Recently I was at my friend Laura's house for our Wednesday night knitting club and she plopped a pile of old knitting books down for us all to see. Looking at old patterns is so inspiring! Seeing things through the ridiculous, obviously drug hazed eyes of another fashion era was just what I needed! I had been wanting to design an easier project that didn't involve colorwork when I saw this:

Amazing, right? I know. I was instantly inspired! I just knew I had to do something with that super cool stitch pattern on the white sweater. I had seen that stitch pattern before, but with teeny-tiny yarn and itty-bitty needles, so of course I dismissed it as something for people that don't have full time jobs and very demanding sleep schedules. Not for people like me at all!

With my mind changed, I swatched and swatched and swatched some more. I didn't even care that "swatch" isn't a verb. I did it anyway, and with relish and vigor! This one is ALL about gauge people. So GET IT RIGHT! or all that swatching will have been done in vain.

And what did I come up with? CAPITAL SCARFLETTE!

Check it out, I've designed it with a button-hole band on each side. It's extremely modifiable. You can change it up every time you wear it. The pattern explains how to make a sort of button cuff-link which could be used anywhere, even in the middle parts, of the scarflette. The unusual stitch pattern is surprisingly light and drapey. Buttons easily slip between the large stitches as if through a button-hole. Even though the buttons are so much fun, my favorite way to wear it has been to just pin a big 'ol broach through the layers  in the middle.

This was a super-fast, super-fun project. It's a good way to use up some of those extra skeins of DK weight yarn you know you have laying around. It would also make a great gift! And the best news? You can buy the pattern RIGHT here on my website.

It's getting warmer. Knitting is getting harder. I never get tired of knitting, but I'm having some motivation issues. I hope this post will serve as an impetus to finish something I've put to the side for a while. If you check out the list of what I've knitted over the winter, maybe you'll see what my problem is.

Glove 1- Broccus, frogged
Glove 1- Broccus, frogged, again.
Glove 1- Broccus
Glove 2- Broccus
Glove 3- Broccus for Rachel
Glove 4 -Broccus for Rachel
Glove 5- Red Bud
Glove 6- Red Bud
Sascha hat
Arbuckle hat
Bergen Street Cardigan
Glove 7- Red Bud for knitpicks
Capital Scarflette
County Line Kerchief

So... What's missing? That's right, a glove. Somehow it only took  NINE tries for me to loose interest in this pattern. Tenacity? No, more likely it's a sign of insanity. The time has come. I've got to finish it. It will be a good thing to do while I waiting for more yarn to come in the mail.

The moment I lost motivation coincides with the day it became too warm to wear gloves. It's a confusing time for any knitter. Spring is so inspiring for creative people! Unfortunately, the irony of this particular brand of creative is that it's so darn warm. Oh well, I'll take what I can get.

I actually really like this pattern. I originally designed it so I would have something to do over our Christmas trip home to Oklahoma. I wanted something bright and cheery to light up the winter doldrums. Whenever I think of this glove pattern I remember sitting on my Mother-in-law's couch drinking cup after cup of coffee with my dear old friend Elise. Ahh, the good times!

here on my website.

Let's hope that since I wrote it down, I'll feel responsible to finish it. I know what I'll be doing this weekend!

So here it is. My first blog post. This is intimidating stuff, folks! I suppose I should explain myself and my intentions here, right? I want to use this blog as a forum to share my passion for knitting and pattern design. I'll start with a little about myself. So this is my life story as it pertains to fibers.

I started designing my own patterns about 30 seconds after I learned how to cast on, but before that I learned how to sew. In the 8th grade, I learned how to make a pair of boxer shorts in home economics, and thought I might just be able to take over the world! It wasn't long before, my dear sweet mother, with an instinct sharper than even my beloved gingher scissors, gave me her old Bernina 830 sewing machine.

I started sewing everything. In high school I would borrow my friends jeans and copy the patterns. There were prom dresses and Halloween costumes and a veritable MOUNTAIN of pajama pants. I'd stay up all hours of the night figuring out how to fit a collar, working out a welt pocket, or finding out just how big I could make my silly bell bottoms with looking too weird. At 16, I needed a more "social" craft, so I typed "how to knit" into a search engine. I would bring my needles to a party and knit coasters for the host and koozies for the guests. I was an odd duck to say the least!

I got a part time job at Hancock Fabrics Store my senior year of high school, and I really thought I had made it. Hancock's kept the better part of the paychecks they issued me all the way through college too. I graduated with a degree in fine art (painting and pottery) and immediately put that degree to work. I spent 2 blissful years painting my brains out in my beautiful little studio in the deep woods outside of Norman, Oklahoma. Then my husband was offered a job in New York City, and we decided move!

Moving to the city was the hardest, most rewarding thing I've ever done. Now that I'm here, I'm as happy as a clam! I've got a sunny little apartment in Brooklyn, a great job, and some wonderful friends. As a textile print designer by day, and a hand knit designer by night, it's hard, but I also find time to paint too (check it). There's not a minute to lose! I'll be sharing my knitting adventures with you all here on my blog.