.

I'd like to give a bit of spotlight to each of them and since it's Tuesday today, let's listen to todays song.

And here are the socks inspired by Ruby Tuesday, the classic by The Rolling Stones.

 So, I told you about the pattern which was a long time ago the spark of the idea for a new collection of sock patterns: Blue Monday.

It all started in a group on Ravelry I am in, where somebody suggested to knit a pair of socks for each day of the week over the course of a year. I knew right away that I would like to go ‘freestyle’, i.e. design my own patterns and the first skein of yarn I picked from my stash was a bright blue yarn with a bit of glitz added. And in my head the socks were called Blue Monday right from the start.

Now, Blue Monday is the name of a song by the British New Wave band New Order, which was very popular back in the 80’s and you couldn’t go to any club without hearing that song. I remember it immediately when working with my sparkling blue yarn and just like that the idea for a 'musical journey through the week' was born. Shall we listen to the song, what do you think?

...but I can still remember… humming the melody of American Pie while writing these lines and indeed, it’s somehow appropriate to hum because what I want to tell you about has something to do with music.

Literally years ago I published a sock pattern that was meant to be part of a collection: a pair of socks for every day of the week, inspired by songs. I started off with my Blue Monday pattern, but after the pattern was released… hm, for whatever reasons I neglected the idea and it took me until this year to finally get my act together and to finish all the drafts. But now I’m done! All patters are written, edited, test knitted, all pictures are taken and the whole collection will be available from my Ravelry store tomorrow. I couldn’t be happier! And in case you are curious what I am so excited about, here’s a sneak peek for you. 

Oops, telling you with a bit of delay about my latest pattern, that was published already last week: Coesite Mitts. They are included in the second editition of the digital magazine Quick & Easy Knits, available on the Interweave website. The pattern includes instructions for three sizes to fit hand circumference of approxiamtely 14.5 - 20 cm.

The mitts are  worked in the round from the cuff to the top. The pattern, an allover zigzag pattern formed with knit and purl stitches, gives the mitts their texture. The mitts are knitted with a thumb gusset, which emerges from one of the zigzagging stripes and blends in neatly with the all-over pattern.

So I didn't tell you all of it the other day, because I have not only the Teetering Socks but also a second pattern in the newest Knit Picks Collection Rockin' Socks: Hashtag Socks! Or as I call them: #socks ;-)

The socks are knitted from the cuff down. They are worked in mosaic pattern, which means the pattern is worked with one color at a time while the motif is created with slipped stitches. The socks are worked with a heel flap and gusset.

Knit Picks' latest collection of patterns launched this week: Rockin' Socks. And since socks are my all time favourite object to knit, I'm very happy to have contributed to this collection. These are my Teetering Socks.

Hm, I can't remember, have I ever told you that I particpated in the Malabrigo Shawl Knitalong in April? Well, I did, and I absolutely love the shawl I  knitted in my all time favourite Malabrigo Sock. It's acutally a shawl I'm quite sure I'll wear (as you all know, I enjoy knitting shawls much more than wearing them), because I like the clean look of the stitch patterns and of course, I used some of my favourite colourway. :)

The Temperance Shawl, pattern available for free from Ravelry, here, calls for three skeins of fingering weight yarn. I had quite a bit left of the three skeins (about 60 g in total) and well, not only do I like to wear fingerless mitts, I also wanted to avoid that my bag with leftover yarn will fill up again right after I had knit up so many of my scraps. So... ta-dah!

I received a lovely surprise in the mail today: The latest issue of Interweave Knits magazine, Summer 2021, is now available. Not only is the rainy afternoon sorted, but I am also thrilled to tell you that I contributed to this issues: these are my Peregrinate Socks.

The socks are knitted top down with a folded ribbed cuff which transisitons into meandering columns of fisherman's rib. The brioche stitch makes the socks extra thick and cosy, so they are a perfect companion no matter whether you take them on a camping trip to wear during cooler summer nights or whether you make yourself comfortable snuggling up on the sofa on a rainy day.

