way behind....as always

think you all know my lack of professionalism.....always way behind....
nevertheless...here we go
I did a few testknits and released two lovely patterns the last weeks

first the testknits...

I did a testknit for Sylvie (poloetcie at ravelry)...a wonderful...fantastic.... super colourful...gorgeous...and huge shawl!

mine is a tidy bit smaller than the pattern called for....

I followed the pattern until I had 345 sts (in section 4), then skipped the following rows and continued with instructions written for 377 sts (therefore only 20 repeats per half instead of 22 repeats)...no other mods

I used a lot of leftovers and single skeins....for the main colour (the grey) I used lithuanian wool I purchased ages ago ...rustic, but extremely lovey ;))

the next test was for Heleen, one of my all-time-favorite-speedy-testknitters

she designed a top that matches my Dexter cardigan 

I did mine a bit different:

due to this strange yarn I used (Moina by LANG YARNS), that was stretchy like hell and did what it wants to do...my gauge was off

I started with instructions for size XS until I reached the underarms, then I increased some stitches in the first round after Broken Seed Stitch to achieve a casual fit around the bust. On the way down to the bottom ribbing I added 4 increase rounds (no waistshaping for me....hahaha). that's it...and here it is (I love it)

 

...makes me feel like I need a matching grey Dexter in the near future...

now to the business (hahaha)

I published Edie and Reagan  (...you all know this....hahaha, but I never mentioned it here on the blog...)

I am still in love with both of them...maybe you'd like to knit one of your own and join our 'Take your pick KAL' ?

for all of you longing for news about Max (he was in hospital - myocarditis - some weeks ago)...he's doing better every day (yay!!!!), his last blood levels and ECG were fine!

altough I never, ever want to be in this situation again, it helped me to focus on the important things in life...there's nothing more important than our lovelies

isa m.

 

 

 

Dexter left the house

....it's 'only' 4 weeks that I last wrote here...yay!!!
maybe I can keep going on this way...1 post a month should be doable.... ;)

 

the pattern is published and I am happy to hear (and see...hahaha)  that some of you already started their very own Dexter 

it is a versatile, cute cardigan that can be worn with jeans, or your favorite summer dress

 for the red sample I worked with easyknits.co.uk Arcadia a lovely alpaca base that comes in some really, really beautiful colours 

there are so many other things going on at the same time right now (seams that this is usual behaviour for my life for quiet a while now)

running 5 testknits at a time (2 public - go and have a look through the test threads in the group ...and 3 secret ones)...I should quit my dayjob....

today another long kept secret was published

 

Arcade  was a perfect collaboration between kettleyarnco.co.uk and me...

Linda does such a glorious dyejob... (I am only a knitter...not a dyer...and I am impressed by those lovely colours one can do)

it's not usual that all is going smooth within such collaborations, but this one was pure pleasure for me...I just had to create a new sweater...everything else ( and I bet there was a lot of work behind) was done by Linda...

go and check out her beautiful yarns here...

you won't regret it , I swear ;)

some more designs with her lovely Islington Dk base will show the next days, stay tuned and check out The Boardwalk Collection

love ya' all

Isabell

 

 

it's been a while.....but you all know me ....I am still knitting (hahaha)

I won't try to talk about all the crazy things that happened since my last blog post....this post would be HUUUUUUUGE, and as always time is a rare thingy at the moment

I am doing testknits at the moment...YAY!...testknitting was so rare for me the last months, and I seriously missed it
so.... the first testknit after a long time was this beautiful cardigan (finished this a while ago, but it's worth to be mentioned...!)

 

pattern. Naima by Ankestrick (aka Fallmasche)

yarn. finkhof-merinowolle-dünn a rustic, 'sheepy', low processed wool made in germany

loooved working with it (I used this yarn before for my wanderling and for my own version of phillipa) 

a few days ago I finished a sweater testknit for Justyna....think I have to wait until I am allowed to show it...just a few words about it...it's gorgeous, it's lacy, it's casual, it's blue (hahaha...only mine is blue), and it's soooooo utterly cool - just love it

I used 2 yarns held together and I swear I will use these yarns together again

they gave me such a cool and drapey fabric! 

ok....I used 1 strand Isager Bomulin, held together with Blackhill Pacalina (a thin linen/alpaca blend ...just gorgeous)

oh...just another thing before I have to leave for work.....Dexter will be ready for release very, very soon...so... all of you waiting for Dexter, make sure you keep an eye out for a bloody red (cute) cardigan♥

or for a light pink one???????

