A Loss

I just felt like I wanted to share a piece of sad news with my friends. 
A dear friend, an active member of our knitting group (West Hollywood Stitch n Bitch) - Laurie Ann - passed away very suddenly this week. She was such a vital, lively, generous soul, fun-loving, and young at heart (she was only 49). Her passing was quite a shock to us all.
She organized our Ravelennic Games, our Yarn Crawl outings, Knit-A-Longs (KALs), and so much more. She will be dearly missed.

Take a quick look at her Ravelry project page to get a sense of who she was - beards for babies, mustache hats, gifts for friends, and her pride and joy, Bernadette the Beaver.

You can tell how generous she was - nearly everything she knitted or crocheted (she was excellent at both), was given away as gifts.

Our group is planning to adopt Bernadette as our mascot, and to finish up her Unfinished Objects (UFOs) to give to her family.

Last thing I wanted to share with you all - as one of our members said at the memorial service - "Cherish your friends -- and use the good yarn first!"

Thanks for reading.

April News, Designs, a Spring Discount

Today’s Tip:

Working with lace weight yarn

I recently completed a project using HABU Stainless Steel yarn, a lace-weight yarn with a core of actual stainless steel. I’ll address the steel aspect in a future post, but for now I’ll just talk about working with lace-weight. It was my first time using yarn barely as wide as a hair, and here’s what I have found.

Needles: I used my favorite, size 5 Signature needles, which come in blue. Oh-oh, the yarn was blue and I literally COULD NOT SEE IT. I had to switch to another set of needles for this project. 

Also, if your yarn is the slippery kind, try bamboo or other wood needles or some metal ones that are not too slick. You don’t want to lose your stitches!

Surface: Knitting with dark blue yarn while wearing (blue) jeans is just harder than it needs to be! Place a light colored pillow, pillow case, towel, or cloth napkin on your lap – makes a huge difference! If your yarn is a light color, try a dark colored towel or cloth.

Lighting: If you can knit during the daylight hours, hallelujah!  If you do your knitting in the evening, please, save your eyesight and get good lighting in the room. If a good work light isn’t possible – say if you’re watching TV with the family and they object to lights bright enough to film a Hollywood movie with, try a portable light such as the Stitch Light from Buffy Ann Designs. 

Yes, it’s kind of dorky, hanging around your neck, but it really works, and it has saved my eyes! 

Markers: Since it can be hard to read your knitting, use removable markers where you can – either the plastic kind, or pieces of contrasting yarn. Any time you need to “increase every 6^th row” or anything like that, use a marker to help you keep track. Use them for lace repeats as well.

Yarn Handling: If your yarn has a tendency to tangle, just pull a little off the ball at a time. My yarn comes on cardboard cones and I actually created a spool for my yarn, as follows. 

Take an empty shoebox. Run a skewer or straight knitting needle (at last, a use for my old skinny metal straights!) through one side and out the other to make holes. Now withdraw the needle from the second hole (it’s still sticking through the first one) and push it through your cone or ball or cake, then through the second hole. Now the yarn will spool off the skewer or needle without tangles. I was working with the yarn held double so I used 2 skewers.

copyright Brenda Castiel

My project became much less frustrating once I used these techniques.They saved my sanity, although there are some that might disagree with that ;-)

Please sign up for my monthly newsletter to get more tips like this.

New Designs

It’s been a while since I blogged, so there is a lot that’s new! 

I’m really proud of the Richmond Mitts. These pretty fingerless mitts use an unusual zigzag rib combined with a single cable on the top of the hand. The palm is subtly decorated with two sets of zigzag stitches with a stockinette stitch background. They come in two sizes for a perfect fit.

The test knitters thought the zigzag stitch was great fun!

The yarn is the wonderful Luxe Sock yarn from Dana at the Unwind Yarn Company – hand dyed and soft and luscious!

