Horsing around...

Hello, hello from advent feltie central.  I can't believe that we're already a third of the way through advent this year. The days are flying by! Day eight is brought to you by this bright Dala horse...

 

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As you might be able to tell from my feeble attempts, I'm not a bit Swedish and Dala horses are really not at all part of my heritage.  I just like them. 

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This little guy is really a very pretty ruby red, not the hot pink that he appears to be here.  I always forget how hard reds are to photo.

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Giddy-up...and happy Monday!

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~xox~

alison

Knit wit...

Happy sixth day of advent! Today's feltie is for all of my knitting friends out there.  It's that time of year when the needles are furiously clicking, when all of the projects we are dreaming of making and giving this holiday season still seem possible.  If you are me soon reality will dawn and it will become painfully apparent that it might be a tad unrealistic to get sweaters made for all of my loved ones in 19 days...but hats!...surely hats are possible, right?  Now is the moment when I am wishing desperately for another pair of hands. So...

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You can imagine how thrilled I was when this little lady jumped from my felting needles and into the stocking for day six.  

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She's very industrious, this one. No idling here...

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And just in time.  Now surely, sweaters for everyone!

Happy holiday making to you.  And to my knitting friends, may your needles fly like the wind and your stitches stay where they belong.  Happy weekend everyone!

 

~xox~

alison

Psst..

Time for more feltie advent*ures. Happy Day Five to you from me and this little bun...

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Here he is posing for his close-up...

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This little guy is dedicated to two of my favorite women, and was inspired by this guy...

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My favorite little bun (although they are all so great) from the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries.  I've been lucky enough to spend hours (yes hours) standing in front of these amazing tapestries (many of those hours with the patient indulgence of my gal Mal and my dear friend Anne~lovely ladies both).  And this little guy draws my attention every time.  I love how conspiratorial he looks, like he's pssting that lamb and giving him the skinny as to what's really going on.  Amazing to me always is how much personality can be conveyed within warp and weft and how those tapestries manage to really capture the imagination and draw you in.  I love thinking of all of the weavers that worked on them, of the artist's cartoons that they were working from.  And I wonder how much of themselves each weaver managed to sneak into this commission as they worked within the strict parameters of form and iconography, broken warp threads, varying dye lots, etc.  Did the weaver smile secretly as that little rabbit mug took shape? I hope so.  Truly. Because...

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 ...right?...how could you not? And I must admit, I smiled when those little paws reached up to the mouth to whisper to the lamb...

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Oh my, I do prattle on.  Apparently, I'm feeling rather chatty this Friday.  Enough of that.  Wishing you a lovely day!

~xox~ 

alison

It starts...

December, ready or not...and hello Advent! Yes, Advent already!...and the reason that in the wee hours of November 30th I was rummaging through the holiday decorations to find my trusty advent garland {by the way, the pattern to make one of your very own is free and is available in the free patterns section here at Knitting by Hand}. 

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Right...So if you've been around here for a while you know what that means.  Advent felties.  Are we sick of these yet? Do I hear a collective yawn from the ether?  Oh well, no matter. I figure all of this silliness will give my kids some really excellent my-mom-is-crazier-than-your-mom street cred. So there's that and the fact that apparently the middle of November now triggers some Pavlovian response in me...my fingers get itchy to make ridiculous little feltie things. To be honest, I'm not sure how many of felt friends I'm going to make this year. This fall has been a doozy and I just don't know how many I'm going to get through. I have a few to get us started though, and a heart full of good feltie intentions, so here we go...

Day 1 ~ Brock T.(the) Badger inspired by and dedicated to my favorite Badger King of all.

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Day2 ~ Moby, my white whale...

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Day Three ~ Berlioz Bear...

 

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And finally Day Four ~ Neve, an arctic fox...

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Okay, I think that catches us up. Just in case you're wondering, "Why, Alison, why the four day blitz of felties all at once? What's up with that?"... Well,  I started writing this post on the first day of December but had trouble posting it, and since then my fingers have been busy felting, making holiday goodies and, obviously, not typing.  Sorry about that.  I will get back to my traditional day to day posts of advent felties as they come along, barring any technical difficulties, that is :-)

Until Day Five, friends.  Have a great day one and all!

~xox~ 

alison

Simply Summer...

I'm happy to introduce my newest pattern, Simplice...

I made the first version of this simple top last summer.  Several more iterations of it followed in quick succession.  It is a breeze to knit and wear, and immediately became the top that replaced my traditional summer tee.  I now have several linen versions, a cotton version, a linen/rayon version, and am currently working on a silk and paper version (weird but very fun—I'll post when it's done).  A bit excessive?...maybe...but this top has proven to be a real workhorse.  it's comfy, looks great with jeans and is easily dressed up with a belt, skirt and heels.  I've included a little video of the various versions in action at the bottom of the page.

Truth be told, I originally didn't plan on writing up this design because I wasn't sure it was exciting enough to merit its own pattern.  But then every time I would wear Simplice someone would tell me how much they liked it and wanted to know where I bought it.  That and how often I reach for my own versions of this top made the decision to publish this design self evident. 

