A day in the life of a thesis writing university student.

*Eat, write, knit, repeat from *. My days are easy to sum up at the moment and since the only knitting I'm doing is secret knitting, I though I'd do something different and share a day in my life as a thesis writing university student. 

As I still have the remainders of a horrible flu in my body, I'm sleeping in without an alarm, resulting in some late mornings. Today I woke up at 9am to the sound of the church bell. The first thing I do every morning is to grab my phone and read my Bible portions for the day.   

Once I got that done I got out of bed and fixed breakfast and had a chat with my parents, whom I'm visiting at the moment. 

Not long after finishing a non-picturesque breakfast, I grabbed my laptop and started writing on the last analysis needed for my thesis. By now the church was sounding 10am and I was off to a good start. 

No hero is complete without his trusty sidekick and when it comes to thesis writing I seem to have two: food and knitting. By 11am I was feeling peckish and grabbed a midmorning snack. My mum had fixed a batch of bread for our up-coming wedding, and had 1 bun left over from the circle. It was delicious and just what I needed to get a little more writing done.   

When I inevitably fell into a writing rut, I decided it was time for a shower and as I returned from it, all refreshed and relaxed, my mum was fixing lunch. There really is something to be said for having all your meals prepared by someone else when your trying to write an important paper.

After lunch I managed to include an important point in my paper that I had no clue where to place up to that point. A look on the thermometer revealed that it was really all to warm outside to be working inside, so I grabbed my laptop and the needed papers and headed outside.

It wasn't long, however, before it felt like it was time for a knitting break. 

Ahh, look at all that sunshine... Unfortunately secret knitting does not get a paper written and I was determined to finish the analysis today, so I returned to the screen (thank you technology for screens you can actually see outside in the sun nowadays). 

Some more eating of snacks and some more knitting was involved. I even finished one secret knit and cast on another and by 4pm I had a finished analysis and just under half of my conclusion written. Not bad for a days work. What does a typical day in your life look like at the moment?

Planning a shoot and fighting an urge...

Easter brings with it the opportunity to go home and that means a chance to do a photoshoot. I'm still terribly undecided on the issue of single patterns or a cohesive e-book for the collection I'm currently working on. At the moment I'm leaning towards e-book, so I'm planning the photoshoot accordingly. If the weather allows it we will be able to shoot 4 patterns during easter, hopefully in one day. That is, if I finish knitting the sample of the 4th pattern.

I'm surprised by how much I enjoy designing sock patterns and I'm currently knitting on sock #2 on my second sock design. It's coming along well, but there's still half a sock left and easter is sneaking up on us.

It's also with regards to this sock that I continue to fight the urge to just start the testing fase already! It's so easy to get impatient and just want it all done, NOW! I dream of the day where I'll be able to manage having several patterns in testing, but alas now is just not that day yet.

What plans do you have for easter?

Glimpses of a sock

Today I want to share with you a glimpse of a sock design I'm working on. It's ready for testing, but I've learned the hard way not to have more than one test knit on the go during the semester, because something is bound to be up with both patterns at the same time and also I have a group of wonderful testers and they can only knit so much for me at a time. (Btw, if you want to join in, you can!)

11 (okay 3) FOs and a winner.

11 FOs...

My oh my have I been stitching. I'm, quite frankly, unable to keep myself in knitting/crochet these days. I cast on something new and whoosh it's done already, it's so odd, considering it was only last month, I was talking about how I needed to regain my joy and knitting mojo. I need to cast on a me-sized sweater to stop this insanity.

As a result of the just mentioned insanity I bring you 11 FOs:

The first 9 FOs are cotton rounds. What?! You don't think counting them as individual FOs count? Well then, I guess 3 FOs total is a decent amount too. 11 just sounds so impressing, doesn't it, and I needed impressing. 

These are made of lush organic cotton, that is certified fair trade as well. I may have some plans in the work for them, but it is too early to tell you about them.

My second FO is the tiny waves baby hat I wanted to cast on. I started out knitting it as per the directions, but I wasn't a fan on the slouchiness, so I ribbed it back a good deal and then redid the decreasing. It's a lovely little hat, now if only I knew a lovely little baby that could wear it. For now it'll go into the baby gift basket. You can never have too many baby items on hand. 

