it’s a new day

Posted on annePosted in designing, lace/shawls, projects

i’m sensing an unusually high excitement in the air about this new year—many of us are pinning our hopes on a better, more promising time ahead and i fervently hope that our collective energy will make it so. happy new year, indeed.

i’ve been so fortunate this year to hold steady and even grow our business, despite the loss of our day jobs last christmas. i am especially grateful for the kind recognition of the knitting community, for being included in such events as sock summit, the loopy ewe spring fling, the knitters review retreat, and the upcoming knit nation. travel teaching is an exciting new venture for me and one i look forward to doing more often in 2010.

and then earlier this week, i was astonished to be included in clara parkes’ year-end roundup in knitters review of people, places, and things that shaped the year 2009—a completely unexpected, but joyful honor.

the dawn of 2010 is a chance for a fresh start, a new beginning, a renewed commitment to work at what needs to be done—to celebrate, i cast on on project i’ve been dawdling over for a while.

(i just love photographing cast-on edges . . .)
i shouldn’t be talking at all about starting new projects, with all the variously unfinished ones i have on the needles, but here we go—i have finally started the little shawl i’ve been talking about since thanksgiving. i’m doing a test version first in a discontinued silk/cashmere laceweight (shivaya naturals silky cashmere, in case you have some) that comes pretty close to the way my handspun silk/cashmere knitted up in testing.

i have a very limited amount of yardage in my handspun skein, so i want to nail down the yardage requirements more exactly and the only way i can do it is to knit a test first. it’s a small shawl, so i won’t mind knitting two of them (and i love that burnished rose colorway).

once i have a working pattern, karolyn will knit a sample in woolen rabbit tranquilo, which is the yarn that will be featured in the final pattern (since handspun is not an option for many knitters)

is that black velvet colorway gorgeous, or what?

the shawl begins at the hem (like maplewing) and gets smaller as it is worked toward the neck. there will be several sizes, but i’m knitting a smaller one, in keeping with my yarn supply.

after much consideration, i decided to add some shoulder shaping—the combination of motifs has a lovely victorian look that i think will be enhanced by pulling them together at the top to sit in the shoulders, particularly for the smaller sizes. i’m toying with an option in the pattern to skip shoulder shaping if a flat triangle is preferred, but i don’t know yet if that’s workable.

i’ve allowed myself some quiet time during the holiday week to work on the pattern; there are always a couple of days of number crunching and brain strain required to get started and quiet days to work are not plentiful lately. getting the pattern planned out in advance of our trip next week was a big hurdle to get over—i’m in much better shape to begin.

i have two secret projects on deadlines that i don’t have yarn for yet, so i do need to keep them in mind; once that yarn lands on my doorstep, i have to go into overdrive to get those knocked out.

til then though . . .

i’m motoring along on the henley sweater i’m designing with knitting notions classic merino superwash sport yarn. the back piece here is nearing completion and after that, i just have one front piece to go. this turned out to be a great traveling project—i’ve been able to tote it along just about anywhere and work away, despite the cabling and body shaping. it’s a simple and intuitive motif that is difficult to screw up, so it lends itself to public knitting. i only need to consult the pattern once in a while where the transitions happen. and that means it is constantly progressing.

i dearly want to finish this before we leave (because it will be perfect to wear in california), but i’m not sure i can—fingers crossed.

yesterday’s mail brought the buttons i ordered the other night from buttonboy—i really appreciated the fast delivery, since david is wanting to make use of his new christmas sweater.

i ordered two different sets; one in cedar and one in oak. i thought the reddish cedar would be a good match, but actually, it kinda clashed. the oak ones proved to be perfect, with nice tonal contrast.

david loves them—’nuf said.
and despite my fears that the edges might be too rough to use with yarn, they are not—even the ones with bark remaining have been polished smooth so they slide in and out of the buttonholes easily.
we need to take some photos of him wearing the sweater while it’s still new—he will wear this one often, i think, and by the time i write a pattern for it, it may have undergone some shape-shifting changes.

my second fishbone gansey sock is growing, thanks to late-night movies. this is another project i want to finish ASAP; i could really use some solid, warm socks.
you probably know by now that a color name has been chosen—a sockwork orange it is.

dye dreams will be offering this sock yarn and pattern as a kit in their winter installment of the four seasons sock club (kits available as separate seasons).
the pattern will also be available as a standalone item in my pattern shop, once the club kits are shipped and received, for those who are committed to using stash this year.

i’m also nearly done with this cité neckwarmer i’m knitting in the silky cashmere yarn mentioned above (i have a few skeins). i’m knitting it a little longer because the fabric is drapey; the extra folds will add some warmth. i like these very lightweight ones better—david surprised me the other night by mentioning that he’d wear one if it was thick. hmmm.

