Rousette Shawl

This summer I released a shawl pattern called Rousette. It's named after one of Gigi's favorite animals, the fruit bat. When she saw it, she said that she could see hanging fruit bats in the edging. I thought the name was perfect.

Hopefully those of you who are not as enamored of bats will not find this too creepy. On a positive note, if you do, you've just found the perfect Halloween project to knit.

The shawl is knit in Knit Picks Stroll Sock Tonal in Kindling. It requires 450 yards of fingering weight yarn and is worked on size 5 needles.

Just call me a lover of all things creepy crawly,
Joyce

Weekend knitting

I spent most of Sunday knitting and watching Netflix.  Netflix watch instantly has transformed my world.  I rarely watch tv.  That's not to say that I don't watch any tv, but with the joy that is dvr technology, I (like much of the country, I suspect) don't watch my tv shows when they're on regular tv.  I'm much too distracted for that! (Plus one comes on while I'm at work and another comes on the night of knitting group. What was CBS thinking?!?!)

But, I only watch three shows regularly.  Which means that when I want to knit a project that is somewhat complicated, I have to search for something to watch.  Netflix has come to my rescue.  They have tons of tv shows and movies that I can stream to my computer.  I will admit that I mostly watch the PBS and History Channel shows that they have available, but Hubbie and I have recently begun watching Futurama together.

Given that it has been the spooky time of year, I've been watching a lot of shows on ghosts.  I love this time of year because I get to gorge myself of ghost stories.  Reading them, listening to them, watching tv shows on them.  So much fun.  I don't actually believe in ghosts (I think), but I grew up in a family with a tradition of telling ghost stories at get togethers.  I used to love to sit next to my mom as she told stories of the house that she lived in that she thought was haunted.  I'd get chills and goosebumps.  It was awesome!

Sadly, my family is now spread over a good portion of the country, so the tradition hasn't continued.  Instead I turn to the internet and Netflix and the ghost stories of others to give me my Halloween chills.

My glut of weekend tv watching go me through a garter stitch scarf and 70% of the shawlette version of Mercia.

Winnie the wonderdog was kind enough to model the scarf for me.  He's such a cutie (but also a total spaz. The only reason he sat still long enough to take this picture was Hubbie standing behind me holding a treat.)

It's knit in an angora wool Handspun by Jamie Harmon.  It's really quite soft and lovely.

I'm knitting the shawlette version of Mercia in the Knit Picks Stroll Tonal sock that was left over from the shawlette version of Butterfly Bush.  It is the perfect amount and the yellow shows off the stitch pattern really well.

It's about time Mother Nature realized it was Autumn,
Joyce

Butterfly Bush Shawl

The Butterfly Bush shawl was the first shawl that I charted from my design notebook.  (The others had thus far been designed using stitch dictionaries.)  The design notebook goes everywhere with me (except to the lab today which meant that I had to design my Mother In Law's Christmas shawl on the back of another pattern. Oops!)

Originally knit in Malabrigo Silky Merino in Pollen, I sent pictures to Knit Picks and requested yarn support.  Much to my joy, they said yes and sent me yarn.  (I love yarn! Sorry, got distracted for a minute.)
The DK shawl is worked in Knit Picks Gloss DK in Jade on size 8 needles.

The fingering weight shawlette is worked in Stroll Sock Tonal in Golden Glow on size 5 needles.

The pattern for Butterfly Bush is available through Knit Picks or by clicking on the button below.

GiGi laid claim to the Jade version before it was even finished, but that's only because she wanted the Malabrigo version.  But... I had to put my foot down and say no.  I know, shocking, isn't it?

It's a pity I don't really look good in yellow,
Joyce

Mercia is up on Knit Picks

Mercia is up on Knit Picks. 

Knit in 800 yards of Knit Picks Stroll Sock Tonal in Gypsy (the pattern also includes a shawlette version that takes 400 yards).  I'm not ashamed to say that I love her. 

I've knit her twice.  The first time it wasn't love, but then I did that thing that designers sometimes do.  I tweaked her a little bit.  If she were a human, she probably would have slapped me (plus I'm sure that Hubbie would have had a lot of questions too).

The first version was in Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool which is a lovely DK weight.

But I went I finished it, I realized that she needed to be in a finer weight. So when I contacted Knit Picks about the pattern I requested a sock weight.  (It didn't hurt that the Stroll is very soft and knits up great!)
But as I was knitting the second version, I realized that I wasn't incredibly fond of parts of the edging.
The original:

The remake:

I liked the remake much better.  It finally looked like I wanted it to look.  So Yay!  Designing score!

Mercia is named, indirectly, after TK.  Mercia is an ancient region in England, the region where her name originates.  So this dedication goes out to you, TK!

Am I the only one with Casey Kasem in her head now,
Joyce