I'm still working on that sweater-coat design I mentioned previously. Only now it is far less cabled. I had to make a tough decision to edit my design and rip out an entire huge section which was painful for me to say the least. Even though I hated to do it, I feel like the sweater is much more refined and elegant now and I like it so much more than I did previously. It was worth it in the end.

All I have left to figure out is the hood, which I am excited and nervous about. I have never put a hood on one of my sweaters before! 

Although this sweater-coat is a bit plain looking from the front, it has a little "secret something" about it that I think you will love. Stay tuned to find out what it is. This sweater pattern will be appearing in 

Botanical Knits Volume 2!

This week, two tiny 25-week twin baby girls were born to friends of ours. 

Only 1.5 pounds each at birth.

I'm glad to hear that so far they are doing well, but this doesn't stop the worry.

I felt compelled to show our friends how much we are thinking of them and their two tiny girls in the best way I know how. Handknits.

I knit up these little preemie hats to help keep them warm in the hospital. Each has their initial embroidered on a fabric heart and appliqued onto the knitted fabric. Each hat only took me... about 'a minute' to make, which further impressed upon my mind how truly tiny these little babies really are.

I hope that these little hats bring this poor family a bit of comfort in what I am only imagining is an extremely stressful and emotional time. 

I am so happy to be the last stop on the Icelandic Handknits blog tour and to be able to share this beautiful book with all of you.

 Icelandic Handknits is a collection of knitting patterns inspired by handknitted artifacts from the Textile Museum in Iceland. Each piece perfectly represents the rich culture, history, and knitting heritage that Iceland is known for.

In addition to the patterns, the book contains bits of Icelandic history, a comprehensive section explaining the traditional knitting techniques, and stunning photography that makes me want to hop on a plane headed to Iceland... immediately.

Yes. Please.

There is quite a variety of traditional Icelandic patterns available...

But the ones in particular that caught my eye were this amazing hat...

... and the gorgeous floral design on this blanket.

It is a beautiful book indeed. A wonderful look into Iceland and it's knitting culture.

Click HERE to learn more about the author Helene, this book, and Icelandic knitting. 

(And.. be sure to visit this page to learn about her upcoming tour of the textile museum!)

Icelandic Handknits is available in bookstores worldwide or on Amazon, but

leave a comment below by June 1 to enter to win a copy of your very own! :)

Please remember to include your contact information so that I can get in touch if you have been selected as the winner. Only one comment per person please. 

Drawing Now Closed. Winner is "bowie" on Ravelry. Congratulations! :)

Just yesterday, a big truck pulled up outside of our office and dropped off 10 huge pallets of Botanical Knits books. 

As I looked at the shipment in its entirety I was super excited of course, but honestly also a bit afraid.

"Uh oh.. what have I gotten myself into?"

I have never before ordered this quantity of books before, and the sheer amount of them was quite daunting.

Fortunately within a few hours, with the help of friends and family, we were able to fill up all of the spare corners of our office space and get the entire shipment inside.

Now is the fun part. I have been enjoying packaging up each little book and getting it ready to put in the mail to all of you who have pre-ordered. For each package I put together, I think about the knitter who will be receiving it. I hope that you all really enjoy it. :)

It's going to take us awhile to package up all of these orders, so I am going to extend the pre-order promotion a little while longer. Everyone who places their order through May 15th will receive the digital version of Botanical Knits along with the special pre-order extras.

Click HERE to place your order.

Thanks again everyone! :)

While I am anxiously awaiting the shipment of Botanical Knits books to arrive from the printery, I have been busy working away on a new design project. This time a hooded sweater-coat out of the very warm 

Felted Tweed Aran yarn by Rowan.

This colorway is called Pebble and it is beautiful in its simplicity.

I love the halo of the alpaca content and the little flecks of blue. 

This particular project is taking awhile, but I am plugging away at it stitch by stitch.

I am especially excited about these textured sections featuring a cabled stitch pattern of my own design.

Over the weekend, we stumbled upon this beautiful little creek nearby and snapped some photos of my newest design.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from that evening.

What can I say? I can't seem to stop designing berets with intricate, leafy stitch patterns. I just love them. They are so much fun to knit!

