Susan Update

"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen."

-Leonardo Da Vinci

No, I am not dead, just MIA.

Fell last night & possibly broke right hand, other than that all is good. Took some personal time off recently - had pushed for over 3 years, working 60 hrs wk, putting out over 60 patterns.

I began yoga classes & cardio, knit something for me (what a concept), helped son get back on his feet by providing daycare to grandson, and learned to spin. All necessary to my mental health & continued artistic inspiration. Consider it a sabbatical.

I have continued working on Two Towers patterns through out the past 4 months - Helm’s Deep needs to be written up & proofed, Rohan is completed & waiting on final notes from tester who is finishing hers. Ringwraith is heading into test knit.

I really hope the hand isn’t broken - waiting for doc to return call w/ xray info. Typing this with left hand & index finger on right - hunt & peck...

If it is broken, may have to push back start date for Mithril KAL from Feb. 4th, but will try to get someone else to write up patterns so y’all don’t have to wait any longer. I think my tech editor can write them, possibly.

Will keep you posted. Now I am going to rest my swollen hand & hope I didn't just take myself out of commission - gulp

Balrog Cowl

Urkhas tanakhi! Urkhas tanakhi!
Kâmin takalladi! Ugrûd tashniki kurdumâ!
Urkhas urus

Boromir: What is this new devilry?
Gandalf: A Balrog. A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you. Run!

BALROG COWL $6

THE TWO TOWERS SERIES

A mosaic knit hooded cowl from the needles of Susan Pandorf


Size: 18 inches tall by 30 inches around
Materials: String Theory Blue Faced Sport in 3 colors
A –Java (brown) - 290 yds
B- Garnet (red) - 175 yds
C- Canyon (orange) - 175 yds
Size 3 & 5 (US) circular needles (24 or 32 inch)
cable needle & 4 markers
Gauge: 7 st = 1 inch

Intermediate Level - charted


The cowl has a nifty flared ribbed bottom that sits nicely on the shoulders, then a long stretch of mosaic knit with a center cable running up the front.


I made mine long enough to pull up over my head, with a lovely picot edging to frame the face.


The mosaic design looks like the fiery face of the demon. Mosaic knitting is much simpler than other color work, as it is worked with only one color at a time. The pattern is formed by slipping stitches.

Finally, a reason to look forward to winter!

The Mere

"Alive without breath; as cold as death; never thirsting, ever drinking clad in mail, never clinking. Drowns on dry land, thinks an island is a mountain; thinks a fountain is a puff of air. So sleek, so fair! What a joy to meet! We only wish to catch a fish, so juicy-sweet!"

-Gollum’s song

When I was designing this piece, DH opined that, " NO ONE is going to buy a pattern named 'Dead Marsh'!"

This is when sneaky designers migrate to the web domain to determine if said marsh has another name - lol...

I think the dead marshes possess a melancholy and lonely beauty. It is a vast & barren landscape, full of wispy grasses and pools of stagnant water. It glows with the light of "corpse candles" as Gollum calls them. We may be more familiar with the term, "will-o-wisp."

In working on this design, I also have had in the back of my mind the haunting and terrifying scenes as Frodo is pulled under the water by the dead warriors and that feeling of being trapped by seaweed like vines and limbs.

I wanted the beads to look like the lights and the entire piece to flow like seaweed.

How'd I do?

The design reminds me of my ill fated "Drizzle" design, the one that got away...

THE MERE
THE TWO TOWERS SERIES

An organic stole in beaded cables & lace Size: 18-24 inches wide by 64-72 inches long (smaller if left unblocked)

Materials: 1320 yds Sanguine Gryphon Gaia lace or other lace weight yarn
5000 size 8 seed beads
Size 3 (US) needles
Crochet hook for beading; tapestry needle for grafting
Gauge: not important to this piece
Intermediate level - charted & written directions

Make sure you click on the images to get a close up. This piece is subtle and, like the Mere itself, warrants closer examination.

