Robin Ulrich Studio

Photography Fun

2012-03-19T13:05:00.001-04:00

My husband gifted me with a new Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 35 mm 1:1.8 G camera lens for Christmas and I'm shooting tons of photos lately, trying to get the hang of it.

I'm seriously technically challenged, so my learning curve is looong and requires much trial and error, thus yesterday I took dozens of different kinds of shots for the green inspiration post and then played around with post-shoot editing to enhance light, contrast and clarity. Of course the lens isn't perfect for all the kinds of photos I shot, but I wanted to see the differences, so did a little of everything.

This shot is of the very first pair of pointe shoes I wore as a young, aspiring dancer (they look so small to me now!).

I prefer the simplicity of basic photos and generally don't like to use a lot effects, but just for fun, I did some edits in a user-friendly version of Photoshop, then used Picnik.com to add special effects to the original photo to show you what anyone can do with this free website (I am sorry to say however, that Picnik is going away soon, so play with your photos there while you can).

The various results are displayed below and at the top of the post.

Perhaps not the greatest photo in the world to start with, but still pretty cool, huh?

This yarn photo may look familiar, it's a tweaked version of the one I posted yesterday.

If I'd had more time I would have made the yarn image a little smaller and the text larger, but I had fun shooting and editing, learned how the lens works and ended up with photos that are at least passable until I have more experience and can grow in technique. Isn't that part of what creativity is all about?

You don't need a fancy camera, a simple point-and-shoot digital got me by for years. Just get out there and start clicking!

Have a super week and happy knitting and photographing!

Inspiration - St. Patrick's Day Green

2012-03-17T16:58:00.002-04:00

Many things inspire my creativity, but perhaps none more so than texture and color. And since today is St. Patrick's Day, I'm claiming the smidgen of Irish heritage in my ancestry to do some sharin' o' the green along those lines, with a few green images like the one above featuring part of my collection of vintage knitting needles in green aluminum, plastic and bakelite.

There must be shamrocks, of course!

And Irish Spring soap (original scent). I wrap chunks of this soap in mesh bags to use as moth repellent in my stash. So far it has worked wonderfully and leaves my stash with a fresh fragrance.

Dewy moss sparkling in this morning's sun.

And always, a favorite yarn!

I believe it is commonly accepted that on St. Patrick's Day, everyone is Irish, and I wish for you one of my favorite traditional Irish blessings:

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

-traditional Irish blessing

Scarf Styling Tutorial - Part II, The French Loop

2012-03-07T19:49:00.013-05:00

For part two of this scarf tying series (see part one here), I've chosen a technique that is known by several names I'm aware of including the 'Euro Loop', which sounds like currency to me. Since I became enamored of this style while in Paris, I've settled on the name "French Loop."

This style is chic, very easy to learn and speedy to execute, and it requires a long, narrow scarf like the one I used for this tutorial (a version of my Frostlight scarf pattern, knit in Fiber Optic's Superwash Merino Worsted yarn).

Step 1: Fold the scarf in half and drape it around the neck.

Step 2: Pull both free ends of the scarf through the looped end and adjust the loop to your desired length.

The French Loop can be worn centered or off to one side as shown in the photo at the top of this post. That's all there is to it - easy peasy!

Thank you so much for stopping by, and I wish you much fun with scarf styling!

Congrats Ravelry - 2 Million & Counting!

2012-03-01T14:56:00.001-05:00

Can you hear the amazing sound? It's the sound of millions of needles clicking, and crochet hooks hooking, in the hands of over 2 MILLION Ravelry.com members as of last Wednesday!

In honor of the occasion, Casey Forbes, one of Ravelry's founders, posted a fun 'ravatar' (that's Ravelry + avatar in case you wondered) project, asking members to add the words or number "two million" to their photo. You can see all the ravatars entered here.

I started with my current version, featuring my Bosc hat.

Then I went to Picnik.com to make use of their photo editing toys. I wanted something playful and colorful. I had a ton of fun and in 10 minutes ended up with the version at the top of the post.

I am so thrilled for the Ravelry team, and so grateful for all the wonderful fun, knowledge, and community they've brought to the online stitching world.

Thanks Ravelry, for everything,

and here's to the next 2 million!!

Leap!

2012-02-29T11:43:00.001-05:00

Some leaps are the result of immense determination

and effort,

some are an expression

of joy,

and still others require great faith

and courage.

Whatever you are facing today, I wish you determination, joy, courage and faith as you take the leap, and the great reward of landing safely on the other side.

HAPPY LEAP DAY 2012!!

images via Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/pin/226868899948276167/, http://pinterest.com/pin/66709638199951826/, http://pinterest.com/pin/207024914090164316/, http://pinterest.com/pin/88101736429947855/, http://pinterest.com/pin/93238654754882970/, http://pinterest.com/pin/242490761155715362/

New Knitting Pattern - Frostlight Scarf

2012-02-24T23:08:00.008-05:00

Our winter has been unusually warm and free of snow, not that I'm complaining! Even without snow though, there is a delightful chill in the air that makes me want to relax with a cup of hot tea and knit by a warm fire. I love how winter's cold makes me want to snuggle up in cozy knits, including scarves.

Recently one morning I took photos of a spectacular sunrise, the rays of the breaking dawn sparkling through exquisite frost crystals along a wooden railing.

Crystallization on the railing created strong lines

and ribs along the natural grooves in the wood.

Nature's stunning display inspired my latest design, the Frostlight scarf.

Definition in the lines of frost, highlighted along the railing, influenced my selection of a strongly-vertical, rib and eyelet stitch to reflect the motif of grooves and ridges. I also wanted the stitch to be super-simple and easy to knit on the go, but not terribly boring.

Malabrigo Merino Worsted was chosen for the main pattern yarn although I knit several of these scarves in other yarns that I liked as well.

The Frostlight scarf shown below was knit in a luscious orange-red yarn from Fiber Optic. I'll have better pics and more details on this and other versions in an upcoming post.

Knit in an appropriate color, this design might make a nice project for a man or woman. Stylish, optional fringes at each end provide graceful movement and are an easy way to add variety to the simple design.

As usual, this pattern has been test knit extensively by some wonderful knitters including Laurie, Tam and Gail - thank you!!

My tech editor for this design was none other than Greentrianglegirl on Ravelry, aka A Playful Day podcaster. This talented podcaster and blogger writes feature pieces for both online and print publications and has considerable experience in copy editing and social media development, as well as being a terrific knitter, foodie and multi-crafter. She made valuable contributions to the pattern, including proofreading for style and errors and suggesting wording and placement of text, helping make the instructions easy to follow and hopefully, one of my best patterns yet.

Another exciting new venture for me is the release of tutorial videos featuring techniques that I hope will be helpful in knitting this and other patterns.

The first video demonstrates a method for working a reverse yarn over, a trick which helps equalize the size of your yarn overs when they follow a purl and precede a knit stitch, or as in the case of Frostlight, a slip, slip, knit.

The second video offers instructions for making and adding fringe to your knitted projects.

I'm a very quiet person, so the decision to 'appear' (even though only my hands show, lol) on video and speak on camera was a big one and kind of nerve-wracking for me! However, I am a teacher at heart and I wanted to utilize video potential as a teaching tool.

We have only a still camera with short video capability, and the camera was sitting as close to my shoulder as possible, so I'd still like to find a way to angle the camera directly overhead.

My wonderful husband was a patient director and camera operator, helping me edit take after take for brevity and clarity, and I believe I only 'umm'ed once, so perhaps it's not too bad of a start.

Frostlight is available for download here on the blog or through Ravelry.com, and is currently being offered for free.

If you choose to knit a Frostlight scarf, I'd love to see your photos! I hope you enjoy the pattern, and thanks for visiting my online studio today, I appreciate every reader. Peace, blessings and happy knitting to you!

Contest Winners & another FO

2012-02-19T14:37:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying a nice President's Day weekend! I was determined to finish up some important things by the end of the weekend, including blocking a few FO's, posting the winners of the giveaway contest, and completing tutorials for a new pattern in progress (only 50% complete, but I still have a few more hours). Let's get to the winners first since I know that's what everyone has been waiting for!

THANK YOU to all who left comments to the contest post, for leaving so many detailed and insightful responses to my question "What makes a knitting (or crochet) project fun for you?"

I loved reading your responses and found they contained a great deal of variety, but also a common theme - many people like to have a project that does not greatly exceed their current technical ability but that gives them a small challenge or opportunity to learn something new. I have to agree with that one.

If you posted a comment and did not win this time, I thank you very much for contributing and encourage you to try again next time because I will be holding many more giveaways in coming months!

I used the True Random Number Generator at Random.Org to choose the winners from among followers of my blog who posted their answers to the contest question. The winner of the individual Bosc Scarf pattern

goes to...

Smitiha

who responded to the contest question with

"I love to play with yarns, love to knit with different types (not like in instructions) and to see how it will come out. So I love instructions which give me this pleasure. I love charts, it's easier for me to visualize knitting patterns. And I love to have a lot of "little things" for knitting for they makes the process not just convenient but also very feminine and beautiful!"

Thank you very much Smitiha, for sharing your answer, and congratulations on your win. I will add your pattern to your Ravelry library right away.

And the main prize winner of the Bosc Scarf pattern, yarn

and Baggu bag

is...

Taylor

who almost wasn't able to post at all when Blogger gave her difficulty and she contacted me for assistance (I'm so glad she did!). When her post finally appeared, she had responded to the question with

"I love having a mix of different types of projects to match my moods. Something intricate and challenging, and something soothing and relaxing.

The main thing that attracts me is structure. A great example of this is the elegant simplicity of your Sothia. Each part on its own is simple, yet they combine to make a beautifully structured shape and fabric."

Thank you Taylor for your response and for the kind comment on my pattern (not necessary to win, lol). Taylor, you have seven days to contact me via Ravelry or email with your postal address so I can get your prize mailed out to you.

I recommend you check out Taylor's blog as she has knit THREE stunning Sothia shawls so far (wow!) and posted them on her blog and Ravelry page.

In other news, I'm still chugging away on my gray hoodie, now finishing the second front panel. I've also finished and blocked two of four scarves I knit during development of my next pattern release, one of which is shown in the photo at the top of the post. This version is knit with two skeins of Malabrigo Merino Worsted yarn. It's a very simple and fast knit and I'll have many more details and photos when the pattern is ready to be published, probably a few days at most.

