A publication date for Elemental!

Indeedy! I've been promising the collection will be available during the first week of September, and I can now confirm that Elemental will be published on 4th September (which I believe is Labour Day in the US)

The eBook is now ready, and my next task is getting the print edition ready to go. 

To whet your appetite, here's a look at the back cover! Zabet has again done such a fantastic job of the graphics and it pleases me no end that the layout takes a break from the norm.

As I hope you've now come to expect, there's a whole bunch of tutorials in this book, including the new tutorial for grafting across a colour change (if you handled grafting slipped stitches you'll find this a total doddle).

It's really not long to go now until this special project goes live and I can't wait for you to see it! The response online, especially on Instagram, to these Hats has been overwhelming at times (in a good way) and I'm so hoping the book doesn't disappoint...

If you're a newsletter subscriber then keep an eye on your inbox this monday, and if you're not a subscriber, why not?!

Elemental - a look at the crowns

I thought perhaps you'd like to see how the Elemental Hats look from the top, with their crowns as circles?

They're as beautiful as you might imagine them to be :)

We're getting close to release time now! Remember to either sign up for my newsletter, follow along on Instagram or keep up with the blog (or all three!) to know as soon as Elemental is published.

A Year of Techniques - my Ruschia Hat

A Year of Techniques is now over halfway through, and the final patterns are being revealed this week. Members of Jen and Jim's group on Ravelry have been guessing which yarns and which techniques are used by which designers, and some of those guesses were pretty close!

I can say that my Hat may feature grafting, but my technique is short rows. Indeedy, my Hat is a sideways knit short row Hat!

Knit with Fyberspates lusciously soft Scrumptious Aran, the Hat is a comfortable fit with subtle slip stitch details. The Hat is created by working a panel over and over, and that allows for trying it on as you go and adding an extra panel should you need it.

The short row method recommended in this pattern is German Short Rows - they're so much easier to work in a sideways Hat in garter stitch, and they're much easier to graft than the w&t method or other short row methods. Jen has written thorough and clear tutorials to to go with each pattern, so subscribers and purchases of the AYoT book will get all of that included.

Gotta love the weathered painted wooden wall and the circles on Jen's outfit, yes? I know Jen was really pleased with these photos and I can see why!

This is a great collection, featuring patterns that centre around a technique, around something to new to learn. I'm in good company with this book, and having known Jen for many years now I'm familiar with her want to share knowledge and teach skills, I know it's going to be a well used and treasured book.

There'll be a AYoT KAL for the Ruschia Hat on Ravelry from 4th October, and the KAL will be held in AC Knitwear group. I'll also have a discussion thread in my group and everyone is welcome to share their progress there, too :)

It's sideways knit Hats all the way this year! 

Photos reproduced with kind permission.

Elemental - the cover revealed!

We're so close now to publishing the Elemental collection. The book is in the very final stages with the editors checking every last detail for you. There's three editors working away on this, each bringing a different perspective and expertise.

And now... here is the cover! We do hope you like it :)

pssst/ if you haven't already, sign up for my newsletter to have details of it's publication come straight to your inbox.

I can't wait for you to see it!

Yardage & sizing info for the Elemental Hats

As we draw ever closer to the publication of the Elemental collection, you'll be wanting to make sure you have your yarn!

Below is an image of the front cover of each single pattern. Exactly the same info will be included in the book. The yardage calculations include a tolerance (about 10%) and the swatch can be knit in any colour... in fact, once you've made one, you won't need to reswatch. From each image you can also click through to the pattern's own page, where all the info is laid out in my usual way.

The yarn used is Bloomsbury DK from The Yarn Collective. I'll do a proper review another day, but suffice to say this yarn is delicious! It has amazing stitch definition, a wonderful shine and bounces back despite repeated frogging. Carol Feller curated these colours, and they work so well together.

As I've mentioned before, these patterns are graded through gauge, and fine adjustments in needle size is all that's needed. You will need to swatch before starting your first Hat, and that will help to determine size - slouch as well as fit. Do have a look to at the notes about the size the model is wearing, and her head size - Beth was tiny! The sample size does fit on my head (garter stitch is way stretchier than it ought to be) but they fit like a skinny beanie, without slouch, so do consider what style you prefer to wear. There is also the option of working fewer or more panels, too.

Fear not though, as there will be a Ravelry discussion thread for each Hat, so you'll be able to pop over and ask away. I haven't planned a KAL for these Hats as I've been so busy with everything else, but I don't see why we can't knit along together during September?