Odds & Ends Friday

Hi, Knitters,

First, in my last podcast I shared a couple of Rebecca Ringquist's Dropcloth Samplers from her color club. Guess what!? Cal Patch is hosting a giveaway to win 4 of these gorgeous samplers from Rebecca. 

This information is straight from Cal's blog, Hodge Podge Farm:

"rebecca has sweetly offered a 3-month subscription of Colorbursts, PLUS the Starburst sampler, to one lucky winner! leave a comment below saying what you would do with your mini samplers, before midnight on Sunday June 1. i’ll announce the winner on Monday."

Isn't that exciting? There are not many entries so far so jump on over there and enter right away! The winner is being selected on Sunday, June 1st! Your chances are really good.

Click here to enter to win 4 Dropcloth Samplers on Cal Patch's Hodge Podge Farm blog!

Now for the button giveaway winners. The three winners of the Sheppard Handmade button sets are as follows:

Margaret or mac-maggie on Ravelry  - won the set of blue and white flowered buttons!

Angie or Cantrix on Ravelry - won the orange-y with a green center button set!

Linda or PippyKnits on Rav - won the burgundy button set!

I have contacted the winners on Ravelry. Congratulations! Thanks for entering everyone and I'll have a new giveaway soon.

Moving on, I think I will have a new hobby now. I purchased my first spindle. I have never felt the urge to have a spindle until I saw Kate of Gourmet Stash's photo of her colored pencil spindle. I couldn't resist. I love the name of Aaron's Etsy shop, too, it's Aaron Makes Stuff.

Click here for Aaron Makes Stuff on Etsy!

If you want more of an idea how these gorgeous spindles are made and the variety click here to see Aaron's Instagram. It's pretty and impressive. He is having an update soon on the colored pencil version of his spindles. He makes different styles of spindles as well.

Here you can see the clear resin holding the pencils together. I just love this design. I have no idea how to use a spindle. If anyone has any video suggestions or suggestions or tips in general I would love to hear about it.

One more thing about Aaron Makes Stuff on Etsy, he has fantastic customer service. I had a few questions and he answered them so quickly. He checked in as the spindle was being shipped, too. I appreciated all of that support.

Now for some other miscellaneous miscellany. 

Miss Molly finished a Sockhead Hat out of some yarn I gave to her. The yarn is from Sun Valley Fibers, fingering weight, MCN in the colorway Bucky. Since Miss Molly is a Badger through and through I thought she should have the yarn. Every Badger should have a hat made in Bucky yarn from a local dyer.

She worked through the hat quickly, really enjoyed the knitting, and it looks just adorable on her, as everything always does!

Sockhead Hat - the free pattern!

Sun Valley Fibers! 

Great yarn and a great simple hat pattern!

(photo by Carol E. Herman)

My Itty-Bitty Knits (come join us) friend, Carol, on Ravelry released a new pattern called the Topiary Fingerless Mitts. I happened to see these mitts in person in Seattle at Vogue Knitting Live. Let me just say the mitts are stunning and they look like loads of fun to knit. I thought maybe you might like them as much as I do. Carol is a kind, gentle, giving soul, and you would all love her as much as I do for sure!

Click here for the Topiary Fingerless Mitts pattern and information!

My final odds and ends today is something really new and cool. I think this is about as cutting edge as spinning could be. I happily received a couple of test bobbins from Akerworks. These Schact test bobbins are completely collapsable and are made in fun colors and patterns to boot. 

Akerworks makes bobbins for other brands of spinning wheels as well. The Schact bobbins are still in the testing phase but will be released soon. They are made on a 3D printer which just fascinates me. I love these fun designs and colors. There are so many choices. 

Click here to visit the Akerworks website and see all of the choices for bobbins!

Thank you to Akerworks for letting me try out your latest design! I will keep everyone posted after I try them out, hopefully I'll get the chance this weekend. 

Can you believe it's the weekend already? I can't. I hope you have some fun plans lined up or that you get to relax and stay home, whatever makes you happy.

best, susie

Beautiful Buttons for you ~ another giveaway & more winners!

