...another testknit...YAY

had the pleasure to do a testknit for lovely Justyna
...sometimes I am a lucky girl, right?

just loooove how mine turned out...love the colour (used two yarns held together), love the drape (think it's all about the linen...), love the whole jumper!!!

there is a little story behind my threads ....

when Justyna offered me to test her new sweater I only could say: YES!

she sent me the pattern and I (like I usually do when testing) printed the pattern to be able to write my notes into the pattern (not that there was much to write down...her testversions are ususally perfectly written...not like mine....hahaha)

I found a lovely yarn combo (Isager Bomulin and Blackhill Pacalina) and started immediately

...I was right through the Stockinette part of the yoke, and had done the first 2 rounds of the lace pattern, when we left for the birthday party of my sisters boyfriend

...it was a lovely, sunny day with lots of laughter, good food and some relaxing time to knit....I got about 15 cm of the body done...just to realize (I only had 2 pages of the pattern with me at the party...because I was sure that I know how to work the lace pattern)

that I omitted round 3 and round 6 of the lace pattern all the time....

can you believe this????????????????

sh...happens, right?

after some minutes (I needed them to cool down) I ripped back ...and here we are:

a beautiful cool jumper that will be worn to death, promise!!!

photos are taken before blocking, but you can see the gorgeous drape, can you?

pattern. Threads by Justyna Lorkowska 

yarn. Isager Bomulin and Garnudsalgdk Blackhill Pacalina held together

hope you have good days

isa m.

 

 

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.

 

News and older tales....

just realized that i didn't keep the promise to post right after our "meeting" at Frankfurt airport....shame on me (but i think you know me already quite well and this is no surprise)

we had some incredible hours together....when i saw Jo sitting at the table in this italian coffee shop at the airport it was like a reunion of good old friends...not faint-hearted at all, we saw each other and the minute later we were in each others arms ;)
there was a lot of giggling and laughing, loads of yarn and coffee and way too less time (but we will meet again...sooner than we both hoped for ;))

 

seams that the upcoming season will be filled with neutrals and blue (hahaha...)

in the meantime (while Jo was travelling around the world....Helsinki, St.Petersburg...)I did some knitting (haha...how extraordinary ;)

 

seashore was released 2 weeks ago, after a wonderful test-KAL

with some outstanding ladies who never get tired to help me with testing my patterns

you can see all the incredible "seashores" they made during the test here in the test thread

finished a quick in-between-testknit for Justyna (Lete)

to practice my still not-good-at-all stranding skills....

because i signed in for 2 colorwork designs for Swans Island...

 

pattern. zig-zag-wings by justyna-lorkowska 

yarn. lang-yarns touring 

col.natural/beige and dark blue

aaaaand my first (yes there will be a second one...) pattern for Yarn Stories is live!

I did the sample in early august and need to confess that i didn't like the colour they picked for my design, but......it looks so freaking cool on this beautiful model!!!!

 photo: yarnstories

photo: yarnstories

this is such a lovely batwing-sleeve jumper.....need to knit one for me too!!!!! maybe in orange? or yellow? or toffee?

they carry some beautiful colours! go and check them out here 

for today i need to leave...need to do up a parcel (sample of the first colorwork design for Swans Island)

 

looks pretty good, right? 

take care out there

love,

isa m. 

Gretchen

our dearly beloved "Bittersweet" was released this week!!!!!
finally!!!!!!!!! 

 

get your copy of the pattern here 

 

a simple but flattering top down raglan sweater with some cute eyelet increases down to the rounded hem... you might want to check out the glorious FOs of my dear testknitters here in the test thread

 

this one was the very first sweater i did in cooperation with Swans Island. I was overwhelmed by these wonderful colorways and impressed by the softness of their yarns (feels like knitting butter!) when i got some samples of their yarns early this year and it happened that the ideas came off my mind in no time

(2 kids sweaters will be published soon and currently we work on a colorwork collection....)

want to see a little sneak peek?????

 

this new yarn (all american fingering - Swans Island Yarns) feels like a little teddy bear and covers beautifully my lacking stranding skills (hahaha)

stay tuned, I will need some testers for this one aaand for another soon ;)

but now to some exciting news...i fear that they are not as exciting for you as they are for me...cannot think of other things the last days and today my heart goes out to....Joji

I will meet my dear Jo tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

after years and years knowing each other, we finally have the chance to meet in person, for me that means to get out of bed tomorrow very, very early in the moring...to take the train (I rarely take trains, so this is an excitement itself...hope i do not get lost...) to Frankfurt and spend the morning with Jo until she has to leave for Helsinki, isn't that cool?

