At long last I can reveal to you why I went to Canada a few months ago. I decided, rather spontaneously, to take these 2 sweaters to Kate Gilbert for their photo shoot for the first issue of Twist Collective. The issue is now live, and my patterns are available to purchase.

I hope you like the designs and the entire project. It’s an amazing project to be involved in, there are so many beatiful designs by some very talented designers and the team behind it have worked very hard to make a great first issue that truly values the work of all involved.

Recognise that little birdy? The box came from here, and inside were two beautifully wrapped kits and a lovely hand written note.

The green ribbon tying the first kit together quickly took up residence in my hair.

It’s stay was short, however, since it was replaced with this red one as soon as I unwrapped the second kit.

Unfortunately the only thing not included in these kits was the time to actually sew them. Sigh.

I have this pile looking at me accusingly too. I guess as their tagline suggests I’ll just have to make time. Is sleep actually required?

I’m very excited about this holiday and I know that your ideas will both build the excitement over the next couple of weeks and make it much better when we’re there.

Thank you x

Back soon with more words, hopefully without another week long break.

I’m at work right now, which is fun since I work here, but I can’t wait to get home tonight so I can unpin this.

This most definitely was not one of those magical projects where everything falls perfectly into place, but I think that the problems made it better in the end. I started off wanting to use a fairly simple traditional stitch for the edging, but it didn’t look as good as I’d envisioned and eventuallly I gave up on that idea and started more or less from scratch. Initially I dubbed this the ‘cherry shawl’ simply becuase it was the name of the colourway but it seems to have grown into the name fully with a cherry patterned border. The yarn is Old Maiden Aunt *Cashmere Silk 2 ply, which I scored because it was a slightly flawed skein with a couple of  knots. It’s a beautiful yarn and if this skein didn’t make it I’m pretty impressed with her quality control. There are buckets of it in different colours sitting a few feet away from me right now, but I’m trying to exercise some self control. I’ve got another red lacy project to finish first.

* I can’t see the cherry on her site, but we have it in stock in K1 - I know because I can see it right now!

Much as I liked the way the edging on the cherry shawl was turning out I couldn’t knit fast enough to make this much yarn last for another 6 rows. Humph. It’s ripped back and on the needles again - I think I’m happy with it and definitely in love with the idea of blocking.

And goodbye red Gretel. I’m rather sad to set this off on its long journey, I love it so, but you’ll see it again in a little while somewhere rather exciting.

Much to my surprise, since I hate the actual number, 22 has turned out to be a rather wonderful year full of successes and adventures. You’ve had an awful lot to do with that wonderfulness so thank you! I like the number 23 a lot better, so I’m hoping that means it will be even better than 22.

I spent my third birthday like this -

and my thirteenth throwing a tantrum about how I didn’t want my presents and I didn’t want my birthday because I most definitely never wanted to grow up. Changed my mind pretty quickly about those presents and I’m starting to think this growing up thing isn’t so bad after all. Let’s hope this 3 is a little more like the 1st than the 2nd though

p.s. I hate that I had to do this, but clearly my brain’s on holiday. The Liesl sleeve directions that I remember thinking out so carefully got a little lost between the first version I knit (which had the sleeves) and the final pattern. I’ve sent out an update that will arrange the stitch pattern for the sleeve so it lines up perfectly with the body and that has a note on fitting the yoke. Let me know if you haven’t received the update. In happier Liesl news - have you seen that there are already a few finished ones on Ravelry, that makes me so happy!

I was working on one of the multiple versions of Liesl while I was staying with Amy in Toronto and she talked me into giving her a (somewhat confusing) draft of the pattern. We bought yarn together that evening at the charming Purple Purl, Amy got the Araucania Nature Cotton that I used for the red version in a fantastically bright blue. Why of why didn’t we take a picture of us both knitting the same thing? Sigh. We’ll just need to be in the same place at the same time again so we can take one of us both wearing them. My only condition for giving her such a sneaky early version of the pattern was that she provided me with photos for the pattern.

So a couple of days ago I roped my other Toronto host and her new camera into taking some photos of Amy’s Liesl. I’ve added a couple of them to the pattern and if you’ve purchased it you should either have received the update via email or downloaded the updated version. If you haven’t got a copy of the pattern with pictures of Amy on it let me know because I corrected a typo that put the buttonholes on the wrong side and added some more info about buttonhole placement. Amy did buttonholes all the way down, because we weren’t sure what would be the most flattering and though she’s decided it looks best just buttoned at the top I like the way she spaced the buttons so they’re closer together at the top. That works really well with the way the lace grows from the top.

I’m thrilled to be able to include these pictures with the pattern, partly because they’re so great (thank you both!) but also because I feel bad that while I try to include lots of sizes in the patterns I usually make the sample to fit myself which means that you only get to see it in a smaller size. It can be really hard to visualise how something will look on a different size / body type so I think it’s really helpful to include pictures of samples that more accurately reflect the size range in the pattern. I’m thinking of ways to do more of this in future, so if you have any thoughts / feedback I’d love to hear it.

Oh and if you want some company while knitting Leisl, there’s a knitalong going on Ravelry.