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.

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? 

Meet Korra

Korra is the fifth and final design from the Elemental collection, and represents the Fifth Element. This element is different things in different theories - it's balance, or aether or the spirit. Either way, it's an element that combines or compliments the other four.

Korra was the first Hat I designed for this collection, but having worked through Toph, I went back and redesigned it, and defined exactly what I wanted it to be. In keeping with the theories, this Hat features a little of each of the other Elemental Hats.

Within this design you'll find the short row forms that feature heavily within Azula and Toph. You'll also find the strong lines from Opal and Katara, which are also influence not by the short rows of the background, but by the short rows of the foreground. It also features a distinctly different coloured brim, although it doesn't require a two colour graft.

It also features a slightly different, more gathered crown. It doesn't demand to be flat, and instead asks that the fabric collects more organically. The overall shape is that of a comfort slouch, yet if you were to look closely at the pattern, the maths is quite different from the others.

The construction is different from the others, too, or at least in it's approach. Yes, it's knit sideways with short row shaping integrated within the short row patterning, but the way you work the panels asks you to think a little for yourself within a given set of parameters. There are warnings not to go off piste else the fabric won't be balanced, but there is an element of build-your-own here, allowing you to making the Hat unique to you.

Korra is by far the easiest of the five Hats to knit, provided you follow the guidelines for maintaining a balanced fabric. The short row forms are small and easily memorised, and are a good stepping stone towards the more complex Hats

When it came to the photoshoot, this was the first Hat we shot and the only Hat we didn't need to reshoot for optional extras. Considering this was the first time Beth had ever modelled, and given her nervousness about that, I think these photos are bloody brilliant and carry a hint of purity, innocence? with them.

Korra herself is an avatar, which means she is a master of all the elements. She's the Avatar of the second series, and as was the case with her predecessors, her job is to maintain balance between the nations. There is also a spiritual element to all avatar characters, and it makes me really admire the creators of this series, and the thoughtfulness they placed into each and every character and role.

Yarn wise, Korra uses one skein of of Soot and Russet of the Bloomsbury DK. I got both Azula and Korra from the one skein of Russet, but the dark grey fell a little short when I was working on Opal, so do bear that in mind.

And there we have the five Hats in the Elemental collection! There's lots more I want to talk about - the photoshoot location, Beth our wonderful model, and the yarn itself - as we lead up to the release date. Publication isn't long away now and I'm getting pretty excited :D