Guess I'd better get back to work, enjoy the rest of your weekend, and thanks again for reading and commenting here on my blog. Happy knitting!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T11:21:00.001-05:00

On this day when love is celebrated, I celebrate more than romance. I love many things - knitting (and many other arts), my husband, family, friends, my dog, God, chocolate - although not necessarily in that order, lol! To mark the occasion, I've collected a few quotations about love, I hope you enjoy them. photo vintagerosebrocante.tumblr.com

"Every gift, though it be small, is in reality great if given with affection"

- Pindar, ancient Greek poet

“Love grows by giving. The love we give away is the only love we keep. The only way to retain love is to give it away.”

- Elbert Hubbard, American author

"I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love."

- Mother Teresa

Happy Valentine's Day!

PS - Today is the last day to post a comment in my free knitting pattern, yarn and bag giveaway (posted here), I'll be drawing the winner and posting later this week!!

Friday Find - Yarn Bowls

2012-02-10T07:25:00.008-05:00

Are you one of those stitchers who winds their yarn by hand into a ball? And then while knitting or crocheting, that ball has a tendency to roll around on the floor, on down the hallway or stairs, collecting dust and enticing your cat to attack it? Then perhaps today's Friday Find, yarn bowls, will appeal to you!

I've often been attracted to the handmade beauty and functionality of these special ceramic and wooden yarn bowls at fiber festivals. The bowl is made with an opening in the side that allows the wound ball to sit in the bottom of the bowl and the working strand of yarn to feed up through the opening. The smoothly glazed surface allows the ball to roll and flip as you pull from it, but prevents it from rolling away.

In addition to selling bowls at fiber and arts festivals, many ceramic artists sell these items on the Etsy.com website. This is the case with all the bowls featured here, including the "love" version shown in the first photo, by Etsy seller Lennymud, cute for Valentine's Day. Just doing a quick search, I found several. All images via etsy sellers

This green bowl is simple and functional.

Polished wood has a satin finish, perfect for delicate yarn.

There is probably something for every taste and budget.

A lamb motif,

delicate tracery,

or traditional pottery style.

Although many of the examples shown here may have been sold by now, just type the words 'yarn bowl' into the search engine of Etsy or Google, etc. and you will get multiple links.

If you are choosing a yarn bowl, look for a very smooth surface both inside the bowl and along the edges of the opening to be certain there aren't any rough spots for delicate yarn to catch on.

Since I use a swift and ball winder to make flat cakes of yarn, I don't have a real need for a bowl of this sort. But for anyone who does not, these bowls might make a nice and useful treat.

If you haven't already done so, please be sure to enter my Valentine's Day free yarn, pattern and bag giveaway here.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Scarf Styling Tutorial - Part I, The Plait

2012-02-08T19:57:00.002-05:00

Last year I suddenly realized that although I had a lot of shawls and cowls, I was in need of a few scarves and set off to knit some. One of those projects ended up being the recently-released Bosc Scarf pattern (a prototype of which is shown in this post).

I've been a huge fan of scarves and shawls for many years, often preferring them to other accessories like jewelry. It always amazes me how a scarf thrown on casually with a simple tee and jeans can elicit as many, or more, compliments than an outfit that was carefully chosen for a special occasion.

So it was fun when the editor of a popular knitting magazine, in which a pattern of mine will soon be released, contacted some designers from the issue to ask for feedback on why we like to knit certain accessories and how we style our knits. This got me to thinking about different ways I like to do that and today I've prepared a quick tutorial for one popular method I call the 'plait'.

I suggest you try this technique by tying your scarf or stole around a post, for practice, before trying to reverse it on yourself in a mirror.

Step 1: Fold scarf in half and drape it around the neck.

Step 2: Pull one free end of the scarf through the looped end.

Step 3: Pull the remaining free end over the top half of the scarf, then down into the looped end and under the bottom half.

Step 4: Pull snug to secure

And there you have it! This method also works by using the free ends in reverse order, so experiment with the look you like. The photo at the top of this post features the same method worn at a slightly different angle.

I plan to share more scarf and shawl styling ideas in future posts, and I'd love to see your photos if you want to send me pics of yourself in your specially-tied scarves and shawls!

Still in scarf-knitting mode, I've just finished a very simple design, featuring an easy-peasy, traditional and familiar stitch pattern, with lovely, soft fringes. The version shown here was knit in Malabrigo Merino Worsted. It's squishy and cozy and I can't wait to get to work on another.

And don't forget to enter my Valentine's Day free knitting pattern, yarn and bag giveaway; find details here.

Happy knitting everyone!

Have a Heart - Valentine Knits & More

2012-02-03T15:16:00.002-05:00

photo Interweave Press

Hearts have always had a special place in my, er, heart, perhaps because of my Scandinavian heritage? I don't know. But Valentine's Day is a great excuse to indulge in a little heart crafting.

Of course, there's always traditional paper cards, but for fiber enthusiasts, the options are so much more plentiful. Whether you want to make a valentine for a loved-one or just a little treat for yourself, you might consider some of these cute patterns.

The Felted Heart Milagros by Mags Kandis (shown in photo above) would make nice sachets for a yarn stash or dresser drawer if stuffed with fragrant, moth-repellant herbs.

Garter stitch hearts with tiny messages, from Flax & Twine are delightful. photo Flaxandtwine.com

The heart cables in Melissa Morgan Oakes' Be Mine sock pattern, knit in a favorite color, would be a fun secret love token for your sweetie. photo Ravelry.com

If you like lace, the Heart of Winter mittens by Lalla Pohjanpalomight might be just your thing. photo Ravelry.com

Stranded knitting lovers should check out the new Knitty Winter Bis issue that includes the Freja mitten pattern by Emmy Petersson. photo Knitty.com

For smaller hands, you might like Babyvotter by Lilia Mankk. photo Ravelry.com

Crocheters may wish to try their hooks on this Love Hearts pattern by June Gilbank; stitching two together back-to-back would make a simple sachet. photo Ravelry.com

If you want to make a small item but are short on time, this stitchy card tutorial from Red Bird Crafts is fast, easy and makes use of yarn scraps (always a good thing!). It's also a fun craft for kids. photo Redbirdcrafts.com

There are so many creative ways to make valentines, I may try to share a few more before Valentine's Day. But why wait until a special day to tell someone you love them anyway? Today is a great day to do pick up the phone, send a text, an email or a note, or give a hug to a lover, friend, family member or pet. It only takes a moment but the effects linger.

And don't forget about my giveaway contest that ends on February 14th, details to enter can be found here.

That's it for now, thanks for stopping by and happy stitching!

Happy Groundhog Day!

2012-02-02T18:46:00.003-05:00

image Clevelandleader.com

In keeping with generations of February 2nd traditions, weather-predicting groundhogs all over the US and Canada gave conflicting reports today of whether spring would arrive early or remain yet another 6 weeks away.

Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil is reported to have seen his shadow and thus declared that winter (what winter?) would last another 6 weeks.

Phil's prediction was in direct opposition to his Ohio counterpart, Buckeye Chuck, who, according to the Cleveland Leader website, did not see his shadow and predicted an early spring. I'll take Chuck's prediction!

Happy Groundhog Day everyone!

p.s. - don't forget to enter my giveaway contest, details here.

New Year, New Stuff - Free Knitting Pattern & Yarn Giveaway Contest

2012-01-28T17:11:00.004-05:00

Celebrations of new things frequently start with a token or gift of some sort - a wedding ring, a baby gift, a 'before' photo, etc., so I thought it appropriate to start the new year for this blog with a giveaway contest for followers. Besides, I just love to give things away! Prizes for this contest include yarn, patterns and a little something extra, all in Valentine's Day shades since that day, February 14th, 2012, is the deadline for entering the giveaway.

The 'something extra' was purchased from Baggu, a company offering a delicious array of bright, fun bags and totes, mostly in lightweight nylon fabric. Baggu's mainstay is a reusable shopping tote in several sizes, including this basic, roomy bag great for toting knitting projects, groceries, beach and sporting gear. (next two photos Baggu.com)

Baggus all come packed in their own compact pouch.

The main contest winner will receive the bag shown above, in a cute pink dot print.

In addition to the bag, the main winner will also receive a 375 yd. skein of sport weight, hand dyed yarn by Rio Grande Yarns from Weaving Southwest in Taos, New Mexico,

and 4 skeins (a total of 1748 yds.) of baby alpaca, lace weight yarn by Misti Alpaca.

And lastly, two people will each win a knitting pattern for one of my newest designs, the Bosc Scarf -

one pattern will go to the main winner, and a second, pattern-only prize, to another blog follower!

It's easy to enter the contest (and even if you prefer not to enter to win the giveaway, I'd still LOVE to hear your comments to the question!); here's how to enter:

Be or become a follower of this blog by clicking on the 'follow' button on the sidebar.
Post an answer to this question in the comments for any post before the drawing on February 14, 2012: What makes a knitting (or crochet) project fun for you? Do you prefer a challenge, a simple, fast knit, lace, cables, garter stitch, stockinette, a longer, contemplative project, etc.? Anything goes! Your answer will probably be very different from the answers given by others, and that is just fine!

That's it - on the 14th I will use the Random.org number generator to select one main prize winner, and a second pattern package winner. I will post the winners' names here on the blog soon after, and the winners will have 7 days after that post to contact me via this blog, or a Ravelry PM, with their mailing address.

Thanks for reading everyone and best wishes for a bright, blessed and creative 2012!

Blueprint for Knitting

2012-01-21T19:36:00.002-05:00

Since about the middle of last October our life around here has been frantic at best. Both knitting-wise and personal life-wise things were cranked up to boiling level and continued so through the holidays and until the end of this week when all of my previous knitting projects and a stint on jury duty were finally concluded.

Since the first of the year, I've bound off the back of my gray hoodie, swatched a huge batch of stitch patterns (I love swatching), and begun another new pattern project - one that was really easy to pick up and put down during aforementioned jury duty and that, in light-weight yarn, would last a while. I'll try to get some photos and post more about it soon.

We've finally received enough snow to matter here, and I can call this weird season Winter. I'm hoping we'll soon have enough snow that I can try out the snowshoes I received as a Christmas gift.

Our climate, although not fabulous, is nice and in the temperate range. We usually only receive a few weeks of extremely cold or hot weather through the year. But along with much of the US, we've been experiencing even milder than normal conditions, which was fine with me considering all the running around we've been doing.

Now that life's a teensy bit calmer, I'm taking time to chill out, knit some fun projects and clean house. And, um, I haven't yet packed up the Christmas things... But hey, it's 2012 and I'm excited about the possibilities the year holds!

This guest-blogger post from the Designsponge.com blog suggested a 'blueprint' strategy to get organized for the new year.

I am using this idea, rather than traditional resolutions, as my outline for what I'd like to accomplish in 2012.

One of the things I plan to do right away is hold another giveaway, so check back in the next week or two for details on that (I just need to photograph the loot), it's going to be a good one!

