What's new?

I've been getting a lot of new designs together lately-- all for winter. I'm so glad I have air conditioning, because I don't know how I could stand knitting mohair in the summer otherwise! :)

Previews for the Fall issues of Knit Simple and Knitscene are up, and I have 2 designs in each.

First, Knit Simple:

(photo by Paul Amato)
This one is in Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight, and sized to 3X!

(photo by Rose Callahan)
This one is in Classic Elite Montera and is knit top down in one piece.


And Knitscene:

In Mission Falls 1824 Wool.



In Stacy Charles Tivoli. The collar has some fancy short rows that create angles in the ribbing.

The sweater I'm working on now, for Interweave Knits, should be done in a matter of hours! I've got knitters working on some other projects, so the next few days are going to be filled with finishing (I always do that part myself-- actually I knit most of my samples too).

Retreating, retreating, and Interweave Knits

(Yes, it's true! I finally got something in Interweave Knits- the Marigold Sweater in the Summer issue).

As a rather sharp departure from my usual mode of self-employed solitude, I spent most of the past week and a half at two different (and very enjoyable) retreats. I neglected to bring my camera to either, so here's a couple of pictures borrowed from friends who did (thanks ladies!).


That's me in the back corner looking studious.

First I attended the Spinning Loft's retreat in Pennsylvania, held at a stunningly gorgeous B&B. The focus was breed studies, and I enjoyed it more than I can say. Suffice to say I am now in possession of two items I swore I'd never buy: wool combs and dirty fleece. Thanks to Beth for getting me over my fear of both.

What a view, right? (p.s. Great picture Sonya!)

I was home a grand total of 2 days, then I was off again, this time to a knitting retreat organized by my friend Tina on the shores of Lake Huron, just north of Port Huron. I spent the next few days knitting (yes, on work projects mostly) and spinning a bit too (since the previous weekend had gotten me in the mood). It was so relaxing.

So now I'm back, scrambling to get my ducks back in a row where they belong. Wish me luck!

Happy Belated Birthday

Okay, as evidenced by my not-so-frequent posting these days, apparently I missed my blog's 5th birthday (it was Sunday). Or possibly I missed it because of all the ham and jellybeans, being Easter and all.

Anyway, New Stuff is out!

Little crocheted booties in the May/June Crochet Today!

and

Multiple things in the Knitscene Easy special issue (officially comes out next week).

Also-- yesterday marked 5 years since I published my first design (awwww...)

New Stuff!

I've had several new patterns come out in the past few days-- in the June issue of Knit n' Style, Spring/Summer issue of Knit Simple, and a couple of yarn companies too. Take a look!


photo from Spring/Summer 2010 Knit Simple. Knit in Cascade Fixation.

Vogue Knitting, Spring Nashua

More new stuff!

Cable Neck Cardi in the Spring/Summer issue of Vogue Knitting

3 designs for Nashua Handknits Spring collection

See them all here.

Toe-Up book winners!

Our lucky winners are Melody and Jae! Ladies, please email me at amypolcyn AT yahoo DOT com to let me know your addresses.

Thanks to all who tried!

Circular Knitting Redefined

The new book Circular Knitting Redefined is out, and is a fun interpretation on using circular needles. While all the projects are knit on circular needles, they aren't all in the round--all sorts of methods are included, such as side-to-side, top-down, and more.

I did two designs for the book. First, the Tribeca Belted Cardigan in Nashua Handknits Ecologie Wool (a nice thick and thin organic wool). It's knit in one piece from the bottom up, with raglan shaping and a shawl collar. No seams! The belt is made using double knitting for a nice thick piece that has no "wrong side".

Second, the Chain-Link Cardigan, knit in Berroco Comfort DK. It is knit from cuff to cuff with a slip-stitch color pattern on the cuffs and body. The color pattern is in garter stitch so it stands out in relief against the stockinette stitch ground. Both sweaters are sized up to a 52" bust so they will fit a wide variety of women.