Bailiff Scarf Pattern

Alpaca fibers are somewhat new to me.
I always thought of wool being scratchy. I just could not wear it. Throughout my many years of knitting the fibers I worked with where mostly cotton, or some kind of poly-amid/wool mix. A few years ago I have read somewhere that alpaca fibers are without some of the 'hooks' that makes yarn scratchy and felt easily. It made sense to me after I also found out that the absence of these hooks makes items knitted with alpaca tend to stretch over time. No hooks in the fiber = no hold of the fiber = stretch.
For the Bailiff Scarf the design was optimized to keep the shape and reduce the natural tendency to stretch by using the yarn 2 strands held together. This 2-stranded knitting also allows the play with color combinations and produced the fabulous marled look.
If you never have entered the world of fisherman's rib knitting, you should. The new Bailiff Pattern is perfect for the first try, or the fully experienced fisherman's rib knitter.
For approx $32.00 dollars (small version) this scarf can be knitted. For yourself, or for your favorite man (husband, boyfriend, friend, buddy). It is super cuddly because the entire scarf is worked 2-stranded which makes the already cushiony fisherman's rib double soft. Alpaca warmth and then double stranded makes this the go-to scarf for keeping deep winter temperatures at bay.
Bailiff Scarf

A year "CHOCK-FULL" of Pattern Releases

When I stepped into my first retirement year I had hopes and dreams. My ambition was to create knitwear that knitters will find interesting enough to make.
I have self published some patterns on ravelry.com for a while now, but to reach more knitters and draw attention to my designs I had to learn a lot more.

First step:  I had to get the attention of some of today's most popular knitting publications.
Second step: Learn how and where to present my ideas
Third step: Learn about yarn. Oh there are so many possibilities
Fourth step: Knit a good sample
Fifth step: write the pattern and adapt it to the particular magazine's style
Sixth step: Don't show picture, keep it secret, don't talk about it.
Seventh step: FINALLY, a pattern is ready to release.

Take a look at Apple Cider Scarf. just released in Creative Knitting Magazine
Pretty Presents

Now I can talk about the project, show my own pictures and feel proud of being a published knitwear designer.

As time flies

I have not done enough. This thought keeps creeping into my head every now and then. I use this thought to reflect on the things I have done and if they were positive.
Looking back to the time when I wrote the last blog entry it seems, at first: I have not done enough.
Letting that thought provoke my memory for a few seconds: NOT True!

I have generated a new sock pattern. As in proper Yarn-Stube fashion, the socks were for my friend. The pattern was a side product from that. I have named them Pink Pearl, after the color of the incorporated row of pink beads.

How to bead the stitches is part of the pattern instructions

No matter how the socks are worn, cuffs up or down, the beads are visible either way.

This is the pair that went to Seattle. Made from a skein of knitpicks Hawthorne fingering yarn.

This is my pair, made from a skein of Oink fingering in bubble gum.

I also worked on a new design and am finishing up writing the pattern (sizing the vest for different sizes) for swellegance. I must declare here that Ruben has been very patient. He still is not allowed to wear the vest. Just a few more days......

You probably wonder what the new design is. 

Well, there are actually a few in my head but one was on my needles already and my thoughts keep going back to it. Knitting for me is not just to get a pattern figured out, complete the sample, photograph it and sell it. For me there always is an idea for something with a person in mind. A friend saw me working on the design and commented. She said: It is strange that I love this color so much and always have, but there is not one piece of clothing in my wardrobe made of this color. I am planning on changing that with something made from this: 

 The world would not be whole or fair if there were not a made out yarn little something for me, right. Every now and then, there is time for me. I did want to learn the really strange art of knitting in a weaving pattern. It is called entrelac. Enticed by the images in a basic entrelac knitting book, I had to try it.

And, now I wear it. The pattern is called Lornas cowl and is already published in english on ravelry. The name is simply from the yarn that was used for this small, but highly effective neck warmer. This was my first time knitting with Lorna's laces and it will not be my last. The thread is spun tight enough for the knitting to be so easy and there is not splitting, no imperfections through out. The finished cowl has a shine to it and it does warm exactly where it needs to.

 Overall, I can proudly say, I am doing it! Life, intertwined with knitting.
In the next few weeks knitpicks will be publishing Motrose and Swellegance. Just in time for the winter knitting season. Yes, I have done enough this summer!

Oh, let's not forget, it is winter knitting season and giving season. I must be working on something. You bet! Stay tuned!

Knitpicks and I, a new relationship

On December 18th the Wirtsweiher Loop pattern went live on knitpicks.com
I am past ecstatic, thrilled, overjoyed!
I remember well the day back in 2012, when I've decided to 'share' my knitting enthusiasm, and started this blog. When I began to write down my ideas and published my first pattern. Back then, I was hoping just a little that my designs would be good enough to get the attention of other knitters and the design community.
That my wish has come true is beyond AMAZING.