Remember, this is the pattern that will be included in the book shipments in May for everyone who 

pre-orders my latest book Botanical Knits. This design will not be seen again until it reappears in 

Botanical Knits Volume 2 at a later date! :)

Today I received something exciting in the mail!

Advanced copies of Botanical Knits from the printery!

The entire print run won't arrive until May, but it feels so good to be able to hold and look through the book in real life.. right now. 

I AM SO HAPPY WITH IT,  :)

I wanted to take this opportunity to say how much I appreciate everyone who has pre-ordered this book.

These advanced orders really really help self publishers like myself. Knowing what the demand for a book will be before it is printed allows us to make informed decisions about the quantities.

As a special thank you for your support.. I had a little something extra made up for those of you who 

have or will pre-order.

This special sheet of sticky page markers!

Each of these little leaves peel up and stick nicely to the pages with adhesive on one corner. These are perfect little bookmarks for marking your place in the book, keeping track of your favorite designs, or even marking what chart row you are currently working on.

 It's a fun extra special addition that I hope you will love! :)

Last but not least... I would like to reward those who have pre-ordered with an exclusive, extra, botanically inspired pattern. Here is a quick sneak peek. :)

This pattern will be shipping out with the book orders. It is exclusive to those who have pre-ordered at this time, but will also be included in another book at a later date...

Have I mentioned that I am working on a sequel? :)

Thanks everyone so much again so all of your amazing support for this project. I look forward so much to when these books arrive in May so that I can ship them out to you along with these fun extras.

Pre-orders have not ended yet, so there is still time! 

You can pre-order your copy of Botanical Knits HERE.

I have 100 "hexipuffs" now complete and I am over a quarter of the way done with my Beekeepers Quilt!

 Getting to 100 took longer than expected for two reasons...

Firstly, I learned that knitting hexipuffs every available minute caused me major shoulder pain and stiffness. I don't know if it was the tiny needles or what, but it got to the point where I could no longer lift my arms without shooting pain in my back, shoulders and arms. 

It was a hard decision.. choosing between hexipuffs and range of motion... but in the end, pain management won out and I had to set aside my wonderful little knitted puffs for a time.

Secondly. I have been SO busy. 

Between releasing Botanical Knits for pre-order and two trade shows in February, I have had little time for personal knitting. I have also started up design work again which I am really excited about.

I plan on continuing on with my Beekeepers Quilt slowly but surely. A little bit here and there.

I am hoping to have it complete before next winter. These "hexipuffs" will make a great, portable little project through the summer months.

So many of you have left really nice comments about the photography in the new book. Thank you!

I thought it would be fun to give you an inside look into the life of Carlee Tatum, the main photographer of Botanical Knits and the talent behind these gorgeous photos. I asked her a series of questions about her work and life and here is what she had to say...

My name is Carlee Tatum I am a twenty something year old obsessed with my cats, in love with my husband, and always photographing something.

What I love most about being a photographer is the experiences that come along with it. When you really start moving forward into the photography/blogging world you get to meet a lot of people and experience things that you may not get to at other times. You learn so much about others and it has really helped me to grow and even step slightly out of my comfort zone. I have learned that there really is no such thing as being an introverted photographer. (as much as I may have wanted to be) It's a very exciting and busy life, and I love it. 

I have somewhat always been obsessed with cameras for some reason that I could never really describe. The first camera I purchased was an automatic point-and-shoot I bought off my eldest sister for 75 bucks. That camera was like pure gold to me, I took it with me everywhere I went and still have it to this day. My sisters have always been very supportive of me, I managed to even get them every now and again to dress up and let me take photos of them. I liked pretending I was doing a photo shoot for a big magazine. To me it was just something fun to do. As I kept growing up I realized the point and shoot wasn't going to do me justice anymore and I day dreamed of owning an actual camera. For my first year wedding anniversary, my family all chipped in and surprised me with a Canon Rebel XS. From then on I still didn't really think much about wanting to become a photographer or what was going to happen next, I just wanted to play. So I did just that and before I knew it people were asking me to do photo shoots for them. I guess I still don't really know what inspired me to start taking pictures. There is just an unexplained high from photographing something beautiful, whatever that may be, and letting others see it how you do.

