Those who love to create....

 .... You know who I am talking about. Each and every one of us, who cannot wait to create something with our hands. How do you start the creative process?

 I came across an image, and it inspired me to create the Lotti's Cowl. By using 3 skeins of Ms. Babb's yarn held together knit in brioche in the round I thought it kind of resembled the image I saw. I love that cowl. It's my favorite winter wear along with the more random and colorful Scraptastic Scarf. 

This year I actually went to Rhinebeck and while I was walking around, I kept returning to that colorful image from such a long time ago. I also thought about making a sweater just for me. But I wanted to add few details that would make the sweater a bit more unique. I love the double edge on the Roy G Biv Hat and I thought it would be a great edge for the sweater.  I also wanted to add some pockets and now it all will be somehow mixed together and, in the end, there should be a sweater that I will love to wear. I started by making a swatch. I still think about the edges for the neck and how should I make the double rolled edges for the sleeves, etc. It is a work in progress and I love it. I feel inspired to revisit all of the other unfinished projects and publish some of the patterns that have been sitting by the computer and waiting. 

So hopefully there will be new patterns coming out soon. In the meantime, follow me on Instagram:  Stanascritteretc to see my work in progress on the sweater. I hope to finish it before this winter ends! 

Thank you for visiting and hanging around!

Happy Crafting.....

 

Happy Crafting to all. After a what felt like a rather short summer we are back to school and also, we are getting back to the cold days when a knitted piece is a must to wear. For the first few weeks I love to wear a simple poncho, as a layer for the colder mornings while the afternoons are still warm. I usually wear the Stripy poncho, but my favorite is probably the Harvest Poncho, I created few years back for I Like Knitting website. The pattern is also in their top 50 patterns collection of all time, along with the Helena sweater. Bellow you can see the photos of both patterns. Both photos are by I Like Knitting. Both patterns are available anywhere my patterns are for sale, see the links on the side, or visit my website: Stana's Critters Etc

What are you going to make this fall? 

Thank you for visiting and happy crafting!

A year of knitting...

 

This is a picture of a ball of scrap yarn from my last year of knitting. I started this ball last January. I am not sure what I will do with this scrap yarn. Previously I have made a cowl, an infinity scarf, and a pillowcase. The links to the patterns are provided above and below you can see the finished projects. They all used the tiny pieces of yarn that usually gets discarded as too small for anything. I collect them and tie them together with a knot and when there is enough to do something I pick a project and start knitting. I am not sure yet what I will do with the ball of scrap from my year of knitting. I have yet to decided it. In a way these scraptastic projects are also a little knitting diary, as when I look at them, I can remember what projects I was working on, one stitch at time. 

There are so many of my patterns that I have not mentioned here on my blog, that were published over the past year, including the latest knitting pattern for the Helena Cable Cardigan in February issue of I Like Knitting. I hope to catch up on that over the next month or so. 

Stay safe, healthy and enjoy the work in progress one stitch at time.

Thank you for visiting.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!!!

 

 I hope that everyone who have visited and will stop by to visit my small corner of the Internet will have a magical Holidays and an even better Happy New Year!

    I have been extremely busy over the past two months with few special requests knitting projects. I cannot share the pictures yet as these knitting projects are waiting for the right time to be opened by their recipients. I will write a blog post all about those toys after the Holidays. 

    There are also some exciting new patterns in the works that will be published during the next year, starting with the first pattern coming out in January 2022. 

I also plan to work on some independent work and maybe even have another toy mystery knit-a-long early next year.

Stay safe, healthy and enjoy your Holidays. 

Thank you for visiting.

My dog is a better influencer...

 

Seriously, my dog seems to be getting more Instagram collaboration requests than I have ever received as a knitwear designer. All he has to do is being himself and I just help with posting a picture of him to his Instagram T-Bone dog diary. 

I have to do more, than that. 

photo by I Like Knitting

Spotted Around Set is an e-book collection of two knitting patterns that were originally published in October issue of I Like Knitting Magazine and on their website, see the blog post from last September here: Knitwear Designer. After the exclusivity period finished I have the rights to the patterns and I can publish the patterns independently. You can buy the patterns individually or as an e-book for a discounted price.

At the moment I am working on another project for a third party publisher and my independent work is  as usually put on hold as the deadline is nonexistent unlike the contracted work for a third party.  

