This week I’ve been busy reworking my Delancey Cardigan pattern in five new plus sizes (yay!). I’ve posted it for sale here at knitdarling and on my Ravelry page.

I was inspired to do this because of the upcoming knit-along sponsored by Allyson Dykhuizen at her Sweat Shop of Love blog. A nice lady who wanted to participate wrote me to see if I could help her modify the pattern to a plus size. I thought I’d do one better!

I’m publishing this pattern separately for several reasons. Most importantly, because it’s not just the same pattern in bigger sizes. I’ve done some research on grading for plus sizes, and have learned that they work differently than their smaller counterparts. While the end result will look just like the original Delancey, the instructions are different, and the fit is intended to flatter a different type of body.

I hope to get some pictures soon of one of the plus sizes, so please stay tuned for that!

I’m so curious, what are some of your favorite plus size designs/designers? What do you look for in a plus size pattern that some designers just don’t seem to get? I’d love to hear your opinions, so please leave a comment below!

I am so happy to introduce my latest pattern, the Arrowhead Mittens, that were just released in Brooklyn Tweed’s “Wool People Volume 2” Collection!

The pattern features a bold zig-zag and arrow color-work design that is worked from a chart, and an unusual twisted garter stitch hem that looks something like a cable, but a bit softer. Both design elements make for a unique look that is both interesting to knit, and is sure to inspire compliments.

They were a lot of fun to design, and even more fun to knit. Even though I used size 1 needles, I couldn’t believe how fast they knitted up (done in under a week).

The pattern, selling for $6, is available on Ravelry, or through Brooklyn Tweed’s Website. I’ve posted some of their pictures on Knit Darling here.

I love the strong contrasting colors in this sample, because they really show off the design. I used a beautiful pinkish grey called Postcard, and a nice dark brown called Pumpernickle in the Brooklyn Tweed Loft yarn.  I think the mittens would also look great using a neutral color for the background and an intensely colored bright yarn for the contrast. Maybe a light tweedy taupe with a bright turquoise or burnt orange. What colors would you pick for your arrowhead mittens?

Thanks to everyone who made it out to my trunk show & runway event at Anty Shanty vintage shop last week. With a packed house (standing room only, people) I think the event was a huge success! Something went wrong with my camera, but fortunately my brother and SIL got some really fantastic shots. Thanks a mil’ Nathan & Susannah!

Me & Julia, co-owner of Anty Shanty, going over some final details before the show

This is looking down the runway right before the show began. You can see me on the right standing with a microphone, trying not to seem nervous!

Julia was an absolute delight to work with. She put together 16 unique looks for the models, pairing my hand-knitted samples with pieces from her shop. Here are some of my favorites:

From left to right: Vera Cardigan, Bergen Street Cardigan, and Nora Sweater Dress

From left to right: Miss Myrtle Mitts, Delancey Cardigan, and Georgina Cardigan

A lot of my designs are inspired by vintage clothing, so everything worked together really well. Julia, who went to school at F.I.T in New York, focused on details in my designs and elaborated on them with the dresses and accessories she chose. Each look was stunning. I was very impressed!

Having never done anything like this before, I really didn’t know what to expect. The event ended up being so much fun, and I even sold some patterns! I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks again to Julia and her husband Cory (who dj’d the show), all the models and make-up artists, and especially to Barb Hill who had the idea. Also I had a lot of help from my darling husband Brian, and his darling mother Kathe, so thanks to you guys as well.

Me, Barb Hill, and my mother-in-law Kathe after the show

I spent New Year’s Eve celebrating not only the beginning of 2012, but also the launch of a new web site, CharitySub.org. It’s a new philanthropy site that my husband and I, along with our friends Jim and Amy, have been building for the last 6 months. Though this is a knitting blog, it behooves me to tell you all about this new project. Besides just being super cool, we need all the help we can get to spread the word!

CharitySub is basically a subscription for giving. Every month, we pick a new cause and three great charities working for that cause. As a subscriber, you donate $5 every month to one of these charities, that you choose. We’re making it super easy to decide who gets you donation by breaking down the facts in videos, graphs, and interesting write-ups.

Here’s a stop motion video we made to explain the site with my good buddy Jake Armstrong. Jake is incredibly talented, and we thank him so much!

Those are my hands on the bottom!

Here’s a video we made for our featured cause in January, childhood obesity, with our buddies at Plywood Pictures.

We’ve been pouring our hearts into this project, and now that it’s live, I couldn’t be prouder! Please go check it out, and for goodness sake, sign-up!

You can also help us out by liking CharitySub on Facebook, tweeting, or blogging about us. Many thanks to all our supporters!

Also, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment below.