I can't wait to move on to to more of the things on my checklist - I'll be sharing a lot of them here throughout the year - and I'd love to know what knitting or craft-related goals YOU would like to achieve this year. As always, I really love to read your comments.

Peace, blessing and happy knitting to you!

WIP Cabled Hoodie

2012-01-09T19:55:00.003-05:00

Every now and then I love to knit other designers' patterns for fun, for learning, for a break from figuring and charting and calculating my own things. I've designed and even written up several cardigan patterns of my own, but I wanted a little design break (although I am also still working on new designs simultaneously so not a total break, lol).

I opted to knit a pattern I'd purchased some time ago but never gotten around to knitting, the Cassidy hooded, cabled cardigan by Bonne Marie Burns from Chicknits.com. photo Chicknits.com

I was incredulous to realize I had only one or two yarns in my stash in enough quantity to knit the desired cable sweater, especially one with a hood, and since one yarn option really was not suitable for cables, that left me with a staple yarn, Berroco's Ultra Alpaca in light heather grey (imagine that). I got a good buy on the yarn at the Merc, one of my LYSs, during their recent sale.

The pattern is well-written, as I would expect from such a terrific designer as Bonne Marie, and not a difficult project. It amazes me how fast it is to knit someone else's pattern, although I am NOT happy to report that my skill in ripping out cables on the needles, dropping down and fixing them and re-knitting them back up the columns has increased, haha. I get to flying along with the needles and realize I've been paying more attention to the Nero Wolfe mystery I'm watching than my knitting...

I'm almost finished with the back, I'll post more updates when I have more progress to show!

2K Faves Knitting Pattern Flash Sale

2012-01-08T22:26:00.003-05:00

Brandywine Falls, one of the first patterns available as an online download from Robin Ulrich Studio, reached a Ravelry milestone today of 2000 favorites (doing a happy dance)!!

To celebrate, I'm offering a 20% 'flash sale' savings on the purchase of the pattern through Wednesday, January 11th at midnight EST. To receive the discount, enter coupon code: brfalls2k at checkout.

In honor of the occasion, I gave the pattern a little graphic 'freshen-up' so if you already own the pattern, be sure and download the latest version for your knitting pattern library.

Since this pattern first appeared online, so many pretty versions have been made by talented knitters. I love every single wrap as each knitter puts their own personality into it. I celebrate that individuality. You can see more details about all of these projects, on the Ravelry Brandywine Falls projects page.

A gallery of a few of my favorites (photos not mine, see projects pages for details):

I thank those who've marked my designs as Ravelry favorites, I truly appreciate it! And it looks as if a few other of my patterns will soon be approaching milestone numbers as well...

New Year, New Knitting

2012-01-01T19:46:00.000-05:00

So long 2011, helloooo 2012!

In a nod to the 'out with the old, in with the new' way of thinking at New Year, I decided that I would empty out my WIP basket and finish up a few things, then reward myself by starting something new, so I spread everything out and wove in ends, added trims and blocked like mad. It was somewhat tedious, but rewarding to see some of 2011 projects complete and wearable.

I haven't been able to share as much of my knitting progress from the latter half of 2011 as I'd have liked to because much of it was for publication. Some things, like my new Bosc hat and scarf, have been revealed, but the others are for publication in print for 2012 and are still top secret.

One of the secret projects was developed in this yarn from Royal Fibers Spinnery, a heathered dark charcoal gray, aran-weight pure alpaca yarn I purchased from the close-out bin of their booth at the Taos Wool Festival last year. The yarn is extremely soft and surprisingly lustrous, with the exquisite drape of pure alpaca.

Although the pattern will appear in a very different yarn for publication, the open nature of the main stitch pattern is easily worked in a variety of yarns. Can't wait to show you more when the pattern is released!

Another pattern for print publication was also developed in alpaca yarn, shown here in a dusty purple color, although the official version is, again, knit in a different color.

I've been playing around with these fun little doodads for a project,

and these handmade beads, a few of which were purchased from a glass artist exhibiting at Rhinebeck (sorry about the crummy photo, trying to take fast photos under artificial light is not a great idea).

In the 'in with the new' knitting category, I just finished a shawlette design prototype, wrote up the basic pattern outline and am now knitting it up in another yarn, incorporating some new ideas I had. And I've cast on for a cable cardigan - a hoodie? - in some stashed Berroco's Ultra Alpaca (see photo at top of post).

The Ultra Alpaca was some of the only yarn I had enough quantity of on hand for a large project, so it will not surprise you to discover that it is... gray, lol. I do also have plans to knit purples, some gorgeous cobalt blue, a little red, lovely creamy white, a bit of green, perhaps more gold?, definitely more gray, eye-popping orange, a touch of pink, and a few other of my favorite colors this year.

I'll be able to show many more photos of WIPs and FOs as the year progresses.

And finally, to help celebrate a fresh new year of knitting, I will be holding another free pattern and yarn giveaway contest, so check back for details on that in an upcoming post.

Happy knitting and Happy New Year everyone!

Friday Finds

2011-12-30T07:07:00.004-05:00

While hopping around on the internet I often come across interesting things I'd like to share. Things that might, or might not, have to do with knitting, but that strike my fancy nonetheless. So I thought I'd start a new topic to post on a Friday every now and then, thus the post title "Friday Finds."

To start things off, this coat from Modcloth.com jumped out at me as being stylish, affordable and a great 'frame' for a hand-knit scarf or shawl. The flattering, clean lines have a timeless, elegant appeal, and the light, polyester/ wool blend fabric would be perfect for mild winters as well as autumn and early spring wear. photo Modcloth.com

This coat looks so Grace Kelly to me. A girl can dream right? TGIF!

Holiday Wishes

2011-12-24T16:41:00.004-05:00

angel with harp, artist unknown

My holiday wishes for you this day, dear friend, are for all your stitches to be even, for your yarn stash to be fruitful, and for all your projects to fit perfectly. May your Christmas be joyful and filled with love, and your home be blessed. And may angels watch over you and yours always.

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, goodwill to (all)
From heaven's all gracious King!"
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.

From a classic Christmas carol, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, based on a poem written in 1849 by Edmund Hamilton Sears, and set to music in 1859 by Richard Storrs Willis. Word in parenthesis, mine.

It's Beginning to Look a Little Like Christmas

2011-12-23T11:33:00.003-05:00

Someone, please pass me the smelling salts, because I about fainted dead away when I saw the response to my new pattern, the Bosc Hat. THANK YOU to everyone for the kind comments, and for making this pattern the #1 hottest pattern on Ravelry.com (holy mackerel!) for all day yesterday.

I'm sure that for many of the wonderful designers out there whose work I greatly admire, having their design on the top 20 patterns list is a ho-hum, all-in-a-day's-work kind of thing, but for me it was very exciting.

And for those of you who've asked about the photo, well, this one was rather difficult, but the final shot of the gold hat was the result of me running back and forth from the camera to the exact pose spot 68 times while trying to maintain composure, hold completely still, not gasp for breath, and not mess up my hair (a monumental task in itself).

With the Christmas holiday upon us, I also wanted to share just a few seasonal ideas, like this rosemary tree.

I've had this little tree for about 5 years now, having purchased it at the grocery store for only a few dollars thinking that even if it died, the dried herbs themselves would be worth the price.

But not only has it not died, it's grown about double in size and my husband has decreed that I am no longer allowed to pot it up larger lest it become too mammoth to be moved indoors for winter. Since he is the one who carries it in, to grow in a south-facing window with the aid of additional grow lights, I had to agree. :)

The tiny glass bell ornaments are part of my favorite collection of vintage ornament shapes from the 1920's-1950's. They are just the right size for my little tree.

We also have a regular tree in the living room, complete with lights.

As a long-time sewing enthusiast, I have a small assortment of vintage household and sewing tools from my grandmothers, like the old folding yardsticks shown here. These jointed sticks are easily bent into fun shapes such as a star, shown single in the photo at the top of the post, or layered as seen below.

I love rooting around in drawers to see what I can 'find' to make use of without purchasing anything new.

Boxwood or other greenery is easily formed into a simple wreath and can be tied with a scrap of ribbon or as here, a length of burlap.

For those who celebrate Hanukkah, I loved this local store display of plain white candles in unmatched glass containers, although the contemporary glass menorah/ hanukiah is quite lovely too.

The mirror placed underneath multiplies the effect of the candles and glass. This is such a pretty tabletop idea for anyone at anytime of the year.

I hope you find a few inspiring ideas here, I'm planning to do my wrapping and baking today and tomorrow, and will try to squeeze in another post before Sunday - we'll see. Happy knitting everyone!

New Bosc Hat Knitting Pattern

2011-12-21T11:08:00.006-05:00

I love a set of knitted items that are pretty enough to stand alone, but also have companion pieces. With that in mind, I designed the Bosc Hat as a coordinate to my most recent pattern release, the Bosc Scarf, mentioned in this post.

The entire set was inspired by multiple muses - the graceful curves and rich color of ripe pears,

as well as an interest in designing pieces that capture the intricate beauty of Japanese-style stitch patterns in an easy, approachable way.

The Bosc pattern’s lush texture is provided by easy stitches in a quick-knit worsted-weight yarn. Basic cable and lace patterns transition smoothly from a simple ribbed edging

to the crown of the hat.

I ripped and re-knit the crown a dozen or more times, until I was satisfied with the amount of slouch combined with the shaping of the design. Shaping is built into the pattern, so blocking the hat flat produces a nicely-slouched beanie and blocking it over a plate, as those shown here, produces a soft, face-framing hat with even more slouch.

The pattern offers more options to knitters with both charted and written instructions, as well as a choice of two sizes.

Other matching pieces are planned for the set as well. At some point soon I will combine them into a downloadable collection; however for now, the pair of patterns can be purchased together at a $1.50 discount, by adding them to the Ravelry shopping cart together and applying coupon code: Bosc Set. Also, those who have already purchased the scarf may purchase the hat for the promotional price as well!

This pattern has been extensively tested and I want to thank my lovely test knitters: Becky, Simone, Josefina, Laurie, Lisa, Jodie, Alyson, Jessica and Tina. You ladies are superb!

In other news, it's been an extremely hectic, but also exciting, month. Our basement flooded late one rainy evening, requiring a midnight scramble to replace a broken sump pump and mop up an inch of water, followed by a week of cleaning and ripping out sodden, ruined carpet. That alone set my work and blog posting back substantially.

But I did finally manage to get my last two patterns of the year posted (hurray!), was invited to do two designer interviews within one week (I'm working up the nerve), received this beautiful cardigan made just for me by my wonderful, super sweet Ravelry friend Loren (Twisted1 on Ravelry - thank you so much Loren, I love it!!)

was awarded the Versatile Blogger award (thank you very much to Anna and Johanna!!),

and was included in a prize giveaway on a podcast I thoroughly enjoy, A Playful Day.

