There is something so sweet about sweaters this small. It makes me miss my daughter when she was a baby. Now she is all big and her sweaters take much longer to knit.

I made this Playful Stripes sample for a temporary display at my new local yarn shop and eventually for another trunk show.

This is a size 6 months so it was very fast and fun to knit.

This time I broke out of my Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino comfort zone and knit this up in Blue Sky Alpaca Sport and Melange instead. The Melange and Sport are the same weight and put up. The Melange however offers up beautiful heathered colorways. Both are 100% baby alpaca.

It may not be as practical for a baby but it sure is gorgeous in this yarn.

So warm and soft.

I love these fall colors together. If you want to copy me, I wont mind. Here are the colors I used:

Blue Sky Alpacas Sport in color #504 Light Tan

Melange in color #800 Cornflower

Melange in color #814 Pumpernickel

Melange in color #806 Salsa

Melange in color #807 Dijon

While I was knitting this I was thinking about how much these colors would lend themselves to a little boys sweater as well. I think that the Playful Stripes could definitely work for a baby boy. I would simply change the picot borders to a rolled Stockinette st hem to make it less girly.

Pattern available HERE.

AlanaOctober 11, 2010 Comments

Knitcircus Magazine Drawing Giveaway

Would you like to try Knitcircus patterns?

Enter to win the Knitcircus Magazine Drawing Giveaway by leaving a comment

(with contact information) under this post.

There will be 6 winners chosen!

The grand prize is one years subscription of Knitcircus!

Five additional winners will be chosen to win the special Knitcircus Gifts pattern collection.

Click HERE to visit the Knitcircus site.

Listen to my latest podcast episode to learn what Knitcircus is all about!

Winners will be announced October 15. Please check back then to see if you've won!

Drawing is now closed!

Winners are: cksknitter, Christi, Cindy M, Janeen Puckett, and Ursa!
Grand prize goes to Pretentious Wombat!

Congratulations!

AlanaOctober 3, 2010 Comments

NeverNotKnitting Podcast : Episode 41 : The Birth Of A Knitter

Episode 41

Shownotes:

Knitcircus Magazine

New Printed Patterns!

Jill Zielinski Designs

Knitterella

Pattern Stockists

Shawl Collared Cowl

Example of Hazardous Scarves

Misti Alpaca Chunky

Jimmy Beans Wool Landscape Collection

Knitted Monsters

Second Frukttradgard Hat

Madelinetosh Dk in Olivia- SO pretty!

About Knitcircus Magazine

Knitcircus Interview with Cat Bordhi

Knitcircus Interview with Amanda Soule

Knitcircus Interview with Sally Melville

Knitcircus Pattern Shop

Subscribe to Knitcircus

Cami on Ravelry

Cami's Knitting Blog

The Never Not Knitting Ravelry Group

Follow me on Twitter

Use the "Buy Now" buttons below to purchase the Gift and Fall pattern collections for a discounted price.

This offer is only available to the Never Not Knitting podcast listeners and blog readers.

Offer ends November 1.

Check back for a Knitcircus Drawing Giveaway! Ill be posting that soon!

Please click here to directly download

Episode 41

AlanaOctober 1, 2010Nevernotknitting Podcast Comments

Winner of the Never Not Knitting Printed Pattern Drawing Giveaway

Thank you to everyone who entered the drawing for my new printed pattern set!

The response was unbelievable! There were over 800 entries!

I am happy to announce that the winner is......

Nancy n Paul! Congratulations!

If you didn't win, not to worry!

There will be plenty more pattern giveaways happening around the blogosphere.

I will be announcing all future drawings in the Never Not Knitting ravelry group.

AlanaSeptember 30, 2010 Comments

It's That Time Again!

It's podcasting season!

Please join me October 1 for the beginning of Season 5 of the Never Not Knitting podcast.

I've been planning this season for the past few months and its going to be a great 10 episodes!

This season will be full of special guests!

Look forward to hearing from many of your favorite designers and book authors, great giveaways,

and a few surprises too!

It's going to be a lot of fun!

AlanaSeptember 28, 2010 Comments

Two Tiny Chloe Sweaters

This past week or so has been spent knitting up these two
little samples of my Chloe sweater pattern for girls.