The yarn is Sanguine Gryphon's Gaia lace; the color is Sunflower Sutra. the beads are Miyuke 8-0234

NOTE: WHILE SUNFLOWER SUTRA WAS A SEASONAL COLOR, SANGUINE GRYPHON HAS TOLD ME THEY HAVE 36 SKEINS FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO USE THE EXACT YARN.

The pattern combines cables, beading and a lace. A perfect tri-fecta!

The repeats are predictable and not too long so this one goes a little quicker than some. While the bead count is high, it is a no brainer to place them. Stole is knit in one piece with the exception of the final end border, which is grafted at the end.


The bottom border is kinda funky: a bit of leaf, a bit of shibori-like 3D point.

I was going to leave mine unblocked to enhance the organic feel to it & highlight the cables...



But the blocking really shows off the subtle glow of the beading, the sheen of the yarn & the sinuous nature of the lace pattern.


I really love this one & hope you do too!

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the...

The really happy person is the one who can enjoy the scenery, even when they have to take a detour.

- Sir James Jeans (1877-1946, British scientist, astronomer royal)

Someone once told me, the quality of a piece of writing may be determined by gauging the quality of what the writer edited out & left by the wayside. In other words, if you aren't tossing out good stuff, you probably haven't:

1. gone far enough in your exploration of the subject, or
2. gotten down to the bare bones of the matter.

I find this advice pertinent to the design process as well. It is all too easy to go into the design process with a set idea of how a piece is going to be constructed and what it will look like upon finishing. There is nothing wrong with following your muse, but I think we must remain open as long as possible to the option of a detour.

Our first drafts should be free and wide ranging - they should be messy, overbloated things, full of many wanderings, insights, & creative possibilities. Only then can we stand back and see what works.

Sometimes a pattern takes a totally new direction, in this process, one which you might have missed had you hewn to the straight & narrow path.

Creativity does not fly as the crows, from point A to point B. It meanders like a stream, picking up small stones of ideas along the way.

Then we sift, as the miners did, looking for the nugget of gold within the stream.

My goodness, I'm verbose this afternoon!

All of this is by way of saying, Helm's Deep took a BIG detour.

My original design concept was a grey wooly shoulder wrap, made to look like stone. But I just couldn't make it work to my satisfaction. I tried different yarns, different patterns, different construction techniques...

But none of them were working.

So I pitched the whole thing out & started over with 3 colors of yarn: Madelinetosh sock in:

• Stovepipe (blue grey) for the stone walls of the keep
• Golden Hickory (amber rust) for the armor of the elves, who make their stand with men
• Floursack (off white) for Shadowfax & the white wizard Gandalf who turn the tide of battle with their arrival

I decided on a geometric slip stitch pattern that looked a bit like stone blocks in a wall. Then I added a cogwheel lace border - nothing too dainty. I decreased within the pattern to curve the scarf into a crescent shape.

Once I was done with that, I still wasn't happy. It just wasn't all there, you know?


So I added short rows in the Hickory to make a wide crescent shawl. I also added a little white & grey edging at the neck for symmetry's sake.

What I wound up with was my first "steampunk" pattern!


Not quite where I thought I was going, but a beautiful detour, nonetheless!



I finished the shawl while still at the lake house & needed a small project to work on while our grandson was visiting - nothing too fussy (beads are not a good mix with a 2 year old).

So I cast on the Balrog cowl.

Next thing you know, I had polished off another sample, before even getting Helm's Deep out into testing.


The cowl has a nifty flared ribbed bottom that sits nicely on the shoulders, then a long stretch of mosaic knit with a center cable running up the front.



I made it long enough to pull up over your head, and added a lovely picot edging to frame the face.

I love the way this mosaic design looks like the smiling (snarling?) fiery face of the demon.

I need test knitters for both these patterns.

