{New} Ravelry Picks of the Week

I love trawling Ravelry for new things to heart, queue and generally drool over. There is so much amazing talent out there and each week I am going to select a few of my favourite items to share with you. Feel free to leave me a comment telling me what's catching your eye lately, let's spread the woolly love! 

How serene is this colour palette. Although we are just coming into winter here in the southern hemisphere, these colours make me think of overcast summer days spent by the beach, golden sands stretching for miles and a slightly cool breeze flicking at your hair. That's where I'd rather be.

Clockwise from top left:

Vasa

by Dianna Walla

Pebble Beach Shawl

by Helen Stewart

Palmyre

by Nadia Crétin-Léchenne

Shawl Shrug

by Susanne Sommer

I've just updated my Etsy store with most of my patterns (minus one or two). Although I'd like to imagine every knitter, everywhere is a member of Ravelry, I'm sure some of you aren't. And although non-rav members can still purchase through rav, it is nice to have other options, isn't it. :-)
You can find my Etsy store by clicking right here

Off and racing!

I've been a busy little bee. In the last month I have released not one but two new patterns. You may have seen them already over on Ravelry or facebook but just in case you haven't, allow me to introduce you.

First up we have Bux. Bux came about when I was pondering over the stitch pattern I used in my Wistful Cowl. I have other plans for this very pattern that I keep putting on the back burner, for now. The end result is quite different to my initial sketches. Sometimes designs are like that, they decide what they want to be and I just go along with it. I'm really happy with how this one turned out. When it comes to hats I think the crown is rather like a puzzle that needs to be worked out. I know I can easily just decrease all the stitches quickly for a slouchy hat but I feel that as a designer I need to really work out this puzzle and make the crown come together cohesively and beautifully rather than just bunch together. It's kind of like a personal challenge I guess.
That said, I never anticipated how stunning the crown would look until I had already knit my sample. I'm so pleased with it, did I say that already?

Towards the end of March I also released Inverto. Like Bux, Inverto was also inspired by a previous design of mine, Reversus.
Just like Reversus, Inverto are knit inside out to avoid a zillion purl stitches and the lace panel is worked in purl instead. When they are finished you turn them inside out to reveal the lace panel that sits perfectly across the back of your hand. I used the stunning White Gum Wool 4ply (Hand dyed by Augustbird) for these mitts. The result is a soft-as-kittens and lighter-than-air mitt that is surprisingly warm. Perfect for wearing while knitting or sitting at the computer.

Both patterns are available on Ravelry now.

Making time...

In 2014 I found myself busy with work, kids, school, sports...life. Somehow my knitting time suffered as a result and I was less productive than ever. Some days I find myself giving away my precious time to social media because frankly I'm too tired to actually DO anything else. Then the guilt sets in, do you get that too? The feeling that precious time is slipping away or being stolen by silly online stories or memes or people you probably don't even know so well. It's easy to get caught up in the day to day dramas, get lost in a story or sidetracked by pretty pictures. But then I stop and think what is happening to me? What is happening to this generation of people so reliant on social media that they can't even walk down the street without whipping out their phones.
Are you guilty of succumbing to the seductive lure of the internet? Do you feel like you are losing time or is it your escape?
I think my goal for this year is to take a step back; try a little harder to resist that pull, to be more present in the moment, my own moment, not someone elses.

Back in December I did this crazy thing. I released a new pattern and co-hosted a knit-along on ravelry with fellow designer Paula Henley of Koru Designs Aotearoa. December is always crazy around here so I have no idea what I was thinking taking on this massive task. We got there in the end and it was loads of fun and we had a tonne of support from local dyers and craftspeople who donated amazing prizes to give away. At the time I also got in contact with Susannah from WOOLganics. You see, the new pattern I mentioned, Zaheera, was specifically designed for the velvety soft WOOLganic yarn. With a high neckline I wanted to make sure the yarn used was cat-belly soft and non-itchy because I know how much kids hate itchy things near their sweet little necks.
So I had this thought, how fun would it be if I could give away not only a copy of the pattern, but also the yarn to knit it with too. Susannah thought this was a great idea and has generously offered to donate two prize packs consisting of four balls of WOOLganic organic merino 8ply (DK) in the winner's choice of colour. That is enough to knit the largest size Zaheera with leftovers!
I will be running the giveaway over on my facebook page, so please pop over to my page for more info. But before you do, leave me a comment telling me what you hope to improve in your life this year.

Happy Knitting.