Backroad Hats updated, now with set discount!

September 30, 2015September 30, 2015 | eelliottknits

Just over a year ago, Interweave Knits published my Backroad Hats pattern in their Gifts special issue. It’s a good gift pattern, if I do say so: the stitch pattern is very stretchy (so the hat fits a lot of sizes and has some wiggle room for gauge) and works well with variegated colourways and the tonal variations of hand dyes; the hat takes about 126 yds/115m of worsted to Aran weight yarn and is a quick project. (The grey sample is in Malabrigo Merino Worsted, and the variegated sample is in Widdershin Woolworks Targhee Worsted, now only available through Mooncat Fiber in Taos, NM.) I’d always intended this hat to be available as part of a set, and now it is. Continue reading →

Brightsides

September 9, 2015September 9, 2015 | eelliottknits

A while back, my friend and sometime model announced that she was expecting. She’s a pretty special woman, and so I made her a pretty special baby blanket. She loves grey, and stripes, and especially stripes done in greys. I added a pop of bright green to set off the border.

It was a pleasing thing, this blanket, so, with her permission, I wrote up the pattern. I called it Brightsides. Continue reading →

Backroads Mittens, Backroads Scarves

January 20, 2015July 27, 2015 | eelliottknits

It’s taken a while, but the mittens and scarf to go with the Backroad Hats are finally ready. First, the Backroad Mittens. Continue reading →

Saturnalia, revised

October 8, 2014October 16, 2014 | eelliottknits

A couple of days ago I mentioned that there was a new version of the Saturnalia Infinity Scarf pattern, featuring my snazzy new layout. This here is the info page (click the image to enlarge):

Ever since I started work on this pattern, I’d wanted to do it in at least two yarn weights. Time constraints kept the design to fingering weight at the time of its release, so I let the idea of a sport weight version sit in the back of my mind for a few months while I worked on other things. I finally got back to it this spring, and now the second sample is done and photographed, the numbers are crunched, and Saturnalia v2 is ready to go. (Photos once again by my talented sister, Nusha Elliott.) Continue reading →

Sometimes, you’ve gotta call in the pros

October 6, 2014October 16, 2014 | eelliottknits

So I’ve been doing this designing gig for a few years now, and as I learn and improve, the look of my patterns has evolved. The photos have gotten better (much better), the language has tightened up (somewhat — I’m still a chatty wee monkey, and prefer to err on the side of too much technical information rather than too little), and my pattern layout has changed in increments as I learn more about the trade and about what works for knitters. Lately, I’ve been feeling kind of stuck, though. I knew the look of my patterns was kind of ‘meh’, but didn’t know how to fix it. Then — and I can’t believe it took me this long — I realized that just as I needed a pro photographer if I wanted professional quality photos, if I wanted professional-looking graphic design, perhaps I should turn to a graphic designer.*

Enter Jill Zielinski, aka Knitterella. Jill has done some of my favourite logos in knitting — The Plucky Knitter, Joji Locatelli, the new SpillyJane Knits logo — let’s just say I like her style. (Click on the Jill Zielinski link above to see her work.) I emailed her; she quoted me a fair price; we got to work.** At least, she got to work. I just collected pictures of what I like and don’t like in graphic design (which is how I finally joined Pinterest), and sent her vague instructions like, “reflecting my punk background but not too f#@k-you-spiky, ’cause that’s not really my niche, you know?” Yeah. So helpful. From all of that, with a little back-and-forth and a bit of tweaking, Jill came up with this:

Continue reading →

Finished Object Friday

August 29, 2014August 29, 2014 | eelliottknits

Just a quick Friday post heading into the long weekend, because a couple of things are done, and I’m like a kid with a new drawing wanting to show everyone.

First, the final spinning tally for this year’s Tour de Fleece.

Continue reading →

Backroad Hats

August 21, 2014August 21, 2014 | eelliottknits

Some time ago, Michelle over at Widdershin Woolworks asked if I would test knit a new product for her. Michelle mostly dyes spinning fibre, but she was thinking of adding yarn to the shop, starting with a 100% Targhee worsted weight. Now, I don’t work a lot with variegated yarns, but I was happy to give it a go. After a few tries, I came up with a stitch pattern that I think looked good with her dyeing style, and tried it out as a hat. (You can see my full swatching notes here.)