b r o o k l y n t w e e d
7.31.2009
My Second Thesis, or, The Birth of A Collection
I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be writing this post -- it's been a loooong time coming, and I feel like I've spent a year holding out on you about the knitting that was actually going on here behind the scenes. It felt so wrong to be knitting my fingers to the bone on this end, with a quiet lack of output on the blog. Well, it's finally time to come clean and show you what I've been referring to over the last nine months as my Second Thesis.
¶ 1:46 PM 220 comments
I'm happy to introduce Made in Brooklyn - a collection of original handknit designs in natural fibers, published with Classic Elite yarns and available beginning next week.
As you well know, the last year was a trying one here as I was finishing up my MFA and thesis, teaching and photographing regularly. So when the opportunity to take on a project like this presented itself, I was convinced I was absolutely crazy to take on an additional commitment of this magnitude and almost surely doomed to drive myself into the ground and bring all my projects crashing down along with me in the process. And yes, the last 11 months have not been without their low points, but now that the dust has settled and all is said and done, I'm so glad that the wonderful folks at CE trusted me enough to give me this period to work up this book.
The process started very organically and blossomed out of multiple friendly discussions that I was having last September with my dear friend Pam Allen, the artistic director of Classic Elite and designer extroidinaire, but most of all an absolute golden sweetheart. I had been expressing my desire to continue exploring new directions in print publishing for the yarn shop community while still being able to keep my online distribution and the independent publishing mojo that I love so much about the internet, Ravelry, etc.
We ultimately came up with a new model in which Classic Elite would give an independent designer like me the opportunity to create a publication of designs in which I was given complete creative control over designing, pattern writing and photography, while retaining the rights to my work and the ability to distribute them as online PDF downloads as well as having them available in print at your local yarn shop. Needles to say I was thrilled!
And I couldn't have been luckier to be working with a company whose range of yarns is absolutely epic. As a designer, having such a solid range of high quality, natural fibers in a wide range of weights, constructions and colors seemed like such a dream-opportunity. And it really has been a wonderful, wonderful process.
The booklet features 13 original designs that run the gamut from simple, versatile accessories to major sweater projects for both men and women to long-term lace projects. My ever-present bug for colorwork was seriously indulged so if you're a lover of stranded knitting be sure to give the patterns a look! You'll also see a range of fibers used -- wool (of course, and lots of it!), cashmere, alpaca, silk and angora -- oh my, what fun! I had a WONDERFUL time putting these pieces together. And as I said before, I can't tell you how happy I am to finally be able to share them with all of you.
The designs in the book are all named after streets in Brooklyn and I shot all the photography on location in the streets here - which I thought was only fitting, as they are such a constant source of inspiration for me in my knitting and designing.
Now for the technical details: The book will be arriving in shops later in the week, so be sure to check your local LYS for details and yarn selection. Online sales will begin through Classic Elite's website mid-week, and pre-orders have already begun so if you prefer to go that route, please visit their site here.
As I mentioned before, the patterns will also be available for download as individual PDFs. The three patterns above will be available for purchase online immediately upon release of the book next week - both on Ravelry and here at Brooklyn Tweed. The remaining designs will become available as PDF downloads in the Spring.
Over the next week or so I'll be doing more in-depth coverage with plenty of photos here on the blog to introduce you to the new collection and these wonderful yarns, and catch up on showing you FO's from the past year! Stay tuned for more images and info on the patterns.
Before I end, I want to thank everyone for sticking around here on the blog through sparse times and for your continued support with my designs and photography. I very much hope you enjoy knitting this collection of designs -- I thought long and hard about enjoyable and intuitive ways to put these pieces together in hopes that you'll get as much enjoyment out of their making as I did. Thank you all so much.
7.25.2009
Of Press, Vintage Sweaters, and Baby Knitting
I'm back from a wonderful and restful vacation -- it's amazing what a little time off will do for your energy. It's also amazing what the ocean air can do for you when you have nothing to do but knit in front of the sea for 6 days. Dreamy!
I came home to the new issue of The Knitter -- in which is featured an interview that Meg Swansen and I conducted with the wonderful ladies of The Knitter while in the UK. If you don't know this magazine, it's a great one - a bit hard to come by in the US, but getting easier, so I hear. The article features a few sneak peeks at some of my upcoming designs which will be out next month.
And you know I can't take a trip with acquiring a few woolly souvenirs, despite trying desperately to pack light, and keep it that way! Behind the scenes here I run what I like to think of as a Sweater Rescue Program - searching thrift stores and flea markets for beautiful woolen cast-offs that have been slightly damaged, dirtied, or just plain overlooked. I like to take them in, mend them with matching scrap yarn, clean them up and give them new life. I do this rather often, which explains my large collection of machine knit sweaters (on top of all those hand-knit ones), which some people find puzzling. I say: Good Knitwear is Good Knitwear, right!?