A Playful Day is giving away a caboodle of awesome prizes like yarn, gift items and patterns including my new Bosc scarf, and my Katriel and Fontana shawl patterns. Check out her blog and listen to her podcast for a chance to win and a fun time even if you don't!

I've had a a frenzy of large Christmas events to host and attend, and multiple major tasks to complete. Whew! And the month is not over yet!

I am now; however, able to relax a teensy bit and enjoy the coming Christmas and New Year holidays. Although still hard at work finishing up a couple of patterns for publications next year, hopefully things will settle down soon and I will return to more regular knitting and other updates and fun stuff, including a new prize giveaway! Uff da.

New Bosc Scarf Knitting Pattern & Recipe

2011-12-12T18:07:00.016-05:00

I've long been intrigued with the idea of trying to capture the delicate beauty and intricacy of Japanese-style knitting stitches in a simple, approachable way. A way that would be fun for experienced and newer knitters alike, especially those who love the look of these types of stitches but are perhaps a little unsure of trying something that may appear rather scary.

With this technical concept in mind, the idea for the design of my newest knitting pattern was begun, aesthetically inspired by the beauty of ripe pears, the most elegant of which, in my opinion, are the Bosc variety.

I love their gold, green and russet hues, graceful curving shapes, and sweet but subtle flavor.

When I found Quince and Co. Lark (see my review in this post) worsted weight yarn and saw the rich "honey" colorway I knew I had a match for my project.

The 100% wool yarn is soft enough for a scarf, with excellent drape for a yarn of this sort, but the twist still has a nice amount of body to give structure to the stitch pattern and to the scarf itself as it drapes around the neck - all details that were important to me as I selected yarn for this design, the Bosc Scarf , now available here on my blog or on my designer page at Ravelry.com.

The scarf's lush texture is created with very basic stitches. Simple increases and decreases as well as easy cables shape the lines into a semblance of a pear shape and leaves (although you might very well see tulips and that is OK too!), separated by vertical lines of rippling eyelets.

Many of my testers were joking that they were getting into difficulty with their schedules because they couldn't put their knitting down, the stitch pattern was so fun to knit. I have to agree, this combination is what I call 'potato chip' knitting because you want to knit 'just one more repeat!'.

I knit all of the cables without a cable needle; many excellent videos and tutorials for this technique can be found on Youtube or in this video from Knittinghelp.com or on the Grumperina.com or Knitting Daily websites (thanks Lisa :))

Complementary lace ends grow organically into and out of Bosc's main stitch pattern, so the the project is knit straight through from cast on to bind off with no grafting or provisional cast on necessary! The ends can be blocked either straight across or into a scallop shape as I have done in the example here.

A sleek corded edge is built into the knitting by slipping stitches as you go. This small detail keeps an elaborate stitch combination modern and un-cluttered (I love lace and cables but wanted to avoid a fussy look).

Large charts as well as written instructions are included, and tips for adapting the length are given, offering multiple options for knitters.

The entire project began late last summer just as the pears were coming into season and I began experimenting with recipes for this fruit. Bosc pears are excellent for cooking as they retain much of their shape and flavor when baked or poached, although many other varieties cook nicely as well.

One of my favorite pear dishes poaches the fruit in champagne with vanilla, and I hope you will give them a try and see just how lovely they can be.

Champagne Poached Vanilla Pears

Ingredients

1 bottle champagne (any sparkling wine will suffice, or non-alcoholic version if you prefer)
1 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)

1/4 tsp. lemon zest

1 4" vanilla bean - split lengthwise

2 firm Bosc pears - peeled but with stems intact (slightly underripe is ideal)
Optional garnishes - dark chocolate, star anise, bay leaves

Directions

In a saucepan just large enough to hold pears and liquid, combine first four ingredients. Bring to a boil, immediately reduce to a simmer. Gently lower pears into the simmering liquid until fully submerged.

Cover pan and simmer for 15 minutes, baste with liquid occasionally, avoid stirring. Finished pears should be tender and easily pierced with a fork; very firm pears may need up to an additional 5-15 minutes of cooking time. Allow to cool in liquid for at least 20-30 minutes before serving.

Pears may be served immediately, or wrapped tightly and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. To serve, place a single pear upright on a small plate, spoon a small amount of liquid over pear. I love to garnish these pears with small squares of extra dark chocolate, or for a festive look try adding a star anise and a single bay leaf, if desired.


I hope you enjoy making this recipe, it is a light, but delicious, dish to keep in mind with Christmas and New Year's celebrations approaching. If you decide to make either the scarf or the pears, I'd love to know! Bon appétit and happy knitting!

Goodbye Autumn & Knitting Pattern Sneak Peek

2011-12-01T21:39:00.004-05:00

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the seasons change, with today being the first day of meteorological winter already. I suppose I must say goodbye to beloved autumn, but not before I get a chance to share a couple of things from that season.

We enjoyed the fall leaf season with a visit to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee after our October weekend trip to Rhinebeck for the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival (see this post).

While there, we found a cute little shop in Gatlinburg, The Smoky Mountain Spinnery.

Although small in size, owner Nancy has packed it full of fiber and yarn for spinning, knitting and weaving.

We enjoyed browsing drop spindles,

a selection from yarn companies like Louet,

and Brown Sheep

as well as all sorts of fiber including some terrific Icelandic wool.

The tiny shop is also loaded with fiber-related antiques from the mountain area, like those above and shown in the photo at the top of this post, and offers spinning, weaving and knitting supplies and classes.

While we did visit this one shop, most of our time was spent hiking and running through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We enjoyed the lovely rivers

and did a lot of running on mountain trails.

I don't recommend falling on this trail or you might end up with seriously bruised ribs and torn up knees like I did.

We loved the natural beauty of the area, and even saw a little black bear, but she was frightened by the tourists and ran into the woods before we could get a photo.

Another activity I engaged in during the trip was to knit a few experimental samples for my upcoming pattern releases, like this scarf in a sculptural cable and lace combination (sorry for the terrible photo, this was taken quickly on the floor of our cabin).

This version is a very rough prototype, but it gives you an idea of the final design. The scarf shown was knit in Berroco's Ultra Alpaca yarn.

The final, refined pattern version is currently being test knit and will be released soon; I'll have better photos and more information in an upcoming post.

I hope to have much more to share about all my current projects soon. Until then, peace, blessings and happy knitting to you!

Thankful for...

2011-11-24T19:09:00.000-05:00

In a world where so many have so little, I am very thankful to have so much - the ability to love, to share, to comfort, to serve, to create and to give. On this day when Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, I wish you and yours much love and much to be thankful for this year.

And - thank you - for being a part of my knitting and blogging world.

Knitwear Photography

2011-11-16T20:03:00.003-05:00

I get asked a lot about my photography, especially knitwear photography. While I use a pretty decent camera (mostly a Nikon D3100, but sometimes just a little Canon Power Shot) I also use professional photo software for post editing and knitting pattern shoots.

If you want to improve your knitwear photographs, or even just play around with your pictures for artistic reasons, but don't want to shell out big bucks for a new camera or expensive software, you might consider trying out a free photo editing website like Picnik.com.

The example above was made in just a few minutes from a basic image used in my last post; however, I must warn you - it is easy to spend waaaay too much time playing around with the various effects available for simple tweaking, adding text, or complete manipulation of photos just for fun.

Although perhaps not the best photo-editing website available, Picnik is extremely user-friendly for beginners and offers a surprising amount of editing tools for free. And while it won't make a poorly-lit, terribly-shot photo spectacular, it can be a great way to get started on your way to better knitwear images. Enjoy!

Pattern Inspiration and Quince & Co. Lark Yarn Review

2011-11-15T19:58:00.004-05:00

This autumn's harvest brought a bounty of delicious fruits and vegetables - enough inspiration to fuel the imagination of any epicure for months to come. But even before they delighted my taste buds, I found these pears were a treat for the eye.

I love their silhouette, proportions, and rich tones of green and gold tinged with a subtle hint of russet.

The attributes of these gorgeous pears inspired some of the ideas I had when working out the stitch pattern and choosing yarn for an upcoming pattern design, and I eventually settled on Quince & Co.'s Lark as my yarn choice. basket photo Quinceandco.com

Lark is a reasonably priced, American-spun, worsted weight yarn plied with enough air to give it a slightly woolly texture and just enough cushion to soften the look and feel of the stitches (while not losing definition in a sculptural stitch pattern like the one I designed for this project).

Available in lovely solid colors, Quince & Co. has recently added a few heathers to Lark's range as well. Shade cards can be ordered from the Quince & Co. website.

I knit up several variations of the new designs, tweaking them until they captured what I had in mind, and the first pattern to be ready for test-knitting is a scarf. The scarf's texture is formed mainly by simple lace and cable stitches, and although easy and fairly fast to knit, still looks pretty impressive (making it ideal for gift-giving, LOL).

I found Lark to be quite pleasant yarn to knit with, and look forward to trying the other yarns in the Quince & Co. lineup sometime. There are, however, a few caveats - this yarn discharged a very slight amount of dye into the blocking water. Not enough to change the look of the project, and certainly nowhere near the amount I've had bleed off from several other popular yarns.

Also, knitting a gauge swatch and washing and blocking it is always a good idea with any yarn, and my knitted fabric relaxed a bit and gauge changed slightly when I did so.

Lark stood up well to repeated frogging and re-knitting, even considering the constant manipulation of stitches required when working cables and lace.

That's it for now, I'm still knitting away on the next item in the set. The scarf should be ready for publication sometime in December.

40,000 Views Flash Pattern Sale

2011-11-14T21:10:00.002-05:00

Within the last hour or so, my blog stats hit 40,000 page views - wow!!

For me, that's a big deal, one worth noting, so I'd like to thank you for being one of those 40K viewers, and I'm adding a little surprise extra with a spontaneous "flash" sale only for readers of my blog and followers of my Twitter account!

The flash sale is in the form of a coupon good for 40% off of any one Robin Ulrich Studio downloadable pattern, until midnight Weds., November 15th. This promotion will not show up on the Ravelry pattern pages, so you'll need to enter the code: 40K at the checkout to receive the discount.

THANK YOU for joining me on my knitting and life adventures, and here's to 50,000!

Favorite Thing - Wasabi Kale Chips Recipe

2011-11-12T14:29:00.002-05:00

My husband and I are tried and true popcorn lovers, eating it almost every evening as we relax with knitting, spinning and watching movies. Yet even though we can (kind of) justify popcorn as a moderately healthy, high fiber snack, there are times when you just want something different.