Cathrin of WalkCollection (cwc on ravelry) and Melanie (mairlynd on ravelry) will join us too - bet we'll have a wonderful day together

i swear, i will come back soon to tell you more about a dream that will come true ;)

love,

isa m.

 

 

testknits part 2

....the  harder i try to keep the promise to post more regularly the less time i have to do so...

nevertheless,....here is the second part of the (latest) testknits i didn't show here

dessine-moi-un-mouton is a lovely light weight jumper, seamlesss, worked from the top down with raglan increases to shape the yoke.
an easy-peasy textured pattern makes it special and keeps you interested while knitting

 

love the stripes (and the texture) of this one!

but i think i need to redo the bottom and add a little length to this beauty, because i still feel uncomfortable wearing this cropped sweater

pattern. dessine-moi-un-mouton by LaMaisonRililie

yarn. holst-garn-supersoft-100-uld (you'll need 7 different colours) 

the next one is another winner designed by ankestrick (aka fallmasche on ravelry) 

light weight, colourful, extraordinary - just love it!

had a hard time choosing colors....so many possibilities...

 

you can wear this one inside out, or the other way round ...it's beautiful in every way ;) i already have a second one on my needles ;)

pattern. holsten by Ankestrick

yarn. holst-garn-supersoft-100-uld (shown in col. iced, clementine, bleached white)

the next one was a very special testknit i did for my dear Jo

a worsted version of her beloved boxy  

she published the pattern for this one on her birthday...as always i completely forgot to send her a gift for this day...and so i did a little embroidery to the back of my worsted boxy (...guess she loved it ;)

 

 

i did mine without the double garter part on the shoulders, also picked up my stitches for the sleeves and the neckband from the WS to highlight the "seams"....aaaand i did a 2-color version, just for the fun of combining colors ;)

pattern.worsted-boxy by JOJI

yarn. malabrigo-merino-worsted (shown in col. polar morn and ravelry red)

...need to go back to my knitting needles now (have to keep some tight deadlines for some new designs for fall)

hope you all have great days

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.

 

 

 

 

Antler testknit

had the pleasure to do a testknit for Anke (aka fallmasche)
...aaaand had the pleasure to use TML again (love this yarn!!!!)

worked from the top down using contiguous set in sleeves method

developed by SusieM, this sweater has a stunning, beautiful 

neckline...love the garter st parts and the slightly rounded hem

had to alternate skeins from the very beginning, cause my skeins were so different (one was heavily darker than the other)

but i think it turned out nice, even with this differences in color

pattern. antler by ankestrick 

yarn. madelinetosh merino light col. gossamer and nutmeg

purchased here 

now i will need to take my sofa (...had a long day at work...)

happy creating out there and have a great sunday

love,

isa m.

italian and french version of muse n.

italian and french translations of muse n. 
are now available!

THANK YOU Carla and Sandrine

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.

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.

way behind

seams that i am always way behind with posting....
so what to do???
today i have some unexpected free time - 
so here we go:

we moved to the new (really, really small) flat
our house is going to be completly boned
one of our cats is missing for 2 days now....
i hope he's coming back...i really hope he's coming back!!!!
my second owlsister is in town for the next month
(she works in austria)
my son will celebrate his 18th (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
birthday in june - lots of preparations
and i am feeling very, very old sometimes....
published il grande favorito and poolside
did some testknits for Joji, Nadia, Justyna, Hanna and laMaisonRililie 
aaaaaaaand (for sure!) cannot put the needles down (hehehehe!)
currently working with my testing ladies
on the patterns for chalkstone and emerald 
and helping my dear Anke with her new designs

cats and moving boxes.....(he's the one who is missing....)

il grande favorito (get your copy here)

poolside (get your copy here)

2 beautiful testknits for Joji's new eBook hopeful knits

testknit for nadia's super cute cardi love potion

testknit of Justyna's new sweater shifting

testknit for hanna

.....and not to forget my very own nuvem 

i did this in a hurry for my wedding....

two other beauties.... both testknits for laMaisonRililie

testknit for anke 

this one's just perfect, so cozy and warm

a great hug-you-tight-knit for everyday!!!!

now working on her newest design....

mine will be striped!!!!

hope you all have good days

xxx

isa m.