tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72387068314935894132024-02-07T12:15:41.964-08:00blue bee studioElizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-45711805753107224432015-11-29T18:25:00.000-08:002015-11-29T18:25:21.551-08:00Moving day
I'm happy to announce that the Blue Bee Studio Blog has a shiny new home over at bluebeestudio.com. Please come visit, (and update your feed reader settings), but most of all, let me know what you think!
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-385624866675123632015-07-20T21:18:00.000-07:002015-07-20T21:18:06.624-07:00From the top
I love set-in sleeve sweaters. In my opinion, they are the most universally flattering garment style. But in order for them to flatter, they really need to fit properly.
With a classic, bottom-up, pieced sweater, where the sleeves are knit separately then sewn into the armholes, adjusting the fit of the upper bodice, armholes and sleeve caps is no trivial matter. Because of this, knitters are Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-60351614973847000342015-06-18T10:01:00.000-07:002015-06-18T10:01:41.325-07:00New pattern: Colina
With a flattering draped neckline, Colina is the uptown cousin of the recently released Lina tank. Designed in Sparrow, Quince and Co's fingering weight organic linen yarn, both Lina and Colina are worked from the top—without a single purl stitch between them. Garter stitch worked flat makes up the bodice, and stockinette in the round the skirt.
Colina begins with the neckline drape, a long Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-79525227100168865542015-06-11T19:23:00.000-07:002015-06-14T19:46:10.213-07:00Warming up to linen
Made from the long, straight fibers of the flax plant's stem, linen is cool and drapey, the perfect thing for knitting warm-weather garments. If you have never worked with an inelastic fiber though, linen can feel pretty different the first time you try it. So here are a few tips for getting comfortable with this most glorious fiber:
Relax. Linen yarn doesn’t conform to the needles the way Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-23994234428169862672015-06-08T06:42:00.000-07:002015-06-08T06:44:46.712-07:00Lina
I'm happy to announce the release of Lina, a simple tank with a flattering A-line shape, knit in Sparrow, Quince and Co's fingering-weight linen yarn.
I adore Sparrow. It knits up into a fabric with incredible drape and sheen. But if you are new to working with linen yarn, it can feel a bit, um, different. So, in addition to being the perfect simple warm-weather tank, Lina is designed to be anElizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-60006775992186830022015-03-07T12:47:00.000-08:002015-03-07T12:47:44.555-08:00Metalwork update—and a knit-along!
If you are subscribed to the Metalwork collection, you'll have received two new patterns this week, Antimony, a slouchy hat with optional dangly pompoms, and Into Gold, the tam—originally designed for the Woolen Rabbit yarn club—that inspired the whole collection. Both patterns are now available individually, or as part of the collection, in the Blue Bee Studio Ravelry store.
If you are Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-8026094363062228792014-11-11T06:47:00.001-08:002014-11-11T06:47:40.971-08:00Metalwork collection
Metalwork is new a subscription-based pattern collection featuring five accessory designs, each full of rich, textured stitches and knitterly details.
The idea for the collection began with a hat I designed for The Woolen Rabbit's 2014 Yarn Club. The interplay of textures that came together for Into Gold reminded me of details found in metalsmithing or fine jewelry. What's more, Kim's Emma Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-35524893842252838442014-10-09T16:15:00.000-07:002014-10-09T16:15:59.963-07:00Hand-wound
Can I tell you a secret? I don't own a ball-winder. Nope. I wind my yarn by hand. I know what you’re thinking—really, I do. But I consider it pure pleasure. Want to know why?
To begin with, there’s the tactile experience. Whether I’m knitting with it or just holding it, touching yarn makes me happy. When you wind a ball by hand, the strand is continually running through your fingers. If it’s aElizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-22004361909020264182014-08-28T20:06:00.000-07:002014-08-28T20:06:37.993-07:00Into gold
There are times when a design just comes to you, fully formed. When Kim, the talented dyer behind The Woolen Rabbit yarns invited me to contribute to her 'Once upon a time' themed club, I saw my design in an instant. I'd been swatching a stitch pattern that made me think of woven straw. Combining that texture with a coin cable was a bit of a literal take on Rumpelstiltskin, but once I'd Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-80246145563727599682014-05-24T17:00:00.000-07:002014-05-24T17:00:01.547-07:00Welcome Summer!
What better way to celebrate the long holiday weekend and the return of warm weather than with a pattern sale?
From now through Tuesday May 27th, all independently published Blue Bee Studio designs are 20% off. Just click the 'use a coupon code' link in the Ravelry shopping cart, and enter welcome_summer.
Happy, happy Summer!
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-12325013514647635152014-01-04T07:31:00.000-08:002014-01-04T08:38:48.964-08:00Wrong side tracks, part two
In my previous post I discussed how needle angles can affect the size of knit and purl stitches and lead to rowing-out. Here's a video that shows what I'm talking about, as well the changes I've made to correct my own rowing-out issues. Hope you find it helpful!Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-42225864576339461502013-12-14T16:02:00.000-08:002014-01-03T19:23:43.319-08:00Wrong-side tracks
Next to garter stitch, stockinette is the simplest sort of knitting you can do. At the same time, it can be the most difficult to do really well. Just work back and forth for a while in a smooth, solid-colored yarn, and you'll get a lesson in which aspects of your technique are wanting.
Personally, I've always rowed out. Pretty badly. If you aren't familiar with the expression, 'rowing out' Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-77803906569640198312013-10-31T18:43:00.000-07:002013-10-31T18:43:43.242-07:00Gift-A-Long
Starting today, a group of indie designers is throwing a huge party on Ravelry that we’re calling Gift-A-Long.
