New design tuesday - a little love

I'm rushing to get this post done - our internet is dodgy again, so I'm going to have to contact the ISP, go through all of their silly steps (because no matter how often this happens, they blame our equipment first!) and then wait for them to fix it, so i'm using my iPhone as a wireless hotspot, however the 3G is dodgy too so I'm not sure how long I will have!

Cosset is finished, and I love her. I used the Skeinz chunky single, which is an absolute dream to knit, and am now knitting another in Lambs pride bulky, it would look great in Cascade Magnum, Debbie Bliss Como, or Blue Sky Alpacas bulky. 

The pattern is simple, a child who can knit in the round can knit her own sweater in a day or two. The sweater has a straight neckline, which sits nicely on the collarbones, short sleeves which are big enough to fit a long sleeved t shirt under, but not gapey and a sweet ribbon tie.

The pattern has been written, I'll probably put it up for testing on the weekend - when I am sure my internet is working.

My yarn order from Janette's arrived within a week of ordering, they have great service, and great prices on the yarns that I can't get locally.

These are for samples for a trunk show, I wanted antique-y colours which would work together as a collection, and I'm very happy with these.

That's my christmas holiday plan, sit outside on the deck under the sunshade and knit teeny baby samples!

New design tuesday - from one extreme to the other

When I had finished the Aria sweater I wasn't sure...it just seemed too easy, too simple, I didn't think people would like it, especially the tweenies it was designed for.

I was wrong.

Every little girl who has seen it has loved it, and my model loved it and told me why. "It isn't fussy, it doesn't pull up, it doesn't get in the way, it doesn't have sleeves, it fits over my head, it has a pocket"

So I will be writing the pattern up and sending it into the process, I'm thinking 1 to 12 years, as it fits across the years quite well. My model is a skinny 8 year old with a 6-7 year old chest measurement, wearing the 6 year old size as a tunic, whereas a 6 year old could wear it to mid thigh with leggings, versatile!

From technicolour glory to french vanilla delight.

I wasn't going to try this idea out, these poncho style tops are very trendy this summer in NZ, but I like the idea of a winter/spring version in wool. The bottom band is very fitted and then the front and back separate and increase to create the wings, which will then be fastened. I'm so glad I decided to go ahead with the idea, I love the simplicity of it and I know it will look lovely with a long sleeved t and jeans or over a dress.

New design tuesday - a riot of colour

Some days pass with a flurry of ideas, sometimes I have the yarn here ready (less times than I wish though...I'm not really making any inroads into the stash...) but often I have to order it in...and wait until it arrives (never very long...it's always here within the week, even from the UK and US)

This week I started a garment with some stash yarn, knowing that I would need more and luckily the extra arrived before I had finished what I had on hand, so I had no down time while waiting for my other yarn to arrive (and I'm glad that it took a bit longer than expected because now that it is here I don't want to blog, or garden or edit, cook or walk. I just want to knit)

The tunic dress is another useful item for 2-10 year olds, easy to pop on over leggings and a polyprop or skivvy, the pocket gives it a wee edge and can be adorned with intarsia, bobbles or buttons as you see fit.

As you can see it is not quite finished, so when I have finished blogging, and had a walk, I will take it up again and finish it.

I have promised myself that when I have finished the tunic dress and written the pattern up nicely and asked for test knitters, when I have reviewed the cherub tech edit and when I have come up with a nice lace insert pattern for another wee frippery in the wings, then and only then will I be allowed to start working with this yummy Poems sock yarn from Wisdom yarns. I love it, the yarn is similar to Noro kureyon sock, but with longer colour changes and the colourways do not jar with my sensibilities the way Noro yarns sometimes do ( I have never been one to be completely "at one" with the Noro)

I've already tested some ideas using silk garden sock, a simple tank top in a simple lacey stripe, somewhat Missoni inspired and structurally basic so that the yarn is the star. I just can't wait to get going!!

New design tuesday

I'm back from my trip down south, Mum and I had a lovely time at the fete and then tiki touring (see link for definition) our way back to Christchurch via Oxford and Birdlings flat.
Holly and Nick are back in their house and it's looking great, the builders managed to preserve the antique ceiling roses in every room, so the house looks modern and funky, but with a nod to it's history as well.

