Warm Woolen Mittens

The Sound Of Music-inspired Warm Woolen Mittens are now finished and ready for the queueing. I put the finishing touches on their pattern yesterday.

Here's the back -- all Austrian twisted stitch cloister windows and stylized alps covered in edelweiss blossoms:
...and the palm, with its semi-concealed thumb and black thumb-tip:
As I'm Miss October 2010 in the Yarn4Socks Not So Sock Club, the pattern is now available for order as part of a kit right over here. In addition to a copy of the pattern the kit also includes one skein each of O-Wool Classic 2-ply in Natural and Coal to make the mittens. If you'd prefer to just pick up the pattern, I will be selling copies on Ravelry starting on 1 November 2010.

Fancy some Pints Socks?

This should make some of you very happy indeed: if all goes as planned today, I will be seeing the end of the Socks With Pints On sometime tonight. Here they are, so far:At this rate, the pattern should be out by the end of this week (or possibly even sooner.) Regardless, it will be in plenty of time for Socktoberfest 2010.

Keep those fingers crossed.

The hills are alive

As hinted at in my last post, I'm going to be Miss October in yarn4socks' Not So Sock Club 2010. The theme this year is Classic Movies, and my contribution is mittens (of course) based on The Sound of Music.

Here they are, so far:I'm calling them "Warm Woolen Mittens," and they've been Ravelled here. The yarn is o-wool's Classic 2-ply in Natural and Coal.

And just because I can't resist (and because he's currently asleep on my leg,) here's a picture of Pookie taken today after his morning bath:

Have a lovely weekend...I'm off to tangle with yarn.

Mittens-to-be

I received this big box of loveliness mere minutes ago:So many beautiful skeins of delicious Sunday Knits yarns. Thank you so much, Carol!

This yarn will be put to good use, of course, in the form of four new mitten patterns. One of those four will be my annual free pattern for the 2010 holidays, and another will be released as the Offical Mitten of NaKniMitMo 2011 (you may remember that Anna's Mittens were the Official Mitten of NaKniMitMo 2010.)

Time to get to work. In a scant few weeks I'm fixing to be Miss October. More details on that soon.

It's a Sale: buy some, get some - free!

In honour of the symbolic end of summer (aka. Labour Day,) I'm pleased to announce that SpillyJane Knits is having a sale!(This is Pookie, my Avian Companion. He thinks this is a great idea.)

Here's how it works:

From now until 12am EST on September 30 2010, when you buy any three (3) SpillyJane Knits patterns on Ravelry, you get one (1) SpillyJane Knits pattern of your choice free!

But it gets fancier: when you buy four (4) patterns you get two (2) free, and when you buy five (5) you get three (3) free! Say that five times fast!

If you'd like to take advantage of this promotion, simply buy the patterns you'd like and then send me a message (on Ravelry) telling me which of the patterns you'd like as your free one(s.) It's simple, really. Happy shopping!

Now I'm off to enjoy the long weekend. I hope you will, too!

Gnome Socks are out!

The Gnome Socks are out, right on time!Now you can wear gnomes on your toes! You've been waiting a long time for this!

These are the sock variant of my Gnome Mittens. You can grab the pattern here on Ravelry and in my Etsy shop (soon.)

Because as they say: "Happiness is a warm gnome."

Gnome socks: On the way

Gnome socks. If not tonight, then tomorrow. Regardless, in plenty of time for the long weekend.Stay tuned.

Schnecken = Snail Mittens!

Some people despise snails in their gardens, but I just love the little guys! It turns out that a having a pretty shell is all it takes to improve one's PR.

I give you Schnecken -- mittens with snails on:These mittens feature six of my favourite gastropods snailin’ it up in the garden. Perfect for those winter days when the garden is just a fond memory and the snails are snuggled down under their leaf-litter duvets, waiting for spring. Grab the pattern here, on Ravelry.
Now I find I'm feeling a distinct sense of freedom, which couldn't be further from the truth (at least as far as my knitting is concerned.) I have some gnomes to see to...and a few other tricks as well.

Flamingo Mittens

You may have heard this already, but if not......here it is: the Flamingo Mittens' pattern is now available. Please note that the pattern also includes instructions on how to make fingerless Flamingo mitts as well.

The yarns I used here are from Sunday Knits. The Main Colour is the 3-ply Eden in Pickle and the Contrast Colour is the 3-ply Angelic in Peach. Believe me when I say that the colours are even more delicious in person.

You can pick it up here on Ravelry, and (eventually) in my Etsy shop (soon.)Yes, these mittens feature everyone's favourite long-legged, lawn-dwelling, plastic-feathered friend, the ornamental flamingo. Fun, kitschy, vintage-inspired handwear for the upcoming winter (seriously, the whole time I was reminded of my grandmother's Corelle dishes.)

Get Balearique (Socks!)

The Balearique Socks' pattern has just been released!Believe me when I say that I am over the moon. This is the most fun you can have with teeny, tiny cables without driving yourself completely bonkers.

Please note that one gets a bit of (what I consider to be) a break while working the foot of these socks; the twisties get less complicated and are even easily-memorized.

The best part? These are sized for Gentlemen's feet (but easily converted to the Ladies' size by changing needles.) If you've been searching for that perfect pair of fancy socks to make for someone special (even if that person is yourself,) these are the socks for you.

As was mentioned in a previous post, this particular pair has gone off to live with Chris Coco, the inspiration for the socks, himself.

The pattern is available here on Ravelry (now,) and in my Etsy shop (soon.)

Cupcakes or Gnomes? Answer and win!

ETA: The voting is now closed. Thanks to everyone who participated!

