Pattern Release: Crisial Cowl

Photo Courtesy of I Like Knitting

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Hello folks!  No more sitting on the secret, my Crisial Cowl pattern has gone live in the new I Like Knitting Collection!  (And, I'm super-excited that my pattern was chosen for the cover!)

Anyway, you can find the pattern in the One Skein Knitting Patterns Collection.

The Crisial Cowl was inspired by the geometric shapes of crystals in nature ("Crisial" is Welsh for Crystal!)  It is knit in the round from the bottom up. and uses only written instruction for the simple cable motif.  It is easily adjustable to the amount of yarn you have -- so, no worries about running out of yarn!  It's the perfect project to use up that 'special' skein of worsted or aran yarn!    And, because it only uses 1 skein, knit on 5 mm (US 8) needles, it knits up wonderfully fast!

Photo Courtesy of I Like Knitting

Samples are shown in two different yarns (and two different amounts of yarn), to show how easy it is to customize the cowl to the amount of yarn you have. 

The light blue sample is knit in *Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash Bulky, in the colour "Fjord Heather," while the dark blue sample is knit in Briggs and Little Tuffy, in "Denim"

As always, I look forward to seeing what you make, and please, tag your creations on Social Media with #SarahDawnsDesigns, so I can find your awesome things! 

If you've got feedback, comments, or questions about the pattern, you can comment here, post to the Ravelry Pattern thread, send me a PM on Ravelry, or e-mail me at sarahdawnsdesigns@gmail.com.

I hope you enjoy, and happy crafting!

FO Friday: Montego Shawl

**This post contains affiliate links. Any link marked with an * may give me a reward or commission if you visit and/or purchase something using that link. And, if you do purchase from my affiliate links, thank you for supporting my yarn habit!**

Well, I almost failed at Yarn Chicken, but, the Montego Shawl is done! 

(Actually I did, in fact, fail at yarn chicken, but the pattern offers a few spots where you can end a row or two early.  So I finished after Row 38 of a 42 row Border Chart!) 

Also, yes, I couldn't figure out how to photograph this to actually fit in frame.  This is the best I could come up with!

Pattern is the gorgeous Montego by Cheri McEwen, and it's been a blast to knit!  While the stitches aren't hard (nothing more complicated then sl1-k2tog-psso, and optional beads), there's a few spots where you do have to 'fudge' the pattern -- so I wouldn't suggest it as your first shawl pattern, but if you've done a couple of shawls, you'll be able to fly through this wonderful customizable shawl pattern!  And don't be intimidated by the huge size of the PDF -- it has instructions for various shawl shapes, -- just choose the shape you want and discard the rest.  This is the 'triangle' shape.

Yarn is *Claudia Hand Painted Yarns Silk Lace in "Baby Boy" (I got this yarn back when it was just labeled 'Silk Lace', and the colourway has since been discontinued).   It's gorgeous yarn, and it blocked out -so- well! It did, in fact, block out most, if not all, of my tension issues.

I'm glad of the beads, though, because otherwise this thing would be -so- lightweight!  

Oh, and on that note, beads are actually very old beads from Fire Mountain Gems, dug out of my stash of beads from my brief foray into jewelry making! These seem to be Snowflake Obsidian 6mm beads.  It's been an adventure, working with these -- on the one hand, they're bigger then the usual seed beads I use for knitting, which is nice, but the hole is smaller, so getting my crochet hook through was a bit of a trick!  They've added a good bit of weight to the shawl, which, honestly, it really needed.  Otherwise, I feel like it would have blown off my shoulders at the slightest gust of wind!

I admit, I'm thrilled to have this off the needles.  It's been a WIP since 2014 (!!) so, I'm glad it's finally done!

It makes me wonder who else has finished a long-languishing WIP this week!  Post in the comments if you've got an old WIP you've finished (or are finishing!)

WIP Wednesday: Montego Shawl Bind Off!

**This post contains affiliate links. Any link marked with an * may give me a reward or commission if you visit and/or purchase something using that link. And, if you do purchase from my affiliate links, thank you for helping to keep rent paid!**

Well, welcome back to WIP Wed! This week, I'm binding off on my Montego Shawl!

