I love all of my sweaters, and I love all of the photoshoots that the great folks at Twist Collective produce with them, but in my heart of hearts I’ll let myself admit some favorites. And Oscillate definitely tops the list.

(Photo credit Jane Heller. Photos used with permission from Twist Collective.)

This photo shoot is so iconic, and so perfectly captures the life and beauty of the yarn, it absolutely makes me squeal. And Oscillate is one of my favorite designs, in that it so perfectly captures my favorite things about hand-knits: I love a fuzzy sweater with a close (but easy) fit. I love simple-but-interesting cables. I love sweaters that scream “Wear me!”.

The Classic Elite Lush I used for the design was wonderful. Soft and fuzzy without being sheddy or limp, it practically screamed to be used in plump, wiggly cables. I’ll definitely be using it for my own version.

You can find all of the nuts and bolts information about the pattern either here or on Twist Collective’s site, where you can also buy the pattern, so in this post I’ll just say: One of the nicest things about waiting so long to do a proper post on Oscillate is that there are already stunning FOs for you to gaze at! Just take a look at the projects page on Ravelry. They have me dreaming about my own version…

Since that version is likely a few months away, I decided to take a plunge and fiddle around with Polyvore instead. And in the spirit of Carly’s post, here are the two ways I plan to wear my own Oscillate as soon as I have the time to make one in my size:

I’ve included two looks here, in a (budget-less) nod to the two very different parts of my life. First, my home/knitting design/running after the boys life: Jeans are hands-down the most often worn bit of my wardrobe. The boys still haven’t mastered the art of napkins/kleenex/anything-other-than-someone’s-shirt, so pretty much anything I wear when I’m around them has to be tolerant of washing machines. I have pretty short, thick legs, so I love a good flare–they take the eye, and the visual balance, away from the rest of my legs and cleverly hide the high heels I’m never without. I love the look of a butter yellow paired with a rich, dark red, so I chose a pretty simple tee to wear under the sweater. Naturally, my favorite boots of all time have to make an appearance. (No kidding. I own them in both colors, and they’re wonderfully stylish, fit my wide calves, and I can sprint in them. For real.) I seem to often forget jewelry, but when I remember I prefer bolder, funkier pieces for my personal life. I might have to get that guitar bracelet, actually, it would go perfectly with some earrings I got recently from someone I found through Thea.

Second, my work life. I definitely need to dress professionally and conservatively at work, and am frequently rubbing elbows with folks a few levels higher on the totem pole than me. I’m excruciatingly demanding of my hand-knits for this reason, and don’t often wear them to work–but Oscillate fits the bill beautifully. I’d pair it with a pair of gray wool trousers (again with the wide leg), and a sedate set of Fluevogs. Boden is the best for plain shirts with a bit of flare, and I’d go with jewelry that doesn’t call as much attention to itself, reflecting the color of the sweater without being too matchy-matchy.

Playing with Polyvore is super fun! How would you style Oscillate?

(And speaking of styling sweaters, stay tuned for the next post, where I take the Charles Collection sweaters over to Caro’s house for a photo shoot with some friends.)

My deadline is looming, and the kids are fantastic, and my day job is really, really enjoyable these days, and all in all it feels like there’s not a lot of time left at the end of the day to blog. (Or, for that matter, see real-life friends.)

But I can’t let 2011 go by without mentioning the wonderful fibery parts of the year! I went to some phenomenal knitting events; I designed and knit 19 sweaters, including some faves for Twist Collective and two in a glorious collection with some very, very talented fellow designers; I took the plunge on the book; I had a fantastic spread in the fall Knitscene; and last but certainly not least through my classes I met and got to talk with so many wonderful, wonderful knitters. I’m so grateful you’re all out there, indulging me in this creative endeavor.

I can’t wait to see what 2012 has in store!

Then I planned and packed the knitting.

Let’s be clear.

I’m quite a fast knitter, really. But not even I can knit two sweaters and finish a third in 5 days. Not while teaching and spending time having fun with friends. Still, it does pay to have insurance against long plane flights. (I’m not the only one who does this, right?)

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, you might be interested in giving a listen to the Yarn Thing podcast from yesterday. I’m the guest, and we’re giving away a pretty cool prize–listen to find out how to enter!

