I'm back

As George Constanza might say, "I'm back, baby, I'm back!" If you'd told me a few weeks ago that by Labor Day, I would have experienced an earthquake, been evacuated due to a hurricane, lost power for the better part of a week, and had our local Chili's burn down, I don't think I would have believed you. Yet all of those things did happen, and while I'm swamped with overdue work, I'm glad that we have finally weathered all the literal and metaphorical storms. The kids went back to school yesterday and we're starting to get back into a routine. Our family and our house are doing fine, for which we are very grateful.

One exciting thing that happened in the last week was seeing some preview photographs of two projects that I knit a very long time ago (nearly a year ago) for Interweave Knits -- Holiday edition. Behold the Watercolor Beret, knit in a self-striping sock yarn



and the Overshot Mittens (I didn't name them, so I am not sure what the name means, although I think it's a weaving term maybe?).


These are very special because they are knit in St-Denis Nordique, one of my all-time favorite yarns. Think of all the fun you could have selecting your own two colors to make these:



like Magenta with Bottle Green, or Elephant with Blue Eggshell or Spicy Rose with Silver. The full palette is here (now with online ordering for Nordique yarns!).

The next few weeks are going to be insane here, as I try to finish up various deadlines, including a number of book projects, shepherding other people's projects to completion, and finishing the manuscript. I probably won't be posting as often until October...Don't give up on me, though, peeps!

St-Denis Magazine Issue 3: Preview

Okay, I'm a little late getting to some of these magazine previews, but what the heck. It's that dead part of summer where the heat in Philadelphia makes everything seem used up and dried out. We need some inspiration, some color, some beauty to perk us up. And when it comes to beautiful knitting patterns, you all know how Véronik Avery is at the tippy-top of my list. One of the best things I got to bring home from TNNA with me was a copy of her latest St-Denis Magazine, Spring 2011, Issue 3. Let's look at the pretty things....

The issue begins with a gorgeous lace stole created by Franklin Habit in honor of his grandmother, Pauline, knit with St-Denis Boréale, in fingering weight:


One other item features lace, Vévé's Lace Weekend socks (love the photo!).

If you're looking for sweaters, you've got several gorgeous options, from Robin Melanson's versatile Woodward Cardigan,

to Laura Grutzeck's wonderful pullover with a detachable cowl,


to Cecily Glowik McDonald's Spicy Rose crossover cardigan,

to Véronik's Dolman

and Market Jacket,

but my absolute favorite might be her Ito Yoked Sweater vest... love it.


For accessories, you've got the aforementioned socks and shawl, along with two lovely pairs of stranded mittens, one by Jared Flood

and one by Kirsten Kapur (which also includes a hat pattern).


Pam Allen and Véronik collaborated on the adorable slippers:


while my Popcorn Muffler is shown on a dead-sexy Justin Timberlake-esque gentleman.


The cover pattern is Robin Melanson's Lucky Seven Beret (aren't those mushrooms around the edge too cute?).


For kids, you've got an adorable bear


and a sweet boy's sweater -- I like how the sweater is interesting to knit but not too cutesy or ornate for a boy to wear. Of course it would look darling in, say, Cyclamen, Magenta or Azalea for a girl....

Last up is the Galaxy Pillow, which I can appreciate even more given my current obsession with patchwork and quilting.

You can purchase St-Denis Magazine either directly from the St-Denis website, or from many fine shops (there's a list on the St-Denis website).

New St-Denis Magazine ....

I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this before, but did I ever tell you how dearly I love Véronik Avery? Just out: the second issue of St.-Denis Magazine, the magazine which accompanies Véronik's lovely yarn line.

I am thrilled to report that I have two designs in this issue. The first is a tabard, a layering piece, for little girls:


It's knit in one piece and requires very little finishing. Nordique yarn is really wonderful for colorwork, so it was great fun to play with swatches. It probably won't surprise you to learn that it was designed with Little Miss in mind.

Although we were unable to fly Little Miss to Montreal for a photo shoot, the little girl who is wearing it is absolutely beautiful, no?