One is for one of my trunk shows and the other is being displayed at a new local yarn shop.

These three colors of Spud and Chloe Sweater yarn look so sweet and girlish together. Sort of like a lollipop or similar stripey candy. I love all of Spud and Chloe's colorways. Its so fun picking three to go together.

These colors that I chose are named Watermelon, Popsicle, and Ice Cream.

Hmm.. now that I think about it, I may have picked these colors when I was hungry.

They do sound delicious don't they?

To make a Chloe sweater you only need 1 skein of each colorway. These two samples are in the 6 month size and I have more than enough to make a third. Granted, this is a small size, but it really doesn't take that much of each color to create this piece.

I definitely think this sweater would be a great way to use up some partial skeins of worsted weight that you might have lying around.

I picked up some hand painted ladybug buttons for the sweaters and I think that they compliment quite nicely.

It was fun revisiting this design. The last time I knit this is when I designed this little sweater over a year ago. While knitting it I remembered all that I love about it. It is soo quick to make!

I'm sure you could knit a small size in one day if you really wanted to.

Also I think its a great garment addition for this time of year. I for one live in a climate that is sporadically cold and then scorching hot. It's truly bizarre and you have no idea what to expect day to day.

Additionally, when it is insanely hot during the day it also cools down quite a bit in the evenings.

A little sweater like Chloe is a great layering piece for my daughter. Just a little layer of extra warmth on her tiny body.... Similar to a vest. Only its really cute and girly and looks simply adorable over a little dress.. or tank top. And vests just don't work in that way. You know?

Also Chloe is very simple to take on and off as the weather changes.

Pattern available here.

AlanaSeptember 25, 2010 Comments

Pretending Winter

The other day my four year old decided to "pretend winter"
with her winter coat and my drawer of hand knits.

It was all so cute and uncoordinated that I had to snap some pictures.

Here she is wearing some of the knits that I made awhile back now. I forgot I had some of these items!

I'm thinking that the Laurel beret looks way cuter on her than it ever did on me.

She wasn't the only one who was ready for winter weather though...

These dollies were quite cozy in my knitted hats.

Here is the full "Pretending Winter" ensemble. Doesn't everyone look so ~~overheated~~ happy and warm....

...in the 90 degree summer heat?

AlanaSeptember 23, 2010 Comments

Never Not Knitting Printed Pattern Drawing Giveaway

This is a drawing to win all 13 of my newly printed patterns! The complete new pattern line.

Please leave a comment (with contact information) under this blog post to enter to win!

I will be announcing one winner on September 30th, 2010,

please check back then to see if you have won!

In your comment, please tell me what your favorite item is to knit.

Is it children's wear? Shawls? Socks? Hats? Underwear?

Whatever it is. Your comments will help me to determine what types of things to design in the future.

Gain an additional entry by posting this phrase from your Twitter account.

" I entered to win the Never Not Knitting Printed Pattern Drawing Giveaway at nevernotknitting.com! @nevernotknittin You should enter too! "

Thank you for all of your kind comments about my brand new printed patterns!

If you would like to see them carried in a shop near you,

please direct your local yarn shop owner to contact me at nevernotknitting@gmail.com.

AlanaSeptember 16, 2010 Comments

Never Not Knitting Patterns- A Closer Look

Like I previously mentioned, I'm ecstatic about my new pretty pattern line!

Here are a few photos that I would like to share with you because I love them.

I have been working on this redesign for a year and these patterns have become like my little paper children.

You must bear with me.

I am one proud Mama.

As you can see each pattern is different but follows the same beautiful theme. Scrapbook pages!

Yes, each pattern is designed to look like layered scrapbook paper complete with paper clips and photo corners, which give the pages dimension and interest.

I love seeing all the patterns together. It really does resemble scrapbook paper don't you think?

All of my patterns are now printed on glossy card stock in a brochure style format which really makes them look professional.

Additionally each pattern includes original illustrations and hand drawn sizing schematics.

I feel like this makes the patterns extra special and unique.

Below you will find a little collage of some of the illustrations you may come across.

So.. bottom line. These are not your ordinary knitting patterns.

