Flash Sale! Mitts for Mom

Now through Wednesday: Save 25% on all fingerless mitts in my Ravelry pattern store with the coupon code MOM.

There's still time to knit a pretty pair of mitts for Mother's Day, especially if you choose a style without a thumb gusset, like Fee-bee or Shallows.

Happy knitting and happy Mother's Day!

New Pattern: Spindler Mitts

Today I'm pleased to share the first design I've created with handspun yarn: the Spindler Mitts. They're now available on Ravelry.

A pretty mix of lace, garter stitch, and stockinette, the Spindler Mitts are just right for small amounts of handspun yarn, or for those partial skeins of fingering weight yarn we all have in our stashes. Using only 125 yards for the small/medium size (140 for the large size), they're a quick knit—perfect for a last-minute Mother's Day gift or for end-of-the-year teacher gifts. (You could get three pairs out of a typical skein of sock yarn!)

For the sample pair, I used Ashland Bay Mixed Bluefaced Leicester, spun and plied with drop spindles (16 wpi). As I mentioned in my last post, I found BFL pleasant to spin and was really excited to see how the 2-ply developed a soft, attractive halo after I blocked the mitts. 

At Rhinebeck last fall, I picked up a bag of Cormo/alpaca fiber from the Foxhill Farm booth. I've started spinning and plying it, with good results. So now I'm pondering design ideas. Maybe a cowl to go with the Spindler Mitts, in time for Rhinebeck 2017? We'll see! Stay tuned here on the blog—or follow me on Instagram—to see how that works out.

Heartfelt thanks go to Jenny Sennott for editing the pattern and Betsey Sennott for modeling. (Another Sennott Sisters production, yay!)

I hope you enjoy the pattern. Thank you very much for reading.

Pretty, Pretty BFL

What a busy month! With Calliopsis just published, a large secret project for a magazine under way, a new sock design in progress, and a new fingerless mitts pattern almost ready to publish, I basically have knitwear design on my mind 24 hours a day.

The mitts—a pretty combination of lace, stockinette, and garter stitch—are my first design with my own handspun yarn.

The fiber is Ashland Bay Mixed BFL Top, which I spun and plied with drop spindles; the resulting two-ply yarn is fingering weight, 16 wpi.

I had about 140 yards to work with. So I weighed the yarn carefully as I knit, making sure I wouldn't run out. In the end, the small/medium size used about 125 yards. There's also a large size, which requires about 140 yards.

I think there will definitely be more BFL in my spinning future! I enjoyed both spinning and knitting it. But what I loved most was how, after a good soak in Eucalan, the fabric developed a really pretty halo. And it's so soft!  A delight to feel against your skin.

My sister Jenny, an accomplished spinner with years of experience (far more than me—I'm still a newbie), says BFL is her current favorite sheep breed because "it is a pleasure to spin and finishes up soft and lustrous, not as fussy or pill-prone as merino." So far, with my limited experience, I'd have to concur.

They're called Spindler Mitts, and I hope to publish them next week. To get news about these and all my new patterns delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for the monthly Blue Peninsula newsletter.

New Pattern: Con Brio Mitts

New for spring (yes, spring, even though it's snowing today): a sweet pair of lace mitts called Con Brio:

Pattern: Con Brio, by Bonnie Sennott

Yarn: Quince & Co. Chickadee Bare, dyed with walnuts

Now through the end of the Mitts Madness KAL on March 31, save $1.50 on Con Brio in my Ravelry store, with the coupon code BRIO.

Knit with 165 yards/150m sportweight yarn, these mitts feature an easy-to-work lace stitch. Its energetic, waving lines inspired the pattern's name: con brio is a musical term that means "with energy or vigor."

The mitts are quite stretchy and will comfortably fit a range of sizes. If you have narrow hands, you can easily adjust the fit by using smaller needles and/or fingering weight yarn. They don't use a lot of yarn, so they're a perfect stash buster!

I am grateful to my sisters Betsey (who modeled) and Jenny (who tech edited the pattern) for their cheerful assistance.

Thank you very much for reading—and happy spring!

New Stuff Coming Up

I am finally out from under the secret projects that took up most of my designing time over the past couple months. Whew! I can focus on new things! 

Like these spring mitts:

They're knit in the round with sportweight yarn (about 165 yards/150 m). I used Quince & Co.'s Chickadee Bare, which I dyed with last fall's walnuts and an alum mordant. I was thrilled with how the color came out. It's just the delicate beige I was hoping for.

I've also got some new stuff in my Etsy shop, including a sashiko eye pillow: 

It's a soothing treat for the eyes after a long day at the computer, and perfect for resting in Savasana at the end of a yoga session. And it smells heavenly thanks to lots of lavender.

