Presenting the Starlet Stole

I'm pleased to say that Knit Picks has just added the Starlet Stole that I designed to their Independent Designers Program!

It has been a lot of work getting this one ready, but it has been well worth it, and the pattern can be purchased for $2.99 USD here at Knit Picks.


This knitted stole features both cables and lace, with lace eyelets forming both the borders between cable panels and the background behind the main cable panel. The interplay between dense cables and airy eyelets is highlighted by the lovely drape and shine of the yarn.

Knit in Knit Picks Galileo, which is a bamboo/merino blend, it feels great both to knit with and to wear.

I used up every bit of the six balls of yarn. The Galileo responds well to blocking. In all seriousness, I had "Whip it Good" stuck in my head as I stretched and pinned this one out to full size!

I had been interested in exploring what would happen if I used eyelets not just between cable patterns, but also instead of purl stitches in the background of a trellised cable pattern, which is something I haven't seen done very often. The Starlet Stole is the result, and I am well-pleased.

Getting used to moving the eyelets around while simultaneously moving the cables across them was a bit tricky for the first repeat. However, it did become an established skill as I worked on the sample, becoming easier to keep track of the pattern as I gradually memorized it. I say this to point out that it's a wee bit tricky to get this one started, but to reassure you that it does get easier once you've gotten into it.

I would like to thank Stacey at Knit Picks for her work with the IDP program. I am very thankful to all the ladies who took the time to give me feedback, cast on the stole, or look over the pattern for me: Steph, Rachel, Kahlie, Shannon, Cailín, and especially Sigrun.

Thank-you also to my family for their patience with me while I worked obsessively on the sample, and to my youngest for her umm, "assistance" during the photo shoot (but especially her patience in waiting for her turn to be in the photos). I must say, she is a darling!

In Which I do not Actually Start a New Year's Project

 Ever since my first New Year's as a knitter, I have started a new project just for myself as the first thing I knit (even if just a few rows) in the New Year.

Apparently, not this year. I tried. Really, I did. I even swatched, then stopped when I realized I did not own the correct size of needles to try the next size down. I gave up, at least for the moment.

I also inventoried my knitting needles, which was well overdue (particularly after both my grandmother and my husband's grandmother had given me a few sets of needles from their collections sometime last year). I still can't believe I was missing 3.5 mm DPNs, but there you have it. I thought I was also missing 3.5 mm circulars, but I found them during the inventory, and went shopping for the DPNs, so all is now well with the needle collection.

It turns out that the idea of starting another project was actually way too stressful for the joy of starting another project to win me over. I stopped then and there, and went back to finishing up samples for designs that I have been preparing for publication.

One was just finished the other day, and the other should be finished in pretty short order as well. I thought I'd tease you with a couple of photos while you're waiting.