When you open one, you step into a themed little scrapbook paper world.

Each pattern is its own unique work of art.

I wanted the illustrations and backgrounds to make the designs come alive to the knitter.

I think that they are so much fun and I hope you will too!

(Remember that the printed patterns are only sold through yarn shops. Please check here for a stockist in your area.)

None of this would have been possible without the help of Tana,

my wonderful technical editor and 2 very talented graphic artists.

Thank you so much Michelle and Jill!

Aside from graphic design, you may already know Jill Zielinski from the Knitterella blog. She designs the cutest knitting themed tags and notecards, you must check her out! She was the designer behind my Molly, Chloe, Spring Garden Tee, and Amelie patterns and did a wonderful job!

Michelle is not yet a knitter (I am holding out hope), and for that I give her an unbelievable amount of credit! Figuring out how to layout knitting patterns while not being familiar with them is hard work. She was very patient and I appreciate that so much!

Michelle is responsible for my lovely scrapbook theme and was the artist behind the majority of my patterns. Thank you Michelle!

I will be posting up a drawing giveaway within the next few days for my complete new printed pattern line.

So be sure to check back soon so that you can enter!

AlanaSeptember 14, 2010 Comments

Patterns Are Here!

In other news...

My patterns have arrived! 6,500 patterns to be exact!!!

What patterns you ask? Well.. behind the scenes here I've been a very busy girl.

When I first started designing patterns I didn't know what to expect. I had no idea if anyone would even buy one! So I started small. With the exception of a technical editor, I did everything myself. And it was.. "okay".

Well.. Its been a couple of years now and the response to my patterns

has been overwhelming to say the least and I thank you so much for all of your support!

I felt the need to go bigger and better. My business was expanding greatly and I wanted a pattern line that I could really be proud of.

Over this past year, with the help of some amazing graphic designers and a fabulous technical editor, I have had the layout of the existing Never Not Knitting patterns redesigned and now professionally printed as well.

They are so pretty and I can't tell you how excited I am about them!

They are very special and unique and I'll be sharing more information about them in a future blog post!

I will still be offering pdf downloads of all my patterns on my blog, but as always the printed patterns will only be sold through yarn shops. Find the list of my pattern stockists here.

Now the question is.. Where exactly am I going to store 6,500 patterns in my tiny house?

AlanaSeptember 12, 2010 Comments

Adelaide Is Back

My favorite baby knitwear model, Adelaide, is back and just as cute as ever!

She came over today to model some more 6 month size trunk show samples.

I just love seeing how these knits look on little ones like her.

The photo shoot started out well with Adelaide happily modeling the Very Cherry dress.

She is cute and smiley but very wiggly. This is one of the only shots I got of her that wasn't blurry.

She is constantly wanting to crawl away. I have a new found appreciation for baby photographers.

It is not easy.

Her Mom had a great idea in giving her some yarn to play with.

This kept her occupied so that I could successfully shoot some pictures of her in the

coordinating Playful Stripes sweater.

Seeing handknits layered over handknits makes me very happy.

Things turned a little sour when we tried to take some pictures outside sans the ball of yarn.

She was so disappointed. And I felt bad.

Her mom calls this the "old man face".

(No offense to any old men who may be reading this blog.)

It's so pathetic isn't it? I just couldn't live with the guilt.

That tantalizing ball of yarn was returned and Adelaide discovered

that it is not just fun to play with. Yarn also tastes good.

Really good.

I have to tell you, I am really quite enamored with this tiny Playful Stripes sweater.

It was knit for me by Andrea from the Life on Laffer blog and the color combination and tininess of it is just too cute.

This may be my favorite of all the children's designs, I don't know. I just like how versatile this sweater is.

Adelaide's mom who is a non knitter remarked how well the sweater would go with many different outfits. That is so true.

I never expected this little dress and sweater to go together so well,

but I really think that it makes for a surprisingly cute little outfit.

Thank you again to Adelaide for being such a good sport,

and also to Deirdre who did a fabulous job knitting up the Very Cherry dress for me.

The Playful Stripes sweater pattern can be found here.

The Very Cherry dress pattern can be found here.