I'll have more eye pillows in the shop soon. For updates, follow me on Instagram. That's the best place to see what's new.

As for the mitts pattern—look for it early next week, right in time for spring!

Inside the Design Process: How a Design Comes Together

Since I've got a new mitts design in progress, today I thought I'd write a little about how my designs come together. You might be surprised how unstraightforward the design process often is. The path is usually circuitous, with a lot of unexpected twists and turns.

Once in a great while, from the moment I get a new-to-me yarn, I see immediately how it can be used, and a design takes off almost as soon as I have the yarn in my hands. That sounds wonderfully romantic, I suppose, but it's not typical of how creativity works for me. Most of the time, I have to live with a yarn for a while, swatch with it, experiment with stitches and needle sizes. 

Swatches are where most of my designs arise from. I rarely sketch out an idea, then "plug in" stitch patterns and choose appropriate yarns. Instead, I makes swatches as much as time allows. And from the swatches and particular qualities of the yarn, garments or accessories come to mind. 

Stitch dictionaries are a starting point, but I often end up charting out a stitch pattern and playing with it a bit. How would it looked combined with this other stitch pattern? What happens if I make it wider and taller? Etc. I live with my swatches for a while, usually knitting them in different yarns, looking at them this way and that, letting them hang out in my home and my unconscious, where things percolate.

Every design comes together in a different way. The new mitts design has been atypical for me, in that it came together in a flash. But did it?  First of all, I used a yarn I've knit with many times before, Quince and Co. Chickadee. From previous experiences, I know it is a smooth, plump sport weight yarn with really excellent stitch definition. Pomegranate, Briscoe, and Warble taught me how perfect Chickadee is for sculptural lace stitches. So—did my yarn choice happen "in a flash," or did it grow from all that my hands and mind have learned about Chickadee over the past few years?

And then there's the stitch pattern. I swatched it several years ago, in green Quince and Co. Tern, left over from my Leaves of Three mitts. I liked it—a lot! So much so that I've had it out and always in view, using it as a "doily" under a little crochet basket. I shake the dust off it every now and then, admiring the pretty lace, but no ideas have come to mind.

Until this week. This week, I dyed some white Chickadee Bare with walnuts that I picked up in my backyard last fall. I thought maybe I could get a nice oatmeal color if I pulled the yarn from the dye pot at the right moment. I wanted a color that in its delicacy and freshness said "spring."

I was really happy with how the color came out. It was while the yarn was drying that the "lightbulb" moment happened. I picked up the little green lace swatch, held it against my hand, recalled how well Chickadee works for lace, and thought, "spring mitts." 

So. they're happening, and going really well, with no major changes of mind or ripping back. The design process rarely goes this smoothly for me! I keep expecting something to go awry but so far nothing has.

But, even though it's coming together quickly, did this design really take shape in the cliched "a ha!" moment? I think not. I think it began four or five years ago, at least. And it's affirmed for me once again that every small choice matters—trying a new yarn, swatching stitch patterns for no purpose other than the joy of discovery, throwing a bunch of black walnuts into an old pot to see what happens. Once again, I am reminded of Emerson's wise advice: "Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."

I plan to publish the pattern during the Mitts Madness KAL, which starts today. A few folks have already cast on, while others are pondering patterns and yarns. Of course, there will be some lovely prizes, too. The KAL ends March 31, so there's plenty of time to knit yourself or a friend a new pair of mitts for spring. Hope to see you!

LINKS

 My fingerless mitts patterns

Mitts Madness KAL

Mitts Madness Sale and KAL

It's official: The next knitalong in the Ravelry Blue Peninsula group is all about mitts. Mitts Madness kicks off Sunday, February 28 and ends Thursday, Mar. 31.

To celebrate, I'm having a sale on all fingerless mitts patterns in my Ravelry pattern store. Save 20% now through midnight, Sunday, Feb. 21 (EST). No coupon code needed - the discount will appear in your cart at checkout

Clockwise from lower left: Fee-bee Mitts, Purlish, On the Other Hand, Indikon

You can choose from mitts that are knit flat, then seamed, like Shallows and Fee-bee. Or, choose a style worked in the round with a traditional thumb gusset, like Indikon or Rockywold. Or, delve into stranded color knitting and try Purlish.

I hope you'll join us and knit yourself (or someone else) a pretty pair of mitts to add color and style to your late winter/early spring wardrobe.  See you in the KAL!

LINKS

Blue Peninsula Group

Mitts Patterns

Mitts Madness KAL

New Pattern: Purlish Mitts

New pattern for a new month: my colorwork mitts called Purlish are ready for you to knit!

