We have a new pattern up on Patternfish - Side Panel Vest . It's a Top Down with short rows to shape the V-neck. You have lots of choices to make this your own creation.

• Choose either worsted weight yarn or heavy worsted weight yarn (aran).
• Choose 4 buttons or buttons all the way down the front.
• Choose which pattern you want to work down the sides (or put in one of your own favourites): Lace Pattern or 2 x 2 Rib.
• And because it's Top Down you decide how long you want it to be.

I can't wait to see how these choices result in different looking vests.

A couple more neck cozies, one adult and one childs. They're really easy and fast to do and trying out different lace patterns has been fun.

Certainly gives me a chance to try them out and see how I like how they look and knit up. My Retreat Notes are ready to go. Just a few more days 'til we get together to have fun with this project.
deb

I have polished up an old skill and now it's a shining new skill. We had Monika Stramaglia come to our knitting guild and do a "crocheting for knitters" class. I love being a student.

I can now do the crab stitch. Even with a finer weight of yarn.

And I worked both these stitch patterns using the crochet schematics only. Woohoo. Those little diagrams do make sense. A whole new stitching world is waiting out there, now that I can wield a crochet hook.

Have you learned any new skills lately?
Deb

November is a busy month. I'll be on the road teaching and speaking around my area of the country. Here's the schedule:
November 1: Port Hope, ON. I'm doing a talk about adding stitch patterns to your top down at the  Northumberland Hooks and Needles Guild .

November 16 to 18:  At the Cabin Fever Retreat we're going to concentrate on learning to adjust the necklines of top down garments. I'm writing up small projects so you can try this out. You can knit a neck cozy or capelet over the weekend. You can, of course, start a full sweater to take home and finish up. It's coming up soon, can't wait.

November 24 & 25: I'll be teaching Top Down classes at the Downtown Knit Collective Winter Workshops in Toronto. They include a Plus-Size class, a V-Neck class and a favourite of mine, the Scatter class, where we throw out the rules for the top down raglan and play with the increase placement to see what could happen. It's fun and opens up lots of discussion of ideas for top down yoke construction.

November 28: I'm giving a talk at the Meaford Library, Adult programing with ideas for making your top down sweaters your own creation. What can you add in and what can you change to make them special. Bring your ideas.

It all begins in a couple of days. I'm ready to go.
Deb

I thought I would extend the retreat project into a pullover capelet. Are they becoming popular? I seem to see more of them on ravelry. I started with a cast on for a wave pattern. Nice and easy to work. Then I did some short rows to lower the front.

 

Next the regular, relaxing, raglan shaping to the outside of my shoulder.

 

Now I'm working on getting the wave going again for the trim on the bottom edge.

I think I'll do the wave for about 4". Just need to adjust the stitch number so I can get the stitch pattern going again. Nice to be working in worsted weight wool, so quick.
-Deb

I hope today is sunny because I need some good photos of the vests I finished and the 2-colour shawl.
The patterns have gone to my tech editor and should be back by the end of the week and up on patternfish next week. Yay. Time to move on to something new.

Lyn's going off to the Rheinbeck Sheep and Wool show this week. She'll be in the Shelridge Farm booth. Any other lucky people making the trip?
-Deb

For the Cabin Fever Retreat I'm working on a top down project that you could get done over the weekend. Here are my ideas for a top down neck cozy. It still has scoop neck shaping and raglan increases. But I think you could make it like this, jazz it up with some lace and wear it under your coat. A small adult top down project in Aran weight wool. Quick, fun and interesting!

You could button up the collar and have a turtleneck for extra warmth. I do love the Corona lace pattern on the bottom. The collar is in feather and fan lace.

This one has the beginning of a shawl collar but I ran out of wool. I think the body could be longer still (if I have a second ball) for a caplet. I know I have 2 balls of something around here I could use to try that out!  What do you think?
-Deb