AlanaSeptember 9, 2010 Comments

Second Trunk Show.. DONE!

Thanks to my fabulous sample knitters, I am happy to report that my second set of pattern samples is now complete!

I now have two trunk shows traveling around the US and hopefully will have another added by next month.

Please check the trunk show schedule to see if it will be appearing at a yarn shop near you!

I don't know about you, but I love seeing knits in person. Sometimes patterns that you would never consider quickly become a must knit item when you are able to try them on and see how they look on you.

This has happened to me time and time again when a friend is knitting a pattern.

Once I start seeing it knit up I am all of the sudden in love. I guess you could call it "project coveting".

Then of course I then have to knit it too. Many things I have made have been a result from knitting jealousy. :)

In addition to the second trunk show, I also have added these fabulous tags to adorn each sample.

They were designed by Jill Zielinski from the knitterella blog and they are so pretty!

AlanaSeptember 8, 2010 Comments

Amazing Lily

I'd like to share with you this lovely version of my Adult Spring Garden Tee pattern knit

(and modeled) by Lily of the Joli House blog for my trunk show display.

I have to just say this about Lily. I am so impressed with her. If you are not familiar with her blog, then start visiting it now.

It's a great blog with great projects and photos from both Lily and her talented mom, Amanda. Both of them knit beautifully and the photography is great! It's one of my favorite knitting blogs and I visit often.

But this Lily. She is certainly something. Not only is she one awesome knitter. But she designs her own patterns too!

(Click here to see) AND.... this is so insanely cool because she is only...

12 YEARS OLD!!!!!!

Are you as impressed as I am?

I just wish that I was this pretty and talented at 12.

I'm certain that my memories of Junior High School would be much less painful. :)

This Lily is certainly one to watch. I'm expecting her to have her own yarn line at 18 if not sooner. :)

She is way ahead of the game and well.. she just amazes me.

I think that she did a lovely job knitting up this tee for me and it fits her perfectly.

I had her knit it up out of Sirdar Baby Bamboo yarn in the Ming colorway.

I chose this yarn as an alternative to the Be Sweet Bamboo that the pattern calls for because it is widely available, very cost effective and is even machine washable! It's commonly used for baby garments for these exact reasons.

Since this yarn is 80% bamboo it still offers the wonderful drape that I am looking for to accentuate this piece.

Thank you again Lily!

You can find the Adult Sized Spring Garden Tee pattern here.

AlanaSeptember 2, 2010 Comments

Classy Cosette

I would like to share with you this beautiful version of my Cosette pattern knit

for the Never Not Knitting trunk show by Preeti of the Rambling Roses blog.

Thank you Preeti!

The Madelinetosh Tosh Merino yarn that this pattern calls for can be hard to come by since it is in such high demand. It's a wonderful yarn and its not hard to figure out why it is so popular. Time and time again I search for this yarn in a certain colorway only to find my favorite online shops claiming that it is "back ordered" once again.

If this has been your experience, no need to fret. The above sample looks surprisingly similar to the original, yes? The amazing thing is that the body of this piece is not Madelinetosh Merino but Dream in Color Classy! Yes, the Strange Harvest colorway in Classy is nearly identical to the Madtosh Olivia colorway! Don't you agree?

I love this colorway so much. It might be my favorite. I'm so happy to know of an alternate.

With the weather getting a bit cooler, I've been thinking of this design more and more. It's perfect for Fall. Also I have been obsessing over making a lace weight or sock weight version for myself. I was inspired after seeing THIS project on Ravelry.

Why didn't I think of that??

AlanaAugust 30, 2010 Comments

Rowan Cocoon Cowl

Recently I have been receiving back garments from my test knitters practically every day!

I have been getting many of my patterns knit up for a second and third trunk show.

This way the yarn shops don't have to wait so long to display the garments.

I wish that I could do all of the knitting myself, but it's a huge job.

It's been nice receiving help with the task.

I have to admit that its kind of fun giving someone a pile of yarn

and receiving a nice neat finished garment in the mail soon thereafter.

It's like instant knitting. And its great.

And have I mentioned that it's also been a great way for me to use up some of my stash yarn?