(photo provided by sheppardhandmade on etsy)

Hi, Knitters,

Thank you for the fantastic response to the Little Skein Kit and Beck Gusler t-shirt giveaways! What fun! I have selected 3 winners for the prizes.

Must Stash Yarn ~ 1 skein: toomuchwool (rav id)

Little Skein project bag and yarn: hotcheese (rav id)

S*T*A*S*H t-shirt: nancy88 (rav id)

I have contacted the winners through Ravelry. Congratulations to all three!

I usually don't host two giveaways in a row but today I am doing just that. Laura Sheppard is one of my favorite pottery experts and button makers. I have a bunch of her sets of buttons and have used them on my projects before. Her work is unique and lovely. When you visit her Etsy shop it is so hard to choose from her varied and wonderful button selection.

Click here for sheppardhandmade on Etsy!

Click here for Laura's website Sheppard Pottery!

Laura contacted me awhile ago and asked if I would be interested in hosting a giveaway for a few sets of her buttons. I, of course, said sure! Since I have used and ordered her buttons several times I can say from experience that her shop and service is top-notch and that her work is exquisite. Laura is located in Canada.

The photos show the sets of buttons I am giving away today. There are three sets so I will randomly select three winners. The top photo with the blue and white flower buttons may look familiar to you. I used them on the bunny's cardigan from Bunny Love (click here to see more information about the pattern!). I love these buttons so much. They really added to the cuteness of the bunny cardigan. 

The blue and white buttons, set of 4, are 14mm.

Here are a couple of photos of Bunny Love and the buttons:

Bunny Love!

Bunny Love!

(photo provided by sheppardhandmade on etsy)

The buttons above are described by Laura as "orangey with a green center." I don't see the orange too much, just a hint around the edges. Maybe in person it is more noticeable. Regardless, I love these buttons and the color. This set of 3 buttons measure 24mm each. 

These are so sweet and fun and perfect.

(photo provided by sheppardhandmade on etsy)

Last but not least, are these gorgeous burgundy buttons, a set of 5. These buttons are wonderful and would be a perfect match for so many projects. The buttons measure 16mm each.  

I used Laura's buttons on my Annabel Cardigan by Carrie Bostick Hoge in the photo above. This cardigan and these buttons rank among my favorites. I wore this cardi so much last winter and I thought about how much I loved the buttons every time I put it on.

Please leave one comment on this post if you would like to win a set of buttons from Sheppard Handmade. I will be selecting three winners, one for each set of buttons. If you want a specific set only, please let me know in the comment. If you would like to win any of the sets, let me know that, too. Please only leave one comment and it is a must to include your Ravelry ID or your email address so I can get in touch if you win. 

You will love these buttons! Laura has super cute packaging, too. Thank you to Laura for this fun opportunity.

I hope you are all off to a great week. I'll be back soon with more winners and more knitting in a couple of days. 

Let the comments begin!

best, susie

Episode 7 ~ Catching Up!

Hi, Knitters,

I have a new episode of my video podcast today, Episode 7!

Click here to see the podcast on iTunes.

Click here to watch the video directly on YouTube.

Here's what I talked about today:

The Little Skein Giveaway is still open until Tuesday (I said Monday but it's a holiday so I'll wait until Tuesday). Anne Vally of Little Skein added another skein of Must Stash Yarn to the prize pot!

I said the socks designed by Megan Williams may be "harder" than they look but I meant "easier" than they look. 

Stockinette Zombies Megan Williams

Stacie of Must Stash Yarns and Podcast

Click here for the Little Skein Etsy Shop!

I'm wearing my Quaker Ridge Shawlette. The yarn is madelinetosh pashmina.  This is still my most beloved and worn item that I have ever knit. I love it so much.

The shawl pin is made by Deerfield Creations.

Beck Gusler's Kickstarter!

Monkey Socks

Pomatomus Socks

Lynai Yarns - Roxanne colorway sock yarn

Gale's Art on Etsy Graffiti and Asphalt Wonder Sock (Gale has a new yarn out on her Etsy Shop that has yak called MYS622, very interesting! She has a deal going on, if you buy the new yarn you get a beaded scarf kit!)

