Happy New Year! (Note : Competition hidden in post)

Yes a tad late, several days late, even though New Zealand is one of the first to celebrate such events, but better late than never. So another year, which means another year of knitting done, and a year of knitting to look forward to. I counted up my knitted projects last year, and found I had worked twelve pairs of socks, two cardigans for me, two shawls, two pairs of mittens, one wall hanging, one scarf, one baby singlet, one jersey for a cub, one giant blanket, one hotie cover, one pattern for baby booties and ... two secret projects. One is finished, and really deserves an outing, the other is still in progress and can't be revealed yet. All in all a good year knitwise.
To start the new year off - I will detail a project that never quite made the blog - even though it was finished around this time last year, introduce the two finished socks that just squeaked into 2010, and the new sock - because one simply has to have a sock on the needles.

So .. the project that never made it to the blog? Well, now youngest cub has switched from Gymnastics to Ballet I have become a Ballet-mum. One of the tasks of Ballet parents is to supply the ballet clothes, shoes, tights and leotards, plus a classic ballet wrap cardigan. I happy confess to being a Elizabeth Zimmerman convert, seeking to knit without seams rather than knit components that will be seamed together ....but I was unable to locate a pattern for a ballet wrap that was interesting to knit and pretty. I decided to develop my own .. and started with a few sketches, and developed a design that I thought could be knit all in one with no seams.

Then I tried knitting one, in fashion design the test garment is called a toile, and is made from cheaper materials just to test the design idea, the proportions, and fit and construction. So I toiled my idea .. in some fine blue yarn I had around and discovered that my idea would work but I needed to adjust the proportions a little.

Once I had done that I knit it all over again - with modifications, in some lovely mohair based lace yarn, two strands held together with beads all over the yoke.

I was going for subtle, and so selected little light beads that would provide a slight hint of sparkle .. and I wanted some that were comfy to wear. If I was going to knit a cardigan in lace weight yarn on fine needles I wanted it to be worn not discarded because the beads were uncomfortable. I also had a lot of fun using all the little finishing touches that I could think off, like working a mock-icord edge and shaping with short rows, and provisional cast on, and decreases that shape the garment from the center back right out across the shoulder and down to the end of the ties.
I discovered the wrap worked well without sleeves ... so had my ballet-cub model it for me last summer. I loved how the garter stitch fabric provides enough stretch to fit easily.

Then I added sleeves, knit in the round with one strand of lace weight so they are slightly sheer, and I worked a beaded garter stitch cuff to finish them off. I loved it .. and the reason I was keeping it a secret was that I intended to submit the design to Knitty. I had discussions with a few people on line about the design but didn't make any thing public because that would make me ineligible for selection by Knitty. One of the discussions resulted in the suggestion of a name .. Cache Coeur - which means Cross your heart in French. I loved that for all sorts of reasons, and more so because of all the ideas of love that went into making a ballet wrap for my youngest cub that really did cross her heart up in my love. I had three offers to test knit this, one I accepted .. and the pattern was polished so others could make sense of it. Unfortunately when I looked today - there are at last count over 60 patterns that use the name Cache Coeur already on Ravelry - Bother!

I spent a lot of time documenting the pattern, and it was test knit (Thank you J - now you can blog it and ravelry it), I formatted the submission and sent it off and waited ... and waited. But Knitty don't publish many kids patterns, and suggested I send it off to Petite Purls (they also suggested I tell them Knitty thought they would be mad if they didn't accept it). But life got busy and the submission system for Petite Purls was completely different to the one for Knitty .. meaning I had to rework my document, and submit a sketch and swatch and design idea before working on the pattern. There I was with a completed pattern, and photo shoot. Life got busy .. I got distracted, the Ballet Wrap went to ballet class and was a hit .. but I had moved on, and I guess I was hurt that my design was not accepted .. but that is part of putting ones ideas out there - rejection is every bit as possible as acceptance.

Which leaves me here, a year latter, with a pattern, all worked up for sizes age 4 to age 16 years, almost complete (Knitty wanted the images left out of the pattern file so I have to add them in and make it look all pretty), and now I'm looking for a name.

So .. suggestions any one? What is a good name for this wee ballet wrap? Should I add one more with the name Cache Coeur or use something else? Smallest Cubs dance school is run by a Miss Bennett, which has a lovely link to Jane Austin ... should it be linked to that? I'm not a ballet person, I was sent to music and art not dance class - I need help here.
I'm prepared to make it a competition --- say two skeins of Vintage Purls lace yarn (She dyes my all time favorite sock yarn and the lace is just as yummy) in return for the best name? That way you would be all set to knit one yourself. Naming competition closes end of January .. at which time I promise to have the pattern all sorted and uploaded to Ravelry and available. To enter please leave a comment on this post with a name suggestion and some way I can contact you (Ravelry name perhaps?).
I'm the kind of person who works best to deadlines, so I'm giving my self a deadline, and making it public ... which should be enough to motivate me.

Most of this post has been about knitting that was off the needles almost a year ago ... which leaves me needing to post recent knitting activity. Well I finished Bears socks, and he is wearing them now.



The spiral socks are done, Spiral Bound, by Vintage Purls, complete and blocked.
I then found myself with no socks on the needles, so I started a new pair. Details next post I promise.


Take care ... hope 2011 is in every way a better year for all
na Stella