Showing posts with label winged knits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winged knits. Show all posts

Spring KAL Week 3- Interview with Cecily Glowik MacDonald!

by : MarinadeDesigns
Welcome everyone to week three of our Spring KAL! I hope everyone's projects are going well! It seems like everyone is making good progress on the Ravelry Thread and I've been seeing some lovely pictures posted over there as well! All of us beans are knitting right along and I will be posting some new updates on those next week. As promised, I have an interview to share with you today with Cecily Glowik MacDonald, the amazing designer behind the Goodale Cardigan that we are all knitting! Here is what she had to say about Goodale, inspiration, designing, and upcoming projects!



The first published design
JBW: How did you get into knitwear design and what was your first published design?

CGM: As soon as I learned how to knit I began designing my own very simple things and taking parts of sweaters that were of the same gauge and melding them together. Some worked, some did not, but I loved experimenting. The first design that I ever had accepted is called the “Buckle Bag” and is in the Vogue on the Go series in the book named Bags Two. Here is the Ravelry link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/buckle-bag-2

JBW: It seems like most independent designers find themselves on this career path quite by accident. Did this happen for you as well, or did you always know you wanted to work in the fiber arts industry?

Idlewood, one of
Cecily's most popular
designs to date.
CGM: I went to college as a Fine Arts Major with a concentration in painting and had no idea where I would go from there! I ended up moving to Brooklyn, NY after graduation and found that the tiny poorly ventilated apartments were not conducive to working with oil paint. A non-knitter friend gave me a copy of Stitch and Bitch for Christmas of 2003 and the next month I got started knitting and absolutely fell in love.

JBW: Your designs are very much your own unique style. How did this style evolve into what it is now?

CGM: I have now realized that the designs that do best for me are the ones that I want to knit and to wear. I love knitting stockinette stitch pieces with simple details and those are the pieces that I put on most often. I feel that for a while I was over thinking designing and that it works best to just design what makes me happy.

JBW: Where do you find inspiration for your designs?

CGM: Most of my design ideas come from simple swatching. Even if I am just knitting a  stockinette stitch swatch to begin with, the drape and texture and way the stitches look seem to always inspire an idea for a new piece. I also love window shopping in real life and on line, so I am sure that the things that I see also influence what I decide to make.

JBW: Of all of your designs, do you have a favorite? One that you return to time and time again or wear often?
Kara

Current
CGM: My favorites tend to change from week to week and depending upon the time of year. At the moment Current and Kara are my go to sweaters.

JBW: What does a typical day look like for you? 

CGM: I get up and get some coffee and do a bit of knitting to wake up. Then I begin to tackle emails and my to do list. My to do list usually includes things like sizing and writing patterns, packaging and filling wholesale orders, getting swatches and sketches ready for either myself or companies I am working with, reminding myself that I need to get a new blog post ready soon, finishing and blocking pieces, getting styling ready and figuring out photo shoot times, plus a million other random things! After I have completed as much of my to do list as I can, I get to knit some more.

JBW: What was the last non work-related crafty project (knitting or other) you did?

CGM: I have been trying to learn to sew and made my wonderful friend and co-author Melissa LaBarre a little crooked baby quilt for her new little girl.

Goodale, of course. :)
JBW: The Goodale Cardigan is one of your most popular designs on Ravelry, what inspired this design and what do you think makes it so popular?

CGM: Goodale was a project that I cast on for and then it sort of morphed into what it is. And I love pockets and Stockinette Stitch! I think that the popularity of it was due to the kind comments and support that I received about it from wonderful designer friends after I wore it to one of the TNNA trade shows. (Thank you all!)

JBW: Do you have any tips or advice for those of us participating in the KAL?

Goodale pocket close-up.
CGM: This was the question that I receive most when Goodale was released: If alternating skeins of a hand dyed yarn, where do you twist? I did some swatching and found that if you twist at the end of the WS rows right before you work the end I-cord trim, it works well. Another suggestion is to twist the 2 skeins at the underarm when you get to the body.

