"Shading" Version for Fall I recently participated in a KAL where the challenge was to use multiple colors of yarn to created a "fade" effect. I immediately thought of my pattern "Shading" from my book Reversible Scarves: Curing the Wrong Side Blues . Juniper Moon's luscious alpaca yarn, Herriot was incredibly soft and nice to work with! I used 8 different shades to "fade" from deep red to a subtle dark green. I'll have plenty left over to make mittens and a hat. You can see the color progression here: The garter stitch pattern paired with the lofty baby alpaca yarn makes for a very warm and inviting scarf. I love how soft it is around my neck! The scarf is work lengthwise, with the yarn cut at the end of each row to use to make fringe. I cut the fringe to 7" lengths - it looks balanced with the rest of the scarf. What I rediscovered making this reversible scarf is that it is so versatile! It would be easy to make this for any season, using thicker or thinner yarn depending on the weather. It's fun to choose colors that will blend the way you like and to adjust the number of rows you knit to create just the right width.

Some of my readers who liked the Lucy Vest that I designed for my TKGA Hand Knitting Program have inquired about the pattern. I'm happy to say it is now available! The Lucy Vest uses an easy-to-memorize ribbed eyelet stitch pattern. Careful attention to detail includes a V-neck which flows out from the center rib. Strategically-placed decreases in the ribbed armhole and neck trim add shaping and cause the ribbing to lie flat. The pattern uses the lovely Zara yarn from Filitura di Crosa. It's the perfect choice for great stitch definition! I also chose it because it comes in a large range of colors. The pattern offers seven sizes, from a finished bust of 30" to 55.5". The vest is meant to be worn with 1-3" ease. It's available on Ravelry or below through my AudKnits Pattern Store : Lucy Vest - $4.99 - Many thanks to Gale Zucker for the wonderful photography. I just love the top image - it's perfect for this time of year when we're all loving the corn from our local vegetable stands! - Resources: Filatura di Crosa Zara yarn Gale Zucker Photography (all images here © galezucker / AudKnits LLC) The Knitting Guild Association (TKGA): This is a fantastic organization. I have learned so much by being a member, and LOVE their Cast On magazine.

For me, one of the most fun and challenging parts of Level 2 of The Knitting Guild Association's (TKGA) Master Hand Knitting Program was the vest project. The requirement was simply to knit a vest, demonstrating our ability to use finishing techniques. We could use an existing pattern as written, modify an existing pattern, or design our own. You probably know me well enough by now to guess which option I chose. Yes, as if completing Level 2 wasn't difficult enough, I had to go and design a brand new pattern from scratch. Hence, the Lucy Vest, which I named after my beautiful and talented friend who was kind enough to model it. What I enjoyed about designing it was incorporating little details that I've learned along the way to make a finished garment really attractive. I took a Melissa Leapman workshop one time where she talked about how to design necklines so they flowed out of the center pattern. I like the results here. (Thank you, Melissa!) I added details into the instructions that I think help make for a nice fitting and polished looking vest. Ribbing along the sides makes the vest flattering to wear. On the neck and armhole trim, I used what I learned in the TKGA program to place strategic decreases to make the ribbing lie flat. All in all, I'm happy with the Lucy Vest. I'll be offering it as a pattern soon. As always, I want to thank TKGA for providing so much education! Oh, BTW....Don't forget to leave a comment on the blog post for my Wild West eBooks Giveaway for a chance to win all five of Stephannie Tallent's Wild West eBooks!

I love getting to be on hand for photo shoots of my designs. I do have a tendency to fret like a mother hen, and I'm fortunate to work with people who have patience! We were soooooo lucky to use the fantastic Old Edna Townsite for Saturday's session. Set in the Edna Valley Wine country, just south of San Luis Obispo, it's a collection of historic buildings lovingly restored by "The Mayor" of the town, Pattea Torrence. For out-of-towners there is a beautiful, restored farmhouse and adorably cozy cottage available to rent as part of a "farmstay" vacation. Wouldn't it be fun to hang out in 2 acres of an old town? My hat is off to Pattea for having the vision and considerable talent to create such a unique and character-filled place. Not every rooster gets his own toy dump trucks to play with Thank you, Pattea, for your kindness! - Colleen Rosenthal shot our lovely model Ali Peters, wearing some accessories that I'll be publishing soon. Cassandra Evangelho kept us all organized and the outfits styled to a tee! I'm grateful to be part of a talented team who work well together and spend most of the time laughing. - Resources: Old Edna Suite Edna Farmhouse Vacation Rental Colleen Rosenthal Photography Cassandra Evangelho, stylist and co-owner of Evaneal

