Last month, I released the Back to School Hat made with 100% Highland Wool. This month, I'm releasing the Back to School Cowl made with SW BFL DK. Kits for both are available under the "Kits" tab in the menu. I've also designed another DK Hat and Cowl combo that is closer to my original inspiration - and looks nothing like pencils! Those patterns will be released in a few months. There might even be mittens for both of those collections. I have also designed an oversized, drop shoulder sweater - which I am very excited about! I need to do some grading (figure out the math for other sizes) and get a few souls to test knit. Be on the lookout for test knit opportunities.
What I find really exciting is that as soon as I made the space in my life to design, more ideas started coming. I hope you'll join me on this journey and try out some of the patterns.
I’ve been knitting for over 26 years and have designed a few things here and there—some shawls, a few hats, a bespoke baby blanket, and even some mittens. But over the last few months, I’ve finally had the time and space to really explore design.
A few years ago, I started working on a design after becoming obsessed with Fair Isle knitting. I thought, "Why not try my hand at designing a pattern?" I sat down, came up with the design, and everything looked great on paper. But when it came time to test knit, things didn’t exactly go to plan. Thanks to some unfortunate color choices, the design ended up looking like golf pencils. Yes, pencils. Not the vibe I was going for!
Now, I could’ve scrapped the whole thing and said, “Well, I guess I can’t design.” But instead, I decided to learn from it. First, I realized how important color choices are in stranded knitting—you can push boundaries, but push too far, and your eyes might hurt! Second, once I got over the disappointment of not executing my original vision, I found elements of the design I could use in future projects. And third, I learned to loosen up when it comes to inspiration and the final product. Designing with knit and purl stitches comes with limitations, but that’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s something I’ve learned to embrace.
Last month, I released the Back to School Hat made with 100% Highland Wool, and this month, I’m excited to release the Back to School Cowl made with SW BFL DK. Both kits are available under the "Kits" tab in the menu. I’ve also designed another DK hat and cowl combo that’s much closer to my original inspiration—and no, it doesn’t look like pencils! Those patterns will be out in a few months, and who knows, I might even add mittens to the collections. I’ve also designed an oversized, drop-shoulder sweater that I’m really excited about. I still need to grade it (figure out the math for other sizes) and find some test knitters. Be on the lookout if you’d like to help!
What’s been really exciting for me is that once I made space in my life to design, the ideas just started flowing. I hope you’ll join me on this journey—why not try out one of the patterns and see where your knitting takes you?