Richmond Mitts - copyright Brenda Castiel

Luxe Sock Yarn - copyright Brenda Castiel

The next one is the Intarsia Cowl  published in Knit Noro 1 2 3 by Sixth and Spring Books. The book is full of lovely designs using Noro yarn. It will be published in June 2014.

This attractive cowl is comprised of 2 rectangles, each bisected into two triangles. It uses intarsia to create the design. Increases and decreases keep the intarsia border straight and even. A ribbed edge provides a neat finish. There is short-row shaping so that the lower edge is wider than the top edge.

Choose two pretty colors and cast on!

Intarsia Cowl by Brenda Castiel from Knit Noro 1 2 3 Skeins, published by Sixth&Spring Books. Photography by Rose Callahan - copyright © 2014 by Sixth&Spring Books. Used by permission.

Discounts

Yes we have discounts! Just because it’s spring.

When I lived in Canada, spring was my favorite season. The winters were so long, and it was such a relief to stop wearing coats, boots, and hats. Even now I dislike wearing boots. Can’t see the point of wearing them for fashion when I had to wear them out of necessity ;-)  But I digress.

From now until May 15, get  40% off all my patterns, using the coupon code “spring”. See my designs on Ravelry here. There are summer tops, hats, shawls, kids’ clothes, and more.  Please take advantage!     

Giveaway

Next time I will be doing a book review and a giveaway so stay tuned!

We have a winner!

I'm happy to say that we have a winner for the Knit Picks Bulky Pattern Collection Giveaway. It's Aimee - who is PrincessMommie on Ravelry - and had lucky number 8.

Thanks for entering, everyone.

There will be another giveaway soon so stay tuned!

Winter Olympics!

During the Winter Olympics:
I’ll donate 80% of sales during the Opening day and Closing day; and 50% of sales during the rest of the Olympics to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. http://iglhrc.org/ Thanks for your support!

See my patterns here:
http://www.ravelry.com/designers/brenda-castiel

First Giveaway of the New Year

First,
Today's Tip: I found a great blog post from Sweet Georgia Yarns on Yarn Substitution : what to do when you can't, or don't want to, use the yarn that the pattern calls for.

Either that yarn isn't available to you, or due to allergies and other sensitivities it cannot be used. 
So if you find yourself having to go with a different yarn than what the pattern calls for, you should try to find a balance between the many different but interacting variables. It may sound intimidating, but in reality all you need is just good old common sense paired with a few basic facts about yarn and fiber characteristics.

Gauge, texture, and yardage are discussed. It's a really illuminating article!

Giveaway!
I have a great giveaway for this month. The new Knit Picks Bulky Collection, published in late 2013, is full of quick and easy cozy knits, perfect for winter and spring weather.

It includes sweaters and accessories -- you're sure to find something you like.  These oh-so-satisfying large gauge yarns hold a special space in every knitter’s stash. And not just for instant gratification wow, but also for their keen ability to transform simple textures, cables and motifs to striking designs. The Bulky 2013 collection revels in these details that highlight the qualities of bulky yarns, all while showcasing a versatile mix of dramatic shapes and sleek silhouettes alongside easy-to-wear garments and accessories.
My own Bryant Park Vest is in the collection.

How to enter:

1. Please sign up for my monthly newsletter (upper right side of this blog). I promise to work at making it useful and interesting, not just a sales pitch; for example, every issue has one or more Tips and Tricks  AND,
2. Write a comment on the blog about one of the designs in the collection – why you like it, why you would knit it, whom you would knit it for, etc. Please include an email address or Ravelry ID so I can reach you!

That’s it! If you are already signed up for the newsletter, that’s fine, you don’t have to sign up again.

Deadline is  Feb 15, 2014. 

Coupon Code!

From now until Feb 28, 2014, I'm offering 60% off all hat or hat and mitt sets. See my designs here. The code is HALOS in honor of Halos of Hope, an organization that provides hats for chemo patients -- a great cause! You can knit hats for them (hats are being collected at Stitches West, and several yarn stores) or donate money to help with postage costs.

