Harbor Bar socks

May 8th, 2013

Here is my latest pattern, Harbor Bar, from the new Quince and Co. collection, Socks: Book One. The book contains two other sock patterns, by Michele Wang and Star Athena.

Harbor Bar

Harbor Bar features an unusual stranded colorwork pattern in three colors of Quince and Co. Finch. If you think you’re seeing some of the stranding on the outside of the sock… you’re right. Working the reversed stranding is simple – just flip the sock inside out! These socks feature an afterthought heel instead of my typical heel flap and turn, to show off the contrast heels and toes.

These socks were inspired by one of my husband’s stranded colorwork sweaters (he has surprisingly interesting knitwear for a man) which has a simple geometric pattern. I noticed that I liked the floats on the “wrong side” just as much as the right side of the work.

For Harbor Bar, I’ve combined using colorwork the usual way with “inside out” colorwork where the strands face outward. This gives the fabric a textural component you don’t often see with stranded colorwork. The pattern is a very simple diagonal stripe repeat that is worked the same for the right side and the inside out stripes.

Here’s to trying something a little different with your socks.

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Dizzy and the Jazz Collection

May 1st, 2013

Introducing… the Dizzy sock pattern!

 Dizzy

This brand new pattern, named after Dizzy Gillespie, features large reverse stockinette and rib chevrons. There are 3 sizes, all charted, with mirrored left and right socks. By shifting stitches around, the horizontal waving bands of reverse stockinette blend in seamlessly without a jog. You’ll spin around, dizzy with delight! You can purchase Dizzy through the Cookie A Ravelry Store.

Sock Knitters Anonymous KAL

SKA Promo

We’re super excited that Cookie is a featured designer during the May for the Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry. In honor of that, use the code SKA to receive 25% off all individual patterns in the Ravelry Store in the month of May. Join in on the fun at the SKA group on Ravelry.

The Jazz Collection

Also in honor of the Sock Knitters Anonymous knitalong, for a very limited time through the end of May only, all 6 jazz themed sock patterns will be available as a bundle for $20. This includes Dizzy and 5 previously published patterns that have been heavily updated since their original release: Thelonious, Ellington, Ornette, Mingus, and Calloway. You must be a member of Ravelry to purchase this bundle which is available in the Ravelry Store.

Jazz Cover

Ellington has been re-worked in the beautiful String Theory Caper sock. The charts have been completely re-done in a simplified and more streamlined manner.

Calloway, a past favorite with swerving lace panels and cabled medallions, has been re-formatted and re-worded.

Mingus has been re-charted, re-formatted with two sizes added, and re-worked in the beautiful Hazel Knits sock yarn.

Thelonious, originally released in 2007, was updated and included in the book Knit. Sock. Love. That updated version is included in this bundle.

Ornette has been updated with new streamlined charts and an additional size. New photographs show Ornette knitted in Wollmeise sock yarn. The updated pattern calls for a tighter gauge of 9 stitches per inch in stockinette to match the new yarn. It can be knit at the original gauge of 8 stitches per inch and down one size to achieve the same sizing.

 

 

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Now Available: Nanaimo and Turbulence

April 15th, 2013

The sock patterns from the April 2012 Cookie A Sock Club, Nanaimo and Turbulence, are now available for purchase! Inspired by the seashore, these two patterns reflect two opposing aspects of coastal life: simplicity and calm, versus the brewing current underneath the sea. Nanaimo and Turbulence are knit in Socktopus Sokkusu Original, a fine yarn with a great twist that really shows off  fancy stitch patterning.

The Nanaimo socks are simple and cozy, with the left and right socks mirroring one another. The knit and purl pattern is nice and calming and perfect for gift knitting for men and women who don’t like too much fuss.

Nanaimo_front_cross_rug

$6.50 

The Turbulence socks are also mirrored and have lots of fancy stitchwork and patterning that somehow comes together in an orderly fashion. Twisted stitches, yarnovers, strange pass over eyelets, cables, you name it—many of the knitting creatures from under the sea are represented here. The stitches in the Turbulence socks intertwine and wrap around each other, creating a sort of order out of chaos.

 Turbulence_front

$6.50

 

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Ernie and Newton

March 20th, 2013

The 2013 Cookie A Sock Club kicked off the new year with two new sock patterns, Ernie and Newton, knit in Indigodragonfly MCN Sock (as well as two delicious cookie recipes for fig bars and pecan sandies!) I’m enjoying seeing everyone’s finished socks and cookies in the Ravelry group.

Newton  features a broad lace leaf motif down the front and back, separated by cables down the sides.

Newton

Ernie features a vertical leaf and rib pattern.

Ernie

These patterns are exclusive to the Cookie A Sock Club until February 15, 2014.

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Now Available: Makoto and Wayward

February 18th, 2013

The first two patterns from the 2012 Cookie A Sock Club, Makoto and Wayward, are now available on Ravelry.

Makoto pair

Makoto was inspired by fortune cookies.

While I suspected that fortune cookies are not really Chinese, I had no idea that the origin of the fortune cookie was a source of debate with several people claiming to have invented it. In fact, it was so hotly contested that the San Francisco Court of Historical Review gathered evidence and held a mock trial where they ruled that the fortune cookie was invented by Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese immigrant living in San Francisco. Even though the fortune cookie has precursors in Japanese culture, they became a mainstay in Chinese-American restaurants.

