People ask me all the time where I get the inspiration for my designs. I hesitate to reply with the same old cliche, "I'm inspired by everything around me," because it's so much more than that! A more appropriate answer would include everything I've seen, done, or heard of-- ever.

I'm amazed sometimes how little bits of this and that from my past will creep into my work. Even if I didn't correlate the relationship at the moment of inspiration, I think it's important to try to recognize the connection. Knowing where my inspiration comes from, helps me better talk about my work.

When I started designing the collection for my knitscene feature (pictured above), I didn't think about a source of inspiration. I just started to draw. Looking back with a little perspective, it's plain for me to see that this collection draws inspiration in part from the bold design aesthetics of Navajo rugs and Native American pottery. Thinking about this, I realize that these strong geometric and linear motifs have been present in much of my work, often with an added vintage flair.

Being from Oklahoma, it was an easy family vacation to drive out to New Mexico. My parents began collecting Navajo rugs and Native American pottery on our trips. I remember visiting the rug shops in the outskirts of Santa Fe and Taos. The rooms had that New Mexico smell; pinion or cedar or something woodsy like that, mixed with that dusty old wool scent. I'd walk through the aisles, grazing my hands along the waist high stacks of rugs, feeling the channels of coarse wool under my fingertips.

This is my adorable mother, posing with a painted portrait of me as a child by artist Kathleen Jardine. You can see in the scene she chose to include part of her rug and pottery collection. Also interesting to note, I'm seated in a chair that was designed by my father, cutting out hand-drawn paper dolls.

These are a few pieces from my miniature pot collection. As a child, my parents encouraged this odd little hobby. I think this was mostly to keep me from totally losing-it on the long, torturous car rides in the back seat with my menace of a big brother (don't worry, we're friends now!).

If you think about these adorable little pots, they are not unlike a knitted hat, turned upside-down. Looking at my Arbuckle hat, it's easy to see the relationship, don't you think?

 

How could I possibly describe how excited I am? "Very" would be an understatement. "Extremely", doesn't quite cut it either. Something more like "titanically" or "colossally" seems more apropos. Okay, so I'm gargantuanly excited about Knitscene Magazine's winter 2011 issue which profiles YOURS TRULY and features a 4 piece collection of my original designs! I'm still not sure that "gargantuan" aptly captures this, but oh well.

So the whole thing started about 9 months ago when I got an email from Lisa Shroyer, Knitscene's editor, asking if maybe, possibly, would i perhaps be interested in such a thing. I remember reading this several times thinking, is this email really for me? Is this a prank orchestrated by international association of jerk-faces?  I quickly replied YES, before she had a chance to change her mind!

I think I squealed, I know I danced, and though it was a long time ago, I'm pretty sure I made jazz hands.

I immediately began designing. Here are some of the drawings I sent for my proposals:

I remember being so excited when I sent-in my proposals. I knew it would be a big job with a tight deadline, but I'm nothing if not enthusiastic and ambitious!  It is with equal enthusiasm that I share these designs with you now! The Canyon Mitts, The Zelda Cloche, The Vera Cardigan, and The Nora Sweater Dress.

With all those stripes, flattering design details, and contrasting color choices, I feel that this collection really captures my design aesthetic. I'm so proud of each piece!

I'll be doing a blog post for each of the designs over the next week. Stay tuned for my design inspiration, and extra photos of each design. I'd love to hear what you all think, so please leave a comment in the section below!

Last week I published my latest pattern, the Georgina Cardigan.

I was inspired to design Georgina by my dear friend Sascha. I offered to knit something for her wedding, and she requested a lacy little bolero to wear with her dress. After a bit of discussion (Sascha is the opposite of a bride-zilla, perhaps a bride-chinchilla) she decided on something a bit more like a cardigan, with 3/4 sleeves and waist length with buttons.

As some of you may gave noticed, I am a bit of a cardiganaholic. It is an affliction that plagues many a knitter, and I am nearly defenseless to its powers. The moment the syllables card-i-guuuh left Sascha's pretty little lips, I already knew what I wanted to do!

Here is one of the sketches I did when I was working out my idea:

I think it turned out pretty close to my idea!

We've just picked the yarn for Sascha's Georgina. It's Louisa Harding Yarns Willow Tweed in color 1. It is knitting up so gorgeously and will really compliment the antique lace in Sascha's dress. I'll be sure to share pictures after the big day.

The pattern is available for sale here at KnitDarling, and on Ravelry. I'd love to hear what you think, so please leave a comment below!

Look at what hand-made cuteness I got in the mail this week:

(Card and friendship bracelet made by my awesome sister-in-law, Susannah)

Multiple Choice Question: How adorable is Susannah?

A.  Cuter than a puppy wearing a bow-tie sitting in an upside-down top-hat?

B. More darling than a teddybear wearing a pink dress carrying a parasol?

C. Sweeter than a caramel covered, powdered-sugar dusted, doughnut eaten in the sunshine?

Answer: All of the above! (Thanks so much, Susannah!) You can envy more of Susannah's  work and bask in her stunning style at her blog, My Grammer of Ornament.

