This week, it’s a great pleasure for me to introduce you to some super cute kits in the shop: the Gnomes! They each have their own personality and their story, please scroll down to learn all about them! You can find the kits in my Etsy shop.
Weekly Ravelry Crushes - Nov 9th, 2020
Hi and welcome to the Weekly Ravelry Crushes blog post! Browsing Ravelry is part of my morning routine and I thought it would be a good inspiration source to keep track of the beauties spotted there in a weekly recap. Please enjoy!
Futura by Melanie Berg
Simply beautiful!
Saru by Tamy Gore
Beautiful one-colour shawl with the tiniest bit of Brioche
ADVENTure Gnome by Imagined Landscapes
A Mystery Gnome pattern delivered in 24 daily emails between December 1st and 24th!
Tidingsshawl by Helen Stewart
The second Knitvent 2020 pattern, a lovely 3-colour shawl
Honeymoss by Andrea Mowry
A gorgeous worsted weight shawl with lace and texture
Scrappy Marl by Beata Jezek
A free hat pattern by the talented dyer behind Hedgehog Fibers Yarns using the marling technique
Cloudburst by Arienne Grey
A lovely pair of fingerless mitts with a simple lace pattern
Do not hesitate to get in touch with me via Etsy should you need advice for choosing the perfect yarn / colour combination for your projects!
Weekly Ravelry Crushes - Nov 2nd, 2020
Hi and welcome to the Weekly Ravelry Crushes blog post! Browsing Ravelry is part of my morning routine and I thought it would be a good inspiration source to keep track of the beauties spotted there in a weekly recap. Please enjoy!
Bubbles and Briocheby Stephen West
Crushing hard on this new pattern by Mr Westknits. Good first brioche project!
Outlander Knitting (book)
It’s heeeere! So happy and so fangirling on that book. Amazing photos and beautiful patterns!
Foxthoughts by Hiroko Payne
Gorgeous stranded yoke sweater from the latest issue of Pompom Quarterly, guest edited by Stephen West and Aimee Gilles
Window One Hearten Cowl by Helen Stewart
The first Knitvent 2020 pattern, designed to use the 24 mini-skeins of your favorite indie-dyer advent calendar!
Rock It Tee DK by Tanis Lavallee
I loved the Rock It Tee in fingering weight yarn so much! It’s DK sister will become a winter wardrobe staple for sure!
Chimney by Hunter Hammersen
Hunter Hammersen’s patterns are whimsical and adorable. Her accessories are also gorgeous!
Exploits Valley by Jennifer Beale
Stranded knitting, beautiful lace and clever construction = Jennifer Beale!
Do not hesitate to get in touch with me via Etsy should you need advice for choosing the perfect yarn / colour combination for your projects!
Weekly Ravelry Crushes - Oct 26, 2020
Hi and welcome to this first iteration of my Weekly Ravelry Crushes blog post! Browsing Ravelry is part of my morning routine and I thought it would be a good inspiration source to keep track of the beauties spotted there in a weekly recap. Perfect antidote to a weak knitting mojo. Let’s go explore this week’s gorgeous patterns!
Little Scorpions by Courtney Little
A gorgeous stranded yoke design with a spooky twist? Sign me on.
Anthe by Natasja Hornby
Another fabulous pattern by Natasja, using the mosaic knitting technique
Kudzu by Marie Amélie Designs
Lacy yoke, autumnal vibes, beautiful colours… Marie-Amelie never disappoints!
Claire’s Shawl de Von Poppie
A simple garter stitch triangular shawl inspired by Outlander, knitted in bulky weight yarn
Knitvent 2020 by Helen Stewart
A collection of 6 mystery patterns to be released weekly from October 29th. With Helen Steward hosting the festivities, preparing for Christmas will be such a treat!
Mementos by SweaterFreak
Another beautiful shawl using the mosaic technique, with an interesting construction
Terra by Joji Locatelli
A stunner by Joji, knitted with 2 skeins of DK weight yarn
Do not hesitate to get in touch with me via Etsy should you need advice for choosing the perfect yarn / colour combination for your projects!
Brioche Queen - Colors and bases
Brioche Queen is my lastest pattern, a lovely brioche col, squishy and reversible, which will be published in two sizes on May 21st. Read on to discover the kits I put together to knit your own, as well as advice on how to choose alternative color combinations or substitute yarn bases.
Brioche Queen calls for three different yarn bases:
Slub fingering and Mohair & Silk laceweight held together for the dark color
Fingering yarn for the light color
I put together 10 different color kits to knit Brioche Queen, in two formats: a kit with three balls of yarn to knit one cowl (50g of slub, 50g of fingering and 25g of mohair & silk) and a kit with 3 skeins of yarn to knit two cowls (100g of slub, 100g of fingering and 50g of mohair & silk). Options for the kits are a coordinated marker and the pattern at the special price of 5€ instead of approx. 8€ on Ravelry (depending on the country you live in).
There was a first batch of kits for sale on May 7th, 2020 and I will add more to the shop in the coming weeks. Here are the colorways available:
How to choose your own colors?
In Brioche you want to have enough contrast between your dark and light side to maximize the wow effect. That said, there’s nothing keeping you from experimenting! My favorite method of color association is to start with a variegated colorway and' “deconstruct” it, i.e. associate semi-solids in the same palette. That way you can have both contrast and visual harmony.
If you’re looking for inspiration, here are a few alternative combos which did not make it as kits but still, were very pretty - I had such a hard time choosing!
