good news...

I have a new standard gauge pattern-of-the-month.
The subscription means that you pay $25 in advance and then each month for the next 3 months (September, October, November) you will get the new pattern with the techniques article emailed to you in pdf format. The subscription can be purchased now and the first pattern will be emailed on the 15^th of the month or whenever you subscribe. It’s easy to get it from our website, (go to www.knitwords.com - refresh your browser if it doesn’t come up right after the opening page). You can use Paypal OR visa or mastercard through Paypal.
If that doesn’t work for you, you can send a check/cheque or money order, along with the order form (found at the bottom of the bookstore/back issues page - click on the appropriate icon and print out the order form, make sure to provide your correct email address, and write in NEW POM, please).
The pattern for September is called Two Way, a lace, swing cardy (A-line) with single button (actually hiding the snap) front closing. The accompanying article has lots of tips and techniques for completing the project and for future reference on lace carriage knitting. I’ve made mine using Silk City Fibers Mini Dina 1049 - check out www.knititnow.com  - Tamm Diamante or Yeoman’s Panama could be used as a substitute.
Hope you like it and keep checking back here for more updates!

We are also having a big SALE at the KNITWORDS website - see the link above – Buy 3, get 3 – there is a special button to pay $30 for 6 (North American postage included in that price) and then you need to email me and tell me which issues you want – I also have some others that are not listed in the bookstore - #15, 25, 29, 31, 32, 33, and 34.

I have a full set, #1 to 53 – that were on my ‘wall of fame’ in my office that I am willing to part with – email me if you are interested in that!

And, my ‘rainbow’ books, the techniques books with the coloured covers are on special, buy 3, get 1 free for $75 – there is a paypal button for that deal and again you need to email me with your choices.

Thanks to everyone for your support!

agony aunt...

I have this girl who keeps emailing me for help - no problem, I don’t mind giving assistance with my own patterns and when they learn something, it’s a big thrill for me. Anyway, I don’t know much about her, other than she subscribed to KNITWORDS from the very beginning, right to the last and she’s bought all the POMs so far - I love her just for that! She began asking questions, late last year, about my All Laced Up/‘Lacey Blues’ pattern from the Fall 2011 POM series. She told me she was returning to mk-ing after a long absence and had never really finished anything. Most of the questions just required a little nudge or confirmation that she was on the right track and as the weeks progressed, I could ‘see’ her confidence growing with each message. In early March, she sent me these photos of her finished garment.

Hi Mary Anne - Nope I did not disappear! I actually really finished it! Pics attached....The yarn is linray - ~ 50/50 rayon linen blend from Silk City. Kind of a pita cause it splits easily but the shine makes the lace look really pretty. I never ever would have finished without your help! Thank you! Now that I am on a roll (okay maybe not a roll but at least in the right direction) on to the next! Gossamer - and, of course... I have a question! Someday, I will stop bothering you and fly solo! I found a similar yarn to the Cigno that you used but I am getting more stitches and less rows - okay I am scratching my head - I know what to do if both are either less than gauge or more than gauge but what if I have one of each?? Okay so, pattern gauge is 25 sts and 45 rows per 4 inches. Swatch knit with a brother 970. After steaming the swatch - at T5 I am getting 28.5 st and 41.7 rows per 4 inches and T6 is 26.6 st and 36 rows/4 inches. ARGH! humbled again....ain't machine knitting grand? Learning all kinds of things ... and not just about machine knitting!
Thanks! Lynn
I replied:
Hi Lynn, the tension mast would change it somewhat, but I think it's far enough off that you would really need to recalculate the whole thing. Or find another yarn...if you are happy with the yarn, how about putting the schematic into the CB1 and let it do the figuring for you - that's what I'd do and I'm up for helping on that if you are not used to it - I am a huge fan of using a charting device - then you use my pattern for the methods and techniques only! the Lacey Blues - wow!! great job - I'm so proud of you!! it sure looks nice!! Hope I get to see you wearing it! - MAO
She said: Geez, I did not know you could put a schematic into the CB1 - I will read up on how to do that. If I get stuck you will be the first to know :) Thanks for all your encouragement! Lynn
I said: Okay Lynn, it's a deal - dig out the old Knitwords - back in No.13 to maybe 19 or 20, Peggy Barton wrote a series on learning the CB1 and I actually got my 970 so I could proof her articles!!! and I did learn how to use the shaping (as well as the rest of it) in the CB1 - you'll be amazed!!!

