Pixelated Mushroom

Ruins pattern - now free

Friday, November 14, 2014

To celebrate the release of Chiaroscuro, my Ruins pattern is now available for free.

Download free pattern
(free as of 9 Nov 2014)

View on Ravelry

“There, down the roofless wall did glow
The zun upon the grassy vloor,
An’ weakly-wandren winds did blow,
Unhinder’d by a door”

(The Castle Ruins - William Barnes)

Dreaming of castles in the mist, and adventure? Ruins is an intermediate pattern, written for a knitter comfortable with a circular needle and the magic loop (or two circular needles).

With three sections using different techniques (stranded colour work, basket weave and layers) this pattern is perfect for the restless wanderer who quickly tires of repetitive patterns.

Alternatives are provided for the first two sections if you are finding the techniques too tricky.

Many thanks to those who purchased this pattern while it was available! Profit generated during the last year was donated to charity.

knitting

Chiaroscuro fingerless gloves

Sunday, November 09, 2014

New pattern out today!

View on Ravelry

$2.50 - All profit donated monthly to charity.

Pattern details - Chiaroscuro fingerless gloves

Chiaroscuro - in painting, photography and cinema - strong contrasts between dark and light serving to achieve a sense of depth and volume...

This pattern was designed to feature metallic yarn (or other specialty fibres) without the commitment of a full garment. The delicacy of the metallic yarn will affect the durability of the project for every-day wear, but will also produce an individual creation depending on the yarn combinations chosen, like a small work of art.

The gloves are knit from the bottom up, in three sections. The first and third sections involve creating two layers for a shadowed appearance; the middle section involves a cable on the back of the hand creating a vignette effect. This pattern is rated as challenging - due to the nature of the delicate yarn, and the fiddly-ness of having two magic loops available simultaneously.

knitting

Julissa sweater - twin leaf version

Saturday, November 08, 2014

Finished a couple of sweaters over the last few months - but have got behind on the blogging!

For this sweater I decided to use the pattern Julissa (scoop neck version) by Vanessa Smith as a base for a cardigan (as I had heard it was very well-written) - but then decided that the cabling might not be quite enough to keep me entertained - so somehow ended up replacing the cable with multiple Twin leaf lace patterns and just using Julissa as a base.

Perhaps a bit of a silly way to approach such a project with so many great cardigan patterns out there, but it worked in the end.

I was hoping to knit the Twin leaf lace stitch top down, but after a little testing, I believe this is one of those lace patterns that can’t be reversed - so the leaves ended up facing downwards instead - not quite as leaf-like unfortunately.

The yarn is Skein DK in the Quill colourway. This is the only DK weight sweater that I've made so far that seems easy to wear. I think the cardigan-ness makes it much easier to put on than a pullover - but unfortunately the button band is a bit thick and droops a little. Still fairly happy with this creation :)

adventure

Bendigo sheep and wool show 2014

Sunday, November 02, 2014

This year the Australian sheep and wool show became a special weekend away with my Mum. Sadly my usual crafty companions weren't able to join us, so Mum had to endure a couple of hours of wool admiration amid our weekend away.

As the largest collection of indie yarn/fleece sellers available in Victoria, this show is always an exciting one to attend. We had nice weather this time around - if a bit chilly.

We took a little time out to wander into the wool-judging sheds and see some of the prize sheep (and accompanying tiny lambs).

Not too many purchases this year. My favourite shop was 'The purl box'. Here I found one skein of Oyster Yarns' Superwash BFL 4Ply in the Elliot colourway (on special), and two skeins of Eden's Blend in the 'Sealer's Cove' colourway (love the name!).

The only other purchase was a skein of Mayhem and Chaos's LolliSox (Rav | Etsy) in the Sunrise Sunset colourway. This skein has already become some Rick socks, and Bex fingerless gloves.

fingerless gloves

Would you like to be a tester? - Chiaroscuro fingerless gloves

Thursday, July 10, 2014

A new pattern has recently been brewing...

The idea was to create a pattern that featured metallic yarn without the need to knit a full scarf or garment.

The gloves are knit from the bottom up, in three sections. The first and third sections involve creating two layers for a shadowed appearance; the middle section involves a cable on the back of the hand creating a vignette effect. The pattern skill level is likely 'challenging' due to the need to manage two sets of magic loops in the round, and to the fiddly-ness of metallic yarn.

If you'd be interested in being a tester for the pattern, I've still got one spot left - head over to the Testing Pool on Raveley, or email me at pixelatedmushroom (at) gmail.com

crochet

Audio inspiration - knitting podcasts

Saturday, July 05, 2014

For quite a few years I've been meaning to share and give thanks to my favorite crafty podcasts for many hours of entertainment and inspiration. These dedicated podcasters have made my fairly lengthy commute bearable, and have become familiar voices in the crafty community. Listening over many years has made it clear how much work and dedication is required to keep these wonderful free episodes flowing, and the communities that have gradually built up around them.

If there's any podcasts you enjoy, I'd love to hear about them.

Here's a few of my favourites - I hope you'll consider having a listen.