flighty—in a good way

i first met celeste young (second from the right, above) in 2009, when i did a trunk show at my mom’s LYS—trumpet hill fine yarns in albany, NY. later we got to know each other a bit better during a weekend of classes i taught at the shop, when she picked my brain a little bit about how to go about publish her first patterns.

at trumpet hill, celeste works closely with owner robena dematteo and over the last few years they have together developed a warm and inviting knitter’s oasis which clearly reflects their fast bond of friendship. as i watch them work, i see an excited employee who loves her job and an owner who is secure enough to encourage her employee’s ambition to craft a design career as well.

each time i visit, i feel welcomed as part of the family there as we catch each other up on news and talk shop. i’ve had the pleasure of teaching workshops several times at trumpet hill and hope to continue; it’s one of my favorite venues to teach at. we also get to see each other “in the wild” here and there—often at wool shows or other knitter’s events.

and this year when i ran into celeste at rhinebeck, she shared two wonderful pieces  of news. one of them was obvious—she is expecting her first baby in january! AND she has just published a book of her own knitting designs.

knits of a feather is a collection of twenty designs that are inspired in some way by the author’s love of birds.

from the flyleaf all the way through, the unifying theme provides a lovely, fresh inspiration to both hand knits and photography.

celeste has used a natural, graceful hand in her interpretations of the beauty, life, and behavior of birds into stitches and patterns.

the book celebrates designs for all skill levels using a variety of techniques from color work to cables to lace to beading to embroidery.

there are larger projects for experienced knitters as well as small projects with which to try out new skills

and instructional support provided for the techniques required to execute them.

a variety of project types is represented as well. all manner of accessories—shawls, hats, scarves, mitts, cowls, home items—and a few sweaters make up a well-rounded lineup. i feel like the book has a lot more than twenty projects.

my favorites are the color work pieces; personally, i think this is where the collection really shines.

though i haven’t knit a huge amount of color work and i’m not known for designing any, i do love me a good color work pattern—it always pleases my eye. i need a color work clone . . .

wouldn’t some of these look great in our stone soup or breakfast blend yarns? i’m hoping that celeste will be inspired to create a design with one of our bare naked wools—wouldn’t that be awesome??

i love this sweater and all the swirly feathery things included. i wouldn’t have thought to use the feather theme quite this way and i find it delightfully surprising in the cover design as well as the sweater and tam.

want to see more? click here to view the entire collection or visit the book’s page on ravelry to see full project and pattern details.

signed copies available in print from the author’s site ; also available on amazon (unsigned).

now here’s the weekend treat for us—celeste has generously offered for two lucky readers to win a signed copy of the book! if you want to put your name in the hat, please leave one comment at the end of this post by 9 pm EST on sunday, november 10th.

i thought this would be a fun way to celebrate running my first half marathon this weekend—sunday is the big day; i’ve been training for months. so wish me luck while you’re crossing your fingers to win a book!