A busier stay-cation we’ve never seen: from an all out ball with the nephews during their “designed by moi” Christmas present scavenger hunt, which just so happened to take place outdoors in 16 degrees… FAHRENHEIT, on a dusting of fresh snow Christmas morning to Puddles running off to the puppy emergency vet the next morning! Fear not, he’s on the mend and my Great Dane momma’s heart is utterly relieved. My nephews (and sister and brother-in-law) stay through the end of the year. But as the annum of Daring Details draws to a close, I invite you to look back at the 18 patterns that comprised this year’s theme and the daring details they brought to the wonderful world of yarn and stitches!
K2tog by God – What “Daring Details” are inside this diaper cover? K2tog by God re-introduces my “Zip As You Knit”(TM) technique, which provides an easy way of doing color work for cotton without long yarn carries! I-cords and color work also fall into the “daring details” category.
Zipline – It’s a cowl, it’s a snood, it’s a hat, no… it’s all 3! Convertibility is the “daring detail” behind this design – with 3 ties that run the length of the design and 1 tie that rounds the circumference. It even can be converted to a trendy “messy bun hat” ?. Inspired by extreme winter sports and those daring enough to venture forth when most are bundled up by the fire, the optional beading complements the can-do funky attitude of this unisex design.
Brightwater – Curious as to the Daring Details on the 3rd release of 2017? Watch as the unique wavy shape effortlessly appears right before your eyes as you knit row after row. More secrets are revealed after blocking – the color work magically creates a mock I-cord cable effect where the cables mix colors!
Obverse – Be daring in the details with Obverse cowl. Unisex in function, creative in design, with your added touch, let your personality shine. Beautiful off the needles as a two-colored FO or splurge on afterthoughts applying bobbles or I-cords for show.
Brightwater Upcycle – This pattern’s daring details dares you to learn something fun – in the round knitting with color work and without yarn carries featuring the “Zip As You Knit” (TM) Large Needle variation technique!! Cotton lovers you are no longer at a loss to wool’s natural felting abilities. Brightwater Upcycle is a quick hat that will be on and off your needles in time to enjoy the last bit of winter weather.
Royal Tee – The Daring Details with Royal Tee are optional stripes and faux side seams! Using a purl stitch between 2 cables allows for easy blocking lines while keeping the benefits of seamless knitting. Show off your personal style through color, knit it plain or with solid stripes, or even add in a variegated yarn for extra striping fun.
CIA Cowl – dared you to dive in pattern unknown! CIA Cowl was the first MKAL of 2017. Formerly top-secret, this declassified release of CIA Cowl invites everyone to knit up their own code combination! Knit the base cowl, then choose coding materials like I-cord, crochet chain, or ribbon to connect the dots in your own personal secret code. With over a million combinations it is up to you to decide, will you blend in or stand out in your CIA Cowl?
Matcha Summer – Daring Details are more than meets the eye at first glance – The first: fashion! a plunging back (that still covers your bra) makes this a truly hot weather worthy knit. The second: accents! built in I-cord necklaces add that something special to the neckline. The third: minimal finishing! check out the 2 associated blogs for some summer knitting tricks that will make your love for those little details heart swoon.
Shabby Chic – Shabby Chic dares common stitches to look different than normal through their funky combination! Use such simple techniques as bind off, cast on, garter stitch, and a few yarn overs to create your Shabby Chic inspired FO with just a skein (or 2) of yarn and a couple of hours. How will you wear yours?
Ladies Night Out – Daring details abound on Ladies Night Out… figure flattering bias design, picot edges, seamless knitting, and fashionable bell sleeves with a bias twist! The daring details don’t end there – the pattern itself sports some daring details itself – size color coding and an entire pattern cheat sheet!
Marquise Cut – The daring detail on this jewel is the marquise cut! Elegant cables form marquise cut jewels in this sophisticated knitwear top. The beauty of Marquise Cut is the effortless way it transforms to suit any fashion situation. Add optional glass beads to capture extra sparkle while emphasizing the crisp cable crossings reflected in the 58 facets distinctive of the marquise.
Artist Studio – Sweeping curves on all sides is the daring detail of this artist inspired design! The funny thing is, you actual knit at 90 degrees in order to create the “no right angle” seamless design.
Country Western – Non-interaction of colors in the body of the shawl is the daring detail on this fun shawl design! Each color is used individually and if you look very closely you’ll see half the of the lace is in one color and the other half is in the other. Picots and tassels round out the design elements for shawl that’s ready to ride with you the whole day.
Savvy (Savvy Hat & Savvy Cowl) – Featuring Malabrigo Yarn Mora, the daring details in these complimentary designs was designing with the Malabrigo Quickies program! This was a first for me and a truly exciting adventure. The design includes a daring detail too – mixing cables with lace in silk yarn! Working with silk with the intent to publish for the first time was a learning experience.
Snow Gazer Headband – The daring detail with this new release was designing a headband that complimented the cowl without being identical in all the details. The center highlight from the cowl repeats itself on this design. However, instead of setting this detail in a bed of Stockinette, the detail is broken up and repeated at a set sequence around the rest of the headband! Making this daring detail “complimentary” rather than “matchy matchy” wink.
Snow Gazer – The daring detail on Snow Gazer is multi-colored yarn. If you peruse my shop you’ll discover though I use a variety of colors, especially those with blue tones, I have yet to use a wildly variegated, speckled hand dyed yarn. The challenge was to create a design that highlighted the amazing variety of colors in a manner that was more than the “easy” answer of plain Stockinette stitch. Through shape, short rows, and an eye catching center detail, Snow Gazer cowl dares to prove that color can marry texture and live in harmony as a FO you’ll be proud to show!
Woodsong Camber – a picture’s worth a thousand words and in this case evidence enough of what’s daring about this design ?. Rounding out the year, the final release, Woodsong Camber realizes a 3 ½ year dream and design-in-progress.
Thank you all so much for joining me for the year of “Daring Details”! You spoke and we listened. Now Puddles knows next year’s theme takes us in a totally new theming direction. Tune in next week for the revelation of the 2018 theme…