First things first: These classes don’t provide a strict set of “rules”, and I’m not the what-not-to-wear lady. My goal is to help students understand how to go about knitting a sweater they’ll love. And there are really two components to loving a sweater. It has to fit properly, of course. And we cover that in spades. For many of us, it also means that the sweater highlights the things we love about ourselves while minimizing the things we don’t like so much. In turn, for lots of people that means making our bodies appear more like some mythical “norm” drilled into us on a daily basis.

So the first part of each class is going through some in-person, open-to-questions instruction on some basic principles: Different body shapes and various kinds of curves, and how our clothing changes the way our shape looks to other people.

The second part of the class involves a personalized application of this knowledge to each student: I take a (sans-head) picture of each person’s shape on a digital camera, and print them on a portable printer. While the pictures are printing, I lead everyone through taking a variety of body measurements aimed at allowing the knitter to (1) choose the right “base” size for a pattern and (2) use the measurement list to determine what modifications they’ll need to make.

Once the pictures are printed, we draw lines on them in this way:

And then once everyone is “binned”, we re-visit the set of things different sweaters will do to each “bin”‘s shape. The final portion of class is basically a huge dress-up party. Each student who wants to brings some sweaters to share, and I have my collection of hand-knit sweaters (there are a lot of them) to share as well. Everyone tries on different sweaters, and we talk about what the samples do to the wearer’s shape and how she might modify them when knitting for herself.

At the end of the class, each student walks away with a better grasp on the kinds of patterns she’ll like the result from, what size to start with, and what modifications to make to ensure a perfect fit. We have a TON of fun, and the classes are easily one of my favorite ways to spend my knitting time.

With the demands the book is imposing, my teaching schedule is pretty light for the next 6 months. But nevertheless, I do have a few classes scheduled and I hope to see you at a workshop some time soon!

(To sign up for this weekend’s 6 hour workshop, please contact Purlescence at (408) 735-YARN (9276).)

Sleep? Not enough of it.

Guitar lessons? Going REALLY poorly.

Time? Not enough of it.

Still…

Swatching’s going super-well, and a good stripe can make up for a lot.

(Photo credit Jane Heller and used with permission from the Twist Collective.)

Rest assured I’ll do a full post on Oscillate soon, but for now please do look through this latest issue. Every time Twist comes out I think they’ve done the best issue ever, and this time is no exception.

*****

I have two more classes before the end of the calendar year, and for a wonder there’s still space in both! Please, if you’ll be in the Boston area consider joining me at The Creative Stitch in Hingham. This will be my third time teaching Fit to Flatter there, and it’s such a lovely space. You can call the shop at 781-749-2280 to sign up.

And the family made a somewhat last-minute to spend an extended weekend in San Jose visiting friends this December, so I’m teaching a special 6-hour workshop at Purlescence Yarns in Sunnyvale on December 10. This is a great chance to have a wonderful time exploring the Fit to Flatter topic in more depth than I can usually cover in a 3-hour class, and I’m unlikely to get back to the Bay Area for another 6 months, so don’t miss out! You can call the shop to sign up: (408) 735-YARN (9276)

*****

My other plans for the rest of the year involve at least three more sweaters. I hope that one of them winds up being a self-published design that I am itching to wear^H^H^H^Hshare with you! I’m going to try offering two different sleeve lengths and two different necklines in one sweater–kind of like 4 patterns in one. We’ll see how it goes.

Happy knitting!

*****

I’m sure that by now you’ve heard of the dreaded Snowtober that rocked the East Coast this weekend. Our home was thankfully spared incident, but things were messy enough that we decided to postpone my Sunday class at Knit Wit in Portland, ME. We’ve rescheduled for Sunday, 20 November, and there are now a couple of spots open if you’d like to join us! After hearing from my dad about the situation in Maine, I’m glad we postponed, though it was a tough call to make before a single flake of snow had flown.

The freezing temperatures sent my kids scurrying for their hand knits. And guess what fits now!

He wore it out all day on Sunday and proclaimed it the “best ever”. And then requested to go to Peru to visit the alpacas. I told him we’d get right on that.

*****

Finally, I present to you the best. mail. day. ever.

