Darling Blankie pattern release

My daughter Adriana and her Darling Blankie

Finally, I have gone through the pattern one more time, and I think I am quite happy with it. Most test knits have been finished by now, too - the blankets are gorgeous!!!! So here is the pattern! :) It includes both - a chart and written instructions. My test group has been simply amazing, and I think the pattern has improved a lot thanks to their feedback and Josephine's advice. Their projects should be soon linked up to the Ravelry pattern page, have a look!

If You knit for charity, please, message me up with the charity you support and I will happily gift You the pattern! (let me know your e-mail address or Ravelry username, so I can send it to You)

The pattern is available for USD 3,50 as an instant download here -buy now and on Ravelry as "Darling Blankie". My usual copyright policy applies, You can find it here.

Adriana's sweetheart blanket

 I know, it's summer. It is way too hot for wool. BUT.... you can always find a good excuse if you're looking for one. At least I can :)
I've been thinking about it for a while. My son has three hand knit/crochet blankets, my daughter inherited them, but she doesn't have one that would be just for her - a special one. And, since we are planning a trip to Latvia in August, airplanes are usually cold and weather in my homeland is often unpredictable, I finally knit her one. A true sweetheart blanket, since she is the sweetest little girl in the world!

lace baby blanket

The pattern is my own again, not particularly difficult, but it does require a good deal of concentration. This is a light blanket, perfect for traveling and for unexpected weather changes in summer / fall.

I plan on a test-knit starting next week. It took me a week to knit it without stress, so I believe the pattern should be out by the end of the month! (If you'd like to test knit, please, leave a comment and I will get back to You!)

Inese

Snowcloud in the middle of the summer

This is an impulsive project, but I start to believe that these turn out the best... I am in the middle of testing another shawl - the Sunset Shawl. I will tell You the story of it, once the testing is complete, as I want to shoot a few more nicer photos, but here's a sneak-peak:

This is a colorful lace shawl, and my test knitters are trying out some very attractive color combinations, too. One of my favorites at this moment is a light white to beige color combination in a Scandinavian yarn called "Plötulopi". I have never tried it, but I love the look so much, that I ordered some of that yarn just last night....

The thing is, that I am an unbelievably impatient person, and I kept going through my stash again and again till I came up with something that is somewhat satisfying me till my Plötulopi arrives. I decided to use a light blue lace weight merino in combination with white kid-mohair for the body - the look is nearly glowing! I have a few options on how to go for the border with either changing the light blue to a slightly darker shade, or, most likely, I will change the white mohair to grey and keep the blue. Despite the generous size of this shawl (my first version measures over 2m wingspan), this is a very fast knit. The body knits up very quick, and the border offers enough interest not to get bored with it. This shawl will be done in no time.

Windcatcher

I am happy to announce the release of Windcatcher - airy, light, very delicate lace shawl. I have to say I am very proud of this pattern. Before writing it up, I did some research about what makes a pattern good, and tried to use all advice I found. Clear instructions, pleasant layout, big, clear, easy to read charts, most commonly used knitting symbols. I have received a very positive feedback from my test knitters, and I am in fact considering  doing a remake for the patterns I already have published to match the same standard.

All of my test knitters have voted this pattern suitable for beginner lace knitters, mentioning following reasons:

• easy to read lace in both - body and border patterns
• easy to memorize the pattern
• has no complex stitches
• easy to pick up and knit without getting lost in the pattern

I agree with them, but I would just like to remind that a beginner knitter and beginner lace knitter are not exactly the same things. This will be an easy project - even as a first lace project - for those, who are comfortable with knitting in general. As there are a lot of yarn overs, You will need to keep a steady tension for the pattern to look nice and even. That being said, it really knits up in a breeze, so it's one of those knits that are easily finished and less likely to stay in a pro-longed Work-In-Progress status.

One of my test knitters has added beads throughout the body of the shawl - right on top of each double decrease. It looks absolutely stunning! I love it so much that I might just end up doing another Windcatcher, beaded this time.


At the moment the lace part is done in charts only, I might also add written instructions later on, if there are requests for that.
While I have done both my shawls with a relatively small needle, I am a really loose knitter. Normally I'd suggest using a needle size US 3-6, 3mm-4mm, or even 4,5mm for a fingering weight yarn. I have calculated the pattern for 5 different sizes, it is easy to adjust the size as you knit.
Here are a few more photos:

This shawl is available as a pdf file download for $6.00
You can also find Windcather on Ravelry.
Happy knitting!
Inese

I Heart Lace

Finally, this simple, feminine shawl is also available as a design for those, who want to knit one. For me this was a new experience regarding test knitting. I'll admit - I was nervous. But my test knitters happen to be amazing people, who pointed out a lot of useful things. Once again, I was reminded that things that seam simple to one person, might create confusion to others, so I got a chance to improve the pattern to be easier to understand for everyone. It is one thing to design something new, and an entirely different thing to write it up in a good pattern. I am also very proud that it has been chosen as a KAL of the month for beginner lace knitters - I believe they will enjoy this project. If you feel like joining, visit the Ravlery group for beginning lace knitters Scary Lace and find a thread called Newbie Korner Kal. You can find I Heart Lace on Ravelry, or download now the pdf file, it is free! That is my gift to the fellow knitters on my birthday :) Happy knitting, and I hope to see a lot of beautiful shawls!

When Less Is More...

I found that a simple knit triangular shawl with a lace edging is very appealing and sometimes even more than a complicated lace... Why? Because it is so easy to add it to various styles and combine it with everyday outfits, creating a really classy and elegant look.
These are my latest lace shawls:
The Red Lace Shawl:

It is done in simple stockinette stitch, adding a lace border that features hearts. A few more pics:

 I might just write up a pattern for it, I really love how this came out....  For now, You can purchase the ready shawl at silverliningknits.etsy.com

And here is the Fuschia Lace Shawl:

It's a fairly simple border, but it also looks nice. I have used this border for my Deep Purple shawl, but I simplified it a little this time. I have added this shawl to my shop at silverliningknits.etsy.com

Winter Sparkles - textured shawl

Finally released!!!
My textured winter shawl pattern is  finally out for everyone to purchase. My test knitter said the pattern looks like sparkles, so it got the name.

The released pattern has both - written instructions and charts, and it should be easy to understand even for those, who are just beginning to knit. It took me just 4 evenings to create it while watching TV - after a few repeats the pattern flows really easy! If you want to make one like these, look up Winter Sparkles Shawl on Ravelry.com or
Happy knitting!