Sunday, March 30, 2014

Rainy Weekend Fun

Fun for me, but not so sure Bailey loves the rain.

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Cancelled softball games allowed for a leisurely weekend, playdates (which means time for me to knit!), sitting by the fire and being home for the entire weekend for the first time in awhile.

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I practiced poaching eggs. I think I'm getting the hang of it. The girls made scones which were perfect this morning with my cafe au lait.

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I cast on a new sample of one of my infinity scarves this weekend. I've been wanting to knit with Black Trillium's lovely gradient sets for awhile and finally was able to. The knitting is going quickly because I can't wait to see how the next shade looks.

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This is the Ice Gradient set that I'm using. And don't click that link unless you want to be tempted. There are a few other color ways I could buy in a second (like this one).

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I'm making progress on my Polartorte hat. I absolutely love the yarn, Bare Naked Wools Stone Soup DK. I'm saving this project for softball knitting because it is a perfect project for that.

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I also was able to work a bit on my new hat design and it should be available in the next week or so. Baby Magpie's official modeling debut...she's a cutie!

It was a perfect rainy weekend, almost a bit decadent. I just wish tomorrow wasn't Monday. So what were you guys up to this weekend? Anything exciting? I hope so.

Happy Knitting!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits


Sunday, March 23, 2014

Weekend Discoveries

1) It is much easier to knit during softball games than soccer games. This bodes well for my knitting productivity these next few weeks.

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The hat above was cast on during a game on Wednesday. Two games and a practice this weekend = done.

2) Plucky Knitter Bello Worsted, the gorgeous yarn the hat above is knit in, is divine. I was feeling a wee bit guilty for the many skeins of it I bought at Stitches West, but not any longer. Especially now that the hat is blocked....dreamy cashmere. I'm ready to cast on something with another skein.

3) Philz Mint Mojito Iced Coffee. Not sure why I waited so long to try one. OMG! Delish!

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4) In a pinch, a toothpick works just fine as a cable needle.

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5) Bare Naked Wools Stone Soup DK is amazingly soft, in case you can't tell that from the picture above. My Polartorte Hat is going to be perfect softball knitting this week.

6) Not my discovery, but still wanted to share. Magpie had her first "real" food today! She loved it!

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7) I still don't like Mondays. Ugh....night night.

Happy Knitting!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits



Thursday, March 20, 2014

Spring is Here!

Happy Spring! To be honest, it has almost felt a bit like summer around here the past week or so with the weather in the high 70s! I wouldn't mind a bit more springtime weather...you know, rain maybe? We sure do need it here in California.

Thank you all so much for supporting my St. Patrick's Day sale! You guys are awesome. Just awesome. I hope to see your new projects on the needles soon :)

I have two new designs that I released this week and I wanted to share them a bit more with you. Both were long overdue for a release, so it is nice to have them out in the world.

Glacier Point

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GlacierPoint_0076

This one was cast on last summer on my trip to Yosemite, remember?

TheKnitting

HalfDome



Glacier Point provides a spectacular view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, and Yosemite Falls. It towers 3,200 feet above the valley floor, and takes about an hour by car to drive up the winding roads from there. I was knitting on this design during my holiday at Yosemite, and glad I was the passenger during some of those steep, zig-zagging curves at the edge of the mountains. The chevron edging in this shawl reminds me of those curves, and the majestic views.

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Love love love Anzula Cloud yarn that I used for this design.


Note: Instructions are written for a top-down shawl.  Both charted and written instructions are provided for the chevron edging.



Suggested Yarns: ~ 615 yards total of fingering weight yarn or for 3-colors ~225 yards (Color A), 125 yards (Color B), and 265 yards (Color C) of fingering weight yarn such as Anzula Cloud, A Verb for Keeping Warm Even Tinier Annapurna, Knitted Wit Cashy Lite, The Plucky Knitter Primo Fingering, Bare Naked Wools Stone Soup fingering




Finished measurements: 64” wide and 21” long at center points, after blocking; note that the size may vary depending on the fiber content of the yarn and how rigorously the shawl is blocked


GlacierPoint_0080

I'm most excited about all the lovely color combinations this one allows for. I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

A very special thank you to Tracey for her speedy test knitting, Nartian for her awesome tech editing, and Jill Zielinski, aka Knitterella, for photography (don't you love her snowy woods backgroud!!) and graphic design magic! I couldn't have done this without all of your help ladies. Thank you!