It was lovely to have a break away, and I've spent the past 2 days back home working madly to make up the time!

The Cherub pattern has gone to the tech editor

Katie Snowflake is still in testing mode, but I did manage to get some sweet photos yesterday.

I had my children young, so I did all of the kindy committee, school board of trustees, Plunket fundraiser stuff years ago, and when we moved the last time the girls were almost finished high school or were at Uni, so I didn't have the opportunity to meet people with young children. The upshot is that while I am designing for babies and children, I don't get to see many on a regular basis, though we are getting to spend a bit more time with Cody now that he is older.

Charlotte has a number of friends with young children, and we seem to have to come to an arrangement...they love having their children's photos taken and are enthusiastic when I ask to borrow their kids, in return I provide them with a flash drive of photos and prints of the best shots, which they prefer to "shopping mall" photos which tend to be boring and pricey.

So, yesterday 4 yr old B helped me out with Katie Snowflake, she was an excellent model, took direction well and maintained her demeanor, the only snag we ran into was with the hood, B had lovely pigtails, which unfortunately distorted the hood quite dramatically...however, I know 4 year old girls well enough to know that asking her to take her pigtails out would have resulted in a meltdown and we all wanted to avoid that!

here is my favorite shot

 and one of their Mum's favorites

I'm waiting impatiently for some yarn to arrive so that I can get started on another design for 4-12 year old girls, and in the meantime I'm knitting some cool stripes, I'll give you a peek next week!

Don't forget to enter the free friday contest! 

New design tuesday - the one where I finish something!

The new website is up!

I haven't migrated the "help" pages over, there are so many great tutorials available on Youtube these days that I felt mine were redundant, and they were taking up space...so I ditched them.

I've got some cool wee movie type photo album things (technical term) on the pattern pages, so I have been able to reduce the number of pictures on those pages, unfortunately I can't link from these photo album thingys so the baby pattern page is still quite overloaded...c'est la vie!

The website still needs tweaking, but it is simple and it works (and I can update it!) so I'm very happy.

We spent some of the weekend in the garden finally, the raspberry and strawberry beds needed an overhaul before they start coming back to life, and not before time because look at what burst into bloom

and I bought this one (before it flowered) because I knew how divine it would  make the house smell, and I wasn't disappointed.

As for knitting, today I am finishing my "knitting homework" making the swatches I will need for my steeking class at KAN2  I am bursting with excitement at the idea of spending 2.5 days surrounded by knitters, knitting, yarn and wine! I'm also swatching for a teddy bear sweater... which was previously on the list of "thing I will never knit" along with rugby bootees and a toilet roll cover. My dear husband made the request for a teddy who will be exploring Russia and wearing the company logo, so how could I decline?

The Baby Basics test knit is coming along well, there have been some lovely FOs so far

The Big Love revamp is almost done, then that will go for testing too...so many cute little sweaters lying around the place I think it's time to borrow some babies and have a photoshoot!

New (website) design tuesday

I haven't knitted for 3 days, not a stitch instead I have been building a new website, using new software and learning a lot in the process (we'll forget about the swear words - they weren't new) I finally have it to the stage where it is bare bones finished and all of the links are in place, now I have to pretty it up and publish it. I'm quite scared about the publishing bit, I've used Frontpage for so long that I know all of it's quirks, and it is all set up to publish easily. I suppose I shouldn't be so scared given that I haven't even looked at that part of the manual yet!

Plum blossom will no longer show herself on these new design pages as she is now out in the world and doing swimmingly.

Baby Basics are still in testing  - I have seen a few finished projects and they are looking good despite my earlier mishaps.

Big Love - still knitting, thats the knitting I should have been doing while not website building over the past few days...but I was too braindead!

I'll let you know when the new site is up, it's a lot tidier than the last one ( although I still can't corral the baby patterns into looking neat) and smaller, I've thought about what is really necessary and what is just taking up space.

Have a great week, I'll be back sooner if I manage to finish something!

New design Tuesday - round up

Today I'm just going to catch you up on where the current designs stand...there hasn't been much knitting this week, my Uncle passed away on Thursday after a brave battle.