 

 hope you all have good days

love
isa m.

 

SEASMOKE...and a giveaway

...some of you might remember this

 

we did the test for this amazingly cute open-front cardigan within the hottest days of summer and today i finally have some exciting news for you:

Seasmoke will be released tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
is released ;)
pattern page: audrey-cardigan

to celebrate the release of the first design i did for and with swans island yarns the company is generously offering a sweater quantity of their yarn for a seasmoke-release-giveaway

everyone who buys the pattern will be entered and the winner will be picked after 7 days

so be prepared for tomorrow ladies ;)

love,

isa m.

...it's been a while....

some of you know it already....i am still alive ;)

busy as always i couldn't find the time to come back to this little blog and tell you what's going on....sorry

so many testknits, new designs, collaborations with yarnies and yarn companies, the house renovation and the move (!!!!!) back to the house had eaten up my time...

you won't believe it (i do not believe it myself!)...since this last post i made 16 other projects...what???? 16????
not counting the ones i didn't already put on my rav project page...

so what to do now
..think the best will be to start telling you about them and trying to keep up posting until i have shown you all of them ;)

ok, so here we go:
i did a lovely lila (just because i couldn't resist, when Carrie released this fantastic pattern)

 

pattern. lila  by Carrie Bostick Hoge

yarn. lang-yarns-denim-cotton-recycled in col. 35

a wonderfully written, easy peasy bottom-up raglan sweater with an adorable and flattering shape, just love it and will do anotherone in wool for autumn (..if i ever find the time to knit all the things i'd love to ;)

 ...

next was a testknit i did for lilo

i didn't finish in time (...sometimes i am an awful testknitter, right?), but i can say, that this also looks so cool with short sleeves (hahaha!)

 

pattern. askia  by Cailliau Berangere

yarn. unlabled Sockyarn doubled

changed the neck increases to make it wider, no other mods (so far...)

...

the next and last for today was this beauty

 

this is such a beautiful, romantic cardigan (don't know how she does this again and again...Jo is a genius!)

pattern. old-romance  by Joji Locatelli

yarn. handdyed by me (fantastic color, isn't it ;)

some minor mods to make it mine:

no contrast color for the lace insets

shorter body

slightly a-shaped

picot bind-off

....i will be out for hiking this weekend (...aaaand for celebrating a good friends 40th birthday), so i won't be able to continue with this update before next week..

do i hear someone laughing???? 

anyhow i can try, right ;)

all the best and take care

love,

isa m.

 

 

 

 

monte rosa....a collaboration with De Rerum Natura

this was a lot of work...
and it was sooooo worth it ;)

let me introduce monte rosa to you

this cardigan was created in collaboration with De Rerum Natura

(Solenn was adventurous enough to believe in me....)

more on the classic side with its cables and lace pattern, this cardigan features a modern and funny contrast coloured trim that will give you room to play with your favorite colour combinations.

the multinational testing-KAL was again so fun and pleasurable

and i want to thank my lovely testing ladies:

you all are incredible! this wouldn't have worked without you!!!

a few words about this wonderful yarn.

gilliatt is a pure woolen yarn of french merino, produced in an ecological way - i highly recommend it - it is a pleasure in every way... to knit and to wear

go and get yourself some skeins here

also exclusively available in the shop:

the french version of the pattern

hope this little baby will make its way across the globe

it's always incredible and amazingly cool to see my ideas

beloved all over the world...

hugs and kisses

isa m.