haha, BTW, he has found another project for me to knit him—this one is small, a hat. i never made david a hat; he hasn’t worn them in the past, because his hair was always too huge to fit into one. but in the last few years, there has been a frighteningly fast-growing bare spot on top of his head and this winter, he is feeling the cold.

he wants a basic stocking hat, but longer and with big, fat, soft cables. i told him i’d fool around with creating something. I can’t even imagine how many stitches it will take to do those big cables in his size.

i measured his head and it is nearly 25 inches around—seriously, when i write in a pattern that a hat will fit heads up to 25 inches, i always snort a little, because i can’t conceive of anyone actually having a noggin that big. but there you go—there’s one living right in this house. another example of our polar opposite-ness, heh.

ok, i think it’s just about knit o’clock now—i’m going to do just that.
happy, happy new year—thank you for your continued interest in my ramblings and scribblings; you are all so dear to me.

43 thoughts on “it’s a new day”

  1. And thank you for keeping me motivated, inspired, and with a full queue!! Happiest of 2010 to you and David….. keep up the beautiful work.

  2. goodness — what a full post for the first day of January! wow!

    I do esp. look forward to your new pattern — what can I say, I just love leaves. And those colors are all lovely.

    and congrats, really, for all your hard work and success in 2009.

    Today … I catch up with blog reading. I do enjoy it, and want to get back to it. Tomorrow … tomorrow is another day LOL

  3. I was just looking at your designs again on this post and saw the “calendar” in the top shot — I have the exact one. And it reads: July 1. LOL Tells you the last time I “properly” sat in my sewing room!

  4. Ooh, a shawl for precious handspun! Hmmm… I wonder if those 750 or so yards I have waiting would be enough… I had to laugh at your description of the size of David’s head; Rick’s is huge, too — casting on to knit a hat for him is like casting on for a sweater for one of the girls!

    And, most importantly, congratulations on all of those well-deserved invitations and honors (and you forgot to mention your appearance in The Knitter!) 🙂

  5. Isn’t it nice to start a new year with a clean slate and the anticipation of good things to come?

    You have lots of lovely things to keep you busy!

  6. Congrats on the acknowledgement of your talent! (we’ve known it for years)
    Looking forward to a great 2010!

  7. Happy New Year, Anne!! And thank you for your continuing good cheer and inspiring designs!! The Matterhorn and Hot Waffles hats that I made for Christmas gifts were both “warmly” accepted and enjoyed by their recipients…thank you!!! Can’t wait to see the new soft cables stocking hat!!

  8. I love that Christmas sweater! Thanks for sharing so much of you this past year, looking forward to more inspiration in 2010.

  9. Happy New Year Anne and David, too! I’m so excited to see the swatches for the new shawl and I’m thinking I should be winding the alpaca. I’ll do that just as soon as I finish my HAPPY DANCE for the shoulder shaping… it’s going to be beautiful!

  10. ANNE — READING ABOUT YOUR KNITTING AND DOING YOUR PATTERNS HAS BECOME A HIGHLIGHT IN MY LIFE

    – AM ALWAYS THINKING – ” WHAT’S SHE GOING TO COME UP WITH NEXT”— you are a great designer

    – A PLEASURE TO BE —- YOURS IN KNITTING — PAT

  11. My goodness, you have been busy! I love the raspberry colour — delicious!

    All the recent recognition you’ve received has been well deserved — enjoy!

  12. You are certainly starting out the new year with beautiful color and pattern. Seems to be your hallmark. Happy New Year with peace and joy throughout.

  13. And a very Happy New Year to you, too! Your “ramblings” are always delightful, inspirational, and informative.

  15. Happy New Year to you and David! Thanks for introducing us all to so many wonderful yarns, designs, knitting bags, shawl pins…. I would not have stumbled across many of them on my own. Now my goal is to work in a bit more knitting time. I hope it’s a great year for you and your business!

  16. I must agree with many of the other comments that the recognition that you receive is well deserved. Yours is one of the few blogs I read daily and always enjoy your words, your pictures, your stories, and, of course, your knitting. I’m curious as to how much yarn the littlest new shawl will take as I have a skein of Tranquillo just waiting for the perfect something and this shawl looks to be it.
    May 2010 be a good one for you and David.

  17. Happy New Year to you and David Anne! I’m looking forward to a new year as well and wish you lots of continued successes. I was excited to see you mentioned in the yearly review by Clara…congrats!

  19. Congratulations on the praise from Clara on Knitter’s Review! It’s very well deserved. I agree with her, every design you produce so lovely and knittable.

    I look forward to seeing what you come out with in the new year. Happy New Year to you both.

  20. Congradulations for being included on Clara Parkes’ list. In my opinion you certainly deserve it!

    you’ve got so many wonderful projects on the go! I’m looking forward to the little shawl, and will likely find several more of your designs that I’ll need to knit in the coming year.

