Introducing...

...my newest shawl pattern, Trieste! It's a super fun and simple knit with an easy-to-memorize lace repeat. The pattern includes both written and charted instructions for a plain garter stitch version:

and a beaded version.

Trieste is named for a little bistro called Cafe Trieste, a favorite haunt of mine in high school and then again in grad school, with a deck in the back overlooking a creek. The people watching was fabulous, and a warm but simple wrap to throw dramatically over one's shoulder would have been just the thing.

In designing Trieste, I strove for simple elegance, both in the knitting and the wearing. The shawl begins with one stitch at the bottom of the triangle, and increases one stitch at the beginning of each row. By the end of the second repeat, I had memorized the stitch pattern. I took the shawls with me to swim practices, where they served as both a lap blanket and employment for fidgety hands!

The two versions, one in garter stitch and one in beaded stockinette stitch serve two very different purposes in your wardrobe, but both are wonderfully simple to knit. I have included dimensions for one, two and three balls of yarn, and
since you are knitting from the bottom up, you can stop wherever you wish!

The samples shown use 3 balls of elann.com Silken Kydd in Raisin for the garter stitch wrap:


and three balls of Rowan Kidsilk Haze in Splendour (sadly, discontinued) for the beaded stockinette wrap.


The pattern is available both on my site and on Ravelry , for $6.50, as a pdf download.

Hope you like it!

After the party's over

Meet Edwin, my new pet.

My wonderful husband gave him to me for my birthday.

I found him at the end of a treasure hunt complete with clues written up in verse. I had so much fun!!!

Edwin is a small tripod, and very very maneuverable. He's perfect for table top shooting, which is what I usually do. He helped me shoot this picture.

It's another little tease for the shawl pattern I'm about to release.

I had a wonderful birthday, with many thanks to all of you who sent me good wishes. The boys made me pancakes in the morning, and there was a carrot cake. Carrot cake is always Very Good. :)

Another Secret Revealed!

The Interweave Knits Winter preview is up! And another of my secret projects is revealed: Lacy Ribbons.


This is my favorite winter secret. :)

Many Thanks

It's late in the day, but I hope not too late to give our veterans a heart felt thank you for your service. I so appreciate what you have done and do every day. My husband is a veteran and jokes that he wears his veteran's hat twice a year. Veteran's Day is one of those days, and he has had people thanking him all day for his service. It really means a lot to him to know that he is appreciated.

In other news, I've finished my garter stitch mohair/silk shawl. Here it sits, awaiting blockage:

You'll have to take my word for it that it's pretty. :) And I've started the beaded stockinette version.

I am really loving knitting this thing. The color is luminous! I wish my photography could do it justice. I'm hoping to finish it this weekend at the swim meet in Vallejo. There will be plenty of knitting time! Next week, I'll block them both and post pics.

Also this weekend, the winter issue of Twist Collective is coming out, and I have a design in it! It is due out Sunday, and I can't wait to see it. I really love Twist. The "stories" are inventive, the photography is exquisite, and the designs are high quality. I'm honored to be included!

Mohair and Beads (+ a special!)

Well, I've bound off the shawl I was knitting and now I'm about to embark upon the beaded stockinette version! I always save the best for last. :) I've been knitting away at swim practice and I have to tell you that this shawl has been such a great lap warmer, and perfect take-along knitting. The chart is super super easy to memorize. I ended using three balls of Silken Kydd. But you'll see after I block it! Next up: brilliant purple/magenta kidsilk haze (I think it's a discontinued color, unfortunately) with some amazing beads that I found in my bead store travels.

Aren't those beads gorgeous? They're blue with a magenta core. Don't they look incredible with the yarn?

I am swooning over here!

And last but definitely not least is my special. I stopped having weekly specials for a bit, but I'm re-instituting them since they're so much fun! And I love having the little contests with them. Through Monday, November 9th (ends midnight, EST) take 15% off my nickel swirl twist pin (el_85n) when you enter TWISTY at checkout.

This is my current favorite pin. It's so easy to twist in, and so simple! Here it is in use:

And the contest? Retweet (mentioning this blog post and @RomiDesigns), blog about, comment on Facebook, or plurk about my special with appropriate link to my post here (and please let me know!), and be entered to win a pdf copy of my shawl pattern, Bluebird! I will choose a winner next Tuesday, November 10th. May the best lace knitter win!