She's going to be a really great mk-er but I'm really green about her dressform - wish I had one...More CB1 stories later...

Granville, done!

Finished up the final version of Granville. I re-did the front bands on my original. I had worn the gray one  (the colour name is ‘mushroom’ but I don’t know where that came from - I always thought mushrooms were shades of brown or taupe, but this is really a greenish-gray) anyway, I wore the gray one, back in October at Newton’s seminar, over a black dress and I was quite happy with no buttons on it, but I tried it since then with other things and decided I would like it buttoned. If you look at my sketch from back in September, the original design had three buttons at the top - so that’s what I did with this one, ‘cept I already had four buttons prepared and used them all - I really like it. The red or ‘poppy’ version, is for my daughter and, running short of yarn at the end, I made the bands a bit narrower and buttoned it from top to bottom which she prefers.

The pdf’s will be sent out to current Pattern-of -the-Month subscribers over the next few days. The accompanying article has notes on the racked cast-on, lots of double bed stuff, the 3X2X3 braided cable techniques, the neckline finish and all the extra details.

lacy daze...

I just finished my prototype for the next design in the current Pattern-of the-Month/Serial Stuff series - I had promised a lace cardigan with a vertical shawl collar (see blogpost - ‘ideas, ideas' Jul 24/11) - now, I hope you realize, nothing is ever carved in stone with me...What really struck me with this design was the vertical shawl collar. I did see another episode of that show and I think the cardigan I saw was actually a dressing gown - she had been in a bad confrontation and was almost raped, managed to escape and it showed her later at home with this thing on, so that’s why I think it was a dressing gown - you know, something cozy and comforting....Anyway, it was the collar that really stood out - so my guest began with the lace stitch pattern - I like geometric lace and usually what I do is play around with something and see if I can expand it or whatever...
5 trial swatches later, I had what I wanted.

I liked the idea of a luxury fibre for this - I love some of the old yarns that are NLA (no longer available) and Forsell’s Naturell was a real classic - I had enough leftovers to do my test garment and OMG, I love it!! Changed the shape of it a bit - went with an exaggerated A-line for the body which creates these great ’points’ at the side seams. The collar/front/facings is fab!! I’m so pleased - it is knit separately from the fronts, but in one piece and attached very neatly on the machine - great techniques here, even if I do say so myself!! It was a challenge to figure out a way to get a nice fold line for the edge, in order to make the facing and collar in one piece, but it’s beautiful!

I am making the real thing using Cigno Super Kid Mohair (cream) from Yeoman Yarns - it’s a very fine mohair/nylon that is quite soft (not scratchy) but strong and quite a bit thinner than the finished look of the Naturell prototype - available from http://www.knititnow.com/ (US) or http://www.cardiknits.com/ (Canada) - so be warned - check your stash or order what you need - the Cigno comes on a 300g cone, but there is a ton of yardage, so 1 cone will do whatever size you want and the pattern is written for the gauge of the Cigno (25 sts and 40 rows over the lace pattern at T5) - if you happen to have some Naturell laying about, my finished cardy is 275g (T5 lace, 25 sts and 45 rows)...the pattern, called ‘Gossamer’ will be ready next week.

- MAO

angled with attitude...

