Loads of News!

Hi all!  Well I’ve been once again pretty silent these past few weeks, but as always with good reason!  First, I got a job (MUCH more about that below!); second, I promptly got sick after the first week of work; and third, we had visitors just as I had gotten over my fever!  I think frequent use of the bus on my way to work and back is what brought down my immune system, and I went for 2 entire days without knitting.  My friends, that is dire.  But good old Trenty took care of me, and even made delicious homemade chicken noodle soup.  As soon as I was feeling better (great timing!) Trent’s sister Amanda and her husband Brad came to visit from Seattle.  We had so much amazing fun, about which (if you are interested) you will be able to read up on TEO’s and my other blog, The Daily Scotch.  Our crazy escapades w/ B & A will be posted soon, so keep checking!

The other news I had mentioned is most exciting and unexpected:  I got a job at the most wonderful knitting shop, K1 Yarns Knitting Boutique.  I get to play with yarn, help people with their projects, and of course knit!  I’ve been working there for about a couple of weeks now, and I am having so much fun that it is easy to forget I get paid for it.  The shop is located in a gorgeous and historical part of town which is chock full of other fun shops and eateries.  Katharine Walker is the owner and she also has her main shop located in Glasgow.  The shop has a great website off of which you can order wool and patterns as well.   Kath features in our shop plenty of beautiful wool – a lot of which is 100% Scottish and some of the wool here is spun and dyed specifically just for our shops!  Kath encourages us to design and pattern using the wool that we have here, so that patrons can see and touch how the wool knits up and what possible things can be done with it.  So far I have designed 3 patterns and I have about 3 more in the works (not to mention many more jumbled in my head and scratched onto my notepad).  The patterns have been selling pretty steadily, which is an amazing feeling.  They are for sale not only in the shop but also on the website, where I even have my own bio page.  You can also find these patterns on Ravelry.  Photos have been taken by the darling and patient husband who is willing to take time away from his books for as many photos as I require.

1. The Baramdah Cowl:  I designed this cowl / snood  so that it can keep the neck super cozy but also be pulled over the head and work as a hood.  The stitch pattern is reminiscent of lattice-work and was quite a joy to knit. Find it here if you’re on Ravelry!

2. Mistake Rib Beanie:  I must admit I’ve had a recent obsession with the mistake rib, ever since I made my first tea cozy.  I used the mistake rib to make this beanie, which features a brim that can be folded down to cover your ears if the weather takes a chillier turn.  Find it here on Ravelry.

 

3.  Mistake Rib Beret:  See, I told you it was an obsession!  I had enough yarn leftover after the beanie that I thought a beret would be fitting.  It knitted up quite quickly, and the back details turned out quite nice. Ravelled here.

Needless to say, I am so ecstatic with how things have been developing!  I really love patterning, and will continue to post my patterns to my KristenMakes blog as they come!  Deepest thanks to all my friends and family (and most of all my husband) for your support and encouragement that this hobby could blossom into more.  I never really believed you, but your faith in me has helped me to get here.

 

…a sweet sweater for Scotland!

This is the Salina sweater from Vintage Knits.

 I made it with yarn from Knitpicks and it is so soft and perfect! I was jealous of TEO’s sweater for its great fit and knitted hems so I redid the gauge to fit my body, and knitted the hems in (Elizabeth Zimmerman-style) rather than having them in the bulky seed stitch. I also altered the collar to stand up rather than lay flat:

 

• I placed all stitches of the collar onto a holder except the last 10 (?) on each end.
• Then I knitted each end back and forth, picking up and knitting a stitch from the holder so that it “ate” up the holder stitches as I progressed.
• When all holder stitches were “eaten,” I grafted the 10 stitches on each side together. In some of the pictures you can see that seam.

   

 

…that’s right!

We’ll be living here.

Still lot’s to do though.  We have to get the cats set for the move, figure out our UK cell phone plans, pack up everything, figure out what’s going to be stored and what’s going with us, straighten out our visas, and of course say goodbye to everyone!  Scotland countdown and updates will continue regularly…

 

…an announcement

This is the Taylor tartan.  My father’s side of the family are from the Taylor clan in Scotland, so I thought it would be neat to try to knit a swatch of it.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any FREE knitted tartan patterns, and I am not mathematically inclined enough to figure it out myself.  So I’ll be lazy and just pull the image from the internet…

The reason why I’m all of a sudden talking about tartan is because very soon, I will be much more immersed in Scottish culture and history, because Trent & I are moving to Scotland!  He got accepted to study his PhD at University of Edinburgh, so we will be heading over there in early September!  We are both in complete shock and cannot thank God enough for this amazing opportunity.  I am really looking forward to seeing some sheep farms and great yarn shops!  I of course plan to continue this blog over there, so you might see more bits about Scotland rather than just 100% crafting.  Not a bad thing, right?