Happy November!

Today, November 1, is the last day to get your signing bonus when you join my Pins & Lace Club! Sign-ups will be open until December 15, but sign up by today and get some extra holiday cheer!

Sterling balls of yarn earrings are back in stock!

Woot!

In other news, the wonderful Sharon, aka Skylark, is hosting a Queen Wil knit-along in my Ravelry Group starting today!


Come on over and join us! :D

My new shawl is progressing really well!

Yesterday, at the swim meet, I got a ton of knitting done while waiting for the boys' events. The lace pattern is super easy to memorize, so it make superb travel knitting. Can I just add that I am so thrilled to be home today?! This was the third swim meet in four weeks, and we were so hoping that #1 Son would choose not to go today. I was all in favor of putting my parental foot down, but DH wanted it to be #1 Son's decision. The Bear didn't want to go back today, so it would have been a split of kids, one parent per kid. Thankfully, though, we didn't have to get to the parental foot since #1 Son was just so tired that he wanted to stay home. So we all went out trick or treating last night in the neighborhood, and ended up at the local firehouse where our Kiwanis Club (DH is a member) puts on an annual costume party with apple bobbing and pinatas. It was so much fun watching the kids! The best part was putting on #1 Son's vampire make-up. When #1 Son went downstairs after his make-up session, DH said he was unrecognizable. The Bear dressed up as a soldier, so we were joking that his only make-up was a piece of charcoal (which it was). It was a wonderful night. :)

Hope you all enjoyed Halloween! Happy November!

At Last!

Some actual, real, genuine, bona fide knitting content! My secret projects are put away for now, and I'm working on a new design. When I need a rest, I always head for my favorite: mohair/silk lace weight yarn. Yummmmm. It fixes me right up. :)

This one is being knit from Elann.com's Silken Kydd in Raisin. It's a gorgeous deep brownish plum color and I am enjoying it thoroughly!

It's a triangle knit from the bottom tip up to the top, and when I write up the pattern, I will give measurements for 1, 2, 3 and perhaps 4 balls of yarn. So far I'm loving it! The pattern was fairly simple to memorize and it's proving to be very relaxing knitting, and great for swim practice, tv and other KIPping. It's garter stitch lace, but I think I'll also do a stockinette version.

This past weekend, I had a table at Knit-One-One in Berkeley for a craft show. I always have a great time with Síle. She's terrific! As a bonus, I got to meet Romy and Lisa and see Brooke! It was a great day.

Plus, check out this incredible silk fiber I got from Anzula.

Isn't it gorgeous?

So far, I've only been staring at it. Sooooooo yummy.

Ooooooh, fuzzy!

Katy, the Yarn Chef, and I did a little trade. I waited (somewhat) patiently for my package to arrive. And arrive it did! My yarn was all wrapped in tissue with a little Yarn Chef label.

And inside was the most gorgeous hand dyed acid green mohair and silk. In honor of Katy, I put it in a bowl.

And then I left it there. I like decorating with yarn whenever possible. :)

And look at this!

She added a little coordinating stitch marker and a recipe! Isn't that cool? She has a special gift with color, and I love her whole concept. Now...what to make? That is, after I tire of petting it. :)

Stormy weather

Snow Flurries!




The new issue of Twist Collective is up and it is awesome! I am honored to have my pattern among such greats. :)

Photography © Geneviève de la Plante

Check it out!

Ba, my friendly local fiber enabler, pointed me to it: Liquid Silver made the Daily Chum! I am so honored. Thanks Ba! And thank you, Meg, for the great review!

Joanne asked about the yarn I used: Elann.com's Silken Kydd. Yes, it *is* like kidsilk haze, Kid Seta and Douceur et Soie. It is luxurious and incredible to knit with. The halo is lovely. It is soft, soft, soft. Knitting this stole was enjoyable from start to finish, and I admit I made the knitting of it last longer than I really should have, just because I was enjoying it so much! The yarn is decadent.

You can queue Liquid Silver here on Ravelry. :)

Liquid Silver

My new stole design using elann.com's Silken Kydd and foil lined seed beads!

