cau cau surfer is live

Well, the dress has arrived in Japan and one little girl is wearing it already.
This one was made following the size #3 of the pattern Cau Cau Surfer

It looks like she can go out and play as soon as the weather gets warm there.

This knitting pattern is now available at my ravelry and etsy shops for downloading. I must get back to making one more dress, the #1 size to be ready for Miss Allison's 1st birthday.

You know it is a really good thing that I actually like knitting the patterns I write. This Cau Cau Surfer in particular feels very soft and is flowing easily along on the knitting needles. It is also light and does not weigh much, so your arms are not getting tired as you knit along.

Cau Cau is a beautiful beach in Chile that this hand dyed yarn was created after. The waves, the eucalyptus forests, and the steep hills are all represented in the yarn. With my creation I’ve tried to continue the wave and the forest impressions into the pattern design. I think little girls will love wearing this dress as apron over their formal dress, as summer shirt over shorts, or as a beach outfit. The yarn is made of 60% pima cotton and 40% silk and will feel very soft and always comfortable. Since the yarn is hand dyed it is recommended to alternate between two hanks in assorted rows (2-4). I did not do that. Instead, when winding the hanks into balls, I’ve selected the darker shades for one dress and the lighter shades for another.
It takes 3 skeins for the three smaller sizes and 4 skeins for the size 2-3 years. You can find he yarn on e-bay right now for sale for $8.10 a skein e-bay seller

There are different color combination available from the yarn maker - Araucania

other color option available

Happy knitting everyone!

the shop is open

just wanted to point out a new phase in my life has begun. The shop is open. My ravelry shop and my etsy shop are now both open for business. My red kimono hoody is the first pattern for sale. The cau cau surfer will follow shortly.

Oh what excitement!

Links to the shops can be found on the right hand side under Important Links

Cau Cau Surfer Girl

My next adventure is called Cau Cau surfer

The test gauge and knitting pattern trial shows already how the waves will translate right into the finished garment. I can't wait to see the finished work on Miss Allison and show it all to you. So far I have the sketch of the finished dress, the knit stitches I will use and the gauge swatch. This will be a great knitting weekend!!!!

Since it is early and I am still on my first cup of coffee I thought you would enjoy to see my glamour shoots of the last design I have published. The pattern for 'My red Kimono-Hoody' is now for sale at www.ravelry.com and will be added to the www.etsy.com store shortly.

The pictures are from a trip to the "MIDWAY" Aircraft Carrier on Presidents Day last Monday.

shot from the Idol stage were Jessica Sanchez was selected to go on to became the Idol 'runner-up'

My Fichu Experiment is done

For a few weeks now I have been wearing my finished Fichu-Shawl and it is getting compliments, and "I want one", 'My aunt would really like something like that', 'Wauw this looks great on you', and so on.

I've decided, for people that read my blog and for people that know how to connect from the ravelry.com project to the blog, to re-post the already 'free' pattern ( Anleitung, in German).

Here are a few pictures of the one that I have made out of the yarn purchased in Muenchen, Germany last year: Filigran from Zitron.Since the yarn is lace weight and the needles I have used were 4.2 mm ( between a 6 and 7 US size) the finished Fichu-Shawl is light and airy.  The whole shawl just feels so European, I wonder why?



I have used the one on the right , color name is
FARBENWERK 06



Here you can see the Pearl pattern



On a green, or black, or red, or yellow, or orange, or brown
back ground it will always impress



The wing-view



this is the best color view

















The original was made with a yarn group 4 medium yarn and the finished shawl is much larger and covers neck, shoulders and then some.
The yarn makers website has the image that I fell for.
http://www.junghanswolle.de/stricken-haekeln/strickmodelle-junghans-wolle/accessoires-fuer-damen-herren/modell-235-1-fichu-schal-aus-charme

If you know German the "ANLEITUNG" is available on this website. If you don't know German, well, I might be persuaded to translate it. he he he 
Just leave a comment and I will get back to you!
Oh, what I also wanted everyone in San Diego to know: there is a small yarn store in La Mesa named YARN and THREAD EXPRESSIONS, 7882 La Mesa Blvd., that actually carries Zitron yarn. When I visited the store for the first time, just about a month ago, I found a few skeins of the Filigran lace weight in the store. I have noticed and remember. It was not the colorful version that I have used, but the yarn is available and someone might want to make this Fichu-shawl in a more green/yellow/orange version.

It is a friendly store with a wide variety of yarns. Almost every chair around the table was occupied with a knitter.

What is a scarf - part 2

Back in April last year I tried to sum-up in my blog 'What is a scarf'' and all throughout the year I have learned even more about that type of accessory.

Discovery of the terms came after I had purchased a skein of yarn in Muenchen, Germany on my trip home in June. It's Filigran lace No.1 from Zitrone. I have searched all over for a pattern for this beautiful multicolored lace weight 100% merino yarn.

I looked at cowls:

It seems like cowls are everywhere today, in stores and on the needles. I can see why they're popular - they're useful, quick to knit, and they're often one-skein winders. As Kathleen Cubley, the editor of Knitting Daily said: "A knitting trifecta if I've ever seen one". Cowls are stash busters too.

· These cowl type neck warmers are usually knit with thick yarn and would look too thin if knitted with lace weight.

· There also is the wimple. A cowl worn over the head and wrapped around the neck. There are some beauties out there. Lacy and stunning examples of knitting talent. This kind of cowl also stayed within contention for a while.

