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Wednesday, May 8th, 2013 I thought I’d pop in quickly and share some fun news. I updated my Berry Lacey pattern, complete with new pictures and two versions of the scarf, so you can quickly knit one if you’d like. It’s a very quick knit and the results are extremely gratifying. All the samples were knit in Malabrigo Silky Merino, but the scarf can be knit in almost any yarn you like. It looks pretty great in chunky weight yarn too.
 Berry Lacey in Archangel You can size it up or down, make is a scarf, or expand it to a shawl. Either way, you’ll love Berry Lacey. If you aren’t a knitter, email me at niseyknits@gmail.com and I’ll be glad to knit a custom one for you.
 Berry Lacey in Arco Iris You can download the pattern here: Berry Lacey 2013 or visit my Ravelry pattern page for the Berry Lacey pattern.
Have a great week everyone!
Saturday, May 4th, 2013 I think we can safely say that spring is upon us right now. So, I was wondering which of these patterns I should knit up for my Etsy Shop. What do you all think?
 Amoroso Fallberry Mitts  Falling Water Scarf in Sangria  Seafoam Scarf in Jade  Pink Anthro Scarf  Colliding Stars in Lilypad green.  The Red Sheila scarf  The Evelyne Stole  Berry Lacey Scarf in Arco Iris
 Sunehri Shawl in Cadmium
Thursday, April 25th, 2013 This week I finally put the finishing touches on another Aviatrix hat (by Justine Turner) that my friend Gina ordered for her daughter. I crocheted two flowers using this Crochet Flowers pattern from Mollie Makes (such pretty flowers, right?). I just love this hat pattern! And Gina’s daughter looks so cute in the hat doesn’t she?
 The cutie in the Aviatrix hat  I made an extra flower for the hat, so she could switch up the look.  The strap on the hat is attached with a button to the other side of the hat, so the little cutie cannot get the hat off (easily).  One last photo, just for fun. Enjoy the rest of the week, and have a lovely weekend!
PS: I would love to make you your own Aviatrix hat if you ever need/want one for the little cuties in your life. Just send me an email (niseyknits@gmail.com) with the age of the child, and the color/colors you want for the hat.
Thursday, April 18th, 2013 Spring seems to be popping up in numerous places, (although some places are still dealing with snow). Look chic this spring with this delightful little scarf that will brighten up any outfit. One end of the scarf is inserted into the other so the scarf stays put around your neck. Pretty and functional is how this scarf rolls!
This pretty little scarf is going for $27 in my Etsy shop, and is available in different colors. Let me know what color you are hankering for, and I would be glad to whip one scarf up for you! Go on and enjoy the weather wherever you are. Have a great rest of the week, and savor the weekend!
Friday, April 12th, 2013 I have wanted to feature this pattern collection on my blog since it came out, but it never seemed like the right time. Well I think this week’s post is just the right time to highlight Olga Buraya-Kefelian’s “Circles + Dots” pattern collection from Quince & Co. (who make such beautiful yarns! Oh, and I have a crush on their website!). The designs are classic and stunning, and all those circles and dots make me giddy with joy. There are 5 patterns in this collection: a pullover, a cardigan, a hat, a scarf and a pair of mitts. Just a little of everything for every kind of knitter, right?
First up is the Effervescence Cardigan, which is the first of the collection that caught my eye. I love the front detail in this pattern and can very well see myself knitting this cardigan.
 Full body shot of the Effervescence Cardigan. © Quince & Co./Carrie Hoge  Detail shot of the Effervescence Cardigan. © Quince & Co./Carrie Hoge The Compass Pullover is my second favorite in this collection. (For someone who rarely knits clothing, it’s interesting that I was drawn to these pieces in the collection. Maybe it’s a sign to take a step of faith and start knitting some sweaters? Hmmm.) This top is just sleek and eye-catching, and I could immediately see myself rocking it with some fun jewelry and a pair of jeans during the fall.