My life is an adventure, it really is.
The things I am able to be involved in during the day at work at General Atomics and the yarn related things I am able to be involved in when I am not at work both make me feel proud, fulfilled, and happy.
Contributing factors, such as the Ravelry community where crafty people can share projects and publish patterns, and my home knitting group "Knitting in the Heights" deserve some credit. I could not have done it without them.

newly found energy

You know sometimes the right emotion is missing and progress in one area is not achieved. This was happening with my brioche project, the See Me Shawl
Even though the shawl was finished back in July, there was never a right time to photograph it. This year San Diego decided to delay the end of the summer into the winter. Only last week it was finally cold.
The scramble began:
1. get the camera man on notice for Sunday
2. keep checking the weather map to make sure it will be cold, but not raining.
3. try different outfits and decide "WHAT TO WEAR" this is so hard!
4. get up early.
5. pick up the camera man (we are trying a new guy).
6. drive to the park where I was hoping for just the right background.
7. practice posing
8. OK, this is it...............

What do think?
The story is not over yet, though. With having pictures, finally, comes another whole set of activities:
1. finish the pattern words, abbreviations, and tech details.
2. select and size the pictures.
3. decide how much to charge for the pattern and the finished shawl ( i am not keeping it, you know San Diego is not cold enough for cashmere).
4. set-up the ravelry site for the new pattern.
5. publish it on ravelry and loveknitting.
6. set-up an add for the shawl on etsy.com.  the shawl for sale on etsy
7. set-up a few adds on ravelry forums for the pattern.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM

The result is my enjoyment with the actual knitting activity, the process of creating, and now the process of sharing.
Some might think: She is just doing in it for the money.
I would counter: If I can sell enough patterns to by more yarn, to design more knitwear, than I am truly happy.
So, I have only a few more sales to go on this one. An hour after the pattern went live I sold one already. $3.99 chaching....

First day of Summer 2015

This year I have started and finished my summer vacation before the summer officially arrived.
I am not sure what the reason was, but I am sure that it was the right decision. The order of events 'before today' was as follows:

May 13, performance review at work. It is always a good review, I always exceed expectations. That's just the good little girl I am. He he he he

May 14, fly to Germany
May 15, arrive in Germany
I was born in Sulzbach-Rosenberg. The town has been polished since the year when I was born. It looks very pretty and clean now.

I have been looking for old photos of the Windschnur, but the black houses have been demolished long ago. I did find an image that shows Rosenberg with the steel factory in the background. To imagine where I was growing up, you need to imagine what it was like to live behind the the steel factory inside these exhaust clouds. The life then was not colorful and rosy. In my memory most images are black and white.

Only the summers have color. The times away from the black and white. Summer camp in the Alps, or in Sulzbach with Opa and Oma. They used to live in a small house in the back of a store, a main street store. Only steps from the the red brick building shown in the first image.
When I go home now I concentrate on the colorful memories and make new ones. The main reason this time was to visit my mother in her new home. She lives in a senior center since last July and she raves about the place.

She lives on the second floor in her own room, with some of her own furniture pieces. Since she moved in she was unable to ever leave. It was my goal to get her outside and experience something different everyday. I think I did my job well. She still remembers the time we visited her newest great-grand child Bastian, or the time we eat a Lox-sandwich at an Imbissstube. We played cards, sang songs, and went for small afternoon trips. It was not easy to rent the perfect car, a Jeep Renegade. The rental agency gave me grief, but I insisted. This car had the perfect heights for a person that could not walk. All I had to do was guide the wheelchair to the passenger door, get my mother to stand up, turn her a quarter turn so she could let herself fall onto the seat. The way out of the car was just as easy. Guide both feet outside the car and slide her forward, just a little so she can stand, make that quarter turn the other way and she could let herself fall into the wheelchair.

 Some of these trip memories got captured on these pictures.

May 16:
I know my blog is about knitting intertwined with life. So her it is. On my visit this time there was a special occasion. My sister Rita turned 65 earlier this year and I knitted her something. Luckily I was able to also deliver the present in person. My newest  design 'Wirtsweiher Loop' is named after a small pond behind Rita's farm house. I gave her the finished loop and the knitting instructions. You can buy the instructions in german and in english at Ravelry.com:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wirtsweiher-loop

May 19:
I also knitted while traveling. Every knitter will tell you that it is extremely relaxing and lends itself to knitting away some empty moments, some evening hours, or hours on the plane. My project was aimed at a special group of knitters. Since I grew-up and was taught knitting in same place they were, I've guessed that my method was new to them. I choose some self-striping sock yarn and cast on two socks to knit at the same time from the toes up. My mother used to meet with this group of very experienced knitters near her home, when she was still living on her own. One of our day trips was to visit this knitting group. I showed the ladies my recently learned method of knitting 2 socks at the same time using a circular needle. It got lots of attention.

This is a picture of the finished socks today. I thought it was a strange coincidence that my living room flowers match the color of the socks!

May 20 was spent in the senior home - they had a May day celebration planned but the rain came and the outdoor event was moved indoor. No pictures from the singing and Bavarian Tracht wearing band.
May 21, and 23, playing cards, going shopping. My mother has not been to a supermarket for at least a year. Oh boy did we do some shopping. I wheeled her through every isle twice. We ended up with bags of goodies.
May 22 was Dinner with Brothers and Sisters.

good times 

Saying good buy was hard, but after many years of living away from everyone it has become easier. I don't leave Germany though without visiting my BFF. 

Rita and I spent the day dining at a country restaurant and afterwards walking around in Rosenheim. Naturally I found a knitting store. The name was Woll Lust and deserved to be photographed.

 May 25: time to fly away.......but not without Currywurst.