Happy Mail Day

Mr. Canada Post delivered a surprise today. I brought a set home and when my post is finished I’m going to open them up. The Maker’s Board, Magnets and Ruler are available on the website. I can tell you the magnets in the ruler as well as the magnet set are really strong. I had to pull to get the packages apart in their boxes.

Photos © Thea Colman

Thea Colman has a new sweater pattern.

I’ve been playing with some new ways to work cables this year, and here’s my first successful experiment - Asti Spumante! 

The Asti Spumante Tee combines color and cables in a simple way I haven’t seen done before. The twisted cables make a beautifully textured fabric, and the color within each cable adds a new twist to an otherwise simple, cabled tee. I particularly love how the lines of color accent the sleeve construction by sloping gently down each shoulder. 

The body of the sweater begins in the background color only, with a deep ribbing and a bit of the cable motif to establish the design. I then added the color, working paired stripes around the body, tucked into each cable in short sections that break up the lines and highlight the texture of the fabric. 

My stripes are worked in Dream State by Spincycle Yarns, which allows for subtle color changes from diamond to diamond and stripe to stripe, and it’s these different twisted shades of color that really stand out against the natural background. 

Notes are included in the pattern for modifying fit, adjusting sleeve length, or for working your stripes in a number of different ways. Sweater is worked from the bottom up in the round to armholes, then split into front and back pieces, which are worked flat to shoulders. Sleeve stitches are added to each side of the upper body as you work to shoulders. Once shoulders are seamed, both collar and sleeve cuff stitches are picked up and worked in the round.

You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

If the technique interests you but you aren’t in the mood to make a sweater, Thea designed a matching hat. You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

This hat combines color and cables in a simple way I haven’t seen done before. The combination of twisted cables and stripes makes for a gorgeous, textured fabric and a hat is the perfect size project for trying something new. 

The hat begins in a solid background shade, worked first in deep ribbing and then in an allover twisted stitch pattern. Once the stitch pattern was established, I added the color, tucking it into each cable in neat little lines. As always, I decided to transition from brim to hat in a way that sets up the first few rows of the pattern distinctly, and worked my crown off the last row of the pattern intentionally. The stripes themselves are centered on the body of the hat, and the crown is worked so it remains extra squishy and looks great either with or without a pom.

Dad and Beth finally caught a fish. It’s very hard to see but they were excited. Yes, they let him go.

These pictures came a little later. This one didn’t get into the boat. They had a great day!

I don’t think the dogs are going to be happy when they get loaded into the trucks to come home tomorrow.