beautifully simple autumn knitting

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend! One of my best friends came into town to visit and cook with me. Despite the frigid weather, we had a blast.

The weekend started with some crazy cooking - sausage stuffing, a teeny tiny turkey, green bean casserole, AMAZING roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and a caramel apple pie - and continued with a whirlwind of neighborhood hopping, yarn shop visiting and feather purchasing. Yes, feather purchasing occurred here.

We visited two yarn shops - The Knitting Workshop on Damen in Bucktown, and Nina on Division in Wicker Park.

Nina is my favorite yarn shop in Chicago. I must admit, I am a bit biased since I am a former employee of the shop, but it's just a lovely place to admire fiber and ponder new projects.

At The Knitting Workshop, we spotted my Malabrigo Rasta Cowl pattern in the wild...!!! Super exciting :)

We had a few spontaneous photo shoot moments while waiting for the bus...

 And a fantastic knitting photo shoot ensued on the final day of our adventures...

Rasta Cowl on my Needles

Pattern Preview: Slouchy Pom Hat

Here's a preview of my Slouchy Pom Hat, which I'm almost ready to publish...

  

Neck Truffle Free Pattern - Quick Holiday Gift Knitting

Published in January 2009, my Neck Truffle pattern seemed to be a hit at the yarn shop where I was working at the time. It's super quick, and the stitch pattern simple enough for beginners to master.The ribbon lacing makes it special, luxurious, and great for gift giving.

It's been almost a year since the pattern was launched and there are now over 100 Neck Truffle projects on Ravelry!

It's very flattering to have other knitters like my designs enough to knit their own! I'd like to feature a few of my favorite Neck Truffle patterns...

Michelle is knitting a Neck Truffle with Malabrigo Rasta - one of my favorite super bulky yarns. This colorway is gorgeous!

 Photo Courtesy of mikki552 on Ravelry

How about buttons instead of the ribbon? Looks great! I'm always a fan of toggles :) and it seems like a lot of us are lovers of Malabrigo Rasta!

It's so inspiring to see the color choices and different embellishments on these projects.

Photo Courtesy of rejennarate on Ravelry

The simple monochromatic color theme used in this version is stunning. This is a classic that would fit into anyone's wardrobe.

Photo Courtesy of dottieschmat on Ravelry

It's so fantastic seeing how people customize my patterns for themselves. I hope all of my designs evoke the 'beautifully simple' theme, allowing knitters to put their own personality into their creations. The ability to modify this pattern keeps it interesting and makes for individualized gifts.

What are you knitting for Holiday gifts this year?

Manly Scarf for a Manly Man

I know that knitters everywhere are always on the search for the perfect man-friendly scarf pattern. My man, being picky about his knits, approves of the scarf I knit for him this year. An easy peasy pattern knit with Malabrigo Worsted - this is Tortuga (although most Tortuga I've seen lately is purplish, mine was black!)

Pattern Details Coming Soon!