That said, I found a real BEAUTY in Portland at my favorite thrifting locale: "The Bins" (aka Buying-Sweaters-By-Weight-For-Change). This here is a vintage shetland pullover with great details and wonderful wool. It has plenty of small moth-holes and a few little stains that can be easily taken out with a good hand-washing. And since I seem to have somehow acquired every possible shade of Shetland Grey in existence all under one roof, I figured I'd be able to find a pretty good match for this one.
Mending commences this week!
In vacation-knitting news, I got some work done on new designs, but mostly zoned out with my stockinette project for the baby ... enjoying these beautiful shades of gold and soaking up the sounds of the ocean. I love knitting by the sea just after dusk and into evening - stockinette is nice cause you don't really need to look at your knitting, at least not that much.
The leggings are in need of one more leg, which should be quick work for car knitting that will be happening in the next few days (passenger, not driver.... although I've been known to try. Keep that one quiet.)
Stick around in the next week or so for some big announcements and blatant eye-candy. Until next time! ¶ 4:08 PM 44 comments
I came home to the new issue of The Knitter -- in which is featured an interview that Meg Swansen and I conducted with the wonderful ladies of The Knitter while in the UK. If you don't know this magazine, it's a great one - a bit hard to come by in the US, but getting easier, so I hear. The article features a few sneak peeks at some of my upcoming designs which will be out next month.
And you know I can't take a trip with acquiring a few woolly souvenirs, despite trying desperately to pack light, and keep it that way! Behind the scenes here I run what I like to think of as a Sweater Rescue Program - searching thrift stores and flea markets for beautiful woolen cast-offs that have been slightly damaged, dirtied, or just plain overlooked. I like to take them in, mend them with matching scrap yarn, clean them up and give them new life. I do this rather often, which explains my large collection of machine knit sweaters (on top of all those hand-knit ones), which some people find puzzling. I say: Good Knitwear is Good Knitwear, right!?
That said, I found a real BEAUTY in Portland at my favorite thrifting locale: "The Bins" (aka Buying-Sweaters-By-Weight-For-Change). This here is a vintage shetland pullover with great details and wonderful wool. It has plenty of small moth-holes and a few little stains that can be easily taken out with a good hand-washing. And since I seem to have somehow acquired every possible shade of Shetland Grey in existence all under one roof, I figured I'd be able to find a pretty good match for this one.
Mending commences this week!
In vacation-knitting news, I got some work done on new designs, but mostly zoned out with my stockinette project for the baby ... enjoying these beautiful shades of gold and soaking up the sounds of the ocean. I love knitting by the sea just after dusk and into evening - stockinette is nice cause you don't really need to look at your knitting, at least not that much.
The leggings are in need of one more leg, which should be quick work for car knitting that will be happening in the next few days (passenger, not driver.... although I've been known to try. Keep that one quiet.)
Stick around in the next week or so for some big announcements and blatant eye-candy. Until next time! ¶ 4:08 PM 44 comments
7.11.2009
Woolly Tones
Swatching does a funny thing to your productivity - you know you're knitting a ton but feel like you have very little output. I really enjoy swatching, though -- it's the best way to really get to know a yarn, and I find that design ideas almost always reveal and shape themselves in a major way during that period. To me, the material makes a design, so swatching is a bit of a brainstorming session. Or maybe like a first date.
I've been doing a lot of swatching these past couple of weeks.
The Tweed Baby Blanket got me really hungry for a true Hap Shawl knitting experience with traditional yarns - so when I pulled out my burgeoning Shetland Stash and started pairing color groups, I really got into it. Shetland, with it's unbeatable palette, lets me indulge my love of tonal color relationships. That, and my fixation on natural sheep colors and their endless combinations.
There are also mitten designs being worked on - lots of colorowork around here. I just can't ever seem to shake that bug.
And a very special arrival came this week from Portland...
A gorgeous treasure trove of Shibui Sock -- sent as a collaboration between the folks at Shibui and my sister-in-law (they're practically neighbors) -- kits and colors chosen by the Baby Mama herself. And let me tell ya, she has great taste -- I'm certainly not complaining about these choices!
Tonight I fly to the West Coast - for a little work and a little play. I have a photoshoot in Seattle over the next few days then am taking some time with my family before a quick trip to SoCal for a short but real-and-true VACATION. I've packed knitting that satisfies needs across the board from the simple stockinette longies to fingering weight colorwork. That's what I call travel security.
¶ 12:55 PM 40 comments
I've been doing a lot of swatching these past couple of weeks.
