Thursday, December 22, 2011

Teenage and Adult Size Fairisle Earflap Hats

A few on my fairisle designs. This first one is the largest I have knit using the cotton tweed DK yarn. The cotton tweed is knit with US5 needles. This hat is 128 stitches around. This was a custom order. Love the colors.
Next is another custom order, yep, they picked the colors.
This one is for an 11 year old, she wanted neon, but I don't have any neon yarn. Bright is the next best thing. This one is 120 stitches, as most of the rest of them are. The 120 stitch hats fit most teenagers and adults.
Next Lindsey (daugher-in-law) is modeling another 120 stitch hat.
The design on this one is a little more simple
(one of my first original fairisle designs).


The next one is an 'open' heart design.
Different fairisle heart design than I did here in a cap without earflaps.



Although it does not look like it, the red/black and the purple/green hats are the same design. One is using only 2 colors, while the purple one is using 4 colors. Notice on the red/black one I did not make the ties the standard length. Since it was a gift to an 11 year old I didn't think she would be tying them anyway. Just being different. Oh, and these are also the same design as the hot pink one above. Color changes the whole look. The heart design above also has the short tie, but only one on each side where the red/black one has two on each side (as you can see).
This one (also being modeled my Lindsey) is knit using Encore Worsted, so the stitch count on it is different because of the larger needles.
And this last one was a custom order, with it I used Simple Soft. Love the feel of this one, and love the way the navy and white looks together. This one was to match a school uniform.
Now back to a new design for a new fairisle hat.
You never know what you will see here, so come back to visit soon.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Little girl dresses (jumpers)

I got my little girl dresses (or jumpers this time of year)
back today from the shop in Gatlinburg.
Yep, I just went up there and got them.
He is re-locating, so he isn't even open right now.
I have 4 of them for sale, just in time for Christmas.
3 - 6 months I have in the green and the pink, $ 33.00 each
Purple / 6 - 9 months, $35.00
Green / 12 months - 24 months, at $38.00

They all have the eyelet flower, and a very full ruffle.
The prices listed include tax. Shipping is $5.00.
Please contact me at Leedra@heirloomgoods.com if you are interested.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Moebius Eyelet Cowl - Pattern Now Available.

These are various photographs of the moebius cowl I designed.
This cowl does match the
Ruffled Cuff Eyelet Fingerless Gloves that I designed.
The first two photos are knit with Berroco's Ultra Alpaca Fine.

The third photograph is knit with Classic Elite's Alpaca Sox.
The fourth photo is knit with Frog Tree's Pediboo.
All four are so different, and I like them all.
Hard to decide which I like the most.
Although it is hard not to say the number one is the Pediboo.

I have been struggling with local test knitters (not everybody wants to knit what I need a test knit on), so I turned to Ravelry for test knitters for this cowl pattern. I am very pleased how that went. I asked for four test knitters and gave them 2 weeks to finish the item. All 4 test knitters were totally completed and gave their feedback within 10 days

So now the pattern is available on Ravelry.
One of the local yarn stores has ordered 10 patterns,
with plans of teaching a January class using my pattern.

Oh, and the 2nd one was sold as soon as I finished it.
The last one was sold with the matching gloves.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Elijah's Fairisle Cap

This fairisle cap is for Elijah, the son of Pam and Jimmy Russell.
I worked with Pam until I retired in March.

The fairisle design is my own. I mixed 2 different yarns that are very similiar for this one. The yarn I have used for these earflap caps in the past is Cabin Fever, and all but the background (main color) is still Cabin Fever Tweed DK. The background yarn is Kraemer Yarns Tatamy Tweed DK. I cannot tell any difference in the 2 yarns as I knit with it.



Can't wait to see Elijah in his hat.
And yes, I will eventually get the fairisle purse totally finished
so I can show it to you.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Double Heart Fairisle Hat

This design starts with a 3 color cast on.
Then has a K1, P1 rib using the two solid colors.
The varigated yarn in this cap has shades of pink and gray.


The design is knit totally in the round. I normally decrease ending with 8 stitches, but this time I divided the stitches by 10 to plan my decrease so it ends with 10 stitches. The look is a little different, but only enough for a knitter to notice.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Moebius Design continues

I decided to try another yarn for my Moebius Cowl design.
This one is 80% Merino Wool and 20% Bamboo.

In the earlier post about this design I talked about yarn that is too relaxed for this pattern. I really like this yarn, it has plenty of 'body' to it, and I love the feel of this yarn. It is Pediboo Sock Yarn by Frog Tree.


I am a little closer to having this design ready to sell.


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Double Heart Gloves

These gloves each have two hearts knit with a very simple eyelet.
The tops of the hearts are toward each other,
so no matter which way you look at the glove you
see a heart.





Me just playing because I got the pattern in my head and it
wouldn't go away, so I knit them.
Now maybe I can move onto something else.



