Tuesday, November 19, 2013

The Penny Infinity Scarf

I published a knitting pattern!
 
Meet the "Penny Infinity Scarf". Modeled by my beautiful friend Ryan. Not only does she look great in hand knits she also knits and is part of my knitting group. I'm very lucky to have such a great group of friends that get together to knit and crochet.
 
 
When I started knitting my grandmother taught me how to do garter ridge. I picked up The Knitting Directory at Barnes and Noble and taught myself how to do the rest.  Back when I started in about 1997 there were only a few local yarn stores to get yarn at. I started discovering good yarn, but not many patterns. I would use the Knitting Directory and come up with pattern repeats and make scarves, blankets and I even figured out how to knit in a round.
 


Most of the local yarn stores closed by us and getting good yarn wasn't easy.  I knitted a lot of blankets and long term projects for a while. Then when I had the kids 17 month apart my knitting slowed down a lot.


When my parents started looking at getting alpacas I took a trip with them to one of the farms. I walked into their little farm store. The entire wall was filled with alpaca yarn from their farm. I held a skein in my hand and the incredible bug to get knitting again wasn't going away.


I started knitting again. I once again was working on my own patterns. Each unique and of course I rarely kept notes.  I gifted just about every project.  Then when my parents opened their farm store I started selling my hand knits.


I started a blog and joined up with Ginny's Yarn Along and the rest is history. I have become a knitting junkie. I just have to have something to post for Wednesday yarn along each week right?! Ginny's Yarn Along keeps me so motivated to keep knitting.

 
Many yarn stores have opened up around us again and now I have lots of good yarn to buy. Not to mention we harvest our own yarn at the alpaca farm.  So with the combination of good yarn and Raverly there seems to be no end!  Also I have to add all the amazing people and groups I am now involved with. I love knitting and it isn't going away anytime soon.

 
When I started knitting patterns weren't at your finger tips like they are now.  With Raverly I can see something and just buy it, print it and start knitting. How can knitting not be additive!
I've had a huge urge to get back into doing my own designs.  I've been doing a lot of test knitting, but I really wanted to get back into designing my own knits.

 
So when I needed to make an infinity scarf for my cousin and I couldn't find a pattern I liked I decided I finally had an excuse to get back into making my own patterns up. I used some stitches I've done in the past and put them together to make the infinity scarves you see in the pictures above. There are actually two scarves. The first four pictures are made with Fable Fiber Yarn and the last four pictures are with Briar Rose Yarn. The color ways are very close.
 
I wanted to design an infinity scarf that anyone could wear. I wanted it to be pretty and have a lace pattern and eyelets. I wanted it to be easy to knit also. This pattern is worked over 3 stitch repeats and 9 stitch repeats and ever other row of plain knitting.  I came up with what you see in the pictures above. I am very happy with how it turned out.  I have to give a huge thank you to my sister for doing the design work on the pattern. Also a huge thanks to Melissa for testing it for me and if it wasn't for her I am not sure I would have the ever gotten this pattern published. She gave me the push I needed.
 
So with the motivation and help from some friends I've published
 
Now back to the drawing board.
 
 
My books of choice these days are "A Treasury of Knitting Patterns" by Barbara G. Walker &
of course Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac.  Endless knitting possibilities!!!
 
I am also reading "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton and I am really enjoying it.
 
 


23 comments:

Melissa ~ twoknitwit said...

hooray, Andee! now I've been on the giving end and the receiving end of a 'publishing push' ~ hehe :)

Penny is lovely ~ thanks for letting me test her

I can't wait to see what you come up with next (and like I've said a bunch already, the offer still stands to test again for you if you'd like!)

karen said...

the cowl is beautiful and so is your knitting story :) I hope you sell oodles and oodles!!

TexWisGirl said...

it's beautiful, andee.

Debbie said...

ooohhhhh andee, it's just so beautiful, i LOVE the colors.

and your model and pictures are just gorgeous.

how do i get one?? did you open an esty shop??

Unknown said...

Very lovely.

Unknown said...

this is such a beautiful pattern!

Erin said...

Beautiful pattern!

Sarah said...

Gorgeous!!! Your model is beautiful too! Congratulations on publishing your pattern, it's really lovely.

Tracey ~ Clover said...

That is such a beautiful story Andee and so is your pattern, congratulations.

Donna said...

Congratulations! I am so happy for you. And you can bet I will be knitting this as soon as I get done with my Christmas knitting. Keep on creating!

Anonymous said...

GORGEOUS! Love it, just beautiful!

Rachel @ The Philosophers Wife said...

Oh, that is a gorgeous scarf! I just love it. Thank you for sharing your knitting story. You give me hope that someone who tends to teach herself can make beautiful things! :-)

Joy said...

What a beautiful scarf! And pattern. I agree with Rachel- you are inspiring this self-taught girl too.

Tonya Gunn said...

Just beautiful! congratulations.

CathieJ said...

What a beautiful scarf. Great color and pattern.

sprite said...

Beautiful!

Unknown said...

I love your pattern!! I am hitting my stash now to see if I have the perfect yarn on my shelf to cast on!! Congratulations!!

Ginny said...

I love it, Andee!!!

Dahle said...

Super pretty! I really like it!

LauraLillyLaura said...

It's beautiful!! Love everything about it!!

Deanna said...

It's beautiful and what a beautiful friend you have as well!!

Needles and Wool said...

very nice scarf! lovely photos. Perfect setting for the scarf it is too, it really captures the light feeling of the scarf.

Lisa
www.needlesandwool.blogspot.com

rebecca said...

Congratulations! It is lovely and the pics are wonderful. I am visiting from My Sister's Knitter Many Loves post.