Pattern: Purlish, by Bonnie Sennott

Yarn: 240-yard mini skein set from Pigeonroof Studios, in the Sahara Desert colorway

They're on sale 25% off in my Ravelry pattern store through Friday, February 5, with the coupon code PURLISH. They're also included in Simple Colorwork, an ebook that offers both the Purlish Mitts and my Rowhouse Hat for just $8.00.

While the Purlish Mitts may look complicated, they're really not—if you've knit socks or any other project in the round on double-pointed needles, you should have no trouble with this pattern. The stitches are just knits and purls, and the colorwork is quite simple. The pattern provides instructions for two sizes and includes helpful print and online resources for knitters new to stranded colorwork.

These mitts offer a great way to use fingering-weight gradient sets like those from Pigeonroof Studios to maximum effect. My challenge in designing them was to devise a sequence that wouldn't use more than 40 yards of any of the six colors and that flowed attractively from one color to the next.. It took a couple of tries for me to settle on a sequence I really liked, but before long it all came together. 

If you want to substitute yarns from your stash, that's no problem. The pattern provides the weights/yardage you'll need for each of the six colors. They'll look as good in bright colors as they do in neutrals. Here's a pair knit in the Bloody Mary colorway from Pigeonroof Studios (aptly named, don't you think?):

Big thanks to speedy knitter Heather (afeistyknitter on Ravelry) for knitting up the Bloody Mary sample, to my sister Jenny for her careful tech editing, and to my sister Betsey for her inspired modeling. I really loved this Bowie/Heroes-inspired pose she struck during our photo shoot:

Thank you very much for reading!

Mitts A-Coming

It's hard to blog about my design work right now because three of the four projects I'm working on must be kept secret until much later this year. But I can show you what's happening with a pair of mitts in progress.

I'm knitting them with a mini skein set of hand-dyed fingering weight yarn from Pigeonroof Studios:

I guess I've finally caught the gradient bug! I set myself the challenge of devising a Bohus-inspired colorwork mitt in two sizes that could be knit without running out of any of the six colors. (Bohus Stickning is a Swedish style of stranded-color knitting that flourished from the 1940s through the 1960s. A hallmark of Bohus designs are the purl stitches, which animate the surface with tiny flecks of color. To learn more, see this post about a Bohus workshop I took with Susanna Hansson.)

I began by charting out a few ideas on graph paper, then knit most of one mitt, only to decide that I didn't like the color sequence and felt the stitch pattern needed simplifying, too. So I ripped back, revised the chart, and started over. To keep track of how much I used of each color, I weighed them all at the start, and again after finishing.

Here's a shot showing how I block mitts (and all the bits left after weaving in ends):

A knitter friend commented that these mitts look hard—but I assure you, they're not. If you have some experience working in the round on double-pointed needles, you'll be fine. The stitches are knits and purls, and two out of every four rounds are just single-color knitting (I think of them as the "rest rounds").

A gradient set of six colors (40 yards each; mine was the Sahara Desert colorway from Pigeonroof Studios), is ideal for this design, but you can substitute fingering weight yarns from your stash. The pattern lists the yardage and grams needed for each color.

The Selfish Knitting KAL is going strong in the Blue Peninsula Ravelry group. It doesn't end until February 7, so there's still plenty of time to cast on something small—maybe a Rowhouse Hat? That would be a great way to practice some easy colorwork before the mitts are published.

If you are snowed in today, I hope you're able to curl up with some hot cocoa or tea and enjoy lots of uninterrupted knitting time. We didn't get any snow here in western Massachusetts. I have mixed feelings about that—I'm sad for the children who love the snow, but I'm really glad I don't have to shovel!

Anyway, I stayed in yesterday as if it really were a snow day and got the mitts pattern off to the tech editor. Look for it in February.

Thoughts about Swatching and Gauge

A friend of mine is knitting a pair of On the Other Hand mitts for herself. An experienced knitter, she knows the importance of gauge and took the time to knit a swatch and adjust her needle size to get gauge. Her first mitt came out great—but the second one? Too big and too long! 

Pattern: On the Other Hand, by Bonnie Sennott

Yarn: Skeinny Dipping Merino Single in Brown Butter

How could that happen? Well, although the same knitter knit the same size mitt with the same needles and yarn, that same knitter was on serious cold meds while knitting the second mitt, and apparently she knit at a much looser gauge! This doesn't surprise me. I know that if I am feeling relaxed and at ease while knitting, my gauge tends to loosen up, but if I'm tense and worried it can easily tighten up. 

You might be wondering—does gauge matter for a small item like a fingerless mitt? The answer is: yes! Being off just a half inch on a mitt can make it too big or too small. And I find that mitts tend to stretch out after several wearings, so I would rather they not fit loosely when I first finish them. 