How I make my socks - free pattern! This is the pattern I use for most all of my sock knitting.

Rikke Hat

Signature Needles ~ my double-points used for socks are the 6-inch needles.

Knit Spin Farm on Etsy! My adorable bag!

SewBendy on Etsy! Another adorable project bag.

Opal Hundertwasser Winterbild sock yarn with glitter (I'm not sure where to purchase this yarn).

Regia Super Jacquard (I'm not sure where to purchase this yarn.)

Kata Golda ~ Her name is Alison Kaplan! I love her and her work is the best!

Rebecca Ringquist - Dropcloth on Etsy!

Both Rebecca and Alison have workshops on Creativebug.com! I have taken their classes and they are excellent.

Spun Right Round fiber - Polwarth, 4oz., Licorice colorway.

Artisan spinning wheel!

I'll be back to draw winners on Tuesday, you can still enter the giveaway up until I draw for winners!

Click here to enter to win!

Thanks for watching or for joining me today. Have a great weekend.

best, susie

Little Skein Giveaway + much more!

(photo provided by Little Skein)

Hi, Knitters,

I have some friends who have really cool and exciting things going on out there in the big world and I want to share a few of them with you today. Please read all the way through to the end of the post. I have a lot of different opportunities for you today. You won't want to miss out.

First, I have the talented Gale Zucker to talk about. Gale, the fantastic photographer, contacted me a few days ago to tell me about a wonderful weekend of photography workshops she is teaching at A Gathering of Stitches in Portland, Maine (I want to teach there myself someday.....). Her classes are at the end of June on the 28th and 29th.

Click here to see Gale's blog and to learn more about the photography workshops!

You may remember Gale's photography work from those little Mason-Dixon Knitting books amongst many others? I sure do! I met Gale at the SSK retreat in Nashville last summer and we really clicked. She is so warm and friendly and I heard nothing but RAVE reviews about her photography workshops at the retreat. She has also taught at Vogue Knitting Live in NYC. I heard her workshops weren't intimidating at all. She gears the classes toward the home-photographer trying to take great shots of their handmade items. Everyone succeeds! I want to take every single one of Gale's workshops someday and I hope I get the opportunity to work with her on a project or two in the future. We are working on that now and my fingers are crossed.

Click here to enter to win a free workshop (OR to win a book if you can't make it) on the A Gathering of Stitches blog! You can enter today and tomorrow, through May 22, and the winner will be announced on May 23rd.

There aren't many entries as far as I can see so go enter! The odds are in your favor. Also, if you can't make the workshop they have other prizes you can win! 

The second person I have to talk about is Beck Gusler or lemonhalf on Ravelry. I have talked about Beck on this blog before because she worked for Made in America Yarns and I hosted a giveaway for some of their yarn. I met Beck, just like Gale, at the SSK retreat last summer in Nashville. She happens to be Laura Linneman's sister. You may know her from that little podcast, The Knit Girllls. 

Click here to see the Gusler Design website!

Beck has left her day job to start up her own design business with her husband. They have just launched a Kickstarter to help them along the way. The prizes for donating are all knit-related and super fun and cool. She has big and little prizes or gifts for every level of donation. I adore the Linneman/Gusler family and supporting them means so much to me. 

Click here to go check out Beck's Kickstarter! You won't want to miss this one.  Now, about halfway down the Kickstarter page in one of the photos Beck is wearing a S*T*A*S*H t-shirt. Did you go look? Isn't that a clever shirt? 

Listen closely, I was accidentally sent a size XL t-shirt with this same design. It is too big for me so I am going to give this shirt away to one of you. I'll tell you how to enter to win the t-shirt at the end of this post. I'll mail it right to you if you win!

(photo provided by Little Skein)

Okay, last but definitely not least, I have a fantastic opportunity for you to win some fabulous yarn and an exclusive project bag from Little Skein in the Big Wool. The first photo shows what I am giving away today due to Anne's generosity. Anne Vally of Little Skein pulls together and creates these one-of-a-kind exclusive kits for her Etsy shop. 

