Doin' The Yarn Thing

Green layette set, featuring
a version of the
Garter Stripes Baby Cardigan

Design



I am ecstatic to announce that my first pattern is available on Ravlery.com.  The "Garter Stripes Baby Cardigan" is available for $5 and also available to LYS shops on ravelry for purchase.  I had a lot of fun designing the yoked cardigan and even made a version of it as a layette set for my husband's boss (whose wife is due in February).

Green layette set
Hat, mitts, socks

I decided not to list the whole layette set so that I could be able to have some of my own "trade secrets" for posting on Etsy and taking to craft fairs.  I love how the layette set turned out, but I did have a dye lot problem.  When I initially bought the yarn, I did not make sure that it was all one dye lot.  I didn't notice until I was most of the way through the WHOLE SET.  I was not about to rip out a week's worth of knitting, but I have learned my lesson.  UGH!

Knitting Madness

Yes, I've been knitting (and working) like crazy for the last week and it absolutely paid off.  As mentioned before, I finished my first pattern.  I also finished the layette set.  While on my knitting breaks I made a lot of phone calls to yarn distributors, talked back and forth with some LYS owners, and worked on my business plan.  All that while attempting to keep Peanut entertained (he did have several temper tantrums, since we're apparently now at that stage).

With all this work, I came to the realization that I love designing, knitting, and getting feedback from other talented people out there.  My mother put it to me that I shouldn't sell myself short and proudly call myself a designer and a business owner...because I am!  So now, I'm working ten times harder to make this business a success.  The journey has its ups and downs, but I'm glad to put in 80 hours a week to be happy doing what I do and supporting my family in the process.  Stay tuned, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Coming Soon

Believe it or not, this yarn business is going to get off the ground.  I'll be working on the business plan and setting up the website because I'll actually have inventory for sale online soon.  *happy dance*

I'm also working on testing another pattern.  More details soon.

New Year, New Opportunities

Design
When I found myself with nothing to do on New Year's Eve, I got to thinking about all the projects and ideas I'd been putting off.  I was learning new knitting techniques in order to write patterns for items that I wanted make, but never doing anything with them.  For some reason, I was inspired to change all that on New Year's Eve.  I sat down with my laptop, some measurements for different infant and toddler sizes and jumped into my first formal pattern writing process.

I designed a yoked baby cardigan.  I opted to make it striped to add texture to the product.  Several hours and recalculations later, I had a finished pattern available for me to test.  While knitting, I did realize that I didn't account for some simple things, like decreased stitches and such and did a re-write mid construction.  In the end I came up with the finished project shown at the right.

I initially botched some of the blocking, but it was easy to start over.  I then attached the buttons and it was done.  It is now listed on etsy for $35.

I will be selling the pattern on Ravelry.com soon.  I'm working on making it a full outfit that includes a hat and pants (maybe shorts since spring is coming up).  I plan to have the pattern posted by the end of the month for somewhere around $7-$10.  I'm leaning toward the lower end since it is my first pattern to post to Ravelry.

I am making the full yoke cardigan set for my husband's boss, who's wife is due in February.  That will be in a spring green, tan, and off white with brown buttons.  It will include a hat and pants, all size 0-3 months in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino.  It's so fun doing these designs and I hope to increase my pattern library quickly this year.

My parents have also wanted me to design them a Groundhog Day hat since they own a Bed and Breakfast that was filmed in the movie "Groundhog Day".  I came up with the idea to deconstruct the idea of the groundhog and make it more like a hat with pom-pom ears in wool that was the color of a groundhog.  Peanut modeled my mock up design.

Other news...

I posted before the end of the year about our sick fur baby, Baby Buddy.  Although he was not diagnosed with cancer, he took a turn for the worse shortly after the new year.  He wasn't able to digest food anymore, his growth had noticeably increased in size, and he lost more than 2 pounds in less than two weeks.  At the recommendation of our vet, who just like me could tell he was starting to go, we decided to end his suffering.  I'm sad to report that on January 7th, he passed away peacfully in my arms.  He was tremendously loved and will be missed terribly. 