Here's just a little math to demonstrate why gauge matters for a pair of mitts. For On the Other Hand, the gauge on the larger needles (used for the stockinette part of the mitt) is 27 stitches and 40 rows = 4 inches/10cm. So, the stitch gauge is 6.75 stitches per inch. After the thumb gusset, the larger size mitt has 48 stitches around the palm. Those 48 stitches divided by 6.75 stitches per inch result in a palm circumference of about 7 inches (7.11, to be exact). If your gauge is looser, say 25 stitches over 4 inches (or 6.25 per inch), those same 48 stitches will result in a palm circumference of 7.68 inches. That might be bigger than you want (and it's certainly bigger than what the pattern states).

What about row gauge? It matters too! Again, a bit of math to demonstrate: The thumb gusset on the larger size is worked over 32 rows. At a row gauge of 10 rows per inch (32 divided by 10), the gusset will measure about 3.25 inches. But if your row gauge is loose—say 9 rows per inch—your gusset will measure 3.55 inches. That still might fit you OK, but it might be rather long. And if your row gauge is too loose throughout the entire mitt, it will be longer than anticipated.

Swatching first—and blocking your swatch as you will block the finished item—is always a good idea. But if you're the sort of knitter who wants to plunge right in when knitting small things like hats or socks or mitts (or maybe you did make a swatch, but then your gauge on the actual project got all loosey-goosey), then maybe the road to good fit and happiness is best found by simply adjusting your outlook. To me, knitting 4-5 inches of a mitt that's 48 stitches around is not much more work than knitting a gauge swatch. So I often cast on with the size needle I know from experience is likely to be best, and then I try on frequently as I go. I am always prepared to rip back/start over/change needles if things go awry.

Basically, I swatch when I feel it's a good idea—and if I don't swatch, I take the attitude that starting small projects over (or even the sleeve of a sweater) isn't much of a setback.

What's your approach to swatching? Do you or don't you? Do you mind ripping back and starting over?

New Pattern: On the Other Hand

I'm excited to share a new mitts pattern today: On the Other Hand is now available in my Ravelry, Etsy, and Craftsy pattern stores.

Pattern: On the Other Hand, by Bonnie Sennott

Yarn: Skeinny Dipping Merino Single in the Brown Butter colorway

With their knit-purl textures and simple lace, these mitts make the most of the tonal variations in hand-dyed fingering-weight yarns—but they’ll look great in solid and semi-solid colors, too.

As I developed this design, I experimented with different options for the arm, trying out a longer lace section as well as a shorter lace section followed by rings of purl rounds. In the end, I really couldn’t decide which option I liked best! And when I shared them with some friends, an equal number liked one or the other. So I knit one of each and included instructions for both of them in the pattern.

You may knit one of each, as shown in the sample photos, or knit two matching mitts using either option. From the thumb gusset upwards, both options are the same. The pattern provides instructions for two sizes, women's S and M/L.

On the Other Hand is the first pattern in All You Need Is One, a collection of five one-skein designs I'll be releasing every 6-8 weeks in 2015, ending in the fall. All You Need Is One is available only on Ravelry. When you purchase the ebook, it will automatically be updated in your Ravelry library each time a new pattern is added. 

What other kinds of patterns can you expect? It's still a work in progress, but I can share that the second pattern, due out later this spring, will be a lace scarf. I also hope to design a cowl for a gorgeous sportweight alpaca I found at Rhinebeck last fall. What else? Socks are quite likely, and beyond that—it's a surprise!

I knit the mitts with a fingering weight merino from Skeinny Dipping in a colorway aptly named Brown Butter. Of all the photos I took, I think the one below best captures the beauty of the color. A single-ply yarn, it has an appealing halo and is super soft.

Each design in All You Need Is One will be knit with yarns by U.S.-based indie dyers and small yarn producers. Throughout the year, I'll be doing interviews here on the blog with the folks who make the yarns. Look for the first one, with Christine of Skeinny Dipping, later this month.

Thanks and credits go to:

• My sister Betsey, who gave me the beautiful yarn for Christmas, modeled the mitts, and made the beaded crochet necklaces she's wearing in the photos
• My sister Jackie, who thought of the pattern name
• My sister Jenny, who edited the pattern
• My godfather, Uncle Hubert, for giving me the charm bracelet in some of the photos. It belonged to my godmother, Aunt Valda, and is filled with souvenirs of her travels. When I was a little girl, she gave me a charm bracelet of my own and each year at Christmas and on my birthday sent me new charms. I didn't get to see her much when I was growing up, so it means a lot to have this tangible connection to her.

Thank you very much for reading!