Remember this hugely successful kit I did with Anne inspired by the Velveteen Rabbit? I know I will be working with Anne again in the future! She does a brilliant job with her clever and creative kits.

This time she teamed up with Stacie of Must Stash Yarns and the podcast! (she designed the gorgeous yarn for the kit), and Megan Williams of the Stockinette Zombies (she designed a beautiful sock pattern for the kit), and the book Guess How Much I Love You. 

Click here to read all about the Over the Moon kit and pattern for the socks and all of the goodies included on Little Skein! It's available for pre-order right now. You can order individual items as well as complete kits. There is something for everyone.

Today I am offering the most generous giveaway for you from Anne! I am so excited about this opportunity. I am offering the chance for one of you to win a project bag with Anne's exclusive design fabrics and a skein of the gorgeous fingering weight Must Stash Yarns! I've been wanting to try this yarn for forever but it is always sold out in minutes every time Stacie posts. It is hard to almost impossible to get your hands on this yarn so this is quite the prize.

Please leave a comment to win the Little Skein kit that includes the project bag and one skein of custom dyed yarn on this blog post to enter to win. I will be back in a couple of days to randomly select a winner for the kit. Please include your email or Ravelry ID so I can get in touch with the winner. Anne will send your kit out directly. Please only leave ONE comment and be patient for your comment to appear, it takes some time.

Also, in the same comment don't forget to mention the S*T*A*S*H t-shirt in size XL if you are interested in winning that as well (Leslie was wearing it in this week's episode of The Knit Girllls!). Leave your Rav ID and email address for this prize as well. 

I'll be drawing for 2 winners this time, one for the t-shirt and one for the kit. I will only send you the t-shirt if you mention it in the comment.

Don't forget to enter Gale's giveaway, too. Go quick as it is closing in a couple of days.

Good luck and let the comments begin!

best, susie

Fox in a Vest ~ New Pattern!

Hi, Knitters,

I have a new pattern that will be available in print format from Unicorn Books and Crafts available in your local yarn shops in June 2014. If you don't see the printed pattern in your local yarn shop just ask the owner about it. The shop can easily order it for you through Unicorn. 

The pattern will be available for download in my Ravelry pattern shop in November 2014. I am really excited about Fox in a Vest and I hope you will be, too.

Click here for the Ravelry pattern page for Fox in a Vest to find out more information!

Click here for the pattern on Unicorn Books and Crafts!

Unicorn Books and Crafts is the distributor of the Opal yarns, which of course are at the top of my favorite sock yarns. I have done several toys in Opal for Unicorn. The other two are the Opal Sock Yarn Bunny and the Little Dragon. 

Click here to see the Opal Sock Yarn Bunny!

Click here to Little Dragon!

The vest is knit separately with sock yarn held doubled.

Here is some information you might like to know:

Finished size: 6-inches tall

Yarn:

Main Color (MC): Opal Le Petit Prince in Der Kleine Prinz und der Laternenanzunder #7760 (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon; 100 grams/425 meters) - 27 grams used in the sample

Contrast Color 1 (CC1): Opal Sock Yarn Solids in Natural #3081 - 14 grams used in the sample

Contrast Color 2 (CC2): Opal Sock Yarn Solids in Black #2619 - 3 grams used in the sample

Needles:

Fox: US size 1, double-pointed needles, set of 4

Vest: US size 7, double-pointed needles, set of 4

Gauge:

Fox: 8 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch

Vest: 5 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch (fingering weight held doubled)

Materials:

Detachable stitch markers

Ruler or tape measure

Yarn needle

Small amount of fiberfill

Poly-pellets (optional and considered a choking hazard for young children and infants)

Safety eyes, 4.5 mm (optional, the eyes could be embroidered)

Black embroidery floss

The Fox in a Vest is knit from the top-down seamlessly and all in one-piece. It is a knitting adventure! The only stitching up is to whipstitch the front and back of the ear after they are picked up and about an inch on the top of the foot after it is picked up.

