Cold(and getting colder) day calls for cosy, cabled knits!

Cold(and getting colder) day calls for cosy, cabled knits! #iftttkd via Instagram http://bit.ly/1GlZ8JU

Time to pull out the woolliest of woollies! Ozark Wrap from Interweave Knits Winter 2015.

Time to pull out the woolliest of woollies! Ozark Wrap from Interweave Knits Winter 2015. #iftttkd via Instagram http://bit.ly/1w6C819

Test knit the third coming soon.

Test knit the third coming soon. #iftttkd via Instagram http://bit.ly/1CW653l

Edits on an upcoming pattern (sign up for test knitting on the blog) #thistleleafpullover

Edits on an upcoming pattern (sign up for test knitting on the blog) #thistleleafpullover #iftttkd via Instagram http://bit.ly/1LhmFhT

VKL NYC recap

My goodness, was that fun! So fun it took me a month to recover? No, but my designer talk at Knitty City and appearance at VKL did take a lot out of me and pushed other work out, so it's been a bit of a set of tumbling blocks over the past few weeks (plus sick kids and lots of school vacation days).

If you've never been to a knitting conference, you are in for a treat: classes, fashion shows, marketplace, knitters and crocheters you rarely see in the wild out in force. This year I decided to be mellow and only visit the marketplace after my appearance in the Knitty City booth. And then my dear friend Annie decided to come down from Boston - neither of us had been able to make it to Rhinebeck last Fall, so we grabbed this opportunity to hang out and fondle yarn together.

(I don't know why we are sideways - Flickr and Blogger don't always get along)
Kathleen and Annie in front of the knitted teepee!

We had fun in our handknit sweaters (I'm wearing Sotherton, and Annie is wearing her Celtic Cable Cardigan Jacket that she put together with Amy Herzog's CustomFit) and checked out lots of yarn (the VKL marketplace is on two floors of the Marriott in Times Square). In all the meeting, squishing, and chatting, I managed to take embarassingly few photos. Guess I was too busy enjoying myself!

When I was "LIVE" in the Knitty City booth (thanks rear-facing camera for flipping everything around)

There were, of course, lovely knitters in the Knitty City booth. The two events (this VKL and the designer talk) I did with Knitty City last month were so. much. fun. I love meeting knitters and hanging with my peeps and talking shop.

Lisa Barnes and Kathleen in front of the teepee (right side up!)

I met Lisa Barnes IRL - we're co-captains in Tara Swiger's Starship program. Lisa is a talented knitting teacher and designer, and it's always fun to meet and chat with people you know virtually.

And some buttons came home with me

The design wheels are turning on what to do with these lovely, vintage glass buttons, as well as the blue ones from Dusty's Vintage Buttons (they go by Add Vintage on Etsy):

Oh, the blue ones!

I didn't take any classes this year, but the ones I've taken in the past have been great (Franklin Habit! Debbie Bliss!! Meg Swansen!!!). . And I didn't BUY any yarn, but I met and chatted with a number of lovely yarnies, including: 

• Springtide Farm (North American cashmere in Maine - so hope to visit this summer)
• Karen Grover of Seven Sisters Arts (formerly of String Theory and now doing her own beautiful, intelligent dying - hope to see her when I'm up in Maine, too, and hear more about the way she dyes her gradients and sets)
• The lovely folks at Harrisville Designs (these people merit a special trip to see all the things I drool over in their Instagram feed)
• MollyGirl Yarn (check out her colors - if you scroll down the "Our Colors" list you can see each colorway in all the available bases - so many choices!)
• Dragonfly Fibers (gradient sets! gorgeous colors! lots of bases!)
• Apple Tree Knits (delicate pastels and lovely gradient skeins)
• Julie Asselin's dying class (she's such a doll and does lovely, colorful things to yarn)

I know there were more, like Neighborhood Fiber Co. whose Studio Worsted (from Knitty City, where it's the Yarn of the Month for February and 10% off) I'm using for an updated Bixby to be released real soon now, and the Long Island alpaca people (sadly, I have come to realize that alpaca irritates my skin, so I can't remember their name - sigh).

So, a great time was had by all, including me and Annie. We overpaid for sandwiches but didn't have to go out into the pouring rain for lunch (next year pack a lunch if it's raining?). If you can get yourself to a Vogue Knitting Live or any other knitting event, do it! so. much. fun.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy knitting!

xoxo, Kathleen

Pattern layout for #pomegranatecardi is complete!

Pattern layout for #pomegranatecardi is complete! #iftttkd via Instagram http://bit.ly/1FsHuGX

Airing out the stash today. Box 1 of 8. Plus the display jars of lace weight. So much yarn, so little time.

Airing out the stash today. Box 1 of 8. Plus the display jars of lace weight. So much yarn, so little time. #iftttkd via Instagram http://bit.ly/17uNotd

Doesn't get much better than your first grader writing a poem about knitting.

Doesn't get much better than your first grader writing a poem about knitting. #iftttkd via Instagram http://bit.ly/1KS3gny

My desk today.

My desk today. #blog via Instagram http://bit.ly/1IUuVGN

Today I felt like wearing purple, so my Thistle Leaf Shawl (my design, @julie_asselin 's Milis yarn) and Funky Grandpa obliged. Pattern link in profile.