Thought I’d put up these photos so you could get a better look at this cardigan. This is ‘Angled with Attitude’ the Pattern Of the Month for January. You can click on the image and enlarge it for a close-up of the details. I have to admit, the earlier photos - the ‘flats’ from Jan 5th, the cardigans weren’t quite finished - the buttons are just laying there and the fronts weren’t stitched down. You might notice I used only one button on the ‘willow’ version

The accompanying article has notes on decreasing methods, raglan shaping, garter bar techniques and a few notes on choosing your size and how much yarn you need. If you’d like to purchase the new series, get it at www.knitwords.com

thanks!

a new pattern-of-the-month...

I have a new standard gauge set of designs for the pattern-of-the-month. The subscription means that you pay $25 in advance (one time) and then each month for the next 3 months (January, February March) you will get the new pattern with the techniques article emailed to you in pdf format. The subscription can be purchased now and the first pattern will be emailed on the 15th of the month. It’s easy to purchase from our website, (go to http://www.knitwords.com/ - refresh your browser if it doesn’t come up right after the opening page). You can use Paypal OR visa or mastercard through Paypal.
If that doesn’t work for you, you can send a check/cheque or money order, along with the order form (found at the bottom of the bookstore/back issues page - click on the appropriate icon and print out the order form, make sure to provide your correct email address, and write in NEW POM, please).
The pattern for January is a raglan cardy (A-line) with lots of options - a really cute collar/neckline with buttoned closing at neck only (optional of course!), opposing facings (inside or outside) instead of bands for the fronts which takes away the ‘sweater’ look and 2 sizing/fitting options - one for ‘busty’ gals like me and the other for less ‘gifted’ figures. The accompanying article has lots of techniques for raglan decreases. I’ve made mine using Forsell 4 ply Pure New Wool - check out http://www.knittinggallery.com/ . - they still have some colours or Yeoman Yarns Sport from http://www.knititnow.com/ or http://www.cardiknits.com/  can be used.
For February, the pattern will be a lace cardigan with vertical shawl collar - my take on something I saw on a tv show (see blog, July 24/11, ideas, ideas...).
The March pattern will be a double bed design, a simpler version of ‘Granville’ (see blog, Granville, Sep 27/11 and before and after).
Hope you like them - keep checking back here for more updates!

NEW POM

The New Pattern of the Month subscription available now! See it at http://www.knitwords.com/ It's a new standard gauge set of patterns for Serial Stuff.
The subscription means that you pay $15 in advance and then each month for the next 3 months (September, October and November) you will get the new pattern with the techniques article emailed to you. The subscription can be purchased from now until September 30, 2011. It’s easy to get it from our website, using Paypal OR visa or mastercard through Paypal.

If that doesn’t work for you, you can send a check/cheque or money order, along with the order form (found at the bottom of the bookstore/back issues page - click on the appropriate icon and print out the order form).

The pattern for September is ‘Lacey Blue’ which is the standard gauge version of ‘Two Step’ that I’ve talked about previously - it is the same stitch pattern as in ‘Two Step’ but using the lace carriage to do the work instead of manually transferring the stitches. The accompanying article has lots of techniques for the lace carriage, for both Brother and Silver Reed, including shortrowing and how to deal with patterning at the edges. I made mine using Bonita from Knitcraft - it’s a 100% mercerised cotton - if you can’t find it from your local dealer or online, contact me at knitwords@shaw.ca

For October, the pattern is ‘TuckRib Cardi’, a double bed long cardigan which is a version of my Suva Dress that I wore in Portland at Pacifically Passap Plus, with a bonus pattern for little girls , sized 4 to 10 yrs - see Rhiana’s in the post from July 5 -‘you’ll love this’. I included this because if you’ve never knit a tuck rib, it’s a nice way to ease into it before tackling the adult version and there are great, new ‘putting together on the machine’ tricks that you can try out on the small version, then decide which method to use on the good one.

November’s pattern is a raglan, another cardigan/ of course!!