Goodale, sleeve and
increase close-up.
JBW: We heard that you are working on a book and just loved the skirts you sewed for that photo shoot! What can you tell us about the book and what inspired you to sew all of those skirts?

CGM: I am very excited about the self published book that I am working on, it has nine new sweater designs from me and 3 accessories from designer friends. I had a great team of people working on it and will publish it at the end of the summer/ beginning of Fall. I was so thrilled when I found Brett’s book and made the first skirt and realized that I could actually do it! Finding a consistent and inexpensive way to style a collection can be tough and being able to make skirts with fabrics that I chose was amazing.

"Starling" one of Cecily's
most recent designs, available
on Ravelry.

JBW: What is next for you in the design world?  Any exciting projects on the horizon?

CGM: Right now I am in the midst of finishing up my book and because I like to get ahead of myself, starting to plan a second in hopes that this one does well and I get to do another! 

Thanks again so much to Cecily for being a part of this KAL and for designing such a beautiful sweater that we are all so anxious to finish and wear! If you haven't yet signed in on our "Roll Call", please remember to do so soon. Next week is the last week to check in as I'll be announcing the yarn and fabric winners in the week five blog post! In the meantime, remember you can e-mail me any questions about the project or check in on the Ravelry Thread for help. There are tons of friendly voices there who have all been super supportive so far! See you all back here next week and of course, happy knitting!

Kristen

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Announcing the Jimmy Beans Wool Spring KAL!

by : MarinadeDesigns
I am so excited to tell you about this fun Knit-A-Long (KAL) we’ve been cooking up for you! It’s going to be the biggest and best one we’ve hosted so far! The reason I say this is because we’ve decided to add an extra fun component to this KAL; can you guess what it is? I’ll give you a hint: It involves something new to us here at Jimmy Beans…

The 1-hour Skirt
A sew-a-long! That’s right, we’ve decided to celebrate our shop’s branching out into the land of sewing by adding a simple skirt sew-a-long to this KAL! We figured the best person to help us out with this would be Brett Bara, who’s book “Sewing in a Straight Line” recently inspired knitter and designer Cecily Glowik MacDonald to sew a whole bunch of cute skirts to gowith her designs for a photo shoot. We were “sew” inspired by Cecily’s cute skirts she created using Brett’s book (which is also personal favorite of mine), that we thought you all might appreciate how seamlessly, yet with plenty of seams, these two crafts go together. The best part is that we’ll be using the “1-hour skirt” pattern from Brett’s book, which is truly a speedy garment to sew! But more on that later… 

You are probably wondering, in all of my talk of sewing, what we will be knitting! Well, since Cecily was the inspiration for this whole KAL/SAL thing, we will be knitting her Goodale cardigan which we think is truly perfect for spring! When paired with a fun printed spring skirt, this cardigan is sure to become a wardrobe favorite! Also, even though it calls for a DK weight yarn, it is knit mostly on size 7 needles so it should knit up pretty quickly. Other details about this pattern include: it is knit seamlessly from the top down, in mostly stockinette stitch, and has some fun little details to keep it interesting. 

Goodale
One of our beans, Leanne, knit Goodale for Bethany (another bean) last Spring, and she LOVED every moment of it! It only took her about 3 weeks to knit it in the 34” size which means that we can totally do this in the 6 weeks or so that we’ve allotted. Leanne enjoyed knitting Goodale so much, she is planning to do this KAL with us and make one for herself!

So now for the details! The KAL/SAL will go from Wednesday April 18th through Wednesday May 30th.  This gives us 6 weeks from start to finish to knit our sweaters and sew our skirts (if you choose to participate in the sewing component). We will officially kick off the KAL next Wednesday, April 18th with a blog post here. I’ll be blogging updates each week and we’ll also have a guest post from each of the designers during that time!  If you can’t start exactly on the 18th, never fear! You can join us at any time and we’ll still be here to cheer you on via Ravelry and e-mail after the KAL is over!

We will also be discussing anything KAL related in the JimmyBeans Wool group on Ravelry. If you are on Ravelry and haven’t joined our group yet, please do! We’d love to have you! You’ll see the thread near the top of the discussion board for our Spring KAL. That’s where all the shop talk will happen. I’ll also be available for full knitting support throughout the KAL via e-mail: Kristen@jimmybeanswool.com.
My supply pile!  SO excited!

