Design #2
Can you believe it? Second week of April, 2nd design! I am on fahr! Maybe it's the release of the new book More Big Girl Knits which has two of my designs in it, looking fabulous. Not only that, but I was given props for my sock design, Twisty Stitch Socks, during Jillian's interview on the Knitgrrl Show (Shannon Okey's podcast/radio show)! I nearly fell off my chair when I listened to it today. Anyway, here's the second design idea for you:
This is a simple little shell/vest with an eyelet spiral pattern twisting around the body. The bottom has a picot hem and it would be, of course, knit in the round to the armholes. The edgings for the neck and armholes would be a simple pick up stitches around and then bind off (alternately, single crochet) so as not to add any bulk.
Here's a close-up of the swatch:
The yarn used for the swatch is Terra from The Fibre Company. It is a gorgeous, amazing yarn but I wouldn't use it for this design because it is ridiculously expensive. Great for a design in a book where the yarn gets sent to me, not so good for an individual pattern leaflet. Instead, I have a few potential subsitutes, all yarns looking for a good project:
The orangey yarn on the left is Cascade Lana de Oro, the pink in the middle is Cascade Pastazza and the yellow is Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb. Hmm...
It's sort of strange to be putting these ideas out there with the idea of having them voted on - I love them all (which is why they're getting picked for this little exercise)! I suppose there's nothing stopping me from working them up anyway, unless y'all hate them or something.
In other news, I'm sad to report that I'm going to be leaving my lovely day job at Dublin Bay Knitting Company at the end of April. It just got to be too much and Bill finally put his foot down. Not that he has much hope that I'll stop working all them time on Gardiner Yarn Works stuff, but at least I'll be home more often and maybe a little less stressed out! I'll still be teaching some classes there, and maybe subbing when someone's out on vacation, but I won't be working there regularly anymore. It has been a great experience, but I have to admit I'll be happy to have my Saturdays back!
We're still busily searching for a preschool for Owen. I've pretty much talked myself into the benefits of sending Sydney to the neighborhood elementary school (there was some last-minute waffling and wringing of hands, but I think I'm pretty much convinced that it's the right choice). We visited a great Montessori school last week but they don't actually have any openings and for some reason, it really annoyed me that they charged a non-refundable $200 application fee (as in, if space never opened up, you still don't get your money back). Bill reminded me that it's just like your college applications - you don't expect to get that back if you don't get in, but for some reason it feels different. I don't know that we would've put Owen in that school anyway due to the fact that it's still a bit of a drive through an area that has terrible traffic in the afternoons. Next week we're visiting one that's just a few blocks away - that sounds much better to me!
I need to keep reminding myself that I'm choosing between a bunch of things that are all good options. It's not like if I make the wrong choice the kids will be resigned to going to Portland Community College and if I make the right choice they'll end up at Harvard. And, going beyond that, so what if they do end up at PCC if they're happy with it? I'd much rather these two grow up to be happy than grow up to be successful (well, I'd love it if they were both, but I'll take happiness over success any day).
I just realized I've hardly done any knitting today! I haven't picked up any of the projects sitting around except for a few rounds on a sock while at the drive-thru at Starbucks. No wonder I feel twitchy! Today was spent photographing, updating web pages, formatting ads (who knew I was going to end up doing graphic design along with everything else?), dealing with the never-ending river of e-mails, updating my profitability analysis (we're doing relatively well here - not yet profitable, but the idea of someday becoming profitable no longer sends me into fits of laughter), picking up Knitalong, More Big Girl Knits and the new Yarn Harlot book (in preparation for her visit on the 22nd) at Powell's, and squaring away our train tickets to Seattle for Sea Socks. Is that enough detail for you? And for breakfast I had a venti caramel mocha and half a cinnamon-raisin bagel with cream cheese...
Bill's distracting me with his yelling at the tv - the NCAA final game just ended in a tie, so I'm going to go join him to watch overtime and DO SOME #$@#&$^ KNITTING!
This is a simple little shell/vest with an eyelet spiral pattern twisting around the body. The bottom has a picot hem and it would be, of course, knit in the round to the armholes. The edgings for the neck and armholes would be a simple pick up stitches around and then bind off (alternately, single crochet) so as not to add any bulk.
Here's a close-up of the swatch:
The yarn used for the swatch is Terra from The Fibre Company. It is a gorgeous, amazing yarn but I wouldn't use it for this design because it is ridiculously expensive. Great for a design in a book where the yarn gets sent to me, not so good for an individual pattern leaflet. Instead, I have a few potential subsitutes, all yarns looking for a good project:
The orangey yarn on the left is Cascade Lana de Oro, the pink in the middle is Cascade Pastazza and the yellow is Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb. Hmm...