My next design features the absolutely lovely Bare Naked Wools Breakfast Blend fingering yarn. When I designed these socks, I wanted a design that was interesting, but also allowed the natural fibers of this yarn to shine a bit. I think this pattern works well for that.

Contorta

Breakfast Blend

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Twisty trees. Gnarled branches. The stitch pattern that travels down the center panel of these socks reminded me of just that. When you search "twisty trees" on the internet, you'll find pictures of Corylus avellana 'Contorta'. But don't let the twists fool you, this is a deceptively easy pair of socks to knit!


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Notes: Instructions are written for a cuff-down sock.  Chart is provided on the last page.

Yarn: 360-400 yards of fingering weight yarn such as Bare Naked Wools Breakfast Blend fingering, Bare Naked Wools Ghillie fingering, The Plucky Knitter Primo, Anzula Squishy, Madelinetosh Tosh Sock, Knitted Wit Superwash Merino Fingering


Size: adult medium (adult large)

Finished measurements:  7” (7 3/4”) cuff circumference, stretches up to 9 1/2” (10”), 8” (8 1/2”) foot circumference; 6 1/2” approximate leg length


Contorta&Bailey

My sister-in-law modeled these for me last year (thanks Sis!) and I don't think Bailey was too impressed :) But she did want to get in on the photo shoot.

To celebrate the first day of spring, both of these patterns are 20% off through the end of March when you use the 
coupon code: spring

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So I know I've raved about the Bare Naked Wools from Knitspot before, but I finally was able to cast on for Polartorte with Stone Soup Dk. OMG. Amazing. Soft, wooly, squishy, lovely. I just love it.
Ha! I didn't even know today was National Macaron Day (well, in NYC at least) when I took that picture.

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A bit more yarn enabling is coming up. Plucky Knitter Bello Worsted. Wow. I love all things plucky...colors, primo, yarn, fun, and had heard such lovely things about Bello. When there was so much of it at Stitches West, well... I couldn't resist. I finally cast on a hat (my new design for Woolgirl's Robert Frost Kit that was just released) with it. Wow. I couldn't put it down.


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I cast on at last night's softball game and it just flew off the needles. Hoping to finish it at tomorrow night's game. Yes, spring is here!

Happy Knitting!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits

p.s if you see a weird code on the left side of the screen, yeah...I don't know what that's about. Tomorrow is another day.

Monday, March 17, 2014

A weekend of celebrating!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We started celebrating this weekend- baking Soda Bread, watching Darby O'Gill and the Little People, playing Irish music all day. I think I love this holiday because it brings back such fond memories of my childhood and grandparents and St. Patrick's Day parades and Irish Dancing and family. There was lots of family time this weekend.

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What a happy smile Magpie has! I just love her to bits! It is ridiculous the amounts of photos I have of her because every time I see her she is changing. And the baby coooing....I love the reciprocity when I coo, she coos. So sweet!

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Haha! Here she is modeling for Keegan.Those socks are coming off if she has her way. Too funny!

There was time for knitting this weekend too.

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At softball...

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With sangria by the pool. A quick one skein cowl, Seamus, which is being prepped for a new IGK release. The yarn is A Verb for Keeping Warm's Pioneer and it is beyond lovely. The cowl is blocking now, so I can cast on for my Polartorte hat. The yarn arrived Friday and wow oh wow is Bare Naked Wools Stone Soup DK just fabulous!

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So soft!

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This was in with my package from Knitspot. Do tell Erica or Anne?!? Don't make us wait...hints??

Speaking of Bare Naked Wools, I finally released Contorta, my new design in Breakfast Blend fingering.

Breakfast Blend

Contorta.4

I'll do a proper blog post about them later this week, but did want to let you know the pattern was available in case you wanted to take advantage of the St. Patrick's Day Sale!

Here are the details everyone...
March 17-18

BOGO Free! with the coupon code: LUCKY


Buy one pattern, get one free (lesser priced pattern will be free; Merrily and Sleepy Hollow Collections included, but other ebook collections excluded)!