Important note: Customized Brioche Queen kits are available in full skein size only (2 cowls)
How to substitute yarns?
The association of three different yarn bases gives Brioche Queen its unique personnality. Slub and mohair are a match made in heaven! Together they create the squishiest texture, with a lovely halo that slightly dilutes the colors, like in a watercolor painting. The fingering on the light side creates a sharp pattern, contrasting in color and texture with the dark side. Knitting Brioche Queen is a treat, it is also highly addictive! I have completed four, have a fifth on the needles and several others in my near future!
If you wish to substitute yarns for this pattern, here is what I think you can do, although I have not tested it myself:
You can replace the slub yarn by any fingering weight yarn. The cowl will look different, less textured but it will still have a lovely halo and gauge should not change much.
You can replace Mohair by Suri or by any laceweight yarn. If you choose a less “hairy” yarn, the cowl will loose the halo effect. If you wish to drop the laceweight altogether, please carefully check gauge as this might sensibly affect the size of your finished cowl.
Please always take time to check your gauge, to make sure you like the way the yarns you chose play together. Blocking your swatch will also enable you to check if you like the texture, the drape and if you’re on track in terms of size.
Jimmy KAL
Hello dear Knitters! In this post you’ll find all the useful information about the Jimmy shawl KAL.
What is this KAL about?
In this KAL we knit the Jimmy shawl, the pattern you received as a gift when you subscribe to the Tricot & Stitch newsletter. Not a subscriber yet? Click here and join us!
When does it start / finish?
The KAL will run from Saturday, April 4th to May 17th, 2020.
Where does it take place?
- First and foremost, there will be a super fun, bilingual Cast On Party on Zoom on Saturday, April 4th at 5:00 pm Paris time. The meeting number is 613-642-226. Zoom is really easy to use, just download the app and enter the meeting number. It's that simple! To know what time that would be in your time zone, check this page. EDIT after April 4th cast-on party on Zoom, we decided to do a weekly zoom! Same time, same meeting number each Saturday!
- On Instagram, you can use and follow the hashtag #KALJimmy2020. There will be weekly prompts to share your progress, and it starts now: I would love to see what you come up with after your stash dive session! Snap a photo of your yarn choice and post it on Instagram with #KALJimmy2020 - I'll be there to cheer and/or if you need help choosing ;-)
- On Ravelry, chat the time away in the forum: there are threads for the KAL where you are more than welcome to flash your stash, ask for advice, share your progress and crack a good joke!
How can I join?
If you’re already a newsletter subscriber, grab your pattern and join the fun! If you misplaced your pattern, send me a message and I will send it again to you.
If you’re not a subscriber yet and want to be, click here and join us!
If you want to join but do not want to subscribe, you can purchase the pattern on Ravelry and join as well!
Read-along, anyone?
Because a KAL is even better when you have an accompanying read-along, I thought we could enjoy "The Murder at the Vicarage", the first Miss Marple book by the Queen of cozy mysteries, Agatha Christie. For those willing to join, there will be a thread in the Ravelry forum as well. The book is a classic and is available on an array of digital platforms.
So I prepared a little planning for both the Knit-along and and the Read-along. You know, for those of us type A who like to have every little detail cared for? You are welcome to use it as you see fit, no obligation whatsoever! I myself will use it to ensure steady progress while I continue working/knitting/reading on other projects... because I'm a mutitasking homeschooling-homecleaning-knitflixing-ninja-mompreneur. Aren't we all!
Week # - Jimmy rows - Book chapters
Week 1 - Knit until row 79 - Read chapters 1 to 5
Week 2 - Knit until row 115 - Read chapters 6 to 10
Week 3 - Knit until row 141 - Read chapters 11 to 16
Week 4 - Knit until row 158 - Read chapters 17 to 21
Week 5 - Knit until 55 repeats of the edging are completed - Read chapters 22 to 27
Week 6 - Finish the shawl - Finish the book
Must read before you cast on!
- The shawl uses two skeins of fingering weight yarn and the contrasting color (black in my original version) was completely used up. Plan for success and make sure you have enough or prepare a plan B if you loose at yarn chicken.
- Reason would have me tell you variegated yarn would work only for the main color, bla bla bla. But as I've decided to hack my own pattern and knit the lace border in stripes and variegated yarn, I won't. Explore options & have fun!
- In need of inspiration? Check the Jimmy projects on Ravelry and the #jimmyshawl hashtag on Instagram to see some FOs with different color combinations and pattern hacks (longer border, no edging, lace pattern with a rest row...).
- I put together LOTS of color options for the Jimmy shawl while pondering on my color combinations. I showed them at length in my two last podcast episodes here and here. There are timecode indications corresponding to each podcast section - you'll find the part on the Jimmy shawl KAL directly and you won't have to watch me rant about spinning and brioche unless you want to!
I am super happy to organize this KAL and super itchy to get started on my Jimmy. I hope you'll join and knit with me!
How to choose two colours that will fade?
I was asked how I chose my colours for the original Millesime, in other words, how to make sure two colours will fade into each other instead of creating stripes?
Here's my tip. To achieve a fading effect, it's all about contrast, not colour. And constrast... let's be honest, it's not always obvious at first sight whether it's strong or not! To uncover the secret contrast within your potential color combination, one simple hack: take a picture of your colors next to one another in daylight and switch the picture to black & white. The contrast will become obvious!
I had lots of fun putting a little selection together to get you started. So will it fade or will it stripe?
And what about you? Are you #teamfade or #teamstripe? Do let me know your thoughts! ^-^