Hi guys!
Happy August! I hope you're all enjoying the last couple weeks of Summer and are getting excited for the upcoming Pumpkin spice season. I've been finishing up lots of my Summer projects (pictures to come soon) and trying to soak up as much sunshine as I can before the grey skies roll in. I've also been test knitting the heck out of my Dandelion Stitch Cowl pattern. After a few revisions, it's finally ready to launch!

Introducing, my Dandelion Stitch Cowl pattern;

The pattern is a one size fits all. It features a repeating Dandelion stitch that alternates every few rows. ​For my cowl pattern you'll need about 120 yards of Bulky Weight yarn. For my samples I used Cascade Yarns Baby Alpaca Chunky in the colorway Sunflower (above) and Black Trillium Fibers Quadra in the colorway Space Odyssey (below.) 

This pattern is a fun, quick knit which showcases hand dyed yarn beautifully. It features simple step by step instructions and a link to a video resource for those new to the Dandelion Stitch. 

This cowl pattern is now available in my Ravelry store, which you can find HERE. 
If you make this pattern please tag me on Instagram as @ashweather_fa or share with the hashtag #dandelionstitchcowl. 

I hope you enjoy making this cowl as much as I enjoyed designing it! 

Are you planning your Fall knits yet? Comment below what you're getting ready to Cast On!

Thanks for reading!

-Ashley ​

Hi friends!

How's your Summer going? I've been spending most of my time working in my tiny garden and perfecting my custard based Ice Cream recipe. I'm still working on publishing some new original patterns but it's slow going, so I picked up a few July commissions to keep me busy while I'm plugging away. 

The first commission I took on was a Fourth of July themed baby hat and bootie set. 

I'm definitely more of a knitter than a crocheter so this set was more challenging than expected. I used Knit Picks Swish in the colorways Serrano, White and Dusk. Swish is my favorite commission yarn, it's soft, durable, machine washable and most importantly; inexpensive!

​For the booties I used the pattern Baby Sneakers by Angela Bergeron. This pattern was such a life saver, I had spent 3 days trying to get through a  poorly written shoe pattern before I found Angela's pattern and she saved the day! I added a band of red around the outside edge of the sole, white stars on the sides and made a set of shoelaces from fingering weight cotton to make the booties extra adorable. Not gonna lie, these guys took me forever! I am not the best at crochet and def had to look some stuff up; which stitch is your BOR? how do I weave in these ends? etc. It was a learning journey. I think they turned out pretty cute though.
​

My next July commission was a set of Luna Lovegood themed leg warmers. 

These guys were commissioned for a Cosplay. Again, I used Knit Picks Swish, this time in the colorways Black, Dusk, Marine Heather, Gulfstream and Marina. 

I improvised the pattern for these by measuring a pair of leg warmers I have that fit well and casting on a pair in roughly the same size. I used this great tutorial by Love Crafts for knitting stripes in the round to get rid of any unsightly jogs. I used the Traveling Stripes method. These leg warmers knitted up really quickly and should be arriving at their forever home by the end of the week!

That's it for my July commissions!

As far as non-commissioned work goes, right now I'm working on a new pair of socks from my Silk Road Socks book. The pattern is titled Mood, so far it's pretty cut and dry, my only issue was gauge since it's written for a fingering weight OR a sport weight. I ended up making many a swatch before I was sure which sock size and needle size would combine for the perfect mens sock. (I went with 2.5 needles and the 80 stitch CO.)

I'm making these in Knit Picks Hawthorn Kettle Dye in the colorway Conifer. Hawthorn is a Peruvian Highland Wool blend so it's not as soft as a merino but it makes a hard wearing pair of socks. I take forever to knit socks so these guys will probably be done just in time for the cold weather to hit!

I'm also working on the pattern Nora Baby Blanket by Lucia Ruiz de Aguirre. I'm making this blanket for my partners office which is icy cold all year round. 

I'm knitting this project in Black Trillium Fiber Co. Quadra in the colorway Space Odyssey. It's a Super Bulky 90% SW Merino, 10% Cultivated Silk. I love the yarn but, since it's hand dyed, there's quite a variance in the coloration of each skein. I've been alternating skeins off and on but I still think it will have noticeable different panels of color once it's blocked. 

Thanks for reading!

Comment below what you're working on this July!

​-Ashley

Hi friends!
I'm back with a new project to share! I don't know if you follow Melody Hoffmann (@bmandarines on Instagram) but she has released a lovely set of mystery/knit along sock patterns called The Simple Sock Collective. I've just finished the first pair!

Hi friends!
Today is the day!
My Bulky Ribbed Sock pattern is live on Ravelry!

Hi guys!

I've finished my Bulky Weight Sock Pattern and I'm looking for test knitters! These socks whip up super quickly and are perfect for chilly Spring mornings. 

Hi guys!
I just wanted to pop in and share my latest FO with you! 

Hi friends! 

I've got another finished commission to share with you today!

My Autumn's Weekend Shawl;

Hey guys!

​I finished my commissioned Fisherman's Rib Scarf!

Hi guys!

My commissioned knee high socks are finally complete! 

Hey friends!

I wanted to stop in and share some of my potential knits for the New Year. (I know I'm a little late but better late than never!) I've got quite a bit of design work I want to focus on in 2019 but I won't let that stop me from working on some of these beautifully designed projects. Without further ado, here are the gorgeous patterns that have been calling my name lately.