We’ll be doing a roll call for this KAL so that we can get an accurate head count of how many of you are participating! Even if you don’t like to talk or comment much online, we still would love if you would let us know that you are participating! This helps us to gauge whether or not we should keep doing KALs or focus our energy on other projects.  But mostly, it lets me know that I am not just hanging out online and talking into cyber space in hopes that someone is there. Join me!  It will be fun, I promise!

You know what else is fun? Knitting with friends! Get a friend or friends to join you to knit for this KAL in person, then tell us about it online…That’s what this whole KAL thing is about-- bringing knitters together.  So join us, I promise, it’s gonna be a blast! (The official roll call will be in next week’s blog post!)

In the meantime, here are the materials you’ll need for the whole enchilada, including the sewing portion:

Sweater Materials:

-580-1160 yards of a DK weight yarn depending on the size.*See notes below
-US size 7- 29” (or larger) circular needle
-US Size 5 DPNs
-Goodale Cardigan Pattern by Cecily Glowik MacDonald.  Printed versions are available on our website or the downloadable version is available from Winged Knits on Ravelry.
-Stitch markers
-Stitch holders or waste yarn
-A tapestry needle
-2- 7/8” buttons

Venezia Sport in "Peacock Blue"
*The pattern calls for Tosh Pashmina but since we are running low at the moment on a number of colors and I am dying to try the new Cascade Venezia Sport, I will be using that in the gorgeous Peacock Blue color. The yardage on this yarn is AMAZING.  I am only going to need 3 hanks and I am knitting a 41.25" sweater! Cecily (the designer) also recommends: Sublime Baby Cashmere Merino DK, Malabrigo Silky Merino, MalabrigoArroyo, Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, or Rowan Cashsoft DK to give you some other options.  We love these yarns, but we want you to pick what is ultimately going to make you happy so have fun!  

Sizing and yardage for Goodale are as follows:

Finished Bust Measurements: 31.5 (34, 38, 41.25, 45.25, 49.25, 52.5, 55.5, 58.75)”

Yardage Requirements: 580 (640, 720, 770, 855, 935, 1010, 1080, 1160)

Skirt Materials (Beyond the sewing machine and scissors of course):*

-1-2 yds of 44” or wider fabric depending on your height and desired skirt length. If you want a knee length or longer skirt, buy 1.5 yards or more. When in doubt, buy a bit extra.  You can always use the leftovers for quilt squares or a smaller project later. We have tons of great regular and sale fabrics right now so don't forget to check them out! Beginners should choose an easy to sew with fabric like 100% quilting cotton. (In case you were wondering, I am using Amy Butler's Twilight Peony print from the Soul Blossoms Collection.)  
- 1” or wider elastic- the length of your waist circumference where you would like the skirt to sit.  
Brett's Book
- Brett Bara’s “Sewing in a Straight Line” book or a skirt pattern of your choice. Brett’s book is great for beginners because it doesn’t require using patterns, just your measurements and some diagrams and written instructions. Feel free to check your local fabric store for patterns if you are feeling more adventurous. Also, there are several online tutorials and videos on Brett's website for making this exact skirt, so if you aren't sure about getting the book, that info will be provided when we get to that point in the KAL/SAL.  For beginners, this book is great because it has tons of valuable information about sewing that you might like to read so I do recommend it.
- Thread that matches your fabric.
- A large safety pin

*Note, some of your sewing supplies will need to be purchased at a fabric store as we don't yet carry all of the notions you'll need to sew with just yet. We are terribly sorry for any inconvenience this might cause! :)  

By the way, I should mention that the sewing component is entirely optional and you will by no means miss out on any of the fun should you choose not to sew with us! We just thought it would be exciting to bring a complimentary craft into the mix with this KAL!  Let us know what you think!