The Tweed Baby Blanket got me really hungry for a true Hap Shawl knitting experience with traditional yarns - so when I pulled out my burgeoning Shetland Stash and started pairing color groups, I really got into it. Shetland, with it's unbeatable palette, lets me indulge my love of tonal color relationships. That, and my fixation on natural sheep colors and their endless combinations.
There are also mitten designs being worked on - lots of colorowork around here. I just can't ever seem to shake that bug.
And a very special arrival came this week from Portland...
A gorgeous treasure trove of Shibui Sock -- sent as a collaboration between the folks at Shibui and my sister-in-law (they're practically neighbors) -- kits and colors chosen by the Baby Mama herself. And let me tell ya, she has great taste -- I'm certainly not complaining about these choices!
Tonight I fly to the West Coast - for a little work and a little play. I have a photoshoot in Seattle over the next few days then am taking some time with my family before a quick trip to SoCal for a short but real-and-true VACATION. I've packed knitting that satisfies needs across the board from the simple stockinette longies to fingering weight colorwork. That's what I call travel security.
¶ 12:55 PM 40 comments
7.06.2009
Tweed Baby Blanket Pattern Now Available
Is anyone else feeling the post-holiday-weekend-Monday blues? I escaped for a long weekend in the Catskills with friends - fireworks, bonfire, barbecue and knitting - lots of knitting! I thought about posting this pattern before the weekend and then thought it might be a fun pick-me-up for the aftermath. I hope it finds you feeling restored wherever you might be.
The pattern for the Tweed Baby Blanket (see my original post on this piece here) is now available for purchase in either my Ravelry Pattern Store or through PayPal.
The pattern -- which I knit for my soon-to-be nephew (yes, it's a boy!), arriving in October -- was inspired by traditional Hap Shawls of Shetland. Here are the details:
If you're a Ravelry member and prefer acquiring this pattern there, click on the Ravelry button. If you aren't on Ravelry or prefer PayPal directly, click on the PayPal button.
I have plenty of knitting to show - it just needs to be photographed. I'm closing in on my merino/cashmere pullover and having fun with new yarns and Shetland lace. Oh my!
The BT Design Guarantee: As always, this pattern has been test-knit and tech-edited in an effort to bring the most enjoyable and error-free process to you - the knitter! I have personally prepared all diagrams and charts as well as knit/photographed samples and designed pattern layouts - soliciting the opinions of knitters prior to publication in an effort to streamline this product. I have done my very best to bring you a pattern that I am proud to stand behind fully. I do my best to respond to concerns or comments as soon as possible and, as always, thank you for your support and encouragement. Happy knitting! -Jared ¶ 11:48 AM 28 comments
The pattern for the Tweed Baby Blanket (see my original post on this piece here) is now available for purchase in either my Ravelry Pattern Store or through PayPal.
The pattern -- which I knit for my soon-to-be nephew (yes, it's a boy!), arriving in October -- was inspired by traditional Hap Shawls of Shetland. Here are the details:
Finished Measurements: Approx 38 x 38 inches square
Materials: DK-Weight Wool in 2-colors -- approx 585 yards of Main Color & 275 of Contrasting Color
Gauge: 4 sts and 4 ridges (8 rows) per inch in Garter Stitch after blocking (as for lace)
Needles: I used a US8/5mm 32" circular for the whole project. I recommend one double pointed needle, one size larger for working the applied I-Cord edging
Notions: You'll need 4 stitch markers - I recommend having one in an alternate color to be used to indicate the beg of round. Blocking wires or blocking pins - whatever suits your fancy for blocking lace-type pieces, and as always, a trusty, blunt tapestry needle.
Other notes: Pattern instructions for lace portion are charted clearly with corresponding legend. The pattern is written using 2 colors but I encourage you to experiment with more as you see fit. This is also a great stash-busting project for yarns you have lying around. If you want a larger blanket, work this up in a worsted weight yarn on larger needles. Price for the pattern is $5.75 USD
If you're a Ravelry member and prefer acquiring this pattern there, click on the Ravelry button. If you aren't on Ravelry or prefer PayPal directly, click on the PayPal button.
I have plenty of knitting to show - it just needs to be photographed. I'm closing in on my merino/cashmere pullover and having fun with new yarns and Shetland lace. Oh my!
The BT Design Guarantee: As always, this pattern has been test-knit and tech-edited in an effort to bring the most enjoyable and error-free process to you - the knitter! I have personally prepared all diagrams and charts as well as knit/photographed samples and designed pattern layouts - soliciting the opinions of knitters prior to publication in an effort to streamline this product. I have done my very best to bring you a pattern that I am proud to stand behind fully. I do my best to respond to concerns or comments as soon as possible and, as always, thank you for your support and encouragement. Happy knitting! -Jared ¶ 11:48 AM 28 comments