In other news, this exciting little package also came in the mail this week. What's in there has been absolutely dominating my weekend (in the most delightful way, of course):

I won't reveal its contents, but I will say that you should be on the lookout for my next delicious wooly design in the upcoming Wool People 2!

Wow, what a busy week! So much has happened that I don't even know where to start.

Last Thursday my husband and I went to San Juan, Puerto Rico for our first ever beach vacation. That same day I released my newest pattern, the Georgina Cardigan. Also this week, my feature spread in Knitscene magazine came out! I'll have more on both of those later. I also visited the Lion Brand Yarn Studio where I got a personal tour of the company's entire line.

I didn't get much knitting done in Puerto Rico. Being a beach babe and a knit darling don't really go together, but I did manage to fit in a few stitches!

The air was crisp and carried all the old wonderful and sentimental scents of fall on it's many gusts and howls; apple cider, pumpkin pie, and the cooking smells of some hearty, savory delight.

Photographs taken by my surprisingly eager and interested husband, Brian:

Me with Sabina, who is wearing her beautifully hand knitted Delancey Cardigan. She did a lovely job and I sepecially like her color choices. She was delightful, and I'm so happy I ran into her!

The sheep were fascinating and sometimes hilarious!

Laura and Mehgan holding an angora rabbit. What fun!

An alpaca parade! Go ahead, say it out loud. ALPACA PARADE! ALPACA PARADE! If it doesn't make you smile, I don't want to know you.

I had the best time at the sheep and wool festival! You can bet on seeing me there again next year.

I just finished editing a Design Demo video for one of my newest knitting patterns, the Vega Beret. As I mentioned before this pattern was part of the Brooklyn Tweed yarn company's "Wool People" collection, and is available for purchase on their site and through Ravelry.

I'd like to add that the Brooklyn Tweed Shelter yarn was a delight to work with, and if you haven't tried it out, I encourage you to do so. There's just something about the beauty of the colors in this line and the quality of the yarn itself that really make it special. One thing that I'd like to think makes my patterns special, is that I really try to consider the experience a knitter has while knitting my patterns. I want to bring you all the joy, and none of the frustration that knitting has to offer. Using a quality yarn can really add enjoyment and longevity to your projects.

I hope everyone enjoys the video and please tell me what you think in the comments section below!

I've had a few requests recently for a tutorial on how to make a knitted-on I-cord edging. This simple and attractive edging is very easy and looks especially good on hand knits for men. You can see that I used this technique on my East Hale Cardigan pattern in the fall 2011 issue of Knitscene magazine.

Keep in mind that this technique is not suited for every yarn. The best yarn will be smooth enough that any uneven stitches will even themselves out when the work is stretched or tugged-on. In this tutorial I use Cascade Ecological Wool and size 9 needles, which are the same yarn and needle size that I used for the East Hale Cardigan.

This tutorial explains how to do a 3-stitch I-cord edging, but the same method can be used to make a 2 or 4 stitch I-cord edging as well.

I hope you've found this tutorial to be useful! I'd love to hear what you think about the video, so please leave a comment below. Also, if there are any other techniques for which you'd like to see a tutorial, please let me know and I'll add it to my list.

I'm so happy to announce that my newest pattern, Chivalry Mitts, has just come out in the holiday gifts issue of Interweave Knits!

The pattern is for a pair of fingerless mitts with an adorable color-work pattern of little hearts. What makes this pattern special is that you can draw in your own letters or design into the thumb gusset (alphabet included in the pattern).

I love this pattern not only because it's fun to look at, but also because it's really fun to make. There's just something about color-work patterns like this that keep me motivated to do just one more row!

Soooo, double-negative haters be damned, I can't NOT mention the obvious here. Can it seriously already be that time again?! I'm still savoring the last little morsels of summer, in total denial of what must be nary a month or two away. And now, seeing a HOLIDAY GIFTS magazine on the shelf, is making me feel a bit nervous. Don't panic people, but there's only 100 more knitting days until Christmas!

By the way, I'm totally wearing a tank-top to work today.

I'd love to hear what you think in the comments section below. Also, if you're working on this project, I've started a knit-along on Ravelry, so come on over and join the fun!

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Johnny Vasquez for an interview on his site, Fiberstory.tv.

The interview was recorded via Skype and was my first time doing anything non-scripted on video. I was pretty anxious at the beginning (can you tell?), but soon loosened up because Johnny had so many interesting and insightful questions. After editing, the interview ended up being about 50 minutes. We really hit it off though and actually chatted for over 2 hours! I had such a great time, and hope to get an opportunity to do something like this again.

But WAIT! There's MORE! Johnny is doing an awesome give-away of my Delancey Cardigan pattern! It's super easy to enter the contest, just check out the page for my interview on fiberstory.tv for all the details.

Please watch the interview (yes, the whole thing!) and let me know what you think in the comments below.