 Detail shot of Compass Pullover. © Quince & Co./Carrie Hoge  Full body shot of Compass Pullover. © Quince & Co./Carrie Hoge Next up are the accessories!! Woohoo!! You all know how much I love my accessories. The Cowry Hat is a sexy, little slouchy hat that makes me so happy. I’m slowly but surely venturing into hat knitting and design, and the level of detail on this hat makes my little knitterly heart sing. The ebb and flow of the design as it snakes along the hat is quite hypnotic. I’m going to stop talking now, and show you the hat. 
 Close-up shot of the Cowry Hat. © Quince & Co./Carrie Hoge  Center shot of Cowry Hat. © Quince & Co./Carrie Hoge Then there’s the Gyre Scarf, a simple, straight-to-the-point stockinette stitch scarf that has some garter chevron action and little open “dots” at the edges to add a little spice. I love, love, love it!
 Full shot of Gyre Scarf. © Quince & Co./Carrie Hoge  Detail shot of Gyre Scarf. © Quince & Co./Carrie Hoge And last but definitely not least, the Flotilla Mitts. Who doesn’t love some flirty little mitts covering up their hands and wrists? These mitts are a little longer than usual, with a few dots breaking up the stockinette stitch used.
 Detail shot of Flotilla Mitts. © Quince & Co./Carrie Hoge  Full shot of Flotilla Mitts. © Quince & Co./Carrie Hoge I love Olga’s design style, and I think this collection is just stunning. Which of these is your favorite? Which of these would you wear? Do let me know in the comment sections, and have a wonderful weekend!
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013 It’s a new month, and time for some new things! Or in this case, some new old things. Evelyne was one of the first patterns I designed, and is named after my MIL. I hadn’t yet planned to be a knitwear designer, and thought any photo is better than no photo. So I listed the pattern on Ravelry with this photo:
 Evelyne on a Table I took this photo indoors….and at night. Tsk tsk tsk. Now I know better, and I was able to get a professional to take some better photos of the shawl for me. Thanks to my friend Sarah for knitting the new sample for me. As always, I’m thankful to Lilia for being such a professional model, and to my friend Nana Kwaku (who I’ve been bugging to take photos for me for years!) for going above and beyond what I even imagined. Check out some of the new photos of the Evelyne shawl. It’s free! I never offered a PDF copy of the pattern because I didn’t have pretty photos, but that is going to change shortly. I’m so excited!
 Wrapped in the Evelyne Stole  The Evelyne Stole worn as a scarf  Longer view of the Evelyne Stole  Close-up of Evelyne Stole This new sample was knit in KnitPicks Aloft Sky colorway. It’s so soft and light that the stole looks ethereal! I just love how it turned out, and now I want to knit Evelyne in as many Aloft colorways as I can. I never learn do I?
Be on the lookout for a PDF of the Evelyne pattern, for those who would like a copy for your records. Have a wonderful rest of the week!
Friday, March 29th, 2013 I am a member of the SF Etsy team (made up of Etsy sellers living in the San Francisco Bay Area), and one of our activities this month was a blog interview swap with some of our team members. I was paired up with the lovely Even Howard, who makes handmade crochet art jewelry under the Nadene label. I love her shop tagline – “little dreams becoming string”, and was excited to get to talk to her. Even is also one of the team co-captains, so it was a double honor for me to be paired with her. Let’s get to the interview then, shall we?
How did you get into crocheting? How many years have you been doing it for?
I first wanted to crochet when I was about 11 and my mom made a little sleeping bag for one of my tiny animals. I had seen her make gorgeous baby sweaters, but this was the first time that I understood clearly that if you know how to crochet, you can just materialize any cozy thing as soon as it’s needed! I tried to learn then and only succeeded in making a very tight knot. Within a few weeks, I had some library books and followed them step by step and I was on my way. I made a lot of gifts and daydreams and it’s been over 20 years of doing the same.
 Available in Nadene Etsy Shop – Big floral necklace. crochet jewelry handmade by Even Howard, antique copper chain, rose quartz and garnet finish.
Do you dabble in any other hand crafts?
