I think...I think I'm going to start showing you more of my swatches. I hear from a lot of folks saying some version of 'your yarn always looks so pretty with the stitches you use.' (Which, thank you!) But it sometimes sounds like folks think I have some sort of magical yarn/stitch pairing oracle in my stash closet that I can consult and it just hands me the right yarn when I'm ready to start a project. And, as cool as that would be, it is very very very much not the case. The reason my yarn looks good in [...]

Swatch take two! Same stitch as the one the other day, just a different yarn (I'm quite set on the stitch I want to use, I'm just looking for yarn that will give me the fabric/sizing options I want). This one is Berroco's Mochi in Plum, and it's a beautiful example of why I will never ever EVER be able to tell you what needle size to use. ⁠ I'm swatching on a US 3 (3.25 mm) and getting a smidge under 4 stitches per inch. If I wanted firmer fabric (closer to 4 stitches per inch), I'd need to [...]

It's swatching time again! ⁠ I don't think this will end up being the one I go with, but I kind of like showing off the swatches that don't work out too. The stitch pattern I want to use is a little big to use with yarn this fat and still be able to offer a lot of sizes (if your stitch pattern is 18 stitches across, and you're working at 4 stitches to the inch, that's more than four inches for each stitch repeat, and that's way too much space between sizes when you're talking about a hat).⁠ There [...]

I love a good sneaky trick.  Anything I can do where I look at it after the fact and go 'huh, how did I even do that?' fills me with unspeakable glee.  And Lucent has that in spades. That little sunburst on the side is just unreasonably delightful. Maybe it shouldn't be.  Maybe I shouldn't be so easily amused.  But wow can I not help myself! And it looks just faintly perplexing (like other knitters will totally stare at it for a second and wonder what you did), but it's actually ridiculously easy to do.  You work a handful of [...]

Ahem.⁠ What did I say?⁠ Did I not say this was lovely once it was blocked?⁠ I'm pretty darn sure I did.⁠ ⁠Rundown for anyone playing along at home...⁠ It's a new knit of my Lucent pattern (which as been unavailable for years and years but totally deserved to come back out). ⁠ It should be out very shortly (again, and as always, assuming nothing absolutely unspeakable happens to me or mine to delay things...the world feels scary these days and I get nervous saying 'it's out Tuesday' even if the plan is for it to be out Tuesday).⁠ If [...]

Clickity clickity clickity click.⁠ I really really really want to show this to you all blocked. It's got a whole butterfly wing coming out of its cocoon and plumping up thing that happens when it gets blocked. But first, the top. Which was totally worth fixing! Ripping the stuff you don't love is totally good for you. Builds character or something. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. ⁠ But either way, this is So Much Better.⁠ Sit tight, because I'm going to show you the blocked version of the fancy part tomorrow. You know you want it!

Sigh. No. Bad. Wrong. Do not like.⁠ I mean I *thought* I would like it. I tried to like it. There are circumstances in which I could be convinced to like it. But no.⁠ Not this time. Not with this hat.⁠ So now, we rip. ⁠And swear. And rip.⁠ And swear.⁠ Luckily we can multitask!

Yeah yeah, unblocked, but it shoooooooould be enough to give you the sense of the thing!⁠ Just enough crumple/structure/shaping to be delightfully dramatic, not so much that you worry people will think you're wearing a tea cozy on your head.⁠ And, for anyone wondering at home, it's a reknit of the Lucent pattern (which has been away for far far too long and deserved to come back). Should be out shortly (sort of depends on how I feel the rest of this week...I just had my first jab and am busily building antibodies as you read this, and I've officially [...]

Ahem. Are you ready for the fun part? Because we're about to pause and do the fun part. And by the fun part I mean the bit with the crochet hook and the nerves of steel. ⁠ ⁠Feel free to make yourself a calming beverage of your choice and have your smelling salts to hand. Oh yeah baby...runs in your knitting On Purpose. ⁠Please remain calm, all will be well.⁠ I super duper pinky swear I have not misplaced my marbles. This will be unspeakably fetching in the end.⁠ It just looks a wee bit alarming for a minute here [...]