Designs by KN blog

One of the best things about putting patterns out for others to create with is seeing what they create!  In the days after Christmas, more photos have been appearing on Ravelry project pages showing what was knit and crocheted and given and received for Christmas.  A designer is able to view what others have made from their patterns by clicking on the activity tab, and this is one of the joys of having a Ravelry designer page.  You get to see what creative and marvelous variations have been made from your patterns.  I love the photos of recipients, especially children, with smiles on their faces as they model their new hats or mitts or scarves.  Best Christmas gift of all!

So far this week I have seen gifts made or recipients wearing various projects made from these DBKN patterns:

Knit Hat (for anyone) (523 projects, in 412 queues)

Men’s Fingerless Mitts (579 projects, in 696 queues)

My Grandmother’s Slippers (221 projects, 299 queues)

Chesapeake Bottle Gift Bag (6 projects, in 21 queues)

Ruffled Lace Christmas Stocking (20 projects, in 96 queues)

Easy-Crochet Shawl (35 projects, 61 queues)

Hodgepodge Baby Hat (77 projects, in 131 queues)

Festive Occasion Crochet Hats (7 projects, 24 queues)

Liquid Gold Chain Mesh Scarf (49 projects, in 124 queues)

Ripple-band Headband (7 projects, in 27 queues )

Cozy Comfort Shawl (103 projects, in 227 queues )

“Miss Kitty” Christmas Stocking (6 projects, in 13 queues)

Yesterday I completed the latest commission for a publication, which is scheduled to appear in print in 2013.  This was a somewhat challenging project so when I finally dispatched it there was a sense of accomplishment and relief.  Afterwards I didn’t do any stitching at all, just languished on the couch watching college football bowl games and browsing needlecraft catalogs in order to relax and unwind.

I did make a run to the grocery store, and realized later what I had seen. Besides discovering a stash of Hostess fruitcake that I had been searching for ever since eating the last bite of one on hand, I also came across boxes of cordial cherries, a treat my daughter loves as much as I love fruitcake.  I bought several because they only seem to appear in stores as seasonal items for a short time (just like fruitcake.)  When I got home and settled down, I realized what was going on … Valentine’s Day gifts and candy are already out in stores, before New Year’s Day!

So I guess that means we can start thinking about heart-themed knit/crochet projects to start the new year. Why not think about starting a heart-themed afghan?  This contest-winning square is one selected as part of a special afghan that was featured in a Crochet Today! contest several years ago. My square (#3, February square) was one of 12 winning squares that make up the afghan:

The complete afghan pattern is free at the Coats & Clark site.

Photo by Rose Callahan, copyright Crochet Today!

With Christmas items appearing in stores before Halloween and Valentine’s Day things appearing in stores before New Year’s, no wonder it seems that time flies.  Maybe we should try to slow down a little with some relaxing knit and crochet projects to end 2012 and begin 2013.

Thanks to all of you for your continued support of Designs by KN and the free pattern database. I hope to keep designing and providing new pattern ideas for as long as I am able.  Watch for at least six new projects (so far) scheduled for publication in 2013.

Happy New Stitching Year!

… is a virtue, but in my case a two-sided trait. On the one hand, I have infinite patience when it comes to knit and crochet projects, generally finishing what I start, be it simple or complex, such as these Knit Clamshell Armwarmers (see story below):

On the other hand, I have little patience when it comes to talking on the phone, visiting, attending social occasions, and dining out.  DD has commented “Be forewarned … when Mom grabs her purse, that’s a signal it’s time to go!”

Perhaps it’s just the efficiency drive in me, developed after years of working in administrative assistant positions in high-pressure offices, where being efficient was the name of the game. It’s carried over into private life and also into my current knit/crochet design path.  The older I get, the urge to “get it done and get it over with” grows stronger.  Case in point:  this year Christmas cards were sent out so early they arrived the day before Thanksgiving, and since we celebrated Christmas with family ahead of time (on Saturday), by Tuesday (Christmas Day) I was ready to pack everything away until next year. You might have laughed had you seen me bustling about the house, taking down the garland, the wreaths, the mantel decor, the cards, and the artificial Christmas tree in the short span of time while DH went to the grocery store for a few items.  When he came home he said “So you’re done with Christmas.”  Moving on …

One of the tidbits of advice for wannabe designers I mentioned at the end of this designer spotlight article for the CEY blog was “be patient” (guess I should take my own advice!)  It definitely takes patience if you want to do work for publishers, as lead times and schedules may mean that you won’t see your project in print for as long as one to two years after you’ve completed it.

Here’s an example:  Our mail arrived late in the evening on Christmas Eve.  Included were some needlecraft catalogs, announcing after-Christmas sales.  Sometimes I recycle catalogs immediately without even looking through them, but for some reason decided to browse these while enjoying a cup of  “Joy” tea.  When I turned to page 11 in the Herrschners Spring 2013 Yarn catalog, I was very surprised and delighted to see this:

There were my Knit Clamshell Armwarmers, a design selected by Premier Yarns/Deborah Norville Yarns in response to a submission call in mid-2011.  Ever since completing these for the commission, I had been wondering about the outcome.  Although I had been informed that the project was for a pattern leaflet, I wasn’t quite sure where/when they might appear in print.  And here they are, modeled by the lovely Deborah Norville herself!