Oh yes. I sew a lot and used to make almost all of my own clothes. It’s almost weird to me now that many days can go by and I’m not wearing something I sewed. I’m a slow knitter so I don’t knit commercially, but I do make accessories for gifts and a sweater about once a year. I have a pretty extensive background in ceramics and love creating large coil based sculpture works like fountains and things that live in the garden. Woodworking is a big interest of mine, but I really don’t understand most of what the materials can do as well as the tools so it’s a long term project of mine to learn slowly. I did build my own boat two summers ago. It was pre-cut, so the woodworking was basic and my general craftiness made the fiberglassing a dream.
 Even building a boat
I’m always drawn to greens and reds when I’m knitting or designing. Are there some colors you are drawn to whenever you are working?
I love finding the ways that a gray lavender and a rosy peach can connect. I also always love seafoam and teal shades.
 Available in Nadene Etsy Shop – Peacock Green Geometric Ring with Crochet Bezel by Even Howard. Adjustable wide band easily fits 7-10. Chunky Cocktail ring.
 Tidepool Bracelet by Even Howard A lot of people usually knit or crochet to relax after a hard day’s work. Since crocheting is your hard day’s work, what do you do to relax? Any other hobbies?
I knit on easy projects, occasionally paint, and I draw a lot. I like yoga and teach yoga. I think one of my hobbies is browsing Etsy and seeing what new things our team members are creating! (Such a great co-captain, right? Keeping up to date on our progress.)
When did you make the leap to make your crocheting into a business? What motivated you to make that decision?
I used to live in Japan and I became a founding designer with the site www.crochetme.com so that helped me launch as a crochet designer. Because I lived abroad and most submissions were not by email then, I had a stifled wish to be more involved in crochet design for print. Those built up hopes gave me the motivation to be involved more when I returned to the US and I was offered publication in magazines and books. I started doing small finished works for sale as my interest moved into getting ideas out faster than it takes with those publications. I still like creating patterns and kits; it’s a challenge for me to finish such big projects on long timelines though. (I know what you mean. The publication lead times can make waiting so hard.)
 Northern Bloom Pullover, designed by Even Howard for Interweave Crochet, Winter 2007
Where would you like to see your business go?
This is actually a really deep issue for me. Many makers and small business owners are encouraged to expand and eventually move into manufacturing or being picked up by larger companies. I have a lot of mixed feelings about that and continually re-evaluate the purpose of my business. Fundamentally, I seek to create within my talents, expand my creativity, and offer the results of that to a community that is also doing the same with their own ideas. All of this can happen on a “human-scale”, meaning that I don’t actually need to create large volumes, just create what I can within a healthy lifestyle and I’m encouraging others to do the same. So I know my business will change over time and maybe even grow, and I look forward to being reflective and caring about that process. I’m more interested in the lifestyle and outlook my work creates than the scale or scope of my business. (Very inspiring. I’d never thought about it this way.)
Care to share your stash?
Haha! I was gifted yarn from my step-grandmother’s long ago job in a yarn shop as well as more recent collected skeins. I’m on Ravelry as evenhoward if anyone would like to see! I still buy yarn though, especially for big projects and I recently came home and told my boyfriend how glad I am that I don’t have to hide my yarn purchases (other knitters and crocheters will know about all the jokes and seriousness along those lines!). (Oh yes! I’ve stopped commenting on my stash and my hubby has stopped “noticing” the pile of bags and boxes from yarn shops in our house.)
 Even’s Stash on Ravelry. Hehehhe… How long have you lived in the Bay Area?
I’ve been here since 2008. I moved here to be close to my love. (So sweet!)
How long have you been a member of SFEtsy?
I think 2008 or 2009. Wanting to be a member of SFEtsy helped me improve the quality of my shop and work online because I wanted to show things I could be proud of and make some new friends. Mission accomplished, thanks team!
Anything else you’d like to share?
Thanks so much to you Denise! It’s really great getting to tell some stories and I look forward to the connections we make.
Thank you for taking the time to interview with me Even! Please check out her Nadene Etsy shop for some lovely handmade crochet art jewelry. Have a lovely weekend!