· The infinity scarf style cowl is perfect to wear as a long loop or wrapped around your neck for extra warmth. Now that would be a possibility and was considered for a while.

But once I snooped around some lace knitting patterns I couldn’t contain myself. I found my next pattern. It's the Fichu-shawl. It is published in a German magazine: Sabrina Special, S 1656: Ponchos, Tücher, Taschen

shop.oz-verlag.de published in August 2010. I immediately went on-line and purchased the magazine. Shipping it from Germany took  f o r e v e r. I thought it was lost at one point. When it arrived I was really glad I did not waste my money.

Later on I found out, I did waste my money because the pattern is free. For the pdf-download go to “Anleitung” on the Junghans-Wolle website

 http://ssl.static-cache.de/media/pdf/anleitung/juwo/anleitung_235_1.pdf

Long story, yes it was even a bit longer. I also discovered Tiziana Sammuri on ravelry and one day I will tackle one of her incredibly gorgeous lace creations.  http://www.ravelry.com/projects/tiziana   

For now though I have started the Fichu-shawl as my January 'just for me' project. Every now and then the fun has to be that the creation is for me.

You might wonder, since the last entry about the little red riding hoody was also a garment for me. This one was created for producing a pattern for sale though.

The fichu-shawl is just for fun. J J The Fichu first section is complete and I don't mind taking a break before the leave pattern is knitted.

I do have a pair of socks to knit right now. 

The pair of socks is as a payback for a great thing one of my co-workers did for me. She bought all the stash of German Dallmeyer coffee the store had for me. She did not let me pay her for it. She trades and wanted a pair of handmade socks. So I am knitting 'brainless' but I have decided to knit them upside down, from cuff down to the toes. 

finishing it

I know finishing work is not only my biggest problem.
Many of my 'knitting' friends tell me the same story: It takes way too long, all the threads to hide, the blocking, the sewing together of all the seams, ....
Well my friends, it is what it is!!!!

With my latest project "little red riding hoody" I shortened the finishing time a little by blocking my work as I finished each piece.

First the back. Then the two front pieces, and then the arms. While the arms dried I closed the shoulder seams and knitted the hood right onto the garment. I did not cast off the middle diamond design stitches on the back piece so I could continue the design into the hood. The button band was knitted on next. I repeated the 8 rows from the jacket and arms edge and added 5 buttonholes in the top half of the hoody. The bottom half remains open.

Once the arms were done blocking I sewed them on. By 'sewing' I mean I crochet them on. I have given-up on using a sewing needle to close any knitting seams. For me the best way is to use a slightly smaller crochet hook and a single crochet stitch to close a seam.

I think you can see in the picture that I did not have the hoodie's side seams closed before sewing on the arms. I also did not have the arm seams closed. I like this method of sewing (crocheting) in the arms open.

It gives me full control over the placement:

-making sure the middle of the arm is placed at the shoulder seam.

-sewing down the back half of the arm and then the front half lets me adjust the arm width to end exactly where I want it to be. It also is much easier to crochet small sections and 'open them again' if it did not quite come out perfectly.

After that I can sit back and take one evening to close the long side and arm seam. All in one. For this little red riding hoody I left a few inches open at the end of the arm's seam and at the other end of the body. That leaves this hoody light any airy. It is not meant to be cuddly warm, rather just a small soft little chill-remover, for evenings near the ocean or cool spring evenings on the porch.

Comparing it to the sketch I made when I first played with the idea of a kimono hoody, this looks a lot like the vision I had. Don't you agree!

I know that the ladies from the Normal Heights knitting group are asking for the pattern. I know, I know. It's time to write it down.

My husband gave me a super Christmas present. It's a Phone and Pad in one, the Galaxy Note II. So guess what! I need to learn how to make the design notes while I am knitting and making the decisions, so I can just push copy - paste and have the pattern already done.

That's the goal for my next project.

But for now I need to get on it. It's time to remember the way I did it, so everyone that wants to make a hoody like this can do it. I am wearing it a few times a week and it goes well with casual and business styles a like.

Oh and Maxy likes me wearing it out on HER walks.

The Pettern is now for sale in German at my ravelry store:
http://www.ravelry.com



My 'little red riding hood' jacket

As you might have guessed from the title of today's blog, my jacket is taking shape. The entire body is is done. The front panels the back and also one sleeve.
My current dilemma is that I am not using any written pattern and have to size and try everything before going on to the next step.
These decisions were paramount to a successful Jacket design:

• - for the first piece, the right front section, deciding the cable design and the length of the Jacket
• - for the left front deciding that the pattern should be knitted opposite ( the cables are starting in the opposite direction )
• - for the back deciding the new middle cable design. I have trial knitted swatches to see what will work in concert with the front. I was only sure that I wanted to come up with a bigger diamond design that what is framing the front panels.
• - for the sleeve there were many little decisions and it took a few days to decide:
• how wide at the start
• how wide at the end
• how long of a sleeve
• what pattern, if any

 Now that I have both front panels, the back and one sleeve completed I dare not just go ahead and knit the second sleeve. I need to loosely sew the body together and sew on the sleeve to see what it will look like.
I don't have a mannequin!
The sleeve has been done since Saturday and I am avoiding the sewing chore, I wonder why? I feel like I am stuck like a writer with writer's block.
But today, first things first. It is election day in America, after all.
Today really means so much to me, a proud first time Presidential Election voter.
I can not believe it took me 60 Years to arrive at this point in my live, better late than never.