Photo copyright Premier Yarns/Deborah Norville

The pattern is offered “free with yarn purchase” through both the Herrschners catalog and on Herrschners.com.  (P.S. If you’d like to see clips of Deborah talking about yarn with Eunny Jang of Knitting Daily, there are several segments on the Knitting Daily site.)

Time to get a move on. While I’m enjoying the work on a new commission, it will be another exercise in patience waiting for it to appear in print sometime in 2013.

Happy New Year!

It’s the joyous season, and I was overjoyed yesterday to receive three tins of delicious Tazo “Joy” tea, part of a small family gift exchange at DM’s place. All I asked for this year was tea and fruitcake so I was delighted to get a fresh supply of “Joy” which is only available at holiday time:

We celebrated Christmas early, as the “kids” have other family celebrations and parties to attend, whereas DH, DM and I are finished with our holiday celebration and can just enjoy the next few days relaxing and anticipating the new year.

A second joy was receiving this beautiful dried fruit and nut tray courtesy of a friend in California. I loved the display of goodies from Vacaville Fruit Co. so much that I ordered assorted-size trays for family and friends who live in other parts of the country. DH and I will enjoy snacking on this one for awhile:

A third joy was receiving a surprise from DD. Every gift we exchanged yesterday seemed to come with a story behind it, and this one was the most humorous of all.  Years ago I cross-stitched this piece, then tucked it away in a closet unframed, where it remained hidden and forgotten until this year.  DD gifted me with this professionally framed, at-long-last-finished picture, which is now hanging happily in a prominent place in our home:

One of her favorite shops is FanciMats & More in Littleton, CO, which is where she had the stitchery framed.  We laughed heartily when she told us that the person who worked on the piece commented how hard she tried to get all the cat hair out of it (sorry about that, but my cats do like to be oh-so-helpful with my craft projects!)

The one Christmas gift I gave myself is a dressmaker’s form mannequin (I’ve graduated from styrofoam heads to an antique-look wire stand for hats …)

Slouch Hat from CEY Web-letter, Issue 268

… so it was time to expand the inanimate model lineup to a dress form for modeling scarves and such, despite DH’s comment that “it doesn’t have arms!”)  Mannequin Molly, as I named her, is currently modeling a Liquid Gold Chain Mesh Scarf, and stands ready to model whatever new Designs by KN projects are in store for the new year.  There are at least five in the works scheduled to be revealed in 2013 — it will be fun to share them with you!

The yarn for this scarf was discovered at a local Tuesday Morning store — Louisa Harding Yarns “Jasmine.”  What a nice name, Jasmine … our Jasmine-cat thinks so too.

Meow-y Christmas!

History repeats itself, so here is a reiteration of the blog post of February 3, 2012, followed by an update from today, December 20, 2012:

Yesterday yet another major household item decided to “retire” — ever since I retired, the appliances have been going “kaput” one by one:  oven, garage door, mixer, microwave, and yesterday the hot water heater. Fortunately we were able to get a repair service to replace it just in time, before the overnight Colorado blizzard arrived:

We haven’t seen rain or snow in awhile, as the weather has been enjoyably warm lately, but winter returned in full force overnight. This storm is expected to last through tomorrow so DH will likely have to use the snowblower and shovel again later on:

I think I’ll go grab my knitting needles, crochet hooks & some yarn and enjoy some stitching time instead.  Shoveling the deck can wait awhile …

ETA 2/4/12  Post-blizzard: clearing the deck of 18″ of snow! And Andrew-cat is happy he can venture outside …

Update, December 20, 2012:

Here we are again, on the day after the first blizzard of the season.  And Andrew-cat is still happy to go outside!

During yesterday’s blizzard, I was able to finish up a commission for a publication which will be coming out in print next fall (yes, editors are already working on 2013 issues.)  Today I await the FedEx truck, bringing supplies for the next commission.  For now, I’m taking a short breather between projects to enjoy the beautiful snow-covered landscape outside, glistening in the bright Colorado sun against that cobalt blue sky.  The weather reports are predicting a white Christmas this year. Hard to believe that just a few days ago I was enjoying the red and green of blooming bougainvillea in Arizona!

Since Christmas is just around the corner, if you need any last-minute gift ideas, check out the range of DBKN patterns on Ravelry.  There are a number of small, quick-to-stitch projects that may come in handy.

Chesapeake Bottle Gift Bag from CEY Web-letter, Issue 271

Woops, gotta go. FedEx is here!

Just returned from a week in Arizona with DM, visiting family members who reside there.  So much has happened in the week since we left, some very sad things and some very glad things.  I join the rest of the nation in grieving over the loss of children and others, the innocent victims of mall and school shootings in recent days.  Our everyday normalcy and interest in constructive activities like knitting, crocheting and designing seem so unimportant in the face of such tragic news, and yet perhaps such calming actions are just what is needed as an antidote to the distress of the present day.