Vacation plans & other projects seem to have diverted most of my usual suspects. If you are interested, please drop me an email at susanpandorf@gmail.com & I will send you all the details, such as yardage, skill sets needed, & time frame.

Will get modeled shots soon - promise.

Until then...back to the Mere...

Isengard

"In the moonlight, the Ring of Isengard looked like a graveyard of unquiet dead. For the ground trembled."

-Tolkien

I am enjoying a few weeks respite at the lake in Michigan (while the men in my life keep the home fires burning) but just couldn't wait to send this pattern out to all of my loyal subscribers.

This pattern is an exclusive extra. It will retail at $8 eventually, but will not be available for separate purchase until 2012. Until then it is a little something special just for the fellowship. Yes, that's right...

THE HOBBITS ARE GOING TO ISENGARD!

Sorry - had to do it - Gollum made me.

Anyhow...

ISENGARD
THE TWO TOWERS SERIES


A twisted stitch stole from the needles of Susan Pandorf
Size: 18 inches wide by 72 inches long


Materials: 1200 yds Rowan Fine Milk Cotton in Pastille or other fingering weight yarn
size 3 (US) needles or to obtain gauge
markers
Gauge: 6 st = 1 inch, blocked
charted - intermediate level pattern

Isengard is a highly textured twisted stitch & openwork stole. It incorporates lacework into the overall design in such a way as to evoke the crenellated battlements of Orthanc, Saruman's stronghold.

Towering windows form the central theme of this long stretch of a wrap, with circular motifs that evoke the surrounding ring on which the tower sits. A winding river-like motif on the sides hints at the surrounding natural landscape that in the end contributes mightily to Saruman's defeat.

Any solid or semi-solid color fingering weight yarn will work: I did mine in Rowan Fine Milk Cotton for a summer piece, but you may choose something woolier. It would look stunning in charcoal for winter...

The stole is worked in one piece end to end - no grafting or picking up of stitches required. The pattern is complex enough to be interesting, but you should soon memorize it and no longer need to consult the chart every row. The pattern is charted.

If you are not a subscriber, it is not too late. You can subscribe here on the left hand sidebar (scroll down till you see the picture of the Two Towers - after the view cart button) or on Ravelry. The $60 subscription deal is available through the end of July.

We now return you to our previously scheduled vacation...

Westemnet Errata

Is my face red...

I accidentally counted the right edge stitch in the repeats . Should cast on 56.

Yeesh...

Westemnet

Bealocwealm hafað fréone frecan forth onsended
giedd sculon singan gléomenn sorgiende on Meduselde
þat heo mano arer his þruc ne deores
on meagorinc deorcas, belu

An evil death has set forth the noble warrior
A song shall sing the sorrowing minstrels in Meduseld
That noble cousin who always held me dear

Now is held in darkness, enclosed…

Eowyn's Lament

When I got this lovely ball of Isager Bomulin, it was a challenge to find a pattern that showed it off to its best advantage. The yarn is slightly bumpy, due to the wrap of the 2 strands: one linen & one cotton. The linen is natural beige; the cotton is white. So there is a slight marl to the yarn as well.

Complicated lace patterns got lost in the yarn. The yarn was too fine for cablework. Knit/purl and slip stitch patterns weren't the answer either.

Then I found this nifty little yarn-over pattern in my Barbara Walkers. It couldn't be simpler. If you can knit, purl, yarn-over, knit 2 together, & slip, slip knit, you're all set.

The pattern is slightly textural and evolves into this dainty hourglass pattern. It is open & airy & light & quick & easy peasy - everything a summer scarf should be.

In my humble opinion...

As to the name, I wanted something that played off of the casual, slightly rustic feel of the scarf.

Westemnet was the westernmost grasslands of Rohan beyond Entwash that spread until the rivers Isen, marking the western part of the land of the Mark.

The most important of Rohan’s settlements and fortifications lay to the south of the Westemnet, where the White Mountains rose up from the plain. Helm’s Deep was among these, and to the south-east was the seat of the Lords of the Mark, Edoras itself.