These you are most likely familiar with if you've been hanging around for a while. Another pair of socks are ready for my dad. I've been told that if you only wear hand knit socks, as he does, you'll wear out 4 pairs per year. Thus I've been knitting him 4 pairs per year for years, but it seems his sock drawer is slightly overflowing and I don't think he has had to discard more than one pair yet, if that. As a result I may just take the rest of the year of from daddy-sock making and focus a bit more on Pia-sock making. 

Speaking of socks, I have a new pattern almost ready for you, all it needs is a photoshoot, but the weather has been uncooperative lately on the weekends. 

... and a winner

To end this post, I'm happy to announce that my dear friend Nadia of Abso-knitting-lutely! is the winner of Evin O'Keeffe's book Bake Knit Sew: A Recipe and Craft Project Annual. 

Free e-guides from Craftsy

Did you know that Craftsy offers a wide range of free e-guides in everything from photography to woodworking?
It's a pretty neat way to learn more about your crafts of choice or maybe dive into a completely new craft to see if it's something you enjoy.

Even if you don't find any of them interesting, which I find hard to believe since I want to read a dusin of them, then go ahead and download one if you have your eye on a class you want to take, since most of them contain a coupon code for classes in that category.

This post contains affiliate links, so if you do decide to get any of the FREE guides, I get a small compensation, which I will greatly appreciate :)

I know most of you are stitchers, so let's start with a few stitching e-guides:

Embroidery
"From picking the best thread for the job to innovative ways of working with beads to enhance your projects, learn everything you need to know for stunning, dimensional stitching success!"
eGuide: Adding Dimension to Your Hand Embroidery

Crochet
"Learn how to crochet a chain, single crochet, double crochet and decode crochet abbreviations."
eGuide: The Beginner's Guide to Crochet 

Knitting
"From necklines to shoulder styles, this eGuide will help you unlock your knitting potential, creating sweater designs perfectly tailored to your needs!"
eGuide: 20+ Sweater Designs You'll Love to Knit 

And in case you have some non-stitching interests or would like to explore some, take a look at these cool e-guides:

Photography
"Learn to manipulate variables like depth of field and shutter speed for breathtaking photos with dramatic effect!"
eGuide: Understanding Exposure for Better Photos Now: Beginner Photography Tutorials

Cake Decorating
"From unique buttercream flavors to pretty piped flowers, this eGuide will help you unlock your sweet creativity to create eye-popping designs that are bowl-licking good!"
eGuide: Not-So-Basic Buttercream Decorating Ideas

Food & Cooking
"From decadent classic glazed to deliciously healthy baked, to chocolate, iced and sprinkled, you'll learn everything you need to master the ultimate breakfast pastry."
eGuide: Delicious Doughnut Recipes You Can Make at Home

Paper Crafts
"From envelop embellishments to color blocked cards, you'll learn over six unique ways to transform leftover paper scraps into Pinterest-worthy projects."
eGuide: 6+ Stash-Busting Paper Craft Projects

Drawing
"Drawing the Human Face covers facial proportions, proper placement of features, accurately portraying eyes and lips, and incorporating shape and value into hair."
eGuide: Drawing the Human Face: A Primer

Painting
"This guide starts your journey into the wonderful world that is watercolor painting. Beginning with the basics, you'll learn how to choose paper and build a color palette. Then, it's time to move on to color study, where you'll discover how to manipulate color transparency, value, intensity and temperature for the radiant, luminous watercolor works you always dreamed of creating!"
eGuide: Beginner's Guide to the World of Watercolor

Gardening
"All it takes is a little expert guidance to unearth your gardening abilities, no matter how small your space. This eGuide is full of rich information on how to container garden, from step-by-step potting instructions to an overview of the best plants for containers, so you can grow your greenest thumb, even if you live in a concrete jungle!"
eGuide: Success With Container Gardening

Woodworking
"With expert instruction, you'll learn the ABCs of woodturning, crucial safety tips, and how to keep your tools sharp and precise."
eGuide: Woodturning Basics for Beginners

Oooh Shiny or How I Want To Knit All The Things

Mission completed! I have regained my lost joy and am currently bursting with ideas and wanting to knit it all NOW.

