Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Evolution.

I am currently bogged down in the sleeves of the striped-hoodie-in-progress (tentatively titled "coastal hoodie").  I wish I didn't have such a penchant for long sleeves, but everytime I have knit an elbow length or 3/4 length sleeve sweater I end up not wearing it and wishing for long sleeves.  The kind of sleeves that will completely cover your hands and that you have to roll back multiple times when doing anything messy.  So, it really figures that I hate knitting sleeves, but the extra frustration is worth it for a sweater I will LOVE!  Yeah, I admit that I am posting right now just to get away from those sleeves ;)

I wanted give you guys a little peek at the humble beginnings of my eBook, Myths and Fairytales.  These are the original sketches (and names) that I put together for the book "proposal." I loved looking back at them after the book was released to see how much some changed and how much others stayed the same.  Some designs had to change to work with the pattern repeats, or I found a way that I liked better after swatching.

First up is Hesperides, originally titled "Sunset:"

Sunset


Next up, Elisa, which underwent quite a major design change, from an extreme crescent to a shallow triangle:

Elisa

Then, Daphnaie, which got a name change and I changed up the center panel, too:

Forest Nymph

Here is The Mermaid's Gift, I actually just ripped out the original sample the other day.  The prototype was more than 75% complete when I decided to try the lattice/mesh patterns instead of the eyelets in the sketch...luckily I had an extra skein of the lace, so I didn't have to rip in case my second incarnation went wrong (which it totally didn't!):

Sea Spray

Kisseis was a battle from the beginning! The transition from a triangle to a crescent helped immensely, but I swatched every possible diamond pattern I could think of and added, then subtracted stitches.  Nothing was working and I was too stubborn for a long time to admit it!  Once I figured out that I should take a break and think about what I was doing, instead of trying to fit that square peg in the round hole...it worked beautifully!

Kisseis

Finally, Amalthea, which actually is pretty much exactly as sketched, I just nixed the bead idea....though I am thinking of knitting one up with some beads.

Amalthea

I hope you enjoyed a look back to the infancy of the eBook!  If you have a chance, pop over to PeacefullyKnitting's blog, where Daphnaie is the featured pattern and you can enter for a chance to win a copy of Myths and Fairytales!

Saturday, May 21, 2011

The Charity Auction!!!

***The auction is closed, thanks so much to the lovely bidders! Email me at lachesisandco@gmail.com with your mailing addresses and I will tell you how to donate and get your pretties on the way!! ***

Here's how it going to work - below I will be posting pictures along with the name and description of the item and the opening bid amount.  All of the items have been hand-knit and designed by me :)  The bidding will remain open until Tuesday evening at 8 pm EDT.

To place a bid, put the name of the item and the amount you are bidding in the comments (at the bottom of this post), bidding will be in increments of $5 (USD).  You may bid as many times and on as many items as you want.  The highest bid when the auction closes will be the winner and I will contact you with the information on where to send your donation.

You may donate by check, credit or debit card and all donations are tax deductible.  Proceeds from this auction will be going to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on behalf of one of my current Team in Training participants. I will pay all the shipping to get your carefully hand knit items to you and I will also include care instructions.


SS4
Sweet Shoppe Shawlette - a small triangular shawlette/scarf made from 100% merino wool yarn in bright candy colors, it measures 50" across the top and is 23" deep, additional photos here.  Bidding begins at $40.
 


Small
Small Belmondo Shawlette - a small triangular shawlette/scarf made from 100% baby merino wool yarn, it measures 41" across the top and is 21" deep. Additional photos here. Bidding begins at $35.



Medium Again
Medium Belmondo Shawlette - a small triangular shawlette/scarf made from 100% baby merino wool yarn, it measures 45" across the top and is 24" deep. Additional photos here. Bidding begins at $35.



spunsugar1
Spun Sugar Scarf - a lacy scarf made from super soft 100% merino wool yarn. Additional photos here.  Bidding begins at $30.



SBKP6
Snowberry Brambles Capelet - A snuggly little capelet to keep the cold air off your shoulders knit in a 70% wool and 30% alpaca blend yarn.  Additional photos here.  Bidding begins at $50.