Emnet means “plain” in Rohirric.

WESTEMNET

The Lord of the Rings Collection

Materials:
3 balls Isager Bomulin (color: natural) or 525 yards other fingering weight yarn
size 3 (US) needles

Size: 10 by 64 inches
Gauge: not important

Written & charted directions.
Suitable for the beginning lace knitter.

Mine is coming in with 2 balls, but I have added 15% to the yardage estimate to allow for differences in knitting styles.

Hope you enjoy the free pattern as much as I did, knitting it up. Now I'm just waiting on that second ball.

Patterns on the sidebar and Ravelry - you know what to do...

Treebeard

Naur vi eryn, lanc i dalaf.
Mathach vi geven?
Nostach vi 'wilith?
Mâb le i nagor,
Bâd gurth vi ngalad firiel.
Dorthach vi mar han?
Dagrathach go hain?

'The woods are burning,
the ground lies bare.
Do you feel it in the earth?
Can you smell it in the air?
The war is upon you,
Death moves in the fading light.
Are you part of this world?
Will you join their fight?'

- Words by Philippa Boyens, translated into Sindarin by David Salo,

TREEBEARD $6
THE TWO TOWERS SERIES

A shoulder hugging organic lace wrap from the needles of Susan Pandorf

Size: 33 (36, 39, 42) (45, 48) inches wide by 10 inches tall

Materials: 440 (480, 520, 560) (600, 640) yds Alchemy Silken Straw in Forest Waltz or other DK weight yarn
size 4 (US) needles or to obtain gauge

Gauge: one pattern rep measures approx 1.5 inches wide & 1 inch tall, unblocked

WRITTEN & CHARTED DIRECTIONS

suitable for beginning lace knitters

This pattern is intended to be left unblocked to maximize the likeness to moss. Wrap is knit flat in one piece, twisted and seamed at back of neck.

I love this piece! It is light as a feather and stays on your shoulders effortlessly, due to the strategic decreases in the pattern. By leaving it unblocked, you maximize the elasticity of the finished piece. It really does hug your shoulders.

Any fingering weight yarn will work, but the Alchemy Silken Straw really enhances both the lightness and the textural nature of the wrap. It's a little stiff to work with in the beginning but softens up beautifully as you work and has fabulous drape & color.

Now that my photos are done, I think this one is going into heavy rotation this summer. Just the thing for cool evening breezes...

Sneak Peek Saturday, er Sunday, er Monday! Yeah! That's the Ticket!

"Enthusiasm, like measles, mumps and the common cold, is highly contagious."

-Emory Ward

Lord, I sure do hope so!

I have been sick this past week with the cold that wouldn't die...

Started sniffling on Wednesday and still hacking the following Monday.

Puts a real crimp in a gal's social life, don't ya know.

But it does wonders for the WIP pile.

I holed up with a tall glass of juice, my two current projects, and a weekend long Friday Night Lights marathon, courtesy of Netflix.

And lo & behold, they are both ready to join Treebeard & the Mere in testing. YAY!

First out of the starting gate is the Mithril Vest, last pattern in the Fellowship series.

I would do a modeled shot, but have not done my hair since last Tuesday before the plague cold hit. It's not pretty folks...



All that is left is to weave in the ends & knit the I-cord for the closing tie. I have some knifty little gold "Tree of Life" pendants coming for the ends of the ties.



Going to lace the I-cord through the front edges for closure

Mithril is knit in one piece - only seaming is at the shoulders. It has optional beading on the front only.

All the glitches are knocked out of it, the sizing issues have been addressed satisfactorily and she is heading out the door to all the wonderful test knitters in a wide variety of sizes - Hallelujah!

Haven't been this excited to see something leave home since my brother-in-law got his own apartment - lol

close up of upper back lace

The other WIP is something y'all haven't seen before.