A FO

Bella is done, well almost done. The knitting is done, the seaming is done, but she still needs a good bath and some buttons. I rarely put buttons in baby knits before I know which baby they are going to or rather which parents. Buttons can be a huge investment and people like different styles, both are taken into consideration to finish off the knit in the best possible way.

A WIP

First on my must-knit-it-now list was a pair of socks for my dad, since I have no clue when I'll see him next and his birthday was late January, so really I should get going on his present, right...
The first sock is almost ready for a heel flap and as usually I'm really enjoying this meditative knit. My hands know exactly what to do and just do it with out me having to think to much about it.

A Long List of Ideas

Then there is the list of ideas. I still want to knit the hat I mentioned here. 

Additionally, there is a sweater for my MIL in the pipeline.

I really want to knit a dress or something for myself, maybe this one.

And another pair of socks for me would be nice too.

There is more on the list, but this sounds like a good few months of knitting already, so lets leave it here.

How are you feeling about your knitting at the moment? Is it full of joy?

Designing for Larger Women

This is a guest post by Natàlia Prats on designing for larger women. It's a topic I know very little about and I'm thankful for her willingness to share her experience, insights and sense of humour with us.

I learned to sew my own garments because I found it very difficult to find beautiful, classy ones in my size. When later I learned to knit, my motivations took me along the same path.  The available choice for larger sizes was -and is- ludicrously small. Making the garments myself helped me have some more choice.
Well, almost.

I soon found out that, as with sewing patterns, knitting patterns came mostly in a very limited range of sizes. When I found patterns offered in larger sizes, many of them were off-puttingly ridiculous. Or they used certain features that, whereas they allow for more room, they are not necessarily going to look good (i.e. Empire waists: some people love them, yes, but a majority of us have to avoid them or be complimented over our imaginary future baby). Apparently, ladies with curves are not allowed tasty clothes. You get a square bag with holes for head and limbs and there it is. Garish colours. Flashy designs impossible to wear in a sober environment. And above all, apparently larger ladies have all a rack that’s at least DD. Guess what, I don’t.

Pedrera (back)

Other features made many patterns a no-no for me: ridiculously tight short sleeves; ridiculously wide long sleeves; ridiculously long sleeves (think young Enrique Iglesias). A constant in winter sweaters was the lack of shaping finished off by a disproportionately tight rib just below the waist and a too tight round neck at the opposite end. Low quality materials and a lot of glitter.

Nowadays we have some more choice, thanks to having easy access to a lot more design work, and a number of designers decided to tackle the problem and create beautiful patterns that actually fit in more sizes. It isn’t still enough, though. I decided to contribute.

I found my experience in garment sewing and pattern drafting very valuable. That and an understanding of the different types of body shapes are essential in order to create a well-fitting top that makes you look good and not like a rumpled sack of potatoes. When I develop a new design, I want it to help me look neat and feel comfortable. So I try to avoid all the mistakes I’ve seen in other designs along the years:

-Some designers, for some strange reason, thought that it was enough to just scale up everything. I still came across such an instance recently: a top with a fully turned boat neck. It worked well with smaller sizes, but it became evident they had never tested the larger ones when I tried to make one for me; the garment was tube-like and the measurement of the neck had to be the same as the body with arms and all, so at my size there was no hold for so much fabric unless you had JJJ boobs (at the very least). I had to frog the entire thing. 

Bodies don’t just grow in all dimensions -otherwise we’d have lots more giants around. The reality is that most larger people are exactly the same height as the rest. Which means their extra humanity spreads widthwise. There is no point in increasing the measurements related to length except to account for the increase in volume. It’s the horizontal measurements the ones that do the hard work. This is why, if you compare the numbers in a sizing table, they sort of correlate in groups, but not all along the table. As the body shape changes when a girl grows into an adult, the measurements reflect this. As the body becomes bigger than average, another, different adjustment takes place. You cannot just say ‘I’ll make everything larger and that’s it.’ That’s when you get a tent-like shapeless garment.


-The best tip I’ve ever learned is to show you have a waist. Everybody has a waist. Granted, sometimes it hides. But in most cases, if you do something to highlight its existence, it will pay off. That’s why I prefer creating sweaters with a waist. Even if the shaping is soft, it will improve the general look. This works for bigger and smaller people alike.


