It's
St David's Day today and also the first official day of spring... wooooohooooooo, let's party!
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| Arlo basking the warm spring weather - oh for a cat's life! |
To celebrate I'm giving away a choice of four patterns from
Sweet Shawlettes. All you have to do
is leave a comment saying which of the four designs is your fave and why (please include email address so I can send you the pattern). And there's more... if you sign up as a follower, I'm giving away of a copy of the book. The draw will be taken from all new followers at the end of March.
Ponchos and shawls are big news this spring, so we'll kick off with
Enigma, an easy-to-knit layered shawl in diaphanous Rowan Kidsilk Haze. It's knit in stocking stitch on 4.5mm (US 7) needles.
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| Enigma layered look |
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| One layer - a light covering for spring evenings |
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| Single layer when you need to be a little more snug |
Next up there's
Treasure, a chic jabot trimmed with as many frills as you feel up to knitting. It's an ideal starter project for aspiring entrelac knitters, using luxurious Rowan Pure Silk DK on 3.75mm (US 5) needles.
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| Treasure Jabot showcasing entrelac and frills |
Penumbra is a cool black and white cowl with a hidden zigzag. It uses the shadow-knit technique on 4mm (US 6) needles, with Rowan Wool/Cotton providing fabulous stitch definition.
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| Penumbra Cowl showcasing shadow-knitting |
And finally there's
Purple Patch, a modular pastel shrug, just the thing to keep you cosy on springtime country walks. Knitted in Rowan Milk Cotton Fine, a beautifully soft 4-ply yarn, this garter stitch knit on 2.75mm (US 2) needles is also a good stashbuster.
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| Purple Patch showcasing modular pattern and texture |
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| Purple Patch back view |
The four designs I've chosen are perfect f
ashion-forward accessories to strut your springtime stuff in! Shawls and neck wraps are right on trend and not only are they often quick-to knit, so perfect for a last minute gift, but portable too. They don't involve a huge outlay if you choose to splurge on new yarn, but they're also ideal for those absolutely fabulous balls in your stash that you just had to have, then wondered
what on earth you were ever going to do with them.
I hope you'll all join in as it's also a great way for me to get to know what sort of knitting you like to do. It also helps me with my next book which right now is wildly fomenting in my head, but needs to be pinned down poste haste for the impending first deadline.
Happy St David's Day!
Happy St David's day back to you, I got the book about 2 weeks ago and its great..so my comment is only to wish you a great spring....
ReplyDeleteciao ciao Christa...
Good to hear from you again Christa :D
DeleteI love them all and not only do I have the book but I have given it away as a gift to a few of my friends...they love it too.
ReplyDeleteHaving a cup of tea outside...how lovely is that. :-)
Yes, it's fabulous to get outside for a while. Only problem is it's hard to tear yourself away and get back to work. I read your interesting post on being homesick for Germany, must be difficult for you. Take care x
DeleteYeah, SPRING!!!! My daffodils are just about to burst. I just listened to the Craftsanity podcast. What a wonderful interview. Thank you so much for sharing bits of your experiences and More Yarn...
ReplyDeleteI love both Enigma and Penumbra. But the weather dictates I pick Penumbra.
Jio
traderjio@yahoo.com
They are all great. I had a hard time picking just one. I like them all for different reasons. But I will go with the Penumbra Cowl.
ReplyDeleteWow, another give-away ! These surely are all wonderful early Spring knits. I have to say , of the four you posted, that "Enigma" is my absolute favorite. Beautiful like gossimer wings, it is most versatile I think, one of the two layers would be a stunning accent to any strappy dress all by itself, and the colors can interplay in a very exciting way, not to mention the way you could wear the two layers. I think it's versatility makes it a sure value as well as a find ! I tell you one thing Ms Jean... if I were to knit this up I'd surely make it in my gigging colors, and when the moment came, I'd get to mention through the mic that I knit it up from a fellow Knit Desiger Musician ! (There must be quite a few of us, but for now, you're the only other I know of ) ;-) Oh, and Happy Spring to you !!!
