Knitting Pattern WIP and Knitscene Summer 2011 Review

It's been tough to get online, on Ravelry or blog lately as I've been crazy busy with several things, including this new knitting pattern project, shown above.

The striped project is one of about four I'm knitting (another one was shown in a previous post), in different combinations of color, yarn, etc. and all in various stages of completion.  I love the process of experimenting with color, texture, shape, proportion, etc.

This WIP version is finished, but not blocked, and I don't consider a project a true 'FO' until it is blocked.   The pattern should be ready for test knitting soon, probably by the end of the month. 

The little bit of warm rain we've had recently has brought a fresh cleanness to the air and the evidence that although the old saying may be "April showers bring May flowers," in our case here in central Ohio, it's April flowers!   This is only the beginning of a spectacular show to come.

This little cutie, Dutchman's Breeches/  Dicentra cucullaria, always reminds me of my grandmother's love for wildflowers and our many times walking together, admiring them.

Anemone/  Thalictrum thalictroides is blooming in abundance in the woods right now.  I loved this double-flowering beauty. 

Sorry for the grainy photos, but the light was very poor and it was windy, thus it was difficult for me to catch the flowers without motion.

Of course, these flowering bulbs from my garden are not wildflowers, but I think they are pretty nonetheless.  I love the gentle fragrance and joyful abandon with which grape hyacinths/ muscari reseed themselves. 

These lemon-hued miniature tulips are sweet and cheerful and make for beautiful photos.  Can you tell I admire Georgia O' Keefe's work?

 

You may have been as excited as I was to hear that Knitscene magazine, a sister publication of Interweave Knits, has just published it's first ever Summer issue, and will now be published four times per year.  I always enjoy reading Knitscene's articles and love it's patterns that emphasize clean, straightforward, fashionable looks.  Congratulations editor Lisa Shroyer and everyone on the staff at Knitscene!

With this great news, I wanted to post a few of my favorites from this auspicious issue.  I always think it interesting to see what patterns end up being the popular ones from any new book or magazine.  

There are a lot of great looks represented here, many of them touching on hot trends for the 2011 season, including stripes, simple shapes, and lace (all patterns and photos, Knitscene.com). 

Amy Christoffers was the featured designer in this issue, and her Windsor Cardi presents an abundant lace look in a restrained silhouette, perfect for dressing up or down. 

A simpler look for those who only want to dabble in lace is the Strafford Tee, another Amy Christoffers pattern.

Courtney Kelley's Starboard Cape is a cute little topper for camis or sundresses.

And summer is always a great time for simple knitting projects to take along with you as you travel, get together with friends, etc., and this issue is packed with examples of that, including some top-down constructions, like Tanis Gray's Lodi Cardigan,

And Hannah Fettig's Sackets Harbor Pullover. 

Of course, there are many more patterns than I can show here, so check them out.