Sweet Bee and Flower + Making No. 5 / Colors

photo credit: carrie bostick hoge

Hi, Knitters,

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Spring has finally sprung here in Wisconsin. It is supposed to be 60 degrees today. It seems hard to believe and it will be hard to not feel like grabbing my winter coat when I'm heading out the door. I am looking forward to some warmer temperatures as I'm sure many of you are, too. 

I have a new pattern out this weekend. It is called Sweet Bee and Flower and I'm really excited about it. It is in the new issue of Making Magazine No. 5 / Colors which is an incredible magazine filled with projects and inspiration. We have some fun things going on to celebrate the little bees and flowers over on Barrett Wool Co. 

The Sweet Bee and Flower kit is our first pre-order kit!  The kits will be sent out in about 4-6 weeks as we are waiting for our new shipment of yarn. If you order the Making Magazine No. 5 / Colors along with your kit, we will ship you the magazine right away and the kits will be shipped separately and for free as soon as they are ready.

Click here for the Sweet Bee and Flower Kit!

We will keep you updated on the kit pre-order status as we anxiously await our new batch of yarn! Thank you for your patience and we know it will be worth the wait.

Click here to find the Sweet Bee and Flower on Ravelry!

Also, you can order Making No. 5 / Colors by itself and we have Making Magazine Numbers 1-4 available in the Mercantile! These magazines are collector's items that you won't want to miss.

Click here for the Mercantile for the Making Magazines!

photo credit: carrie bostick hoge

Here you can see the full Sweet Bee and Flower project. There is a flower cozy to hold a little sweet bee. These are knit in Home Fingering Weight yarn on US size 2 and 3 needles. There is no seaming as everything is picked up and knit on which makes it a slick and fun project. 

I had to share the beautiful cover of the Making Magazine No. 5 / Colors. It's so spring-y and fresh!

One last thing, there is a discount going on for all of the scissors over on Barrett Wool Co. If you enter SCISSORS at checkout you get $1.00 of every pair of scissors purchased. The style in the photo is our newest pair called Vintage. I think these are my new favorites. 

Click here for the BWC Mercantile and all of our scissor selections!

Have a great week ahead, Knitters! Next week I am off to teach at Galiano Island for a knitting retreat. I can't wait for this one. It is run through Knit Social and they always do an excellent job.

I'll be back soon with more...

xo ~ susan 

Sleepy Kitten Set Kits + Sleeping Bags

Hi, Knitters,

How is everyone holding up? I hope your knitting has been successful and if you are knitting any seasonal gifts, I hope they are finished in time. I have one hat and one last mitten to finish up in the next day or so. Wish me luck.

I just wanted to let you know that we have re-released the Sleepy Kitten Set Kits over on Barrett Wool Co. We are pretty excited about it!

Click here to find out more information or to purchase the Sleepy Kitten Set Kit!

We are also offering Ready-Made Sleeping Bags in the same fabric as in the photos which is really fun and exciting. These little sleeping bags can be used for any small knit toys, not just the kittens.

Click here to find out more or to purchase the Sleeping Bags! 

Click here to see the Sleepy Kitten Set on Ravelry!

In the kit we've included enough yarn to make both of the kittens as seen in the photos and the separate nightie. The yarn is our Wisconsin Woolen Spun which is a real favorite around here. 

You can include the Making Magazine No. 4 / Lines with your kit or not if you already have it. The magazine can also be purchased separately in our Mercantile. For now, this is the only place the kitten pattern is available. In six months it will become available in my Ravelry pattern shop for individual purchase. 

Click here to see Making Magazine No. 4 / Lines!

Have a wonderful weekend ahead, Knitters. Thank you for the amazing fun and support, as always. I'm sending love and good wishes to you all. 

xo ~ susan

Making Magazine No. 4 / Lines & Sleepy Kitten Set Kits

Hi, Knitters,

Yesterday Making Magazine No. 4 / Lines was released and we also released our kit to go along with the magazine, the Sleepy Kitten Set Kit! I am so excited about this project and kit and the magazine.

Over on Barrett Wool Co. have the magazine for sale individually as well as included with the kit, or you can purchase the kit without the magazine if you already have your copy. 

Click here for more information or to purchase Making No. 4 / Lines! You will love this magazine. We also have copies of Making No. 1, 2 and 3 available for purchase as well in the Mercantile.

Click here for the Sleepy Kitten Set Kit information or to purchase!

Click here for the Sleepy Kitten Set pattern information on Ravelry!

photo from makingzine.com

The Sleepy Kitten Set Kit includes enough of our Wisconsin Woolen Spun yarns to make both kittens, the knit-in stripey jammies and the separate nightie, and enough of the same striped fabric to make two sleeping bags (you have to stitch the sides of the fabric together to make the sleeping bags). You also get whisker thread and embroidery floss for the face. The kit comes packaged in a hand-stamped cotton project bag. The only thing you'll need is a little stuffing!

