Masterpiece and a new design: Diamond Transitions Hat

As I've mentioned before, I have started teaching classes at my local yarn store Stash - A place for yarn.  I began with teaching a toe-up afterthought heel sock class, which inspired publishing a sock pattern for my students.  Next request for a class topic was a color work class.  Color work is one of those techniques that often scares people because it looks so difficult but in reality it's not.  When planning for the class, I decided that I wanted to design my own hat pattern to teach from.  I had never designed a chart or a hat pattern but I'm very excited about what came of it.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Diamond Transitions Hat

My finished Project details
Pattern: Diamond Transitions Hat by Natalie Martinez Rush
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight in Currant and Callalilly
Cast on date: Jan 22nd, 2015
Finished date: Jan 27th, 2015
Notes: Ever since I knit the stockings for my family, I have come to love knitting colorwork and how it looks.  I was asked to teach a class and I figured this was the best time to try my hand at designing a hat to teach colorwork with.  I had so much fun playing with this chart!  I really wanted it to transition into another color as I love how that effect looks.  Once the pattern was set in my head and the chart on paper, this hat knit up quickly!  Of course, now little Miss Carmen requested a pink one so while the pattern currently only has a size medium, I will be adding to the pattern as more sizes are fleshed out.  If you buy it now, ravelry will alert you when the pattern is updated!  So excited about how this came out and hope you enjoy knitting it if you choose to!

This pattern can be purchased via Ravelry by visiting this page here or the link below.

The pattern can also be purchased as part of a kit from my local yarn store Stash - a place for yarn.  The kit comes with a copy of the pattern and 2 skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight yarn in the colors of your choice. Special price of $20, plus shipping, US only.  She has a lot of options so please call the shop for further details.

Happy Knitting!

Masterpiece: My stocking completed!

So much has happened in the last almost month since I posted!  The girls had their first trip to Disney, they had their Christmas concert, we celebrated Christmas with family, and packed up our minivan and drove the 16 hrs to visit family!  I have lots of pictures to share but first I wanted to share this VERY special finished project!  Enjoy!

My stocking was completed in time for Christmas!!!!!!  I seriously wanted to shout this from the rooftops!  I already knew that I would be knitting it on the drive up to OH and I was right!  I managed to get all the colorwork done before it got dark and I spent most the overnight drive, that I was awake and not attending to the needs of the others in the car, knitting the stockinette flap.  I knit the icord up quickly before meeting Alicia at a knit group on Saturday morning!  I was so excited to show it off and to be done with it!  It came out lovely!  Still needs to be blocked but am too excited not to share it with you all.

Project details
Ravelry Project link
Pattern: A NEW Family Portrait - A Collection of Three Christmas Stockings by Dorene Delaney Giordano
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Cascade 220® Sport in white and burgundy
Cast on: July 20th, 2014
Finished: December 20th, 2014
Notes:  I am so excited to be done with these stockings! I really enjoyed knitting them and so glad I have learned colorwork.  I still have some technique refining to do but I will have plenty of practice next year.  The yarn worked up nicely for these stockings and I really like the pattern.  She does a great job with giving you plenty of details to help you along.  This was knit relatively quickly but I took a break from it for a while to finish up other stuff so that is why it looks like I took a LONG time to knit this one.

Here are all the stockings laid out at my husband's grandma's house ready for Santa to fill them!

Love these!!

Happy Color-work Knitting!!