Young gentleman Knits: a collection just for little boys (girls welcome too!)

Ha! Those perfectly adorable little buggers... who wouldn't love them? I love little boys, with their boundless energy and unrestrained enthusiasm, and the fact that I have one of my own only adds to my affection for the young gentlemen of this world.

But the origins of this particular collection are all tied up to my very own little boy, and one innocent question: "Mommy, when will you make me a sweater?". This one question sent me on a new mission in life : build up a collection of knitting patterns for the little boy in my life.

"Mommy, when will you make me a sweater?"

You see, my first few designs were for my son, and he was also the recipient of the very first knitted piece I made! I always loved to knit for him and I have a monstrous amount of yarn intended to use for garments or accessories for him. But sadly, it had been a while since I designed something for him, because he spent some months (years actually!) refusing to wear anything I made for him. After a while, I started busying myself with various women's designs, and neglected my first love for designing things the little boys.

This year, I will be renegading on this omission with a collection of 7 designs for little boys (you could totally adapt any of these to the little girl in your life too, and I bet she would be adorable in them!), all to be published in the current of the year 2014. This collection will be proceeding the same as my previous collections, with a discounted price of 15$ until the completion of the collection and a final price of 18$ when all the pattern are added. Each pattern will also be available individually, and added to the collection as soon as they are finished.

ALL the patterns in the collection will be seamless. I hate seams (even if I am also an avid quilter and sewer, I strongly like to separate the two crafts!), and none of the designs will have any other seams than the simple 3 needles bind off.

Special promotion notification for my newsletter subscribers only:

• Notification of the release of new patterns 
• a 50% discount on the price of selected individual patterns valid for the first 2 weeks of the pattern's release 
• The collection will be 15$ from the first pattern release until 2 weeks after the last pattern release - no coupon code needed! After 2 weeks from the release of the last pattern in the collection, the price will be 18$ for the collection, same as my other patterns.

Buy the collection here:



So, without making you wait for more, here are the few first patterns of this new exciting collection:

Variation

This first design in the collection makes good use of an old favorite of mine: variegated yarns. I love variegated yarns dearly, especially for children's designs, and I always look forward to good ways to show them at their best advantage.

 Variation is a seamless drop shoulder pullover worked form the bottom up in a simple allover texture. The sleeves are picked up from the body and worked to the cuffs with moderate tapering. The V-Neck collar is moderately deep and picked up at the end.

Variation uses versatile worsted weight yarn, and is simple enough to be worked at a speedy pace in no time. All this makes Variation an extra comfortable sweater that your little boy will love to wear as much as mine does!

Seltzer

Selzer is a simple top down pullover with saddle shoulders and eye catching colorblocks. It is both easy and eye catching and the all-jersey fabric will make this project fly off your needles like magic!

Selzer pullover

The Seltzer pullover makes a fast project, uses worsted weight yarn and can easily be adapted to a 2 color variation! The fit is moderately generous, for both comfort and style and is already a favorite of my little boy.

Seltzer is able to offer a wide age range and a versatility that can be used for many year. The fact that the pattern is very easy makes it a good staple in your pattern library: I am already on my third of the same pattern in less than 4 months!

Released as off 06/05/2014

Nobel

Nobel is a sophisticated and striking vest worked with 2 cable panels making for a very impressive garment.

The pattern is fully charted and will dress up your little man with a lot of distinction without making your heart bleed! It's only a vest after all.. Unless you opt for the sweater version... coming soon!

Released as of 06/20/2014!

Beckley

Beckley Street is a classic cardigan worked in a fun bulky weight yarn, perfect for a Fall project. It flies off the needles and can be easily customized too. It features a shawl collar and sophisticated set in sleeves!

Released as of 09/20/2014!

Sunday Morning

Sunday Morning is a very simple pullover worked from the top-down. It features raglan shaping for the yoke and a simple V shape grown organically from the collar ribbing. Ribbing lines race on the sides to add a little extra polish, perfect for the Sunday Morning strolls.

Released as of 11/24/2014!

Frugal knitting - a small accessories collection

Being a designer, I am a fairly productive knitter and I have always a couple of projects on the needle. And this leaves me with a problem that was not so obvious in the early years on my yarn obsession: leftovers. Every time I work on a garment in a women's size, I have a 1-3 skeins leftovers, because I always lean on the safe side of things when I buy yarn for a new garment design. Adding this to my constant desire to familiarize myself to new yarns and you find my accessories quantity stash of yarn to be quite considerable.

This gave me a quite good idea (plus the obvious space concerns...), if I dare say so myself: a collection made up of entirely small to medium sized accessories from all my non garment quantity of yarns.

Special promotion notification for my newsletter subscriber only:

• Notification of the release of new patterns 
• a 50% discount on the price of the individual pattern valid for the first 2 weeks of the pattern's release 
• The collection will be 15$ from the first pattern release until 2 weeks after the last pattern release - no coupon code needed!

This collection will feature 12 designs of small accessories like hats, mittens, cowls and scarves.

Buy the collection here:



So, without making you wait for more, here are the few first patterns of this new exciting collection:

Piccolo -  a stranded colorwork hat

Go visit the Piccolo page for more information on this simple and cute hat!

Worked in

Knitpicks Andean Treasure in color "Prairie Heahter"

Knitpicks Andean Treasure in color "Meringue Heather"

As my collection is called Frugal Knitting, I feel the obligation to explain to you how I obtained these yarns! The yarn from this hat is from the remnants of a set of hat and mittens I designed for Knitpicks Independent Designer Program (IDP for short), and remnants of a failed attempt at another design (yep, this happens more than I would like, and does contribute to my leftovers).