 

See you next time with a book review, and more tips and goodies.

Downton Abbey Knits - Giveaway!

Newsflash: 
Brenda Castiel Designs–40% off  ALL patterns from Brenda Castiel on Ravelry: coupon code–thanks40. Available from Nov 27 – Dec 6.

** WINNERS of the DRAWING **
Ravelry ID Gussek and Nhsarab 

Contact me with your mailing address!  Congrats to the winners, and thanks to all who entered!

Downton Abbey!

I’m happy to announce a new giveaway! This time it’s the gorgeous “Unofficial Downton Abbey Knits”

I have two copies, so your chances are excellent. Note, for legal reasons this particular giveaway is only available to US residents. Sorry. In future, international entries WILL be accepted.

How to enter:

1. Please sign up for my monthly newsletter (upper right side of this blog). I promise to work at making it useful and interesting, not just a sales pitch; for example, every issue has one or more Tips and Tricks  AND,
2. Write a comment on the blog about one of the designs in the magazine – why you like it, why you would, or would not, knit it, whom you would knit it for, etc. Please include an email address or Ravelry ID so I can reach you!

That’s it! If you are already signed up for the newsletter, that’s fine, you don’t have to sign up again.

Deadline is  November 30, 2013. 

Review

I’m a big fan of Downton Abbey, have watched it since the beginning and have seen some of the episodes more than once. So I was thrilled to get my hands on this magazine.

Before I get to the knitting patterns, I want to say that articles are excellent and well worth reading. The topics include:

- A short history of Highclere Castle, the actual location where DA is filmed.
- Marrying an English Lord
- Mrs Beeton, who wrote books on “household management” in the 1800’s that are still popular today
- Knitting for the Troops.

The last page of the magazine lists books on related topics for further reading.

Categories include: 

• Upstairs – Beautiful lace detailing, beaded embellishments and classic colorwork mark these elegant garments and accessories. These are upscale in design and detail.
• Downstairs – While the details are more subtle, these are just as engaging as the Upstairs patterns. The vests, hats, blouses and jackets here are casual yet interesting, and very wearable.
• World War I – Knitting was a huge part of war-time history, whether it was women knitting for the troops or knitting to create practical garments and occupy their time.

To see all the designs on one screen, here is a Ravelry link.  

Here are some of my favorites:

Garden Bouquet – a lacy semi-circle shawl

Stunning Sunflower Stole – timeless design

Chilly Morning Cozycoat – more of a vest, very practical

Footman’s Vest – actually has sleeves

Half Day Off Mitts – charming edgings, very pretty

Vest for the Cricket Match – traditional cream colored cabled vest with contrast trim, so handsome!

Some designs – while faithful to the look of the historical period – are just not adaptable to our modern, casual lifestyles. But they are gorgeous to look at, and would be fun to make.  An example is the Brocade Vestment that appears on the cover.

 

You can buy the magazine here.  It comes from Interweave/F+W Media; and costs $14.99. 

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

 

Disclaimer: I was given the magazines for the giveaway and review by F&W Media.

Today's Tip:
I found this through TwinSetEllen. The lovely Dee came up with a way to avoid twisting your knitting when you join to work in the round. It's kind of like hanging a little curtain behind the stitches so they all have to face the same way. 
It's explained here on Ravelry and here is a YouTube video. You can use ribbon, fabric, knitted strips or even old swatches for the little "curtain". I can't wait to try it!

  

Halloween Promotion - All patterns 50% off!

From now till Oct 31, I'm running a Halloween promotion - a whopping 50% off all my patterns. That's right - prices so low they're spooky!
See them  here:

Coupon Code is "halloween". 

There are several shawl designs in the bunch - Lydia Crescent Shawl  is one.







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Summerdale Shawl is another.
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There are also hats, mitts, cowls, kid's sweaters and more - take a look!

http://www.ravelry.com/stores/brenda-castiel-designs

Get ready for holiday knitting :-)