Category Archives: lace

Podcast Episode 215: Interview with Jen Lucas

In a quest to find new ways of using up that stash of sock yarns, Kelley chats with Jen Lucas, author of the book Sock Yarn Shawls. Being a self-taught knitter, Jen shares how an obsession with socks eventually led to her to the world of shawls and shawlettes. Kelley and Jen chat about the different chapters of the book in addition to the different styles of shawls included. Get a behind the scene's peak into Jen's first book of shawl designs in addition to a few handy tips and tricks for shawl knitting! Sock Yarn Shawls by Jen Lucas Jen is also part of the IDP program, you can find more of her designs here: Jen Lucas 3 easy ways to listen...

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Imagining the Future: A little chunk of the creative process

When you consider the time involved in writing a pattern, knitting the item, photographing it and getting a pattern ready for publication, it’s no wonder we work months and months ahead. It tends to create a strange creative dissonance for me; right now I’m finishing up some patterns for November, yet it’s 75 degrees out today and I’m wearing a tank top. It’s really hard to get in the right frame of mind for what would be cozy in winter when all I can think about are flip flops! But, working in advance can have some really great advantages: lots of time to dream and mess up before you have to get it right. I’ve recently laid out my plan for 2014, and have started dreaming up all of the concepts  for ...

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Podcast Episode 209: Interview with TECHknitter

This week, Kelley chats with TECHknitter about her "chart chart" technique and all things lace. Kelley first begins by giving a brief overview of lace knitting and its components, along with the different ways that lace patterns can be presented. Kelley goes over both written and charted directions, before introducing TECHknitter's "chart chart" method, which she first posted about on her blog back in 2007. Learn more about this compelling way to knit lace as TECHknitter chats about the history of lace and charting methods, as well as helpful tips and tricks. And TECHknitter was kind enough to share some handy visual aids that show the "chart chart" method in action! An example of a Tabulated Pattern (a proto-chart-chart)

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Foreign Correspondent’s Cowl

I found out a week ago that a wonderful, dear-to-me-friend would be visiting Seattle this weekend and my first thought was that I definitely wanted to knit her a little present. However, a week isn't much time to whip a present up and I wanted to make sure it was something she would want to wear in the mild climes of Arizona. So I began trawling through my magical Ravelry queue and found Lexy Lu's Foreign Correspondent's Scarf. I loved the lace pattern, the simple repeate and the fact that I could easily turn it into a cowl if I didn't have time to knit a full scarf.

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Beads, glorious beads!

Did you see? We now carry beads for you to add to your knitting! Beads add a wonderful element to knitted items. They add sparkle and drape to lace shawls, fancy highlights to handbags, and they stand out against plainer items to create something special. With this in mind, I wrote the Starry Stole pattern! This free pattern features a pattern of beads in a starry field on a background of simple stockinette stitch.

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Podcast Episode 199: Interview with Anna Dalvi

Not ready to let go of your summer knitting just yet? Keep your lace projects inspired with this week’s podcast as Kelley chats with designer Anna Dalvi, author of the books Shaping Shawls and Ancient Egyptian Lace & Color. Hear all about Anna’s love of shawls and her design process for her book Shaping Shawls, which focuses on construction techniques for shawls. In her newest book, Ancient Egyptian Lace & Color, Anna uses her lace knitting expertise to explore the stories, symbolism, and mythologies of Egypt as reinterpreted through her lace designs. Anna also shares a few of her favorite mythological stories with Kelley and how they have inspired her designs. Ancient Egyptian Lace & Color. And don’t forget to check out Anna’s first book, Shaping Shawls! 3 easy ways to listen…

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Sand and Sea Shawlette

I was skimming through the bookshelf here at work last week when I spotted Coastal Knits by Alana Dakos & Hannah Fettig. I love the photography in this book, not to mention the lovely patterns! I was especially struck by the Sand and Sea Shawlette. It's the perfect size and height to be either a comfortable fall scarf or worn as a small shawl.

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Elegant Simplicity

Sometimes when it comes to lace, less can be more! Inspired by the hardy, well-adapted arctic willow, the Salix shawl takes cues from a seemingly barren landscape that's far more alive than you might think! Salix is a full-sized Shetland-type shawl knit in Palette. Above a border of Shells is a low-lying row of Buttercups. The body of the shawl is worked in a pattern of Pebbles, with little variations just like those on a beach. The stand-out feature, though, is the willow catkin running up the shaped center panel.

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