I was glad to find computer access in the vacation resort lobby on December 11, when the new CEY Web-letter issue came out.  It featured my Chesapeake Bottle Gift Bag, just in time for holiday gift knitting:

Photo copyright Classic Elite Yarns

Even though we were far from home, we enjoyed the desert landscape, visiting with relatives, dining out (no cooking!), strolling around the Phoenix Zoo, and seeing flowers and plants in bloom in December.

Despite being die-hard Coloradans who ought to be used to cold weather, it was chilly in Arizona and we needed our coats as we roamed around the zoo and to other destinations during our trip.  Some of the animals were kept under heat lamps to ward off the chill, but others didn’t seem to mind it. There was such a beautiful variety of colors and natural life to observe:

When we weren’t out visiting or sightseeing or shopping or eating, we spent leisure time in the resort accommodations watching an assortment of programs (other than distressing news) as wide-ranging as HSN & QVC networks, The Big Bang Theory and the X Factor competition!  I’m not a TV watcher (except for weather and some sports) but it was on in the evenings.  I spent time crocheting a scarf and knitting a pair of socks.  Before the week was over I was able to complete this version of Liquid Gold Chain Mesh Scarf in a beautiful violet shade of Louisa Harding Yarns “Jasmine” discovered at a Tuesday Morning store:

I had three balls on hand so just continued to crochet until it was all used up, also making it a bit wider by starting with about 25 chains. The finished scarf measures about 7″ wide by 70″ long.

When I returned home, there was a package waiting:  complimentary copies of a new booklet “Quick & Simple Knit Hats & Scarves: 14 Designs by Up-and-Coming Designers!” that includes my Feather Openwork Beanie pattern.  The booklet is available now through Amazon and at some point will be available at Joann stores.  Here are some of the prototypes that led to the final published version:

It’s taking a bit of time to acclimate and reorient myself to being back home and returning to whatever I was working on before the trip.  In line are two jobs to be completed for publishers before January deadlines.  Despite horrifying news reports on an almost daily basis, it seems that life goes on.  Already I have received several design submission calls for publications not due to come out until Fall 2013!

Prayers and concern go out to all who have lost loved ones in what should be, as the song goes, “the most wonderful time of the year.”  While flying home from Arizona to Colorado, high above the clouds, my thoughts dwelt on what a beautiful place Earth is when seen from above.  May these images grant us hope and healing comfort throughout the days ahead.

Peace.

My bag is packed for an upcoming trip. DM and I planned a trip a couple months ago but at the last minute bagged it because at the time we thought the weather would turn bad and impact road travel.  Well, here we are scheduled for another trip (we’re flying this time) but we may have to bag it as the forecast is for even more difficult weather — measurable snow the night before/morning of our flight and a high of only 18 degrees!  Even though we are headed to warmer climes, it remains to be seen whether air travel will be impacted by the approaching storm. If we don’t get away this time, maybe a third time in the spring or summer will be the charm.  Whatever the case, have bag, will travel.

Summer String Bag

Now the funny thing is, there seems to be a color theme going on.  My travel bag is a wine/burgundy color.  This week’s FO (which I cannot disclose until it is released in publication next summer) is a magnificent project in a beautiful wine/burgundy shade.  As soon as I finished and dispatched that completed project, along came a new design commission. The request is that it be made in the yarn they have selected, in the color … wine/burgundy!

Since it’s the Christmas season and wine/burgundy is a nice complement color to the green in pine wreaths, garlands and trees seen everywhere, it’s no surprise that a project I designed specifically for the holidays was also made in the same color family.  You’ll see it soon — it’s scheduled for publication in the next issue of the CEY Web-letter due out on December 11.  And, coincidentally, it fits the “bag it” theme.

Yesterday I met a long-time friend for a cup of tea at a local DazBog coffee place and she presented me with an adorable gift bag:

Inside were my favorite things:  fruitcake and Darjeeling tea, plus a lovely bone china mug to enjoy a cuppa when I take a snack break.  (I know it’s weird, but I really do love fruitcake.  I used to make my own but nowadays just enjoy what’s available in stores at holiday time.)

So whether you’re planning to grab your travel bag to head somewhere else, or just planning to stay home and grab nothing more than your knitting bag, here are some patterns to “bag it” with. Bags make great gifts too!

Provence Summer String Bag

Photo copyright Classic Elite Yarns

Starlight Bracelet Bag

“Go Green” Lacy Shells Bag

Sweet Soap or Sachet Bag

Yarn Bowl Bag

Stash Bustin’ Tote

Kid’s Rainbow Treasure Bag

Dazzling Waves Bag

Chenille Carpetbag

Gypsy Bag

Little Crochet Bag

Little Black Bag

There are also some felted bag designs available from DBKN — check out the pattern database here.

Hopefully our impending trip won’t get bagged and I’ll have more adventures and photos to share upon our return. But I’m prepared to bag the whole idea and stay home to knit, crochet and design.

Happy Holidays!