-Body types. Whether you’re a pear or an apple or whatever, the combinations are infinite and you may very well never be identified with one of those models. In a very interesting conversation on this subject recently in the Designers group of Ravelry, somebody was seriously trying to determine plus size body shapes, because obviously what fits certain types won’t fit so well other types in the same size. It is a very complicated problem to which we still have no solution. The variables are too many. My take is that we’d better offer what we can, and hopefully the increasing assortment on offer will finally be able to cater for everybody. This is also another reason why different designers have different styles. Everyone tends to work with designs that fit the body types they know best.

Tarnhelm

Sometimes, when I release a pattern designed especially for plus sizes, I get asked to release it for smaller sizes too. The thing is, in the same way that not all designs are suitable for fuller figures, not all designs are suitable for smaller ones. Not only that: in the best of cases, it means having to do all the work all over again, so it’s actually like creating two versions of the pattern. Therefore, if I can’t cover all sizes I’ll work for the plus group. Smaller people already have thousands more designs to choose from anyway. 

We are constantly manipulated by the whims of the media and mass production industries. Independent designers are trying to change this, but it takes a lot of time and effort. I am glad to be helping with that change. I’ll keep working in this area, trying to create a variety of designs flattering for people who, like me, are tired of what they are not being offered.

Knitting and Joy

First things first 

Knitting and joy is closely connected for me. I can knit all the day long and feel perfectly content, so when I started noticing a lack of joy I knew something was wrong. For over a year now I've been very focused on the whole design aspect. I've learned so much and have grown as a designer, starting to discover my voice and using it. New things were on the horizon, an e-book and trying to get a design published in a magazine.

Frankly, the more exciting everything got the less I felt like knitting and with the whole #vatmoss deal, it was beginning to feel like a lot of work with very little reward. I'd love to say that month after month of no sales doesn't affect me, but that would be a lie. What really did me in I think was that so far my charity pattern, Everyday Rockstar has only sold one copy and I know that a close friend purchased that (and love her for it).

While I really want to some day have a decent side income from pattern writing, at the time being I'll be taking a break from it all to regain my joy and energy. During the next 6 months I'll be writing my BA thesis and I need knitting to be happy place during that time, not another thing in my life with obligations, deadlines and pressure.

Hopefully, by the time I'll be ready to return, I'll not only be rejuvenated, but perhaps the whole #vatmoss ordeal will be solved as well. I won't stop blogging though, fear not and I'm not saying a design or two won't find their way into my life during the next 6 months, what I am saying is that if they do so, they will do it because of an itch I must scratch, not because I feel obliged to work on them.

Now to reclaim the true joy...   

To combat the negative feelings I was beginning to harbour towards my knitting, I decided to knit something cute, something I didn't have to think about. I needed to not think at all, so I grabbed 3 different yarns and a baby knitting book and told my man to pick something, anything for me to knit. 

He chose the Bella Cardigan and some dark purple wool and off I went on my merry way. 

I'm already feeling a lot better about my knitting, less than a week after taking the decision to just have fun with it. Want proof? I've already planned what I want to cast on next: Baby Scallops.

Have you ever been in a similar situation and how did you regain the lost joy?

Vacation time and crocheting.

For the past month I've been in exam mode. As of yesterday I had my last exam of the semester and I now have a quick break before I return for my last semester of my BA. It's so exciting to be at the brink of writing my first proper thesis and while it will be a lot of work, I'm looking forward to all of it.

As so often before the days of my vacation have quickly been filled with all sorts of activities. I have a good deal of work planned for the remainder of this month and a trip to go spent 3 days with a dear friend on another island.

Of course my vacation plan also includes fibre, organic cotton to be exact. I've begun to wear some make-up more frequently and that means I need a few more cotton rounds to tide me over between laundry days.

If you'd like some no fuss cotton rounds  squares too, then the pattern is included in my free e-book Faithful Knitting.

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What's on My Needles? - From Idea to Published Pattern..

Going a new way

2015 is the year of Full Disclosure for me. Thus let me tell you about the new project I have on my needles: It's a sock pattern and it's entirely a secret!

For the first time, I feel ready to work on a pattern for submission. Will it be accepted? Only God knows, but I'm giving it a shot.