Here are a few more in progress photos:

I don't have a photo of the fox tail and as soon as I get my sample back I will take some tail photos to post on the project page.

The pattern is one of my favorites and I think you will really enjoy knitting a fox of your own. Your sock yarn leftovers can be put to good use!

Click here to find out more information about Fox in a Vest!

Have a great weekend, Knitters. It's that time of year when every weekend is filled with games, meets and graduation parties. I hope you can find some time to knit and relax.

See you next week with a giveaway and maybe I'll squeeze in a video podcast if I can find a moment....
best, susie

WIP Tuesday

Hi, Knitters,

I hope you are all well and good this morning. I am sharing a quick update on some work in progress projects today. Oh, and before I dig in, I wanted to share the results of the Solja and Emmanuelle sweater votes. Here is what I counted, I did my best to be accurate and a few voted for both:

Solja: 26 votes!

Emmanuelle: 30 votes!

I'm still debating and actually that's a pretty close outcome. After I finish Maude I will make a final decision. Thanks for chiming in, that was really fun.

The sock in progress (above) is in my new favorite indie-dyed yarn from Gale's Art. Honestly, the photo is not filtered and the yarn is even better in person than it looks online. It glows with depth of color. The play of the gray and bright colors is brilliant. Click here to specifically see information or to purchase the same yarn as in the photo!

The pattern is one I have knit before and one that works so well for variegated sock yarns and it is a super fun knit. The Monkey socks, of course.

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A (free on Knitty.com)

Yarn: Gale's Art Wonder Sock in Graffiti and Asphalt  The photos on the Etsy shop do not do the colorway full justice in my opinion. I think it is difficult to capture the true beauty of this colorway in a photo. Believe me, in person Graffiti and Asphalt is about the prettiest sock yarn I have ever seen. And it is knitting up better than I could have ever imagined. You will LOVE this yarn.

I heard from Gale that she is busy dyeing up more Graffiti and Asphalt sock yarn to fill the orders that have been pouring in. I saw this yarn on a couple of podcasts, The Knit Girllls and Whatcha Swatchin. I am so in love with this sock yarn, which is BFL and nylon. I know I'll be posting a lot more about it in the future. Gale is really talented, and from what I hear, she's a lovely woman as well. 

I've finished my first sock in the Hundertwasser Opal sock yarn in the Winterbild colorway. This is my first glitter sock. I think this yarn looks so old-fashioned like a wool blanket or a flannel shirt. I am a big fan of the Hundertwasser line of the Opal sock yarn. It's a winner. You can most likely find this yarn on Ebay but I do believe it's a discontinued line. You'll have to search around.

6-inch cuff. Top-down. How I make my socks free pattern.

Knit on Signature Needle dpns, 6-inch length

I have this ball of Opal lined up next.....  it says Dr. Deiter Dornig on the label. The German labels really throw me for a loop, I never quite know what the line or colorway is called. I've had this for awhile and I can't remember where I got it. It looks like it's going to be a really good stripy jacquard sock in great colors.

My Maude cardigan is coming along nicely. This truly is my favorite type of sweater with a deep 2x2 rib and then loads of stockinette stitch. There's nothing better. The pattern does have several AT THE SAME TIMES going at once but none of them are too complicated. There is some row counting involved for sure. I'm so enjoying the yarn and pattern.

Pattern: Maude by Carrie Bostick Hoge

Yarn: Shelter in the Button Jar colorway

Yarn bowl: White Barn Farm Sheep & Wool

And last but not least, I knit a leaf. The first leaf of many for the Leftie shawl. I started this in the car on the way to Mequon last Saturday. Mequon is about 2 hours from Madison, north of Milwaukee. There was a track meet. After the one leaf I had to put it down, it took too much reading and looking for car knitting. I started feeling a bit car sick. 

I haven't made any more progress on the Leftie but I have to say I really loved knitting this first leaf. I think this shawl will be addicting once I get a move on. I counted 29 leaves in the sample in the pattern. I hope to get about that many on my version. We'll see where the yarn takes me.

