JarmanFalke

By now, you may already have seen my latest cardigan, The Botanist.   It's part of a lovely collection from my friends at a Verb For Keeping Warm , and it's knit out of Kristine Vejar's gorgeous Pioneer yarn, dyed in the Vineyard colorway (how appropriate, right?) The pattern is my translation of the classic Aran cardigan - that one with the big wooden buttons, usually knit in heavy cream yarn.  I wanted to make a lighter, more delicate version - with a shorter, boxy fit, a bunch of gorgeous textures and cables, and a little bit of an interesting collar.  I especially love the little wraps around the seed cables... Verb still has kits for this pattern available in Tree Fort and Tortilla, and is taking pre-orders in Vineyard, Root, and Peat for December 2018 delivery.   The Botanist is part of Verb's first Look Book, a collection that celebrates the whole process behind our craft - from the farm to the needle. Other featured designs in the collection are by Brist...

So, last year I found myself in the Sawkill Yarn booth, smelling all her fantastic soaps and I couldn't help but grab a couple skeins of their gorgeous dark gray yarn. It's a mix of a number of fleeces, and it's the stuff rustic yarn dreams are made of. This year, it's my Rhinebeck sweater,  Widow's Kiss (I'm going with a spooky Halloween name because October...) Since the yarn is just so heathery and sheepy and rustic, it needed some bold cables. Right? These cables don't get lost in yarn.  And they are much easier than they look - with hidden 2x2 rib in there on more than a few rows. I kept things pretty simple with this design, allowing the texture to be the focus.  Sleeves are stockinette and the rib detail is subtle.  A purled section under each arm allows you to modify easily if desired. And the neckline just organically comes out of the cable panel. The fit is loose and short, but easy to alter.  Test knits will start popping up in the next few days a...

I wanted to do a little something fun as we head into Rhinebeck this year and I'm looking back at ALL the knits I'd designed for this in the past, noticing that a few of them have a theme. There's a lot of Jill Draper in there. For me, her yarn and her business really do epitomize the idea of New York Farm yarn. She's sourcing, spinning, and dyeing right there in the valley, and she makes such an effort to support ALL the farms in the area. And as of this year, she's been doing it for 10 years! Time to celebrate a little. So from now until Oct 31, the Ravelry code JDMS10 will get you 20% off any of my previously self published Jill Draper designs.  If you won't be at the fair, she has a fantastic new website chock full of yarn right now, plus some great stockists out in the world, including Tolt Yarn and Wool, A Verb For Keeping Warm, and Brooklyn General Store.  If you will be at the Fair, I'll see  you at the Open House! And since you may buy yarn at the ...

The first leaves are changing around here and I'm dying to start wearing the sweaters piled up on my chair in the office already, so it's high time to launch the first of them, Fernet Branca. Ever since Fog Cutter , back in June of 2017, this has been a go-to sweater shape for me.  I just love the flattering, wearable fit of a drop shoulder pullover.  And now that my good friend Ellen has taken pity on my non-sewing self and has made me a few samples of her own Odacier sewing patterns out of fabric that I purchased ( Oh jeez, it is SO much fun to buy fabric! ) to go with my sweaters, the shirt tails you'll see peeking out from beneath my sweaters are officially my favorite way to style my pullovers.  Fernet Branca features a simple bold texture on both front and back, bookended by cables along the sides.  I worked the back panel just a little differently than I did the front, adding a central spine and changing the cables just a little as well, to keep things intere...

Did you see this yet?  I'm beyond excited to announce that I've finally done a thing in print!  Mason Dixon Knitting's Field Guide 8, Merry Making If you aren't familar with Mason Dixon Knitting's Field Guides, they are fun little booklets, each created around a theme.  For this one, I was asked to design a few fun, quick, and addictive holiday knits, plus a cocktail!  (of course) Each of the patterns are sized so you can knit them for any of your family members, and the color options are pretty endless.  Kay and Ann make it easy for you, and have both yarn and book available in their shop.  I was able to pair each of my designs with a yarn that I love, and I chose fibers from small companies run by women that I admire, such as Jill Draper - her gorgeous Windham yarn was the inspiration behind the first pattern here, the Appleseed Mitts.  I just love how Jill does color - her subtle shifts in saturation are spot on, and these were designed to showcase...

So, let's begin the Fall with something quick and satisfying before I begin rolling out the sweaters! I always love squishy, deep cabled hats with cozy folded brims, but I never wanted to design one that would have made you purchase two skeins. Then.... along came Susan B Anderson and her Barrett Wool Home, which is just what I'd been waiting for!  The generous yardage in Barrett Wool's skeins is enough to do EXACTLY what I've been wanting to do, and it's such gorgeous, round, satisfying yarn that I was be completely hooked. Wild Dandelion is just what I had in mind.  Round, fat cables in alternating columns are placed around the hat.  These are squishy and dense and gorgeous, with a dense cable cross separating each round section.  I placed them in alternating rows, so the round section of one cable sits in the curve of the other, adding to the allover cabled feel of the hat.  They aren't difficult at all to work, and of course I found them a little bit addict...