Hearts & Flowers

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."

-Helen Keller

“The Amen of nature is always a flower.”

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Happy February everyone!

Just when we thought all the fun of the holidays was behind us, along comes February. We out here on the sunflower farm think it's time to celebrate! After all, it is the month of love...

This month's poster girls?

Hearts & Flowers. What could be sweeter?

HEARTS STOLE

SIZE:
16 in wide by 72 in long
(blocked)

MATERIALS:
3 skeins (780 yd) ARTYARNS Silk Rhapsody
or other dk weight yarn

size 5 (US) needles

GAUGE:
each heart in lace pattern blocks to 3 inches wide

Charted design; intermediate level.

She blocked out to 16 inches wide - light enough to wrap round your neck like a scarf, yet enough body and pattern interest to lay beautifully on your shoulders like a stole.

But what good would Hearts be without any Flowers?

FLOWERS SCARF

SIZE:
10 in wide by 66 in long
(blocked)

MATERIALS:
1 ½ skeins (400 yd) ARTYARNS Silk Rhapsody
or other dk weight yarn
size 5 (US) needles

GAUGE:
6 stitches = 1 inch (reverse stockinette)

Charted design; intermediate level

Flowers is thinner - firmly in scarf territory, a lovely hazy confection to wind round your neck with love.

The silk rhapsody I used for these patterns blocks out well; it opens up nicely and really shows the pattern to its best advantage.The silk component lends a lovely sheen to the finished piece.The depth of color is extraordinary and the mohair component adds a lovely haze and warmth to the finished stole.

While the Silk Rhapsody is a worsted weight yarn, I knit it at a tighter gauge to achieve higher stitch definition. If you are going to use a different yarn, I recommend substituting a DK weight, rather than a worsted.

Both patterns have just enough pattern to keep things interesting, but not so much you get lost.

But that's not all...OH NO!!!

We're having a sale...

We're having a contest...

We're having a sale AND a contest (Gotta do something to break the tedium of winter!)

It's our ...

SWEETHEART OF A DEAL!

Each pattern retails for $6 separately. But, during the month of February, you can get BOTH patterns for $10.

I found these darling little stitch marker sets on line at Crazy4Dyeing.

At the end of February, I will draw three names at random from all the people who have purchased the dynamic duo. These three people will each get a set of heart stitch markers, free of charge.

Two patterns, one low price...

One contest, three winners...

What's not to love?

All You Need Is Love

There's nothing you can do that can't be done.

Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy.
There's nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you
in time - It's easy.

All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.

- Lennon / McCartney

Outside the bleak mid winter persists. Half the country is either encased in ice or swaddled in snow.

So how are you keeping warm?

Out here on the sunflower farm,we are surrounding ourselves with warmth:

• blankets
• hot coffee
• lap cat
• hand knit socks
• heating pad
• home made chili

All of these are good for warming the body, but how do we warm the heart?

Love. Love. Love.

And after blocking Hearts, I am really feeling the love...

The silk rhapsody blocks out well; it opens up nicely and really shows the pattern to its best advantage.

The silk component lends a lovely sheen to the finished piece.

The depth of color is extraordinary.

And the mohair component adds a lovely haze and warmth to the finished stole. She blocked out to 16 inches wide - light enough to wrap round your neck like a scarf, yet enough body and pattern interest to lay beautifully on your shoulders like a stole.

Did I mention how soft it is? The blocking process does nothing to the "pet-able" factor. Thank goodness!

The pattern goes on sale on February 1st, along with its counterpart, Flowers, which is coming along nicely.

I haven't blocked her yet but she will be ready for her February 1 debut.

Flowers is thinner - firmly in scarf territory, although I expect her to grow a bit in blocking.

Both patterns are intermediate level and a lot of fun to do. Enough pattern to keep things interesting, but not so much you get lost.

You may recall my "sweetheart of a deal", announced here earlier this month.

Each pattern will retail for $6 separately. But, during the month of February, you can get BOTH patterns for $10. Originally I was going to end the deal on the 15th, after Valentine's Day. But I've decided to run it for the entire month.

But wait!

There's Ginsu knives!

Wait a minute...

Those don't LOOK like Ginsu knives...

OK, you got me. I found these darling little stitch marker sets on line at Crazy4Dyeing.