As odd as it might sound (and believe me, at first I thought 'ugh' before I gave them a tentative try) I'm happy to have found a new Favorite Thing to share here - chips made from baked kale.

Since I need to eat large amounts of salt to replenish what I lose through distance running, these chips satisfy that salt craving. But for those who need to watch their salt intake, this recipe is also very good with non-salt mixtures. For variety, I like to add other herbs and spices including chives, onion, garlic, chipotle, and a favorite of mine, wasabi.

Wasabi is a very hot Japanese horseradish that creates a thick paste when reconstituted with water (you may be familiar with wasabi used as a condiment with sushi). For this recipe I use the dried, powder form. A little bit of this pungent root goes a very long way! photo Thespicehouse.com

Tasty, extremely crunchy, low in fat and calories and with a modest carbohydrate content, these chips are amazingly delicious and addictive in a most healthy way. Isn't that good news for once?

Recipe notes:

Kale shrinks to a very small size as it bakes, so a large bunch will not be as overwhelming as you might think.
I usually wash the fresh kale and let it stand on end to drain for a while before patting any remaining moisture out with a clean towel and preparing the chips.
I like to use kosher salt flakes or sea salt, but any kind of salt, or non-salt seasoning, will do.
Wasabi powder is available at some Asian and gourmet food stores or at specialty spice merchants like Penzeys, or The Spice House.
These chips are nice on their own, or tasty with any dip that is good with potato chips, although they are somewhat more fragile than potato chips, use care when dipping.

WASABI KALE CHIPS RECIPE

Ingredients

10-12 oz. kale, cleaned and dried very well
Nonstick cooking spray or olive oil mist
1-2 tsp(s) coarse salt to taste
1/4 tsp wasabi powder (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat large baking sheets with oil or line with parchment paper. In small bowl or spice grinder, blend salt with wasabi powder or other spice.

Remove and discard thick kale stems, tear completely dry leaves into approximately 2" pieces, place in large bowl. Lightly spray leaves with oil or cooking spray and toss gently with spoon to thoroughly coat kale; repeat if necessary. Sprinkle chips with seasoned salt, toss gently to coat; repeat if necessary.

Bake kale 12 to 15 minutes, turning leaves over at about 6-7 minutes if desired. Bake until crisp but not browned. Cool on cookie sheets. When completely cool, carefully place chips in airtight containers and store up to one week, although they'll probably be gone well before then.

Enjoy!

Golden Autumn

2011-11-09T11:47:00.002-05:00

Leaves

How silently they tumble down and come to rest upon the ground

to lay a carpet, rich and rare, beneath the trees without a care,

content to sleep, their work well done, colours gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly until they nearly reach the sky.

Twisting, turning through the air till all the trees stand stark and bare.

Exhausted, drop to earth below to wait, like children, for…winter.

Elsie Brady - Scottish poet

A Contest Winner!

2011-11-04T16:05:00.002-04:00

My goodness, the past month has been wild, with the onset of autumn weather requiring a lot of yard and garden work, a long road trip to Rhinebeck, our family holiday (where I took the above pumpkin photo), my birthday, tons of pattern work and a major family crisis to boot. Yes, it's been wild, but it's also been WONDERFUL to hear from so many readers!

I love knowing that real, live knitters & crocheters are reading my page and not just my mom, my siblings and a lot of random people who stumble across this page while looking for something else on the Internet.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment, send me lovely birthday wishes, become a blog follower, and/ or enter the yarn and pattern giveaway contest. So many nice things were said, it made for one of my best birthday gifts ever, and I was intrigued to read the variety of preferences for yarn weights for knitted accessories.

A successful yarn choice depends mainly on what you're knitting and a little also on how much time you have to complete your project. Right away I could tell from just skimming through the comments that knitters like a lot of variety in accessory yarn weight, with a few trends standing out.

Light-weight and fingering yarns are popular for lace projects, cabled gloves, or other items requiring less bulk, or for when you have more time to knit.

Bulky and super bulky yarns are big (pun intended) this year for chunky scarves and neck accessories, making for super-fast knits. Many knitters love making scarves and hats in worsted weight, and DK weight seems to be the most popular, all-around choice in general.

The many comments gave me a lot to think about concerning yarn choices for pattern designs.

After reading every comment, I made a numbered list of all the entries in order of date posted and used the Random.org True Random Number Generator to select the winner, who will receive a free PDF copy of my Katriel shawl pattern

and a yarn prize including 4 skeins of Misti Alpaca Lace Solids

and a skein of Neighborhood Fiber Spun Silk yarn.

Without further ado, congratulations go out to the winner,

Arnikai!

Arnikai, I've emailed you to let you know of your win, please contact me within 7 days via email, Ravelry PM (I am Truknit) or a Twitter DM (I am Robinulrich), so I can arrange to send you your prizes!

Again, thanks to everyone for your comments, I truly appreciate all of my readers.

More contests, pattern and yarn giveaways and pattern specials, exclusively for my blog and Twitter followers, will be announced in future, so be sure to check back often and follow me on the blog and on Twitter. I've also got a lot of fun new posts in the works including reviews, helpful tutorials, tasty original recipes, pattern design and knitting updates and just general life stuff.

Have a wonderful weekend and happy knitting!

No Tricks, Just Treats - Pattern Sale, Free Knitting Pattern & Yarn Giveaway

2011-10-31T12:01:00.000-04:00

No tricks here today, just treats! Today is the last day of my birthday knitting pattern sale and free pattern & yarn giveaway.

Until midnight tonight, EST, all Robin Ulrich Studio download patterns (except Katriel) will be 20% off, and my newest pattern, Katriel, is 50% off. One note - in order to receive the special 50% discount on Katriel, the shopping cart requires that pattern to be purchased separately from the other patterns.

And finally, since it's my birthday,

I'm giving away a FREE PATTERN & YARN in a contest for all my followers!

The prizes for this contest include a PDF copy of Katriel (or other pattern of your choice if you've already purchased Katriel) and some yarny awesomeness to include four skeins of Misti Alpaca Lace in a lovely, silvery-lavender color (this is a total of 1748 yards!),

and a skein of hand-dyed Neighborhood Fiber Co. worsted weight, luminous silk yarn.

Like the pattern download sale, the yarn and pattern giveaway contest will run through midnight EST, tonight, October 31st. A winner will be chosen tomorrow, November 1st, by random number generator from amongst all the entries. See the rules for entering in this post: Birthday Contest.

Even if you don't wish to enter the contest, I always love to hear from readers, so feel free to leave me a comment anyway.

I'll choose the winner tomorrow and announce their name in the next post (this week), and also notify them of their win. The winner will have 7 days from the time of the announcement post to let me know where to send the prizes.

Good luck and happy knitting!

Rhinebeck Review - aka New York State Sheep & Wool Festival

2011-10-28T11:05:00.014-04:00

At long last, I had the opportunity to visit the famed New York State Sheep & Wool Festival (commonly referred to as "Rhinebeck" because of it's location), as the first part of our vacation this year.

Having read endless raves and reviews of past years' shows, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect - barns full of magnificent yarn, fiber and knitting and spinning supplies, fleece and fiber-animal competitions, workshops, people, food, food and more food, and lots of fun. On every item, Rhinebeck fulfilled those expectations, but I had some reservations as well.

We arrived about 30 minutes prior to the show opening on Saturday, and had plenty of good parking choices near a secondary gate. After sitting in the car knitting for a while, we purchased wristbands for entry - $17 for a two-day pass - and joined the growing queue.

The fairgrounds where the show is held are clean, beautifully landscaped and easy to navigate.

The autumn trees are lovely and there are food opportunities everywhere from the giant building full of food and wine vendors

to local 4-H kids raising funds, to fair-type food like cotton candy.

A fun part of the show for me was meeting up with my knitting friends Lynn, shown here in the Brooks Farm booth,

and Andrea, a workshop teacher at this year's event.

Ravelry held a meet-up for a group photo each day.

I kept a sharp eye on Ravelry badges, hoping to see names from my friends list, but was disappointed to not find any Rav friends. However, in the photo above are a few Ravelry designer faces (and backsides), including Ysolda Teague, Stephen West and others.

Muddy fields and parking lots, hard pavement and changing weather conditions mean comfortable shoes and layered clothing are a must. A hat and sunglasses add an additional layer of protection - items I always don at outdoor events.

Of course, knits were everywhere to be seen and a favorite part of the experience for me was admiring all the hard work displayed by thousands of knitters.

The only unpleasant part of the show for me was from about 12-2 PM on Saturday, when the buildings became so crowded that you were literally pushed along with a solid mass of people. Stopping to look or enter a booth was difficult, and I was concerned for mobility-challenged folks with walkers, or those pushing baby strollers.

Lines to have knitting books signed by the author were long, with one of the longest being to meet Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot.

This photo was taken on Sunday when things were much calmer.

Of course for knitters, the fiber and yarn were the stars of the show and there was something there to tempt every taste. I especially loved selections from Briar Rose (always a favorite),

Spirit Trail Fiberworks, and The Sanguine Gryphon

(whose helpers dress in interesting costumes).

It seems I'm also smitten with this skein of gray Miss Babs Yummy Sock yarn - what a surprise...

There are other interesting things to peruse in addition to fiber, like jewelry, baskets and farmer's market apples.

A pumpkin-carving expert displayed some creative items.

I saved the animals for Sunday so I could really take my time to enjoy interacting with them. A large part of the show is centered around fiber animal competitions and there were plentiful opportunities to touch the animals,

learn about them,

watch them being prepared for showing,

and competing with their handlers.

This little goat was so friendly and sweet.

My husband and I both had a wonderful time and I look forward to visiting again sometime. Although it was a terrific show, for me it is not a yearly 'must-do' event, as there are so many other great fiber events held around the US that I'd like to visit. But Rhinebeck is certainly one I will keep on my list.

Sorry some of the photos are not the best quality, I didn't drag my good camera - I needed to have my hands free for petting yarn and animals!

Don't forget! This is the last week to enter my birthday free pattern and yarn giveaway contest, outlined here.

If you haven't yet entered there is still time, so check out the rules and enter, I'd love to hear from you!!

Celebrating My Birthday with Free Knitting Giveaway Treats!

2011-10-07T20:56:00.006-04:00

My how time flies! I've been busy with other things, including knitting, writing patterns, submitting designs and babying my ancient computer, and it's suddenly the end of the first week of October? Criminy. I realize I've not posted in about the longest stretch ever for me although I have, in fact, worked on several posts and will share those soon. (photo Marthastewart.com)

The changing season reminded me that later this month is my birthday. And lest you think I'm still young enough to believe the passage of time a wonderful thing, think again my friend.