The Strawberry socks are going to be finished today (and the pattern will be released very, very soon,) but one vital question remains:

Who would win in a fair fight..?

Cupcakes......or gnomes??I'm turning both mitten patterns into sock patterns (yup, you heard me!) and I'm trying to decide which to work first, but I just can't choose. I'm going to need your help on this one!

So! Leave your response to the question "Who would win in a fair fight -- cupcakes or gnomes" (and the creative reasoning behind your decision, if you like) below in the comments and I'll randomly select a commenter to win a copy of both sock patterns as soon as they are released (remember that each pattern retails for $6 USD.) The polls will close on Saturday, 24 July at 8 a.m. EST.

Who will it be? Cupcakes or gnomes?

Socks take flight

ETA: The socks have made it to their recipient and he loves them! I just heard (literally) this morning and you can too, as Chris mentions them (and me) on Melodica, his weekly online radio show. Listen here: Melodica 19 July 2010 (1st anniversary special) -- the socks and I are mentioned shortly after the 5-minute mark. We're also on his blog.I'm pleased to report that the Balearique Gentleman's Socks were completed(!) and duly posted off to England about a week ago. They should be arriving at their final destination shortly, if they haven't already (fingers crossed.)I hope their recipient is/will be as pleased with them as I am.

As for you, my dear sock enthusiasts, I hope to have the pattern out (featuring both gentlemen's and ladies' sizing, achieved by switching needle sizes,) this week (by 24 July at the latest.)

I'm in Knitty --> Mystery + Manners mittens

After waiting for what seemed like forever for the new Knitty to go live, I can finally show you these:These are Mystery + Manners, my first pattern in Knitty and the second of my patterns inspired by Flannery O'Connor (the first being Flannery, of course.)I am just so thrilled to know that they're out there -- wild and free, for everyone to enjoy. I hope you'll knit them and that they'll make you (or someone you care about) very, very happy.

Selling, socks, and sun

This July is proving to be a month of milestones for me -- a pattern to be published in the upcoming issue of Knitty and now this: The Purple Purl is now carrying SpillyJane Knits patterns in shop! This makes them the first Canadian purveyor of my patterns (other than me, of course,) so if you're in the Toronto area, stop by and say hello to my stuff. If you need another reason to pop in, all patterns by Canadian designers (including mine!) are 20% off for the entire month of July (as if you need another reason to visit a yarn store!)

Speaking of patterns, look who just needs their toes knit on:The Balearique Gentlemen's Socks are going to be finished today! Soon they'll be soaring across the ocean to their new home. I'll be working on the pattern this afternoon, as this heat wave we're having is making the even the thought of sitting on my porch unbearable. I wish I could bottle days like this and take the tiniest of swigs in the middle of a cold, grey November. That said, if you're an Achillea, you're loving this sun and heat. I, unfortunately, am not, but I'll endure it for their sake.

Published, for reals

This arrived in the mail the other day:It's the new book 60 Quick Knits. As I'm a fan of workhorse yarns like Cascade 220, I love books like this. Of course, I have an extra reason to be a fan of this publication. Turn to page 100 (a nice round number,) and you'll understand.Those are my mittens and pattern in print, in an actual book. They're the Cables and Stripes Mittens and you can queue them up on Ravelry here.They're ideal for using up wee bits of 220 that you may have hanging around.

As if this wasn't already fancy enough (and for me, it really is,) another surprise revealed itself when I flipped the book over:My mitts made the back cover. Nice!

Mittens with pints on

I may be a few days late with these, but still. Consider them an early offering for St. Patrick's Day 2011...or for any day at all, really.

I give you Mittens With Pints On (Ravelled):These will be available both as regular and fingerless mittens. Some of you might be interested to learn that there are also plans for Socks With Pints On.

Decadence mittens are now live!

I know -- I can hardly believe it either -- but the Decadence mittens are finished and the pattern is now live.Indulge some of your favourite 19th century vices with these lushly ornate mittens. Hidden among the Art Nouveau-inspired swirls of foliage (or are those curls of smoke?) are instruments of delicious deviant delights – poppy pods and absinthe spoons.

Get the pattern here on Ravelry. Give it a day or so to appear in my Etsy shop.Now I'm off to go locate my copy of Birch and to wrangle some Kidsilk Night, all because I was lenient enough to get sucked into the whole Knitting Olympics thing. Yep.

If you're looking for me, I'll be the one crying beneath the pile of tangled sparkly mohair.

There are new mittens and they have strawberries on

I am not making this up:They're even half-finished (and they've been Ravelled) -- not bad for an afternoon's work! Just call it my ode to "cute culture." I need to see this strawberry motif on legwarmers.

As for the next pair of mittens...well. They're on the way! They're distinctly darker in theme and motif and I love them already. I hope you will, too.

For a good cause

January rolls on here at Pittsworth Manor -- miserably dark and, while not as cold as it has been lately, still fairly chill. It's great weather for knitting, but not so much for much of anything else.The astute among you will note that that's a sock in the picture, not a mitten. I'm trying to keep up with NaKniMitMo 2010, really I am, but duty calls, and at present I'm one mere pair of L'Amour et la Morte socks (Ravelled) away from being able to send another parcel off to the Antique Beat Boutique.

I should also mention that from now until 31 January 2010, 50% of the proceeds of select SpillyJane Knits patterns will be donated to Médecins Sans Frontières to support their work in Haiti. You can see (and pick up) the patterns on Ravelry here.

Feathered Friends + Etsy update

A wee taste of what I'm up to now:The Feathered Friends Mittens. More details soon, as they become available.

Oh, and the Cupcake Mittens and the Pear Mittens are now up in my Etsy shop. Other patterns will be turning up there shortly.