beccs and some testknits

finally beccs has left the building!!!!
we had a good time testing the pattern - thank you ladies!
you all did such great jobs

beccs is an open front cardigan designed for upcoming autumn days

little cable panels travelling down the fronts make this cardigan

unique and fun to knit

knitting starts in the middle of the back neck, the back piece of the collar is worked first, then sts are picked up from the long side of the collar to work the cardigan top down with raglan increases.

get the pattern here

...working on some other new ideas (all at the same time!!!!

sometimes this makes my head spinning...)

there will be a rustic cabled cardigan in collaboration with 

De Rerum Natura (Thank you, Solenn!)

and a new sweater with .......stripes! what else ;)

aaaaand a little dress/ tunic will be ready within the next days

i also have a few finished testknits to show

first:

Cosy (me) designed by nadia

this perfect little cardi is part of an eBook called emmitouflage(s)

the eBook contains some wonderful garments for women and kids

all worked with De Rerum Natura yarns

sorry for this bad photo.....the light situation in the flat

is awkward! 

pattern. Cosy (me) 

yarn. gilliatt in col. poivre (this yarn is divine!)

needles. 4.5 mm

second:

laelia designed by Hanna 

a lovely lace flower pattern makes this cardigan so beautiful

i enjoyed the knitting from the very beginning to the end

pattern. laelia 

yarn. wollknoll-kammgarn 20/6 handdyed with ashford dyes

needles. 3.5 mm and 3.0 mm

third (and dearly beloved):

lipstick designed by my dear friend Jo 

a cute flattering cardigan....mine wanted to be a jumpper ;)

it was quite easy to modify the pattern:

i joined the front pieces with 3 additional sts to work in rounds

at approx. 20 cm from underarm

ktbl the center st of the front to match the front pattern

longer sleeves (plain Stockinette stitch)

pattern. lipstick 

yarn. wollknoll-strickgarn 8/3 handdyed with ashford dyes

needles. 5 mm and 4.5 mm

maybe i'll find the time to keep you updated... ;)

love,

isa m.

latest testknits part 2

...me again...
in july I had the pleasure to do my first testknit for miyayo 
a wonderful shawl, crescent-shaped with some lace, ribbings and
beautiful ruffles
you'll never get bored with this

the yarn is handdyed (by myself...ha!)

i only dyed 3 skeins (approx. 600 meters), what should have 

been enough yarn to complete this shawl - but i ran out of 

yarn right before the BO, so I bound off with another yarn

in a lighter green

pattern. lin-lin-shawl by Yoko Johnston

yarn. wollknoll-strickgarn-8/3 undyed (dyed with ashford dyes)

simultanuously i did a testknit for justyna (lete) 

when i first saw her new cardi design i fell in love:

beautiful lace, casusal shaping, top-down construction

...it contains everything i love....

my first yarn choice was a big mistake....

i had some drops-alpaca in my stash for a while and thought

this might match the gauge,...it did, but it was way too fuzzy

in the end

the stitch pattern wasn't that easy for me (don't know why, but 

sometimes such patterns crack my head....)

...when i decided to use another yarn, i had done over one half 

of the cardi!!!! so i had a real huge testing swatch (hahaha!)

the second attempt, with handdyed fingering, went smooth

and unbelievably easy ;)

pattern. casual-lace by Justyna Lorkowska

yarn. wollknoll-kammgarn-20/6, handdyed with ashford dyes

....more tomorrow (i really hope so :)

isa m.

latest testknits part 1

.....there is definitely too much going on in my life
to post more regularly....sorry 
yesterday i was looking through my rav notebook and saw
that there are many, many testknits i didn't mention here..
today i have a little free time (though i have my needles
waiting for me) and thought it would be nice to post about them

funky grandpa is one of the coolest cardigans i own...

i love everything about it

the ease

the shape

the stripes (for sure!...hahaha!)

and the overall design

think Rililie has such a great style and this shows

in her amazing designs (currently on my needles: her new jumper design ;)

pattern. funky-grandpa by LaMaisonRililie
yarns. trekking-sport-xxl shown in charcoal grey (sleeves)
trekking-tweed shown in light grey (body)
mille-colori-baby shown in grey-brown-yellow (stripes)


