fiddlesticknitting

Peek-a-Boo Hoodie

 

I wanted to design a sweet little swing coat with a hood that had an added element of surprise. I chose to add a surprise color to the inside front panel, sleeve cuffs and the hood, to give it a little pop! To me, the surprise color says “Peek-a-Boo”, just like the popular children’s game.

Peek-a-Boo Hoodie

Sizes Available: 12m[18m, 2T, 3T, 4T] (Shown in 12m)

Yarn: Cascade 220 

Buy Now $6.00 USD

There is a back story to this design, but I don't know if I'm ready (or if I'll ever be) to share it. Just know that a lot of work and craziness went into this design. 

My absolutely favorite element to this design is the hood. You can't really tell by the pictures, but the hood is completely double knit, using pink as the peek-a-boo color.  It takes a bit of extra work (double knitting= double stitches!), but it is so worth it in the end. Double knitting makes everything all cushy. After knitting the hood and some other places DK in this design, I seriously considered knitting everything DK for the cushiness. I was also completely delirious when I came to this decision :) Got over that one after a good night's sleep!

I have many wonderful people to thank in helping me get this design out:

My Dad, bless his heart, dealt with my craziness and helped me knit it.

Brandy took these great pics of her LG. The size shown here is the 12m version and LG is a wee bit older, so it's a bit too small for her. Please keep this in mind when choosing the right size for you to knit.

Kristen TenDyke is a wonderful person and a great tech editor to work with. I learned a lot working with her for the first time and I look forward to future projects with her!

Jill Zielinski (aka Knitterella).  Jill is amazing and so patient! She designed my logo, and my new pattern layout. I know nothing about making pretty pdfs and she has led me by the hand. I am sure things will be easier next time (crossing crossables!)

Susan B Anderson. She just put me in a great mood today :)

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Since this pattern is published with my new pattern layout, I figured I would update Boheme and Boheme*Mama (including updated math) as well, so go check those out as well! 

While you're at it, why don't you check out the interview I did with Theresa at Little Turtle Knits today? There's a great pattern deal going on there too to celebrate Peek-a-Boo's release!

2010 Knits

I finally got around to taking pictures of recent (and not so recent) FOs that I wanted to share with you. I need to make a pompom (first one failed) for Lovey's golf club cover, and then I'll take a picture of that, but here's everything else:

Most recently finished (12/28): Serendipity Mittens by my dear friend Brandy Fortune! They are a super quick knit (two Glee episodes worth) and used less than one skein of Spud and Chloe Outer. My Rav Info is here.

Finished at 4:30AM Christmas Day. Someone in this house likes Olivia (Nickelodeon), and I think she's a  pretty cool pig. I've named these Olivia Warmers and they used about 1/3 of a skein of each color (tutu and red hot) in Spud and Chloe Fine. Rav Info.

(No that's not a bunch of crap on my sweater, that's a bunch of crap on my mirror! It has since been cleaned thankyou!)

Finished Thanksgiving week (I think....) Here is my short-sleeved version of the Oatmeal Pullover. I am lazy and knew that I would never finish this sweater (although it's super quick to knit) if I had to knit two sleeves. So, I took the easy way out, but here in Colorado we do like to layer, so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! I used Quince and Co. Puffin in Peacock. I love this sweater and wear it a ton, so I guess it's a winner! Rav info.

(This one was a b*tch to photograph. I promise it doesn't look like vomit in real life!)

This was finished in Feb 2010. It's the Modern Garden Cardi. It turned out quite wonky, but I still like it, and it's my very first (finished) sweater! Rav Info here to learn about the wonkiness. I used Araucania Limari, which was fun to use.

(My god, isn't she an absolute doll? I LOVE her!)

This was finished as Satya's Christmas present last year. I am sure I finished it in the wee hours on Christmas morning. I love this little beret, it's the Petite Beret by Hadley Fierlinger. I used Spud and Chloe Sweater in Moonlight and a little bit of Knitpicks Palette (doubled) for the i-cord. What's cool about this beret, is that it fits me too! Rav Info.

See?

If you'd like to see Satya gussied up in all handknits.....

She's pretty fancy, isn't she? If you'd like to see a sneak peek of my new design (pattern to come out this weekend!)......

(picture taken by Brandy Fortune)

 

I think 2011 is going to be a great year. I have already changed my attitude into quite a positive one, and I have a lot of plans. My word for 2011 is Determination. What's yours?

Have a wonderful and very safe New Year's celebration and Best Wishes for 2011!

The Problem with Me....