What’s it all about? Well to begin with, it’s a sale. Participating designers are offering 25% off selected patterns through November 15th. Just enter the coupon code ’giftalong’ at checkout to receive the discount.
And there's more! Through December 31st, CAL/KALs will be running in Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-47706976899773219792013-10-17T17:29:00.000-07:002013-10-17T19:09:25.680-07:00Grass River
Near our house there's a wide wet meadow that we call the grass river. It's a shallow swale that runs with snow-melt in early spring, then drys out as the summer comes on. A place of subtle, quiet beauty – you might think it rather plain – unless you see it in early spring when the violet-blue Camassia are blooming, or better yet, in the golden glory of early fall.
The Grass River Tunic is Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-9373890364265373162013-06-30T15:00:00.000-07:002013-06-30T19:07:35.806-07:00Summer joy sale
Celebrate long days and lush colors with 20% off all patterns in the Blue Bee Studio Ravelry store! From July 1st through July 5th, use the code 'summer_joy' in the Ravelry shopping cart to get your discount. Happy Summer!Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-61704345331824838582013-04-16T22:51:00.000-07:002013-04-18T13:33:55.384-07:00Floriston
©2013 twistcollective.com; photography: Jane Heller
I know it sounds funny, but I do a lot of designing on my bicycle. I live in a mountainous place, and no matter where I ride, there are always hills and more hills. To keep myself from thinking about my legs on those endless climbs, I pass the time working out the details of new designs.
On some rides last summer it was a cardigan design Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-80694878316406252352013-04-13T14:18:00.000-07:002013-04-13T14:19:10.531-07:00A new Millrace
Ever since the Millrace Scarf pattern came out last year I've been itching to use the same tip-to-tip construction and edging motifs in a shawl design. So here it is: the Millrace Shawl.
With a 14" depth at center back and a generous 76" overall width, Millrace stays nicely on the shoulders and can be styled in a lot of different ways. The shawl begins and ends with just 4 stitches. The garterElizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-28472704217982782782013-03-13T06:20:00.000-07:002013-03-13T06:21:19.593-07:00Another Alewife
Here's the latest in my ongoing love affair with herringbone patterns, the Alewives Hat.
A companion design to the Alewives Cowl, the slightly slouchy hat features a wide swath of herringbone texture amid panels of garter ridges. The pattern is easy enough for advanced beginners, but the texture stitches keep it fun for knitters of all skill levels.
The Alewives Hat pattern is available Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-52738751021495299092013-02-26T15:22:00.000-08:002013-03-12T15:52:01.188-07:00Alewives
I love herringbone patterns. So simple to work – just knits and purls – but such a rich and fascinating result. Perfect for adding textural spice to an easy knit like the Alewives cowl.
The idea behind Alewives was to create a simple cowl using easily memorized stitch patterns, but to make it interesting enough to be fun and engaging. The design features panels of herringbone and panels of Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-35511358654378703342013-01-01T16:00:00.000-08:002013-01-01T16:03:34.452-08:00Greenwillow
A new year calls for a new pattern, and with all the snow we've gotten over the past few weeks, nothing fits the bill like a cozy cowl.
Greenwillow features a dimensional lattice texture accentuated by crisp linear edge details. The pattern is written for two lengths, a simple 21.5" loop, and a 43" loop that can be worn as a long infinity scarf or doubled around the neck for extra warmth.
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-23620837496516464552012-12-06T12:36:00.000-08:002012-12-06T12:37:28.987-08:00Norden revisited
For a while now I've been itching to cast on for a longer version of the Norden Cowl. Over the Thanksgiving holiday I was looking for a good travel project, and thought of Norden. It's a simple lace motif that fit the bill perfectly for not-fully-mindful knitting.
For this longer, lacier version I used fingering-weight Spirit Trail Fiberworks Sunna in Kismet. I doubled the number of repeats Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-90445061550029615112012-11-20T07:31:00.000-08:002012-11-20T07:32:41.657-08:00Brickletown
The small mountain town I live in came to life during the building of the transcontinental railroad. As the work crews advanced, the 'Hell on wheels' that supplied entertainment to the workers advanced too.
Blasting train tunnels through hard Sierra granite took time, and some of the denizens of 'Hell' put down roots. When the railroad work eventually moved on, it left behind a Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-67993788294002206692012-10-27T16:01:00.000-07:002012-11-19T08:13:06.207-08:00Green delirium
I've been able to indulge in a little knitting for myself lately, in between other projects. Here's one sweater recently finished: Meris, knit in Quince and Co.'s Finch in the Snap Pea color.
This green just fills me with joy. When I saw it on the shade card, I worried that it might be too intense. As a check, I ordered two skeins of Snap Pea, plus two skeins each of two ‘safer’ colors. (Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-3900814064487267802012-09-18T17:11:00.001-07:002012-09-18T17:17:53.125-07:00Tenaya: It's the details
Photo: ©2012 Carrie Bostick Hoge
I admit it: I'm a geek. While most knitters look upon swatching as a dreaded ordeal, I can't wait to dive in. I love swatching up a new stitch I've found in a stitch dictionary, imagining how it can be made to work in some garment or other I'm thinking of. Even better is working out my own unique lace or cable pattern. But best of all is when I have to Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238706831493589413.post-72351321820560918322012-08-17T16:44:00.000-07:002012-08-17T16:45:35.588-07:00Hail Storm
Living in California's Sierra Nevada, most summers we don't see any precipitation from mid-May until late September. We'll get the occasional gully-washer, but the norm is four months of bone dry weather and clear blue skies.
This past Wednesday the first fat drops started plopping down at about 4:00. Since summer rain is such a rarity, it's usually kind of a treat when it does come, and it Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01572279906532221835noreply@blogger.com0