Little Birds

So when I last posted it was the height of summer, and now... well it's practically autumn! Sorry about that. I cannot tell you how many times I have made blog posts in my head. Sounds silly, I know. I find the pre-school car line and the shower to be the most inspiring of times, but the second I get a moment to sit down at the computer... well, you know how it is with 2 kids, a busy summer, and the distraction of yarn. 

That being said, I'm here and I am back in the game.

So today I'd like you to meet my most recently published patterns: Little Birds Beret and Little Birds Tunic. 

Both patterns are in the most recent publication of the Knit Now magazine (issue 25). It is a British monthly publication and I am completely thrilled to be apart of it!

See that cute baby in the dress and beret on the cover? She is sporting both of my new designs! The yarn used in the samples and in the pattern is King Cole Merino Blend DK. I originally wrote the pattern with Quince and Co.'s Chickadee in mind. So either would be great choices for the project. The King Cole yarn is a heftier and woolier yarn (although still a lighter DK yarn - almost sport weight), maybe a little better suited to winter-wear. The Chickadee (a favorite of mine, as you all know) is a springier, smoother wool that would be great for transitional weather.

Here is a picture of my swatch using Chickadee.

To celebrate this achievement I will be giving away 2 skeins of King Cole Merino Blend DK in the Aran colorway (the off-white color used for the bulk of the hat and tunic). The beret uses 1 (1, 1, 2, 2) skeins for sizes 0-6 mo (6-12 mo, 12-18 mo, 2-4 years, 5-10 years). And the tunic uses 2 (3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6) skeins for sizes 3mo (6mo, 12 mo, 18 mo, 2 , 4, 6 years). It also uses very small amounts of Sky, (light blue), Mustard (orange) and Saxe (medium blue). So 2 skeins could make the smallest tunic or any size of the beret!

If you want to make either item with Chickadee, I'd recommend Egret, Glacier, Birds' Egg and Apricot.

To put yourself in the running, please leave a comment on this post by Wednesday evening, September 18th. I will post a winner using the online random number generator. Don't forget to order or pick up a copy of this magazine so you can get knitting!

All Creatures Great and Small

This week I am wrapping up my current project, the Stripe Study Shawl. As soon as one project comes to a close, I start lining up the next one. Don't ask me why, but for whatever reason I cannot stop stalking and queuing patterns of adorable little creatures, such as...

Loopy the Sheep

Hopkins Penguin

Bunny Girl

Little Oddment Hedgehog

Whale

Teddy Bear

Army of Caterpillars

Daphne and Delilah

Plus, I still have my eye on those adorable snuggly big guys from the Purl Bee.

Big Cuddly Bunny

Big Snowy Owl

I guess I still haven't learned my lesson from knitting (what felt like) a zillion toys for Emma just a few years ago. That toy-knitting-bug has bitten me again.

Flash Sale!

Happy 4th of July, everyone! I hope you are all able to spend time celebrating today. We have plans to head to downtown Akron to see fireworks at a Rib, White and Blue Festival. Hoping it doesn't get rained out - the weather isn't looking so good here.

In celebration of America's birthday, today through July 5th, I have lined up a flash sale. July 4th is one of my favorite holidays so I thought I'd throw a good sale your way:

50% off all Meg Roke Knits' patterns on my Ravelry shop.  

Just enter July4 at checkout and you should be good to go. Have a terrific holiday!!

10,000 Giveaway: Winner!

And the winner is: Hilary H!! Congratulations, Hilary. I would love to send you this skein of yarn as soon as possible. So if you would email me and let me know your contact information, then I'll take myself to the post office and get this happy yarn shipped to its new owner. You can email me at:

megroke AT gmail DOT com

Thanks to all who commented. I really enjoyed reading your responses.... back to swatching for me.

Happy knitting!

The 10,000 Giveaway

Nope. I am not giving away 10,000 things. Although how cool (and slightly overwhelming) would it be to have 10,000 skeins of yarn? Yikes! Maybe I'll settle for the idea of 10,000 yards of yarn instead.

Shortly after my last post, the my blog reached and surpassed 10,000 views. In celebration, I will give away a beautiful skein of yarn from my lovely stash.

In order to be in the running to receive this skein, you must post a comment about summer crafting. What type of crafting do you like to do in the summertime? And why?