Is that every year at this exact time (Thanksgiving week), I  get these ambitious ideas for holiday gifts. Sometimes I just say screw it and don't do anything, but other years, I go over the top and get all crafty crazy. I am thinking that this year is going to be the latter.... :)

I must've been a good girl this year because Santa rotated me off of all of our holiday concerts, except my fave (hurray!), so I will have a ton of time for crafty goodness. 

Wanna see what I'm obsessing about?

Laura Nelkin's Aile

Olga Buraya-Kefelian's Cubed Necklace from Ori Ami Knits (omg, what a book! incredible!)

Rosemary Hill's book Elements of Style: Knit & Crochet Jewelry with Wire, Fiber, Felt & Beads

I think I'll be spending some time at this site to get my Habu on. Oh, but WAIT! The Habu site is having a Thanksgiving sale this weekend! All yarns are 15% off!!! So glad I checked the site! 

 

Now I need to figure out the men.......any handmade ideas?

Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for all of my readers that still stick around <3

whoa....when did it become November?

sorry. let's just officially decide that i suck at this "maintaining a blog" thing. i have no intentions on leaving this space. i love it and want to visit it more often.  i hope you stick with me. maybe someday i will have some fun knitting things to share!

while we wait on that...... why don't you go read about Brandy's awesome news. I am so happy for her and cannot wait to hear about the journey!

i am close to having a FO for Satya and a new pattern to release....just need some pics (ahem, Brandy lol) and to format the pdf. it's a cute pattern, i hope you guys are going to like it!

here's a picture from Satya's first real Halloween celebration....we're still recovering.....

A New Look!

I had the good fortune of meeting Jill Zielinski (aka Knitterella) in August when I was at Stitches Midwest. Oh that's right, I never blogged about that trip, did I? Oops. Well, it was a great trip and I got to spend a lot of time with Jill and also Melynda of French Press Knits (you know, the super famous felted slippers?). It was such fun and Jill and I started emailing each other once we were both back at home. Jill is super awesome graphic designer and we've been working together on my new logo and blog banner. So without further ado, ta-da!

 

 
 

Don't you just LOVE it?!?!? I love how the knitting needles look like violin scrolls and although I was high maintenance about the colors, they turned out perfectly! Jill is awesome---great to work with. I am in great company too, she has done the logos for Through the Loops and The Plucky Knitter and awesome graphic design for Alana of Never Not Knitting.  So, slowly you will be seeing things change---I hope to have the banner up later this week and plan to clean up the ol' blog a bit....maybe I'll visit it more with it's new makeover. 

 

A Good Day in Bullet Points

• Just wanted to drop in to say a quick hi! 
• Finally went back to work today, which was happily welcomed. I have to finally admit to myself that I do indeed love structure in my life. 
• GREAT things happening at Petite Purls Central. GREAT. you are in for some fabulous future issues!
• My daughter is rocking at school with her sound recognitions. I think we have an early reader on our hands (woo hoo! hallelujah! i was one too)
• My Boheme and Boheme*Mama patterns are doing really well
• I have a new logo in the works that I love! Jill Zielinski Designs (aka Knitterella) is doing it. Cannot wait to have it...and a blog makeover
• Waiting for some yarn to swatch and design two things by Oct 1. I'm nuts.
• Oh, it's my birthday week, so I had the house cleaned yesterday. So happy.

And how are you today?

Help for Haiti

Between now and January 31st, 50% of my pattern sales will go directly to Doctors without Borders (via Knitters without Borders/Tricoteuses sans Frontieres--Yarn Harlot's baby).

This will include: Teardrop Cowl, Easy Peasy Lace Cowlette, and Diamante.

Go check out the wonderful list of patterns on Ravelry whose designers are donating part of their proceeds. I am going to go do a little pattern shopping right now to help the cause.

My Knit List for 2010 and a GIVEAWAY!

I hope that everyone has been enjoying the holiday season. We had a very quiet Christmas, kind of letting it slide by this year without making a fuss. I did knit a few things for Lovey and Satya; a cowl for him , a beret for her. Hopefully I will at least get a picture of the beret to show you. It's awfully cute!

So today starts the Great Purge of 2009 here at my house. I have the next five days off and I plan to either donate or throw away as much as possible. I hope to only have family members, musical instruments and some yarn leftover :) It's time. It's definitely time to get rid of stuff and hopefully not bring too much more in...unless it's handmade, of course!