Do you have my Reversible Scarves book, and wish that you had accessories to match the scarves? The new year will bring new designs that will do just that. I will be releasing mitten, hat and/or sock designs that will go with the lovely scarves you're making. The accessories will not be reversible (after all, who needs reversible socks, right?) but will complement the reversible scarves. Here's a sneak peek: Anybody want to guess which scarf pattern these mittens and hat go with? - Photography by Gale Zucker

I had a blast playing with color combinations to come up with a Fall variation for the "Bold Stripes" scarf from my Reversible Scarves book. As you can see, I had a Spring color palette in mind when I designed the original "Bold Stripes" scarf for the book. Quite the transformation, isn't it! I love Rowan Felted Tweed DK. In case you'd like to make one of your own, here are the colors I used to replace the ones called for in the pattern: A: 154 Ginger B: 150 Rage C: 151 Bilberry D: 161 Avocado E: 145 Treacle F: 160 Gilt - Spring palette photo from book by Caro Sheridan

Design Process Archives

Shades of Fall Scarf

"Shading" Version for Fall I recently participated in a KAL where the challenge was to use multiple colors of [...]

By AudKnits|2019-10-29T14:22:15-04:00September 15th, 2019|Book, Design Process, Scarf|0 Comments

Designer Camaraderie – Patty Nance

One of the things I’m most grateful for in my knitting world is getting to know other designers. While at [...]

By AudKnits|2018-02-24T21:36:15-05:00February 24th, 2018|Cowls, Design Process, Events, Friends|0 Comments

First Project of 2017

First Project of 2017

I almost got it done in time for Christmas....instead it has turned into my first completed project of 2017. This [...]

By AudKnits|2018-01-19T20:58:17-05:00January 4th, 2017|Design Process, Hats, Patterns, Projects|0 Comments

Lucy Vest Pattern 1

Some of my readers who liked the Lucy Vest that I designed for my TKGA Hand Knitting Program have inquired [...]

By AudKnits|2018-01-19T19:57:34-05:00August 21st, 2015|Design Process, Patterns, Vest|0 Comments

Introducing Lucy

For me, one of the most fun and challenging parts of Level 2 of The Knitting Guild Association's (TKGA) Master [...]

By AudKnits|2018-01-19T19:58:07-05:00August 7th, 2015|Design Process, Master Knitters Program, Projects, Vest|3 Comments

“Mixer” Accessories Are Up

An enthusiastic fan of my book Reversible Scarves: Curing the Wrong Side Blues asked whether I could design some mittens [...]

By AudKnits|2018-01-19T19:59:05-05:00January 30th, 2015|Book, Design Process, Gloves & Mittens, Hats, Patterns, Scarf|0 Comments

Old Edna Photo Shoot

I love getting to be on hand for photo shoots of my designs. I do have a tendency to fret [...]

By AudKnits|2018-01-19T19:59:20-05:00January 26th, 2015|Design Process, Gloves & Mittens, Hats, Patterns, Projects, Scarf|1 Comment

Matchy-Matchy

Do you have my Reversible Scarves book, and wish that you had accessories to match the scarves? The new year will [...]

By AudKnits|2018-01-19T19:59:29-05:00January 6th, 2015|Book, Design Process, Gloves & Mittens, Hats, Projects|1 Comment

2015: Resolution-free New Year. Sort Of.

I hope everyone's New Year is off to a good start. I have some fun plans, knitting and design-wise, for [...]

By AudKnits|2018-01-19T19:59:32-05:00January 2nd, 2015|Design Process|0 Comments

Stripes for Fall

I had a blast playing with color combinations to come up with a Fall variation for the "Bold Stripes" [...]

By AudKnits|2018-01-19T20:00:15-05:00October 20th, 2014|Book, Design Process, Patterns, Projects, Scarf|0 Comments