I hope this post has gotten you excited for the KAL! I seriously can’t wait to cast on! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know via e-mail: Kristen@jimmybeanswool.com. If you need help matching fabrics to yarns or have specific product questions, please call our customer service department at: (877) 529-5648 and tell them that you are participating in our KAL they can help you get what you need! If you made it through this long post, nice job, that was a lot of info! Thanks so much for reading and I hope to see you all back here next week and knitting with me in cyber space!

Happy knitting (and sewing),
Kristen


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Featured Products Friday!

by : MarinadeDesigns
Happy Friday everyone!  I hope all is well in everyone’s world!  I’ve got some exciting Featured Products for you this week so I hope you all enjoy.  We’ve got tons of new fall products coming in, but these days, I am mostly excited about some of the new books and patterns that are arriving each week.  You’ll notice this post is quite heavy in both.  Either way, I hope you enjoy!

First off, we have one of the cutest books I’ve ever seen!  A garden gnome, a fried egg, a cactus, and a juicy looking pear.  What do all of these things have in common?  They are all little teeny tiny items you can make with Teeny Tiny Mochimochi!  This book contains the blueprints, aka. patterns, to knit some of the cutest teeny tiny items.  I am thinking about getting it just so I can make the Garden Gnome for my Christmas tree this year.  So adorable!

Next is the newest magazine from Interweave--Holiday Gifts 2011!  Interweave has has really gone all out this year.  The “Holiday Gifts” editions are always chalk full of wonderful designs and this year is truly no exception.  When I flipped through this issue, I felt the distinct strong urge to knit, not an unusual feeling for me, but you know, it was stronger than usual. I loved the cowls, hats, and slippers, but I especially loved the holiday decor.  I NEED to make the cute felted Christmas Trees!  I must be crazy for thinking about the holidays so early, but I suppose if you have big knitting plans, it’s never too early! 

Another great book is the new Rowan Purelife Home.  I’ve noticed Rowan doing a lot more with crochet lately and I really like it!  This book uses all of their Purelife line of yarns to create fantastic works of art.  From the textured knitted rug to the gorgeous crocheted throw, there is all kinds of great home ideas in this book!  I really love the crocheted doily rug too.  It’s chunky and gorgeous, what more could you want?

Has anyone else fallen as hard for Winged Knits as I have?  I absolutely love Cecily Glowick MacDonald’s beautiful patterns.  Her design aesthetic really speaks to me and I love how simple yet interesting her garments are.  The Crestview Jacket, a new-to-Jimmy-Beans pattern, is absolutely gorgeous and just makes me want to drop everything else on the needles and knit it!  Done in a nice heavy aran weight with a lovely wrapped stitch lace panel down the back, this jacket is perfect for fall and winter.  My conscience is giving me a wrist slap and telling me no more new projects...but that doesn’t mean I can’t tempt everyone else!

Lastly, I am so excited to finally announce that the Addi Lace Click Tips have arrived!  Well, most of them anyway.  We finally received our first shipment of the Lace Click Tips after waiting for quite some time!  Those who are excited to build on their existing Addi Click or Addi Lace Click sets, now’s the time!  We also have the Natura Click tips too in case you wanted the bamboo!  I know I have the Addi Lace Clicks on my Holiday Wishlist this year, and I’ll probably get a few extra tips for those sizes I use the most!  


Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  I’m off today and I’m heading to a local farm to pick lots and lots of tomatoes and hopefully make some sauces and salsas to can for winter.  I’m also working on a fun test knit for this lovely gal on Ravelry in Tosh Merino Light.  What are you all up to?    


Happy knitting and crocheting!
Kristen




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Bazillions of New Patterns and More!