Yarn: Miss Babs Leftie Kit in Slate and Reds

Pattern: Leftie by Martina Behm

I have so much work knitting to do this week. Wish me luck as book deadlines are looming. I am feeling a little stress about this fact. The funny thing is that most all of the knitting I share on the blog is my leisure-time knitting that is completed in my off-time (riding in the car, sitting at games and meets, early morning wake-up time knitting), not my daytime work hours knitting. It's a blurry line when work and play collide but I am used to it. 

Now to get back to my work knitting! Yikes.

best, susie

p.s. I just got off the phone with my son who is sophomore in college. He finished his finals this morning and will be heading home soon. I am so excited to see him. We talk about food and cooking and baking quite a bit, a mutual interest. He recommended this website to me and it looks to be a lot of fun. I can't wait to spend some reading and baking and cooking time on here. Click here to check it out! There is a podcast, too! I'm going to give a listen as I work today.

This Week

Hi, Knitters,

This week flew by faster than usual. My last post did not go out to email subscribers so I have tinkered around with a few things to try to fix it. I want to see if it will work today.

I finished writing a pattern for Unicorn Books for our Opal sock yarn toy series. I used the Lantern colorway of the Little Prince yarn line and a small amount of the black and natural solids from Opal. Once I see that this post goes out to subscribers I will write more about the new pattern.

I received a nice note from Gale of Gale's Art. I posted a photo of a skein of her beautifully dyed yarn on instagram and apparently she had lots of people show up at her booth at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival mentioning this photo and wanting to buy the same skein. I just started a pair of socks with it yesterday.... more to come on those.

Click here for Gale's Art on Etsy!  The yarn is called Graffiti and Asphalt Wonder Sock! This colorway is so cool and there is no filter on the photo above.

Click here to check out my Instagram!

I turned the heel and finished the gusset on the sparkle Opal sock. I am loving this yarn. It is the Opal Hundertwassers Werk 625 Winterbild Polyp Wintergeist. 

Okay, I'm crossing my fingers that this post will be sent out to subscribers.

I will count up the sweater votes from last time and let you know the informal results. Quite a few of you chimed in so thank you! I loved reading your comments and thoughts.

Happy weekend to you all. I hope you find time to knit over the next few days.

best, susie

What do you think?

 photo: Knitscene/Harper Point

Hi, Knitters,

Last fall I went to Cleveland to film a segment for Knitting Daily TV with Vickie Howell, which is produced by the good people of Interweave. While hosting the show Vickie wore all kinds of knits from the pages of Interweave Knits Magazine. When I was in the studio she wore the sweater in the photo above, called Emmanuelle. I remembered seeing this sweater in Knitscene when I got my issue and I remembered liking it. However, when I saw the sweater in person and on Vickie I fell in love with it. 

Click here to find out more about Emmanuelle by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark!

This sweater is knit in Nature Spun Worsted Weight and is knit flat in pieces with intarsia color work on the front. I think the key to this sweater is to make it roomy and loose fitting. It is supposed to have 4-6 inches of positive ease. The model is a 33-inch bust and it is knit in the 38-inch size. The same version Vickie wore was very roomy on her.

When I looked at the finished Emmanuelle projects on Ravelry it seems that many have knit this as a fitted sweater. When it is closely fitted I feel like the color work arrows going down the front look a little bit like..... a necktie? When it is loose fitting and roomy, as intended, it simply is stunning. I love the 3/4 length sleeves, too.

Anyway, I ordered the yarn in the same colors as the sample and in the Nature Sport Worsted. I really like this yarn a lot. I had every intention of knitting this sweater in the summer months ahead.

But then this happened....

photo: Juju Vail

I saw Solja.

I keep hearing about this new knitting magazine, Pom Pom Quarterly.  I decided to check it out for myself and I am glad I did. It is a digital and print magazine based in London. You must check it out if you are interested. The designs are beautiful and the magazine is so well done, great photography with whimsy, articles, talented designers, wearable knits, and more. It's super fun.