I had 4 balls left of the Prairie Heather and 2 balls left of the Meringue Heather. This hat uses only 2 balls of the main color (Prairie Heather) and 1 ball of contrast color (Meringue Heather), so I do believe I did a great work out of my leftovers!

Piccolo is now available as an individual pattern as well as part of the collection.

Tourbillon - an asymmetrical cable hat

For this little hat, I opted for a single but bold cable and a little slouch. The bold color of the yarn was attractive and showed the cable very nicely, and with less than one skein leftover after my old Dichotomy design, I was quite happy to finally get to use up this beautiful yarn!

The cable for Tourbillon is both charted and written, to suit every knitter's preference.

Sparkling -  a simple textured hat

For this little hat, I decided to take advantage of the wonderful color of my single skein of Madelinetosh Tosh DK in color "Nutmeg)", a single skein I bought a long time ago to try out the Madelinetosh yarns. The knit and purl texture is very attractive and the whole project is relaxing and yet interesting.

The pattern for Sparkling is both charted and written, to suit every knitter's preference.


Brookstone - a textured cowl

Brookstone cowl

 Brookstone came out of my desire to create a stylish cowl using a high texture pattern of only knits and purls (yes, I was kind of on a roll here...) I had a few lovely balls of luxury yarn, Knitpicks Capra in color "
Platinum", which I bough to try out the yarn since I mostly love to work with their yarns. I was not dissapointed by the softness and overall quality of it, but I had to find out what to do with 5 balls of yarn!

Knitpicks Capra Cashmere in "Platinum"

So, I used up 4 balls to create this lovely cowl, in a simple but attractive pattern:

The pattern for Brookstone is both charted and written, to suit every knitter's preference. Go check it now!

Eye of the Storm - a cabled hat

Eye of the Storm is a fun and striking looking cabled hat worked with a little less than 200 yds of worsted weight wool.

Pattern is now available individually as well as in the collection!


Sparrow - A textured shawl

Sparrow shawl

Sparrow is lovely and simple top-down crescent shawl worked in an amazing Aran weight yarn. It features a pretty texture in the center panel and a large lace border. The result is a warm and versatile shawl perfect for fast project and instant gratification.

The size of the shawl is very easily adapted by adding more repeats of the stitch pattern and the crochet border can be replaced by a few rows of garter stitch if desired.

Pattern is now available individually as well as in the collection!

Cathedral - a geometric lace shawl

Cathedral lace shawl

Cathedral is the seventh design to be added to the collection. This little shawl has everything I like in a shawl: it is worked form the top-down (meaning it's adaptable to your own yarn amount), has a lot of visual effect for little effort and is easy enough to memorize after a few pattern repeat.

Pattern is now available individually as well as in the collection!

Montauk - a textured wrap

Montauk 

Montauk is available in both a wrap and scarf size in a pretty and unusual textured stitch pattern made entirely of knits and purls.

Pattern is now available individually as well as in the collection!

Simply Joy -  mittens

Simple Joy mittens

Simple Joy mittens are exactly what they promise: simple and joyful! They are the perfect mitten pattern to whip up in a jiffy on a cold day. They showcase variegated yarns especially well, but would look equally good in a solid color. 

Pattern is now available individually as well as in the collection!

The other designs are still to come, but I will update this post regularly as soon as the designs are ready to come out!

Ode to the Spring: a collection of sideways shawls

Post Updated September 17th 2013

My small shawls collection for the year 2013 will be centered on 2 themes: a sideways construction and the Spring. The collections will be comprised of 6 small shawls using only onle skein of 100gr of fingering weight yarn or the equivalent ( I will be using lace weight yarns held double in this collection, but you can substitute as much as you want!). All the yarns I will use are from my Shawl stash, see my post: A conquering stash: year two.

Ode to the Spring is now available and completed! You can buy it for a discounted price of 15$ until December 20th 2013. After the last pattern is added, price will be 18$.



I have been planning this for a while now and most of the designs to be included in the collection are fully charted and ready for sample knitting. While I cannot promise a set release date for each design, they will all be released to the subscribers during the year, starting in May 2013.

Return of the swallow - Released May 1st 2013

 Return of the Swallow is a uniquely constructed triangular shawl, worked from side to side with diagonal lines. In only one piece and finished with an attached edging along the small side of the asymmetrical triangle, it is both fun an intriguing to knit without being overly complicated.

You can now buy Return of the Swallow!




Apple Bloom - Released May 2013

Apple Bloom was first released exclusively as part of the lovely Biscotte&Cie yarn club and will be the second shawl of the collection to be released to the general public.

Apple Bloom shawl

Apple Bloom is worked from side to side in one piece with a classic triangular shape that is softened by the lovely vintage lace edging. Not overly complicated, it makes for a fast and rewarding small shawl sure to add a soft touch to any outfits!

Apple Bloom is now available for individual purchase as well as included in the collection!

Earth's Awakening - Released October 2013

Earth's Awakening

A triangular shawl with unusual lace pattern representing a freshly plowed field.

Earth's Awakening is now available for individual purchase as well as included in the collection!





Sweet Lilac - Released October 2013

Sweet Lilac shawl

Here is the first preview of this original crescent shaped shawl using easy short rows to create an elegant crescent shape. The design is ideal to showcase variegated yarns and can easily adjusted.

Sweet Lilac is now available for individual purchase as well as included in the collection!

Oxalis - Release planned 2013

Oxalis shawl

A delicate elongated triangular shawl with a combination of lace and cable. A true classic!

Oxalis is now available for individual purchase as well as included in the collection!





Magnolia caress - Released December 2013

Magnolia lace shawl

A sideways shawl with pictorial flower lace and large edging, all in one piece!

Magnolia is now available for individual purchase as well as included in the collection!