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Knitting specs—Simplice is offered in 11 sizes with a finished bust measurement of 30-50" .  The top is designed to be worn with 0-4" of negative ease.  It is worked in DK to sport yarn at a gauge of 5 sts/inch.  The pattern is completely seamless, worked from the top-down, in the round. A row of eyelet increases at the natural waist form the A-line shape and offer a place to thread a belt or ribbon.  The pattern can be easily altered by placing the eyelet shaping lower or higher on the body—offering an empire waistline or straight tee with hip flounce.  The pattern includes directions for a plain or buttoned garter neckline band.

You can review the pattern page and purchase this design on Ravelry or Craftsy.

Can you tell I like this one?...simple to knit, fun and functional...my favorite kind of summer knitting.  Sending you wishes for sunny days full summer knitting fun!...

xox

~alison

Springing...

At last! We are in the throes of spring!  I love winter, don't get me wrong. And to be perfectly honest, I have truly loved the snowy days and deep freeze that this winter brought us.  Most people look at me like I'm a little touched when I say that, but it's true.  I love snow, I love to cozy up inside with knitting on my lap and I love to bake (and eat) hearty winter meals.  But even I am overjoyed that we are officially into spring.  This last gasp of winter hasn't been able to fool anyone. It's as if it just popped into say, "Don't forget me." And we won't, but move over winter because spring is here to stay.  It's time to wash those woolens, pack them away for next year, and break out the cotton, linen and strappy sandals.  

And just as if on cue, my newest design was released.  Aaaand...wait for it…in Twist Collective's Spring/Summer issue!  I am beyond thrilled. I've long been an admirer of this publication. It's always full of gorgeous designs, informative articles and just tons of fashion forward yet classic garments that I want to wear and knit.  It's been a secret goal of mine to find myself in their pages. And so this fall I screwed up my courage and sent them a proposal. I am not a trained designer and I am definitely not a trained fashion drawer, so sending out proposals always takes a bit of just closing my eyes and jumping.  And then the forgetting game...you know the one where you convince yourself that nothing is going to come of it so you should just put it out of your mind, but really you're holding your breath every time you check your email.  Do you know that game? Anyway, that's how it goes around here. And then the email came and then yarn and then this...Demeter... 

A flirty spring and summer skirt, that's knit in the round from the top down.  Demeter is a prettified mash up of my all time favorite summer skirts.  The first: gored in eyelet fabric, sewn on the bias~the one that is so tired and bleach stained that I've taken a sharpie to it rather than retire it.  And second: my go-to wear-everyday jersey knit skirts.

These shots are from Twist Collective.  I really do just adore them.  Isn't the model just gorgeous?! You can see more of these beautiful shots on my Ravelry page. 

 

I liked making this skirt so much that I actually made a second sample of Demeter…one just for me.

 

I love how it can be dressed up or down and how comfortable it is to wear. I see myself pairing it with a tee shirt and sandals as well as dressing up with a blouse and heels.  This pattern was worked in Chesapeake by Classic Elite Yarns.  Let me tell you this yarn was made for skirt knitting.  It's drapey, without being limp and lifeless, and it has memory.  It holds it's shape wonderfully.  These pictures were taken after a very busy day in which I had been wearing the skirt all day, drove for several hours and then ran errands and went to the yarn shop and sat around knitting for several hours more.  And not a hint of sagginess in sight. Love!

And then there's this...don't judge, but I've gained 10…10!!! pounds since I made this skirt last fall (remember when I said I like to eat in the winter?...proof positive). And I have to say that dear Demeter is mercifully forgiving. I gain all my weight right through my tummy, hips and thighs, and I was sure that I wouldn't be able to wear this skirt for a while, but low and behold! Demeter is kindly working with me until I lose that winter weight. I love that! No room for judgey clothes in my closet.

I'm kind of in love with knitted skirts right now—with knitting them and with wearing them. This construction is my favorite—top down, seamless and in the round.  It allows for lots of try-ons along the way, making it incredibly easy to customize—a little longer, a tad shorter, straighter, fuller…easy peasy.  As someone who changes her mind a thousand times in the course of knitting a project, I like that kind of flexibility.  

You can purchase the pattern for Demeter by following the link on Ravelry or by going right to the Twist Collective shop.

Happy spring all! I'm off to...you guessed right...knit...OUTSIDE !!!!  

XoX~ 

alison

 

 

There and back again...

I just wanted to stop by to wish you and yours the happiest of New Years, may it be full of peace, contentment, love and joy.  

We have had a wonder-full year here and there and all of the places that 2013 took us in between.  It has been a year full of travel, new experiences, of homecoming, work, of handmade, of love and laughter, and loss, of possibility, contentment, companionship, joy, sorrow, peace, longing and true love...a bittersweet year full of memories to savor and hold close.  I feel very lucky as we say goodbye to 2013—and a little nostalgic and misty—but mostly so so grateful for this amazing life. Here's a glimpse of where we've been in 2013...

The road ahead will bring its own joys, triumphs and challenges.  I'm ready.  Peace, health and happiness to you today and tomorrow... 

~xox~ 

alison