gobble! gobble!

Wishing you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving! Thank you for supporting me and my patterns over the year, I am so grateful for your encouraging words, photos and enthusiasm. It keeps me creating!

Happy knitting!

happy halloween!

tartan-plaid pumpkin pattern

Wishing you a spooky all-Hallow's eve! Don't eat too much candy tonight . . . just enough to satisfy that sweet tooth.

Never too late to knit another pumpkin or two. Maybe you missed the Halloween-pumpkin-knitting-round, but now you're just in time for Thanksgiving.

Happy knitting!

NOTE: The pattern is Tartan-Plaid Pumpkin, the pins are Just Pins Halloween BOO collection, and the ghost is hand-made using white oven-bake clay and a sharp-end toothpick. I drew the face on it using a black felt pen.

tartan-plaid and a bit of cable!

Tartan-Plaid Pumpkin

Yes, a new pattern has been published! Actually TWO new patterns! I am pleased to introduce: Tartan-Plaid Pumpkin and Cable-Stitch Pumpkin. They are on the market as of today (PDF-format-only) and I am excited to share. I now have three patterns as part of my 'knit-only' collection, no felting required.

I created the Pumpkin Patch last year with the intention of creating a trio of pumpkin patterns. Three very different designs, similar in shape but using different textures and detailing. In addition, they are sporting different stems: a knit, a clay and a branch stem. Don't be intimidated by the clay stem. It is quick and easy! I'll walk you through each step to completion.

Cable-Stitch Pumpkin

Have you noticed (or not), that plaid is really big this year, especially in fashion? I love the endless combination of colors you can incorporate with the notion of woven fabric. Don't be limited by the fall-ish colors: orange, red, browns. Create a pumpkin with the colors in your living room or bedroom: blues, raspberry, chartreuse. A great addition to your decorating and easy to change out each Autumn.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I had fun creating them for you. Happy Autumn! 

It's never too early and never too late to be creating a knitted pumpkin.

Happy knitting!

30% off sale!

* * * inventory sale - 30% off * * *

Yes, I confess, I still store some of my "stuff" in my mom's house: my boxed up wedding dress, the family baptismal gown, and several storage bins of my knit & felt patterns!

Well, my mom is moving on to greener pastures and it's time to pare down, for all of us, and that includes me.

For a short while, to reduce some of my inventory, I am offering a 30% off sale on almost all booklet patterns (not PDFs). So if you need a pattern or two for yourself or as a holiday gift for that knitter friend, well, now is the time.

Come check out my Etsy Shoppe to take advantage of this limited offer and shop ALL my patterns, kits, tools and more!

Design Update: Yes, I have started designing again and it feels good! Stay tuned. New 'KNIT ONLY' and 'NEEDLE FELT' patterns rolling out this fall and winter!

Happy knitting!

NEW! needle felting kits

woodland baby owl ornament kit

Another new pattern available in my Etsy shoppe! I'm turning several of my knit & felt patterns into needle felting kits. Right now I have two available for sale: woodland owl and woolly pumpkin.

Each kit comes with all the materials needed to make one of these little sculptures. A great kit to learn the art of needle felting. If you are familiar with my patterns, you know I like using needle felting for  embellishing. But needle felting little 3-D creatures, like the owl above, adds a whole new level of creativity and fun to the art of needle felting! It is simple, quick and very similar to playing with play dough, but this time you use a sharp-barbed needle instead of your fingers.

woolly pumpkin ornament kit

FYI, my needle felting kits do NOT include foam pads. Why? While talking with my customers and gathering their feedback, several told me they had at least one foam pad already. They simply wanted the raw materials, another felting needle (cause they can break) and the detailed instructions to get them started. But for those of you just starting out, I do sell small high-density foam pads.

Check back with me and visit my Etsy shoppe as I add new patterns and kits this holiday season. My creative juices are flowing again, and I am excited to share them with you all. Enjoy!

Happy knitting!

pumpkin patch

pumpkin patch pattern

Create your own pumpkin patch without getting your hands dirty! This fall knit a basket of pumpkins in bright autumn colors.

Introducing my newest pattern, Pumpkin Patch! I am calling it a 'just knit' pattern, the first in my new line of patterns. Knit patterns with no felting required! That's right, no felting.

I am planning on turning several of my existing 'knit & felt' patterns into 'just knit' patterns within the next year. Learning to knit so tight, to create a firmer fabric without felting is a trick for me, but I think I am getting the hang of it.

I really like this pattern for several reasons: one being the texture the simple knit stitch creates, and secondly, the opportunity to use a variety of yarns. No longer am I limited by all-wool yarns. Rather I can use cottons, even ribbon if I wanted too.

The pattern gives instructions to create three pumpkin sizes: small, medium and large. The pumpkin is knit in one continuous piece with no sewing of seams. It is stuffed with fiberfill. Once stuffed, six furrow lines, a lacy knit leaf and a curly beaded vine are attached. Pumpkin Patch is a quick and easy knit. This pattern is recommended for intermediate knitters because experience with double point needles is necessary. Pumpkin Patch is available in either booklet or PDF format. Enjoy!

Happy knitting!

a black owl special

halloween owl sale

Start your Halloween knitting a little early this year! I am selling out of my skeins of black Nature Spun worsted weight yarn and as an incentive, I am throwing in the Woolly Owl pattern for half off. I am calling it the 'black owl special'. One skein will make one owl with some leftover yarn.

woolly owl pattern

The pattern comes with two owl designs: the tufted-ear and the round head. I like the tufted-ear version for making black owls the best, but don't be limited by that. Nature Spun worsted yarn felts beautifully! Add a fine mohair along with the knitting to get a finished hairy-like fuzzy look (such as Frog Tree Suri alpaca or Rowan Kidsilk Haze) once felted the owl can be brushed with a nap riser brush.

Each owl stands about 8-inches tall after felting. A quick and easy knit project! The fun is in the embellishing, adding all your little details. Enjoy!

Happy knitting!