But once the work is finished I will return to my independent projects and continue to work on those. There are so many knitting patterns in various stages of work in progress that I hope to finish and publish during this year.  Like the pattern for this Bernie's doll. It took me about two months to knit the doll and now the pattern is taking even longer to write up into a word document from my handwritten  notes. 

Thank you for visiting and reading. 

Paw-some Set and Harvest Poncho

 Harvest Poncho, seen in the picture bellow is now available as a pattern download on Ravelry, or you can purchase the pattern by clicking on the button bellow:

The pattern will be soon available on Lovecraft as well. 

photo by I Like Knitting

Harvest Poncho sewing tutorial

Paw-some dog's cowl, human infinity scarf and a hat are all available to purchase on Ravelry, and Payhip and soon will be also on Lovecraft website. You can buy the pattern for the dog's cowl and scarf and separately the hat, or you can purchase the entire set. The button bellow the pictures is for the complete set.

Photo by I Like Knitting

Paw-some Dog Cowl and matching Human Scarf

 

This fancy paw-some cowl is for our four legged furry friends. The knitting pattern provides variety of sizes from extra small to extra large with directions on how to adjust to your furry friend. A human infinity scarf in opposite colors is the perfect companion for all those long walks. A knitting pattern for matching hat will be available also. 

You can purchase the pattern by clicking on this button (it takes you to Ravelry):

or you can purchase the pattern on Payhip and shortly also on Lovecraft website: link here.

Pictured bellow is T-Bone modeling the cowl, patiently waiting to go out for a walk.

The pattern was originally published by I Like Knitting website in their August Issue. The matching hat was published in October Issue.

                                                              photo by I Like Knitting

September 2020 - Knitting Patterns

 Somehow this month has been an amazing time for me as a knitwear designer. I am feeling like a real knitwear designer with work published by several third parties. See the list and pictures at the end of this blog post.

First let's start with a little bit of history.

This is my first finished knitting project that I remember. I recall that I did a lot of crochet projects prior to this sweater, but this is my first for so many things. I remember the trip to formal East Germany, a town now called Chemnitz. At that time it was named Karl-Marx-Stadt. We went to a Department Store and I picked up the yarn for this sweater and another sweater. I created the pattern, though I didn't know that it was a pattern that I created. I just draw a picture and calculated the number of stitches and rows based on a small swatch that I knitted. I also remember that I did not know how to cast on. My mom helped me by casting on the stitches. I knitted the sweater in four pieces, in three colors using an intarsia technique. At that time I did not know that you need to wrap the yarn around each other. This actually created a small holes around the V shape where the yarn was changing. These small holes were not on the sleeves. By then I learned that the yarn has to be wrapped around each other. When I was wearing the sweater people were asking me how did I created the pattern of holes perfectly placed along the color change on front and back of the sweater. My grandmother helped me to sew the finished pieces and knitted the crew neck edge around the neck opening. I loved that sweater and was wearing it a lot. I do not have it anymore. I do not know what have happened to the sweater. We might have unravel it to use the yarn again. This is how my love for knitting started. 

After years of knitting, in 2011 I tiptoed into a knitting pattern writing.

My first published knitting pattern was for the Apples in May 2011. The link to this free pattern is here:

Apples

My first knitting pattern published by a third party was for Snowballs, in January 2012. The pattern was originally published by Petite Purls, In Issue 11, Winter. It is available as a free pattern. Link here:

Snowballs

And so it continued for the past nine years. Creating, sketching, knitting samples, making notes, writing patterns, editing, sending out my ideas to submission calls and more of knitting, creating, editing, and writing. As of today I have either independently or through a third parties published 279 patterns.

The list of my Knitting Patterns on my blog or on Ravelry with pictures My Knitting Patterns.

This month eight of my knitting patterns were published.

Independent work is Meg and School of Fish

In October Issue of I Like Knitting Magazine are: 

Pawsome-Hat  to complete the Paw-some Dog Cowl and Human Scarf 

A set of Spotted Around Hat and Spotted Around Scarf

and Harvest Poncho

All the photos of these four patterns are by I Like Knitting

Brunelli Wrap was published in October Issue of Knotions Magazine.

photo by Kelli Nuss for Knotions Magazine. 

Misty Cowl was published by Knitpicks in the new textured collection titled Pathways. 

photo by Knitpicks.

Cuddly Cat Pillow is the last pattern that was published by Interweave Knits in their Gifts 2020 Issue magazine.

photo by Interweave Knits 

I hope to continue with creating more knitting patterns in the future for some time.

