Oh Christmas Trees hits 1000 Ravel-Hearts

Here's a social networking milestone - My Oh Christmas Trees pattern, which I posted last December, just got favorited for the one thousandth time over on Ravelry. That's a lot of love! Or at least a lot of hearts! I hope the pattern has brought some cheer to everyone who's given it a try!

x 100

One of the great things about Ravelry is that you can connect with people you'd never get to meet in real life, and you can see how your ideas turn out when other people try them. I'm particularly fond of Cheezombie and Knittingfrog's projects, 'cause they each took some super pictures and made the pattern their own. Here's Knittingfrog's Seussy Tree:

by knittingfrog on flickr

The Oh Christmas Trees knitting pattern is available here on Ravelry or here from MoltingYeti.com

Diamonds in the Rough in Creative Knitting

Check out my Diamonds in the Rough throw in this month's issue of Creative Knitting! Six smooth concentric diamonds emerge from a background of trinity stitch in this substantial blanket.

The pattern is included in the online bonus that comes with each issue, available free to anyone who has a print copy of the magazine or a current subscription, so be sure to check it out. Use the code on page 4 of the magazine to access the bonus part.

Give the Gift of Squids this Holiday Season

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for your niece, nephew, aunt, uncle, grandpa, or sweetheart? How about the ichthyologist in the family who's got everything? The hand-knit Squids, Inchworms,Pillbugs, and Octopi here at KnitsyBitsy headquarters will look swell under any tree. They make excellent house-guests, which is great because they're all looking for new homes! And remember, shipping is free until 2010.

We're taking the entire menagerie with us this weekend for Renegade in San Francisco, so the last day to order online before the Christmas holiday will be Thursday, December 17. Take home a woolly critter while you still can. You'll be glad you did!

Get yours now at www.knitsybitsy.com

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

But this Snowman's so Delightful!

I've been so busy with my umpteen craft fairs that I nearly forgot to post this - There's a super sweet snowman design up now in the MoltingYeti knitting pattern shop.

Warm up winter days by knitting this classic three-part snowman with a carrot nose and sticks for arms. This little fellow will make a wonderful toy, centerpiece, or holiday decoration. Very simple construction with minimal seaming make this a quick knit great for gifting, and a great project for to using up yarn scraps.

Available as a pdf pattern download for $5 at www.moltingyeti.com

And thanks again to my super awesome pattern testers! Oiyi and SJanova have already posted pictures!

Oh, and have I mentioned that photoshop is a new favorite procrastination tool? Check out my new ravelry ads!

PS122 YarnBombing in 3-D

Reposting this from KnitHacker: Flickr photographer ytf posted this awesome snap of the fence outside of PS122 that we yarnbombed as part of the YarnTheory exhibit this past spring. If you sit 2-3 feet away from your monitor and let your eyes cross, it'll pop into 3-D!

originally uploaded by ytf

Craft Fairs Galore!

In KnitsyBitsy news, the critters and I will be in craft fairs every single weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas, with a Wednesday night fete thrown in for good measure. Here's the skinny:

Saturday, December 5, find us at the PS321 craft fair in Park Slope.

Sunday, December 6, we'll be at the Bust Magazine HolidayCraftacular.

Wednesday, December 9, we'll be at Maxi-Craft!, a community craft fair put on by Re/Dress in Brooklyn.

Saturday, December 12, it's the 3rd Ward Handmade Holiday Show.

And Saturday and Sunday December 19-20, we're taking the show out west t0 San Francisco for Renegade!

Ka-Chow! Got all that?

Nicky Epstein at Lion Brand Studio

One of my knit-heroes, Nicky Epstein (she of Knitting On, Over, and Beyond the Edge fame) will be at the Lion Brand Studio on 15th Street in Manhattan on Friday, December 3 to talk about her latest book, Knitting a Kiss in Every Stitch. She's super popular and space is limited, so head on over to the Lion Brand blog to RSVP.

Noro Book Launch at the Brooklyn Public Library

Cornelia Hamilton will be at the Brooklyn Public Library this Friday, November 20 for a talk, signing, and trunk show celebrating the launch of Noro: The Man Behind the Legendary Yarn

NORO offers an inside look into the makings of this bestselling brand of yarn and insight into its enigmatic creator, along with 40 stunning projects to knit and wear. From colorful hats, scarves and bags to cardigans, pullovers and throws, each design utilizes the unique properties of Noro yarns to create a one-of-a-kind fashion statement!

This book apparently re-publishes patterns that were already available in pamphlet form, so if you already have everything Noro's published, you've already got most of the book, but if you're new to Noro pattern books, this is a great introduction. Either way it'll be worth it for the trunk show. Hope to see you there!

Friday, November 20, 2009, 6:30 – 8:30PM

Dweck Auditorium, Central Library

Brooklyn Public Library

10 Grand Army Plaza

718.230.2100

Supernova

When stars die of old age, they blow up. Seven thousand nine hundred thirty seven years ago, a star in Cassiopeia exploded into a great big ball of light.