A new pair of shoes, a sweater’s worth of the aptly-named ‘Breathless’, and a t-shirt memento of my Rhinebeck weekend. Nothing better.

Although a fruit bat and his brother Mario come within spitting distance.

Happy Halloween!

Words fail.

The Charles Collection, the debut publication of BHK Cooperative, is a 50-page e-book containing 10 knitting patterns designed to please the knitter both in craft and in daily life. The pieces in this collection were inspired by the gorgeous landscape of Boston, a true knitter’s town.

You will find garments ranging from small to large, from practical to luxurious, from soothing and simple to more rigorous and challenging. Knitted with yarns we love, and in colors that evoke the rich autumn of New England, these pieces are lovely to knit, give, keep, and wear. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

When the always-persuasive Elinor approached me about the idea of doing a collection together, and what did I think about the notion of inviting the uber-talented Kirsten to join us, I basically couldn’t sign up fast enough. We iterated through a couple of ideas before settling on a plan of releasing a collection themed around the exceedingly wool-friendly Boston. The city has a great history, plenty of beautiful foliage and cool, sweater-friendly weather, and generally seemed like a great place to launch what we hope will be a long-lived series of collections.

Working with Elinor and Kirsten was as much of a dream as you’d expect. They’re both funny, quick, and we all share an intense love of color, texture, and handknits that scream “Wear me!”. I’m so, so thrilled to share the results of this first collaboration with you, and please trust me–it won’t be the last.

I have three patterns in The Charles Collection: Two sweaters and a beret. If you’d like the details, please read on! If you’d like to purchase the collection first and read details later, simply click here: Buy Now

Beacon Hill is an elegant pullover with a wide boat neckline and gently ballooned sleeves. Trim edgings worked in woven herringbone stitch, with slit hems and smooth sleeve caps, keep this design fresh and wearable. The body is worked back and forth in pieces at the hem and then joined and knit in the round to the armholes; it is then divided once more for front and back. The collar is picked up and worked in herringbone stitch after seaming; the sleeve caps are picked up around the armhole and worked with short rows before continuing to the wrist.

As written, the wide boat neck and ballooned sleeves make Beacon Hill an extremely flattering choice for proportional shapes. Top-heavy shapes might consider narrowing and deepening the neckline; Bottom-heavy shapes might consider a more subtle sleeve. Vertical waist darts give the sweater an easily-customized and figure-flattering shape, and are easily extended into bust darts for knitters who desire them.

The Woolen Rabbit’s Lark yarn is a glorious blend of alpaca, silk, and cashmere with astonishing depth of color. Should you desire to use another yarn, please make sure that it produces a drapey fabric with good body at 7 stitches to the inch. (But really–use Kim’s yarn if at all possible. It’s utterly fantastic. This is my favorite sweater of the collection and I wore it to a swanky dinner when visiting Rhinebeck this year, to much acclaim.) See more details about Beacon Hill here!

New Towne is a versatile, easy-to-wear cardigan with a wide edging of a crochet-like stitch called Rosette Stitch. It is worked in pieces from the bottom up, with faced hems and set-in sleeves. The collar is picked up and worked in long rows after seaming, with some short rows to shape the back neck.

It is meant to be worn either open or closed; the longer length, vertical lines and simple details make New Towne a perfect choice for top-heavy figures. Proportional and bottom-heavy figures wishing to wear New Towne may consider shortening the cardigan by an inch or more; those with larger tummies may consider increasing the width of the front pieces and removing the additional stitches in the neckline shaping. The cardigan uses vertical darts for waist shaping that are easily adapted into bust darts should they be desired.

Blue Sky Alpacas Melange is a wonderful lightweight 100% alpaca with beautiful depth of color. Should you desire to use another yarn, please make sure that it produces a lofty fabric at 5 stitches to the inch and drapes well. This cardigan, with its cozy lofty soft yarn and easy, flattering shape, has been a favorite in every Fit to Flatter class I’ve taught since I completed the sweater. Everyone loves it, and everyone looks great in it. See more details about New Towne here!

Tremont Street is a casual, artistic beret/slouch (depending on how you block it). Worked in a gorgeous wool/silk blend, this cheerful tam will keep you stylish and warm all winter long.