Fondant1
Fondant Wrap - a versatile wrap tied up with a bow that can be worn in a variety of ways, made from 100% wool yarn.  Additional photos here. Bidding begins at $35.



hesperidesm2
Hesperides Shawl - a large triangular shawl/wrap with lacy stripes, measures 68" across the top and 34" deep, made from super soft 100% merino wool.  Additional photos here. Bidding begins at $75.



amalthea1
Amalthea - a scarf/wrap with a fringed leaf design along the edge, measures 66" by 9.5" and is made from a 51% silk and 49% merino wool blend yarn. Additional photos here. Bidding begins at $50.



elisam1
Elisa - a large shawl/wrap, measures 70" by 23" and is made from a 51% silk and 49% merino wool blend yarn.  Additional photos here. Bidding begins at $75.

A huge thanks for stopping by and helping us raise money to fight blood cancers and continue to hopefully one day find a cure for all cancers!  If you would just like to donate because you are awesome ♥ here is a link to donate online. ♥ ♥ ♥

Its been awhile...

I admit, I have been a little lazy the past two weeks!  After finishing up the eBook, I just needed a little break from everything!  There were a few days where I had absolutely no idea what to do with myself...and I just couldn't decide what project I wanted to work on.  At the time I had one design languishing on the needles and a few sketches that I was really excited to start swatching for. 

Of course, after I got the swatches done, I decided just to swatch some different colors of tosh sport together.  I have ridiculous amounts of this yarn, but all in two or three skein quantities that I had just been buying to try to find colors that would stripe well ala treeline. Before you know it, I had two large swatches in 4 colors of reverse stockinette stripes and a sweater sketch.  Now I have almost a full sweater body.  Here is a peek at the swatches:

Coastal Stripes

I am aiming high and trying to finish it within the next week - week and a half.  Currently, I am coaching two marathon teams and I am also marathon training myself, so I don't have quite as much knitting time as I usually do!  In a few weeks, though, my one team will be done and on their way to run in the San Diego Rock n Roll Marathon. 

I love coaching for Team in Training and working with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and as one season come to a close, I am going to be helping out a bit with the fundraising.  If you like original hand knit accessories in wonderful fibers, keep an eye on the blog this weekend!  I'll be posting items to bid on...so you'll get to help fund blood cancer research through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and help support a member of my marathon team and you'll get something made by me in return for your help!

Friday, May 6, 2011

It's DONE!!!

So...I was going to wait until Monday to release the eBook, but I was too excited to wait!  All the editing and formatting was finalized this morning and I spent all afternoon in agony.  Really, how on earth was I going to make it through the whole weekend?!?  I gave into my inner child and published it this evening...may I present:

mythsandfairytales copy



The eBook is available for $16.50 and the individual pdf patterns are available for $6.00 in my Ravelry store.

I am so proud of this collection and I hope you all enjoy it!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Sneak Peek: The Mermaid's Gift

mermaid1 by LachesisandCo.
mermaid1, a photo by LachesisandCo. on Flickr.

Here is a quick look at the final design for the eBook! I am so happy with the results and can't wait to wrap everything up and release it into the world next week. Stay tuned, I'll be posting a preview of the cover image within the next day or two!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Back, but not really.

Whew...I made it back from vacation just over a week ago with a ton of work to be finished on the pattern collection.  I had a great time, but my nose has been down to the grindstone since I got back...hence the lack of posts on my part.

So, the Mermaid's gift has been driving me batty and in a fit, I decided to change the design and start over from scratch.  This was after the original was already 85% done.  Once the new idea came to me, though, I knew it would be so much better than the original and that I would be happier writing the pattern for version 2.0 than settling for the first one because I was on a time crunch.

I also just finished the sample for the two-color version of Elisa.  This was another last minute change, and I just love the way the design looks in both the solid color and the smaller version with two colors.  The contrast really shows off the curves the lace creates!  Here is a quick shot with the help of one of my dogs, Roxy:

Roxy helps some more

If all goes well, the collection will be ready for release next Monday and with all the loose ends that need to be tied you may not hear from me until then!  I will try to get a sneak peek of the final photos up before Monday, though!