This shot at a pattern for submission means I'm working on a deadline for the first time, that isn't set by me and can't be changed. It means I can't show you any pictures or really talk about it. I will not, however, stop me from sharing the process with you. I'm sure the next month and a half will provide me with a good deal of headaches.

The big question I've keep asking myself is if it is worth it to work on patterns for submission. Like anyone would do, I made a list of pros and cons:

Pros

• Some form of compensation is provided
• It will get my name out to a much wider audience
• If the pattern is refused, I'll have a pattern to self-publish

Cons

• I have to keep everything about the pattern a secret. 
• I have to wait a long time to know if the pattern is accepted
• I have to follow the guidelines that the publisher decide on
• I have to work on a deadline

For the longest time the single con of having to keep everthing a secret outweighed every pro. I've now reached a point where it doesn't anymore. I'm running my head against a paywall in so many aspects when I think of something I could do to further my business, but this is one thing I can do, that won't cost me a dime, in fact, it is likely to make me a dime or two if all goes well. 

Now tell me, do you have any experience getting your patterns published? And what are your pros and cons?

Top 5 Classes to Improve Your Knit Designs

Ever since I started knitting 20+ years ago I've been on a quest to constantly improve my knitting. Now that I'm designing, I'm eager to learn more about that aspect of the craft and I imagine you are too.

Here are my top 5 picks from Craftsy's classes to improve your designing skills. Some I've taking, some are on my list for this year - all are worth the money, since Craftsy has a guarantied money back police if you are not happy with your purchase.

 #1 - Sizing Knitwear Patterns with Faina Goberstein

"Knitwear designer and math professor Faina Goberstein walks you step-by-step through every calculation involved in grading a range of sizes, from the initial gauge swatch through shaping a garment and calculating yardage. You will conquer your pattern-grading fears and finish with a pattern that's ready to knit, and the knowledge and tools to use these skills for years to come."

This is a class I have taken and I've already gone back a few times to re take some of the lessons. Faina's accent is a little strong, but once you get used to it, the information is life changing if you've never graded a pattern before. 

#2 - How To Say It: Pattern Writing for Knitters with Edie Eckman

"Learn the keys to communicating your one-of-a-kind knit designs. Author, teacher and technical editor Edie Eckman presents an insider's guide to clearly communicating knitting patterns to editors, publishers and fellow knitters. This class offers experienced knitters the opportunity to strengthen their pattern writing and reading skills, as well as increase their chances of successfully selling their designs.

Edie walks you through the basics of writing a knitting pattern - from articulating stitch repeats to understanding the impact sizing has on your creative choices - and provides you with essential pattern-writing tools, including her detailed templates and a meticulously crafted style guide. Her sample pattern, the pretty Acorn Cardigan, is included free!"

I've taking this class as well, but I think I'm due for a re-view since I've failed to put my stylesheet into practise. #fulldisclosure 

#3 - Hand Knit Garment Design with Shirley Paden

"Learn how to design knitwear from the master … Shirley Paden! Author of Knitwear Design Workshop, the go-to reference book for knit garment designers, Shirley brings her comprehensive yet simple design process to Craftsy, including a 26-page downloadable workbook and animated video diagrams. Shirley shows you step-by-step how to use one simple math formula to calculate yardage, shape sleeve caps and armholes, distribute increases and decreases and achieve a perfect fit. Don't miss this opportunity to learn handknit garment design from an industry expert."

I've yet to take this class, but it is at the top of my list to take this year!

#4 - Lace Shawl Design with Miriam Felton

"Designer Miriam Felton shares her methodology and design templates, walking you through every consideration for shawls, from inspiration to planning, construction and beyond. This technique-based course will give you an intimate look at a lace master's mind, showing you how to develop your own design process. Design shawls as simple or complex as you desire, and receive help from Miriam along the way. Get your pencils ready and chart your own path in Lace Shawl Design."

#fulldisclosure - I'm itching so bad to do a couple of shawl designs and I have a simple lace one on the way, but with this class I'm confident I could strike into something a tad more complicated. 

#5 - Mastering Cable Design with Fiona Ellis

"Fiona puts a new twist on deciphering cable abbreviations while teaching you basic cable crosses, rest rows and how to creatively combine these knit design elements. She’ll also offer tips on where to find cable design inspiration and how to enhance your garments with I-cord embellishments. You’ll master diamond and doughnut shapes, add and subtract individual cables, play with negative space and learn to change cable angles in this example-packed class. You'll also learn to mix and match elements from existing cable designs to make them your own."