Generally speaking I find I have less to say about hats. (What? They’re hats.) But don’t get me wrong! Alisha Goes Around Bevy of Swans DK is seriously one of the best yarns I’ve worked with this year. I can’t wait to do a sweater out of it. And after you knit the beret, you’ll agree. See all of the technical specs about Tremont Street here.

Like what you see? Want all of the patterns for your very own? Please, feel free to peruse the Collection’s website and preview all of the stunning designs. You can either purchase the collection there, or click below.

Thanks so much for your support!

The air is crisp and I’m newly refreshed from a fantastic weekend with my bestest buds. This year, we rented a farmhouse. So my Rhinebeck experience started with Caro’s famed habanero margarita and some seaming:

Continued with gorgeous views from every window:

Swept through a couple of fantastic classes, and of course ended with some yarn.

Really, how could it not? Rhinebeck ALWAYS ends in more yarn. Though this time I held out until the very last moment–these purchases were all made after 4:30pm on Sunday. (The classes helped my resolve.)

And now I’m back to real life!

Which, my editor informs me, can include sharing some very exciting news with you: I’m working on a book with the utterly fantastic STC/Melanie Falick books. I don’t want to talk about things too much (my final deadline is still pretty far away and I wouldn’t want the excitement of the big moment to get spoiled!), but I definitely wanted to share with you what’s been keeping me busy “backstage”.

How is your fall so far?

…So until then how about a little bit of technical talk about sleeve caps? Anyone who has taken my class knows that I’m pretty fanatic about set-in sleeves and sweaters done in pieces. Seams are magical things, transforming this stretchy, sometimes unwieldy, with-a-life-of-its-own fabric into a structured and well-fitted garment. The number one response I get to this opinion is that everyone hates setting in sleeve caps and they never come out right.

So I thought I might share how I do them. I took some snapshots of the latest sweater I put together (sorry, can’t talk about it yet) with the intent of walking you through the process.

The first thing to recognize about sleeve caps is that some modifications to your sweater will cause them not to fit. The length of the curve around the top of the sleeve cap must be the same as the length of the armhole length on the front and back combined (within an inch, say). So if you change the armhole depth, or your row gauge is off, your sleeve caps might not fit.

That said, here’s how I go about things: First, I seam the shoulders and lay the body of the sweater and sleeve out as shown. Then, I use openable stitch markers to pin the center of the sleeve cap top to the shoulder seam, and to pin the edges of the sleeve cap to the armhole shaping edges:

The stepped bind-offs at the armhole edge should match the initial bind-offs on the sleeve caps for most sizes (in some plus sizes, the second bind-off on the armhole is much longer than it makes sense to use on the sleeve cap. The first bind-off should always match exactly.) So next, I pin those:

I then ease and pin the rest of the sleeve cap together, about every inch or so, all along one side. I pick the whole thing up and lay it flat, checking my work on the first side.

Repeat for the second side, and lay the whole thing flat. You’ll notice at this point if there’s any weird puckering or anything else you need to adjust. (If your sleeve cap doesn’t fit exactly, this is the point at which you should spread the discrepancy in length evenly over the whole cap for the best chance of a smooth finish.)

Then, it’s time to seam! I use mattress stitch. When I’m knitting the sleeve cap, I always make sure to do my decreases 1 st in from the sides. This gives me a nice even edge all around. Typically I use a long tail from my sleeve cap bind-off to seam the edges and start at the top of the cap. This sweater was knit in tweed, though, so I needed to use a separate smooth yarn for seaming. So I started at the underarm bind-offs.

I work about an inch of mattress stitch at a time, loosely, and then pull everything snug. Repeat carefully all around the sleeve cap, making sure you keep the fabric even with the pins.

And that’s basically all there is to it! The only thing with mattress stitch is that you need to make sure you’re keeping the same number of stitches inside the seam at all time–that is, don’t jump “columns” of stitches when you’re seaming. For horizontal fabric, go under the “V” of exactly one knit stitch. For vertical fabric, make sure to pick up only that little bar:

If you take it slowly, the seaming shouldn’t take much more than an hour per cap. And given the way set-in sleeve sweaters fit, that’s a totally worthwhile investment!