Piece of Emancipation History

Be sure to check out the beautiful silk shawl given to Harriet Tubman by Queen Victoria and now residing with the Smithsonian. There's a little talk of reverse engineering a pattern on the Laceknitters list. I wonder if there are any photographs of it being worn. [link]

Free Pattern Friday: Kiddie Cadet

Now that Spring has sprung and we are into the baseball season, consider making a Kiddie Cadet for your kiddo. I particularly love this one that looks like a baseball. Knit in worsted-weight yarn and sized for baby, toddler, and child, surely there's a small fry in your life in need of a new hat for spring. [Ravelry | Blog | PDF] And the designer Alice Schnebly also has an adult version called Hawkeye available for $5. [Ravelry | Blog]

And I know it's Saturday, so your free pattern is a day late, but we've been running full-tilt this week chez Purly. I've been working on some graphic design projects, knitting up a new pattern, figuring out how I want to knit another new pattern (charts are my friend), digging out the summer clothes for the recent heat wave, battling the evil pollen of NYC without retreating to a sealed room with an air purifier, and all the usual parenting/housework stuff. Whew! I didn't realize how much I'd been up to until I wrote that.

And here's a sneak peek at my next pattern. This was an in-progress shot. The item is now finished and blocked, pattern written and charted, but the original was knit for my sister (the one in the photo is for me). Once it arrives in Germany, I'll share the whole thing with you. Suffice it to say it's my new favorite knit. The yarn is fingering-weight from Laughing Rat Studio in the colorway Pacific that has been marinating in the stash since summer 2007. I'd say it had aged "just right".

Free Pattern Friday: Eierbaretjes (Egg Tams)

I wanted to find a pattern for an egg cozy for this Friday's pattern because it was the first thing I learned to knit long ago. My maternal grandmother taught me to knit with bright yellow acrylic yarn. I can still see her front porch where I seem to remember my knitting lesson taking place and the tulip tree blooming in the yard. It was a little garter-stitch pocket (I imagine she sewed up the seams) that could hold a hard-boiled egg, decoratively, and somehow looking like a little chicken.

Sadly, for me, knitting didn't take back then, and it wasn't until after my grandmother was gone that I took up a pair of needles again. But now I can't put them down!

And you should pick yours up to make at least one of these adorable egg tams, pattern courtesy of José Gralike. Come on, berets for your boiled eggs! Could anything be more wonderful? Well, I love them anyway. [Ravelry link | Blog link | PDF link]

Happy Easter for those of you celebrating that one. Blessed Passover for those of you celebrating that one. And, yay, Spring for everyone in the Northern Hemisphere!

Free Pattern Friday: Elisa Nest Tote

Spring has sprung/The grass is ris... And the farmer's markets are starting back up. Are you still buying your ramps in plastic bags from your farmers? It's time to work down your stash and work up some market bags. I've checked out a bunch of them and really like the looks of this one, particularly the i-cord handle. Great tutorial from the Purl Bee. The farmer's market awaits! [Ravelry link | Blog link | PDF link]

P.S. Be sure to check out the blog link for the great picture of, presumably, Elisa with her tote and a bun in the oven.
P.P.S. Apologies for not posting a free pattern link last Friday, Penelope had Roseola while we were in Chicago. All better now!

Pattern: Vines

You've seen the preview, now you can buy the pattern. Apologies for taking so long -- the schematic intimidated me, since I'm a designer, not an illustrator. You'll laugh when you see how simple it is, and I knew it would be.

Anyway, I hope you like it! My test knitters (thanks, ladies -- you rock!) were enthusiastic and, happily for me, tried it in different kinds of yarn. Should you want to use an inelastic yarn (silk or cotton), you'll want to lean more towards two inches of negative ease rather than four for a stretchier yarn.

I've graded this piece for sizes XS, S, M, L, and XL. The lace pattern is both charted and written out (and it's a really straightforward lace pattern), so you have no excuses! You need a spring layering piece, don't you? The sun is out here in New York City, but it's still brisk.

The pattern is available here on Ravelry or you can purchase it directly using the button below.

Pattern: Vines

You've seen the preview, now you can buy the pattern. Apologies for taking so long -- the schematic intimidated me, since I'm a designer, not an illustrator. You'll laugh when you see how simple it is, and I knew it would be.

Anyway, I hope you like it! My test knitters (thanks, ladies -- you rock!) were enthusiastic and, happily for me, tried it in different kinds of yarn. Should you want to use an inelastic yarn (silk or cotton), you'll want to lean more towards two inches of negative ease rather than four for a stretchier yarn.

I've graded this piece for sizes XS, S, M, L, and XL. The lace pattern is both charted and written out (and it's a really straightforward lace pattern), so you have no excuses! You need a spring layering piece, don't you? The sun is out here in New York City, but it's still brisk.

The pattern is available here on Ravelry or you can purchase it directly using the button below.

Farewell, Lee McQueen

Cathy Horyn's NYT review
Cathy's On the Runway blog review
New York Mag slideshow
Video on The Cut of the items in the final collection - I hadn't noticed the short dress with the feather underskirt (#5), which has a charming deshabille feel to it.

Everything is so decadent, particularly at first glance (gold! feathers! gold feathers!), but when you get a chance to look more closely, it's so clear why Mr. McQueen was a master, doing things with cut and drape rather than piecing. If I have my facts straight, looks 10 and 11 are each from a single piece of cloth.

Notice the cape part of #8 - I've been boring people (well, Nick) in IRL for the past few years about how capes are the next thing. I'm not a huge fan of the pinch pleats at the hip on a couple of the skirts (what looks fine on models can look unattractive on a "real" woman).

I really can't wait to see these out in the real world. The makeup and hair for displaying the collection is not really flattering but does a good job of putting the focus on the clothes. If you watch the video, you see a model in one of the short dresses (the dress under #8?) with her hair down and a purse over her shoulder; she looks so chic, and suddenly you understand how these clothes could actually work in real life and not just be put directly into a museum.

Also in the video you can see the shoes, which are amazing. For the most part I'm an LL Bean boot or flip-flop kind of girl, but I'd hobble around in those in a second! And I love the Union Jack minaudiere.