I'm so excited to take this class since I love me some good cables and really enjoy incorporating them into my designs, but sometimes find it difficult to do just that!

Now tell me...

Have you taken any of these classes? What did you think of them? Is one of them calling your name? 

All I want for Christmas... + a Christmas gift for you!

It's Christmas! I know, I know... A lot of you won't be unwrapping presents until tomorrow, but today or rather tonight is the big moment we've all been waiting for around here.

Now I wanted to take the time to wish you all a very merry Christmas and let you know what my only wish from all of you is this year, in case you are feeling a little generous...

Wouldn't it be nice to have a great new pattern to cast on during all the festivities tomorrow? And wouldn't it be even nicer to know that with the purchase of said pattern you had made a contribution towards cancer research?

Most of you know what I'm going to wish for, but in the interest of beginning my theme for next year a little early, I'll tell you why I'm wishing for it as well.

I had hoped, that I could send the Danish Cancer Society a big fat check at the end of the year, but right now I've only sold one copy of the Everyday Rockstar and while I'm very thankful for the sale and the money it raised, it doesn't exactly make for a big fat check...

So if you are feeling generous or need a last minute gift for a dear Ravelry friend or just need a hat because you accidentally left your old one on the train on your way home, may I suggest you go with the Everyday Rockstar - together we can beat cancer through research and secure many more merry Christmases for families all over the world. When you spend the 15DKK or ca. $2,5 you'll contribute just over 10DKK/$1.67* to cancer research. *Depending on exchange rate, paypal fee and Ravelry fee. 

There you have it, all I want for Christmas is YOU -

Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!  

Wait, whaaaat! You really thought I'd leave you hanging without telling you about my very special Christmas gift for you? You should know me better!

Well, I've been working hard on creating an e-book, called Faithful Knitting, for all of you and it will be send out to everyone on my email list tomorrow. If you see this after Christmas then don't worry, if you sign up you'll still receive the gift, but wouldn't it be nice to have a brand new e-book to read on Christmas day about faith and knitting?
Oh, and in case you aren't Christian and think you wouldn't care for the book, I just want to share something on of my proof readers, Cami, told me:

"As someone who was raised Christian, but no longer considers herself a Christian, I would say there is plenty in your book that can/should be considered by a non-Christian audience."

Sign up now to be among the first to receive the e-book tomorrow.

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Remember the waves?

Oh those waves.. They wrapped me in love and summer memories. It took no time at all to knit that big, cosy shawl and then I sat down right away and wrote up the pattern and sent it into test knitting and now it is all done and waiting for the photo shoot.

That's what happened, right, please tell me that was what I did...

Oh, alright you guessed it! While it is true that it took no time to knit up and it really is a cosy shawl, the rest of the actions above never took place. The only piece of the pattern that has been written up is  the final decrease and BO. It wasn't for a lack of good intentions, but you know what they say about those and a certain road going some place warm. Sigh.

Thus now I have to do something I dread. I have to reverse engineer the pattern. That isn't the worst that could happen, but there's a catch... There's always a catch when you find yourself in this kind of situation, isn't there?!

The catch is that I have absolutely no time on my hands to write up the pattern at the moment. Truth be told, I'm struggling to make designing a priority right now. What I need is more hours in the day, but don't we all need that from time to time. It's not that I've fallen out of love with this project or designing in general, that couldn't be further from the truth. It's simply that between my full time study gig and two side jobs, designing, which at the moment is an expense more than a job, just has to be done last.

I still lay in bed at night when I'm about to go to sleep and dream about my first collection being finished. I dream bigger dreams sometimes of a romantic life filled with theology, wonderful people and lots of knit wear designing. And then I stop myself, because isn't that pretty much the life I live right now? It sure is filled with romance, theology, wonderful people and some knit wear designing...

So instead of beating myself up about not haven written up the pattern for the waves shawl yet, I'm beginning to think it isn't that bad of a deal. At least when everything goes wrong in the writing because I've forgotten it all, I'll have some to share with you!