by : Leanne
Simmer Dim
Another day, another shipment of new yarn, patterns and/or accessories received. This past week has been quite exciting with new yarn up the wazoo and a bazillion new-to-us patterns! That's right, a bazillion. We've just added Ysolda Teague, The Shetland Trader, Stephen West and Winged Knits to our already extensive pattern library. Being the one who enters all of these tantalizing designs into our system, I am now suffering from an acute case of "I MUST KNIT THIS NOW!" No joke, I am so overwhelmed with possibilities I am nearly paralyzed trying to decide what to knit next. The Shetland Trader Simmer Dim shawl? I do so love shawls, and this one would look great in the subtly variegated solids of Araucania Itata (now on sale!) or my favorite color of Tosh Merino Light, Bungalow.
Bethany's future cardi!
But then there is the Goodale cardi from Cecily Glowick MacDonald of Winged Knits. Bethany is trying to get me to knit this one for her, and I'm inclined to oblige, it looks like so much fun! A sweet little number with a wide, open neck and short sleeves, this simple sweater features unique yet functional pockets created by folding the front edges back. The pattern suggests Madalinetosh Pashmina, but would also look stunning in Shepherd Sport (perhaps in the March Limited Edition Color, Symphony?), or Cascade 220 Sport which is both super soft and affordable!
Of course I can't ignore Ysolda and her Damson shawl or Veyla Mitts... not to mention her book, Whimsical Little Knits! All of her gorgeous designs have that special combination of trendy fashion without the attitude making them perfect for the everyday fashionista's eclectic wardrobe.
And let's not forget the indescribable genius of Stephen West! Sharon was practically bouncing off the walls when his patterns and books arrived. As Kristen mentioned in her post last week, Sharon has already cast on the Colonnade Shawl in the sumptuous shade of Nebula in Tosh Merino DK and is knitting her fingers off so she can wear her FO pronto! While his designs are truly one-of-a-kind, I am most impressed by Stephen West's ability to create shawls, scarves and hats that look striking on both men and women as well as his talent for producing simple and artistic designs that showcase the natural beauty of the yarn used to knit them. If one or two patterns isn't enough to satiate your Stephen West cravings, consider Westknits Book 1 and Book 2, both stellar collections of his modern styles that will never cease to inspire you.
Colonnade Shawl
Whew! Can you see my dilemma? And that is just a smattering of my favorite favorites! Do you have a favorite or two? Are you dying to cast on one (or more) of these new patterns? Please share by leaving a comment on this post! I want to know what you are excited about too!    

Eros II Color 3263
Of course you're going to need some yarn to go with all those patterns, and as always, we've got your back ;) New Silky Merino from Malabrigo is settling in on our shelves, as are 50 colors of Plymouth Galway in a wide ranging palette of rustic heathers and vibrant solids. A versatile yarn for family knits and felting, Galway is 100% worsted weight wool and comes with 210 yards per skein. At $6 a ball, that is quite a deal! Also new to our Plymouth lineup, Eros II is quickly becoming a go-to yarn for those texturrific trendy projects. Similar to Trendsetter's Binario (now discontinued), Eros II is a shiny multicolor ribbon yarn ideal for adding fashion-forward style to any garment of accessory!
436 Atardecer
Since I'd hate just gloss over it, let's backtrack for a moment to the Silky Merino. A 50/50 blend of silk and merino wool, this exquisite yarn from Malabrigo is like Seventh Heaven for your fingers and your eyes. The single ply fiber holds the kettle-dyed colorways with intensity resulting in vivid, splendiferous hues. A DK weight yarn, Silky Merino come with 150 yards per 50g skein and works up beautifully on size US 6 needles. Shevawn has already grabbed two hanks in Atardecer and is planning to cast on Seedling, one of the new hat patterns from Never Not Knitting!
Wild Stuff in Nevada
Ok, I've got to squeeze this last one in before signing off, it is just that amazing. Cool Stuff and Wild Stuff from Prism Yarns! Cool and Wild are understatements to say the least... these yarns are over the moon stupendous wondtastical fantabulous! Varying lengths of extraordinary and marvelously textured novelty yarns from sparkling metallics to fluttery eyelash acrylics are hand tied end to end for a one-of-a-kind and truly unique ball of yarn. Each hank (300 yards) or half hank (150 yards) is an uncommon composition of razzle-dazzle colors and eye-catching fibers you will hardly be able look away from. Use it for shawls and scarves or an artistic shug or cardi that is sure to turn heads!
Love working with self-striping and multi-texture yarns? Let us know which one is your favorite by taking the poll located in the top right-hand corner of this blog :)

Have a lovely week and happy knitting and crocheting!
Leanne :)




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