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Naming knits. When I posted my about my latest design project last week you might have noticed that it didn't exactly have a name. "Design Project" doesn't count.

Anyway, I've been trying to come up with something creative, memorable, and relevant. Not necessarily the easiest thing. My main inspiration for the project came from a great movie, combined with some great yarn, and the concept of a creating something very textural and different than the usual lace shawl. After a few original ideas, I didn't end up finding a name from that inspiration.

Currently I'm thinking of naming the shawl after an English village, which will at least be somewhat related to a bit of my original inspiration (the movie/book was North and South in case you're curious)

After finding a few names I really like (even though they are completely random!) I decided it would be fun to post here and see if any of you have some input. I probably won't make a final decision until the test knit is finished but I'd love to hear what you all have to say!

The villages listed below are all located in Kent, England...and as I said, completely random choices. ;)

1. Bramling

2. Denstroude

3. Eynsford (pronounced Ainsford)

4. Fawkham

Let me know what you think!

Design Project

I finally have photos to share! (and yes, I do need a haircut)

When I first saw this skein of Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine, I knew almost instantly what I wanted to do with it...and now a few sketches, swatches, and several thousand stitches later, this:

My goal was to create a light gauge ultra-textured shawl (click on the photos to see the detail)that could be easily wrapped around the neck like a scarf. A great accessory to wear with a sweater in the fall or to wear over a coat in the winter. In fact, you can even wear it over a sweater and under a coat; the shawl shape fits well under a pea coat (which is how I've been wearing it). Ravelry Project Link

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine (great to knit with, and priced really well at about $10 for 433yds)

I'm currently in the process of completing the pattern and getting it test knit. I'm planning on having the pattern written for two different yarns, an alpaca fingering (the Berroco) and a merino fingering.

Here we go...

I finished it. The design project aforementioned.

(isn't the scenery in this pic great? I wish I would realized and moved over about 4 feet)

Ravelry Link

I call it a tank top, but after taking photos it stuck me that that it would look really cute over a button-down shirt. Tried it on, and it looked great. (I'll try to get a few photos later)

Thinking this might be more of a vest? I may just do a re-knit in some wool.

After finishing, I've definitely decided that I want to sell the pattern for this top...I think. ;)

I'm planning on an eventual re-knit because there are several things I want to fix before finalizing the pattern (I may also get a test-knit done too, but at the very least there will be two complete projects before the pattern is out)

1. I want the straps just a bit closer together.

2. The selvage on the sides of the straps don't do what they're supposed to, which is keep the straps from rolling. I'll need to adjust the pattern from 2 selvage sts per side to 3 or 4.

3. The cast on had too many stitches...the decreases worked perfectly but there's a lot of "slack" at the back of the top. It doesn't "bell" or "flare" so it's not really the most attractive thing.

4. The straps are too long. You can't tell from the pictures, but I'll need to re-do those so that this fits a little better. ;)

Oh, and if you're curious about the pattern I had mentioned in my other post...it was the Beaded Cami. I accidentally chose the same lace pattern as this top, but after finishing I'm not really concerned about it, the tops are completely different and I didn't reference any other patterns etc. to design and knit this top (save the stitch dictionary of course).

Let me know what you think! :)

Ardelle

This is my latest finished project, a simple cabled hat made in bulky weight yarn. A very quick knit, the stockinette part took me about a hour, with the cabled band taking about three.
This hat is far from original, but I did design it without help from any other patterns, it's definitely my design, just not a very original one!
After a while on Ravelry researching this, I decided to offer my pattern notes anyway, since the similar patterns (Coronet, Irish Hiking Hat ...there may a few others, but I didn't have time to wade through all the many patterns) are available for free, thus I won't be affecting any indie designer's profits. :)
The hat is a bit different as well, in that it is knit at a large gauge and has a different cable pattern than these other designs.

After I finish typing up the notes I'll post them here (and maybe make a Ravelry pdf., because they're just ever so much fun!).