My parents, sister and I came to NZ in 1972, my Uncle arrived in 1986 and my grandparents about 12 years later, my sister now lives back in England, my grandparents are quite elderly and my Uncle never married or had children so everything has fallen to Mum to organize, and as always she is doing a stellar job.

Today I emailed Blaise with a link to a macaron recipe I knew she would like, and said that we have to make them soon, she replied "as soon as the crazy has calmed" and my reply "haven't you learnt yet Blaise? The crazy never ends, you just have to learn to ride the waves"

My way of riding those waves is to knit:

- Grellow...actually we are almost friends again, the sleeves are on and I'll be finished this evening

- Nikau revisited...very happy with these, need to write the pattern, found 2 beautiful babes for the photos

- plum blossom...still waiting for me to correct the spelling and punctuation...

- and a newie...Torrent...simple, bright, useful...more info soon!

Have a great week, we will be saying goodbye to my Uncle The best way we know how...with words and memories, hanging out as a family, making to most of each other.

New design tuesday - working

I like it when a detour suddenly becomes the right road, when meandering (and let's face it...avoidance) leads us back to the path.

I took an idea that I liked with that Grellow, and turned it into something that I am only just starting to like again, it's a fair few weeks away from being finished at this rate, so I decided to turn my energy into improving something I like very much, the Nikau sweater...the pattern needed updating (I am so much better at writing patterns now) the yarn didn't work for most people and the motif wasn't doing it for me.

Here is a photo of the old Nikau and the New Nikau (top)

Not too much difference overall...everything has changed, but everything has remained the same.

the yarn is thicker (took me 2 days to knit...with plenty of breaks, and work) but still organic, the motif much more clearly defined, and the hood....SO much easier, so much easier.

and a few options for those who aren't so much into Nikau palms...this will look lovely when blocked, there is a polar bear motif to come and there will be a funnel neck option as well...for those who like hats more than hoods.

The Plum blossom cardigan has been revised by the Tech editor, now I have to make my changes and send it back to her...not too much longer.

New design tuesday - old design tuesday!

Hopefully this incarnation will be the last for the Grellow (working title) I completely ripped the Koigu one!

This is how I work, I refine and change elements that aren't working, I get ideas along the way and suddenly the reason I came up with the pattern in the first place (3 colour slip st) has disappeared from the design altogether!

I'm knitting this version with Wollemeise, initially I thought the yarn maybe too firm for babywear, however it knits up beautifully and gives real bounce to the stitch patterns, and even though I have only been knitting Grellows for weeks, I have been frantically sketching whilst doing so, and now have an entire e-books worth of 4ply (fingering) weight designs ready to take their place in the line up...hopefully the process will not be as torturous as this has been.

Who knows what will be here next tuesday...maybe I will have finished...maybe I will decide to add a hood...c'est la vie!

New design Tuesday - the one where I distract you with a jellyfish

Here is the jellyfish of the title...it is really an adult sized Aviatrix ( I used the largest size worsted pattern instructions, but used a bulky weight yarn) with built in scarf, here it is blocking. The combo actually looks really good on, I should get a photo when Blaise comes to pick it up on Thursday. I started it on friday and finished it yesterday, it was good mindless knitting for the stolen moments I was able to grab.

I did not accomplish anything like the amount of knitting I had optimistically hoped this long weekend, in fact very little knitting was done at all, however there was lots of family time, and couple time which more than made up for it. Charlotte's birthday tea was combined with Easter sunday, so most of the family gathered around at our house for a big Indian feast, I love preparing, cooking and eating Indian food, so leap at any chance to go all out!

The Grellow (working title) cardigan has grown a little, I am onto the slip moss st bodice now (this is the newborn size) I love, love, love the i-cord cast on...it is neat, tidy, clever and strong enough to prevent rolling, did I tell you I loved it already? I have tweaked almost every aspect of this cardigan, but will wait until it is almost finished to decide if it needs ties or buttons, ties are nice, but buttons are convenient for parents...we will see.
I also love how this yarn works with the stitch patter, I have found these short colour change yarns ( I have used Koigu KPPM and Shibui sock in this one) respond very will to slip st patterning, it reduces the appearance of pooling, even if it is achieved by one  pooling colour being layered on top of another pooling colour!

