Malabrigo Book 3 - My Scalloped Shawl Made the Cover!!

While I was browsing the Malabrigo website today, I discovered that they linked an extensive preview for Book 3. This is very exciting since I have several designs in the book and I can't wait to have a hard copy in my hands!

Check out the Malabrigo Book 3 Preview Here

Here is a glance of my designs lucky enough to make the book:

The Rasta Neckwarmer, made with 1 skein of Malabrigo Rasta in #862 Piedras

The Twist Cowl, made with 2 skeins of Malabrigo Twist in #18 Applewood

 

The Scalloped Shawl, made with Malabrigo Silky Merino #430 Smoke

The Scalloped Shawl, made with Malabrigo Sock in #851 Turner and #803 Ochre

Malabrigo Book 3 features 19 pattern designs from six different well-known and up-and-coming designers (I definitely fall under the up-and-coming category, heh), including:

Julie Weisenberg of cocoknits fame (Ravelry Designer Page)

Kristen Rengren of Retroknit, and author of Vintage Baby Knits (Ravelry Designer Page)

The prolificly published Mercedes T. Clark (Ravelry Designer Page) of piebird design

Stefanie Goodwin-Ritter (Ravelry Designer Page), an awesome indie designer and author of Handmade by Stefanie

Stephen West (Ravelry Designer Page), author of West Knits Book 1, who can be found at WestKnits.com

and Me, Breean E. Miller! I'm so excited to be included in a book with such fantastic designers :)

The folks at Malabrigo recently updated their website that the book will be available in December!

Knitting Inspiration - Anthropologie

I've always been inspired by trips to Anthropologie. Their wide array of display styles, colors, patterns and products have always kept me fascinated. I know I'm not the only person that feels inspired looking at their window displays because there are entire blogs dedicated to the Anthro shopping experience. In my recent trip to the store, I was inspired by several of their knitted items (of course).

Here are a few of my favorites. Yes. I snapped pictures inside the store. So shoot me, already!

An adorable headband and earwarmer, this little guy is knitted in a puffy single ply yarn - a heavy worsted weight would by my guess. Malabrigo Worsted might be a good choice in replicating this. It's constructed in three separate sections worked in 1x1 rib, then the strips are braided together and the cast on and bind off edges are seamed together. Easy peasy! And very cute.

This beautiful cloche hat was a very dense material. A crochet fabric might be better for structure, but you could just as easily create a simple knitted cap for this type of look. An agora blend yarn would be a good choice, or something with alpaca, or perhaps event mohair. The pretty bow is simply sewn on after the hat is made.

I have a few awesome embellishments of my own at home awaiting placement on some knitted goods. I like to get my embellishments at Soutache, a store selling trims, ribbons and buttons in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood. I think it's one of my favorite places in the city.

There were also a great array of beautiful gloves at the store. These were among my favorites - a bit of colorwork to brighten up any drab winter wardrobe. I prefer the middle version, with the tan and yellow. This simple leafy vine pattern would be easy to replicate on a bevy of knitted accessories. What an inspiration! I keep seeing fairisle items all over this year, so I need to get working on one!

Are there stores or places that inspire your knitting?

Quince & Co. and Some Snow!

Chicago gets a fair amount of snow, but not as much as you'd think based on its proximity to Lake Michigan. Nevertheless, it's freezing here, and the slush is starting to set in. I recently made some online orders and both of them came yesterday, brightening my day!

A bit of lovely yarn from Quince & Co. - 2 skeins of Lark, a puffy 4-ply made from 100% American Wool. The skeins are extremely squishy, and my boyfriend thought I was a bit crazy squeezing the skeins and looking like I was going to pass out!

I purchased two colorways - Bark, a lovely earthy brown,  and Frost, a white tinged with the slightest bit of blue - intending to create a colorwork hat or cowl. I can't wait to wind these up and start swatching :) You'll have to excuse the blurry shot - my iPhone and indoor lighting to not mix.

The package included a Tern colorcard and a signed thank you note from the folks at Quince & Co. - how sweet is that?

I also received my adorable gift tags from Knitterella - super cute. I love how they make it easy to include care instructions with your knitted gift - and in a beautiful way! Here's a shot from the website:

Knitterella

I have quite a few knitted gifts going out this year and these tags will make each one a bit more special. I'll share the details of my super secret Holiday knitting soon!

december is upon us...

I cannot believe how incredibly fast this entire year has passed by. Is it really December already?! I went to work this morning in a swirl of snowflakes - pretty appropriate.

There's no better time to show you one of my favorite scarf patterns - the Midori scarf by SpillyJane, which is available for free download on Ravelry.

My version is knit with Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Worsted (2 skeins). The simple lace pattern knits up quickly and looks great in variegated and hand painted yarns. I made the scarf extra, extra long so that it could be wrapped around my neck multiple times. The fringe I added makes it a bit fun to wear.

Which scarf patterns are you knitting and wearing this year?

slouchy-pom hat pattern

Finally! The slouchy-pom hat pattern is ready for sale! :) A special thanks to my pal Kasi for being an excellent model for the official photo shoot!

$4.00 USD

The slouchy-pom pattern is just for the hat. the mitts are a slight modification of the fantabulous pattern, Raspberry Mitts. I'll try to get the details of my modifications up on Ravelry soon.

The slouchy-pom hat takes one skein of Cascade Eco Duo, a beautifully soft and fluffy alpaca yarn. It sheds a bit, but creates a superbly interesting fabric.

Such a simple hat pattern can be modified in several ways - fair isle, stripes, embellishments like embroidery or buttons. The possibilities are endless! It's always my hope that people will take what I've created and make it their own. This is one of the best parts of knitting!

Customize your slouchy-pom hats! I can't wait to see the different versions people create.

  $4.00 USD