No, I'm not young (or old depending on your perspective) but I've come to love a birthday as a personal anniversary, or new year celebration of sorts, that marks our individual arrival on earth, when we began filling a place in the world that only you or I can fill.

It allows us to look back on life in the last year, remembering joys, challenges, love, failures and growth, reflect on goals from the calendar New Year and think about how we want the next 12 months to play out - perhaps differently than the last dozen.

A birthday is not another day nearer to death, after all, we're dying every second of every day, with no guarantees of even another minute in this life. Rather, I see a birthday as an opportunity to make the most of this moment, to get another 'do-over' and have a fresh start. To hopefully be a better person than I was last year.

In the US, it's customary for a birthday child to bring treats to school to share with classmates, often consisting of cookies, cupcakes or other edibles. Because my birthday is at the end of October, I usually brought fresh apple cider and doughnuts.

Always cake doughnuts, because those were my parents' favorites and because they were easy to tie to a string and hang for a children's speed-eating game.

To this day, the fragrance of cinnamon, apples and doughnuts make me think of my birthday treats. And in honor of my birthday month, I'm again giving away goodies, and you all are invited to my party.

No tricks here, it's time for pattern discounts and yarn and knitting pattern giveaway treats!

First of all, for the rest of the month of October, all Robin Ulrich Studio download patterns (except Katriel) will be 20% off. The special birthday price will post automatically when you make your selection in the shopping cart.

Next, my brand-new pattern, Katriel, will be 50% off!

And lastly, I'm giving away a FREE PATTERN & YARN in a contest for all my followers!

The prizes for this contest include a PDF copy of Katriel (or other pattern of your choice if you've already purchased Katriel) and some yarny awesomeness to include four skeins of Misti Alpaca Lace in a lovely, silvery-lavender color (this is a total of 1748 yards!),

and a skein of hand-dyed Neighborhood Fiber Co. worsted weight, luminous silk yarn.

Like the pattern download sale, the yarn and pattern giveaway contest will run all month through midnight, EST on October 31st. A winner will be chosen November 1st by random number generator from amongst all the entries, and anyone can enter by doing three things:

Be or become a follower on my blog (the button to link is on the sidebar).
Leave a comment to any post this month answering the question - what yarn weight do you prefer (it can be different for each) for accessories like hats, fingerless gloves and scarves? - before the end date of the contest.
Make sure I can contact you via your blog or other site to let you know the news of your win, or message me on Ravelry (I'm Truknit) or on Twitter (I'm Robinulrich) with your contact information.

That's it! I'll announce the winner here in the next post after the contest ends, and also contact you, to let you know if you've won. The winner will have 7 days from the time of the announcement post to let me know where to send the prizes!

Have a terrific weekend and happy knitting everyone!

Signs of the Season

2011-09-23T11:15:00.005-04:00

All year long I look forward to autumn, an all-too-fleeting time of bright sunshine and an even brighter blaze of leaves. Although things have only just begun to change around here, the air holds a distinct feel of the season.

There's something nostalgic for me in the mingled morning fragrances of brewing coffee and woodsmoke drifting on a chill breeze through an open window. And best of all, it's not too soon to pull out the woollies for wearing!

The first day of fall seemed the perfect time to cast on for a new project using this gorgeous, Superwash Merino Worsted yarn from Kimber at Fiber Optic.

I love this color "Ellie," an eye-popping orange-red. This stunner is perfect for a design that will be available soon.

It's been a busy summer around here, with several patterns being published, doing much work around the garden and house, and participating in various family activities, and I look forward to a (somewhat) slower pace this season.

I enjoyed this quote from Northern Farm by Henry Beston:

The leaves fall, the wind blows,

and the farm country slowly changes

from the summer cottons into its winter wools.

I wish all my readers a beautiful first day of fall, much peace, many blessings and happy knitting!

New Knitting Pattern - KATRIEL Shawl

2011-09-17T20:02:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone, I'm very happy to announce the release of my newest knitting pattern - the Katriel shawl!

This pattern is part of a shawl duo I designed last spring (including my Sothia shawl pattern) and features some similar characteristics including Sothia's wide, shallow triangle shape, graphic garter-stitch stripes and neat eyelet border.

Katriel, offers knitters who are pressed for time (or short on yarn!) the option of a quick-knit project with the same classic look of Sothia, but with a fast, easy picot bind off edging rather than Sothia's ruffle. And adding to the easy-breezy nature of the Katriel pattern are lots of photos, tips and detailed instructions to help along the way.

This pattern has been extensively test knit by some super knitters - I want to give a giant THANK YOU to Jessica, Laurie, and Gerald.

The new pattern calls for just two skeins of fingering-weight, madeleinetosh Tosh Merino Light yarn, but most fingering-weight yarns will work well for this design, making it a terrific stash-buster for all those gorgeous sock yarns you've been hoarding ('fess up now!). And like Sothia, Katriel is a perfect showcase for those fantastic solid and semi-solid hand-dyed sock yarns for those not interested in stripes.

Both of these shawls used less than a full ball of every color - about 80 grams of each.

The light, fingering-weight yarn lends itself well to four-season wear, perfect for a cozy, extra layer during cold months, as well as for wearing over sleeveless tops and dresses during cool summer evenings or in air-conditioned settings.

A wide triangle shape is truly versatile, giving the shawl a long, scarf-like proportion great for tucking into a coat, draping around the neck,

or simply throwing over the shoulders for a little extra warmth or as a colorful accent accessory.

Last April's verdant moss along a gravel trail inspired the gray and yellow-green (grellow?) version.

I enjoyed knitting with Tosh Merino Light (see a full TML review here), and after a summer of use, all of my shawls look great, albeit slightly fuzzed, but in a nice way. For such a soft-touch singles yarn, TML has a good resistance to pilling so far.

However, those things said, TML relaxed and grew in gauge in varying degrees, with wet blocking, depending on color. Some skeins from the same dye-lot seemed to have a lot more twist than the others, so blocking your swatch is an absolute must!

I knit a second version (or perhaps I should say first as it was the prototype) in lavender, rose and green Noro Taiyo Sock striped with soft heather gray Dale of Norway Baby Ull yarns.

This version took it's cue from the spring cranesbill geranium and grape hyacinths growing near a rock in my garden.

A caveat about Taiyo Sock yarn - although it's very pretty, it was annoying to work with. The fiber has a terrible tendency to stick to itself and become tangled in knots as the ball is pulled from the center. I much prefer Noro's lovely Silk Garden Sock for this sort of look and would choose that, rather than Taiyo, if knitting this shawl again.

Both Katriel and Sothia are available as individual, stand-alone patterns, or as a value set of two patterns, at a special price, through the Ravelry shopping cart. To receive the discount, just add both patterns to your shopping cart first, then enter the coupon code Sothiaknitter at checkout.

I want to especially thank YOU, my blog-friends, for all the kind comments and enthusiasm for my design both here and on Ravelry, I really appreciate it!

Pursue Your Purpose

2011-09-09T13:54:00.001-04:00

“Never let the odds keep you

from pursuing what you know

in your heart you were meant to do.”

~Leroy Robert “Satchel” Paige

Seasons of Knitting

2011-09-01T15:57:00.005-04:00

Can it possibly be September already? Wasn't it just New Year's Day?

I can't say I have kept up with my 2011 New Year's goals of monthly crocheting and weekly spinning (although I have done both more or less regularly this year).

One New Year's goal, that I have accomplished, however, was to adapt and create a few knitting stitch patterns, in the sense that I have not seen these stitches published in this precise fashion anywhere yet. Of course as EZ said (sort of), is there really anything new in knitting? I like her notion of "unventing."

The photo at the top of this post shows some of my work in a favorite swatching wool, Cascade 220. The photo below, from my last post, shows a stack of swatches.

Of course, that's all I can show for now, the details are under wraps until the patterns are ready to be test knit and published.

This inspired some of my swatching.

As did this.

Today, September 1st, marks the first day of meteorological autumn, and the signs of the season are already making an appearance.

If you're in the Midwest, mark your calendars for a fun fall experience - A Wool Gathering, Sept. 17-18, in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

With the coming of fall I turn my thoughts to what to gift knit this year. I plan to do a few knit/ crochet/ handspun items for deserving people (those that comprehend the amount of time and love a handmade gift requires), including home decor projects made from squares based on my Northwoods Coasters pattern for Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2011 issue. More details on that pattern in an upcoming post.

I also have in mind some new designs that would make ideal gifts, so those'll be put together for publication soon I think. It will be the holidays - and New Year's - before we know it!

Imagine the Possibilities

2011-08-29T19:41:00.000-04:00

"Imagination is

the beginning of creation.

You imagine what
you desire,

you will what you imagine

and at last you create

what you will."

- George Bernard Shaw

FO - Shawlette Part Two

2011-08-26T21:05:00.007-04:00

Some readers may remember when, earlier this summer, I mentioned I had four FO's but ended up posting only two shawl projects (a solid and a striped version of the Sothia shawlette) and wondered where the heck the other two were.

I originally had two ideas for this shawlette in garter stitch stripes. The question at the time was, which design should I use? Answer - both! I decided I would publish Sothia first, and save the second version for later, to publish after wrapping up some other things this summer.

The yarn used for the pattern design is the same as for Sothia - Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light fingering weight yarn.

The wide, shallow triangle shape remains, but the light, delicate knitted-on picot edging gives a substantially different look and feel to the piece from the deeply draping ruffle of Sothia.

I love these little shawlettes and have worn them a lot since I made them. They are easy to throw on with any top, and add a nice splash of color near the face. Sorry for the crummy photos, but it was getting late when I shot them, I'll have better ones in the pattern release post soon. Pattern is currently being test knit!

Interweave Knits Pattern - Northwoods Coasters

2011-08-24T12:33:00.010-04:00

With Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2011 special issue about to be released and the pattern preview posted on the website, I can finally share news about a pattern I designed for this issue - the Northwoods Coasters squares!

Although I've had print and downloadable patterns available for some time, this is my first magazine design and I was thrilled to work with such wonderful people at Interweave Knits.

This issue is packed with gorgeous patterns to get started on your holiday knitting.

The Northwoods pattern is included in the 'Log Cabin Knits' story theme, and makes a nice project to cozy up your winter tabletop, or as a set for a quick but thoughtful gift.

These easy short row squares are knit all in one piece from very small amounts of yarn. The squares make wonderful drinks or mug coasters, but might also be cute (perhaps made with leftover project yarn) pieced together for sofa pillows, table runners or even blankets.

I'll do a proper post with more photos, information and details about the pattern soon. Holiday Gifts 2011 will officially be on newsstands September 6th, so check your LYS or local bookstore for it, and you can see the full issue or pre-order it on the Interweave website here.