Pattern is Montego by Cheri McEwen, and it's been quite a wonderful knit.  I wouldn't suggest this for a new knitter, though, for a few reasons.

1) The pattern has a few 'just fudge it here,' instructions, especially for the triangle shawl shapes.  In addition, sometimes, the charts are mirrored and sometimes they're not.  With a quick comparison to the written instructions, it was easy to figure out, but it could easily be confusing if you haven't made a shawl like this before. 

2) The pattern is -huge-!  It has full written instructions; plus, instructions for a whole bunch of different shawl shapes. . . but it's a huge pattern.  So, if skimming through a 20+ page PDF isn't your thing, this isn't the pattern for you. 

But; that customizability is actually a really nice pattern feature -- at least, I think so!    In addition, full written instructions are always appreciated!    

Plus, the pattern offers several notes on where you can stop when you're running out of yarn, and I, in fact, had to do just that.  I didn't make it to Row 42 (the last row of the border chart), but instead, ended up doing my bind-off after row 38.   It means the points of the border won't be quite as pronounced as the sample; but I'm ok with that!

Yarn is *Claudia Hand Painted Yarns Silk Lace in "Baby Boy" (I got this yarn back when it was just labeled 'Silk Lace', and the colourway has since been discontinued).  It's gorgeous yarn.  It has an annoying tendency to split with my 0.50 beading crochet hook, but pretty much any yarn will do that if I'm not cautious.   

It is, however, completely unforgiving of any tension mishaps on my part.  There's a few wonky spots on this shawl that I'm -really- hoping blocking will even out.   Usually, blocking hides most sins, so, here's hoping!

Beads are actually very old beads from Fire Mountain Gems, dug out of my stash of beads from my brief foray into jewelry making! These seem to be Snowflake Obsidian 6mm beads, and they've been interesting to add into the knitting, since they're larger then the usually seed beads I use.  There were a few dropped beads (I found one that had rolled into the kitchen last night and escaped the vacuum!) but it was basically no different then beading with seed beeds, except I think the hole is a little bit smaller.

Needles are my Addi 3.75 mm needles -- I'd honestly forgotten how much I love these needles! The finish is really nice, and they work quite well with the slippery-ness of the silk!  I can't wait to get this cast off -- I have plans for a sweater on these needles!

Well, thanks for reading along! And, as always, I'd love to see what you're working on, so, please, feel free to post links to your projects in the comments, so I can see all the amazing things that you folks make! Also, if you're working on one of my patterns, tag it as #sarahdawnsdesigns so I can find you on Social Media and stare at your awesome projects!

Until next week, and Happy Crafting!

WIP Wednesday: Montego Shawl Border Chart!

**This post contains affiliate links. Any link marked with an * may give me a reward or commission if you visit and/or purchase something using that link. And, if you do purchase from my affiliate links, thank you for helping to keep rent paid!**

Well, welcome back to WIP Wed!  This week, the great Work-In-Progress decluttering continues, and I'm working away on my Montego Shawl!  I've been working on it over on Twitch, and I only have 10 rows to go!  

Pattern is Montego by Cheri McEwen, and it's a wonderful pattern!  Don't let the size of the pattern PDF scare you away -- this pattern has instructions for a bunch of different sizes and types of shawls!   One catch -- because of that, the instructions are a bit fiddly to figure out sometimes, because some things only apply to one shawl shapes, or some charts are mirrored and others are not.  But, the shawl also has full written instructions, as well!

Yarn is *Claudia Hand Painted Yarns  Silk Lace in "Baby Boy" (I got this yarn back when it was just labeled 'Silk Lace', and the colourway has since been discontinued). It's 100% silk lace, and it's wonderful!  It's a bit tricky to work with, being a) very slippery, and b) very fine. But, it's knitting up well; and I'm curious to see it when it's blocked!

And, beads!  Beads are actually very old beads from Fire Mountain Gems, dug out of my stash of beads from my brief foray into jewelry making!  These seem to be Snowflake Obsidian 6mm beads, and they've been interesting to add into the knitting!  They're bigger then the usual seed beads I use in my knitting, but so far, it's been working out well!   They've added in a lot of weight to the shawl (which is good, because otherwise it's superbly light). I'm curious to how it will wear!