Only includes patterns published by Irish Girlie Knits Designs in my Ravelry shop here (e.g., does not include patterns published by Kollage Yarns, BMFA). However, see below for some new patterns that are now IGK patterns as well!

Discount can be used more than once, but patterns must be bought in multiples of 2 (e.g., 2, 4, 6…). Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Feel free to share this info with your friends or any appropriate groups on Ravelry. The more the merrier!


IGK-PattysDay13-GroupAd
Here are the details everyone...
March 17-18

BOGO Free! with the coupon code: LUCKY


Buy one pattern, get one free (lesser priced pattern will be free; Merrily and Sleepy Hollow Collections included, but other ebook collections excluded)!

Only includes patterns published by Irish Girlie Knits Designs in my Ravelry shop here (e.g., does not include patterns published by Kollage Yarns, BMFA). However, see below for some new patterns that are now IGK patterns as well!

Discount can be used more than once, but patterns must be bought in multiples of 2 (e.g., 2, 4, 6…). Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Feel free to share this info with your friends or any appropriate groups on Ravelry. The more the merrier!
- See more at: http://wedonothaveaknittingproblem.blogspot.com/#sthash.TM6JDBht.dpuf
Here are the details everyone...
March 17-18

BOGO Free! with the coupon code: LUCKY


Buy one pattern, get one free (lesser priced pattern will be free; Merrily and Sleepy Hollow Collections included, but other ebook collections excluded)!

Only includes patterns published by Irish Girlie Knits Designs in my Ravelry shop here (e.g., does not include patterns published by Kollage Yarns, BMFA). However, see below for some new patterns that are now IGK patterns as well!

Discount can be used more than once, but patterns must be bought in multiples of 2 (e.g., 2, 4, 6…). Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Feel free to share this info with your friends or any appropriate groups on Ravelry. The more the merrier!
- See more at: http://wedonothaveaknittingproblem.blogspot.com/#sthash.TM6JDBht.dpuf

I'm glad we did most of our celebrating this weekend because I did not feel well at all today :(  Really tired and lots of head pain. So I spent a lot of the day sleeping, but don't worry, I did enjoy the leftovers from last night's dinner again today! And I think a spot of tea and soda bread is just perfect. And these photos that my sister texted me....

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Guess who rolled over this weekend?!

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Tired from all the celebrating! And don't touch her giraffe....

And because I love you guys, I think I'll release Glacier Point  in time for the sale too! Sneak peek....

GlacierPoint_0050

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
xoxo Irishgirlieknits




Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Definitely a holiday filled with lots of fun and traditions for our family! I took Irish Dancing for 10 years as a child and March was filled with lots of performances, especially the St. Patrick’s Day parade in San Francisco, rain or shine!

The past three years we’ve celebrated  with a buy one get one free pattern sale on any of my individual IGK patterns and I’ll be doing the same this year!! I started the Irish Girlie Knits Ravelry Group three years ago and there 989 of us there....wouldn't it be a great day to hit 1000 members!

Some music to get us in the spirit and then the sale details!












Here are the details everyone...
March 17-18

BOGO Free! with the coupon code: LUCKY


Buy one pattern, get one free (lesser priced pattern will be free; Merrily and Sleepy Hollow Collections included, but other ebook collections excluded)!

Only includes patterns published by Irish Girlie Knits Designs in my Ravelry shop here (e.g., does not include patterns published by Kollage Yarns, BMFA). However, see below for some new patterns that are now IGK patterns as well!

Discount can be used more than once, but patterns must be bought in multiples of 2 (e.g., 2, 4, 6…). Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Feel free to share this info with your friends or any appropriate groups on Ravelry. The more the merrier!


IGK-PattysDay13-GroupAd

In the past week I've added three new patterns to the IGK pattern line...

Slip Jig Cover
Slip Jig

Pont Neuf Cover
Pont Neuf

Le Petit Pont Cover
Le Petit Pont

And there may just be a new release tonight or tomorrow.

Now....more importantly, how are you spending your day today? Or did you celebrate this weekend? Isn't everyone Irish on St. Patrick's Day?!

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Irish Soda Bread

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And Pa's Corned Beef and Cabbage.....so good!!!

If you want more of my favorite Irish songs, check out last year's post.


Here's to a fabulous day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
xoxo Irishgirlieknis

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