Wednesday, March 27th, 2013 Today is my son’s birthday! I can’t believe it’s been a few years already. This boy is now talking, singing, dancing and sharing his opinions, likes and dislikes, and even throwing tantrums for good measure! Now I’ve not knitted many things for him (poor boy!), but what I have knitted for him are hats. I think most of the hats I’ve knit belong to him.
The first hat was the Simple Baby Hat by Alison Williams. I worked a 2×2 rib for the brim, but as you can see, that hat was too big for him. I hadn’t yet understood what gauge was for, and didn’t even think to check for it. Anyway, I thought he would grow into it so I made him wear it anyway. 
 The poopoola two weeks after he was born For his second hat, I chose the Presto! Preemie Hat by Katherine Vaughan because it looked fun and quick. I had also gotten some mystery funky blue yarn from my manager Anna at FVPF (now Futures without Violence), so I whipped this hat up quickly for him. It was pretty tight on him. I still hadn’t learned my lesson about gauge.
 The Funky Andy hat But, you know how quickly little kids grow. Since the Funky Andy hat was small to begin with, he outgrew it pretty quickly and I needed a new hat for him. I turned to the Aviatrix baby hat by Justine Turner. This has got to be one of my favorite hat patterns. It is simple, intuitive, and the finished product is just stunning. For this hat, I actually paid attention to gauge and it fit him much better compared to the other ones.
 Nanak’s Aviatrix He wore the Aviatrix hat until he was almost 2 years old, and that got too small for him. It was winter time so I thought he needed a thicker hat. I cast on for the Chunky Dean Street Hat by Nina Machlin Dayton. I forgot all the gauge issues I had had with the first two hats and cast on for this one without checking gauge. Big mistake! Huge! As in, the hat was huge enough to fit my head. LOL! It was still cute, and he got a lot of attention whenever he wore it. Sadly, this hat is almost at the end of it’s life too. I have to find a new hat pattern to knit for this fast-growing boy.
 Nanak’s Chunky Dean I’ve learnt one thing from all my no-gauge-taking hat-knitting travails – when it comes to knitting in the round, I’m such a loose knitter that I need to go two needles smaller than the recommended size on the pattern. That seems to work well for me. Hopefully I’ll have another hat finished for this little one. He told me that he wants a purple and yellow hat. Maybe I’ll try the Turn-A-Square hat by Jared Flood?
 Turn a Square hat by Jared Flood Or maybe it’s time for me to try out a fair isle or intarsia pattern? There are so many to choose from though! The Sheep & Wool hat by Emily Spence is pretty tempting…
 Sheep & Wool hat by Emily Spence as is the Cheesehead hat by Julia Mueller.
 Cheesehead hat by Julia Mueller Or should I go to a different way and try the Howlcat by Alex Tinsley? It can be a hat or a cowl!
 Howlcat by Alex Tinsley Aaaarghhh!! So many choices, so little time. Happy Birthday my little love. May you grow up to become a man of integrity with a kind and generous heart. I love you!
Saturday, March 23rd, 2013 Winding balls of yarn into cakes of yarn, that’s what. I’ve been applying to jobs, writing exams for jobs, and falling sick for the past two weeks. So this week, instead of knitting, I did the next best thing – winding yarn.
Playing with all these different yarn colors actually gave me ideas for different color combos that I wouldn’t have considered earlier. Check these out!
 Purple, Tan and Brown combo  Brown, Tan and Cream combo  Parfait, Tan and Cream combo  Cream, Red and Brown combo  Brown, Tan and Blue combo  Cream, Tan and blue combo I hope to have some fun things for you to see next week.
Thursday, March 14th, 2013 The hair stylist I visit saw the baby blanket I knit for my son and wanted one to give to her friend who just had a baby. She chose the colors herself and asked me to knit it in the Moderne Baby Blanket pattern (by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne). She bought some Vanna’s Choice and Lion Brand Pound of Love yarns for me to make the blanket with.
After knitting the various sections, I worked a single crochet edging around the blanket to finish it. I think it came out pretty well. What do you think?
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