Hat streak continues

This time I was asked to knit a hat for someone who "never looks good in hats" (which, by the way, is not true). The yarn was picked - chunky, with a bit of mohair, so it would seem more puffy. All I had to do is work on the design. So I came up with something that's far from plain: garter, nupps and cables. Four hours later I had this:

Not bad, I think:)
Oh, and when I say four hours I mean knitting & thinking:) It is a very quick knit - 44 rows of 78/84 stitches. I'm not really used to working with chunky yarn, so this one was a particular fun to knit.

Now I just have to wait to see, if that's the "hat I actually look good in":)

I just have to add, that I finished it late at night and wanted it ready in the morning, so the blocking process was a bit speedy. I'm far for professional there - I use a salad bowl which has a perfect shape and perfect size. But whatever works, right?:)

UPDATE: the hat has just been tried on. Reaction: "It's great, I love it! And I look good in it!" Mission accomplished:)

The shoemaker walks barefoot no more;)

Well, not exactly a shoemaker and barefoot, but a knitter and bareheaded:) I finally managed to finish something for myself - and I really needed it. It's no fun walking around with freezing head. So there it is:)

The pattern: Nantes Hat by Amanda Scheuzger (published in Interweave Knits, Winter 2011) slightly modified at the crown.
Yarn: 1.16 skein of Garnstudio DROPS Karisma Superwash.
Needles: 3.75 (US 5) and 4.5 (US 7)
The result:

bottom photo before blocking (and this yarn blocks really well)

Can I just say: I love my new hat!:D

So I'm a designer now:)

Well, technically I have been a designer since I designed my first... I think it was a jacket for my doll:)

But now it gets serious. I have just opened a new shop at Etsy - this one will sell my patterns, so if you are interested (and I hope you are) have a look at http://www.etsy.com/shop/KnitInstructor
There are only two patterns so far, but I'm working on some new ones, and I will add them as soon as I deal with them:)
And the patterns available now are:

Bajka

BTW, there is a new shawl knitted from this pattern at my other Etsy store: I'm not happy with the photos (bad light and I can't show this wonderfully delicate color, not to mention the structure). But I'm very happy with the shawl itself.

and the other pattern is:
Queen of the Forest (this has two versions of the shawl!)

Both are triangular lace shawls, both patterns come with charts, written instructions and reference photos.

And both are also available via Ravelry - you can get them (plus a couple of free patterns) HERE.

Bribing Santa:)

I've been a good girl this year, but I thought it won't hurt if I try to bribe Santa to give me all the best gifts in the world:) So I knitted another red shawl - a very simple one, probably not for covering your shoulders when you sit by the fireplace, but rather for wrapping around your neck to stay warm when you go for a walk on Christmas. It's plain knitting with ruffled edges. Simple, but fun, I think.

(Well, the truth is, this is what happens when you have holiday yarn and no willpower to go for something lacy;)).

The shawl measures 145x65 cm. It's very light (about 50 grams), very bright and a bit shimmering. It's mostly mohair, but it's very delicate. It will be fun to wear on Christmas:)

The shawl is available here: Santa's helper shawl at Etsy

Merry Christmas Shawl

It's red, it's golden, it sparkles. I bet it's something Mrs. Santa Claus would wear:)

When I got this yarn I knew it would be perfect for knitting something especially for Christmas. But I didn't want it to be a seasonal garment, so I went for something subtle - a miniature trees that don't have to be trees:) On any other occasion they may be just some geometric lace pattern.

The shawl is incredibly light - only 43 grams (1.5 oz). Size: 160x85 cm (ca.63x33.5")

Available for sale here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/87303417/cyber-monday-sale-merry-christmas-shawl

(Cyber Monday sale continues: use code CYBERSALE to get 15% off the order).

Christmas surprise!

It's red and sparkly, and I have a very ambitious plan to finish it over the weekend:)

And in the meantime, I'm having a sale at http://www.etsy.com/shop/KnitsDeLuxe - 15% off with coupon code CYBERSALE. Enjoy!

Pre-Christmas knitting madness

There are not enough hours in the day!

For the past weeks I've been knitting like crazy, hence my silence. I'm making new things, dealing with special orders, organizing the shop - it's a total madness. But I'm enjoying it enormously. Here's a quick update on my recent project (all available in my Etsy shop - BTW, I'm running a special sale before Christmas, so look in the shop announcement for current discount codes).

Let's start with something I have made especially for winter. It's a shawl that can be a scarf , or a hooded scarf, or a narrow blanket. I knitted a similar one for myself and I'm wearing it almost all the time. It's long, wide, warm and cozy.

Next two shawls can be worn all year round - they're lace shawls knitted from a very fine kid mohair/polyester blend. Both remind me of the tree just outside my window; one that changed its colors from green to gold.

And now back to winter neckwear: a scarf and a triangular shawl. I absolutely love the colors on both, and the structure of the shawl.

There are more shawls in my shop, so come in, have a look - maybe you'll find something for yourself or for your loved ones. Happy shopping!

Around the world in 16 photos

Have a look at this selection of amazing photos of wonderful places. They were taken by some very talented artists of Etsy.