A surprise spot of Christmas knitting

I had all my Christmas knitting done for the year many moons ago. Then my mum got the very yarn I usually knit my dad's socks out of as a gift - it had to be a sign, right?!

A pair of dad-sized socks is nothing big in my world. They have come to be my zen knitting. I've done so many pairs, I believe I could knit them in my sleep if you handed me the needles. It takes me a week to crank out a pair if I'm diligent. In between the fogs of sleep and ickiness last week, I somehow managed to do a lot of knitting. And I do mean a lot. Here's the proof:

Not one, but two socks! Ready to be handed off to my dad as his second pair of Christmas socks this year. Not that I'm counting the pairs I've made him this year alone (5) or anything. I love to make them though, because no one appreciates a pair of hand made socks as much as my dad. It's all he wears. We've tailored them to fit him perfectly and while they look a bit strange when not on a foot, especially the toe, they fit him like a glove, eeeh sock. You should hear the disappointment in his voice when I had the nerve to cast on a sock that wasn't for him, let alone of my own design!

Next year I'll undoubtedly knit him an additional 4 pairs, as that seems to be the rate he goes through them. And yes, my mum darn them once or twice before they are so worn out they simply disintegrate.

Are you doing any Christmas knitting?

Pattern Launch: Everyday Rockstar - a cancer charity project

Has your family been affected by cancer? Mine sure has - a lot. We've lost a few to cancer and many more have survived it or are currently battling it. Once you've had it right there next to you, or in you, you come to understand what a vicious disease it is. Thankfully, research has come a long way and more and more people beat it!

I've been pondering for a while if I would be able to raise some money for the Danish Cancer Society - Kræftens Bekæmpelse, in one way or another and then I realised that I could, because I have a micro business!

Thus I've decided to send 100% of the proceeds from the sale of my new pattern Everyday Rockstar to Kræftens Bekæmpelse and I have this dream, that it will be a big fat check, because knitters are awesome and not unwilling to support good causes, and this is one of the best!

But why should I contribute to a society in Denmark when I live in... Here's my answer, stolen from their own site:

This diagram shows how they use the monetary support:

53% goes to research - that means you benefit from it wherever you live.

23% goes to patient support, that's local, but I've personally benefitted from this, so please indulge me.

17% goes to awareness

and only a meagre 7% goes to administration.

There you have it, now on to the pattern:

buy now

This hat is warm and stylish, making you feel like a rockstar every day. The ribbing gently hugs your head and allows space for an up-do. Its timeless and simple style makes the hat perfect for both men and women. The pom pom offers a great way to add a splash of colour.

SIZES
Circumfrence unstretched
S: 40 cm / 15,3/4”
M: 44cm / 17,1/4”
L: 48cm / 19”
Length with turned brim
ca. 19 (20) 21cm / 7,5 (8) 8,1/4 ”

For just 15,00 DKK / $2,5 you get a stylish hat pattern and contribute to Kræftens Bekæmpelse. The entire proceeds from this pattern will be surrendered, that's just over 10DKK/$1.67* per pattern! (*Depending on exchange rate, paypal fee and Ravelry fee).

I hope you want to knit the hat and support a great cause, there's nothing I'd like more than to send them a big check!   

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Lessons learned from test knits

I've had a few patterns test knit by now and most have gone really well. One, however, did not. Serves me right for calling a pattern the Everyday Rockstar! It ended up all fine in the end and I had some great test knitters with plenty of grace and patience, but just about everything that can go wrong did go wrong.

You know I pride myself on sharing both the ups and downs with you here, that's the purpose of the blog after all. But while I knew I wanted to share the experience with you at some point, I also felt a need to distance myself a little from it first.

A little time has now past and I'm ready to share the lessons I've learned:

Always get more testers than you 'need'

Someone will drop off of the face of the earth, someone will get very sick, someone will simply not make it. It's a lot easier to handle all those someones with grace when it doesn't mean your entire test knit process has failed. 

Be Santa Clause 

Check that list time and again. Somehow a computer glitch resulted in me sending out an old version of the pattern at first, I only realised this after a lot of mistakes had been corrected, mistakes that felt familiar. Why? Because I had in deed already corrected them and then promptly lost the file it appears.

Be Firm

Don't set flexible deadlines. I learned that the hard way. Give people plenty of time to do the test, and hold them to that non-flexible date. 

