Introducing Steppingstones. Working with cashmere yarn. Meet Steppingstones - shown in our new limited edition color, pine. It's my new pattern whose name has a twofold meaning. Peppered with random-looking yet planned squares of stockinette stitch, these little squares invoke for me the notion of steppingstones scattered along 'rivers' of lace. The intent of the pattern is also a steppingstone - a 1-skein introduction to our fingering weight cashmere yarn with basic stitches opened up on a US size 5 knitting needle so that the result would be ephemeral and beautiful, simple enough for new knitters yet interesting enough for seasoned ones. A scarf is born. Often, I design from stitch patterns. I love to knit swatches of various knitting stitches and...
Knitting through your fears Two months ago, I introduced you to my sister-in-law Linda and her journey to knit the Wanderer wrap as a new knitter. (Read Part I) This weekend, I made a quick trip home to visit family in Northern Lower Michigan and connected with Linda to check in on her progress. Ready to be blown away? Look at this! Linda only started knitting this year, completing just two hats in chunky yarn on US size 13 and 15 needles. I'm blown away and so stinking proud of her. When I looked over the knitting, I couldn't find a mistake. Linda confessed that when she cast on, she still wasn't sure she could do this project. That confession was a...
There's a lot of vulnerability for designers in launching a new pattern. How will makers respond to your creativity? Will they want to make your design? Will all your hours of work be rewarded by positive energy and income? With all that anxiety, it's no wonder that I have felt sheer joy hearing from makers about the Wanderer pattern. I'm delighted that my sister-in-law Linda wanted to jump in and make it, not at all deterred by common knitter worries: working with smaller needles, being a new knitter working with cashmere, learning to read a pattern and chart, taking the time to swatch to learn the stitches, become familiar with the yarn, and get gauge. It's all the...
For knitters who feel daunted by small gauge knitting needles and fine-gauge yarn, this post is for you. Meet my sister-in-law Linda, a new knitter. Last December, Linda was on a plane trip with a girlfriend who was knitting hats. Watching her friend knit, Linda thought, “I can do that.” Back home, Linda bought bulky acrylic yarn and size 13 and 15 needles, pulled up YouTube videos on how-to-knit and away she went, immediately knitting two hats. Out of the blue, she texted me a photo of her finished hats - I was thrilled for this new knitter! Linda has longed for our Sand Waves Poncho, designed by Norah Gaughan, even before she became a knitter. It absolutely planted a...
Introducing Wanderer. A new design in cashmere. Say hello to your new all-season staple, Wanderer. I designed Wanderer in the midst of Covid in anticipation of a return to - well, wandering. Thankfully, the time to wander has come. My original intent was to wear this piece as a true wrap, tossed over the shoulder. As my piece grew, I happened to drape the ends to the front of my body (as shown in the photo above-thank you, my dear friend Janet, for modeling!) and discovered the beauty of the mirrored lace edges when worn that way. Just as beautiful is the drape in the back (see photo below). This discovery changed the length of the design and opened up...
