Finery's up, Crinaeae's on deck and Poseidon's Realm Pt. 2 is in the hole!

Since things have been back on track for a bit, it is nice to finally start seeing some progress! The great sample knitter experiment is underway. So far, so good.

First up is Finery, which was released on Friday. I love doing fun and colorful striped and patterned cardigans like Coastal Hoodie and Thyone, but sometimes it is nice to have a classic cardigan that will go with anything! That was the idea behind Finery. A simple, easy to knit cardigan with a few fine details to dress it up a bit.

Also, as an aside, I just got my haircut and I LOVE it! I hate taking a ton of time to do my hair, so nothing beats the magic of a wash and wear style for me. Especially in the summer, in the south...the local weatherman described the weather for this week as "an oppressive stretch," I can't wait. Fall always takes too long to come!

On deck is Crinaeae, a cable and lace cardigan, also with a coordinating hat. I have almost finished up the samples, which have taken forever due to my CTS. I figured it was best if I finished them instead of sending them off to a sample knitter halfway done. My main concern was that the it would be pretty hard to get an exact gauge match and I didn't want a noticeable line on the cardigan where there was a pinch knitter (to keep the baseball references going)! I don't have any shots of the set for you right now, but I am hoping that everything will be ready to roll on this very soon!

There had to be a Part 2, right?! I had originally intended the second in the Poseidon's Realm series to be done within 6 months of the first, but yeah, that didn't happen. The bonus is that it was supposed to only have 3 patterns, but now will have 5 and maybe even 6 new shawl patterns. One sample is already done and 2 have been partially completed by sample knitters, so I am planning on this one to be ready early October. Here is a look at Dictynna in lovely Rasta in Arco Iris:

I love Rasta so much, nothing like instant gratification. Especially for someone like me that doesn't get that very often. I know some of you hate knitting with large needles, but at least it is only for a very short amount of time, right?!

Changing Your Style.

Knitting style, that is. In an effort to reduce stress on my wrists and maybe even speed up my glacial pace a bit, I have been trying different knitting styles. I am sure you have seen the debate that rages on about changing styles. At least once a week or so, a thread will pop up in the "Techniques" forum on Ravelry asking which is the best, fastest, etc. knitting style. Of course, the responses tend to run the gamut from "knit more to get faster at your current style" to "Continental is obviously the fastest" which is then countered by "the world's fastest knitter knits English" and on and on. At least most people tend to agree that it is good to have more than one style in your arsenal.

I think it tends to be a lot like running. When I was a marathon coach and still now, working a few hours a week at a running store, I am always asked if it is a good idea to change your running style. It is also often for the same reason that knitters want to change their style: to get faster, more efficient and to prevent injuries. But, changing a style that has become second nature can be quite difficult, whether running or knitting.

Knitter's Ailments and a Designer's Woes, Pt. 2

Here I am with the second installment of solutions I have implemented to help with the common knitter/designer issues I have come up against this year. Check out Part 1 for the first bit and back-story.

The next solution on my list is to stop sitting so much! I did that, but my productivity suffered quite a bit. I could only sit for so long, either knitting, sketching, or at the computer. If I ended up sitting for too long sketching, I would be done for the day on any other sitting work that needed to be done. This one is definitely not a cheap solution, but only 24 hours in and I am in love: a standing desk. Here is a little cell phone shot of my new baby...after the jump.

Knitter's Ailments and a Designer's Woes, Pt.1

I am sure that many of you have noticed that I am not around nearly as much as I used to be. My pattern releases have been less frequent, I only pop into Ravelry occasionally and I am sure that you can tell from the lack of posts here, I have been neglecting this blog the most. So what's the deal? I have fallen prey to the most common of knitter's ailments: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

This is nothing new for me. I have small wrists, so that made me a likely candidate no matter what career path I chose. It is one of the main reasons I gave up cosmetology, plus an allergy to perm solution made a job in a salon pretty miserable for me! With knitting, I have always done well managing it, but lately it has just been wearing me down.

In addition to the CTS, my lower back has been killing me lately...I think I have officially crossed into "getting old" territory. It has made sitting for long periods quite uncomfortable. Of course, when typing or knitting, I usually end up in a seated position. 

So, what are my plans to overcome these issues? Find out after the jump.

New Releases and a Sale!

I have spent most of the winter and early spring working on some secret stuff, so that is why I haven't been around. Unfortunately, I can't drop any hints for awhile yet, but I hope it will be worth it! Lets move to subjects I can discuss.

Last week I released both Adrastea and Heliades! It is probably a little late in the year for hats for those of us in the northern hemisphere, I just could not wait until fall to release it. Of course, if you are one of those that likes to get an early start on your winter knitting, it is perfect timing! At least Heliades is great spring/summer knitting.

 Adrastea

Heliades

As a spring treat, and for those of you participating in MadMay, all of my patterns (including eBooks!) are 25% off through May 4th (11:59pm EDT). Just use the code Spring14 when checking out in my Ravelry store, Lachesis and Co.!

Indie Design Gift-A-Long

Getting ready for the holidays? Feeling overwhelmed already? Well, a bunch of indie designers have teamed up to make your holiday crafting fun instead of just another item on your to do list with the Indie Design Gift-A-Long.

So what’s in it for you (other than creating amazing gifts to give or keep for yourself)?! All of the participating designers are offering 25% off select patterns from Nov. 1-15 (GMT), see all of the patterns/designers here (all of my self-published patterns, including eBooks will be eligible for the discount and GAL prizes), just use the coupon code giftalong at checkout. The GAL will run from Nov. 1 - Dec. 31. There will be prizes, threads to chat with other gifters and support along the way for those last minute gifts ;) I hope you will join us!

Here is a sampling of my patterns that will be available (plus any patterns released during the sale will be eligible!):

Housekeeping?

Heh, well I guess it isn't so much housekeeping as it is venturing into the cobweb draped corners of the attic that haven't seen the light of day in ages! Anyway, I want to clean this place up a bit and get it back to a functioning "living" space. So, hopefully I am back...I know I have said that before and then disappeared into the ether, but I'll try harder this time!

I won't get into a ton of excuses for my absence. Mostly, there were just other things that took my attention away from knitting and blogging for a while. My plan to prevent this from happening is to add some content other than strictly knitting, kind of like what I did for the holidays a couple of years ago. This way if I am distracted from knitting for a time, it won't take me away from the blog...and for those of you here only for the knitting I hope that doesn't bother you!

So, you might be seeing some make-up/nail art posts, maybe some baking or cooking, running and random crafts in addition to the knitting stuff. I have been meaning to get some videos together, too, so once I get iMovie figured out, those will be added to the mix. Also, if anyone is still out there, I will gladly take suggestions on what you guys would like to see here like tutorials or any burning questions you've got  :)


One last thing...the Everything Nice Hoodie from Fresh Designs: Sweaters is now available as an individual download! Check it out here!