Click here to see our Wisconsin Woolen Spun yarns!

photo from makingzine.com

This is one of the most charming projects I have ever designed. I love the little beds!

photo from makingzine.com

These little kittens have a really fun construction. You knit the legs, arms, tail and ears first. Then when you knit the body and head the work the appendages right in as you go! The only seam is to attach the head to the body. It is slick and satisfying and the finished kittens are adorable.

The pattern will be available for individual purchase in 6 months over in my Ravelry pattern shop. For now, the pattern is only found in the Making Magazine No. 4 / Lines.

The kittens are knit in worsted weight yarn. The nightie is knit in fingering weight yarn.

Good night, sweet friends (the kittens, I mean). I love how little ones love to put things to bed over and over again. These two seem to fit the bill for hours of playing and cuddling.

Click here for the Sleepy Kitten Set Kits over on Barrett Wool Co.!

The kits are selling really fast, so if interested hop on over quick.

Have a great weekend, Knitters! I'll be back soon with more.

xo ~ susan

New Strata Hat + Winner!

photo courtesy of Vogue Knitting Magazine

Hi, Knitters,

I selected a winner for the skein of Wollmeise yarn! The winner is.....

Laurie Taylor or pgngrl (rav name)! 

Congratulations! I've contacted Laurie and I will get her skein right out in the mail. I will have another giveaway soon so check back. Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter to win. 

Now, today Vogue Knitting Magazine Early Fall 2017 is being sent out to subscribers today. The magazine will be available in retail stores on July 11, 2017. I am so excited that I have a design, Strata Hat, and an interview in this issue. The photography of my hat design is so beautiful. It is such a thrill for me to be included in this issue. I have read and loved this magazine for decades now. I remember way back when some of my first sweaters were knit from the Very Easy, Very Vogue magazine patterns. 

Click here to see the Strata Hat on Ravelry!

Click here to see all of the designs in Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2017!

Click here to find out more about upcoming Vogue Knitting Live events!  I won't be in Seattle this fall as I'm teaching in Edmonton, Canada that same weekend. But I will be at Vogue Knitting Live in NYC in January, 2018. 

photo courtesy of Vogue Knitting Magazine Early Fall 2017

The Strata Hat is knit in one skein of Barrett Wool Co. Home Fingering Weight in the Wishing Well colorway. The yarn provides crisp stitch definition to play up all of the textured stitch patterns on the two side panels of the hat. The hat is worked from the bottom-up with a 1 by 1 twisted rib brim. The two textured stitch panels are separated by stockinette stitch sections.

The mitered earflaps are optional as they are picked up and added on after the hat is complete. I love the earflaps as they add so much texture and interest to the look of the hat. The entire hat is a fun and simple knit using only the knit and purl stitch. 

The Strata Hat is definitely unisex, too. 

Click here to see all of the color options for the Home Fingering Weight yarn!

 photo courtesy of Vogue Knitting Magazine Early Fall 2017

There are so many great designs and designers in Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2017 including Kaffe Fassett, Norah Gaughan, Yoko Hatta, Kristen Tendyke, Sarah Hatton, Louisa Harding and many more. It's quite an impressive collection. 

Anyway, have a fantastic week ahead. I am teaching at KnitCircus on this coming Saturday, June 17. I think there are still a few spots left so if you are in the area come join in the fun. Then we move on to Father's Day, right after that it is my daughter's birthday, then I am speaking and vending at the Stockinette Zombie's retreat in Rochester, Minnesota! The busy-ness continues.

There is so much to look forward to for the rest of June. I know you are all busy, too, but let's remember to find the time to knit!

I'll be back soon with more.

xo ~ susan 

Butterfly & Cocoon Kits!

Hi, Knitters,

Happy Sunday to you all! I am still taking entries to win the skein of Wollmeise yarn. 

Click here to enter. I will pick a winner in a couple of days!

I want to quickly let you know that I have a new kit available on Barrett Wool Co. They went up on Friday in the shop and they sold out really fast. We have just added a few more in the shop so if you want one act fast because there aren't that many left.

Click here for the Butterfly & Cocoon Kit on Barrett Wool Co.!

This pattern of mine originally appeared in Making Magazine No. 2 / Fauna, which is such a beautiful magazine. We sell all three issues of Making Magazine in the Mercantile on BWC. So if you purchase the kit you have options for the pattern: no pattern (if you already own it) included, or a Ravelry download code included, or the Making Magazine included.  

A little about the toys. Both the cocoon and butterfly is knit seamlessly from the bottom up. The original samples were knit in a sport weight yarn. The new samples are worked up in Home Fingering Weight, which is a heavier fingering weight yarn. I went down one needle size from what is recommended in the pattern. I knit the cocoons on a US 4 and the butterflies on a US 2. 

