Pattern Update: Golden Valley Shawl

Pattern update news! Golden Valley, originally published on New Year's Day, has been expanded to include both fingering weight and sport weight versions.

I knit the new fingering weight sample of Golden Valley in Anzula Squishy, a blend of merino, cashmere, and nylon. It's so light and airy—perfect for spring and summer.

If you've already purchased the pattern, not to worry—a new, expanded pattern PDF will appear in your Ravelry library, ready for download.

Golden Valley would be an ideal project for the upcoming Shawls Etc. KAL in the Ravelry Blue Peninsula group. Not up for making a shawl? That's OK—knit a scarf or cowl instead.

The KAL starts March 15 and continues through April 20. In addition to several lovely prizes, we're going to have pattern giveaways on Trivia Tuesdays. Hope to see you!

Shawls Etc. KAL Starts March 15

Save the dates! We've got a new KAL starting soon in the Ravelry Blue Peninsula group.

The Shawls Etc. KAL starts March 15 and ends April 20 — five full weeks to knit any of my shawl, cowl, or scarf designs. 

I hope you'll be able to join us. Pop over anytime to chat and see the prizes, including something new: Trivia Tuesdays!

Meanwhile, today I'm blocking the new fingering weight version of my Golden Valley Shawl, knit in the Hippo colorway of Anzula Squishy. Later this week, I'll update the pattern to include yardage, needles, and dimensions for both fingering and sport weight yarns. If you've already purchased it, you'll get a free pattern update in your Ravelry library.

Until then, have a great Sunday — and happy knitting!

New Pattern: Golden Valley Shawl

Happy New Year! To welcome 2017, I'm releasing a new pattern: the Golden Valley shawl.

Golden Valley is a triangular shawl knit in Anzula Ava, a sportweight blend of merino, cashmere, and nylon. It's a big, cozy, warm shawl—just what you want to wrap yourself in during these cold winter months.

The pattern's name comes from a verse in Woody Guthrie's song, "This Land Is Your Land."

“As I was walking that ribbon of highway,

I saw above me that endless skyway:

I saw below me that golden valley:

This land was made for you and me.”

Golden Valley is knit from the top down with 635 yards/580 m sportweight yarn. The pattern provides complete instructions for techniques, including the garter stitch tab cast-on and picot bind-off. Stitch patterns are provided in charts.

The finished shawl measures 64 inches/163 cm wide across the top edge and 29 inches/74 cm long at the center. (If you'd like a smaller shawl, you can use fingering weight yarn and smaller needles.)

When you purchase Golden Valley, you'll join with other knitters to help protect the Earth's environment and preserve our wilderness: 20 percent of proceeds between January 1–20 will be donated to the Sierra Club, the nation's largest and most influential environmental organization.

Thanks go to Jenny Sennott for editing the pattern and to Amber Ladley for bravely modeling the shawl on a chilly day here in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts.

Thank you very much for reading!

P.S. If you'd like to knit something special for yourself now that the holidays are winding down, please join us for the Third Annual Selfish Knitting KAL. It starts today and continues through February 12. Any of my patterns can be made for this KAL.

New Pattern: Pomeroy Socks

I've got one last pattern for October, just published today! My Pomeroy socks are one of five designs in the new Anzula Socks booklet:

Quick and easy to knit, Pomeroy offers an engaging alternative to “plain vanilla” stockinette socks. The socks are worked top down on double-pointed needles and feature knit-purl textures on the cuff followed by a wide rib. 

I designed these socks with newer sock knitters in mind. They're more challenging than stockinette but not overwhelming. And the stitch patterns are given in written form—there are no charts to follow.

The sample pair are knit in the lovely Heidi colorway of Anzula Squishy, a fingering weight blend of merino, cashmere goat, and nylon. This was my first time knitting with Squishy and I was very pleased with its soft hand and excellent stitch definition. It wasn't easy to put these socks in the mail and send them away!

Other pattern news:

• Tomorrow is the last day of the introductory sale on my Open Road Collection. The ebook containing all three patterns is just $12 in my Ravelry store through November 1.
• My Exit 4 tunic, published last year by Green Mountain Spinnery, is now available in my Ravelry store. To celebrate, I'm having a sale: take 25% off with the coupon code CABLES, through November 6.