There really isn't one particular thing i enjoy photographing, it always tends to change as to what I am interested in at the time or how I feel. I enjoy nature quite a bit though, capturing something delicate even if its just a weed. Then again as I look at my previous photos my cat manages to be center of attention. 

 I started "Pretty Minded" mostly out of curiosity. I was watching a lot of other woman as their websites were coming to life and their stories, ideas, and thoughts being heard. When I started out I didn't really think much of it. Originally "Pretty Minded" was just something I wanted to experiment with, but before I knew it I fell in love with blogging and sharing my photography. It gave me a chance to meet so many wonderful people from a variety of places. I am so thankful for my curiosity.

 I am always dipping my hand into a variety of things. Besides photography, I love painting and sewing, I typically always have some kind of craft or project i am working on. 

As for the future I'm not one for planning, I am one of those people who takes things as they come. I do hope to expand "Pretty Minded" and am currently planning on a few new features. 

Thank you Carlee! Check out what Carlee has been up to lately by visiting her blog at prettyminded.com.

I am so happy to have worked with Carlee on Botanical Knits and couldn't be happier with how the photos turned out. Here is a collage of my personal favorites of the nature shots that Carlee contributed. 

(Some of which didn't make it into the book for lack of space.)

I am so impressed by how Carlee really captures the beauty of everyday life in her photography. 

Pretty. Minded. Indeed.

After a morning of counting.. I am happy to announce that this beautiful pile of luxury yarn will be going to.....

S U Z A N N E

Congratulations! 

Thanks everyone for participating in the drawing! I was so pleased to see so many entries and to read about all of your excitement for this lovely yarn and the Botanical Knits patterns. :)

I am happy to be the next stop on the blog tour for Kelbourne Woolens awesome new book 

Kelbourne Woolens Volume 1.

This book is a compilation of 11 popular patterns from the Kelbourne Woolens line from the past 5 years. Included in the bunch are some of my personal favorites.

Remember when I knit this beautiful design of theirs from years past?

This is their Selbu Modern hat pattern. I loved knitting this! The book also contains another beautiful hat pattern, Kiva Hattu. which I have been invited to put together a style board for using the awesome Polyvore website in honor of the blog tour.

This is my first time using this site, and I can tell you that it will not be my last!

I love boots and polka dots right now. :)

I had the privilege of seeing Kelbourne Woolens Volume 1 book in person at the Winter TNNA trade show last month and I can tell you that it is gorgeous! I have followed Kelbourne Woolens beautiful design work for the past several years and Kate and Courtney continue to impress me with their lovely design style.

Check out the book for yourself HERE and be sure to check out the next stop on the blog tour HERE for more wardrobe inspiration.

I am so appreciative of all of your enthusiasm for my new book, Botanical Knits. 

I am thrilled by how many projects  I see popping up on Ravelry.

I am overjoyed by all of your wonderful comments.

Thank you!

I have a little something for you in return...

A chance to win this big ole pile of yarn!

Included in this gigantic giveaway is...

-9 skeins of Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Meteorite, enough to make up to size 44.5" of the 

Twigs and Willows Cardigan

-4 skeins of Classic Elite Yarns Magnolia in Spring Green for the Wrapped in Leaves Shawl.

-1 skein of Miss Babs "Yummy" 2 ply sock yarn in Funny Papers to make either the Ivy Trellis Socks or Mittens

-1 skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino in Harvest to make the Forest Floor Hat.

-2 skeins of Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light in Pea Soup Mix to make the Spring Foliage Mitts.

-2 skeins of Fibre Company Tundra in Mink to make the Twin Leaf Loop.

All yarns for this giveaway have been kindly contributed by the individual yarn companies. (Thank you!)

This is a whole lot of yarn and many hours of botanical knitting. To enter to win these fabulous skeins, please leave a comment (including your contact information) under this post by Midnight PST, March 10th. 

Only one comment per person please.

I will be announcing the winner on the blog on Monday, March 11th.