Oh and we have other new stuff on the website - a new freebie - my circular sock pattern is set up as a pdf for you to download - we’ve updated a few other things - take a look around and come back often!

you'll love this

I do! Rhiana, my granddaughter, is such a cutie! and a real little clothes-horse! I showed her this new cardi and she begged to put it on immediately - even though summer finally arrived and it’s pretty warm here (and the buttons are not on yet)!

This is a version of the coat/dress (see May 17/11 - Previews) that I made for myself to wear in Portland. I did another adult version - long sleeved, tunic length - that will be part of the fall ‘serial stuff’ and I thought it would be a great ‘school’ cardigan for Rhiana - she’s going to JK in the fall - wow, where did that time go??? Anyway, I also thought it would make a great trial pattern for knitters who are new to tuck ribs - it’s actually a pretty quick knit, with tons of techniques, to get you up to speed with your double bed and a slew of putting-together-on-the-machine stuff - I’m writing up the girl pattern in 3 sizes (4, 6 and 8 yrs) and it will be a free-bee along with the adult version. Mine is done with Yeoman Yarns Panama in green/khaki (name pending - Green Geezer; Shrek-ed Out; Green Is Not Just For Ogers).

I do like the idea of using the child-size pattern to get you ready for the adult version - it is a little stripped down to ease you into the full-blown techniques of the ladies’ cardi and besides the tuck rib thing, topics include seaming purl side fabrics, both by hand and on the machine; tubular band with vertical buttonholes, attached on the machine (you’ll be amazed); tips on making one cone of yarn go farther and using leftovers; and more...

We had a movie night - Shrek the Third - it was a winner!
PS - this is my 100th blog-posting!! more fireworks, please!

spoiler alert!

I cracked it! You probably don’t know what, but I did it!!! Let me backtrack a bit...back in March, I think it was, I was doing that green lace hoodie on the LK150 that was a hand-manipulated lace pattern - you can check it out in the archives at the right side of the screen here - click March and ‘on designing’ and read up to ‘the hood’s up’.
Anyway, I had several people ask if this stitch pattern and garment could be done on the standard gauge machine with the lace carriage...well, mostly, I said yes, but you’d need to know how to program lace and I vaguely filed it under my ‘to do’s’ list.

I did get everything finished on the old list, even that pesky accounting stuff that I usually manage to put off for almost anything - the deadline for filing is June 30, so I’m ahead of the game! And, my walking partner and I are up to 12 km this week...

Well, yesterday afternoon, I had nothing specific to do besides waiting for a couple of swatches to dry and that lace idea came back to my mind. I thought, might as well give it a shot - it turned out to be easier than I imagined (either that or I’m just getting better - no comment necessary, really!). I got it on the third try!! (just before I got carried away and accidentally dropped it off the machine...that brings you back down to earth real quick!)

Now, I’ll figure it for the Brother machine -that won’t be too hard because this is fashion lace on the Silver Reed machine and it only takes a tad of tweaking to make those work for Brother! This will be one of the new Serial Stuff patterns, starting in September - stay tuned!

And guess what colour I’ll use? you’re right, not peach or purple!

it's all about the shoes...

The final Patterns of the Month are finished and are going out email today and tomorrow.  I think these are both great Spring projects!
‘Simple-icity’, the standard gauge pattern is totally stockinette and the article with it has a ton of information about planning your garment and tips for finishing, such as when do you need to add a stitch for seaming or not and of course, those great patch pockets and details like the buttonholes and even tips on sewing on buttons.

‘Two Step’ is the mid gauge pattern - hand transferred lace with a ton of techniques and the article has tips on hand transfers, planning your lace garment and the actual hand manipulations - it fit Agnieszka perfectly and looks great on her - now, she’s my daughter-in-law and I love her, but, look at this picture! While talking on the phone and setting up this little photo shoot, she’s asking what do I want her to wear and I say, oh, just jeans and a black tank and she says, what about shoes? and then she answers herself - oh, I know it won’t matter because you usually chop it off just below the hem. So, there we are, in front of the camera and I’m saying, ‘what the...?’ We are actually the same height!