With dozens of gorgeous patterns for knitting and gifting included, this issue is a terrific value, and will certainly be one of those 'keepers'.

Magazine cover and mug photos courtesy of Interweaveknits.com

Sweet Summer

2011-08-13T15:17:00.005-04:00

Ahhhh, finally - sweet summer!

It's 80 degrees, the flowers are blooming, the bees are buzzing, a lovely breeze is blowing...

...and my smile is as big as Clover's.

Enjoy every day, and may you have much peace, blessing and happy knitting!

FO - Beach Glass Shawl

2011-08-07T16:42:00.011-04:00

My most recent finished object is a shawl knit from the Tulips pattern designed by the talented Diana Rozenshteyn, aka Deenulya on Ravelry.

Diana has designed several lovely knitting patterns, but this is the first I've had the opportunity to test knit and I really enjoyed it.

Although the name of the pattern is Tulips I was inspired to call it my Beach Glass shawl because the soft aqua color reminds me so much of the beautiful beach glass I've collected for years.

I love this large, bold, graphic stitch pattern.

A delicate edging provides a lovely finish and a very slight picot effect adds texture. I blocked mine in a slightly different way just to try something different, but I may go back and do it with Diana's method the next time I block it.

Although it looks elaborate, the multiple is made up of k2tog, ssk, and yo stitches, and would make a perfect project for anyone wishing to make a beautiful shawl with just basic knowledge of these knitting stitches.

As long as you can keep track of rows, you can knit this gorgeous, heirloom-quality shawl. And this is truly a piece you will be proud of when you are finished.

Tulips is a clearly-written pattern with wonderful charts and directions that make it easy to modify size. In my case, after the initial set-up portion, I made 5 full repeats of the stitch pattern before adding the edging.

I used about 65 gr. (just over 800 yards) of a Russian, two-ply lace-weight, 'mystery' close-out wool/ angora blend I purchased from a vendor at a fiber show. It was really nice to work with - slightly soft but not too fuzzy from the angora - and I likely will never find it again. If anyone out there has a recommendation for a similar yarn, I'd love to know!

It blocked up on the 'crunchy' side, but softened as soon as I started to play around with it.

Diana is a superb knitter - she did an amazing job on my Sothia shawl test knit - and I jumped at the chance to knit her new pattern. Thank you Diana for letting me test knit this lovely design for you!

I highly recommend this beautiful Tulips shawl pattern by Diana.

Inspiration - Knits on the 'Net

2011-08-02T11:18:00.008-04:00

I love unique and inspirational personal style, and Thesartorialist.com always presents some really intriguing images.

A pretty use of cables and lace.

A simple, asymmetric look.

Interesting stranded stitchwork jacket.

I like this reconstructed one too.

The Sartorialist has a brand new website, packed with more style inspiration from around the world (the source of these photos and much more). Enjoy, and happy knitting everyone!

Stay Cool

2011-07-26T12:53:00.003-04:00

I love to knit with wool pretty much all year 'round, but with so much of the US and the northern hemisphere sweltering in record heat, even I've been hard-pressed to pick up the warm stuff, switching to the lightest of wool lace-weight yarns, and other, cooler plant fibers. Despite the heat though, my preference for wool (and mohair, angora, alpaca, cashmere, etc.) has not abated and I needed a wee bit of motivation.

Hence I share this collection of cooling images, courtesy of Winter 2010/ 2011.

Remember when it was actually really cold?

Perhaps not. If you live in an always-warm weather area, I hope you especially enjoy the refreshing scenery.

OK, now back to the wool... Enjoy and stay cool everyone!

We Have a Winner... er... Winners! Free Knitting Pattern & Yarn Giveaway

2011-07-23T14:52:00.002-04:00

Thank you to everyone who visited my blog in the last month, left comments and congratulations about my blogiversary, and added me as a friend on Ravelry. Although I dragged my heels for years about starting a blog, I have truly enjoyed the last year, especially becoming acquainted with so many wonderful knitters, crocheters and spinners among the nearly 30,000 (!!!) readers in that period.

Because I love to give away patterns, yarn, and prizes in thanks and celebration, I couldn't help myself and after drawing one entry for the grand prize, let the random number generator choose a bonus additional winner for a second free pattern prize package! This person has won the same free patterns as the grand prize winner.

And without further ado, the winners are...

Grand prize yarn and pattern package winner is - Tora Consolo

Surprise bonus pattern prize package winner is - Madam Butterfly

Congratulations to both winners! Tora Consolo you have through Saturday, July 30th, 2011 to message me on Ravelry and I will inform you of how to receive your prizes! Madam Butterfly, I will add the patterns to your Ravelry pattern library automatically.

Thanks again everyone, Check back here on my blog again for more prize events in the future.

I wish to close this post by offering my heartfelt condolences to my Norwegian readers on the terrible tragedy that befell their country this week. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the victims.

Peace, blessings and happy knitting to you.

Linen & Tweed WIP Update

2011-07-20T13:55:00.004-04:00

It's been a long time since I've worked in costume or garment design, but I came across some beautiful linen fabrics and it set me to thinking of doing a bit of sewing.

A stash dive unearthed charcoal gray Rowan Summer Tweed yarn and it looked rather nice with the fabrics so I've undertaken a complete ensemble design project - oy. At the moment I am thinking skirt, tunic, and vest, but perhaps I will opt for billowy trousers rather than a skirt. We'll see. The knitted item will be for on top.

Summer Tweed cotton/ silk blend is rather dry to the touch, with a chalky feeling, and it sheds little bits of silk all over you when you knit with it. It also has no give and can be tiring to work with.

All those things considered, however, the tweed yarn has a rich, rough texture that I quite like paired with the smooth-but-earthy linen wovens, and a nice color with subtle black, gray, beige and tan variation from the nepps.

The gauge for this yarn is on the heavy side of worsted, but the silk should add some drape and I am planning a super simple, very open stitch to enhance this. The blocked swatch looks quite nice.

It might be awhile before the finished outfit makes it debut, but I hope to complete it before the weather turns too cold to wear it, LOL.

Knitting continues on my Beach Glass lace shawl from Diana's new pattern, and I've arrived at the bottom edging, but I had to put that project on hold this week until I finish some pressing items, then I should have FO photos soon after.

This will be the last post before my one year blogiversary free knitting pattern and yarn giveaway contest ends.

I'll use an online random number generator to choose the winner on the 22nd, and announce the winner's name in my next post! Read all the contest details here.

Peace, blessing and happy knitting to all!

Knitting on the 'Net & a Savory Summer Recipe

2011-07-15T16:41:00.009-04:00

I read recently that knitting is the single largest interest group represented on the Internet. Along with Knitty.com, Ravelry.com is, of course, the biggie for knitters, crocheters and fiber enthusiasts of every stripe, but Facebook, Twitter, and thousands of blogs and podcasts help promote this activity.

Ravelry members can search for the newest and hottest patterns (check out the photo above with my Sothia pattern in the top 10 for all of the last month - squeee!!), including photos of thousands of projects knitted from those patterns and knitters' comments about them, and find information about yarn, yarn shops, fiber festivals, knitting, crochet and spinning techniques, and much more.

An excellent story that's been all over the knitting Internet since it ran in the July 6th, 2011 issue of Slate.com, outlines the merits of Ravelry, and compares it to community-based giant Facebook.

An invitation to participate in the beta testing phase of the new Google+ community recently came my way and I have a feeling it too will eventually have success as a community for knitters.

Thanks very much to Gill and to Hal for sending me links.

I love using Ravelry but haven't gotten nearly as involved on Facebook. Quite frankly, I simply don't have the extra time to devote to being involved in more online activities more than I already am. I'd rather be knitting! However, I can see how people will enjoy and benefit from different aspects of internet knitting tools and groups.

And then there's Twitter. I don't really have all that much to say, but I did finally break down and sign up for a Twitter account after a friend invited me to take a Twitter seminar with her.

In the past few days I've, surprisingly, enjoyed reading updates from accounts I 'follow', including knitting tips, yarn shop updates, and blog and podcast announcements, like those from favorite podcasters Stash and Burn, The Knitmore Girls, and the Knitting Pipeline (more detail on these and other shows in an upcoming post).

A lot of seemingly random thoughts and, shall I say, 'quirky' and somewhat amusing tweets shouting out about knitting tweeters' recent activities, the bodily functions of their children, and what their hotel room smells like, are also frequently posted.

I've replied to a few tweets, figuring that most people who tweet to their large interest groups using a worldwide, totally public forum, are happy that someone is reading their posts, and have connected already with several really nice, interesting knitters and knitting-writers. I'm still learning the ropes, and don't know how much time I will really have for it, but again, I can see the benefits for many.

Tweeting by me will probably happen only sporadically, but should prove occasionally useful in sharing small bits of knitting information, announcing new blog posts and pattern info., or keeping my friends and family up on my doings. I promise to not tweet about bodily functions.

Don't forget about my 'blogiversary' free knitting pattern and yarn giveaway coming up this month!

Comments on any post through July 21st, 2011 qualify for entry, full rules are outlined in this post.

The garden is growing like crazy now that the warm weather has arrived. I picked a huge basket of snap peas, any others lingering at this point will be left to harvest for next year's seed.

My husband has been working on a rose arbor we designed for the climbing New Dawn rose we planted last year.

I've harvested masses of garlic already, currently drying in the sun awaiting braiding for storage and gift-giving.

The herbs are beyond profuse. Chives, parsley, cilantro, onions, rosemary and thyme are all so vigorous I've been clipping, mincing and drying the extras almost daily, so I decided to concoct a recipe to make use of as much as possible.

I hope you enjoy this deliciously simple appetizer made from fresh chèvre goat cheese crusted with dried herbs. I fell in love with this cheese on a trip to France a while ago, and always look for opportunities to use it. If you do not care for the strong flavor of, or do not have, goat cheese available, substitute any semi-soft cheese of your choice.

Many combinations of your favorite herbs work well for this recipe, so you might like to experiment by adding a little crushed red pepper, chipotle pepper, wasabi or horseradish powder, dried, minced sweet bell peppers, or anything else that strikes your fancy. The mixture may be used right away or stored, tightly covered, for up to three months. After that, many herbs lose their potency.

Try serving this cheese as an appetizer with crackers, toast points or celery sticks, or topping Portabello/a mushrooms caps with herbed cheese slices and broiling for a few minutes. It also makes a delicious omelet filling.

Truknit's Savory Herb Crusted Chèvre

Ingredients:

1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black peppercorns

1/4tsp. coarsely ground green peppercorns

1/4 tsp. coarse salt (I use sea salt), to taste
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried, minced garlic, or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, to taste

1/2 tsp. cilantro
1 tsp. shallots

2 tsp. chives

2 tsp. parsley

4-6 oz. roll fresh chèvre goat cheese

Directions:

In a small bowl thoroughly mix dry ingredients.