Today I felt like wearing purple, so my Thistle Leaf Shawl (my design, @julie_asselin 's Milis yarn) and Funky Grandpa obliged. Pattern link in profile. #blog via Instagram http://bit.ly/16OmRFO

Someone's enjoying cuddle time. And you get a peek at an upcoming sweater design. #georgethecat #thistleleafpullover

Someone's enjoying cuddle time. And you get a peek at an upcoming sweater design. #georgethecat #thistleleafpullover #blog via Instagram http://bit.ly/1KBl3iQ

Me and my body double, Lady Jane

Me and my body double, Lady Jane. Thanks for getting the ball rolling on naming her, @mike_j_mckenzie #latergram #ladyjane #purlypullover #blog #dressform via Instagram http://bit.ly/1x0TZjE

Swatch-y morning with some discontinued Louet Riverstone and an Addi Turbo whose old cable is too sturdy for my taste. #JaneAustenKnits #blog

via Instagram http://bit.ly/18yGTpl

Meet me at Vogue Knitting Live! 12-1pm 1/18/15 booth #710

I'll be chatting and selling patterns in the Knitty City booth (#710) Sunday 1/18/15 from 12-1pm in at Vogue Knitting Live NYC. The rest of the day I'll be wandering the Marketplace in a wool-fume-induced haze with my dear friend Annie. So much fun - I hope to see you there!

Now, to get ready for VKL, I have to decide what to wear. This is especially fraught when I won't have any other samples with me (the booth is just too busy for me to bring (and have to keep track of) a bunch of samples. So, I'm thinking one sweater and one accessory (shawl).

I wore Sailor's Valentine to Knitty City last week, when it was very cold (it's a super-warm sweater and the wool is a little crispy to wear without a long-sleeve t-shirt underneath). Since the weather is supposed to be more amenable on Sunday, I'm thinking Sotherton (I wore it for the first time this winter about ten days ago and was pleasantly reminded of just how flattering a piece it is) or Wavelette (lightweight lace is so easy to wear in the over-heated wilds of NYC) with Upon the Spanish Main (the MCN yarn is such a pleasure) or In the Shallows (such a great go-with-anything piece)/Thistle Leaf Shawl (there's always something extra-special about the latest design, isn't there?), respectively.

Any favorites for which you'd like to put in a good word?

Thanks for stopping by, and happy knitting!
xoxo, Kathleen

Trip report: Knitty City talk 1/8/15

I had such a lovely time last Thursday! As you may know, the lovely folks at Knitty City invited me to meet their knitters at the monthly Young Designer Meet & Greet for January. I brought a couple of carry-ons filled with wool and took over every hanger in the place to share my knitwear designs.

Holding Benwick at Knitty City

Wearing Sailor's Valentine next to my rack o' wool

The knitters I met were a lovely and dedicated bunch (it was frigid that night - enough so that a pound of Bartlettyarns' Fisherman 2-ply on my upper half seemed just about right). As supportive and lovely as my family is, most of them (my darling sister excepted) don't necessarily understand the finer points of my work like an avid knitter does. So, it was fun to be able to discuss the finer points of various patterns:

• the hood on Sailor's Valentine is basically a big turned heel that allows the Heartstrings cable to travel uninterrupted up the back and over the head, and if you eliminate the ribbing (which pulls the fabric in and gives your figure a bit of flattery without waist shaping), you would have a project suitable for any man
• the bindoff for In the Shallows is a k1p1 rib so the edge stands up rather than turning to one side or the other - there is truly no right or wrong side, and it's a great way to knit up a special skein of sock yarn
• Benwick has integrated epaulets in the saddle shoulders and a heart on the sleeve (individual Ravelry download coming soon)
• only three stitches are cast on and off for the Ozark Wrap - the rest is created as you go - we also decided that with slight modifications, this would make a great blanket (Interweave Knits, Winter 2015 should be at your LYS any minute now, if it isn't already - my Quadrille Pullover is in there, too!)

All in all, a lovely wooly time! If you'd ever like me to bring my woolies to your LYS, drop me a line (greater New York, New England, and Chicagoland are places I get to on a regular basis).

Thanks for stopping by, and happy knitting!

xoxo, Kathleen

Young Designer's Meet and Greet at Knitty City 1/8/15

What are you doing Thursday? If you're in New York City, be sure to meet me from 6-8pm at Knitty City! I'll be talking about my design process, showing samples, and will have a selection of printed patterns for purchase.

Want to know which samples and patterns? 

• Quadrille Pullover* - Interweave Knits, Winter 2015
• Ozark Wrap* - Interweave Knits, Winter 2015
• Kellynch Cardigan* - Jane Austen Knits 2014
• Strawberry Picking Shrug* - Jane Austen Knits 2014
• Thistle Leaf Shawl
• Honest Woodsman* - Enchanted Knits 2014
• Bloc Party Cardigan (old & new) - available free on Knittyspin
• Upon the Spanish Main
• A Vest for Charles* - Jane Austen Knits 2013
• Benwick* - Jane Austen Knits 2013
• Wavelette
• Bloc Pulli
• Sailor's Valentine
• Mermaid's Cardigan
• Hap-py
• Castaway Shawlette
• Sotherton
• An Aran for Anne
• Bixby (provided I get the zippers sewn in on the new sample)
• An Aran for Frederick
• Turn of the Glass - available free on Knitty
• In the Shallows
• On the High Seas

*Recently published in an Interweave publication, so you can check out the sample but will have to buy the pattern in the magazine or online from Interweave

Visit my designer page for more details on any of these patterns. Or let me know if I've missed a sample you want to see. My apartment smells like a sheep farm in a downpour as I wash and block the samples I plan to bring, so please let me know ASAP for anything else to have time to dry!

Do you know my favorite part of this whole thing? Aside from getting to hang out at Knitty City? ... Go back and check the post title, if you need a clue. ... Yes! It's that I'm considered a "Young Designer". Hehe! Well, I'm young at heart anyway.

Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you Thursday, and I hope your New Year is off to a tremendous start filled with knitting!

xoxo,

Kathleen