Anyway, thanks for subscribing - the patterns can be purchased as singles, either as a pdf emailed to you or snail-mailed on a cd. I've had people asking about renewing for the next batch and I just wanted say that this was a trial - limited to the 3 month deal, so I could judge what I was letting myself in for - I hate to say this but the response was rather poor and I found myself again working for peanuts, so I will not be continuing on a subscription basis. I may have more patterns offered as singles in the future - please keep checking back to see what's up. April is a busy month, with the seminars - hope to see you at one of them!

the hood's up...

I had a little time on my hands over the weekend and just couldn’t help myself - I knit the green thing again, for me! I had emailed Sonia at http://www.knittinggallery.com/ and got her to send me some more yarn, but I couldn’t wait - I had a full cone and a bit of Thistledown Silk in this nice, subtle, pale blue shade - it’s the lighter, fingering weight of Touch of Silk and I used it double stranded - this gave the same gauge as the green one.

Now, I always say ‘I can’t make the same thing twice.’ What’s the point? I guess I need to keep experimenting!’ So, I changed up the stitch pattern slightly - added another eyelet to the top of the motif and took out 2 rows of the plain knitting so this one’s a tad more work, not a big deal and it doesn’t really change the garment too much. Overall, not too many people would spot the difference between them, other than the colour.

Now, the green one is a hoodie and I know, not everyone likes hoodies, but have you seen the younger girl’s closet lately? They usually have 30 to 40 hoodies on the go at any given time, so what’s the big deal? Well, anyway, I decided to add the option of a plain neckline for those who don’t appreciate the hoodie fashion statement and I finished mine with the picot band around the neck, but I did knit the hood and once the photos are taken, I’ll be changing it.
The patterns are almost ready - hope to have them out late next week.

you'll be green with envy...

I’ve finished the green hoodie - it’s so cute! the only thing I don’t like about it, it doesn’t fit me! Because the colour isn’t really me, I made it to fit my daughter-in-law, Agnieszka (cover of No 53 and Mom of Nathan and Rhiana). She’s just enough smaller than me, that it’s too snug, especially you know where. But, I have to say, I impressed myself and I’m going to make it again in another colour! The techniques are amazing and I finished up with coming up with a great little buttonhole that is awesome!
The hem and bands are started with every other needle, for two reasons - to create an easy picot hem, but also to reduce the thickness on the back side of the hem - the EON will make it lay flatter and be less bulky, which was great until I came to make the buttonhole band. I thought bholes would be a snap because I only needed a one stitch hole for the 15mm buttons I had - they are a nice pewter shade and surprise, I happened to have 9 in my stash - because the band is narrow - only 4 rows - I wanted a small button and lots of them would do the job nicely. I already had the holes in the lace to test out for size - what could be simpler? well, think again, MA!

The first swatch, I merely transferred a stitch over on the top side of the band, figuring that with the EON on the back (facing) side, the hole would go right through both sides - Not! On my second attempt, I decided I needed to incorporate the buttonhole into the facing and use 2 stitches - the hole was way too big, lumpy, stretched out and was awful. Okay, so rethink and play around a bit - the lightbulb came on and it was absolute brilliance - well, I’m not going to go on and on - you’ll see when you get the pattern!
Anyway, check out the lace - there’s another special technique here, where, to keep the pattern going near the edge of the knitting, you still want the travelling path of the stitches when they are moved with the 3 prong tool, but you don’t want a hole near or at the edge of the fabric, especially where the front band will go - it will all be in the pattern - I promise it will be ready for the end of March. The yarn I used is Touch of Silk, a DK yarn by Forsell from http://www.knittinggallery.com/

Button Day

Actually, today in Ontario, is ‘Family Day’ - a new stat holiday I think only us in Ontario  - and Alberta and Sask- maybe - get, because some politician was looking for votes - kind of dumb, I think because everything is closed (even Home Depot) so what are you supposed to do - can't even go stateside because it's Presidents Day and the post office is closed...I did go out to go snow shoeing with my niece and saw our poor mail carriers doing their routes - ha! ha! they are federal employees and don’t get this day off (yet)!