More distractions... I have a couple of patterns in a soon to be released book "10 secrets of The Laidback Knitters" - you can read more about the book here, or on the Facebook page and even attend book signings if you are the United States - so exciting! I can't wait to see it.

New design tuesday - Grellow update

So, I'm happy with how the Grellow (working title) turned out, I have some minor adjustments to make but overall the fit is nice (firmer in the bodice, slightly looser for the rest of the body) the 3 colour slip patterns are fun and easy to learn and the stripes give a bit of relief where more slip st may have pushed the cardigan over the edge. I was thinking that the neckband needs to come down ever so slightly, and I'll use an i-cord cast on, instead of applied i-cord

for my 2nd attempt I am trying a handpainted, multicoloured yarn instead of 3 different colours, it will still have a contrast piped edge (don't worry the green is just there as a border between the 3 swatches I have to knit) I'm thinking either an earthy brown or deep rose pink. When I come to write the pattern up I will include instructions for both versions. I have a fun hat taking shape in my head too...we'll see if I can manage to make that a reality before the next big thing takes over...

and speaking of which, you may remember this:

My Sakura sweater is about to be reincarnated into something which is simple to knit, this one looked a lot easier than it was, it had a complicated chain stripe which looked nice but threw the intarsia right off. 

Easter long weekend looms before us , so I feel positive that progress will be made on this before next Tuesday.

Update: The Baby Plum Blossom sweater pattern is with the Tech editor, then it may go through another test knitter or two to ensure the best results, the wait will be worth it!

New design tuesday-Grellow

The working name of this design is "Grellow" only because those are the colours I am using while I (im)patiently wait for some Wollemeise to arrive so that I can knit a saturated colour version. I have been swatching slip stitch patterns for a while and really like this 3 colour variant, I have used a light grey, lemon and grammar grey (although the colours are askew in the photo) and will knit the body of the jacket in this st pattern.

This is the way I tend to work...swatch, sketch, knit (and write copious notes all of the way through) when I have finished the body part of this jacket I will make a decision about a border of sorts, because I will probably knit the bodice in a 3 colour seed st pattern and will need some definition, and then there are the buttonbands and hems to sort out, I hold an image of the finished garment in my head...now to match reality with imagination.

Mister Man!

he's here! all 20 sizes of him.

I'm actually pretty proud of this pattern, the vest is simple - "v" neck, no body shaping - but the stitch pattern looks amazing with handpainted yarns, the shoulders sit nicely with no overhang, the back neck is snug and the stitch pattern is both charted and written.

Ebony is my favourite colourway from Fleece Artist, the browns and deep blue/greys remind me of rusting steel plate, the kind of thing you see on modern buildings, I like the broodiness of it.

Twilight Plum blossom*

I've told you about my lackadasical design style before, it's an organic, evolving thing...oh yes I can get stuck in, work like billy-o and produce designs in short order, but I prefer to let things flow.

I have been the former for the past month or so, and while I was working on a set commission, my brain was overflowing with ideas, this one just had to come out first - with a string of friends expecting daughters this cardi was inevitable. The moment I sent the last parcel off to my delightful employers I set to finding the perfect yarn...then realising I had the perfect yarn, and I could dye it to the perfect colour.

The yarn is a sportweight merino/silk, the caridgan is plain jane round neck, set in sleeves (with a twist, they are knitted from the top down, with the sts being picked up around the armhole, then a bit of short row shaping and it's done, easy peasy and very fulfilling. The embellishments are embroidered and crocheted, but once again simple-as.

The blossom branch needs to be slightly larger, that's easily fixed, the fact Blaise wants me to knit one for...not so easy in sportweight...we will see, Christmas is coming.

I have a job for you Ravellers - if you think this pattern should be available for sale let me know on this thread in the JustJussi group. If I do decide to offer it for sale, the charts will be larger with each size.

*no vampire connection at all!

and the winner is...

