My niece, Miss Sparkles, had the perfect solution to my dilemma over which yarn to use for the Ruffles and Ridges wrap. She suggested I combine the Miracle with the Alpine Baby, which is just what I’ve done—and the results are gorgeous! The Alpine Baby provides color variation and texture; the Miracle gives extra softness and a substantiality the Alpine Baby alone wouldn’t provide. I’m using size 10 needles (instead of the recommended 9s) and cast on for the small, since I wasn’t sure how the needle change would affect yardage, and I didn’t want to run short. If it doesn’t fit me, I’ll have no trouble finding a happy recipient for this knit!
Now for the sweaters…
First off, check out Titania from A Mingled Yarn.
V-neck. Lots of texture and detailing without getting too busy. Plenty of variety to keep a knitter’s interest up. And did I mention the pattern is free? A thousand, thousand thanks to A Mingled Yarn for her generosity in sharing it with us!
This weekend, in between the madness of writing placement tests and portfolio evaluations, I stumbled across SweaterBabe, who has both a blog and an on-line pattern shop. The piece that first got my attention was the Vine Lace Top-Down Cardigan.
Look at it—warm and generous without being shapeless, and with pockets for the necessary winter-time hankies. The fact that it’s knit in Lamb’s Pride Bulky (good on-line discounts here and here) adds to its appeal for me. You’ll want to check out her other designs, including the Intricately Cabled Long Vest and the Lush and Lacy Cardigan. Her blog is also very much worth reading, with lots of well-explained knitterly problem solving.
And now, I will be frank with you. When Wenlan Chia’s Twinkle’s Big City Knits came out, I was less than enthusiastic. Partly, it was the small finished measurements: in one case, the size large has a 27″ bust, and yes, yes, negative ease and all that, but I didn’t want to knit anything that promised to be smaller than me from the get-go. Partly, it was the ubiquitous, unfortunately-placed bobbles. Even so, I did find some of the designs attractive—I just didn’t plan on knitting them myself. But Chia now has a new pattern booklet, Twinkle’s Mohair Designs, out from Classic Elite, and I’m finding myself charmed. The looks are feminine and comfortable.
Yes, negative ease is still an issue, but the fit of these pieces on the models makes me less afraid of taking a chance on them. I’m getting a review copy of the booklet. Once I’ve been able to go over it (and perhaps to try a pattern from it), I’ll post a bit more.