defiKNITely's Blog

A pop of color in summer: Sunglow cowl pattern

2012-05-03T01:18:00Z

I have such great news to share... I released another pattern today! Let me introduce Sunglow, a cowl to ward off the chill of the early morning. It's worked in the round, with the Sunglow pattern interspersed between increasingly wider panels of stockinette stitch. Quince & Co. Lark comes in such vivid colors - perfect for adding a pop to your wardrobe. So, go ahead, let the sun in!

Size

adult cowl - 44 inches around

Yarn

Quince & Co. Lark (100% wool; 134yd /50g)

2 skeins in color Goldfinch 124

Needles

size US 7/4.5 mm 40 inch circular needle, or size needed to obtain gauge

Notions

tapestry needle, 12 stitch markers (one different for end of round)

Gauge

15 stitches and 28 rows = 4 inches in Stockinette Stitch

Swatching hearts

2012-01-23T21:06:11Z

My creative juices have been flowing lately and this past weekend was no exception. I was busy making swatches, writing down ideas and looking through my inspiration files (now digital, not torn out pieces of paper all over my house... what a mess that was!).

I've had hearts on my brain lately, and not just because Valentine's Day is around the corner. Little S and Big S have helped me through a very tough time these past few months. They have such big hearts... it makes me smile just thinking about them. They have shown me so much love - it melts my heart. This is my expression of all that love.

Great resource for knitting books...

2012-01-19T22:00:36Z

No, it's not a secret website or bookstore... think more local than that. Yes, your local library! Have you checked out your local library's collection of knitting books yet? If not, I highly encourage you to get online and see what's available in the catalog.

These are the books I currently have checked out. Now, I live in a decent sized city, so I can request books from quite a few libraries in my system, but I never would have imagined the selection to be so good. In the past I have checked out stitch dictionaries, books about Estonian lace, color-working and finishing techniques. And the best part of it all... it's free!!

Another pattern! Lana Poncho over at Petite Purls

2012-01-10T19:14:25Z

That's right... I finally get to break my silence and announce my Lana poncho pattern is in the Winter 2011/2012 edition of Petite Purls! It always so difficult to keep projects like this off the blog until the magazine goes live, but I managed to hold off all pictures and talking about it.

Lana is a stylish poncho, with a chunky cable motif and a matching belt to tie it all together. It's knit from the bottom up in one piece, using a tweed yarn to make the fabric visually interesting. Best of all, this and all the patterns at Petite Purls are free!

Check out Lana Poncho and all the other wonderful patterns from this issue!

Wishbraid Pattern

2012-01-09T05:25:56Z

Introducing wishbraid -- the headband, bracelet, anything you wishbraid. Perfect for selfish AND gift knitting.

Sometimes my inspiration hits me and I can't think about anything else. This was one of those patterns... I usually wear my hair in an elastic headband to the gym and was noticing that my hair looks darn cute when I wear it like that. But I'm in gym clothes, which are not so cute. I thought to myself, "now wouldn't it be nice to have something like this that I could wear in my hair with cute clothes... wait, I knit... I could knit something". And the rest is history. The great thing about this pattern is that it could be modified so many different ways to be a bracelet (included in the pattern), a belt, a necklace...

What do you wish wishbraid to be?

Please note: I managed to omit the last row's instructions when I posted this pattern originally. The corrected file name is wishbraidv1.pdf. Please download again if you have the old one!

wishbraid pattern page

::Sneak Peek::

2012-01-06T23:00:35Z

Earlier this week I had this idea pop into my head and it was one of those ideas I couldn't stop thinking about. So, I pulled out my needles and some stash yarn and I knit... can you guess what it is?

As soon as I can get Big S to take some pictures of me wearing it (have you guessed yet?) I'll publish it as a free pattern. It's been a while since I posted a free pattern!

Ravelry LovinKnit: Asymmetry

2012-01-05T22:59:15Z

There's something about asymmetrical elements that always make me look twice. These are a few of my growing list of favorites on Ravelry. I hope you like them too!

1. Ebb Tide by Yumiko Alexander available for purchase as a download (photo credit: DanDoh on Ravelry)

2. Boe by fallmasche available for purchase as a download (photo credit: quarterofaninch on Ravelry)

3. Freija by Mari Muinonen available for purchase as a download here (photo credit: dayana on Ravelry)

Starting anew

2012-01-01T22:18:36Z

Things have been silent on my end... I can't possibly begin to explain the things I have gone through over the past few weeks, months. I'm not one to get too personal on this blog... I like for the blog to focus on what I love to do: knit, sew, craft. But when my personal life affects the things that I love to do, I feel I need to offer an explanation. I'll leave it at this: we have been trying very hard to add to our beautiful family this past year, but it has resulted in a few losses, lots of tears and heartache.

I'm mending. I'm looking forward, trying to forget the pains of the past.

I love January 1st every year because the day offers so much hope. A new year for new beginnings. I've decided not to focus on a resolution this year because I want to make changes each year that will last a lifetime.

Here is what I am working on changing in my life: I want to be mindful of my purchases for myself, for my family and for friends. I want to support local artisans and small businesses as much as possible. I want to reduce our waste and recycle what waste we do produce. I want to teach Little S about charity and let her see how fortunate we are. I want to be a better person.

It's never too late to see what you want to change in your life and make those changes. Here's to a Happy 2012 -- may you have the strength to change the things you want to change in your life... and have enough time to knit, sew, craft and have fun!

I just can't get enough

2011-11-21T22:23:00Z

That's right... another Frost Flowers pattern. I made this for a dear friend's baby girl. It was a fun and fast knit - less than a week for me. If only all projects took that long!

Pattern: Immie Tee by Carrie Bostick Hoge

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Heritage Solids & Quatro Colors

Size: 3-6 months

A few of my mods:

-made long sleeves vs. short sleeves

-did three needle bind off for underarm

-on first garter round for neck, I did p2tog over the frost flowers section to tighten it up a bit

-used suspended bind off

Quick... time for something new on my needles!

First Frost Cowl

2011-11-14T19:20:30Z

I did it! I finished my cowl that I was knitting for the Carefree Cowl KAL over at luvinthemommyhood. I think I'm officially hooked on KALs... it's the extra motivation I need to stay focused and keep knitting (and finish) a project. As a bonus, I managed to complete it in time for our family photo shoot this past Saturday. My loving husband snapped a few pictures of it before our photoshoot so I'd have some on my camera to share. I'm loving it! It's going to be a great accessory for the rest of fall/winter here in the desert.

Pattern: Imogen Cowl by Carrie Bostick Hoge

Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Fortissima Alpaka