There's still a huge pile of patterns on my desk, which were previously published in some magazine,  I'd like to rewrite and republish -  but it's going slow. So I'm happy that every once in a while I have a success message for you. As of today the Black Forest Hat and Cowl Set is available from my Ravelry store, here.

Hat and cowl are worked in illusion knitting (also known as shadow knitting), a technique which changes the look of the knit depending on the viewer’s perspective. The effect of the diagonal stripes which appear when looking at the fabric from the right angle, is created by the clever placement of knit and purl stitches. Illusion knitting is worked with one colour at a time and there is a minimum of two contrasting colours required. The samples were worked with one main colour (black) and three background colours in different shades of grey.

Honestly, there's nothing good to be said about this year's spring: cold, rain, even snow, more cold... sigh. I am so done with this awful weather. It's bad enough we can't go anywhere thanks to the darn virus, so it shouldn't be too much to ask for some sunshine mid of April...

Well, at least I won't suffer from cold feet - because look what got finish yesterday:

My Crazy Dots socks. Absolutely love how they turned out - so there is at least one thing, that makes me smile -  and I cast on another pair in different colours right away. I think I'll have to turn the design into a pattern eventually... :)

Winter's back in Germany and for almost a week we had to deal with temperatures around freezing point, lots of snow and rain showers and really nasty weather. So it's good I knitted like the wind, isn't it? Because look, my scarf version of my 'Do you speak Knit?' pattern is ready.

I pefer to wear scarves to cowls, so this was an absolutely selfish project in my favourite colours. And just because I added a tiny pompom fringe as the finishing touch. And I love, love, love how it turned out - but I guess you can tell that from my face. :)

So, last week I showed you a picture of my Cube Mitts from the latest Knit Picks collection  - but you know what? There's more! I have a second pattern in the same collection called Block Stacking Cowl.

The cowl is worked in intarsia technique and thanks to the clever placement of the blocks, it always looks different, depending on which side is worn to the front and the angle of view. The cowl can be worked in a set color scheme or using as many different colors as there are blocks.

The pattern is available as individual download or as part of the Vertex: Colorblock Projects collection from the Knit Picks website, here.

I told you the other day about my new cowl pattern and yes, I love to knit and design cowls. But truth be told, I don't like to wear them. A scarf is much more up my alley and I'm happy it's so easy to adapt the pattern - which I still think is just fab - to a scarf. So here's the start, of course in my favourite colours. :)

And just in case you wonder what I have been up to the last few days... happily knitting away.

The  newest Knit Picks collection 'Vertex - Colorblock Projects' was published today and woo-hoo, I can finally show you one of my patterns included in the collection: Cube Mitts.

The mitts begin in the round with a one-color cuff in ribbing. The hand is then worked in intarsia, using two colors for each segment. The mitts are worked with a thumb gusset for a good fit, so there are individual instructions for the placement of the thumb gusset for left and right mitt.

As shown the pattern requires four different colours, but it's up to the knitter to work them in just two colours or in as many colours as there are blocks. Each block reuqires ony a couple of yards of yarn, so these mitts are a great project to use up leftover yarns from other projects.

Wow - I can barely believe it and I am impressed with myself: not only are both of my cowl samples finished, blocked and also photographed - but I've also worked with my tech editor on a pattern and it's done! Woo-hoo!

Above you see the sideways version of my Do you speak Knit? cowl. With one skein of Malabrigo sock as background colour, I was able to work 24 different motifs and the cowl has circumference of approximately 77 cm (30.25").  Just for the fun of doing it, I worked each motif in another colour of Malabrigo Sock.

But the bottom up version is ready to. That one has a circumference of approximately 65 cm (25.5") inches and I love how the pinks and reds 'pop' with the black background.

Did I tell you that I'm absolutely thrilled with my new pattern idea? Yes, I did. But what you don't know is that I love the idea so much, that I started a second cowl even though the first one isn't finished yet. The first one is knit sideways and someone suggested to knit one bottom up to make the abbreviations more legible - and yes, that's indeed a great idea. And I started right away...

These are such fun projects - I really can't wait to see them finished!