Knitting Madness

I've been working on getting in contact with yarn sales reps in order to jump start the yarn shop.  But after a poignant conversation with my mother, I'm having second thoughts.  Will owning a yarn shop take away from my love of knitting?  Will I still have the opportunity to design as much as I want to?  Will the costs of owning the yarn shop outweigh the benefits?

These are some tough questions I will have to deal with as I get in touch with the yarn distributors.  Mainly because it will be a stretch to fund the start-up of the shop.  I don't want to have to take out any loans, but I don't want to blow my savings on something that won't pan out.  I'll be thinking about this more as I talk with other yarnies out there.  Please, let me know what you think, the uncertainty is killing me!

Coming soon

Spring designs.  Even though I have limited drawing ability, I've been working on some sketches.  Liking what I see so far.  :)

Designing

Current Projects

• "The Dude" Sweater: Still in progress...You know that you love to create when more complex projects hit the backburner when you're inspired to knit other things.  I'm still working on it, slowly but surely, however, I do have some other projects in the works.
• Patriotic Toeless socks with cuff: Also still in progress, however won't be ready in time for Independence Day tomorrow.  *sigh*
• Adaly:  I made a very cute, top-down, seamless dress from a pattern I found on ravelry.com (see my other projects on Ravelry, username Rebeca4a).  Adaly is the name of a little girl my son knows from day care and she just recently turned two.  I was having trouble with making invisible increases on this project, but my mother told me not to be too self-conscious about it.  I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, and I want to get all these design/construction details nailed before I begin to market some of my designs.  Let me know what you think of this!  :)


Adaly's Dress
Size 2-3 years


• Seamless Dress:  I know I don't have any girls, but I wanted to perfect the seamless technique that was also featured in another design of this name on ravelry.com.  This dress was a bottom-up design, however, I did notice that other users on ravelry mentioned that the dress was a little long.  I shortened the dress and made a few other minor changes and it turned out well.  Pictures to come.
• Tiger Lily Tank: I began this project almost a week ago in order to get some more design ideas and learn a few more techniques.  It's in progress, but the back is almost complete.  Find this pattern on http://www.lionbrandyarn.com/.  Pictures to come.

Design

Finally, my design section is ready to be up and running.  I have been frantically researching how to knit a circular yoke top, similar to the one on Adaly's dress.  I have found that many people do them differently in their designs, depending on the intricacy of the needlework. 

• Method 1:  Knit in a straight line, including a cabled or vertical pattern until the desired "length" is reached.  Pick up stitches in front and in back, casting on enough stitches to shape the armholes.  Join in the round and once complete, sew any unfinished seams.
• Method 2:  Cast on enough stitches to fit over your head, join in the round, and continue with the top-down method depending on the size and shape you'd like your garment to be.  This is probably the easiest.
• Method 3a: Cast on enough stitches to fit your waist, hips, or lower, depending on the length of the garment and join in the round.  You'll end up decreasing or increasing stitches where you want to contour to your body.  You will shape the armholes by casting off the correct number of stitches once you reach the armholes.  In the next round, you will cast on the number of stitches needed to finish the circumference of the armhole.  Finish in the round.
• Method 3b:  You will work the garment the same, but once you reach the armholes, you can work some short rows on either side of the front and back of the garment so that you have a circular yoke that is actually circular (if that doesn't make sense, let me know).

Knitting Madness

I will use this section to talk about some of my knitting woes, offering advice on how to complete some of the techniques that I've had trouble with.  Now remember, if you need any additional help, feel free to contact me via email for further instruction, I'm always here to help!

So as I've mentioned earlier, I was having some trouble making my increases invisible.  So I looked up how to do left- and right-slanted increases on a website we all know and love: Knitting Daily.  In order to keep from any copyright infringements, I will just refer you to their website and search for "Left Slant Raised Increase (M1L)" and "Right Slant Raised Increase (M1R)" both by Kat.  I will say that I tried these methods this morning on the bust shaping section on the the Tiger Lily Tank and they worked like a charm.  No holes, they just blend into the design!  Granted this was "2" yarn, but as I continue on with my design and construction efforts, I'll let you know if this works for thicker yarns (most importantly worsted-weight which I love to make garments out of).