Click here to see more about Home Fingering Weight yarn!

This worked out beautifully and the toys look and feel just wonderful. 

The Butterfly & Cocoon Kit Includes:

• 25-gram skeins in the following colors of Home Fingering Weight: Ellie Gray, Wood Violet, Grassland, Priscilla, Field, Marmalade, Bluff and Picket Fence. Enough yarn is included to knit at least 3 butterflies and cocoons.
• Three pairs of 6mm black safety eyes with plastic washers.
• Black Pearl cotton for mouth and optional eye embroidery.
• Tin of 20 colorful stitch markers.
• Packaged in a hand-stamped cotton bag.

Okay, knitters, have a beautiful Sunday. I'll be back with much more soon....

xo, susan

Butterfly & Cocoon Pattern ~ discount available now!

Hi, Knitters,

All of the beautiful photos in the post today were taken by Carrie Bostick Hoge of Maddermade and Making Magazine. Some of the photos originally appeared in Making Magazine 2: Fauna.

Today, the Butterfly & Cocoon pattern is available for download via Ravelry. I have put the pattern for sale at a special discounted price starting today and going through Sunday, March 26, 2017! The price is set at $4.50, no coupon code is necessary, and the regular price starting Monday, March 27, 2017 will be $5.50.

Click here to find out more information or to purchase the pattern for Butterfly & Cocoon!

We will be having kits for this pattern from Barrett Wool Co. when we get our new shipment of our Home yarns. The new shipment is arriving in a couple of weeks. We are so excited to be fully back in action with all of our yarn lines.

Also, another quick note. I just saw that my Sheep! pattern has made it into Round 3 of the Mason-Dixon Knitting March Mayhem! That's so exciting. Voting is now open for Round 3 and if you are so inclined I would love to have your vote to get into the Top 2 patterns in my category.

Click here to check out March Mayhem and to vote! Thanks so much.

Here is some more information you might like to know:

Butterfly & Cocoon

by Susan B. Anderson

Published in

 Making No. 2 / FAUNA

Craft

Knitting

Category

Softies → Animal

Published

October 2016

Suggested yarn

Quince & Co. Chickadee

Yarn weight

Sport (12 wpi) ?

Gauge

6 stitches = 1 inch
in stockinette stitch

Needle size

US 3 - 3.25 mm

US 5 - 3.75 mm

Yardage

200 yards (183 m)

Sizes available

5½" tall

• 3-dimensional
• bottom-up
• icord
• in-the-round
• kitchener
• one-piece
• seamless
• stripes-colorwork
• written-pattern

This pattern is available for $4.50 USD
 buy it now or  visit pattern website

Discounted price of $4.50 is available today, March 23, 2017 through Sunday, March 26, 2017! No code necessary. Starting March 27, 2017, the price will be $5.50! 
Enjoy! 
Susan

Finished measurements
5½” (14 cm) tall

Yarn
Chickadee by Quince & Co.
(100% American wool; 50 grams / 181 yards)
• 1 skein each (only small amounts of each color are used) in the following color ways:
Sample 1: Kumlien’s Gull (A), Egret (B), Shell (C), Split Pea (D)
Sample 2: Clay (A), Chanterelle (B), Aleutian (C), Honey (D)
Sample 3: Iceland (A), Petal (B), Lupine (C), Pomegranate (D)
OR
50 yards (46 meters) or less of each color in sport weight yarn

Notions
• Tapestry needle
• Removable stitch markers
• Fiberfill
• Safety eyes, size 4.5 mm (see Notes)
• Black embroidery floss
• Waste yarn

Gauge
6½ sts = 1” (2.5 cm) in stockinette stitch with smaller needles
6 sts = 1” (2.5 cm) in stockinette stitch with larger needles

Notes
Butterfly is worked in the round from the bottom up and stuffed as you go. Face detail, wings, and antennae are added after. Cocoon is worked from the bottom up in the round, then bound off at beginning of hood and continued in garter stitch. Top of hood is grafted, with stitches kept live at center of hood to make I-cord loop.
Warning: Safety eyes are considered a choking hazard for young children and infants. Embroider eyes if this is a concern.

For more information, see: https://makingzine.com/

Now for a look at some playful photos by Carrie!

I love this one as it shows the little loop at the top of the hood.

So sweet!

Thanks for your continuing support. I really appreciate it and I hope you take advantage of the pattern discount if you're interested in knitting your own set of Butterfly & Cocoon toys!

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a wonderful weekend. I hope you get to spend some time knitting. I'll be back soon with more.

xo ~ susan

Butterfly & Cocoon ~ Making Issue 2: Fauna

Photo by Carrie Bostick Hoge

Hi, Knitters,

I am sitting in the airport in Vancouver with a bit of time to kill so I thought I would write a brief post about my latest pattern release. I am proud to announce that the next issue of Carrie Bostick Hoge's Making Magazine is now available for pre-order. 