You can find it here on the elann.com site. It is available for free and there is a matching pin (not up on the site quite yet), as well!

I loved every minute of knitting this. The yarn is amazingly luxurious, and I think anne, with whom I discussed halo theory :g: would agree!

If you are on Ravelry, you can queue Liquid Silver here. Enjoy!

The Ice Queen Cometh

Well! Purple Ice is finished and sent off to her new home.

I love the way she turned out. The black currant flavor color of ksh is one of my very very favorites and I found the perfect beads at my local bead shop.

Pattern: Ice Queen (by me) from Knitty, version A stockinette with version B chart
Yarn: Rowan Kidsilk Haze in Black Currant, one ball plus 2 yards (arg!)
Needles: Addi turbos size 5 and 7 (I used the smaller needle size from the garter stitch version, even though I knitted stockinette, to tighten up the gauge a little bit because my friend has very short hair and I wanted it to be a little more snug)
Measurements before blocking: length measured to bottom of scallop: 18", circumference at top: 23"
Measurements after blocking: length measured to bottom of scallop: 22.5", circumference at top: 20"

Hopefully, my friend will enjoy wearing this one!

I've noticed that in threads and on blogs, several people have talked about their Ice Queens being too short and/or running out of yarn. We'll tackle the length issue first!

My guess is that the problems with length are most likely due to one of two things: blocking, or lack thereof and/or using a different fiber for the project. Above all else, it is absolutely imperative to block your finished Ice Queen. Those of you who may not have knit lace before will be used to being able to wear sweaters and hats and scarves without blocking. Sure, they look a little bit rough, but they still look good! Well, lace is an entirely different creature. When you take it off the needles, it is not ready to wear. The looser the gauge, the more it will need to be blocked to achieve its finished measurements. Ice Queen will seem much too short. But a nice wet block will fix you right up!

To block, fill your sink with cold water and add a touch of wool wash (doesn't need to be rinsed). Submerge the lace and swish gently to get it thoroughly wet. Remove from water and gently squeeze to remove excess water. Lay lace as flat as possible on a large dry towel and roll towel. Squeeze. Here is the part where I confess that I always walk on the towel to get all of the water out. Works like a charm! Lay out gently and pull length. It will also become narrower. This is good. You want it to be narrower so it will be a bit more snug. Ice Queen does not need to be pinned, only patted into shape. This is what it looks like laid out to dry:

It will dry fairly quickly. The whole process takes about an hour, perhaps a bit more when the air is damp. Not much time for a great result!

The other possible problem in regards to length is in using a different fiber. For instance, merino is very springy and will not hold a block the same way the mohair/silk blend does. If you use a different fiber, please be sure to swatch and block your swatch! There is a good chance you will need to knit more chart repeats, and therefore need more yardage.

Second: running out of yarn. Heh. I ran out of yarn on this one with ten stitches left to bind off!

But this is how much yarn I had left over from the blue Ice Queen shown in the Knitty pictures.

Huge difference, eh? I thought running out of yarn was due to differing gauge among knitters, but I think it may have more to do with different dyes and/or the amount of moisture in the air when the yarn is being skeined. It is measured by weight and not yardage, so it really wouldn't take much added moisture to throw a 25 gram ball of yarn off by several yards. I am in the process of measuring the amount needed to do a picot bind off on both top and bottom, at the request of a sadistic helpful Ravelry member. And then I'll post it all over the place. :)

Purple Ice

Breaking news on the pendants and earrings front: 2 pendants and 5 pairs of earrings left (order here - scroll down to the bottom)! Thanks to everyone who has ordered! :)

And yes, I think the Black Currant kidsilk haze Ice Queen was the winner! Although my friend was quite drawn to the Candy Girl. I may end up knitting her both...just because she would look amazing in them!

Here's my start (the color is off!):

I am using my provisional cast-on (which I love with a burning passion) although others have been using a beaded picot cast on with great success. There's a thread on Ravelry about it, if you are interested! I am knitting the stockinette version, but with the bead chart for the garter stitch version.