... my mystery shawl sits in the knitting basket to be finished some days. Nope, it's not the pattern, that's actually quite nice and relaxed TV knitting - but inspiration came along and now I can't stop to work on my new idea.

One of the themes in the Malabrigo group is colourwork cowls, knit in the round in stranded knitting and then grafted. And after looking at some patterns and pondering on my yarn choices, I had an idea! And I just think it's perfect: Do you speak Knit?

The idea is to use knitting abbreviations as motifs and I absolutely enjoy working on it. So I leave you here - I need to get back to my knitting! :)

All the snow, the snow shovelling, our wild tobogganing, the walks we took in winter wonderland and finally the problems we had with the snow that made it into our attic, made me completely forget to tell you about a new pattern that was released already two weeks ago: Sonic Interference Socks.

The socks are knitted cuff down in mosaic technique. With this techinque, the pattern is created by slipping stitches. Cuff, heel and toe are worked in main colour only; leg and foot are worked alternating between one round in main colour and one round in contrast colour. Since at all times only one yarn is used, these are a perfect first project using more than colour.

The yarn is West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-ply and you can find the pattern in the current issue of Knit Now, Issue 125, which you can get here.

Slowly, very slowly getting back to work in this brandnew year 2021. May it be a lot better than the last one...

The first task I tackled was the rerelease of a pattern previously published in a Knitscene Accessories magazine: Ring-tailed Bandit Hat.

The hat is worked in the round from the brim to the top. The motif in stranded knitting , a nosy raccoon ravaging the trash cans at night is from the Alterknit Stitch Dictonary by Andrea Rangel. Before the motif, all stitches are bound off and then picked up again to create a distinctive chain detail; another chain detail is added with an Estonian Braid after the motif.

Fancy some illusion knitting? For me it's one of the techniques I really enjoy - so easy to work, but with a stunning result. Illusion Knitting, also called Shadow knitting is worked with two contrasting colours, but always with one colour at the time. From one angle the socks look like simple hooped socks, but from another angle the hidden motif of diagonal stripes appears. The effect is created by the shadow caused from the raised purl stitches worked throughout the pattern.

The socks are knitted top down with heel flap and gusset. Cuff, heel and toe are worked in main colour only; leg and foot are worked alternating between two rounds in main colour and two rounds in contrast colour. The pattern comes with charts and also full written instructions.

Guess what I found deep down in my knitting basket - some more cushion covers that wait for their finishing touch. These are my prototypes for the Wintertime Cushions pattern and well, they were ready except for the closure... sew them close or add a zipper. Even though I am not a fan, I decided for the latter and ta-dah, I got both doe in a couple of days. Very happy!

Now only to find the time and motivation to brush up the pattern to republish it in my store. Hopefully that'll happen still this year...

As I said the other day, my motivation seems to take a long break... but I got my behind into gear and worked on another pattern previsouly published in a knitting magazine: Oneway Slippers.

The slippers in a heavy weight yarn are worked in the round from the cuff down with an eye-catching panel in slipped stitches running from the cuff to the toe. They are knit in just a couple of hours and they also make a great gift for the loved ones in your life.

You can choose to work the slip stitch pattern either from the charts or the written instructions and the pattern includes four sizes: S (M, L, XL) to fit foot circumference 17.5 (19.5, 21.5, 23) cm 6.75 (7.5, 8.5, 9)“; foot length is adjustable.

As of today, the pattern is available from my Ravelry store, here: Oneway Slippers

So another pattern previously published in a magazine got a brush-up - and for once I started to work on it because I already had lovely pictures of the item taken. Usually the photography bit is what delays re-releases forever. Not this time, because I took the Bay Mitts with us on holidays the other day. And I really think I found the right setting for them.

The mitts, knit in fingering weight yarn, feature vertical lines of twisted ribbing that converge with horizontal rows of garter stitch resulting in a purposely skewed look because of the different row gauges.

These mitts are worked in the round from the cuff up, the thumb gusset is 'hidden' in the garter stitch section. The design is unhanded, i.e. both mitts are worked the same.

Today's the day and a fabulous new book (that for some reasons was in the making for what feels like forever) is now available in book stores: Operation Sock Drawer.