At the end of February, I will draw three names at random from all the people who have purchased the dynamic duo. These three people will each get a set of heart stitch markers, free of charge.

That's free, people...

Because I'm a saint?

No...

Because I have so much money I don't know what to do with all of it?

No...

Because I'm just a little nuts?

Well...yeah...but that's a side effect rather than an impetus...

Because I thought it would be FUN?

DING! DING! DING! We have a winner...

Hey, I'll do whatever it takes to brighten up these dismal days. After all, love isn't love till you give it away.

*****

A couple announcements of general interest:

I am now selling all my patterns on Ravelry. wOOt! Thanks Casey!

Thank you to all my S7 sock yarn buyers. I wasn't sure how this thing would go, but I was sold out within hours. You guys rock!

Shipping is flat rate Priority Mail - $9.85, unless specified otherwise. All yarns have been shipped. Look for more on Saturday.

*****

I am looking out the window at over 12 inches of snow. Now I know that isn't a lot to all you hardy folks up in Maine and Canada. But for the Indianapolis area, that is the fourth largest snowfall in our history. (Or so Baby Boy/Family Man tells me.)

Actually, it looks a lot like this:

But it doesn't have pretty lace ends...

Crystal Palace - not the yarn - the name of the pattern. Who knew that last week's poor rejected ball of Rowan felted tweed would become this week's lacy delight?

Not me...

More yarn on order from Webs. Good thing you guys bought all that sock yarn, huh?

I mean...would you rather I have big heaps of ignored sock yarn and no money to buy the yarn needed to produce new patterns?

Or would you rather get the yarn into the hands of industrious knitters everywhere, and give me the money I need to get the "knitonomy" rolling again?

Now that's what I call a stimulus package!

Ice, Ice, Baby

"Many of the phenomena of Winter are suggestive of an inexpressible tenderness and fragile delicacy. We are accustomed to hear this king described as a rude and boisterous tyrant; but with the gentleness of a lover he adorns the tresses of Summer."

- Henry David Thoreau

Icicle Scarf
$4

Two Sizes - Small: 7 in. wide by 48 in. long
Large: 7 in. wide by 96 in. long

Materials: 1 (2) skeins ArtYarns Beaded Mohair & Sequins (color 178S)
Size 8 needles
Skill level: beginning lace knitter, written directions.

I absolutely LOVE this one. I made the longer, two skein version so I could wrap it around my neck several times and still have ends to play with. But the shorter one skein version would still be lovely. The pattern has directions for both.



The small size can be completed in just a couple evenings by the fire; the longer version over a weekend - easy...


I was surprised to find that the beads and sequins didn't slow me down much, when worked on size 8 needles. Mere speed bumps along the way.This gives it an extra lacy and open feel that prevents beads from winding up on the wrong side of the piece. It sets off the sparkle to perfection.

Here's a shot in her natural habitat.


Would that all of winter were so warm and lovely...sigh...

Pattern will be released tonight or tomorrow. As soon as I get it written up.

*****

And now, for those chilly souls that still need warming, I present...

Hearts & Flowers

With Valentine's day just around the corner, here are two patterns in Artyarns luscious Silk Rhapsody (although any DK weight would work.)

I know that the label says "worsted," but I took the needles down two sizes to a Us 5. this compresses the fibers a bit and adds better stitch definition. The silk knits beautifully at that gauge, with a hand reminiscent of silky merino, but the mohair adds a bit of halo that adds a lovely softness to the finished pieces.


Hearts is the larger of the two pieces, straggling the line between scarf and stole. The color is 115 Marguerite, sort of a cross between red and coral, deep pink.

It features an interlocking heart design that is easily memorized after several repeats. I tried for an entire morning to get a rounder appearance on the top of the heart, and this was the best I could do.


This surface shot shows the texture better


For want of a better terminology, little squiggles surround the hearts.


Hey, I could have called them heart-worms...yuck...don't think so...

Flowers is smaller, definitely a scarf.This delicate color is 171, a lovely soft rose of a shade.


Flowers features a line of bas relief flowers down the center, flanked by feathered vertical dividers and openwork patterns evocative of leaves.

Both patterns will debut on February 1st at a special "sweatheart of a deal" price. They will be available separately for $6 each, but you can purchase both patterns for only $10 through the 14th.

After that, they will be available only at the regular price.

Love is all around us. If we just know where to look...

Feels warmer already...