I finally found the time to sit down and put together this pattern.  The Atlanta Knitters Guild Secret knit-a-long took place in June, 2009.  Since starting back to school I have not had time to do much designing or editing and so now it is November and the pattern, somehow, is complete and ready for sale.

I have another pattern in the queue and one in the head, so maybe I can stay motivated to get them out for you all soon.  The next Secret of the Stole Knit-A-Long will probably be next year sometime, but I have no idea when.  The two patterns that I have coming up are more narrow in theme and are really not suitable for a “world-wide” knit-a-long.  There will be another one, I just don’t know when.

Here are the links to Galadriel:

Patternfish and    

I hope you enjoy it.  Fair Winds, DK the Nautical Knitter

First up, I learned to do fair isle this week.  I have only tried this on my own once (winging it) and it turned out nice, but this time I am working from someone else’s pattern and am actually going to produce a pair of socks to boot.  The pattern is Elika, by Heatherly Walker.  The yarn I am using is knitpicks essential and kroy socks.  The pattern is bare bones and basically assumes you already know a lot about knitting socks.  It also includes instructions for a short row heel, which I have learned that I DO NOT LIKE!  The fair isle, on the other hand, is great!!  I can see more fair isle in my future!

Next up is a pair of gloves/mittens.  I have never made gloves or mittens before, so I figured I would make both at once and learn both at the same time.  The pattern is easy enough, but contains errors.  Actually, I expected better instructions in a pattern from Knitty.com, but free is free.  The concept of the fingerless glove covered by a mitten cap is great!  If you want to make a pair of these I suggest these notes as they helped me out tremendously!  So, now I give you the left hand of a pair of Broad Street Mittens by Janis Cortese.

Left Hand Glove

Left Hand Mitten

About a week or two ago the secret knit a long that I put together for the Atlanta Knitting Guild ended.  I designed an original lace pattern for them to knit so they could enjoy the experience of a knit a long and have a pattern (free) to call their own.  The KAL was done exactly like the Secret of the Stole KAL’s, but exclusively for the guild members only.  Here is the resulting pattern.  This pattern will be for sale as soon as we get the photos done this weekend.  If you would like to be notified when the pattern is available please join the Nautical Knitter Designs Yahoo Group.

Blocked and ready for the photo shoot this weekend.

As if knitting wasn’t enough, I also did a bit of sewing this past weekend.  This top is from a Butterick pattern (#4684) and apparently I am a smaller size in Butterick than in Simplicity.  Who knew?  So, this top came out a size or two too big for me.  I do like the pattern though and the next one should fit just right.  This one is being gifted, if it fits and she likes it …

The mail held some wonderful goodies this week as well.  I received 3 new books on my newest interest, socks.  Remember the socks that I just finished that were too short?  Well, I traded them for some awesome hand dyed sock yarn which also came.  Unfortunately, the US Postal Service has not delivered the socks to her yet and I fear that all that hard work may be lost.  If so, I will have to do something to compensate for this lovely yarn she dyed for me.  Snail mail stinks!

Can you tell what is on my list?

Well, if you made it this far in the post you deserve a treat, so for those who have been patiently waiting I can officially say that I have begun test knitting the Secret of the Stole IV!  YAY!  It is probably the coolest pattern I have done to date and I can’t wait to share it with you all.  The yahoo group is not open yet, but you can join the Nautical Knitter Designs group to be notified when it is.  Until then, here is a teaser:

Could it be? Why yes, it is, SOTS IV in progress!

There you have it, my last week or so in a blog post.  I hope your week was just as productive.  Until next time, Fair Winds

The test knitting began in earnest, and then everything came to a screeching to a halt! The chart was not right, something was amiss. Time to rip and rework from the beginning.

Five times I went through this process, one time was not the fault of a chart in error though. It was the fault of being on the boat and not paying attention to the stitch that was running down the ladder like a freight train without brakes! Blame it on the dolphins that were playing nearby!

Anyway, apparently the sixth time is the charm and now the chart and the test knitting are steaming right along. Whoo hoo! The issue I was having with the chart was due to pushing the limits of my knowledge and trying to learn more about design.

One of the reasons I work on these knit a longs is so that I can challenge myself and continue to figure out why a particular pattern is working out the way it is, or is not. Learning new things can sometimes be painful, but most of the time it is well worth the effort.

Here is a photo of Sots and the Secret of the Stole III in progress. He is happily cruising along now.

What’s that you say? You say you can’t see it? Hmmm, I guess you will have to wait until the knit a long in August to get a better look….

Sign-ups are not open for the knit a long yet, but if you would like to be notified when sign-ups begin for the Secret of the Stole III KAL, please join the Nautical Knitter Designs Yahoo group.