Needles are my Addi 3.75 mm needles.  They're nickel-plated; which is an exception for my knitting needle stash.  I find that while the nickel-plated needles are a wonderful finish, sometimes they have an odd metallic smell!  It doesn't seem to be any kind of problem, just slightly odd!

So yes, the stash-busting and knitting of WIPs has been progressing.  And, nicely, enough, the final rows of the border chart are simple enough that I don't need the chart for this any more. . . so now I can take this to Knit Night and other public things!  

Well, thanks for reading along!   And, as always, I'd love to see what you're working on, so, please, feel free to post links to your projects in the comments, so I can see all the amazing things that you folks make! Also, if you're working on one of my patterns, tag it as #sarahdawnsdesigns so I can find you on Social Media and stare at your awesome projects!

Until next week, and Happy Crafting!

WIP Wednesday: Gradient Mittens and a Thumb!

**This post contains affiliate links. Any link marked with an * may give me a reward or commission if you visit and/or purchase something using that link. And, if you do purchase from my affiliate links, thank you for helping to keep rent paid!**

Welcome back to WIP Wed!  Transit knitting has worked in my favour, and the Gradient Mittens are inching closer to done!

I actually had someone on the streetcar today ask if this yarn was from *Noro Yarn (fibre folks have a way of finding one another! So hi, if you happen to be reading!)  But it's not Noro, it's  *Knit Picks Chroma Fingering in "Pegasus,"  and  *Alpaca Cloud in "Midnight Heather (colour is now discontinued), held double.   Why double?  Because knitting the Alpaca Cloud on it's own would have been a challenge.  Black/Dark yarns are hard to see, and thusly hard to work, and the fineness of the yarn only adds to that challenge. 

They're knit on 2.25 mm double-pointed needles.  3 of the 4 needles are my  *HiyaHiya double-pointed needles, but there's one needle that's different.  I -know- I have more 2.25 mm double-points, but I really couldn't find them. They've either been claimed by one of the feline 'helpers' (and will be found under the furniture when we move), or, they're in one of my many WIPs.   Not sure.  

That said, the HiyaHiya's are working up just fine.  I'm glad that they're sharper tips then the Aero needles, because working with the yarn held double means that these require a bit more attention to make sure I've got both strands of yarn on the needle when I'm working stitches. 

So, I've got the stitches for the first thumb on the needles and have started the first few rounds of thumb ribbing.   I did have to cut the yarn and match it -- otherwise the thumb would have had quite the unexpected colour jump, but I didn't loose too much yarn in doing so. 

The little crystal Stitch Marker that I'm using to mark the beginning/end of round for the thumb is from *Fibremancy's Etsy Shop,  (though, I have had the joy to meet her in person at a couple of fibre shows), and, it's really useful -- it's an earring back, rather then a lobster claw!  So it clips into the knitting or crochet quite nicely, but is still big enough to slip over a larger knitting needle!

Well, that's this week's WIP Wed -- thanks for reading along! And, as always, I'd love to see what you're working on, so, please, feel free to post links to your projects in the comments, so I can see all the amazing things that you folks make! Also, if you're working on one of my patterns, tag it as #sarahdawnsdesigns so I can find you on Social Media and stare at your awesome projects!

Until next week, and Happy Crafting!

WIP Wednesday: Gradient Mittens Number 2!

**This post contains affiliate links. Any link marked with an * may give me a reward or commission if you visit and/or purchase something using that link. And, if you do purchase from my affiliate links, thank you for helping to keep rent paid!**

Welcome back to WIP Wed! I've been knitting away again, and have gotten to the second of the Gradient Mittens!  (They're not yet named, but I'm thinking something like the '"What was I thinking?" Mittens', because really, what -was- I thinking, buying 2 skeins of black alpaca lace weight?)

I digress.