I have finished the purse in the previous post,
but I don't have the strap on it.
I am still trying to decide if I am going to line the purse or not.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

3 different Lace Gloves

The first gloves are knit with 'Alpaca Sox',
I love the feel of this yarn, and the color.
This pair is the first lace pattern I ever designed,
but not the first pair I knit by the pattern.
The black pair is knit by the same pattern
but I shortened it at the knuckles.
Still gave it the same finished edge thumb.

The last photo is also my own design,
but I probably won't sell this pattern.

I consider the actual pattern a work in progress,
although the gloves did turn out fine.
I named this pattern "Exa Elizabeth" after
my Granny Sorrells. This pair of gloves
is knit with Berrocco's Alpaca Ultra Fine.
Which is the same yarn I used for my first
Moebius Cowl pattern (several post below).



Saturday, October 22, 2011

Update on Fairisle Purse



Just a quick update on my fairisle purse.
This is knit from the top down, so what you are seeing
is the top half of the purse.
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Friday, October 21, 2011

Beginning of my next design


This is what I am currently working on.
A new design, rolling around in my head,
I started it Tuesday morning, but I have torn
it out once already. That is just part of designing.


It does begin with a 2 color cast on which I really like.
After 6 rounds then it has a herringbone braid,
which you see here close to the needles.



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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

October new shawl design

My latest design, a shawl.
This shawl is knit with 2 very different strands of yarn.
One a very thin acrylic, and one a mohair blend.


This design has a fairly fast increase,
with 10 stitch increase every right side row.



And ends with a lace border, and picot bind off.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

My first Moebius Cowl

A couple weeks ago on Monday I visited one of the shops that is selling my glove patterns and the owner requested I design a cowl pattern to match one of them. On Tuesday I went to another shop that is also selling my glove patterns. When I told that shop owner about the first one wanting a cowl pattern, this one said make it a moebius cowl. Well, I had never tried the moebius cast on but Sandy assured me with this video I could master it. I was then in Rockwood with no internet service, so I went to McDonald's with computer (on the way to yet another yarn store, that carries my patterns) and needles in hand and sat and watched the video.

I took the lace portion of my "Ruffled Cuff Eyelet Fingerless Gloves" pattern and I designed and charted and wrote the pattern for it to be a moebius cowl. The glove shown is the sample I knitted for the Smoky Mountain Spinnery in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It was knit using Alpaca Sox by Classic Elite Yarn.


The Moebius Cowl is knit using Berroco's "Ultra Alpaca Fine". Both are fingering weight alpaca blends. Notice in the glove the line down the middle, it is purl stitches that kind of stretch as you put it on your hand. With the moebius, there is nothing to stretch it, so it creates a little bit of a puffiness.


I finished knitting late Friday evening, really did not know what I thought of the puffiness of it, but I posted the above photograph to Facebook, stating that I had designed and knit it that week. Within half hour it had been bought, paid for (through Paypal) and packaged up to mail.



So I decided to knit another one. I learned something else knitting the second one. I knitted this one with Cascade Heritage ( 75% Merino/ 25% Nylon). Look at the difference in the length of the one knit using the Merino instead of the Alpaca. The Merino measures 28 inches. I had added 9 stitches to the moebius cast on, which really adds 18 stitches) but I was knitting with #5 needles, so it should not have added 6 inches to the length. I learned the Merino is just too relaxed for this pattern. I am going to knit another one with the Alpaca yarn (maybe even another brand) with the added stitches and see what happens.


Oh, and the one that bought the white one is one of my first blogging buddies. Jen, from Unglazed. She doesn't blog much anymore, but she has friended me on FB. I actually think she was the very first blogger to purchase my photographs, several years ago.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Sheep at Appalachian Museum - Sept 2011

It was a beautiful September day, as I passed by the
Appalachian Museum I decided to stop and photograph the sheep.





I wish I knew sheep breeds but I don't.
If anybody does I would like to know.
I went to their website but did not find
anything stating what breeds they have there.

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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Teal Felted Purse with needle felted bird and flowers

I designed this mesenger style purse and knit it.
After knitting, the purse is then felted.

After felting the purse I then needle felted
the bird and flowers on the purse.


I entered this purse in the Jefferson County Fair
this past summer and received first place in the felted category.


This purse sold at Heaven & Earth Gallery
on the craft loop in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Post exported from other blog

All the post before this post were exported from Leedra's Photos For Fun. They are related to what this blog is about. All future post will only be on this blog.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

My new knit designs

I have been designing this summer, while at home getting the repairs completed from all the damage caused during the storms 4/27/11.
Audrey modeling her suntop and then her sundress. The sundress pattern is with a test knitter right now in hopes of selling this pattern.

I have also been designing lace gloves. The teal pair has a ruffle at the cuff.
Not sure I am going to publish this pattern, but it is also
with a test knitter right now.


The cream colored lace gloves, is a different pattern.
The stitch is called drooping dayflower, which instantly caught my eye.

I took the drooping dayflower stitch and designed a glove around it.
This pattern has already been with the test knitter,

and the pattern has been added to Ravelry for purchase.
And I sold my first pattern within 24 hours.
If you are a Ravelry member click here for the link to the pattern.
Ravelry does require a login, if you are a knitter and don't
belong you should join, it is free.