Spud and Chloe Fine in the Glow-worm colorway

This time of year usually has me sewing more than knitting. I'm eying up a few projects from my Pinterest board already. Plus, the Craftsy courses are calling my name too. If only there were more kid-free hours in the day... sigh...

So take a moment to write a comment about your favorite summer crafting activities sometime between now and next Wednesday at midnight. I will pick a winner using the Random Number Generator and let you know Wednesday morning.

Happy crafting!

I've been notified that some readers' comments won't show up. If this is the case, send me a message via Facebook (Meg Roke) or PM me on Ravelry (Mooch) to let me know and I'll assign you a number. Thanks!

Garter Stitch: The Latest Obsession

Sometimes when I am gardening, after stuffing my pots and beds with flowers, I take a step back and realize that I have planted one color. One color. Now, there may be many shades of this one color, but at the end of the day I have a purple garden or a white one...or a pink one (those seem to be the ones I gravitate towards).

It's the same with knitting. Overall, I really like to pick different color yarns for very different projects using (you guessed it!) different stitch patterns. However, while flipping through my project page on Ravelry, I noticed a color theme...

Hmm, are you seeing blue-green (or green-blue) everywhere too? Maybe it's time I start buying a different color?

Color aside, I now have a new obsession, which I only discovered about 2 minutes ago: garter stitch. I have never been a huge fan of garter stitch. It doesn't block as well. It grows easily. It makes a thicker fabric. I could go on... however, I just finished Jane Richmond's Rae (which is a super fabulous and simple pattern, by the way. I highly recommend it.) in a Kelly green superwash merino yarn with neps. And I absolutely adore it! I want to wear it all the time. The yarn is what makes this pattern pop. There is something unique about garter stitch, a looser gauge and shawls that works. This is the perfect marriage of characteristics. It creates a softer, drapier and cozier fabric, making you want to reach for the same shawl to wear again and again.

So now I find myself looking through my Ravelry queue to see what other simple patterns featuring garter stitch, like Rae, are out there to highlight some of my fabulous stash yarn.

And here are the project-yarn pairings which I am considering to make next:

pattern: A Little Ruffle by Jennifer Lang

yarn: Peruvian Highland Tweed

pattern: Trillian by Martina Behm

yarn: Handmaiden's Casbah Sock in Rose Garden

pattern: Study Stripe Shawl by Veera Valimaki

yarn: Isager Strik Alpaca Merino 2

By the way, it looks like I am dangerously close to hitting my 10,000th view! In gratitude, I do believe I will have to host a give-away.. yarn? pattern? To be determined very very soon.

Happy knitting!

Knitting in Movies

As I've mentioned in the past, I love to knit while "watching" a movie. I have been known to watch the same movie (or program from Masterpiece Mystery) over and over and over again just to keep my knitting mojo going. There are a few films I simply cannot get enough of... as soon as the credits appear and the opening music swells, I am transported away from the daily stress to a Knitter's Neverland. Ahh...

Below is a list of movies or television shows which feature knitting.

Love, love, love Myrna Loy in The Thin Man series.

After the Thin Man (1936)
The Women (1939)
Now, Voyager (1942)
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Foul Play (1978)
Miss Marple (all seasons and films from the 1960s to the present)
Enchanted April (1992)
Little Women (1994)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Jane Austen Book Club (2007)
Dan in Real Life (2007)
Upstairs Downstairs (2011)
Call the Midwife (all seasons which began in 2012)

Call the Midwife

Can you think of any more out there? Please share! I am always on the look-out for more film inspiration.

And just for kicks, here is a list of movies that make me want to knit. I don't believe there is a single stitch knit in any of these films, but they each have that certain something that makes me subconsciously reach for my needles. I am easily inspired by the weather (the green hills in Circle of Friends and the rolling waves in Deeply), the music (Cole Porter tunes in Easy Virtue) and the clothes (Mona Lisa Smiles).

Holiday Inn (1942)
White Christmas (1954)
Charade (1963)
Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea (1985, 1987)
Pride and Prejudice (1995)
Persuasion (1995)Circle of Friends (1995)
Deeply (2000)
Gosford Park (2001)
Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
Down With Love (2003)

Miss Potter (2006)

Easy Virtue (2008)
Sense and Sensibility (2008)
Little Dorit (2009)
Downton Abby (2011-present)
Poirot (any show with the great David Suchet)

This list could go on for ages, so I'll stop there. What do you like to watch while knitting?