I am really feeling that 2010 is going to be a great crafting year. I really want to live more simply, and if we need something, try to handcraft it if possible. I will admit that I totally gave in to the buying frenzy this year, whether it was clothing or toys for Satya. I am so inspired by so many handcrafting blogs that I really want to improve that part of my life. So I hope to share many things with you in 2010.

Today I cleaned out/organized my yarn stash. I must admit, I have a beautiful stash. Really amazing yarns here. I am giving away some to Satya's Waldorf school, and some to a friend to give to her daughter's Girl Scout troop for crafting, and some I plan to give away here on my blog. Will talk about that more in a minute.

I found so.many.yarns in multiples that are dying to be knit up in sweaters. So I made a list of things I want to knit, and wow, the list is awesome:

* Modern Garden Cardigan (I am casting on tonight! Yarn is wound!), using Araucania Limari

* Whisper Cardigan, using Rowan Felted Tweed (yes I know it's not laceweight. I think it'll be great!)

*Honeybee Cardigan, in Socks that Rock-Heavyweight

*Juliet,  in Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk

*Liesl, in Malabrigo 

Isn't that an amazing list?!?! And it's all in my stash! Oh don't worry, there are more yarn multiples to make sweaters (a Noro one, a cassshhhmmere one, and more), but I thought I'd start with this list :)

If I get all of those things knit up sometime this year, I plan to treat myself to knitting the Tea Leaves Cardigan. I <3 this cardi so very much and the yarn is so gorgeous. What a treat that would be!

So I am excited for 2010 and all the knitting I want to do. I have some designs planned as well. So stay tuned!

Oh yeah, the giveaway! So I have some Lorna's Laces, Scout's Swag, Brooklyn Handspun, Alpaca with a Twist and a couple others that I would like to give away to one of my readers. I appreciate every one of you and would like to thank you for reading my blog. SO, leave me a comment about something you look forward to in 2010, crafty or not and I will choose a winner on January 4th. Oh, believe me, you WANT to win this box of yarn. Really.

Just in Time

I planned to knit up a cowl for Satya's teacher at her Waldorf School for Christmas. Had wanted it finished by last Wednesday (S's last day of school before the holidays), but seeing that the magazine had just gone live and I was so busy with that, it just didn't happen. So when I sat down this weekend, with a sick babe at my side (boo to the sickness...and the clingyness), I realized that as usual, my first idea for the cowl was not going to work (vision plus gauge plus thickness of yarn, not a match made in heaven). So I started to panic thinking, great, I still have allll of the gifts I want to knit up for Satya to do and it's the weekend before Christmas. Figure it out Allegra and be quick about it. So stash diving I went and found a new color of Spud and Chloe's Outer staring at me. Found a couple chunky wooden buttons I had bought at Fancy Tiger, and one of my stitch dictionaries and away I went.

The Eleventh Hour Cowl by Allegra Wermuth

(all pics were taken on Lovey's Blackberry. He has lost his camera, Satya broke mine. Nice.)

Materials:

1 skein of Outer by Spud and Chloe (Superwash 65% wool & 35% organic cotton; 60 yds per skein), colorway: Bayou.

US 11s. I used a circular needle. You could use straights.

3 chunky buttons.

Measurements:

20 inches long x 8 inches wide (after blocking)

Gauge:

10 sts/14 rows = 4 inches in Oblique Rib

Pattern:

CO 20 sts (or a multiple of 4)

Row 1: *K2,P2; repeat from * to end.

Row 2: K1, *p2, k2; repeat from * to last 3 sts, p2, k1.

Row 3: *P2,K2; repeat from * to end.

Row 4: P1, *k2, p2; repeat from * to last 3 sts, k2, p1.

Repeat these 4 rows for 19.5 inches

Repeat Row 1, adding a yo every 5 sts (to make buttonhole).

Repeat in pattern until you think you are going to run out of  yarn. BO loosely.

Sew buttons on so that they line up with the buttonholes. 

Weave in ends.

Block well. I got some extra length after blocking, which was a good thing!

(I don't know why my front teeth look bloody. They're not. Sorry. That's gross)

So dear friends, this is my holiday gift to you. I plan to knit up another one for myself later this week. I think I might add a fourth button, don't know yet. Will let you know. Seriously people, I am SO PROUD that I got a whole cowl out of 60 yds. 60 yds! I will be putting the pattern up on Ravelry later today.

Happy Winter Solstice Everyone!

 

Teardrop Cowl

I originally designed this cowl pattern for Shivaya Naturals' "Taste of Shivaya" yarn club last winter. I am down making it available for all of you!

The pattern is $3.50 USD and can be found here