To gain an additional entry, post this phrase on Twitter:

"  I entered to win the Big Botanical Knits Yarn Giveaway on nevernotknitting.com. You should enter too! @nevernotknittin "

This is a joint-giveaway with Veronika Jobe from the Yarn On The House blog. She has even more Botanical Knits yarns on her site for you to enter to win, so be sure to head on over there next!

Click HERE.

Thanks everyone!

DRAWING NOW CLOSED. WINNER IS SUZANNE! CONGRATULATIONS!

It's a funny thing being surrounded by beautiful yarn for 4 days straight. 

Let's get real here... how could I honestly leave Stitches West without buying just a little?

Being in the same booth with Lisa's amazing colorways.. was just a bit too much temptation to bear. 

I decided early on that these skeins had to be mine.

And no. I have not a clue what I will do with them. And no. I don't hardly ever use variegated yarn. 

But look at these! No explanation required, right?

Our booth at Stitches West was dangerously close to the Cephalopod Yarns booth and the first day I overheard one of the girls talking about "mini-skeins" perfect for the "Beekeepers Quilt."

That's all it took. I was over there in a flash buying up these 4 miniature little beauties.

The new booth that I found myself the most excited about out of all of the booths at the entire show was Spincycle Yarns. The first time I walked by, I was literally blown away by the sheer volume of gorgeous hand spun yarn. I *may* have even gasped out loud and talked to complete strangers about it that happened to be around me at the time. 

The yarn I picked is the "dyed in the wool" mill spun line that looks a lot like hand spun but has the even quality of a commercially spun yarn. I am SOO terribly excited to wind up these skeins and start swatching. You may see this yarn showing up in a future design.

Last but not least I found myself enamored with these adorable miniature sewn bags from the "A Needle Runs Through it" booth. I love this because is the perfect size for holding stitch markers, and well.. its just SO cute. I had to buy one for me and one for a friend. 

Just had to.

I had a wonderfully inspiring time at Stitches West this year! I am super excited about all of my new purchases and can't wait until I get a chance to play with all of these new goodies!

If you went to the show this past weekend, tell me in the comments what you came home with!

I am back from Stitches West and I have to say.. it was hard as expected.. but I had so much fun!

I loved the set up of our corner booth.

Lisa's yarn display was stunning as usual..

I absolutely loved sharing the experience with my daughter this year. She excitedly dressed up as "Annie" from the book Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf and had a blast at the book signings. She even made a new knitting friend at the show. :)

I was  so happy to hear all of the enthusiasm for my new Botanical Knits book! Many knitters stopped by the booth and showed me their projects or even came wearing the actual items!

I also got to see some friends old and new...

Audry from Bear Ears showing off her gorgeous Celestarium Shawl from Twist Collective Winter 2012. The constellations in the night sky are represented in lace. So cool!

Podcasters Sharlene and Gayle. I adore the Yarniacs podcast! And Gayle is wearing her Pressed Leaves beret from Botanical Knits!

Eileen (Redsknits on Ravelry) as the self named "Crazy Coastal Knits Lady". She brought 4 Coastal Knits garments to show me in person. LOVE.

My Mom and Dad came to the show too! Here's my Dad wearing his handknit sweater from a few years back.

Audrey Knight from Audknits.com here wearing her Sprouts scarf pattern from her new book, Reversible Scarves!

I also ran into this little cutie wearing the Very Cherry Dress that her mother knitted for her. So sweet!

Last but not least.. my baby boy made an appearance at Stitches West too.

When he wasn't hanging out with Lisa's adorable baby, Jasper....

He had a fabulous time making messes and running away from me as quickly as he possibly could.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by this past weekend and said hello. I really enjoyed my time at the convention this year.. seeing friends, chatting with knitters.. and oh yes... buying yarn.

Check back tomorrow to see all of the fun stuff that came home with me!

:)

I am excitedly packing up for Stitches West today! 

Becoming Art and Never Not Knitting will be sharing booth 1147 this year. Please stop by and say hello! Lisa's Becoming Art yarn line is so special. I love her stuff and her yarns pair beautifully with my designs. Come see for yourself! Here is a photo of our booth from Stitches West 2011.. beautiful stuff, right?

Well it's even better in person!