I so want to go on a trip right now:)

Just a bit of bragging:)

Well, for starters, my honeysuckle pink shawl is getting famous! It has been featured, along with some really amaznig items from Etsy, here. Thanks, Miriam!

Lots of pictures today.

I promised to show you my new shawls a month ago! Sorry for the delay. Here they are. All knitted with different Estonian lace stitch patterns.

No 1.

I'm very proud of this one:) It's light and yet warm, the yarn has a delicate halo effect, the lace is modern yet romantic, and the color goes with many other colors.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/79005521/estonian-lace-shawl-with-nupps-pale
 
No 2.

Bridal, off-white (cream, to be more specific), very delicate. And with matching wristwarmers:)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79005973/wedding-shawl-estonian-lace-delicate

No 3.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79000270/lace-stole-handknitted-mohair-pale-green

Number 4 is not for Etsy, I knitted it as a gift for someone special. But it's very similar to this one, only slightly more feminine (more lace).

And other tinies: short mittens/wristwarmers. Perfect for cooler days.

They're all available here.

So that's all the backlog I had to show. Currently I'm working on a new shawl, this time even more luxurious, as I'm using yarn with silk. But yes, you've guessed it, it's going to be Estonian lace:)

Hey, kitty kitty...

Cool cats of Etsy:

Special alert! PolEtsy is having a giveaway

I'm happy to inform that I and 15 fellow Etsians are giving away items from our shops. We prepared a special collection, and one lucky winner will GET IT ALL FOR FREE!




To enter this lottery, just click on title in the above picture (POLETSY GIVEAWAY) and leave your comment under the treasury. You have to be logged in to Etsy.

Make sure you visit all the shops presented - there are lots of special offers accompanying our lottery.

Good luck!

Finding purpose for leftover yarn

I have a whole box of part-skeins of yarn I used for larger projects. Normally I'd use them to knit some sort of slippers, but this time somehow I don't feel like it. So I'm knitting wristwarmers (my favorite thing to wear on cold days:)) and... jewelry? Well, accessories, for sure:) They are simple loops knitted from bamboo yarn and you can wear them any way you like. They can be a necklace, bracelet, headband, belt - anything.

These items were inspired by izuss1's sev[en]circle - it's amazing, how something so simple can spice up your outfit:)

Both are available here:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/79503480/white-and-blue-bamboo-necklace-bracelet
http://www.etsy.com/listing/79502286/rainbow-bamboo-necklace-bracelet

Two triangles

Hello dear Readers!

I have a few new shawls to show you - including Estonian lace, of course:) But I'll leave the lace for later; today I'm going to show you two very simple triangles. Something I call "lazy knits":)

Number 1: summer triangle with lacy edging. Unisex. (Hmm..., I don't really like that word, so let's call it "suitable for boys and girls". Or should I say "men and women"?;)). The yarn I used is a blend of cotton and acrylic - light and nice. It wears great from spring till late fall. I wouldn't recommend it for winter, although that pretty much depends on where you spend it:) Anyway, here it is:

This shawl is available for sale here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/77905974/triangular-shaded-gray-cotton-summer



Number 2: a triangle, made with a man in mind. Not a particular man, but just any guy. Hence it's simplicity in form (absolutely NO LACE) mixed with - I believe - some interesting twists in color. Navy blue with a bit of green and brown (or turquoise and caramel;)). And something grayish:) Wool with nylon. This one is not recommended for summer - it will be too warm.

It will be available here http://www.etsy.com/shop/amadeitknits soon.

Thanks for reading, come back soon. After all, I do have some lace to show:)

Two summer triangles

I think I have a new favorite yarn - bamboo. It's soft, light, silky and soooo nice on the skin. I bought two skeins just to try it out, and as soon as I touched it, I knew there will be more coming my way:)

I used my bamboo to knit a triangular shawl for the beach. I don't have the right photo (well, there's no beach anywhere near me), but I think this is perfect to wrap around your hips, when you go for a stroll down the beach. The upper part is knitted in a plain, solid pattern (to cover you know what;)); the rest is a nice lace that looks great and is, well, breezy:)

And here is the bamboo's cotton sister:

Both shawls are available for sale here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/amadeitknits

April laziness...

I have no excuse other than the title of this post - almost two months of silence here are not exactly what I planned for this year. But what can I say? The spring, the holiday, the sun - it all got to me and turned me to one lazy blogger. But it doesn't mean I was lazy away from the computer. No way. I finished one shawl, and almost finished another:) Oh, and I also knitted a pair of wristwarmers for spring frost (in May, can you believe it???)

Anyway, let me show you the latest addition to the shop. Here'a a pink (sorry, "honeysuckle")  lace shawl. Very light, perfect for this time of the year.

A bit of lavender

Remember the gorgeous Italian yarn I got for spring/summer shawls in February? Well, the first one is ready:) And I must say I'm very happy with the result. The yarn is very soft and delicate, extremely fine - it took ages to finish this shawl:) But I really enjoyed knitting it.

The pattern I used for this shawl is a gorgeous (IMHO) Estonian lace pattern from Haapsalu Sall (I love that book!!!) - Piibelehekiri lehel.

On to the photos:)

I've already started working with the pink yarn - also using the Estonian lace pattern. Come back to see how that comes out:)

One day, one skein

One lace scarf:)

Available here.