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to think of names and enter, there were so many fantastic ideas, the thoughts and feelings attached to the word brought up so many emotions and further ideas.
I made a (long) short list which I then checked on Ravelry to see if there were any duplicates, unfortunately losing some more names in the process, 6 of us then sat and brainstormed and yelled and laughed at one another for a couple of hours until we had a result.

* suddenexpression with "Mr Man"!

 I'm definitely going to use this method of naming my patterns in the future  - so keep an eye out and come back and try again.

here is a photo of the cover of the pattern - and this is why the name worked so well...a percentage of sales from this pattern will be donated to the Movember campaign (this is a link to last year's campaign - the next starts up in September) - raising funds for prostate cancer research, see how we put a wee mo' on Cody? (don't worry, the other photos of him are au natural) the name just seemed right, we had a consensus.


I'm not sure when the pattern will be launched  - it still needs a bit of tweaking - but it won't be long.

*please email me with your email address justine@justjussi.com

Have you seen the kids?

Flash had a "significant" birthday recently and all of the girls came to celebrate with us (actually they spent a lot of time helping out, serving drinks and cleaning up) we had a wonderful time and finally managed to get a snapshot of the entire family (yes I know Michael is missing but I figured we could photoshop him in later)

So, you probably need to be re-introduced

from Left to right , Flash's girls through to mine, with running commentary of current status:

Melanie - managing a womenswear store in Welly

Maria - 7 months pregnant with the first grandchild, working in a research lab

Blaise - (all together "awwwww") 2nd year at Uni

Charlotte - studying business and improving her fishing technique

Holly - making wine and planning her wedding

I'm so proud of them all - time goes fast - cherish every moment.

And in knitting news? I'm going out of my head trying to make a small allover fairisle pattern stay tidy during tapered sleeve increases. I have tried all of the big names in knitting and cannot find a workable answer...seems everyone just accepts that somewhere along the way the pattern is going to go a little wonky and the best you can do is keep the area of wonkiness as small as possible. I have spent almost 2 days trying to make it perfect and am about ready to declare defeat. I'll keep you posted with my solution.

Soda pop

I've been working away on a group of sweaters for boys and girls - concentrating on the tweenagers but still in sizes 0-10yrs.

There are some chunky sweaters, a couple of fine ribs and some in between, all simple lines and structures so they can be put aside and worked on when time permits.

This design is a special favourite, I love this fairisle, it's quick, easy to memorise and striking, I'm waiting for some yummy yarn to arrive so that I can tweak the design a little more, I think you will love the final effect.

It's still hot and humid in Auckland, but some of the leaves on the liquidamber outside are just starting to turn, Autumn won't be long - the start of good knitting weather!

I'm working...honest!

A Christmas present to myself - from the 50% off sale at a local department store! Pale blue canvas baskets which fit beautifully into my yarn storage shelves, plus they are my favourite colour!

Flash and I both have taken weeks off work, I return 25 January and I think he returns a few days before me.

Flash's idea of a holiday includes a lot of house renovations and repairs - he thinks that is relaxing because he is so busy for the rest of the year that he just can't do it, and since he has to take luxurious overseas holidays as part of his job - the idea of sitting on a beach doesn't appeal.

I don't mind unless he tries to rope me in - he says "come on, your're not busy" I don't know how much longer it will take him to understand that sitting in front of a movie, knitting and taking notes while I go is actually WORKING!! (and it's fun too!)

I am getting a lot of designs out of the head into reality - well...swatch reality so far - but that's an improvement! and I have managed to almost finish the Piha baby blanket - so named for it's handpainted seawater colours, reminiscent of the beach where the Grandchild-to-be's parents spend so much of their time (and will realise soon that it's not the place for a little baby) I have used my own superwash handpainted yarn, with Debbie Bliss cashmerino for the borders - so it is completely machinewashable cosy cot blanket.

I worked 3 "scarves" each is made up of a square of garter st using one of my handdyed yarns , then 20 rows of garter st in the cashmerino, another block of handpaint, another 20 rows of cashmerino, another block. I use a provisional cast on and place the last row on a holder.

When I had finished the scarves, I picked up all along one inside edge, I have worked 20 rows garter st and will graft the last row the the edge of the next "scarf", repeating for the other side, finally I will pick up and knit all around the outside edge, working a double increase at each corner to finish it off nicely. We do not know if the baby is a boy or a girl - but I think these colours will suit either.

