Louis Vuitton ain't got nothin on me!

it's been almost a month since my last post here, and a lot has happened since then, so i figured it was time for some new design updates:


i'm not really into "high fashion" at all. but i came across this crafting site where i stumbled upon a tutorial for a paper-chain necklace and discovered that aparently they're all the rage in Louis Vuitton's fall fashion line. this sparked an idea in my head to make a knitted version to submit to Knitty.com because they're into unique patterns and i was just sure no one had ever done something like this with knitting before. below you can see my "Knock Off" of the Louis Vuitton necklaces (and yes, it's actually named "Knock Off" hehe)




i only had 3 days to plan, knit, and write out the pattern for this little beauty, and it wasn't easy, but i did manage to get it done in time to submit it. sadly, Knitty did not accept my pattern for their Winter '09 issue, and i had this wonderful plan to submit it to Knit.1 magazine. sadly, again, i was informed that Vogue Knitting is not going to be publishing anymore issues of Knit.1 any time soon...gah!




so since my best laid plans have all been dashed i've decided to just self publish the pattern on Ravelry and charge 50 cents to a dollar for the pattern. i know it's a really simple pattern, but i did develop a technique that some people might not really think of to keep it sturdy. so i'm just going to put it out there to see if i get any bites, and if not then i'll just make it free. it should be up as soon as i can get the tech editing done, so watch out for it in my Ravelry Pattern Store sometime within the next week!

on another design note, i also submitted the design for my eyelet gloves that i renamed "raspberry bliss" to Knitcircus Magazine. I got a really nice email back from the editor over there who said that she couldn't use it for the Winter '09 issue, but if i were to add a cuff to it she'd consider it for the Spring '10 issue. so it's back to the drawing board for raspberry bliss...i already know exactly what kind of cuff i'm going to add and will be working on it for submission by January 1st 2010.

all in all not a bad response for my first design submissions. i was really pleased by the response to my designs, the editors of both publications were very encouraging. it's inspired me to keep on designing, and hopefully my next submission will be accepted :)

hope everyone has a great day, and keep on clickin!

~petitevache

sew...

yeah i know, not the most inventive title, but at least its relevant to my newfound love of sewing ^-^

the story goes:
my mom gave me a sewing machine for christmas last year in hopes that i would finally learn how to use one. until now i've been sewing everything by hand which translated into me not doing a whole lot of sewing. but my mom is pretty handy with a sewing machine, she used to sew all our halloween costumes by hand; and these were highly extravagant costumes. one year my brother was the Energizer Bunny, and she sewed a brother-sized bunny suit, without following a pattern mind you, out of this really really thick, furry pink fabric.

so a few weeks ago i finally asked her to show me the ins and outs of machine sewing and as my first project sewed this poorly constructed little practice purse:

my main reason for finally wanting to learn machine sewing was because i had this grand idea to make a handmade project bag and circular needle holder for my swap partner Sarah for our 10$ Swap on Ravelry. it was a perilous journey, complete with many stops, starts, ripped seams and re-sews. but in the end perseverence prevailed and i did manage to complete both patterns i found in the original Stitch n' Bitch book by Debbie Stoller.

the bag (yes that;s my hubby's arm holding it ^^):

the needle holder:

they both involved the use of iron on transfer paper for the patch on the bag and the numbers on the needle holder, which complicated things a bit more. when trying to sew the patch onto the bag the presser foot on my machine caught on the stickiness of the iron on patch and kinda ripped up a little peice of the design, and while trying to iron on the velcro for the needle holder i damn near transfered the numbers to my ironing board >.<

but all in all i'm glad i finally learned, and managed to make myself this cute little cover for my knitting journal below:

i'm not completely thrilled with the finished project, i'm thinking about ripping up the pocket and making one out of solid black fabric to have a little contrast and make it easier to see. also, it almost didn't fit on my journal so i may rip out the flap seams so i can add a bit more of an allowance. but all in all i'm still mighty proud of my accomplishments to date. considering i haven't sewed anything by machine since i was in Jr. High home ec, i think my projects so far are not too shabby.

and speaking of swapping, my swap package arrived last monday!!!!!

the theme of the swap was "all one color" and as you can see my favoritest color is GREEN!!!

i got a wonderful green (in more ways than one) tote, some cute froggy paper clips, honey-ginseng green tea, assorted green apple candies, green tea lotion, a green graph paper notebook that i'll probably need since i'm taking math this semester (yuck!) this really delicious looking home-made chip dip, and some beautiful stitchmarkers and hand-dyed yarn that Sarah dyed herself! color me spoiled xD

thanks again to Sarah from The Student Knitter for sending me such a lovely swap package. i've already used the stitch markers and marveled at their loveliness :)

oh yeah and on a last note, i am STILL working on my submission to Knitcircus Magazine, which was origianally due the 15th, but the deadline was pushed back to September 1st. since i had some extra time i decided to test knit the pattern and boy am i glad i did because i found a few really big problems with it that i've been able to correct. but it's got to be done before tuesday so be on the lookout for a new post with details on the finished pattern.

