Pompom Tutorial

I’ve been working on updating the Pippa Toque pattern over the last few days. It was one of my first patterns so it left a bit to be desired, including being worked in a yarn that had been discontinued. I thought it might be a good idea to clean it up a bit, work up a new sample in a current yarn, and put it into my new pattern layout.

I also decided that I didn’t need to include the photo tutorial for the pompom in the pattern. Instead, I’m now going to put the tutorial up here so that it can be accessed by anyone. I can now include a link in my patterns to the tutorial. Easy peasy!

Making a pompom is also easy peasy. Check it out…

starting pompom

Pull a long strand of each colour of yarn from the balls and hold together, laying across your fingers.

winding pompom

Wind around your fingers 15 to 20 times. (If you’re only using one colour you’ll want to do more like 100 wraps).

tying pompom

Cut a 12″ length of yarn. Push one end between your middle two fingers, wrap around the strands at the center and tie very tightly.

uncut pompom

Do not cut off ends of this tie.

cutting pompom

With sharp scissors, cut through the center of the loops on either side of the tie.

untrimmed pompom

The resulting pompom will be a little messy and uneven.

finished pompom

Give it a good fluff and then, using your scissors, give it a trim to make it a nice round ball. Using the long ends of the strand tied around the middle of the pompom, tie the pompom tightly to the top of the hat. Weave in the ends.

Good stuff, eh?

Introducing the Fernie Hat and the Powder Day e-book

It’s new release day!!!

First, let me tell you about the Powder Day e-book.

cover

I’m so excited to be releasing my first collection of patterns. The book was released today with just the Fernie Hat, at a reduced price. As the other patterns get released (between now and January), the book will get updated. Buyers will get an updated version emailed to them each time an update comes out. Early buyers get the book at the seriously great price of $7. Each time a new pattern is added, the price goes up, so it will be $9 after the 2nd pattern is out, then $11 when the 3rd pattern is added, and then it will be the final price of $14 when all 4 patterns are there.  And since you can already see what you’re getting, what have you got to lose?

And with the release of the e-book today also came the Fernie Hat, the first pattern in the collection.

Tamara hero shot

The Fernie Hat features the figure-eight cable on a reverse stockinette stitch background. It starts with a twisted rib brim, which evolves into a set of 6 cables that eventually taper to the top. It’s finished off with a funky pompom, as all hats should be!

If  you’re interested in just the hat then it’s available as an instant download on Ravelry for $5.

Fernie Product Shot

Once again, thank you to Eleanor Dixon for technical editing and to all of my testers for being the best group yet! And I can’t say enough of a thank you to my beautiful friend and model Tamara, who taught me to knit all those years ago!

Powder Day Sneak Peek!!!

I’m so darned excited to be putting together my very first collection of patterns, and can’t wait to tell everyone about it.

As you can tell by the name, the Powder Day collection is inspired by those epic days of deep, fresh snow. You know, when a couple very lucky people are the first ones to the top of the hill after a big dump, and they get to make fresh tracks. If those skiers are going for extra cheesy, they can make tracks that look just like this…

figure eights inspiration

I wanted to mimic those figure-eight lines in the snow with a cool cable pattern, so I did. Then I fell in love with the cable and wanted to put it on everything. So I did! Fingerless mitts, a hat, full mitts, and a sweater.

It’s tricky to photograph something with a snow and ski theme when you’re limited to being in the city in October. But that’s what we tried to do this morning. I enlisted the help of 4 beautiful ski buddies, those very same ladies I used to ski with before we all had kids*. We gathered up some vintage skis, hot coffee and warm knits and headed down to an old barn in the middle of the city. I was hoping to pull off an apres ski feel, a bunch of friends hanging out at the lodge and warming up after a great day on the hill.

I will be releasing the patterns one-by-one over the next few months and will eventually group them all together in an e-book when they’re all out. For now, here’s a look at what’s to come.

Group Shot

* We called ourselves BOS back then – Bitches On Skis.

Introducing Kensington Tweed

It’s new pattern time folks! Here we have the lovely Jennifer (my sister) modeling the Kensington Tweed, knit up in Knit Picks City Tweed DK and Knit Picks Palette.

In the O

Kensington Tweed is a double-breasted jacket with a classic look. It can be worn to the office with a blouse and dress pants, or dressed-down with a pair of jeans and boots. This is the kind of piece that will be a closet staple.

Under the tree

The jacket is knit from the bottom up with set-in sleeves that are knit in the round from the bottom up and sewn in later. The piece is finished off with an applied I-cord edging around the body, neck and cuffs. The pattern includes a photo tutorial for the I-cord edging.

On the bench

I would like to say thank you to Anne Marie Hart for the technical editing of this pattern and to all of my wonderful testers for checking to make sure it does what it says it will. Also, a big thanks to my sister Jennifer for being a great model and making the photoshoot a fun morning – I wish we lived closer so you could always be my model (and, you know, because I love you).

On 11th st

As always, the pattern is available for purchase in my Ravelry shop. It is priced at $5.99 but will be 35% off until midnight MST October 13th. Get it while it’s hot!

Atticus Pullover

It’s knitting season again! I know, it’s really hot now, but fall is just around the corner. Now is the time to start that new sweater so that it’s ready for when those crisp days set in. With fall comes school, which calls for back to school clothes. So let me ever-so-modestly suggest you knit your little ones an Atticus Pullover to keep them warm at the bus stop this year.

A Mother’s Side Note: I’m so excited that I can finally share these pictures of Atticus. He’s so freakin’ cute in them it kills me!

Hero

My boy likes a lot of colour, and would be quite happy to wear the whole rainbow all the time. This is my toned-down version of his vision, lots of colour but not so much that your eyes cross.
The sweater is very simple but the stripe pattern makes it lots of fun. The piece is designed with generous ease to fit over a shirt and to grow with the child.

Other great front picture

The sample was knit in Cascade 220, a worsted-weight, 100% wool yarn. The pattern is written in 8 sizes, from 2 to 16, and fits with about 4″ of ease.

Close up

Thanks goes out again to Eleanor Dixon for Technical Editing, and to all my wonderful testers! I hope you all enjoy this new pattern as much as I do!

Back

The pattern is $6.00 US, but is on sale for $3.00 until midnight MST on August 17th.