This year in addition to Lisa's fabulous yarn, I will have the Never Not Knitting patterns available as well as the Coastal Kids patterns, Coastal Knits books, and Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf books and deluxe edition-gift sets. Also.. some limited edition single patterns from the new book, Botanical Knits. 

(These will only be available at the show.)

There will be two book signings for Annie and the Swiss Cheese Scarf!

"Annie" herself will be making a guest appearance for the signings. :)

Please stop by Friday or Saturday at 10:30 AM to get your copy signed and to meet the real "Annie".

And I have a few surprises as well.. Last night I made up these hand-sewn burlap bags filled with treats and fastened with the original Little Leaves from the Botanical Knits book.I will be giving these away to the first 12 knitters that come by the booth wearing a Botanical Knits garment.

As always, I will have lots of knitted samples to show.

 This year I will be showing some new pieces from Botanical Knits, as well as my original Little Oak sweater sample.

It looks so tiny and cute. 

It's hard for me to imagine that this BIG toddler boy ever fit into it!

This trouble-maker of a toddler boy....

Alright everyone! And now..I have to repair a decapitated mannequin and finish packing up!

I will look forward to seeing you at the show! :)

Hooray! It's finally ready!

Thanks to my personal web programmer (husband) our new Botanical Knits website (botanicalknits.com) is now up and running AND Botanical Knits is now available to purchase in 2 different ways! 

You can purchase and download the digital e-book only for $18 HERE.

This is a great option for those of you outside of the US who do not want to pay shipping costs.

BUT if you would like a hard copy.... you can also pre-order the printed book for $22 + shipping HERE.

The book is scheduled to arrive in May, but everyone who pre-orders will receive a complimentary e-book to download right away. This will allow you to get started on your favorite projects while you wait for your book to arrive. As an additional "thank you" for pre-ordering the printed version, I will include a NEW, EXTRA botanically inspired pattern along with your book shipment. This is a special offer only valid during pre-orders.

Botanical Knits will also be available in yarn shops worldwide starting in May 

if you would like to purchase it locally. 

Yarn shop owners, please click HERE for wholesale information 

if you are interested in stocking this book in your store.

All of the yarn requirements for the designs are up on Ravelry and the website, but if you would like a handy  list to take into your local yarn shop, you can download that by clicking below.

Please don't forget to join the Botanical Knits Ravelry Group! It is a great way to share your projects with other knitters.We will be starting up some knit-a-longs for your favorite Botanical Knits projects soon.

I am so excited for the release of this new book and I hope that you really enjoy it. I look forward so much to hearing your feedback and seeing your Botanical Knits project pictures pop up on Ravelry.

Want to know what others think of Botanical Knits? Check in with the following friends and project contributors on the Botanical Knits blog/podcast tour to get other knitters opinions and reviews.

Feb 10 - Susan B. Anderson

Feb 11 - Stash and Burn Podcast

Feb 12 - His and Hers Podcast

Feb 14 - Stockinette Zombies Podcast

Feb 14 - Knitmore Girls Podcast

Feb 15 - Carlee Tatum (Main Photographer)

Feb 16 - 2 Knit Lit Chicks Podcast

Feb 17 - Neesha Hudson (Illustrator)

Feb 20 - Tana Pageler ( Technical Editor)

Feb 21 - Truly Myrtle

Feb 23 - Mary Joy Gumayagay (Graphic Designer)

Feb 24 - Subway Knits Podcast

Feb 25 - Veronika Jobe (Test Knitter)

Feb 28 - Blue Sky Alpacas (Yarn Contributor)

Mar 2 - Julie Crawford

Mar 4 - Hannah Fettig

Mar 5 - Kelbourne Woolens (Yarn Contributor)

Mar 8 - A Playful Day

Mar 11 - Knitting Brooklyn Podcast

Mar 13 - Shannon Cook

Mar 15 - Doubleknit Podcast

Mar 20 - Yarniacs Podcast

Mar 22 - Tanis Lavallee

Mar 23 - Anne Hanson

Mar 25 - Kirsten Kapur

Mar 30 - Jane Richmond

I have an awesome yarn giveaway coming up soon, so stay tuned!