nighty-night knitters

~tehvache

Knitcircus here i come!!

so it's official....

i'm going to be submitting my first pattern to a magazine, Knitcircus, for publication!! i'm really excited about it, even if my pattern doesn't get picked getting my first rejection letter/email will be like my formal entry into the world of designing. i really think i have a decent chance though, since i'm utilizing a technique for this pattern that i've not seen used anywhere before. i can't say too much about it though, i don't wanna give away all my secrets! but i'm sure the observant knitters eye might be able to guess at it ;)

the design is called ladylike and it's a pair of delicate eyelet gloves pictured below:

it's funny because the inspiration for these came to me one night a few months ago just as i was lying down to go to sleep. i've seen a lot of bulky fingerless gloves (and knit quite a few pairs) so i wanted to design something that would be dainty, well fitted, virtually cuffless and cute enough to be part of an ensemble, not just something to keep your hands warm. i was also inspired quite a bit by vintage design, i love that women used to wear gloves frequently, not just for warmth, but for fashion as well. i think we need to bring gloves back in style and i'm doing my part to help them make a comeback ^^

owing to the fact that i live in southern california and it doesn't get very cold here i also wanted to design something that i could wear comfortably in virtually all seasons, thus ladylike was born. knit in Crystal Palace Yarns PandaSilk (52% bamboo, 43% machine washable merino wool, 5% combed silk,) they are designed to stretch a bit to accomodate multiple hand sizes so the pattern is only writen in one size. also, so that they would be perfectly fitted at the bottom without the use of boring old ribbing i knit a slit into the bottom of the glove to which i attached a simple button and crocheted loop closure pictured below:

open

and closed



i'm a big fan of fingerless gloves, i think it's the one individual item i've knit the most of. i'm i've actually got a pair of them on the needles that i'm knitting for my husband that have been pushed to the back burner while i finish up ladylike. the deadline is fast approaching for submissions, i only have 3 more days yikes! if anyone has any comments on my gloves, whether or not they think they are Knitting Magazine-worthy, please don't hesitate to leave a comment on this post. any feedback from the knitting community would be greatly appreciated :)

but in the midst of all the designing work i'm excited to be joining my first swap evar the "10 $ swap" !!!! my swapartner and i have so much in common i think it's going to make for a really cool swapping experience. AND she dies her own yarn so i'm hoping she just might send me some of her handdyed as part of my swap package ::crosses fingers::
i've never had the pleasure of knitting with handdyed yarn so it would be a real treat.

she blogs about her dyeing exploits on her blog here so go check out her lovely collection :)

well i've gotta go get knitting for this swap, i'm making her something special in one of her favorite colors, i hope she likes it ^^ (i can't say what it is here because she's currently stalking my blog to get ideas for HER swap package, so you'll just have to come back to my blog once the swap is done to find out what it is >:) ::devious smirk:: )

adieu

~tehvache

it's a bird! it's a plane! no it's....a tiny golden cow!!!!

yes thats right, a tiny golden cow, or petite vache dorée for those of you who speak a bit of french. this little heffer was made with golden DMC embroidery floss for Potions class in the HPKCHC. sadly, the competition ended yesterday ::cries:: and i didn't manage as many classes as last month, but it was still the most fun i've had on Ravelry so far. i'm still not sure if i'm going to participate next term or not because i have 3 or 4 designs that i'm trying to get finished.

here you can see the cow in the works, and you can also see how tiny the stitches are (and yes my dpns are golden too ^^)



i'm currently planning a black and white cow as well as a brown one and then the patterns for all 3 will be uploaded to Ravelry for sale under the name trois petites vaches (three little cows in english)


also, as promised in my last post here is the finished orion's belt choker:

it didn't turn out quite as flat or stable as i'd have liked, so when i get a chance i'm going to sew a fabric lining in the back and adjust the tie closure. i'm still not sure whether i'll make this pattern available or not as there didn't seem to be much interest in it in the HPKCHC. but i may still put it up here on my blog as a free pattern.

and finally some pics of my 2 biggest upcoming designs: Rowena sleeves and sycamore parasol

i featured these sleeves a few posts ago and as you can see they've grown considerably since then. i'll probably finish these up before starting on the sycamore parasol seen below:

this one was another attempted class project that i unfortunately didn't have time to finish (i seriously thought i'd be able to design and knit an entire parasol in just a few weeks? what was i thinking?)

this is probably the design i'm most excited about right now because it's the biggest and most complex thing i've undertaken so far.

and on that note, it's time for me to get clicking! check back with the blog for more pictures of my progress on my new designs and for information about when they will be released.


peace & love to all,

~petitevache

the vache lives!

the vache is back!!

and with a new HP inspired ravatar too ^^

i've been on hiatus for a few weeks due to the arrival of my husband. he'll be here for the next 2 months so i'm very excited to have him here.

but i have not completely forsaken my pursuits in knitting/crochet design. it's a new month which means new assignments for the HPKCHC and i created a new design for Astronomy, the orion's belt choker.

here are the peices just before blocking

there is a star eyelet pattern on both ends

and this is one of the stars upclose.

