FAIL, a sale and Cordate is out!

Oy...hey there, so I made no progress on my WIPs this week  >_<  At least I did finish up and release Cordate! Annnd....2/17 through 3/2 all patterns in my Rav shop will be 25% off...no code needed!



$4.50

Swatch It: Alluvion

This poor sweater has nearly been swatched to death! It is still a WIP, actually it has been languishing a bit. I am almost done with the body, but I have just been soooo easily distracted lately...plus my niece is scheduled to enter the world at the beginning of March, so baby knitting has taken priority :)

Anyway here is a look at the ridiculous amount of swatches...







So...what's with all the swatches, right?!? Well, this is what happens when I really want to work with a yarn that I have never used before! I was trying different patterns to check out the stitch definition, making large swatches to check the drape and mostly trying to find out what the yarn wanted to be.  By the way, the yarn is Blue Sky Alpacas Techno and it is unlike anything I have used before. It is extremely light and fluffy and just different. It does not have any twist, as it is a silk net tube with baby alpaca and merino "blown" into it.

The winner ended up being the swatch in the third picture, I like how the simpler antler cable and garter rib compliment the yarn better.  Also I worried that the fuzziness of the yarn might end up obscuring the more detailed texture patterns over time. Don't worry, though...they will be making appearances in other designs at some point!

I am heading out of town again for a bit (more skiing!), but before I do, I hope to make some more progress both on Alluvion and some baby knits! So before the week is out I should hopefully have at least a WIP shot and a cute little FO or two :)

OPP's: Parisian Twist

Oh, I love this...so quick, too! I kept seeing ads for this in my Rav notebook and I needed something to keep my ears warm while my hair was in a ponytail...serendipitous! I present to you, my Parisian Twist:







I really love working on other designers' patterns.  It is a nice break from the work of designing, I mean I am able to just sit down and get knitting...no math, no pressure! I try to keep it to small accessories and the like, though, so I don't feel guilty that I am taking away too much time from my designing!

Swatch It: Gamine

Here's a look back at the beginnings of Gamine...if you look close you can even see the origins of Cordate in this swatch! This was actually the fourth or fifth swatch for Gamine.  As I said in a previous post, Gamine was the first garment design idea that I sketched out in my little design notebook.  I wanted to take a lot of time with it to make sure that it was right!



This was the first swatch that was done in the final color. I know a lot of you anti-swatchers might think I am crazy...but my original swatches were in another color, that didn't end up being quite right. The different colors felt a bit different weight and drape-wise, so I went ahead and did another swatch in the final color. Obsessive, maybe...but it ensures that my pattern will come out the correct size and so will your FO! 

How I Wore It: Coastal Hoodie

Can I just say I love my Hoodie!?! It really is the perfect weight for our mild Southern winters. I  wore this quite a bit apres ski with my awesome Teva snowboots, a couple days it was quite warm and I didn't need anything over it...though it is a nice weight for layering under jackets.



This is like my daily uniform, I just alternate between jeans and T's :) Also I am still crazy in love with RadLab, if you couldn't tell ;P

An Interview...

Hey there, just a quick little post for you today! I was interviewed by Robin Hunter on her blog, check it out.  It was really fun and the questions were quite interesting and thought provoking for me. Thanks, Robin!

Right now I am working on putting the finishing touches on Cordate, so hopefully it will be ready to go next week! I also have to edit all those photos I took so I can show you guys some more of my Swatch Its, How I Wore It and an O.P.P. (Other Person's Pattern) that kept me warm on the slopes.

And...I am back!

Sorry for my absence, I was on vacation! I would have posted to let you guys know, but I had planned on scheduling posts while I was gone. Obviously that did not work out  >_< I did get all of the photos taken at least! To be honest, I am not sure why I thought I would have time to edit photos, write and schedule posts all while preparing for a week-long, multi-stop road trip!

I did enjoy my vacation...I still bear the bruises! First we stopped up at my sister's so I could have a joint birthday party with my nephew...he turned three and I turned...a lot more than that (like +29)! I am happy to report that he loved his little monster and promptly named him "Shark."

After our stop there we headed about 2.5 hours SW (well it actually took a lot longer than that because there was fog thicker than pea soup on winding mountain roads!) to Wintergreen, VA. There, Ken and I skied for the first time...of course he took to it like a duck to water and I took to it like a duck about to be flambeed!
Why yes, I do have video evidence:

This brilliant bit of skiing was after 2.5 days on the slopes, one group lesson and about an hour into a 3 hour private lesson. Even better, we are going to Utah in a few weeks, maybe by then I will progress to actually using poles ;P

Here are some shots on the mountain, Eagles' Swoop:



And The Plunge tubing park (I was really good at this, heh):