Just finishing up the February Pattern of the Month designs - this means all the little finishing details, darning in ends and sewing on buttons - and doing the final tweaking of the actual patterns. Thought I’d give you a quick preview of what’s coming if you’ve subscribed to my Serial Stuff (thanks if you have - if not, you still have a week to get on board!).

Marsh Print (working title) is a new sideways knit, for the standard gauge - well, actually I did wear it last fall in Cleveland so it’s not really new, new - everyone loved it, but I didn’t have the pattern ready then, so if you’ve been waiting, here it is. The yarn is woolray/velveen, aka Wool Crepe Deluxe and Sue at ‘Knit It Now’ (used to be BT Yarns) had it on sale again, I noticed... anyway, this design features back and front knit cuff to cuff - I’m giving several variations - I’ve actually knit it 4 different ways, playing with sleeve length, and size and placement of the gores which add fullness in the hip region - this variation has a box pleat 3/4 length sleeve - I also made it in Mini Dina and in Tamm Diamante - I did get same gauge with each of these yarns, so you’ll have a variety of yarn choices. The pattern will include various edge finishes and different bands. On this marsh print, I used the purl side as the right side, because I liked it better - I thought the purl side didn’t look as stripey - but the other versions use the knit side as right side. The full-peplum-look from waist to hem is created with gores and again, I experimented with a very large gore (this one) to a much smaller gore, resulting in a less full bottom. This garment can look very fancy or relatively casual, depending on how you pair it.

For mid gaugers, the Red Raglan (working title) is it for February - an A-line shape cardigan with fancy detail in the raglan decreases and rib and cable combination hand transferred hems, cuffs and collar - lots of nice details for the intermediate/advanced knitter - there is a plain version for the beginner knitter - knit in a DK weight wool. A great button loop technique that really makes the front band outstanding, will solve the buttonhole dilemma for many. It’s always a challenge to find the perfect button to go with something you’ve made - one tip - I am hardly ever able to find an exact colour match for buttons, so I usually opt for metallic or wooden buttons - these buttons are just laying on the garment right now - I’ll look at them for a bit before deciding - I usually pin them on and try on the cardigan to get a better idea - my other option is a flat wooden button the same size that I’ll paint to match if I don’t like these...

minor alterations only...

Well, I’m trying to come up with something catchy to call this pattern of the month thing -
Serial Stuff
Monthly Mentor
Blueprint Knitting
Knit & Learn Monthly (yikes!)
Recipes for MKers
- it reminded me of the time I bought a coat because it had my initials on the tag - really! It actually had ‘MAO’ on a printed-up tag hanging from the sleeve - I thought it was a sign from the style gods that this coat was made for me -  later found out that MAO stood for ‘Minor Alterations Only’ - I still liked it though!

Anyway, we are about to post the new ‘pattern of the month’ series and I thought I’d explain what you would be signing up for. Each month will feature a new pattern in the usual MAO style along with a mini-article pertaining to the pattern and techniques. Patterns will be in 5 sizes, ranging from finished bust 36/38 to 48/50 in. and of course, you get all 5 sizes. The format will be similar to what was used in KNITWORDS magazine, without the space restriction, so: few abbreviations, lots of extra tips and techniques, explained as you go, great professional photos, schematics and stitch charts if necessary, set out in a pdf file for you to print out yourself, sent to you by email. Designaknit stitch files will be included in the email if applicable.
There are two different series, one for mid gauge machine knitters and one for standard gauge machine knitters. The cost of our 3 month trial offer is $15 for each series which means you will get one pattern/article per month for the next 3 months for whichever series you choose - you can purchase both - it’s a different garment/pattern/article for each machine.
The patterns will be available as individual patterns for $7 each, emailed, or the option of a cd of the pdf mailed to you for $8 each. All of these options will be available on our website, through PayPal.