It is filled with  20 original designer sock patterns knitted using different techniques - and I am tickled pink that one of my patterns made it into the collection: Mesmerizing!

We've enjoyed our time on holidays so much, that there was hardly any time for knitting - but I did finish a new design I've been playing aournd with for a while. I think I mentioned before that I really have a soft spot for illusion knitting  and it was my goal to create a basic pattern to interest sock knitters for this technique. Here comes: Striped Illusion

The socks are knitted cuff down in two contrasting colours and they are worked always with one colour at a time. Depending on the angle you look at the socks, the diagonal stripes created by the clever use of knit and purl stitches, are either almost invisble or they are a prominent feature. I think the easy to memorize stitch pattern is a great introduction to illusion knitting (or shadow knitting).  The pattern will go into test knitting soon and I hope to have it available in my shop next month.

And once again is September 28th and once again it's DH's birthday! Congratulations, my love!

As some of you may know, Ulli always gets at least one knitted gift for his birthday, usually a pair of socks. And this year, I think I found the appropriate motif for his colourwork socks to remember 2020...

.. and I sure do hope that very soon all the craziness caused by the virus (or rather the measurements taken becaus of it) will be a memory only. Fingers crossed!

I've only finished the socks on our way to our holiday home, so they are not blocked and there still might be ends to weave in, but at least he didn't get his gift half-finished in a project bag, lol.

If the weather forecast is right, summer will be back for another round with temperatures around 30°C next week - so why not rerelease a pattern perfect for knitting on hot days? The Mantilla Stole is such an airy, lightweight project, knitted in a lace weight yarn on rather large needles in Shetland Lace motifs.

The stole is not only the perfect accessory for a chilly summer night, but it is also an eye-catcher when worn with your favourite outfit in the cooler season. Depending on the yarn blend and the colour, it goes with your favourite casual outfit just as well as with elegant evening wear.

From suffering from the summer heat to the first autumn storm in less than a week - not really happy that there might be a lot more of this grey, rain and 'ugh!' ahed. So some cheerfulness is definetly needed...

Like a new pair of socks in happy colours. Say hello to my Whirling Socks.

The socks are knitted form the cuff down, mainly in intarsia in the round technique. They are a great project for small amounts of yarn leftover from other projects, since for a pair as shown only about 25 g of fingering yarn in five colours are needed. The same colour is used for cuff, heel and toe and the same four colours are used for the stripes. But you can, of course, use as many colours as you like to use up smaller amounts of yarn.

Aaaaannnd - another pair of Chained Mittens jumped of the needles. This pair in Malabrigo Yarn Arroyo in colourway Pocion and I already know who is going to get these. Together with a matching hat and fortunately only for x-mas... since the hat is no more than a brim at this time and it already went on the 'must finish one day' pile thanks to some new pattern ideas on my needles...

I know, I know, it is still summer in the northern hemisphere and here she comes again with her winter wolies. But I 'm sure it's cold enough for mittens somewhere and also, we knitters like to be prepared, don't we? It doesn't make a lot of sense to start knitting the moment you need warm accessories and also, it's never to early to start the gift knitting and therefore: Say hello to my brandnew patterns: Chained Mittens and Chained Hat.

The patterns came to life, because I have this fancy for highly variegated yarns, especially the ones by Malabrigo Yarn are always so hard to resist - although I know that I usally love the look in the skein, but I am at loss what to use them for. So when looking for a pattern to showcase the beauty of variegated yarns without the yarn overwhelming the stitch pattern, I found that slipped stitches do the trick. And why not have them swirl in chains all around the project? No sooner said than done.

You know why it takes so often long before I get round to re-publish patterns from magazines? Because I need to take new pictures… and that can be a pain sometimes. The weather is wrong, there isn’t anybody around to take pictures or to model the things, the season isn’t right (no fun to take mittens pictures  at the height of summer) and truth be told, sometimes I’m plain too lazy to get dressed up for pictures… So it was just fab that my niece offered to model some of my shawls!