ReplyDeleteOh, forgot to leave my email address. Its " jenjayjay AT gmail DOT com " Thanks ! I believe I 'followed' too, it would be fab and make my March if I won your book. :)
ReplyDeleteOhhhhh, lovely stuff - Sweet Shawlettes is on my wishlist :) so maybe I can get a preview of Penumbra now!! It was hard to choose tho' - all great patterns. Loved your comments about being brave this Leap Year -
ReplyDeletek1w1 at olypen dot com
Penumbra is my fav. It is so cool and modern. I already follow your blog and I'm now following you on Twitter too. Thanks, Debbie gussek(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteHi Debbie,
DeleteHave just sent your pattern - hope I have the address correct. Written as is will not send so I've merged the two names with no space between. Let me know if it doesn't arrive.
I'm with the Penumbra crowd as well, Jean! Love the black and white, and a cotton/wool blend sounds very springy after the wooly winter. Really enjoy all your blogs about everything! I've also signed up to follow. Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant Hapus! My e-mail is pcmyers(AT)att(dot)net. Pam x
ReplyDeleteI just finished knitting your brilliant "Monotone Waistcoat" and was delighted at how well it turned out.
ReplyDeleteOf these four, my favorite is definitely "Enigma" - I love how floaty and light it is, the angles created when both are worn together, and the contrasting colours. Thank you for your beautiful designs.
-karenkw(AT)sbcglobal(DOT)net
I love Ceilidh, the design is so interesting and it looks extremely wearable
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know, sorry it's not one of the free patterns, but if there's one of the four you would like, I'll send it on to you :D
DeleteI love Enigma, and I think I have the yarn for it too! Beautiful. But, sorry, it is no where near spring yet in my neck of the woods. Maybe May! We just got 16 inches of snow on Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteIf you let me have your email address I'll send you the pattern.
DeleteI'm another Penumbra lover. I'm not a frilly person (though I like your frilly jabot very much), and am a big fan of strong, graphic designs. I've been wanting to try shadow knitting for a long time, too. This design looks great in black and white, and it would be stunning in many other color combinations as well.
ReplyDeleteI've just started following you on Twitter and Facebook, and have added your blog to my Google reader. I'm very glad to do so as a long time fan of your designs, especially your elegant jackets.
My email: scifiknitter at gmail dot com.
Thanks for your message. I think you mat have got me confused with Jean Frost, who is known for her elegant jackets. If I also have this reputation then I'm very pleased :D
DeleteI vote for enigma - I enjoy knitting with silk/mohair blends and am looking for interesting things to knit with it. I like the two together and the fact that you can totally change the look by using one of them. Spring/summer is a great time to wear this weight (great for air conditioning). I have to admit that the jabot came a close second. I like how it looks and it would make a great accent piece to my simple tops for winter/fall/and spring depending upon the color. I've just started following your blog. mlbowden@umich.edu
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the book, and all the blog interviews, too!
ReplyDeleteMy fav is actually Ceilidh -- I like my mind to be busy with color charts :) But all the possibilities in the book/all the yarns ... lovely!
I've also followed you on Twitter, Facebook and Ravelry. thanks ... it will be fun to read what you are posting here, too.
I'm mad about the simple shifting lines of Penumbra, though Enigma is a tempting alternate choice. Penumbra will be a gift to my partner when she needs a very special something for her work wardrobe and I think I'll work it in black and white just as it is. Your new book is a thrill, so many shawlettes leaping to the needles in my imagination. Congratulations on the release! Now following you on Twitter, Facebook and Ravelry.
ReplyDeleteI am a fairly new beginner (knit) and was online browsing and came across the "Purple Patch" Shawlette. It is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to comment here when I saw your blog with the hopes to maybe winning this pattern (maybe even the book).
Thanks for doing such a nice thing for us, this will be fun!
Good luck everyone!