Update on the tiger top - I soaked it in a vinegar solution - about 1 C vinegar to 2 gal. water, let it sit for a bit and then washed it in ‘Eucalan’. Some colour came out in the first part, but not a lot and the water was clear in the washing. I put buttons on it and modelled it for my seamstress girlfriend - she thought it was wonderful, so I took it along to Bill’s when I went to get my photos done for ‘In the Tweeds’ and ‘Sophisticate’ for the POM.

stuff...

Well, it’s late Monday afternoon, in the already second week of January - OMG - where is the time flying to?? I just finished my article for the June Knit’nStyle - I’ll give you a hint - it’s about tuck patterning on the LK150 and there is a garment pattern to go along with it - I’m having a hard time keeping up with their schedule - they work so far ahead compared to what we did at KNITWORDS!!! Now, I have to get moving and do my garment for their August issue - cripes, it was hard enough thinking summer knitting in March and April in Thunder Bay, but it’s way too cold here!! One of the other things I do for them is to translate 4 or 5 of the hand knit patterns to machine language and I picked a pattern from Jodi Snyder that I was intrigued by. A couple of the ones I did in the February issue were pretty simple - I can’t change too much and I’m trying to convince them to do something different, but anyway - I learned some stuff from Jodi’s pattern! I used to be a hand knitter, way back in another lifetime, before knitting machines. So, now, what I do is knit - that should read HAND KNIT - a swatch - using a similar weight yarn, just to get the pattern in my head and then I can figure out how to do it on the machine - I think that makes a lot more sense than just taking a stockinette sweater and telling you to use the hand knit version of bands and finishing etc...Back me up on this one, people!!! 

   Here's my machine knit swatch after I knew what was going on - check out the tuck at the top of the swatch - I'm not saying too many machine knitters will do this, but it's what was in the hand knit instructions, in my opinion anyway - I may just check with Jodi befoire I send it into KnS. Anyway, I love a challenge and this is working for me!

   I’ll tell you what I do have almost ready - it’s the Pattern of the Month things I promised to start in January. There will be 2 different ones available each month. One on the mid gauge/LK150 and one on the standard gauge - different techniques and different patterns.

For January, the standard gauge one is called ‘Sophisticate’ and is made with Zephyr Marl from Silk City Fibers (or the old BT Yarns/Knit it Now) and is using One-Row-Tuck with ribber for the longstitch facings and hems. I wore it to Inspiration ‘10 in Cleveland so if you were waiting for the pattern, it’s ready - we just have to finalize the details of getting it up on the web.

   For mid gaugers, I did a sideways stockinette jacket that is a grown-up version of Rhiana’s ‘Red Riding Ruffles' from No 52 - my daughter, Laura, saw that one and loved it and ordered one just like it - the yarn was discontinued, so I had to find something else (BTW, Laura was here for Christmas and I didn’t even show it to her because she can’t have it) - I added some shortrowed darts to make an A-line shape to the body of it -I settled on a hand knit yarn - Tatamy Tweed by Kraemer - it’s a DK weight tweed-look cotton/acrylic, not too pricey, good yardage - that I just loved working with - knits beautifully and easily on the LK150, it washed up great and LeaAnn McGregor at http://www.knittingtoday.com/ has agreed to offer kits for this project, so you could check it out and be ready to knit! I think it’s really cute on!! and you'll notice how well it blends in with my livingroom carpet!

Stay tuned for more details of the POM - they will be pdf’s available for download only, I’ll let you know more - when, where, how, and cost, soon! I'm planning to run a 3 month trial.