The other garment is a woman's sweater called Michelene (my great-grandmother who emigrated from Poland was named Michelene):


This sweater is knit in the new St.-Denis yarn, Boréale, which is a fingering-weight version of Nordique. For those of you wrinkling your nose at "fingering weight," be advised that Michelene is knit at a looser gauge, so that you can't complain about it taking too long to knit.



If you'd like to ogle the rest of the patterns before you immediately call your LYS to see when the magazine will be in stock, go here. There are so many lovely patterns in this issue, including a terrific cardigan by Laura Grutzeck and designs from such other knitting luminaries as Robin Melanson, Kat Coyle, Jared Flood and Pam Allen.

P.S. My Asymmetric Pullover design from the first St.-Denis Magazine



is now available as a single download exclusively from Patternfish. Go here.

Looking ahead: what's coming this fall (part 1)

A couple of good nights' sleep in my own bed worked wonders. Now I'm rarin' to go. TNNA was exciting, inspiring and fun. Since a certain person whom I missed dreadfully because he wasn't there to share the fun with me accused me of being a namedropper, hmph, I shall today tell you about some of the very exciting things coming to a LYS near you this fall.

It's hard to figure out where to begin, but since I spent a good bit of time hanging around the Classic Elite booth, I'll start there. I know I've been yammering about Véronik's new yarn line, St. Denis, but seeing all the colors in real life




and seeing the garments in real life, and seeing some of the photographs of the garments that will be in the magazine.... well, I think this is going to be one of the must-haves of the fall. I mean, you've got American-made, 100% wool at a great price point, 32 colors, terrific pattern support, and you can knit it 5.5 or 6 single or even around 4-4.5 sts per inch doubled -- this is a great yarn, people. And the magazine that will accompany it is going to be dynamite. So if you haven't ordered it yet, you better call your Classic Elite rep ASAP. (I have been begging Véronik to send me more sample skeins to knit with...)

Another thing that knocked me out at the Classic Elite booth was the pattern collection by Jared, a.k.a. Brooklyn Tweed. "Made in Brooklyn" is a mix of men's and women's designs that are spectacular. I was struck by a lovely stranded colorwork hat and a silvery-blue woman's yoke sweater, but the entire collection is gorgeous, and well worth seeking out. I met Jared there, and he was very warm and fun. I'm going to be following his work very closely.

If you haven't seen or touched the Minnow Merino from Jil Eaton (also distributed by Classic Elite), you should. I picked up two skeins of this from Woolbearers when I was booksigning there. It's a very soft, machine-washable wool that knits at around 4.5 sts per inch. Even though it's superwash, it doesn't feel it and retains a softness and cushiness like a soft singles yarn, but without the potential for felting. I would definitely make an adult sweater out of this yarn, too. Great colors, too.

Once I was able to tear myself away from Classic Elite's booth, there were tons more exciting things to see. New from Manos del Uruguay is a worsted-weight wool with a smooth, consistent twist called Rittenhouse Merino 5-ply. There are 12 kettle-dyed colors and 200 yds per 100g skein -- very nice indeed. Also worth noting is The Fiber Company -- their booth was lovely, and the muted, complex colors of their yarns are gorgeous. I was especially taken with Terra, a slightly slubby blend of merino, alpaca and silk. (Hmm, I wonder what I have to do to get Courtney to send me a skein or two to play with?)

That's just a teaser of some of the things that I saw this weekend. I'm still way behind and the kids are off this week, so I think I have an appointment with a large bucket of popcorn and the movie "Up." I'll post again tomorrow and tell you about what's coming from my beloved Westminster Fibers, among others....

(There, Mr. Franklin Habit, are you happy now? If you had been in Columbus with us, singing along while Amy Singer played her ukelele,

you wouldn't be nearly as cranky. Plblttttttt!)

Check this out...

Yesterday was Ve-ve's birthday -- and apparently one of her gifts was a brand-new website for her brand-new yarn company... go here.