...oh and did you know that ravello is life?

we had an amazing time while testing this pattern
was a pure pleasure to work with all my awesome testknitters!
THANK YOU again ladies!!!!!!!

isa m.

a sneak peek, some daisies and a new pattern

proudly presenting:
marsa alam
this cute and classic cardigan is so versatile.....
you can do it with stripes
or without
with some intarsia
or even fair isle pattern
with short sleeves
or 3/4 sleeves
or, for sure, with long sleeves
there are sooooo many possibilities in this pattern...

get the pattern here (ravelry)

i am so grateful for my incredible testknitting ladies

without their help i would have been lost, that's for sure!

please take a look at those wonderful cardigans they made during

the test

currently working on a modified version of this

this time with random stripes (i am using 6 colors!!!)
a v-neck and long sleeves
it will take me another week or two to finish
but i'm sure you will love it ;)

...aaaand another beauty went off my needles the last month:

let's talk about some daisies....

i really enjoyed knitting the daisy stitch pattern 

and loooove how this turned out 

i dyed the yarn especially for this project when hanna 

asked me to test this cute little cardi

as the yarn i dyed was a little thinner than the recommended

my gauge was off - i did size 34 instead of 32 as usual

and this worked absolutely fine

the length i did is inbetween the cropped and long version

given in the pattern, also i failed with the pattern on the 

sleeves.....i interchanged the instructions for left and right

so my pattern goes the other way round, but i don't mind that,

i think it looks lovely as it is!

pattern. spring is pink 

yarn. merino 150 by LANG YARNS

....and now to the promised sneak peek

ha!...i made a new sweater!!!

nothing fancy - simple lines, a little bit oversized

aaaand with stripes (the love affair continues....)

pure stockinette stitch pleasure!!

easy raglan contruction with a flattering boat neck

and some really cute red stripes

i used some Holst supersoft 100% uld for this

and the result is sooo light and incredibly soft after washing

-i will definitely use this again

hope you all have good days

isa m.

chalkstone pattern

it took me almost 1 year to get this pattern ready to publish!
but now it's done and i really hope that you all like it
as much as i do ;)

....aaaand because some of you waited so long,

the pattern will be only €3.50 till the end of may

get you copy here

now to a few other projects...

emerald test is done and my lovely testknitting ladies

did amazing jobs

the pattern will be published in 2 weeks (june)

working on a more wintry (2 color) version right now - hopefully i will be done with it soon

i also did some testknits lately:

this beautiful tee is called Tschilp and will be part of

Anke's birdsong sweaters

seamless top down construction with a beautiful neckline

pattern. tschilp by ankestrick (soon to be published)

yarn. sur by lanas stop

needles. 3.5 mm

the only modification i made was to shorten the sleeves

......

this one is called v-line designed by svetlana

she asked me 3 weeks ago to test this beauty, but with all

the things going on here i feared not to be able to make it in

time....i told her so and guess what she did?

she sent me the pattern anyway, just in case i would

feel like knitting it

ha!...i tried to ignore the pattern

about 2 weeks i really tried to ignore it

...then i picked up my needles (hahahaha!)

when i first looked at the pattern i could see the stripes

...yes, i could see them!

so there are lots of mods in here:

. no eyelets - i did m1l and m1r increases

. only 2 sts between the increase lines

. started with the numbers of the largest size to get a 

  wider v-neck

. increased to the numbers of xs for shoulder width

. icreased to numbers of size s, cause i was working 

  at a tighter gauge

. added a few more sts to the underarm co, for a little more 

  room at the upper arms

. added more rounds to the bottom due to my gauge

......

this one is currently in testing

i named this marsa-alam 

cause its colors remind me of this place between the sahara desert and the red sea where we spent our holidays the last years

i planned to publish this in july, so please stay tuned ;)

......

and this will be a gift for you (yes! a freebie!!!)

as soon as i have found 1 or 2 speedy testers for it ;)

so come on ladies!!!!

 

a simple, yet effective striped shawl to keep you happy

hope you all have good days

isa m.