Kjærlighetsvotter

Kjærlighetsvotter is Norwegian for ”Lover’s mittens”. These mittens are patterned after the traditional rose or snowflake pattern seen in Selbuvotter. Selbuvotter are traditional stranded mitten patterns from Selbu, Norway, a small town about an hours drive from Trondheim. Traditionally, mittens were knitted using natural black and white wool, though modern knitters incorporate colors into their mittens. It was tradition to wear these mittens on festive occasions, including weddings.

The pattern set consists of the lover’s mitten, designed to be used by a couple wishing to hold hands inside the mitten, and the corresponding men´s and women’s mitten. It is optional to make a set of 5 mittens, a pair of both men´s and women´s mittens in addition to the lover´s mitten, but please note that the yardage given is for the set of 3. Using traditional Norwegian shaping and construction technique, the mittens’ stranded colorwork is knit at a tight gauge to keep your hands warm and protected from the elements.

I submitted the pattern to the December 2011 Knitty issue, but they were sadly declined recently. Which means I was in the running, but there are a lot of good designs out there ;) You can find them now on ravelry.

Aurum

My latest design Aurum is now available as a kit exclusively with Wooly Wonka Fibers here. This design was inspired by a good friend who is soon to be getting hitched. I wanted to knit her something special and came up with this lace and cable shawlette.Aurum is a crescent shaped shawl that is knitted from the bottom up using short rows. The main motif involves both a simple lace and cable design. The cable design is meant to be done without a cable needle, tutorials on this method can be found at the end of the pattern. It is finished with an I-cord BO. It will be offered on it own starting in Sept 2011 here.

Kobenhavn

My newest shawl pattern Kobenhavn is up! It can be purchased here from Knit Picks.Kobenhavn is a reversible triangular shawlette or shawl. The construction of this shawl is non-traditional. The shawl is CO at one end of the garter stitch triangle, increased to the desired size then decreased forming the triangular basis. Stitches are then picked up along the sides of the triangle, and a feather & fan chart is knitted top down. The shawl finishes with a knitted on edging.

It is shown here in KP Shimmer above, and KP Stroll Tonal below. The pattern is written for 2 sizes, but is easily customizable.

Socks, Shawls, and Smitten

Well I have been knitting up a storm. I finished my Kobenhavn sample, and the pattern is soon to be release on KP.

Socks to be gifted

I also made a pair of Kjærlighetsvotter or Lover's mittens for a wedding present. Aren't they great! So that you and your sweetie can hold hands in the mitten. I think I will write up another version of these that are slightly less traditional.


I tested out this lovely blouse and am starting on another test.

I have also finished testing my 3rd shawl design, but it is being kept secret for the time being. =)

Tempest Cowl

My Tempest Cowl is now up for sale here through KP IDP.

The stitch motif of this cowl swirls around the neck, like the wind and rain of a tempest. This lace cowl is knitted in the round. This cowl can also be worn as a wimple if desired, or shortened for a smaller cowl.

The example above was knit in Knit Picks alpaca cloud, below was knit with Knit Picks shadow.

Carol Stole

I take part in the bi-annual Ravelry Worldwide Shawl Exchange (RWSE). This year my partner inspired me to design a shawl and here it is.
Traditional Estonian lace stitches are used to create this lacey stole. This rectangular stole begins with a provisional CO and is knit in both directions. Side edging is knit as part of the main pattern and completes the ends using the knitted on edging technique. Beads are used in the last stitch motif and NUPPs can be substituted in place of beads.

The pattern is available for sale here, through Knit Picks IDP.

Prinsessteppe

This is Marianne Knorborg’s version of the shawl used by Crown Princess Mary of Denmark recently for bringing both of her newborns home from the hospital. The original is a Shetland lace design.



Personelly I find it easier to work off of charts than written instructions. To that end I have created a chart which anyone is welcome to use. You can find it here.

Ribbed Cable Pullover

I am now part of the Knit Picks Independent Designer Program ;)


You can purchase my Ribbed Cable Pullover design here.

This ribbed sweater carries a simple cable pattern throughout the body and sleeves and is meant to be worn with approximately 1 inch of ease. Great project for beginners as the ribbing allows for some flexibly in blocking and a comfortable fit. The pattern is worked from the bottom up in the round, requiring minimal seaming.

Kupaianaha

I have named my second pair of socks in 2011 Kupaianaha. Huh? You may ask, well the yarn for these socks is Knit Picks Stroll in the Aloha colorway. I thought that it was a fun and exciting colorway so I had to come up with a good name. The are also going to my Aunt Jane who is super fun so they needed something special.


“Kupaianaha” is the Hawaiian word for surprising or wonderful and it may have influenced surfers who had grown up with Howdy Doody. How did I come up with this? Well my first thought was to stick with the Hawaiian theme, and I thought of the surfer phrase cowabunga! Which led me to this. ;)

11 Shawls in 2011

I love knitting shawls. Last year I joined a rav group set on knitting 10 shawls in 2010, which added fuel to the fire, and I ended up knitting 13 shawls! Now it is 2011 and I am off to a good start at meeting my 11 shawls in 2011 goal ;)

First up was a test knit for a wide but shallow shawl which is perfect to wear around the neck!
Next is a beaded stole knit using 855 yards of lace yarn, destined to be raffled off in the fall at the Harvest Bazaar in my home town of Boulder City NV.


And lastly was the first installment of the Shakespeare in Lace Accessories Club run by http://www.woolywonkafiber.com/. This installment was inspired by the Tempest and will be making it's way to one lucky lady soon ;)
So 3 down, 8 to go! I have one KAL shawl in the works, and a lace & cable stole that I am in the process of designing!

12 socks in 2011

Socks are one of the most common knitted accessories, and anyone who has a pair of custom made socks will tell you that they just fit better and hug your feet. To that end I decided to set myself a goal of knitting 12 pairs of socks this year. January's pair of socks goes to my most devoted enabler my mom :)

Knit using 300 yards of Knit Picks Stroll Heather sock yarn. These were a lovely cuff-down pattern to be found here. My only complaint is that when working cuff-down patterns you must always ensure that you have enough yarn to finish and so I never lengthen the cuff as I would if I were knitting toe-up socks. The toe-up design allows you to make the most of your sock yarn in my opinion.

Sand Winds Cowl

My bulky cabled cowl design is now for sale on ravlery! You can access it here, happy knitting!

Sand Winds Cowl is a repeating cabled cowl, knitted using approximately 300 yards of bulky weight yarn. The cowl shown in the pictures below has been knitted using Wool of the Andes Bulky in Masala. The finished cowl measures 10 inches wide and 25 inches around when blocked.

This cabled cowl is knitted by using a provisional cast then working the cowl flat and finished using the three needle bind off to create the cowl shape. Alternatively you can CO and BO using your favorite method and seam the ends together to create the cowl shape. Written pattern only.