But yes, that is where the idea for these mittens came from.  I bought two skeins of *Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud, in the (now discontinued) "Midnight Heather" colourway.   Now, don't get me wrong.  Alpaca Cloud is a gorgeous yarn, and I'd love to make a full shawl in it one day. . . but not in black.  No.  Just no.   As much as I do like the Alpaca Cloud, I can completely see why the Midnight Heather colourway was discontinued.  Knitting black lace is very challenging, because you can't really see the yarn to work it. 

So, instead, I doubled the *Alpaca Cloud with a skein of *Knit Picks Chroma Fingering in "Pegasus,"  and that has worked out very well!

They're knit on 2.25 mm double-pointed needles -- mostly my *HiyaHiya double-pointed needles, but there's one needle that's different, because I couldn't find a full set of four (that says something about my organizational skills yes?) 

I've finished the previous mitten, (except for the thumb) and have started the second mitten.  They are mirrored (left hand and right hand are different), but the pattern isn't super complicated, so that hasn't been an issue for my knitting.   Oh, and although I called them 'Gradient Gloves' in my last post, technically, they're mittens, and I need to remember that!     These have been serving me well as a portable transit project, so I'm hoping to finish them up over the next few weeks; whenever I need to travel.   I will have to probably do a bit of colour-matching on the *Chroma Fingering, so that the colour of the thumb matches the colour of the thumb gusset, but that shouldn't be too hard at all.   And I should have enough yarn to make a second pair, which is exciting!

I figure that the two yarns put together seem to come out to around a heavy fingering or sport weight, so for the folks who don't want to double yarns (or, don't have a foolish yarn purchase like mine languishing in their stash!)  These should knit up very well in sport or heavy fingering yarn as well!

The little crystal Stitch Marker from from *Fibremancy's Etsy Shop, and is marking my beginning/end of round.  It's actually made with an earring-back, rather then a lobster claw, which is nice and easy to remove from the work as need be.

But, that's it for this week's WIP Wed -- thanks for reading along!  And, as always, I'd love to see what you're working on, so, please, feel free to post links to your projects in the comments, so I can see all the amazing things that you folks make! Also, if you're working on one of my patterns, tag it as #sarahdawnsdesigns so I can find you on Social Media and stare at your awesome projects!

Until next week, and Happy Crafting!

July Featured Pattern and KAL: Spring Leaves Market Bag

It's July, and I was reminded about Plastic Free July by TheVikingBunny! And, what better way to reduce your plastic use this month, then a reusable, washable, bag!

The Spring Leaves Market Bag Pattern is now 50% off at $2.50 CAD (Regular Price $5.50 CAD) until 11:59, June 31!

Photography: Stephanie Wallace

$2.50 CAD

The bag starts with a pinhole cast on. Increases are worked into a leaf lace pattern to form the base of the bag. The leaf lace transitions to a lace mesh, and finishes with a garter stitch edging. A twisted cord allows for easy carrying and helps to keep the bag tied shut!

The sample was knit in FibraNatura Good Earth Solids, a worsted/aran blend of 53% cotton and 47% flax. The flax content makes the yarn quite durable, so if substituting yarns, I’d suggest a cotton/flax or cotton/hemp blend.The instructions are written, and the lace pattern is both charted and written. The pattern and has been tested and tech-edited as well.

You can buy the pattern through Ravelry or Etsy, the discount is available on both platforms. The discount should be applied automatically on Ravelry, and be visible on Etsy. As always, let me know if something doesn't work!

Now as usual, onto the Mini-KAL!

For the month of July, any finished Spring Leaves Market Bag has a chance to win a pattern from any of my self-published patterns! To enter on the blog, simply post a link to your completed Spring Leaves Market Bag in the comments of this post by July 31, 2019. Please note that the bag doesn't have to have been started in July, just finished in July!

You can also win by posting to the giveaway on Facebook, my Ravelry Group, and on Instagram, giving 4 chances to win in total!**

I always look forward to seeing your Finished Objects! Please post them to various social media with #SarahDawnsDesigns, and/or to my Ravelry Group if you're on Ravelry. That way, I can see the awesome that you folks make!

**One entry per person for each project per platform (four possible entries total for each completed project). Winners will be drawn at random using random number generation. Winners must have a valid e-mail address to receive the patterns. Participants may enter the same project on more then one platform, but may only enter each project once per platform.