When I received my issue of Pom Pom, I fell in love with the sweater above, called Solja. I love it so much.

Click here to find out more about Solja by Anna Maltz.

Solja is an interesting combination of old and new. Solja combines the age-old bottom up color work yoked pullover, Elizabeth Zimmermann style, with added all over lace and corrugated rib. This combination makes the sweater feel different and fresh. Plus the yoke color work is so light-hearted and whimsical. I haven't seen a combination like this before and I think it is just so much fun. This sweater is knit in the round from bottom to top, sleeves are knit separately and joined in and then the yoke is completed. I love color work stranded knitting, it is one of my favorite techniques.

I am feeling like my Emmanuelle dreams might become a Solja instead.

It just so happens that the amount of yarn and the colors for Emmanuelle will work perfectly to make a version of Solja. If I make Solja I will throw in a creamy off-white hank of Cascade 220 I happen to have sitting around. It is funny, both call for a main color and 6 contrast colors.

Basically, my question to all of you is which one would you make? Should I stick to my intended plans to knit Emmanuelle or should I dive into Solja? I still like both of the sweaters very much.

I'd love to hear your opinions!!

 photo: Carrie Bostick Hoge

Ending with another change of yarn plans, quite a long time ago I purchased some Shelter yarn in the Button Jar color way to knit up a Levenwick by Gudrun Johnston. I had every intention of knitting a Levenwick, I even purchased the pattern and have buttons for it. I really enjoy Gudrun's work. She has a simple, wearable style that I gravitate toward in knitting. A lot of Gudrun's work is clean and simple but there is often some sort of single design point of interest. That makes the knitting fun and fast.

However, every time I went to start the Levenwick I hesitated. It is an asymmetrical cardigan and cleverly designed in a simple way with a touch of easy lace on the button band. Something about it makes me pause. Would I wear it? Would it be flattering on me? I am not much of an asymmetrical clothing person and I started doubting the project. 

I put the Levenwick on hold and started casually looking around for something else to knit with the beautiful Shelter yarn. 

Then I came across Carrie Bostick Hoge's recent cardigan pattern release called Maude. I think I put it in my Ravelry queue for later but I kept thinking about the pattern. Last week I looked at it again and realized that the Shelter would work perfectly for Maude. I immediately jumped right in. It just struck me as the perfect combination.

Click here for more information on Maude by Carrie Bostick Hoge!

Here is the start of the body. Maude is a very slouchy grandpa-style deep v-neck cardigan. The sample in Carrie's photo is knit with about 6-inches of positive ease. I am knitting the size 40-inch bust which will have about 4-5 inches of positive ease on me. I think that it will be perfect. I will keep you posted on my progress. It is working up really fast so far. 

Carrie is another designer who knits simple, casual sweaters and cardigans. I pretty much love everything she designs. She hits the nail on the head every time for the type of garments I want to wear in my everyday life. Comfortable, casual, wearable and fun to knit are key elements for Carrie's work. Her baby designs are wonderful, too.

Click here to see all of Carrie Bostick Hoge's designs!

I love the Shelter yarn, vegetable matter and all, and this color is gorgeous. I will use the buttons I purchased for the Levenwick on Maude. They are really cool wooden buttons that I will share with you later. I have missed my sweater knitting as of late and I want to get back into it for the summer months ahead. For some reason I love knitting sweaters in the summer which is perfect because when the fall and winter seasons roll around I am all set with a new handknit sweater or two.

By the way, I think I still may knit the Levenwick. Now that I am looking at it again I really do love this design. We'll see what happens. For now, it's all about Maude!

What yarn do you have that was intended for one pattern and became another? We all do it. It's part of the fun of knitting.

I'll be back soon with more. I hope you all are having a good week so far. Let me know what you think about Emmanuelle and Solja.

best, susie

p.s. Hey! The Fall Fling announcement just came out! I am teaching along with Ann Budd, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, and Marly Bird! I'm so excited about this. Sign up quick, it sells out fast. Click here for the information on The Loopy Ewe.