Hello, 2022

The New Year is rung in and I helped ring out Fasten Off Yarnalong 2021 in fine fashion. If you were on the Fasten Off Discord channel at all on December 31st we probably exchanged emojis. I was there as many hours as I could possibly manage, and the result was an absolutely wonderful time amongst fellow yarn crafters. And a serious(?) inside joke ;)

Back to the business of pattern design and (fingers crossed) sales! Knit Dance Repeat Designs has a birthday in a few days! 7 years already! (Thank you for that, by the way.) Later this month I'll be starting the re-release of my back catalogue with updated photos and format. No important information has been changed; all changes are cosmetic. I want my logo in place, for example. Stay tuned for the first re-release pattern!

One thing that has changed is I've retired a pattern as of January 1st: Drills is no longer available. Admittedly it wasn't my best effort, and while I still like the basic concept, it just isn't up to snuff with my revamp. I might revisit the idea behind it down the road ;)

What's on my personal needles? I'm working on Twist Again by Robynn Weldon🔗 (link goes to the pattern page in Robynn's Payhip store) which is a gorgeous cabled sweater. This was my cast-on/project during Fasten Off 2021. I knew I wouldn't finish it in December but I had to start it. And I'm also trying to finish up a large ball of cotton yarn by continuing to make sets of Seashell Scrubbies (pattern by Aoibhe Ní🔗 link goes to her website). I made quite a few sets of four and gave them as small gifts recently, so having more on hand makes sense. 

Personal finishes: A blanket for my furry niece Silver Belle, who celebrated her 5th birthday (as near as we can calculate by her approximate age when she was rescued) on December 23rd. It's very basic but pretty which is just perfect for a furry girl. The edge likes to curl up as you'll see but otherwise it's perfect. I used Red Heart Roll With It Sparkle in the colorway "Magic" (bought by Silver's mom) on a 4.5mm circular needle. And here's the finished photo:

I hope you were able to finish any gift projects you had deadlines for in December. It's nice to end the year on a high point, and start the new year with fresh projects. I never quite manage to have everything done for the new year. Maybe to start 2023? :D

That's all for today. Remember to stay tuned for news of patterns re-releasing in the upcoming days, weeks and months.

Yours in yarn, and new year vibes,

Síle

Finished Object Friday!

YarnTowers.comYes, really :) I can happily announce a finished project.

My Finola is off the hook! :) And I love how it's turned out. Now I need an occasion to wear it. Those sparkles say "Dress up, girl!" to me lol

And of course Jakey decided to photobomb. Little cutie.

(Finola was designed by Aoibhe Ní and can be found on her website YarnTowers.com along with all of her other clever and beautiful designs.)

Are you close to an FO? Or maybe you just started a new WIP? I'd love to hear about what you've got on the go

Yours in yarn and sparkles,

Síle

Something a Little Different

Quick post today :)

Do you like trying out crafting techniques that are just a bit different than the usual? For example, Tunisian crochet instead of standard crochet. I like changing things up a bit, sort of testing my skills, stretching my craft muscles.

As you know, I've been working on the Finola shawl (by the talented designer Aoibhe Ní; her website is YarnTowers.com🔗), which is stretching my crochet muscles to Tunisian crochet. It's coming along great and I'm really enjoying the making. And it got me thinking about my knitting muscle. How can I stretch that? What step up can I reach for?

Have you ever seen 3 color double-knitting? I hadn't until I saw the Waterford Wrap by Alasdair Post-Quinn (link to his website, double-knitting.com, is in the sidebar). Revisiting patterns I own lately got my mind to thinking that's something I'd like to try. So I started on a little test piece/swatch the other day, and I'm really pleased with myself for how it's coming along. Here's a collage photo, so you can see both sides:

You might find my "flowers" familiar. They're the same ones I used on the sides of my Rínce Fada scarf :) So that's my little experiment right now. And yes, there's a reason for my playing with 3 color double-knitting, but that's for a later day!

September 1st, the unofficial first day of Fall. This year is zipping by for me. I hope you're ready to dive into sweater season! I know I am :)

Yours in yarn and the tangle 3 color knitting puts me in,

Síle

Summertime...

 And the knitting has been slow and not all that steady. 

Like many of you, we've been experiencing warmer than normal temperatures, (remember, I live on an island in the North Atlantic Ocean known for its stunning views of icebergs) with the addition of very wet, muggy air. I don't mind a bit of heat, part of my prairie dwelling past, but humidity does me in. 

And humidity doesn't make blocking a very easy process when nothing wants to dry. This has impacted the finishing of Hap-Hazard the worst. Lace requires a good stretch blocking to show at its best. As of right now, it's still looking quite rumpled in that unblocked lace way that makes a knitter question if they've made a horrible mistake or several.

I have managed to, slowly, start work on another new design. This will be a tote bag I'm dubbing the Four Hand Reel. I have one main side finished, and the other is about half done. Then comes the bottom/sides/strap piece, which is joined as I knit it. I chose bright colors (it requires four) which makes it a very cheerful knit. So that's coming along really nicely, and it might be possible to have the pattern out later this year. I hope.

Waiting on news of my Hornpipe Bag? It's in a minor timeout right now. I was so confident what I wrote would work but that was not the case! I'm in the midst of simplifying and reworking the drawstring eyelets. I'm still aiming to have it released this year and (finally) bring "All the Jigs and Reels" to a close. Stay tuned!

I hope the summer weather hasn't impacted your crafting too negatively this year. I'm "behind" on my personal projects as well, but there's joy in not having deadlines on those at least. I'm on the neckband of my Finola (by Aoibhe Ní; her website is here) which has been an excellent intro to Tunisian crochet for me. Here's a photo I took of it on a much sunnier day when I took it out on the back deck for some outdoor crafting: 

It should be finished in not too long! :)

That's it from me on this cloudy Saturday!

Yours in yarn and unreached deadlines,

Síle

Well Did You Ever...

 What a swell party this is! 

Yes, I once again have song lyrics stuck in my head :) Hard not to some days, especially when you learn you hit "save" on a post but not "publish" *facepalm*. So today you can read two posts that are new to you!

I meant to write this earlier this month, but life has a funny way of derailing plans. 

Are you familiar with Germander Cottage Crafts? It's a blog and shop run by Hanna, and she's been running featured indy designers every month. I'm so pleased to be May's featured designer!! Be sure to pop over and have a look see at both the blog and shop :) 

Speaking of Off-Rav Designers, one of my personal projects right now is Aoibhe Ní's Finola (link is directly to the pattern page on Aoibhe's website, YarnTowers.com). I hadn't ever done more than a square in Tunisian crochet before and look at this beautiful shawl I'm in the midst of!

If you've ever considered trying Tunisian crochet, I highly recommend Aoibhe's patterns. Not only are they well written, she also has fantastic videos showing exactly how she does the various steps of the pattern. And I'm not normally someone who finds videos helpful! You can find my project notes for this, and my other projects, over on my other blog here.

How's your weather? We're having a cold rainy snap to end out May. Really hoping weatherman Eddie is right and warmer temps are coming to start off June!

Speaking of June, how is that next week already?? They say time flies when you're having fun but I haven't had much fun lately, and it's still zooming by!

That's it for today! Be sure to checkout the hashtag #WIPWednesdayOffRav on Twitter and Instagram today for all kinds of inspiring projects, patterns, and yarns! Wednesdays are so nice with all the photos :)

Your's in yarn and a warm sweater (I told you it's cold here! lol),

Síle