Speaking of colours - if you like to design yourself, go look at this at BigHugeLabs, it is a palette picker - just enter a photo and it will seperate the colours out for you - what a great tool! Now I can go and buy fabrics to make cot sheets and blankets too!

Naming rights

More kit knitting: a cardigan version of the cap sleeved singlet - this time in one my hand dyed colourways - I have finally decided on my sport-weight yarn - it is a blend of merino, bamboo and silk - not really machine wash, but I have washed it on a "handwash"setting and it is fine.

I have not sourced my worsted weight yet, I'll be trying some local contacts in the next few weeksto see if they produce what I am looking for, soft, superwash and sproingy (remind me to look up the technical term for "sproingy")

Neither the yarn nor the colourway nor the garment have a name as yet, I was almost there with the colourway - but then ...no.

The close-up shows the colours slightly better - but still not right, I'm in the middle of reworking my workspace - a permanent light box will be part of the set up as getting the photographs right is vital. The colours here are a speckled range of pale green, pale aqua, cream and a range of greys. This dyeing method does not produce pooling, so even short rows do not differ much from the rest of the fabric. The gorgeous buttons are part of my French haul.

The plan for the kits is this: source yarn, design sport weight and worsted weight patterns, decide on colourways (at present I have: 3 plant dyes, 4 speckled as above, 3 saturated solids and 3 soft solids - I think thats enough!) design packaging and marketing and then - launch!

So far almost everything has been done - except the worsted of course. There is the "garter plain and simple" range which you have seen some of, and the "moving on" range which is for knitters with a bit more experience.

There is no time frame here - I'm just working away at it and it will all come together organically, all in good time.

I can give you bit of a hint about some of the previous secret projects now - go visit my friend Maree's blog to get some hints!

The latest secret knitting has been finished and sent - very exciting also - but there will be a terribly long wait before I can say anymore.

but not forgotten

I think of my blog everyday, sometimes I even write...and then delete...

I have a calendar stuck to the wall in front of my laptop - it's a countdown to something so wonderful, so exciting - but I can't share yet, the calendar lists a lot of hurdles I must jump before I get to the "good thing"

Blaise had a consult with a new (to us) orthopaedic surgeon yesterday, he had a lot of good news (we can see him at Starship hospital until she is 20 years old now - the last time we saw someone was 6 years ago and we were told she could go there until she was 15 then she would have to go to the adult hospital) he spent a lot of time assessing her emotional and mental health as it pertains to her body image and came to the same conclusion as her family "she's cool" he commented "you are probably the shortest 18 year old I have met in a while" and she replied "yes, but I'm cute!" which sums her attitude up nicely.

We are going back to see him in a year, and from the looks of things she will probably need another op, the lumbar curve is at 21 degrees, but the thoracic curve has moved from 38 to 45 over 6 years, Blaise is stoic - we'll do what has to be done and move on.

Vintage is almost over, today is Holly's last day - tomorrow she goes home to Christchurch - sad for us, but exciting for her, now that she has a home of her own there and a brand new neice - Pippa, who was born last weekend (yes, I have knitted her a pink homespun merino Aviatrix (here for non-ravellers), and am half way through a green homespun one)

(some Aviatrix related stats which have me excited - 144 projects, 1236 "loves" and 2151 downloads!)

speaking of free patterns, I'll share my philosophy here:

- I share patterns that I have made for friends or family because they are cute or because I have been asked to, so I usually only include 1 or 2 sizes.

- I do not usually include schematics and sometimes I expect the knitter to make some calculations or find out some information for themselves, unlike most of my "for sale" patterns - which include masses of information.

- I do not re-size or re-write these patterns.

- I do reply to emails and assist knitters with these patterns - as with any of my patterns.

some people think that a free pattern is a good representation of a designer's "for sale" patterns, I can't agree - I do put time and effort into my free patterns, but nowhere near the weeks I put into my "for sale" patterns, if I did all of the things I have listed above I would have to charge - and some designs (like the Aviatrix) are just to cute, and too much fun to knit not to share them.