Seventy-five hundred years later (Four hundred and thirty seven years ago today), Tycho Brahe looked up at Cassiopeia and got the news.

Tycho Brahe was very rich and very strange. He lost part of his nose in a duel when he was 20, so he made himself a new one out of silver and stuck it on with paste. His court jester was a dwarf named Jepp, who sat under the table at dinners. And he had a pet elk - at least, he did until the elk drank too much beer at one of Tycho's parties and fell down the stairs and died. Tycho's own death was iffy - popular legend holds that he got a bladder infection from holding it too long at a party, but he may have been poisoned by Jesuits, or his cousin, or his assistant, or he might have poisoned himself by drinking one too many alchemical potions. And if you're a fan of historical facial hair, the Prague National Museum has his moustache in its collection.

Anyway, it was the olden days before they'd even invented telescopes, so something new showing up in the sky was a big deal. The Aristotelian version of the universe insisted on celestial immutability. Or the fixity of the heavens. Basically, the stars didn't move, and they certainly didn't change. Aristotle was an ancient greek, and now it was the Renaissance, and besides, Aristotle was the same fellow who said that bugs and worms sometimes spontaneously generated out of dew and mud, so the world was ready for a step forward. The next year Tycho published a book about the new star, called De Nova Stella, (the new star). And that's why a star is new when it dies of old age.

Bedford Springs Knit-Treat, and p.s. I'm in Interweave

I just got back from the first annual Bedford Springs Knit-Treat in Pennsylvania, where I taught the Christmas Tree class. It was a wonderful group of students and some spectacular teachers in a gorgeous, luxurious, historical setting. And the food was divine - it was almost more of a "knit-eat" than a "knit-treat."

Here's me in Kathy Zimmerman's "Bedford Springs Shawl" class - some of the students commented on how happy I look when I'm knitting, and here's the proof. I was thrilled to be teaching along with Kathy, Barbara Grossman (who also organized the retreat and led us in mid-class stretching sessions), Nancy Premoshis who makes wonderful stash-busting creations from scrap yarn, stupendous spinner Nancy Griffin, and Candace Eisner Strick, a wonderful teacher whose designs are simply stunning.

It was a wonderful retreat, and I'm so excited to be headed back to Pennsylvania this coming February to teach at the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Show.

AND: Check out my Sunburst Throw design in Interweave Holiday Gifts!

Photo (c) Interweave

Mister DeMille, I'm Ready for my Close Up

Hi everyone - I just put a new cap design up in the pattern shop. It's called Gloria since it's inspired by the turban look of uber-vampy silent movie actress Gloria Swanson.


Thanks again to my mom for modeling this one! (That's my mum in front of the mums). You're on the home-page!

Rhinebeck Pictures

Rhinebeck was a blast. There were sheepdogs:


and frisbee dogs:and a fashion show:


oh yeah, and sheep! (and goats, not to mention alpacas and bunnies)

and wool!

Rhinebeck Ho!

I'm psyched to head up to Rhinebeck tomorrow for the Sheep and Wool Festival! It looks like it'll be a rainy weekend - oh, to sip some cocoa and savor that wet wool smell! I'll be heading up as part of a two-bus caravan organized by the inimitable Archie of the Park Slope Knitting Circle. I'll be wandering around with a red pompom hat on and my MoltingYeti Ravelry pin, with a knitted squid somewhere on my person. Say hi if you see me!

Psst... Wanna Buy a Squid?

I'm thrilled to announce that my new website is up and open for business - knitsybitsy.com is your source for original hand-knit woolly octopi, squids, inchworms, and pillbugs!

Take a look around, and tell your friends - hand-knit cephalopods, crustacians, and larval lepidoptera for the masses!

Pincushion, Two Years On

I've been using the pincushion I inherited from my Grandma as I do the product photography for my new site. (News about that soon). Here it is again after two years at my house.

YarnHarlot to the Rescue

I'm working on a big cabled blanket project right now, and did a big chunk of work on the bus to and from DC this weekend. Yesterday as I pulled my cable needle out from behind my ear to work one of the crosses, I realized that I'd goofed and crossed the wrong way seven rows down. It's a blanket. They're lo-ooong rows. Ugh! So I googled up "how to correct a mis-crossed cable without frogging", and up pops an illustrated YarnHarlot tutorial showing me exactly that, with the heartening post title "All Is Not Lost". Comments on the post are closed (it's from a couple years back) so this is a public thank you for helping me out of a jam. Stephanie Pearl McPhee is a lifesaver.

Concretion

I don't have super much interesting to say about this image except that I think it's gorgeous. It's a gigantical concretion I saw this weekend at the Smithsonian museum of natural history. Looks kind of like a Louise Bourgeois, hunh?