Here is another Shawl Collared Cowl knit by my friend CeRae.

This cowl is knit out of Rowan Cocoon yarn.

This yarn's mohair content gives the fabric a slightly fuzzy texture.

The rustic wood buttons that she chose really set off the cowl nicely.

I really like the way this looks.

Another yarn that would give a similar look would be Lamb's Pride Bulky.

But I'll let you knit that. Mohair doesn't like me much. :)

AlanaAugust 26, 2010 Comments

Another Fruktträdgård

Because one just wasn't enough.

I'm afraid this blog post is terribly overdue.

I completed and gifted this second Frukttradgard hat to my friend weeks ago now!

I learned with this project that there is something to be said for knitting the same pattern twice. It went much more quickly and smoothly the second time. It was a wonderfully relaxing knit.

And the great news is.. I even saw my friend wearing it the other night.

When I actually see my gifted knits in use, (Which doesn't happen often) it is so exciting! When I find someone appreciative of my hand knits, I want to do nothing but knit them things for the rest of my life.

Seeing my knits being loved and worn brings me great satisfaction as a knitter.

I knitted this one out of Road to China light in the aquamarine colorway. Pretty isn't it?

AlanaAugust 23, 2010 Comments

Shawl Collared Cowl

My latest pattern is now available!

Get ready for Autumn with the Shawl Collared Cowl! A simple idea with an added twist.

I think that shawl collars are so flattering and they keep your neck very warm. Since a cowl's sole purpose is to keep your neck warm, I think its a wonderful pairing. It's both practical and attractive.

Also, I love buttons. And since this cowl only takes 3, its a perfect way for you to

show off some special buttons that you have been saving.

As you can see from the below photos, this piece can be worn a few different ways.

I think it looks wonderful under a jacket.

Or here is an example of the collar worn flipped out rather than folded down.

This cowl is knit with bulky yarn and only takes a few evenings to finish.

I think it would make a great quick-to-knit gift!

Will Autumn come already so that I can wear mine?

Here is some pattern information for those of you interested in making a

Shawl Collared Cowl of your very own:

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Length: approx 26.5 inches from end to end after blocking

Width: measures approx 10 inches at deepest point of center including unfolded collar.

MATERIALS

Misti Alpaca Chunky [100% Baby Alpaca; 108 yd/99m per 100g skein]; color: 683; 2 skeins or approx 175 yds of a chunky weight alpaca or alpaca blend.

1# US #8/5mm needle

1# US #9/5.5mm needle

Safety pin stitch marker

Tapestry needle

3 medium to large buttons and matching sewing thread

GAUGE

20 sts/32 rows = 4" in garter stitch on size 9 needles or size needed for accurate gauge.

This pattern calls for the use of short rows, which seems to be a technique that I am using more and more in my patterns. I just love them. Once you get the hang of them, they are very easy. The pattern contains detailed instructions for how to execute this technique.

One great thing is that the short rows all fall in the garter stitch section of the collar. So there is no need to pick up and knit your wraps later. That saves a lot of time.

This pattern was knit out of Misti Alpaca Chunky which if you haven't used before, is wonderful wonderful stuff! Its super soft and cushy and WARM. This color that is pictured is called Cimarron. I didn't plan this, but doesn't this color perfectly match the models eyes and hair? Wow, didn't that coordinate well!

Misti Alpaca also comes in a variety of lovely handpainted colors as well.

I think that the color Pride Rock (found here) is especially gorgeous for autumn!

I think that the cowl would look equally beautiful in a multicolored yarn because the stitches are simple so it wouldn't be too overwhelming.

Thank you again to Julie Crawford from www.knittedbliss.com for doing such an awesome job on modeling this cowl for me!

Here is a picture of the pattern layout. As you can see, I am ready for Fall! :)

This pattern is now available in French. Click here for the French translation.

AlanaAugust 16, 2010 Comments

New Pattern Preview!

Here's a little glimpse at a new pattern I have coming out shortly.

Its a quick to knit small item that is soft, squishy and very warm!

This is going to be a great item to knit and wear for autumn.

I cant wait until it gets cold enough out to wear mine!

Get your needles ready! :)

AlanaAugust 11, 2010 Comments