Spread herb mixture onto a piece of waxed paper or large plate, roll fresh cheese over the mixture until it is thoroughly coated. Coat the ends of the roll if desired. Pat loose herbs onto any bare spots on the cheese.

Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Bon appétit!

You Can Do It

2011-07-13T13:32:00.000-04:00

"If you think you can, you can,

if you think you can't,

you're right."

- Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay

Beach Glass

2011-07-08T17:33:00.007-04:00

Designing new projects is always a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of work and I enjoy knitting other people's designs from time to time, especially in the summer when it's nice to slow down a bit and enjoy the season. So I was thrilled to have the opportunity to test knit a new pattern for my blogging friend Diana.

You may remember the fabulous job Diana did on my Sothia shawl test knit recently,

and I love being able to knit her new design, shown on her Ravelry project page as Green Tulips.

I started later than most of the other testers so my shawl is not very large yet but I'm trying to make up some ground and hope to finish a lot of it this weekend.

Further delay was caused because I originally began this project with a vastly different lace yarn in pure alpaca. The original yarn, which (because I intend to only publish positive reviews on this blog) shall remain nameless, caused me so much aggravation that I spent hours on just a few inches before I ripped it from the needles and started over again this week with something pulled from my stash.

The new yarn is an unknown wool/ angora/ nylon purchased at a wool festival last autumn from a vendor who imports closeouts from Russia.

This yarn is terrific with great texture that is not overly soft or fuzzy, and it has wonderful stitch definition .

The vendor only had one color available, a shade of aqua that reminds me of the sea glass I collect from trips to the beach.

I am really enjoying knitting this beautiful shawl, thank you Diana! The pattern is easy to follow and clear, and the charts are excellent. The stitch pattern is very large and slightly asymmetric so it took a few rows to get the rhythm, but now I am zooming right along and loving every minute.

A 'favorite thing' I have been using for this project and that I must share with you is one of my favorite tools for chart knitting - highlighter tape.

Found at some LYS, office supply stores, or in the school supply section of large stores, this semi-transparent tape comes in many colors, and can be adhered, lifted and moved over and over again as you progress through the chart, allowing you to easily see which row you are knitting and at the same time, where you have been and what is coming next.

I usually put my paper pattern into a plastic sleeve then position the tape so that it covers the rows yet to be knitted and my current row is uncovered, just below the tape. Then I move the tape up as I progress.

I hope this tape tip makes your knitting just a little simpler and more fun. And don't forget about my blogiversary free knitting pattern and yarn giveaway contest going on until July 21st, 2011, detailed in this post.

Look for Diana's new pattern to be released within a few weeks, I know you will love it!

Getting Loopy - or Knot

2011-06-30T14:10:00.002-04:00

Very often, instructions for a cast on begin by telling you to "make a slip knot and place it on the needle," providing the first stitch from which to cast additional stitches, as shown in the photo above.

But did you know you don't necessarily always have to start with a slip knot? The next time you begin a new knitting project, try simply looping the end of the yarn over the needle. I almost always use this technique when casting on in long-tail, by starting with the tail end of the yarn in front and the ball end yarn in the back.

Loop the yarn around your fingers as you normally do for long-tail method, hold it down snug over and around the needle,

add a twist, then make the first cast on stitch and proceed as usual.

This photo below shows how the loop stitch (on the right) and the first cast on stitch (on the left) look.

Looping the first stitch instead of using a knot is just one tiny way to finesse your knitting; however, looping the first stitch does not work equally well for all methods so you will want to experiment to see where you like it.

Speaking of getting loopy, awesome St. Louis, Missouri yarn shop The Loopy Ewe is holding Camp Loopy, a fun KAL version of knitting 'summer camp' with various challenges and rewards. Some of the Loopy Groopies on Ravelry have chosen to make Sothia for one of their Camp Loopy projects. Camp runs until July 15th, so there's still time to sign up and join this fun adventure.

Many thanks to everyone for the abundant well-wishes and congratulations on my first 'blogiversary' post last week, and thanks for all my new Ravelry 'friends' too!

That post outlines the free knitting pattern and yarn give-away contest I am holding all month to celebrate my first year of blogging, and includes a favorite silk/ mohair blend yarn,

other lovely yarn

and some of my most popular patterns, including my newest shawlette pattern Sothia. It's easy to enter, just leave a comment to any post between now and then, and the contest will remain open through July 21st, 2011. I look forward to hearing from you!

My sister recently drove from New Mexico with her husband and my nephew and niece for a visit, and since it's been a few months since we've seen each other, we had a lot of catching up to do.

One day during that all-too-short week, we packed into cars and drove over to Beavercreek, Ohio to meet up with my cousin and tour some local tourist sites, mainly centering around the inventors of flight, Dayton brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright.

The national sites and museums offer a fascinating look at the amazing accomplishment of these men, who were acquaintances of my grandmother!

The Wrights' first endeavors included printing and bicycle building.

Inspiration for knitting and crochet is all around, if you look for it, even at a historic site...

Take a little time, wherever you are, to really 'see' your surroundings and you will likely find all sorts of shapes, textures, colors and lines to inspire you.

Blogiversary Yarn & Pattern Giveaway Contest!

2011-06-21T16:52:00.004-04:00

Today marks the first 'blogiversary' for Robin Ulrich Studio the blog. One goal I had when I began blogging was to post at least 4 times per month and I've mostly exceeded that. Another goal was to hopefully have at least 1,000 page views within one year, and I've been amazed that this page has been viewed over 26,000 times by visitors from 100 different nations!

As I've occasionally mentioned, I put off the idea of starting a blog for a very long time for several reasons, the main one being that I am a very quiet, simple person. But I wanted to find a way to journal our family's day-to-day activities and adventures, share works-in-progress, finished objects and patterns, look at new yarns, ideas and techniques and provide a way for my curious, non-knitting family and friends to get a picture of my favorite interests.

I also liked the idea of another outlet for my passion for fibery things - I can talk about knitting, spinning, crocheting, designing and other related arts all day long, and I even dream about those things as well.

And lastly, since I know only a few knitters in person, I thought this might be a fun way to connect with fellow enthusiasts. Through the past year I've had the opportunity to 'meet' many lovely knitters and readers, discover wonderful bloggers and designers, dabble in my interest in photography, brush up on writing skills, and explore so much more in the world of knitting.

To celebrate this milestone, I'm holding a give-away contest! The prize will include (of course) yarn including Cascade's Kid Seta super kid mohair/ silk blend,

Crystal Palace's Kid Merino,

and Claudia Hand Painted Yarns' Short Sport.

In addition to the yarn I am adding free copies of a few of my patterns including the Brandywine Falls capelet, Lingonberry Loop scarf, and my new shawlette pattern, Sothia.

It's easy to enter the contest, here's how:

Be a member of Ravelry (it's free, educational and fun!).
Add me to your Ravelry 'Friends' list (if we aren't already friends).
Leave a comment to any post on or before July 21st, 2011.

Only one entry is necessary to participate, and each individual's name shall be entered into the drawing only once, regardless of number of comments received.

That's it! Using a random selector, I will draw one name from all those entered to win the whole kit and caboodle of prizes. I will announce your name in a post on this blog, after which the winner can contact me via a Ravelry message with their mailing address within 7 days, and I will add the patterns to your Ravelry pattern library and ship your prize to you! International entries are welcome.

Thanks everyone for a fantastic year, I appreciate your taking time to read my blog and leave comments. I've got lots of fun posts planned including yarn and needle reviews, WIP updates, pattern sneak peeks, wool festivals, techniques, and much more. I look forward to many more posts of knitting together!

Imagine, Desire, Believe, Act

2011-06-18T07:11:00.000-04:00

"Whatever you vividly imagine, ardently desire,

sincerely believe and enthusiastically act upon...

must inevitably come to pass!"

- Paul J. Meyer

Knitting On

2011-06-09T16:41:00.010-04:00

Wow, what a couple of weeks it's been! Between finalizing and releasing my new shawlette pattern Sothia, planting trees in the yard to replace those that died in last year's drought, attending a fiber festival, prepping for conferences and my mom's birthday, and working out details on my next pattern, I'm about done in.

To everyone who made Sothia Ravelry's "hottest" pattern for two days and have kept it pretty well up there ever since - whether by buying the pattern, commenting with so much enthusiasm, or test knitting the draft - I humbly offer my heartfelt thank you.

I don't get much time to indulge in reading blogs, but every few weeks or so, I like to click and drift from one to another, reading about other knitters' and designers' doings and projects. It's one of those mindless pleasures that I need as a break from always thinking, planning, doing, etc. That is how I became familiar with one of my tester's knitting and designing.

Diana, or Deenulya (her Russian nickname and Ravelry username) is a superb knitter, having learned from her grandmother as a child. She also designs lovely knitwear herself, and has a blog where she shares updates on her knitting projects and life with her beautiful family.

Diana did such a wonderful job on the Sothia test knit that I just had to share (with her permission of course!) a few photos of her modeling her finished shawlette.

Sothia is a true, wide triangle with increases on both sides, creating a shallow shawlette silhouette that is lightweight but drapes nicely around the shoulders.

Blocking the finished object with a horizontally-stretched top edge enhances this shape, bordered by a flounce of restrained ruffles.

Thank you Diana for the wonderful job you did on your shawl, your incredible photos, and terrific input on the design.

Memorial Day weekend my friend Lynn and I had a great time being escorted by my husband (with Clover in tow) to the Great Lakes Fiber Show in Wooster, Ohio.

We found lots to enjoy including these jacket-wearing sheep being guarded by an adorable shepherd-in-training Great Pyrenees puppy.

Of course there was lots of fiber and yarn to interest us like Knitting Notions' fantastic hand-dyed assortment,

Ohio Valley Natural Fibers beautiful gray mohair/ wool blends,

and their merino/ dog hair blend (!!?? - dog of unknown breed),

Lynn is an angora nut and cannot resist it's silky allure.

Especially when there was SO much of it to consider, like this lovely selection from Angoraonline.com

Clover was a chick magnet.

The little diva just basked in the love.

I've now progressed to knitting on my next project, a light summer top in Louet MerLin, the swatch is shown below.

I'm also knitting something summer-y in Classic Elite Allegoro linen/ cotton blend, that yarn is shown in the photo at the top of this post.

I normally almost always lean towards rich or saturated colors, but lately have found myself working with more neutrals, although they mostly do not suit my coloring at all. Perhaps it is the lure of warm summer evenings and soft breezes?