Recently in All about Yarn and Fiber Category

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I can finally break my (blog) silence on what has been a fantastic summer design project for two popular knit designers. Presenting Coastal Knits: A Collaboration between Friends on Opposite Shores by Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting and Hannah Fettig of Knitbot. Ten fresh designs perfect for fall and winter. A book for gift-giving. An early holiday present to yourself.

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The book will be out October 15 but it's now available for pre-order. To get you started, you'll receive 2 patterns, Rustling Leaves Beret by Alana and Rocky Coast Cardigan by Hannah. You'll also get coupons to use toward Never Not Knitting and Knitbot patterns. You'll get a snazzy "shopping list" bookmark you can take with you to your lys. Lastly, you'll be entered into a drawing for yarn for these projects!

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You may be familiar with these two. Alana designed the bestselling Cedar Leaf Shawlette, while Hannah created the ever-popular Featherweight Cardigan. There is so much to be said about Alana and Hannah, the creative process, and the book itself, but I'll save that for another post or two. For now, go pre-order the book, join the Coastal Knits Ravelry group, cross your fingers for the giveaway, and start knitting!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

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I picked up needles and yarn after a long, long time.

It was nice to create something: a new silhouette, a different technique, a combination of colors. I need to knit some more; my sketchbook is filled with so many new ideas!

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You wouldn't know it from the dearth of content on this blog, but I've been busy.

Some friends decided to get together, and a Secret Santa was proposed. The last exchange we had, when we traded cowls, was a smashing success. Our handmade exchange, just this Saturday, was a good one, too. It was a pleasantly sunny day; Japanese maples shed their gorgeously vibrant mantles as we drove through town. As I walked along a garden path, you could swear we were in New England, for all the crunch-crunch-crunch of leaves everywhere. There was yummy food and gossip, not much knitting, as this was catching up with each other's lives more than anything else. And time went by. So fast. It always does, around these knitty friends of mine!

Amiee was my Secret Santa giftee. She's an übercrafty girl, so I had to make something that would definitely wow her. I picked a sewn project—I had too many knitted projects on my plate already—and I had always wanted to try string quilting, or at least, the idea of using a foundation piece for sewing. I had my sister-in-law's sewing machine. Plus, I just wanted an excuse to go fabric shopping! Hee!

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In addition to string quilting, I added contrast and texture: A contrasting running stitch on a strong peacock blue. A strip of light blue. Endless gathers of lime green. I made a rough sketch of dimensions, nothing more, and went with gut instinct. Truthfully, I'd add time to that equation: my sister-in-law wanted her sewing machine back and, well now! You have two days before you return it!

Nothing like a deadline to inspire those creative juices! Yup.

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The pattern print is Foliage cascade in aqua, from Art Gallery Fabrics' (AGF) Color Splash collection. I really like Pat Bravo's color sensibility and use of geometrics. (And here's a post showing how those beautiful fabrics made.) The 3 solid colors I used were taken directly from the print. The backing was peacock blue. Any high quality fabric store should have a good collection of solids from different companies, so I just picked what I felt would go with the print. And what Amiee would like.

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Do you think she liked it? I think she did! More pictures of the meetup here.