Of course, it had to turn into an extremely hot day on which you don’t even want to wear the airiest lace shawl, but thanks to the location we picked in the forest it was bearable. And my dear husband was not only our driver but also gave the 'clown' to make the model act silly and laugh so that I was able to get some really natural pictures. 

Yes, I know it’s weird I show you all this ‘winter warmers’ during the summer, but I am so proud I finally worked on my long neglected patterns from magazines, so here we go: Chequers Brioche Scarf, also previously published in Love of Knitting.

The scarf is knitted in two colour brioche, always with one colour at the time. The placement of the lighter and darker colours form ‘blocks’, so that the scarf gets an all-over checked pattern.

My dear husband will be happy that the pattern is finally re-released (because he was eyeing the sample quite a while but wasn’t allowed to take it from my office yet) and should you wish for a Chequers Scarf in brioche knitting for yourself or a loved one: the pattern is now available from my Ravelry Store, here: Chequers Brioche Scarf.

The other day somebody asked me what my favourite knitting technique is and I was at a loss. I don’t know about other knitters, but for me it’s often a ‘temporarily love’. Sometimes I work a couple of items using the same technique, like for example cables or stranded colourwork, but then I need a ‘break’ and won’t use the technique for a while. With some techniques I even learnt that I’m not the biggest fan of them, so I come back to these techniques very seldom, like for example Entrelac. I reallylike the look, but I don’t enjoy the knitting that much.

Anyway, the question was what I like, and closest is probably 'ribbing'. Even though it is not really my favourite to knit, I often come back to the basic 2/2 rib or a variation thereof for my patterns. I like that it is so stretchy and makes for great fit, which I think is important for items such as socks or fingerless. Also, it is a big advantage when knitting for someone whose measurements I don’t know exactly.

So I figure it comes as no surprise that I’m playing around with a new pattern idea using rib…but pst, it's still a secret, a colourful secret... You'll learn more in a couple of months. 

Seems I am on the roll to brush-up with my pattern from quite a while ago, since today the Guernsey Shawl, also previously published in Love of Knitting, found its way into my store.

The shawl is generously sized and knitted in worsted weight yarn, so it’s really something to snuggle up in on a cold day. It is knitted from the top down, featuring traditional knitting patterns. The name refers to the fact, that knitters in Guernsey decorated close-fitting fishermen’s sweaters know as ganseys or jerseys with similar knit and purl motifs.

Of course, I’ve also worked my very own version of the second pattern included in Knit Picks Vivid Shawl Collection or, to be honest, of the Hashtag Shawl I’ve finished two meanwhile. The one below, in Knit Picks Gloss Fingering in colourways Bordeaux and Sterling shows the motif very well, but the colour combination has a bit more elegant and subdued look.

My favourite though, is this version in colourways Black and Kenai as shown in the book. However, I reversed the colours and made Kenai the contrast colour that form the motifs and this makes the ‘hashtags’ stand out even more this way. I’m not much of a shawl person, but I think this one stays in my wardrobe. ;-)

Years ago one of my hat pattern was published in the (unfortunately discontinued) Love of Knitting magazine and I finally found some time to give the pattern a brush-up: Pearls Hat

The hat is knitted from the brim to the top always with one colour at the time. On a background in whichever colour you like (I, personally, love this pattern with a variegated background), ‘strings of yarn pearls’ are worked in a contrast colour. The knitter can choose to vary the number of strings or their colours, e.g. use a different colour for each string and also the placement of the ‘strings’. In the pattern they are worked at regular intervals with 6 rounds of Stockinette stitch between them, but the distance between the strings can be changed easily.

The pattern includes four sizes to fit head circumference from approximately 45.25 to 53 cm (17.75-20.75”). It is now available from my Ravelry store, here: Pearls Hat.

So I told you the other day about my new shawl pattern Playfully, which is available from the Knit Picks website, here.

I absolutely love the version worked up for the collection with all the triangles in high contrast, but for my very own sample I decided to go for a more subdued look and combined a skein of Stroll Handpainted in colorway Northern Lights as background colour with a Stroll Mini Pack in colourway Aquarium for the contrast coloured triangles.