ConnieLene – KnitDesigner

Pattern – for chic, classic, elegant, sexy beret in the Parisian style.

Beret Pattern – Etsy Link

The beret is knitted in the round from the head band to the centre point using circular needles changing to double pointed needles when required. You can finish it with an I-cord nub, or not as you wish.

The yarn I have used in my samples are various shades of Naturally Vero pure wool yarn from New Zealand. Vero is a soft, self-striping, heavy worsted (12 ply) weight 100% wool yarn. The yarn is available online. The needle sizes I used are 4.5mm & 5mm, which in US sizes are 7 & 8.

If you would like to purchase this pattern it is available at the UniqueBoutiqueKnits shop on Etsy Beret Pattern – Etsy Link

All rights reserved by Connielene © 2010

Just now it is not easy to find something to tell you about.

Maybe this is called Writer’s Block
Maybe it is called Designer’s Block
Maybe it is called Knitter’s Block
Maybe it is Ball Withdrawal Block
Maybe it is just called Blockety Block

Whatever it should be called in my case – I do believe I have a big case of whatever it is just now.

I am knitting – slowly.
I am thinking about new designs all the time – but slowly.
I am quietly frustrated trying to slowly complete those creations that I told you I was knitting.

So yet another to do list

1. mohair shell sample
2. 100% wool shell sample
3. finish and photograph the carbon footprint bag
4. publish the carbon footprint shadow knitting graph
5. complete and publish the pattern for the sleeveless jacket in English
6. translate the pattern for the sleeveless jacket into Danish
7. maybe translate the pattern for the sleeveless jacket into Norwegian maybe
8. finish black ball cover
9. decide where and when to install black and white ball covers
10. Intarsia E-book or print book planning
11. I may be thinking about knit kits (thank you Constance for bringing that up)
12. I may also be thinking about cloaks again (thank you Constance for bringing that up as well)
13. I may be thinking about the Alexandra Blossom Festival committee invitation to participate in the WoolOn Creative Fashion Event of the 2010
14. I may be thinking about the Fibre and Fleece Exhibition
15. I am NOT thinking about creating for either event while I am in New Zealand
16. I may be thinking about “King of the Mountain” run/walk in NZ on the first Sunday in July

And I am planning a trip to New Zealand to see our very special small person (grandson), our daughter, my courageous Mother In law, and family and friends – and that seems more important than everything and anything else just now.

Maybe that is the cause of the blockety block.

Because this a state of Blockety block – or is that Blankety Blank – if I have forgotten anything then please please remind me, thanks.

And in case it occurred to you, the Constance mentioned above is not me, myself and I. My name is really Connie Lene and not not Constance.

Oh, and did you pick up that my Norwegian is not as good as my Danish, which is certainly not as good as my English.

My new beret pattern will include a simple beret – knitted in the round with double knitting (8ply, worsted yarn). There will also be a striped version. I am also including information on simple intarsia colour work to encourage also knitting the beret in a free form way.

It will be available Wednesday next on etsy at Unique Boutique Knits

Free form design on Beret

Unique Boutique Knits now contains the 12 ply “Naturally Vero” beret pattern, my “Carbon Footprints” intarsia design graph and various capelets, cowls and hats.

If you are considering the 12 ply beret in Naturally Vero – a search on google will bring up various online shops with this yarn available in the USA and Canada.

TIP

Do remember that most patterns state you should use the yarn recommended for the pattern to knit up correctly. Not so – select a yarn that knits to the same tension and one that works for the type of garment being knitted.

Do come back to check out the new beret pattern on Wednesday.

I do try to keep up with what is new in the world of knitting, in yarns, designs, and knitters and designers and their books. I have been researching on the net – and found Nancy Marchants book “Knitting Brioche: The essential guide to Brioche Stitch”.

I didn’t know the stitch – brioche, and the light just went on. It is a form of fisherman’s rib. Now I do know fishermans rib.

Excerpt from Nancy Marchant website… history, I found that among English-speaking knitters, this stitch also had many different names; Prime Rib, shawl stitch, Oriental rib, shaker knitting, patent stitch, fisherman’s rib and brioche stitch were among them.

I do wonder which name came first.

I have only ever knitted one garment, using Fishermans Rib, a sweater for my husband in a soft grey yarn. It was gorgeous – but far too warm for a New Zealand winter. It would have been excellent here in this Dutch winter wonderland. I do remember that I had to purchase extra yarn to complete it as my Best beloved wasn’t so keen then in mixed colours and yarns. I am so glad that as we have matured together he is now more open to wearing my multi coloured creations.

Nancy Marchant, Queen of Brioche and her new book Knitting Brioche: The Essential Guide to the Brioche Stitch

I started looking and found the following links which may be of use if you are exploring Brioche or Fishermans Rib.

The Knitting Fiend … where Lucia blogs for instructions on how to knit Fluffy Brioche, Brioche Rib and Double Brioche

Brioche stitch explained by Pippa W of Cloudy Crochet

I am not an expert in this stitch, having only ever created the one garment using it, and from a pattern. I have just found the link to free Nancy Marchant beret patterns and as I am knitting berets right now, maybe I will have a go at one of these patterns. They do look great not just because they are berets, but because they use this stitch with more than one colour – and you know me, I like more than one colour in a piece.

So I am going to add Brioche or fishermans rib in 2 or more colours to my learning program for my time here in the Netherlands.

The berets I have been knitting do have more than one colour – but that is because the yarn (Naturally Vero), contains more than one colour.

Cheating! Maybe; but they look good.

We have enjoyed the snow, the stillness, the light, the food, the family, the fun and joy of being together, and skyping Melissa, Tomas and Laurence in New Zealand, and I finished some of my knitting projects in time believe it or not.

While our family were driving from Switzerland to us in Haarlem in the Netherlands on Christmas Eve day – I finished the two hats for the boys – one purple, and one orange. I also went over the huge rug, bed cover, to be snuggled under mohair and faux fur piece to make certain all those ends were gone. And I found some ends of course.

I didn’t start the red socks – so those are IOU’s for JJ and for Morgan.

I did complete a cream cowl for Angelica the day before. It was knitted in 2 strands of Naturally Mist 1 ply Super fine Kid Mohair from New Zealand. It does look fantastic. It was knitted in the round from the neck down with 3 rows purl, 3 rows Knit – and increasing both the stitches and the numbers of rows of purl and knit. The cardigan will have to wait for another time. Angelica is from Chile and has extraordinary skin colour and the cream cowl looks great on her. I think this one might just make it into the patterns to come category as it looks really good.

I didn’t finish the capes and scarves so they are still in my unfinished object pile.

Because of the timing of completion of the hats and cowl I don’t have good photos – just snaps taken at present opening time. They have promised to send good photographs.

JJ is at work, the house is empty, and now I can just knit again – but somehow watching the birds eating the food we have placed outside in the tree I can see from my windows and the snowy scene around it keeps drawing me to it.