I have been absolutely flattered and thrilled to hear of your excitement and anticipation for the new 

Botanical Knits book. There have been so many nice comments left on the blog and the forums on Ravelry. 

Here are just a few of my favorites...

"Alana I just stumbled across these patterns a moment ago when searching for something else and nearly fainted! I want to knit everything in this book right now!!!!!!!!!"


"I went to the blog five times yesterday just to drool over the photographs. So inspiring and so beautiful. No, not just beautiful. Arrestingly beautiful."

"Wow! It’s not often I see a book where every pattern is one I want to knit! Can’t wait… although picking where to start will be a problem."

"Can’t wait to get my hands on this. I keep checking the calendar and asking 'Is it February yet?'" :-)

"I’ve been checking 3 times a day every day since February began. I do hope the patterns will be released soon. Talented people who make beautiful knitwear should be aware that knitters with patience issues who love beautiful knitwear are being driven absolutely crazy with anticipation. :)"

"Please add another to the list of people who can hardly wait to get their hands on your new book. I have been planning and digging through my stash ever since I saw the photos first come up on Ravelry. I tend to buy books if they have at least 3 patterns that I want to knit but this one… wow, every pattern calls to me.

Thank you, Alana, for putting together such beautiful designs to inspire us!"

I am so honored, truly. Thank you so much! :)

I also want to thank everyone for your patience with us as we have been working hard behind the scenes to get everything ready to start accepting orders. I popped into the office today to help my husband and found him hard at work putting the final touches on the new botanicalknits.com website.

For the past several weeks he has been working into the early morning every night and all of his work has certainly paid off. Botanical Knits will be available to pre-order in print starting tomorrow, Friday the 7th at 11 am PST. The digital version will be available to order and download at that time as well.

More details coming tomorrow! I am so excited! :)

Episode 70

Shownotes:

Botanical Knits

Beekeepers Quilt

Twigs and Willows

Entangled Vines

Buds and Blooms

Autumn's End

Forest Floor

Pressed Leaves

Oak Trail

Ivy Trellis Socks

Ivy Trellis Mittens

Twin Leaf Loop

Wrapped in Leaves

Cedar Leaf Shawlette

TNNA

Stitches West

Devin on Ravelry

Devin's Blog

Join the Botanical Knits and Never Not Knitting Ravelry Group!

Follow ME on Twitter!

This episode marks the end of this podcast season. Tune in again in June for Episode 71.

Look for Botanical Knits, coming out soon! :)

Thanks everyone! Happy Knitting! :)

OK, enough with the sneak peeks!

  I am happy to now introduce my 12 new patterns to you... in the world's longest blog post. Ever.
 These are all part of my upcoming design book!

Have I mentioned how incredibly excited I am about these new designs?? 

I would like you to meet...

This raglan-style pullover is knit in one piece from the bottom up. This pattern was definitely the most challenging to engineer because of the lace pattern, but thankfully with the help of 2 technical editors and 2 different test knitters, we were able to write up this pattern with the raglan shaping all charted out. That makes it so much easier to decrease the stitches for the yoke while still maintaining the beautiful lace-leaf stitch pattern.

I have had this design in mind for the past few years, ever since I designed the Oak Grove Mitts. I guess it is no surprise that I am a bit obsessed with oak leaves! This particular hat design is one of my favorite pieces in the book. The construction of it is very interesting and fun to knit. You start off by knitting a strip of fabric, picking up stitches along one side and joining it into the round for the body of the hat. In doing so, the bottom brim over-laps itself. I have always found the cloche to be a very stylish choice.

Ever since I designed the Cedar Leaf Shawlette back in 2010, I have had knitters contacting me requesting a larger version. I thought that this new design collection was the perfect opportunity to address this request. This shawl has the same look as the original shawlette with a similar leafy border, but offers a different construction and larger body for more coverage. The result is cozy but also quite elegant.

Entangled Vines is probably the simplest sweater in the book to execute. This is a top-down raglan construction that you can try on as you knit for the best fit. The sleeves have a pretty twining vine motif that serves as an interesting detail amidst the backdrop of plain stockinette. This sweater knits up quickly and the changing pattern on the sleeves keeps your interest. I was especially happy with how the top cable motif ended up gracefully cupping the top of the shoulder.

