What I'm Working On

I have so many ideas these days of things I want to design, make, create and only so much time and/or energy to do such a small portion of them. It's a bit frustrating, but better than having no ideas or motivation!

After two months of straight deadline knitting, my time has opened up somewhat, and I've picked up my long-neglected Lady Heartrose Cardigan, which is inching ever closer to being finished, though I'm nervous about running out of yarn and having a heckuva time finding the kind of buttons I want. I'm thinking about holding off publishing it to do a double photo shoot with that sage lace number, which is the next knit in my queue. It's in some gorgeous Shalimar Yarn that I can't wait to knit more with.  There are going to be a lot of sweater from me this fall. 

I've also been swatching and sketching, coming up with new ideas for sweaters and embroidery projects. I've been talking with yarn dyers and companies and am trying to figure out my schedule for designs, because I have so many projects now that I have to schedule things (which is awesome and a little bit scary).

In this midst of all this, I've managed to make a 30 minute skirt for Little Miss Cleaver in 40 minutes, which was a rip-roaring success that was worn three days in a row before I insisted it needed washing. (Fabric from BeautifulWork) and spend some time with friends, and even drop in on Thursday afternoon knitting at KnitWit, where my Belacqua Cardigan sample can be found hanging by the Quince & Co. yarns. 

It's a good time for making. :) 

(PS - all these photos are from my Instagram feed, if you're into that sort of thing).

Introducing Belacqua

A key thing to know about my progress as a designer is that I learned to sew a long time before I ever learned to knit. As a result, some of my earlier designs were the product of shoehorning knitted fabric into a sewn-like construction (I thinking primarily of Wetherell and the Carmel Clutch here.) Not to say that they didn't work, but that they weren't "knitterly."

When I say knitterly, I mean something that takes distinct advantage of what only hand-knitting can do, or what knitting does best. Yes, you can knit a woven-look stitch pattern, but clearly weaving does it better (and easier). Knitting miles of fine gauge stockinette? Perhaps you're better off buying a sweater-knit fabric and sewing it together, or working the pattern on a knitting machine. But shaped-lace? Knitting (or crochet) wins. Cables? Only in knitting. Seamless construction that's not a simple tube? Knitting again.

Which brings us to i-cord. 

If, like me, one of your first introductions to knitting was through a knitting doll/nancy or mushroom, then you know that i-cord or "corking" is quintessentially knitterly. Those tight little tubes of yarn that go on and on and on. 

I first ran into i-cord as a garment edging when I knit my still much loved and worn Manu sweater. Having enjoyed it in someone else's designs, I decided to integrated into one of my own, and to see if I could find a way to replicate the effect of i-cord, not just on the edges,  but within the fabric itself. Discovering that a horizontal pleat/welt/ridge did the trick nicely, I ended up with the Bob & Wave Cowl.    

The i-cord/welt combination  stuck in the back of my mind and when LMC needed a winter sweater it sprung back to life (in a surprisingly similar color...).

Here the i-cords and welts play up the structure of a circular yoke and give not only a clean finish to the garment edges, but provide some built-in button loops. The circular yoke  construction is further emphasized by expanding vertical ribs. A simple workhorse yarn - here Quince & Co's Lark, places the focus on the texture and structure.

The finished garment is nearly seamless (there is some grafting at the back of the hood) and, I would say, very knitterly. 

Pattern Details 

Sizes

NB (3 Mo, 6 Mo, 12 Mo, 18 Mo, 2T, 3T, 4T, 5, 6)
Chest Circumference: 18 (19, 19.5, 20.75, 21.75, 21.75, 23, 24.25, 24.5, 25.25)”/ 45.5 (48.5, 49.5, 52.5, 55, 55, 58.5, 61.5, 62, 64) cm”
Sample size 2T, shown on 22-month old w/ sleeves cuffed.

Yarn

4 (4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8) skeins Quince & Co. Lark in Bird’s Egg [100% American Wool]; 134 yds [123 m] per 50g or approximately 415 (455, 495, 555, 695, 735, 845, 930, 990, 1045) yards of worsted weight yarn.

Purchase

Belacqua is available for purchase via the following methods:

Ravelry  //  Ms. Cleaver Creations  //  Love Knitting