So all this rambling about fortune cookies, what’s that got to do with socks? Well you see, when I get an idea in my head, my stubborn mind can’t let it go. I wanted to make fortune cookies, and I even recalled a stitch pattern I had seen that resembled the shape of a fortune cookie. A ha! A brilliant thought for the club, thought I. I became obsessed.

The Makoto socks, named after the inventor of the fortune cookie (though the ruling appears to be disputed by a small contingent in Los Angeles), are a little crazy and unconventional just like the original fortune cookies must have been. A lace pattern forms the shapes of tiled fortune cookies spaced with large holes created by double yarnovers. With increasing and decreasing on every round, the pattern forms a bit of biasing which affects the elasticity of the fabric.

 Makoto – $6.50

 

Wayward side

Wayward features traveling sets of geometric cables over a twisted ribbing background. Sounds complicated, doesn’t it? But it’s not really that tough once you dig in.

The Richness of Martens yarn from Alisha Goes Around is luscious and has great stitch definition, perfect for showing off fancy stitchery. I love twisted stitch cables at least as much as the next sock knitter, so I chose a simple intertwining cable panel, mirrored it, mirrored the pair again, and started knitting without a definite plan in mind. They were to be my wayward socks. The twisted cabled stitches meandered, criss crossed, and wandered as wayward souls do. I kept some notes and kept going, making decisions on the fly, sometimes having to backtrack. Of course I petted the yarn at the end of every round. Mmm, cashmere and silk. I don’t often design this way because I learned early on that knitting without a plan can mean problems later down the road.

The Wayward socks are a fun knit and not that complicated when broken down into pieces, but the charts appear monstrous. There are a lot of them. Don’t let that fool you. You only have to print the charts you need for one size. One of the things I love about electronic patterns is that there’s no limit on size. The Wayward socks, at a whopping 20 pages, is the type of pattern that would never make it in print.

 Wayward – $6.50

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December’s Sock Club Prize Winner

February 15th, 2013

As the new sock club begins, I’m wrapping up the last odds and ends from 2012’s club. We have another prize winner for completing a project from the December shipment!

Our winner is Joelle in Missouri, who won with her lovely pair of Striation socks.

Joelle's Striations

Our lucky winner will receive a copy of the elusive and out of print Tudor Roses by Alice Starmore PLUS enough yarn to make Elizabeth I in the prize winner’s choice of club yarns from 2011 and 2012. Joelle chose more of the Stricken Smitten yarn. Congratulations, Joelle!

December Prize

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And they’re off!

February 9th, 2013

IMAG1513_medium

The first shipment of the 2013 Sock Club went to the post office this morning. The lady there was super nice so I think everyone’s packages are in good hands!

A little trivia, if you’re interested: this year’s sock club will be traveling to 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as to 18 additional countries around the world.

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Back from New York

February 5th, 2013

Two weekends ago I was in New York – right in Times Square, in fact – for Vogue Knitting Live. Here’s my view from the hotel.

View from hotel

Classes were good as always. I get a kick out of seeing everyone’s socks. Suzanne was wearing Hamantaschen in the Green Mountain Spinnery yarn from the October sock club. Great knitting!

Suzanne shows off her hamantaschen socks from the sock club.

In the Marketplace, I stopped by to see Sarah at The Plucky Knitter booth. Check out all those colors!

Gorgeous colors at the plucky knitter booth at vklive.

And here’s a closeup of Sarah’s colorful Fagus splendour cowl.

Cowl

I may have had to take some of her beautiful colors home with me… my friends keep telling me I need a new hat.

Ysolda and I visited Habu textiles, where there is always intriguing yarn. I ended up buying some fabric to make a super cool scarf.

Habu

Habu

New York was great but COLD. It’s good to be home.

 

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Another Winner – with Parallelogram!

January 21st, 2013

Inge from the Netherlands is our last winner for the fall Shapes + Form Knitalong on Ravelry. She has knit up a wonderful bright scarf and hat set that she adapted from the Parallelogram pattern.

Parallelogram scarf

rsz_img_4478

I’m sending out a copy of Connie Chang Chinchio’s latest book, Textured Stitches, as well as a skein of the lovely Alisha Goes Around Richness of Martens (a fingering-weight merino, cashmere and silk blend) in a stunning shade of red. It would make some lovely gloves from the book – or of course a fantastic pair of socks.

Textured Stitches

Gloves

Congratulations, Inge!

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Spring 2013 Teaching

January 17th, 2013

If you’re reading this, then I’m on my way to New York City for Vogue Knitting Live! I’ll be teaching some classes on Saturday and Sunday at the New York Mariott Marquis, and then I will be enjoying a bit of relaxation in New York. I’m looking forward to visiting a few friends, and it wouldn’t be a trip without some fun shopping and delicious food.

I’ll also be teaching at two West Coast venues this spring.

 

 

Stitches West will be right around the corner from me at the Santa Clara Convention Center, February 21-24, 2013.

Some of my classes are full but there are still spots available in my sock design class, Sock Innovation: Top-Down Sock Design (all day on Friday), as well as Intuitive Chart Reading: Cables (Saturday morning). 

 

vklive

 

Vogue Knitting Live Seattle will be held at the Meydenbauer Center and Hyatt Regency Bellevue, April 5-7, 2013.

Registration has just opened for the weekend packages, and you can check out all the classes here.

I hope you can make it to a class this spring!

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