Knitted Cephalopod and Bug Armada

Hi everyone - I'm thrilled to let you know that my Octopus, Squid, Kraken, Inchworm, and Pillbug knitting patterns are now available at String Yarns in NYC! I did shop samples in Koigu Kersti, which is a fabulous worsted weight multi-colored yarn. So gorgeous! So soft! Such brightly colored little critters! But I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

If you work in a yarn shop and would like to sell these patterns, I'd love to hear from you. Or if you'd like to see them at your favorite yarn shop, ask them to get in touch!

Knit-Treat Reminder

Happy Fall, everyone! Even though I haven't been in school in forever, Labor Day week still feels like Buy a New Notebook and Think Hopefully About the Next Few Months time of year. And this fall has lots in store. First up, I'm making my festival teaching debut at the Fall KnitTreat in Bedford, PA November 5-8. I'll be teaching two of the three designs from my Oh Christmas Trees pattern, which is going to be a hoot of a class. And I'm psyched to be teaching alongside such talented folks as Candace Eisner Strick, Kathy Zimmerman, and Harriet Knox. It promises to be a wonderful, relaxing time in a gorgeous resort setting. Hope to see some of you there!

Fall Knittreat makes debut at Omni Bedford Springs Resort

Thanks to the positive response we have received, we are excited to announce that the first-ever Fall "Knittreat" will be held at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort, in Bedford, PA, Nov. 5-8, 2009.

Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to stay at this newly reopened resort, where everyone is treated like the 11 Presidents who have been its guests! Registration for the Fall Knittreat has been extended until Oct. 15, 2009.

Just $599 covers the costs for all four days, including all meals, overnight accommodations (based on double occupancy), a welcome reception Thursday evening, round-the-clock classes, a fashion show, a fiber swap, afternoon tea and a variety of breakout sessions. Teachers include Candace Eisner Strick, Kathy Zimmerman, Daniel Yuhas, Harriet Knox and more.

Immerse yourself in this fiber retreat with classes all weekend long. Get an early start on those holiday projects with some "One-Skein Wonder" sessions. Plus, enjoy fine food, the full resort experience and quality time with your fiber friends.

For a schedule, registration and more information, call Barbara at (412) 963-7030, email pghknitandcrochet@gmail.com or visit www.pghknitandcrochet.com.

Hyperbolic Bouquet

My sweetheart brought me these awesome pink flowers the other night, 'cause she knows pink is my color, and because they look like brain coral. My google-fu is failing me - anyone know what they're called?

Tweed Summer

Last weekend it was 95 degrees in Flatbush and I was holed up in my sweltering house, listening to an audiobook of Tom Sawyer and knitting on deadline for a magazine project. I'm still too superstitious to crow about my work for publications before I see it on the page, but let's just say it's something big. As in voluminous. And tweed! Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed, to be precise. Because really, what completes a summer day like a lap full of tweed? I'm spending warm summer days indoors, suffering for my art. And my next project (this time for a book)? More tweed - the exact same yarn in a different color. It's tweed with tweed on top!

Kidding aside, I'm in love with this yarn - I'm a sucker for the variation you get even with plain old stockinette stitch from slubby one-ply with a little bit of thick-and-thin to it. And this stuff is really supple feeling and dreamy to work with - it just feels great in your hands.

And now to get all hokey again, this post made me get Bananarama's "Cruel Summer" stuck in my head, so here's the chance to stick it in yours, too! Check out those overalls! New York in the 80s, banana peels, and everything!

Bananarama - Cruel Summer
Uploaded by hushhush112. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

Lace and Loop Scarf Errata

Just a quick post to let folks know that corrections to the Lace and Loop Scarf as it was published in the 2009 Knitting-Pattern-A-Day Calendar are published here on my pattern website. I've had a few folks contact me looking for the errata sheet even though it's already been posted for a while now. Sorry to anyone who started and got stuck - Lace and Loop was the first of my patterns to get published commercially, and the goof snuck by both me and the editors.

Beautiful Mirabilis-es

One of the funnest parts of knit designing is seeing how much fun everyone is having with your patterns. Check out a few of these gorgeous Mirabilis-es!

First up: Oiyi. She was one of my test-knitters back in December. She's an awesome and thorough tester, I absolutely love her work, and her photography is gorgeous! Her post shows the full evolution of the blanket, too.

Images by Oiyi - full post here

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Gold

Next, a bold red Mirabilis by Tawana - Tawana's a member of my Stitch 'n Bitch, and often brings her daughter KJ. KJ is just about the sweetest toddler ever. This was a total thrill for me - it's one of the first times I'd seen one of my designs all knit up in person, and in use as a stroller blanket, too!

Images by Tawana - full post here

Yarn - Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Bold Red

And last, here's Vanessa's. Vanessa runs the online yarn shop The Fiber Fix. The Madelinetosh Worsted she used for this blanket is downright dreamy.

Images by Vanessa - Ravelry project page here. Check out her shop here.
Yarn: Madeline Tosh Worsted in Cherry

You can see more Mirabilis-es in progress here on Ravelry:


And the pattern is available here in the Molting Yeti pattern shop: