#knittingdesigner

Most of the fourteen ribbed caps in this pile reflect changes I made for the fit and aesthetic I wanted. The rest are steps along the way, each one nice enough but not quite what I was aiming for.

My designs are usually things I can't find. It might be a matter of size, yarn weight, or practicality. Sometimes I wander into surprising projects like jockstraps without elastic, a counterweight basket, and a knitted balloon dog.

This little 4x6 inch book is falling apart, but it’s been the sole record of my personal knitting. Dozens upon dozens of socks are peppered with family quotes (How come when you say my heart’s in the right place it means my butt is still in trouble?) and graph paper is tucked in here and there. I wouldn’t say it contains dark magic, but my notation for socks is a bit cryptic. Feeling more than a little nostalgic. It’s a chronicle of my life, you see.

Hello. I’ve been knitting tiny socks for years. They just tickle my fancy. I have them strung across windows of my home, and I’ve given them as keepsakes to a lot of people.

Although I’ve seen some nice stockinette versions online and even some really cool colorwork, I’ve never seen any knit in pattern stitches. Until now.

These are my tiny Sock Ornaments 1-6. Over the years I’ve been asked whether they’re large enough for babies or pets. As you can see, they’re really more like a glove finger.

I’ve adapted six different pattern stitches to the size and proportions of my tiny socks. These aren’t just ornaments, though. They don’t just resemble a sock; they are actual top down, heel flap, and gusset socks.

They’re a good use for leftover yarn. They take relatively little time to knit, so they’re also a good choice between larger projects until you decide what’s next.

Hello. I’ve been publishing knitting patterns now for a little more than five years. This is the first design I published: my Tilting at Windmills Scarves.

They may look a little basic at first glance, but everything about the design was deliberate. I set out to produce the longest scarf I could from one 100 gram ball of worsted weight yarn. I came up with two shapes, both of which are six ft / 183 cm long. The trapezoid is 7 in / 18 cm across at its widest and uses 200 yds / 183 m. The triangle is 9 in / 23 cm across at the peak and uses 220 yds / 201 m. Both shapes taper to a blunt point at the end, so that in your coat they are less bulky and wrapped around your neck like a cowl the ends are easier to tuck in.

The pattern stitch may look complicated, but it’s really just knit back and forth in rows, and the regular geometric design is broadly appealing. There is a right side to this design and a wrong side, but you don’t see very much of a difference at a distance.

Like any knitted project, your choice of yarn will affect the way it looks. I’ve knit it in this solid green and this dusty rose, which show the pattern stitch very nicely. I’ve knit it in natural colors which, depending upon how you style it can be more casual or formal. I also think it’s fun to knit in multicolor yarns with long color runs for just a really fun result. And it’s a good stash buster because if you start out in one colorway and run out, you can just finish in something that coordinates. This is actually very striking when worn.

This just happened! 😮

Thanks to knitters in thirty-three countries, I’ve sold one thousand copies of my Hallgrim Scarf pattern!!! Time to celebrate. 🥳

In appreciation, all other patterns in my Ravelry store are 20% off from noon PST 18 Nov 24 (Monday) to noon PST 20 Nov 24 (Wednesday). No code required.

Island weather is almost chilly this week, so I'm knitting another worsted weight Jeanne's Cowl in more than one color. (My pattern samples are all single colorways.) I had a little anonymous ball of something that could be Malabrigo, so I started in black, knit the body in the multicolored yarn, and will finish in black. I have just enough for one more repeat of the body pattern before finishing the top. Considering that I started the cowl just this morning, it's going to be a one-day project. Yay!

This week I completed a six foot long piece of knitted lace, so there wasn't much to show along the way. Now that it's finished, I always have an urge to roll things up into a pillow or even loaf. That's how I store my scarves these days, too. This is a piece of what will be a larger design, and I'm rather pleased with how it turned out.