Be thankful

People are working for you for free. Yes they do get the pattern, but they also have to deal with the mistakes. Please and thank you's never hurt anybody.

Everyday Rockstar will be out next Friday. The proceeds will go to the Danish Cancer Foundation, since cancer fighters and survivors are true rockstars, but more on that next week.

#NUCRAL - Lesson 5, Bust Shaping

Carol Feller's class on short rows is the first class of the #NUCRAL. The idea behind the a-long is to share progress, swatches, questions and idea. Basically, I needed an accountability partner and figured you might too.

We've made it to lesson 5, if you've just joined us, then please check out lesson 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Chapter 1: Creating shape

Today's lesson is the final lesson of this mini class and I wasn't sure how useful I would find it for my personal knitting. Why? Because as Carol points out if your cup size is less than a c-cup, you most likely won't need to use short rows for bust shaping.

Chapter 2: Calculating Short Rows

The second chapter proved to be much ore useful to me. The explanations of measurements and calculations are clear and easy to follow. Even though I may not need to do bust calculations, the explanations showcased what needs to be taken into consideration when calculating short rows in general and that is always useful.

What did you think of the way Carol had used short rows in the cardigan and the shawl?

Debating centimetres

Centimetres, they give me a good deal of trouble in pattern writing! If I was queen of the world everyone would work in cm. They make much more sense to me and are easier to work with in knitting as they give a smaller unit of measurement without having to be broken up. Sadly I'm not the queen of the world and a good deal of the world, at least in the knitting market, is used to operating in inches.

Inches, they give me a good deal of trouble in pattern writing! I want a piece to be x cm long and it always converts to x,something-odd inches. Could we please just all become part of the Knitmoregirls' metric revolution??!! Pretty please...

Now I'm debating going strictly centimetres or strictly inches in my patterns, because including both, which I have thus far to make it easy for you no matter what you are used to, is simple proving to be a looooot of work.

One of the patterns I'm currently writing up has 10 sizes (see I'm all about making it easy for you), which translates to 20, TWENTY, different measurements every. single. time. That isn't easy for me and certainly not for you either!

What do you think? Should I stick to my roots and go cm only? Maybe go international with only inches?  Or should I just stop wining and keep giving both?

#NUCRAL - Lesson 4, Sleeves and Shoulders

Carol Feller's class on short rows is the first class of the #NUCRAL. The idea behind the a-long is to share progress, swatches, questions and idea. Basically, I needed an accountability partner and figured you might too.

We've made it to lesson 4, if you've just joined us, then please check out lesson 1, 2 and 3.

Are you ready for a confession? Alright then, here we go: I didn't actually swatch for this lesson. This means I don't really have any pictures to show you, but don't fret I still have a lot to say about the lesson.

First, lets get to why I didn't swatch this time around. There are several reasons:
1) I was busy sewing in ends on a design while watching.
2) I had just worked short rows as a part of the shoulders on said design.
3) I had also just used a 3-needle-bind-off on said design.

Enough with my excuses already, lets get to the chapters.

Chapter 1 - Shoulder slopes

The short row method makes for a much cleaner finish than the stair step effect of the bind-off method. It makes the piece seem more coherent in my eyes, whereas the bind-off can at times look like you just cut off a part of your knitting. On a design I'm working on at the moment, I used short rows to shape the back of the shoulders only and it made for a really nice finish. I'm  so pleased I've learned the Japanese method in time for those short rows. The wraps became much smaller and aren't really visible, even on the wrong side, at all. 

Chapter 2 - Three needle bind-off

If you aren't familiar with this method then be ready to be amazed. This technique is so simple, yet elegant. I tend to use it all the time because I'm to lazy I prefer knitting to sewing any day. As I mentioned, I used it to join some cables on the design I'm plucking away at.

Chapter 3 - The set in sleeve

The only concept in this lesson I haven't used before was the actual short row, set in sleeve, but when you've worked short rows before, then there really isn't anything to it. Just watching Carol  do it made me confident I could too and the little detail she includes (you'll have to watch to know what I'm talking about here) makes it look very stylish. I'm determined to try it out on a sweater soon.

Now, let me know what you think.. Have you done short row shoulders or set in sleeves before?