It's sort of strange to be putting these ideas out there with the idea of having them voted on - I love them all (which is why they're getting picked for this little exercise)! I suppose there's nothing stopping me from working them up anyway, unless y'all hate them or something.
In other news, I'm sad to report that I'm going to be leaving my lovely day job at Dublin Bay Knitting Company at the end of April. It just got to be too much and Bill finally put his foot down. Not that he has much hope that I'll stop working all them time on Gardiner Yarn Works stuff, but at least I'll be home more often and maybe a little less stressed out! I'll still be teaching some classes there, and maybe subbing when someone's out on vacation, but I won't be working there regularly anymore. It has been a great experience, but I have to admit I'll be happy to have my Saturdays back!
We're still busily searching for a preschool for Owen. I've pretty much talked myself into the benefits of sending Sydney to the neighborhood elementary school (there was some last-minute waffling and wringing of hands, but I think I'm pretty much convinced that it's the right choice). We visited a great Montessori school last week but they don't actually have any openings and for some reason, it really annoyed me that they charged a non-refundable $200 application fee (as in, if space never opened up, you still don't get your money back). Bill reminded me that it's just like your college applications - you don't expect to get that back if you don't get in, but for some reason it feels different. I don't know that we would've put Owen in that school anyway due to the fact that it's still a bit of a drive through an area that has terrible traffic in the afternoons. Next week we're visiting one that's just a few blocks away - that sounds much better to me!
I need to keep reminding myself that I'm choosing between a bunch of things that are all good options. It's not like if I make the wrong choice the kids will be resigned to going to Portland Community College and if I make the right choice they'll end up at Harvard. And, going beyond that, so what if they do end up at PCC if they're happy with it? I'd much rather these two grow up to be happy than grow up to be successful (well, I'd love it if they were both, but I'll take happiness over success any day).
I just realized I've hardly done any knitting today! I haven't picked up any of the projects sitting around except for a few rounds on a sock while at the drive-thru at Starbucks. No wonder I feel twitchy! Today was spent photographing, updating web pages, formatting ads (who knew I was going to end up doing graphic design along with everything else?), dealing with the never-ending river of e-mails, updating my profitability analysis (we're doing relatively well here - not yet profitable, but the idea of someday becoming profitable no longer sends me into fits of laughter), picking up Knitalong, More Big Girl Knits and the new Yarn Harlot book (in preparation for her visit on the 22nd) at Powell's, and squaring away our train tickets to Seattle for Sea Socks. Is that enough detail for you? And for breakfast I had a venti caramel mocha and half a cinnamon-raisin bagel with cream cheese...
Bill's distracting me with his yelling at the tv - the NCAA final game just ended in a tie, so I'm going to go join him to watch overtime and DO SOME #$@#&$^ KNITTING!
posted by knittinmom at 8:09 PM
9 Comments:
I really love this design, it gets my vote... oh. Wait. We're not supposed to vote, yet? Drat. Oh well, guess I'll have to wait, just don't make me wait until NOVEMBER!
just wanted to say: you don't have to choose between happiness and success. It is just a matter of how you define success in life. And in my eyes, in order to be successful, one does n ot have to go to Harvard, and one does not have to make a ton of money.
good bedtime topic for talking with the kids, too: what they think is success in life.
Ohhhh! I like this one!
This is cute. And I think it would look good in the yellow Lorna's Laces.
Good luck with all the school hunting. And you are right, you are making the final choice out of a lot of good options. There are plenty of kids who are coming out of all kinds of situations and end up as happy (and successful) adults. Remember: Life is what you make of it!
Congratulations! It must be so wonderful to see two of your designs in the book. Unfortunately there are no photos of them yet in Ravelry, so I can't see them until I get to a book store.
I like all of the yarns, but I'm wondering how the difference in fiber content (silk vs alpaca) will affect the drape of the finished garment. I think the design is wonderful.
The design looks lovely & I love knitting vests especially in the round. Can't wait to see it knitted up.
I like the yellow!
When my two were young all they heard was that they were going to college, never said which one. They both did, and I think part of it was they had heard since they were young that it was expected. Good luck with your school hunt!
I like this design a lot too. Sorry you had to give up your yarn shop job. Hopefully, that'll just leave more time for designing! :)
Nothing wrong with going to PCC, it gets your foot in the door, and the classes at the university with 100 students, at PCC are no more than about 30. And it's less expensive!! They can more easily transfer to university too. My 18 yo has been a PCC student for a couple of years now and enjoys the class size. When he transfers to OSU it will be similar and not overwhelming which gets a lot of these kids into trouble. Just my .02. :)
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