As for the rest of this year, I have an e-book project, that I started to work on last winter and slowly it started to take shape over the months of pandemic and staying home. This collection of small knitting projects will be released over the next three months. These small projects are all using small amount of yarn that I had home from a various previous knitting projects. They are all a fantastic, funky, fast and instant gratification giftable items for almost everyone. 

More on this project is coming up over the next three months. Just to give you a little sneak preview... if you look closely into my knitting bag in this picture, few of those critters are peaking out.

Thank you for reading and for visiting.

New Knitting Patterns

Somehow this month I will have several knitting patterns published by a variety of third parties.

First I would like to mention that my  Bark Scarf, previously published by Knitpicks in their book collection titled Flaunt is now available as Ravelry download pattern, and will soon be available to purchase on Lovecraft website as well. I love the simplicity of the mistake rib pattern in one color and two colors and the possibility of colors that can be created. The pattern is written for bulky weight yarn and is fabulous for beginners. 

Four of my knitting patterns were published in the October Issue of I Like Knitting magazine. In this blog post from July I wrote about working on these four pattern and knitting the samples in two weeks.

Deadline Work

First of the patterns that are part of the October Issue 2020 is the Paw-some Hat. It is a matching hat to the Paw-some Dog Cowl and Paw-some Human Infinity Scarf. First two images were taken by I Like Knitting. The last image is my favorite model T-Bone waiting for his daily walk in the fancy Paw-some Dog Cowl. 

Second and third pattern included in the October Issue are Spotted Around Scarf and Spotted Around Hat.  The Spotted Around Scarf is actually on the cover picture of the magazine issue. Both photos by I Like Knitting.

Fourth Pattern in the issue is Harvest Poncho.  A snuggly soft and reversible poncho  knit in wonderful Cascade Yarns Aereo. Photo by I Like Knitting.

 Thank you for visiting.

Knitting pattern for Rib Hat and few more patterns

Rib Hat

A while back I received a skein of yarn from Lovecraft. It was The Yarn Collective, DK weight Bloomsbury in a gorgeous Indigo color. I made a hat, and another from the same skein of yarn. I also had another color of the same yarn and made two more hats. The rhythm of 2x2 ribbing is fairly simple and looks great on anyone. The crown is shaped into a point and the hat is reversible. 

Rib Hat

You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry, Lovecraft, and also here by clicking on this button:

 

 

 Also the rights to some of my previously published patterns by a third party has returned to me and I can sell the patterns as an independent designer.

You can purchase these patterns on Ravelry and Lovecraft website. Link to the pattern stores are on the side of the blog.

First it is my favorite Golden Hour Fair Isle Scarf

A colorful exploration of fair isle knitting. The original sample is using 11 different colors, but the pattern invites you to play with your own favorite colors and create an original scarf. 

Golden Hour Fair Isle Scarf

Luna Infinity Scarf and Cowl is another pattern that has just recently been added to my own store on Ravelry and Lovecraft. 

A super quick textured infinity scarf or cowl worked in Cascade Magnum yarn is  done in a matter of hours.

photo by I Like Knitting

Cora clutch is a combination of knitting and sewing. The outer layer is knitted, while the inside layer is made of fabric. The two layers are attached to a zipper, which securely closes the bag, and a knitted flap is secured with two buttons. 

photo by I Like Knitting

Thank you for visiting.

Running Hat, Calypso Cowl and Top 50 knitting patterns

Recently I have added two of my knitting patterns that were originally published by a third party into my Ravelry store.

Runner Hat was originally published by Knitpicks in their Under 200 book collection.  The pattern is available now to buy at my Ravelry store, by clicking on this button:



 and soon the pattern will be available on Lovecraft webiste as well.

photo by Knitpicks

Calypso Cowl was originally published by I Like Knitting in their February 2019 issue of magazine.
The pattern is available now to buy at my Ravelry store, by clicking on this button:



and soon will be available on Lovecraft website as well.

photo by I Like Knitting

Calypso Cowl together with my two other knitting patterns ( Watermelon Pouch, Golden Hour Fair Isle Scarf) made it into their Top 50 Knitting patterns of 2019  list. The link is here:
Best Knitting Patterns of 2019

photo by I Like Knitting

photo by I Like Knitting

photo by I Like Knitting

Thank you for visiting.