    Thank you for your wonderful inspiring and entertaining blog. All the best for both you and David in 2010.

  21. Congrats on being included on Clara’s list – you definitely deserve it! Now only are your designs beautiful, but your patterns are so well-written and charted — I love knitting from them!

    Happy New Year to you and David (and I’m so glad you’re knitting him a hat!).

  22. Happy New Year, Anne & David! Along with everyone else: congrats on being Clara-listed! But mostly, thanks for your beautiful work and blogging. I’m so grateful for your creativity, inspiration, and generosity. Your blog, especially, feeds me every day. Blessings to you both for this new year!

  23. You deserve the recognition. I am SO glad the accolades are coming in! You and David have a wonderful new year and may 2010 be the best year yet!

  25. congrats on the recognition, anne. and if i might add a personal note, you have been both a comfort and an inspiration to me during what was a harsh and trying year. your creativity has kept me optimistic about next chapters! and that new lace project with tranquillo looks like the perfect place to start. happy new year to you and david and all your loved ones.

  26. The lace is exquisite. I’ve only managed to knit lace once. Love wearing my shawl, but oh, the cursing I did while knitting it! Happy New Year and thank you for your constant inspiration and creativity.

  27. Happy new year to you too Anne! You bring a lot of joy to a lot of people, a noteworthy accomplishment indeed.

  28. Happy New year! I really appreciate the work you put into updating your blog – I look forward to reading it. May you have a prolific, yarny, year!

  29. Hi Anne! My computer died and I now have a new one running Windows 7. Your blog seems to have changed. An entry starts out with a white background with black letters that is easy to read. Part way into the entry, the background switches to a medium grey color with lighter grey letters or colored letters which makes it really difficult to read. I’m curious – is the writing in your blog supposed to do that or is it my computer system that is needing tweaking? Thanks, Kate

  30. ooh, i’m excited for the new shawl! i’ve been interested in knitting more shawls with shoulder shaping; they do seem to stay on better. and i love those stitch patterns, and silk/cashmere lace yarn is one of my favorite things to use! 🙂

  31. Happy New Year, Anne and David! I’ve been devoted to this blog and Anne’s work since I found it online, and I’m thrilled that you taught at Sock Summit (no, I’m not a sock knitter) and that Knitter’s Review has put your name in the limelight.

  32. I discovered your blog through my google reader! Loving it! I love your sock patterns! Will the gansey be available soon? About a year ago I switched to knitting only toe-up socks, but I’m loving your socks so much, and realize that my favorite pair of hand-knit socks are top-down. I’d love to hear your take on top-down vs. toe-up.

  33. Anne
    Thank you for all the work that goes into making Knitspot a pleasure to view and read regularly. I am in awe of your prolific-ness in the knitting department (and photography dept), your profundity of patterns and how you always seem to hit the right note in all three. The accolades are well-deserved. Happy New Year to you and David!
    (I too am a big head, yikes, 24 inches!)
    Susan

  34. Just want to say that I LOVE your blog. I’ve been reading for a while now and hardly ever comment, but maybe this will be the year that I let other people know how much I appreciate them =] Your patterns and yarn choices and photos are always dazzling and inspirational. Thanks so much for sharing!

  35. You have a lot going on over there! I look forward to year three? four? reading your blog!

  36. Happy New Year Anne! I so enjoy reading your blog and looking at your beautiful photographs – you definitely keep me inspired to keep on knitting 🙂

  37. Congratulations for your well-deserved recognition in the industry. Your patterns are awesome & your blog is inspiring…love it! Thanks for keeping up with it along with everything else you have going. Best wishes for a great 2010!

  38. I agree with Susan (above) for all the work you do to make knitspot such a fun cyber place to hang out! I really do check in with you every day to see if anything is new and what you may be up to. You are so deserving of the compliments. I hope you and David have a joyous and healthy new year.

    P.S. I’ll look forward to that top down pattern you did for David. Love those cables……!!

  40. Happy New Year!
    I love seeing all of your projects…even if there are a “few” that are unfinished. That’s actually reassuring…as I have “a couple” of things on the needles myself!
    I’m wondering about the four seasons sock you said is winter. The link goes to the 2009 sock club? It says they are shipping fall. When I go to 2010 it doesn’t look like they offer a “one-at-a-time” option.
    What am I missing?

  41. Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your blog. I save it for the last one that I read like savoring that last piece of decadent dessert. I greatly admire your knitting genius and am in awe of the amount of work you produce. Love your designs, have purchased many of them and have completed quite a few. Your fault though, because just as I am about to cast on for what is my “favorite” Knitspot project you design another “favorite”! LOL

    Thanks again for all you give back to the knitting community. It is knitters and designers such as your self that keep me knitting my fingers off!!

    Georgi

  43. Knitting hats for someone with dreadlocks is tricky. But in my experience, the wearer always looks fabulous wearing them!

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