For this hat I designed a stitch pattern with a series of subtle cable and lace stitches that resemble fallen autumn leaves overlapping each other. Sort of like a... forest floor! I think that the resulting texture is very interesting and cozy. I would like to use this stitch pattern in a future design.

You might remember this sweater from this little sneak peek I posted several months back of my first design prototype. As soon as I posted these pictures, this knit began receiving quite a bit of attention. I think that the wide collar really makes it stand out. Another design element that I am especially proud of is the circular pockets which are joined into the sweater as you knit the fronts. They were very fun to design and also to knit. I enjoy knitting projects with unusual construction and details. It keeps me interested in the piece while it is on the needles. This cardigan certainly fits the bill!

This is the first item that I designed for the book. I found a version of this stitch pattern in a stitch dictionary and absolutely fell in love right away! I love the texture and the lines of the leaves and arches is so graceful and inviting. This pattern was originally released last year as part of the Tanis Fiber Arts Year in Colour Club under the name of Arching Leaves. I love these socks so much, I was happy to include this pattern again in this new collection.

I had to make these mittens to match because the socks were just not enough! It's too pretty of a stitch pattern to be hidden on your feet. Plus, when I was designing the socks, I put one on my hand for some reason and that was that... mittens were born. These are knit in the same fingering weight yarn as the socks but at a slightly looser gauge for a more flexible fabric for your hands. I love the way these turned out!

This cardigan is my favorite among the sweater patterns included in this book. I love how the elegant little branches frame the neckline. Between the waist shaping on the cardigan body and this pretty stitch detail on the yoke, I think that this is a very flattering sweater. It draws the attention up towards your face.

You may remember me complaining heavily about a cable breaking on one of my sweater projects in this podcast episode. Yep. It was this project! One of the sweater fronts had to be ripped back significantly and knit again. Terrible memory.. but the result was worth it!

Every design collection needs at least one easy quick knit. Something that you can whip up in a weekend as a gift for a friend, or a last minute winter accessory. This leafy loop accomplishes just that. It's knit with bulky yarn and big needles and only took me a few evenings to make two of them!

When I was a teenager, I had this frame on my wall with 2 leaves pressed underneath the glass. The body of the leaves had kind of worn away and all that was left were the veins. I loved that frame. It was so pretty to me. I wanted to capture that same look of pressed leaves in this beret. I designed this stitch pattern to focus on the outline and structure of the leaf using twisted knit stitches.

In these cozy fingerless mitts, a budding plant grows up one side and into the thumb gusset.
Careful shaping is added on the opposite side of the mitt for a nice fit and to follow the curve of the wrist in a flattering way. When I see these mitts I think of new growth, and spring. They are functional because they are of course warm and cozy, but also an eye-catching accessory.

The lovely photography in this book was provided by a few of my talented friends. The main photographer being Carlee Tatum of prettyminded.com. The model is my friend Courtney who also happens to be Carlee's sister. How fortunate am I to have photogenic, creative friends? :)

I hope that all of you will enjoy these knits! I certainly did enjoy designing them.
 Botanical Knits: Twelve Designs Inspired by Foliage and Trees, will be an 8.5 x 11 inch, 112 page book that will be available in February to pre-order. It will also be available digitally.



For now, all of the patterns and information is up on Ravelry, so head on over and start queuing up your favorites! Click HERE! I was so pleased to see that 4 of these new designs made it into Ravelry's top 5 "hot right now" patterns just this evening! Thanks everyone!

Additionally, I have started a Botanical Knits Ravelry group. I hope that you will all join and let me know which projects you are interested in starting when the book is released. I will be checking in to to help you plan out your projects.

Also, if you have any questions for me about these knits, the design collection as a whole, my design process, etc.. please leave your question in a comment below and I will go through and answer it in my next podcast episode due out at the end of this month.

As always, thank you everyone for your support! I am super excited about this new book! I will be sure to keep you updated when it's finally available! :)

I'm working on the final editing of my new book right now and thought I would share some more little...

sneak...

peeks...

of...

 some...

of...

the...

new...

patterns with all of you. :)

More information to come soon!