One thing I wanted to note about Ice Queen: it is very very important to block it; completely submerge it in water and stretch it out. When you finish it, it will look too short. But lace blocks out quite a bit. You needn't use pins or wires, but make sure to stretch it lengthwise and don't worry about the width, as it will snug to your face a bit if you block it long and narrow. Ok, maybe two things to note; you will get different blocking results with different yarns, so be sure to swatch!

And some answers:

Lorraine and Rachel asked where I get my beads. A better question would be where *don't* I get my beads?! ;) The ones shown in my last post were from a couple of local bead stores: Legendary Beads and Ubeadquitous, neither of which have online ordering. But I've ordered seed beads from Out on a Whim, Fire Mountain Gems and Earthfaire. They all have a nice selection. A word of caution about beads: not all of them are color fast in water! In particular, red beads have issues, and I have used beads (thankfully only for swatches!) that lost all of their color during felting. I don't have a problem using them in Ice Queen because I probably won't be washing it a lot, but it's definitely something to remember: test your beads first!

And Rhonda asked when you use the US 5 needles. It is only for the top edging after you have finished the charts, and the picot bind off on both top and bottom.

I am so excited to see all of your Ice Queens! You all make my day. :)

And thank you all for playing along with my meme!

Look! Real Knitting Content!

Can you believe it? Real live knitting right here on this very blog!

But first, a message from our sponsor! ;) My sterling ball of yarn earrings are back in stock! I have filled the back orders and I have more pairs! See? I can actually be productive! This is what they look like:

They have been featured in Vogue Knitting, Knitty and UK's Knitting, and people have said some very nice things about them.

But wait! There's more! ;) So many people have asked about a pendant, that I actually listened to y'all and here it is!

You can purchase them both on this page. My site is in serious need of upgrade, so while I am working on that, I hope you will bear with me. The page is called "pre-order" but everything is in stock! Woo!

On to knitting! This sweater is actually an older FO that I hated and never wore because it was just too cropped for me.

It started life as a chunky cropped cardigan without buttons (because I wanted to pin it closed!). I don't even remember what pattern I used now (it wasn't Lara though) because I altered it so much. I started on the back and knit over the shoulders, increasing for the sleeves and then I knitted the sides together. It was knit by the seat of the pants, because, believe me, the entire construction was changed and I was experimenting as I went along. But I wore it only once. So yesterday I knitted the bottom together. Hee. I'm still not sure I like it, but I'm more likely to wear it this way. What do you think? It's out of black Rowan Fuzzy Felt from Elann.com.

I like the texture.

And it actually looks halfway decent on me.

Onward to more knitting. Can you believe it?! This is a project using Lisa Souza's mohair in Ruby.

When I got it, it looked very different from what I was expecting (all monitors are different, and mine showed another red). It was so different, in fact, that I had to put it aside and forget what I thought it would be. And then, after Santa gave me Lace Style, I was looking at the cover sweater and thinking it was nice, but not quite what I had in mind. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to change. And then it hit me! It had to be in red mohair. When I pulled the mohair out, it was absolutely perfect! It is a stunning color. Probably better on me than the color I thought it would be. That Lisa is a sneaky one! You know, when I call her asking about a color she tells me whether she thinks it will look good with my coloring? Now that's what I call customer service! :)

So here's the back. It's going super fast on US 11 needles.

I think I'm going to change the collar. It wants to be bigger for this yarn.

In other news, I have a little fun stealth knitting going on. And I'm trying to catch up on everything!

See you soon!

And Another

Does anyone know of a generator that comes up with clever titles for blog posts? I could use one about now while what's left of my brain works tries to work on other stuff! ;)

Anyway, onward! As a little addendum to this tutorial on a provisional crocheted cast-on to knitting needle, here's what I do when I pick up the stitches. I had a few questions about it!

I begin by picking out the end of the crochet chain and unravelling the extra stitches, right up to the first stitch in the working yarn.

Then I begin carefully picking up the live stitches one at a time as I unravel the chain.

This is particularly important when you are using a slippery yarn or a really grabby one, like kidsilk haze.

It is time consuming, yes, but no stitches are dropped!

In other news, well, we're all working our hoo-hahs off over here. I haven't been able to do any recreational knitting (or crocheting) at all, so there's nothing to show! But I will say one thing: #1 Son's online school program is completely amazing. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in home-schooling. Wow.

Be well, everyone!