Click here to find out more about Making Magazine Issue 2: Fauna! Issue 1 sold out quickly, you can pre-order a copy. The magazine has seventeen knitting patterns but there is so much more like sewing, embroidery, baking and more.

My new design that is in the magazine is called Butterfly and Cocoon. The pattern is only available in the print magazine at this time. In March the pattern will be available for download in my Ravelry pattern shop.

Click here to find out more information about Butterfly and Cocoon!

Click here to see all of the knit projects in Making Magazine: Fauna!

The other knit designers include Melanie Berg, Norah Gaughan, Carrie Bostick Hoge, Karen Templer, Ashley Yousling, Mary Jane Mucklestone, Carol Sunday, Cal Patch, Jenny Gordy, Bristol Ivy, Cecily Glowik-McDonald and Beatrice Dahlen. 

It's quite a line up. 

Photo by Carrie Bostick Hoge

Here is my introduction to the pattern:

Late summer into early fall is a completely magical time here in Wisconsin. On my daily hikes through the prairies with grasses towering over my head, and around nearby ponds surrounded by milkweed, the terrain is intoxicating. These natural habitats offer a huge variety of fauna-watching including wild turkeys, deer, chipmunks, herons, cranes, birds galore and my favorite, the butterflies. Oh the butterflies! To see their beautiful, airy wings flitting about in abundance from plant to plant has added so much to my daily excursions. Each walk in the fading heat of the season is a heady experience.

Butterfly and Cocoon is a knitted tribute to these beautiful, delicate creatures. The sweet Butterfly and Cocoon are both worked seamlessly from the bottom-up, picking up stitches for the wings and antennae after the body is knitted. This makes for a slick and fun knit. Children will love to tuck the winged friend into its very own cocoon for a rest or nap and take it out again when it’s time to fly! The loop on the top of the cocoon hood is perfect for hanging on a hook, backpack or most definitely on a little finger for toting along on adventures in the wild. 

Photo by Carrie Bostick Hoge

Butterfly and Cocoon

 Making No. 2 / FAUNA

Craft

Knitting

Category

Softies → Animal

Published

October 2016

Suggested yarn

Quince & Co. Chickadee

Yarn weight

Sport / 5 ply (12 wpi) ?

Gauge

6 stitches = 1 inch
in stockinette stitch

Needle size

US 3 - 3.25 mm

US 5 - 3.75 mm

Yardage

200 yards (183 m)

Sizes available

5½" tall

• 3-dimensional
• bottom-up
• icord
• in-the-round
• kitchener
• one-piece
• seamless
• stripes-colorwork
• written-pattern

Finished measurements
5½” (14 cm) tall

Yarn
Chickadee by Quince & Co.
(100% American wool; 50 grams / 181 yards)
• 1 skein each (only small amounts of each color are used) in the following color ways:
Sample 1: Kumlien’s Gull (A), Egret (B), Shell (C), Split Pea (D)
Sample 2: Clay (A), Chanterelle (B), Aleutian (C), Honey (D)
Sample 3: Iceland (A), Petal (B), Lupine (C), Pomegranate (D)
OR
50 yards (46 meters) or less of each color in sport weight yarn

Notions
• Tapestry needle
• Removable stitch markers
• Fiberfill
• Safety eyes, size 4.5 mm (see Notes)
• Black embroidery floss
• Waste yarn

Gauge
6½ sts = 1” (2.5 cm) in stockinette stitch with smaller needles
6 sts = 1” (2.5 cm) in stockinette stitch with larger needles

Notes
Butterfly is worked in the round from the bottom up and stuffed as you go. Face detail, wings, and antennae are added after. Cocoon is worked from the bottom up in the round, then bound off at beginning of hood and continued in garter stitch. Top of hood is grafted, with stitches kept live at center of hood to make I-cord loop.
Warning: Safety eyes are considered a choking hazard for young children and infants. Embroider eyes if this is a concern.

For more information, see: https://makingzine.com/

Photo by Carrie Bostick Hoge

This is one of my all-time favorite toy designs. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

The following photos are my early shots of the Butterfly and Cocoon. 

I was so excited about the finished design that I had to quickly knit up two more versions!

The beautiful Quince & Co. Chickadee yarn never fails. It's so beautiful. Finding four colors to combine is so easy with the Quince colorways. 

Love the hood with the loop for hooking on a little finger.

The entire project is knit from the bottom-up and in one piece. The wings and antennae are picked up and knit on to the body. 

Click here for the Butterfly and Cocoon project on Ravelry! I am really happy with this one.

Going home is always a good feeling. I'll be back soon with more.

xo ~ susan