This is Isengard, a highly textured lace stole knit up in Rowan's Fine Milk Cotton, which is fingering weight.


Isengard is all about linear length, contrasted with circular motifs. The tension between the tall tower and the circle at its base.

I had to do it, folks. After all, if Tolkien had stopped with Barad Dur, it would have been the One Tower, no?

You remember when I said Two Towers subscribers would be getting a little surprise somewhere down the road?

SURPRISE!

This pattern will be emailed free of charge to all Two Towers subscribers, just as soon as my test knitters are finished with her.

The pattern will eventually become available for individual purchase for $8 at the end of the year. Till then, the pattern will be exclusive to Two Towers subscribers, as my way of thanking them for their faith in me.

Not too late to join the fun. Sign up over on the sidebar or on Ravelry...

Speaking of subscribers, Fellowship of the Ring subscribers should check their in boxes this week for a little surprise from me to you to make the wait for Mithril a little less frustrating. I have not forgotten you and I appreciate your patience.

Now, if y'all will excuse me (WOW! I need to stop watchin this Texas hoedown of a series)

I have patterns to write...

Sneak Peek Saturday

"Not what we have but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance."
- Jean Petit-Senn (1792-1870, French poet)

It's been a while since we've had a sneak peek Saturday. Each week, time would roll around to the weekend and I would say to myself, "Well, I really want to get to this that or the other point before sharing my recent work."

And the weeks just seemed to fold seamlessly into one another and here it is a month later.

My bad...

It has been an abundant month at Sunflower Designs.

Before vacation, I was sort of burned out on designing, but the 10 days of rest, relaxation, reading (the 3 Rs) and NO KNITTING (gasp) worked their magic on this worn down middle aged knitter.

Well, since vacation, I have come roaring back with a vengeance.

WARNING: picture heavy post!!!

First off, some old business:

Many of you have requested modeled shots of my creations. I roped DH into taking some shots a week or two ago, so here goes...

Barad Dur

Lothlorien - front...

and back

and last, but most certainly NOT least!

In Dreams

I will be compiling the Mystery Shawl clues into one pattern next week, which all KAL participants will receive. This pattern will include all charts, written directions, & corrections. I will post more pictures then.

On to new business:



The Mere is coming along - mine is 1/3 complete and my test knitters have made good progress with their knits. As soon as I get her a little further along and vett the directions for attaching the final edging, I will write her up & get her out to your hot little hands.

REMEMBER: Barad Dur & Mere were added to the Two Towers Series AFTER the Christmas gift certificate promotion. THEY ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE $52 GIFT CERTIFICATE.

They are part of the $15 add-on package. THEY ARE INCLUDED FOR THOSE PURCHASING THE SERIES AFTER MARCH 1 FOR $60.

Those of you forgoing the extra 3 patterns, your first pattern will be Treebeard, which I finished this morning and shot out to my test knitters.




This shoulder wrap features a twist at front and an unblocked lace pattern to evoke the look of moss on the side of the Ents in Fangorn Forest. The yarn is Alchemy's Silken Straw in Forest Waltz.

It is not too late to subscribe to the Two Towers Series. This gets you benefits such as a reduced price, wonderfully warm & witty (HAH!) missives from yours truly, automatic pattern updates, and a surprise pattern somewhere down the line (SHHHH!!!)

Sign up is on the left hand sidebar - scroll down a bit...

I also have one other new pattern in development that has nothing to do with the Lord of the Rings.




This is the Three Angels Shawl: my first dedicated pattern. It is a fundraiser for the Three Angels Children's Home in Haiti, which includes a school and a hospital. The shawl is knit with Crystal Palace's Mini-Mochi and will be edged with a lace border in alpaca that looks like angel wings.

Here is a shot of the shawl stretched out a bit to show the stitch pattern better.

These spring days are abundant indeed. Even as new life springs from the earth and our pulses quicken with the scent of fresh possibilities, we move into the summer months with hope in our hearts and joy in our own backyards.