Happy Knitting…

Why Designer’s Like Knit-a-long’s

For me, the designer, there are several reasons. The knit a long format gives me a way to try out new designs and new concepts in knitting techniques. Even though my designs are test knitted prior to the knit a long, when it begins I have access to a couple of thousand test knitters, all at varying skill levels to help me make my patterns even better.

Have You Made Any New Friends

Another reason I like to run them is that some of those knitters become my global friends. Mr. K and I have knitting friends all around the globe now and that is priceless. We have participants from all over Europe, the USA, Asia, Africa and sometimes very exotic places that I have to go look up on a map. I hope you have made friends a long the way as well.

Learning Something New is Fun

The main reason I create and enjoy participating in knit a longs, however, is one you might not expect. I absolutely love to see or hear from people when they think they cannot do something and, through a little effort and explanation, realize that they can and it wasn’t as huge and scary as it looked. That is why the format of the knit a long works so well.

Something new is learned by every member, without exception. It may be that you learn how to do a particular stitch that is new to you. You may learn about a specific technique, like placing beads in your knitting or installing a lifeline. You may ultimately learn that the particular knitting style that is involved in the knit a long is just not for you, like lace for example. Regardless, just by being a member we learn something. That is my favorite part of the Secret of the Stole knit a longs!

If you were a member of the Secret of the Stole II KAL, or any other recent knit a long by any designer, what did you learn?

Check out the Nautical Knitter KAL page to find out more about this new knit a long that will be beginning in January.  Please join up and don’t miss out on any of the fun!  In addition, feel free to snag one of these cool new blog buttons Mr. K made for the new KAL.  He is so awesome!

Being a member of the German knitting yahoo groups is not a new thing for me and I realized the other day while skimming the emails that I was actually reading them in German without a translator. How cool is that? Check out Claudia’s blog and tell her I sent you.

How about some eye candy? Check out what Fleegle just finished. She does such amazing lace work. More photos and details of her progression on this knitted lace shawl can be found on her blog.

Last, but not least, Mr. K has added a pre-purchase link to the Patterns page for the Secret of the Stole finished pattern. The complete pattern will be available in PDF format on December 1, 2007. If you would like to be one of the first to receive this pattern in your inbox or you would like to gift it to someone special, please visit the patterns page for more info.

If you would like to be informed about the next Nautical Knitter KAL you can join the yahoo group Nautical Knitter Designs and you will receive the latest updates on new Nautical Knitter patterns and knit-a-longs.

The Sit ‘n Knit New York group in New York City got together and had some fun Saturday evening. About a dozen of them brought their stoles to work on and I am not sure if alcohol was involved or not, but, someone eventually turned the two pointed end upside down and Viola, a bikini top was born. According to reports there was some singing of the song “She wore an Itsy, Bitsy, Teeny, Wheeny Secret of the Stole Bikini”. Here is their version of hint #1. Not quite what I had in mind, but completely hysterical nonetheless. Now I can’t get that song out of my head. Thanks, Judes (who is claiming she is not the one in the shot) for the photo and for making my soda exit my nose this morning. What a hoot.

Other knitting news. Knitting Daily has a short tutorial on how to convert a stitch pattern from knitting flat to knitting in the round. It is pretty basic, but a good place to start if you were wondering how it is done.

Also, check out this free hat pattern for the holidays. I am going to make two for my grandson. One as the pattern is written and one that is a silver or grey with a white, flat “tail” at the top of the hat so it will look like a Hershey Kiss.

Update: For those of you interested in the Knitting Daily advertising issue I wrote about last week, there is a link at the bottom of the advertising emails that says unsubscribe from Knitting Daily promotions. I did that and now all I am receiving is what I originally signed up for and that was the blog posts.

I was wondering if there were any knitters out there that are as excited about October 5th as I am? I am so excited I can hardly stand it.

The Secret of the Stole KAL membership closes at midnight (-6 GMT) tomorrow and the first hint is released October 5th. In case you don’t know what on earth I am talking about, although I am not sure how that is possible, I suppose I should post one last announcement. If you or someone you know hasn’t joined up yet, time is of the essence. Here are the details:

• Description: KAL, SECRET OF THE STOLE I
• Group Type: Yahoo Group [ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/secretofthestole/ ]
• Starts: October 5th, 2007
• Signup Closes: October 4th, 2007
• Group Close: January 15th, 2008
• Pattern Available: Yes, upon last hint
• Pattern Designer: DK the Nautical Knitter

This is a group for the new Secret of the Stole KAL (knit a long) that is beginning October 5, 2007. Along with knitting a stole, several lucky members will receive prizes along the way. This will be a fun group to learn some new techniques, meet some new knitting friends, and have a great time knitting. Membership will be closing for this group on October 4, 2007.

The stole is a combination of lace and beads and the pattern is by Nautical Knitter. Those who complete the Secret of the Stole KAL will have a beautiful stole to wear for New Year’s Eve festivities