i'm just blocking it now so i should be blogging again soon with pics of the finished product!

the Rowena sleeves have, however, been pushed to the bottom of the list due to the necessity of getting my quidditch wristies done in time for the release of HBP. but im sure i'll be taking them up again very soon, i actually have the cable pattern all charted out already for it, it's just a matter of shaping and such.

well, 3:30 am, a good time for sleep >.<

ta ta for now

~petitevache

new pattern!!

you like my new Ravatar? i only had the Ravenclaw one up for like a day but i couldn't say no to a cute kitten



happy tuesday evening everyone ^^/



i'm sitting here enjoying the gazpacho i just finished making and i realized i forgot to annouce the arrival of the newest edition to my pattern section :O







the pattern for tiny bobbles, formerly known as the Bertie Bott's bag, is finally in my pattern store. once again noobyknitter from Ravelry tested this pattern for me and helped me work out the kinks, so thanks again nooby for being my test crocheter :)


i also finally finished Krystals birthday gift, although i have to say i wasn't crazy about the cotton yarn for this pattern. the cotton made the tote a bit more rigid, which i think some people would prefer, but i like the softness and stretchiness of the one i made in purple and yellow much better.










and last but not least i'm excited to announce that my mystery project is in fact a pair of cabled sleeves which i have dubbed Rowena sleeves. i had originally planned them to be my "wristwarmers" for quidditch, but upon reading the rules i now know that there are very specific patterns i have to follow for that. so now i'm making them just for fun and because it's great design practice.




i've made quite a bit more progress since these pictures so i suspect i'll be finished with the first one soon, so be on the lookout for pics ^^ (and with better lighting next time so you can see the true color of the yarn >.< )



a th-th-th-that's all for tonight folks....

I've been recruited!!

today was a really great day for me because i was recruited by the Ravenclaw head of house in the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup group on Ravelry ^^




i'm super excited about finally having a house, as thus far i've just been doing assignments for the fun of it. now i can finally earn some points for my house :)



in honor of my admission i decided to celebrate by designing something in my house colors, blue and bronze. i've been needing to take my designs to the next level so this time i'm doing something knitted with cables. i won't tell exactly what it is yet (although if you're part of the HPKCHC you probably can guess) but i will show you my guage swatch as it's being blocked :








this will be the most complex thing i've ever attempted designing, so i'm not sure it's going to turn out exactly as i imagine it, but i'm sure i'll learn a lot in the process. to find out what it is you'll just have to check back with my blog in a few days and see if i've gone public yet xD


i've also finished writting out the pattern for my Bertie Bott's bag and am currently in the process of testing it. I'm hoping to have it uploaded to Ravelry and in my patterns section here on the blog by sometime next week. i could still use more pattern testers though so if you're interested don't hesitate to email me at mellonninamarie at gmail dot com.

well that's all for today folks, goodnight and happy knitting ^-^

~petitevache

finished!

as you can probably tell from my pics, i do a lot of my designing in front of my computer....partly because i write my patterns out in word as i go and partly because i spend at least a few hours everyday talking to my husband online. we find it saves on the phone bill quite a bit if we mostly talk online, and neither of us are big phone people so it works out well that way, but i digress







my Herbology June assignment is officially complete! the Bertie Bott's bag will soon be available to download for free ^^ i've just got to finish writting it out and find a few testers to make sure the pattern is ok before i put it up in my store on Ravelry and in my patterns section here on the blog.







note to self; rainbow bobbles make me happy :)

new design idea

hi everyone, happy monday ^^

lol, as if that was something to celebate, 4 more work days til the weekend, but it's also another day down until my hubby come to visit from france so it makes me happy :)



i started work on my assignment for Herbology this month, the assignment is to make something with bobbles or nupps, and i got the idea to do something with rainbow colored bobbles. this is what i have so far:









it's only in the beginning stages but eventually it will be a little drawstring floo powder tote, or for use in the muggle world, probably a scrabble tile bag for my mom, or a dice/deck bag for myself.






i'm writing out the pattern as i go, and plan to do a knit version of the bag and possibly a few more small projects with the same rainbow bobble design, i'm quite fond of the rainbow bobbles ^^


also i started a Lion Cotton version of lucky stars in red and black for my friend Krystals birthday this weekend. if you're on Ravelry you may have seen my project "Krystals star gloves" also in red and black because they are her favorite colors. so far i like how it's turning out using cotton



i really do love this project, it's cute and simple and makes a great last minute gift (since i just remember her birthday was coming up this past weekend >.<)

and lastly, if anyone has any FO's using my patterns they'd like to showcase you can send me an email at mellonninamarie at gmail dot com. i'd be happy to show them off on my blog so that other followers can see what my projects look like using different yarns and colors.

that's about all for today folks, be sure to check my blog out because i'm going through a real creative spurt so i'll probably be posting a lot more new design ideas and possibly a new pattern this week.

have a good night everyone ^^/

~petitevache

busy day for me

for those of you who didn't find me through Ravelry you might not know about the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup. Some genius started this wonderful group on Ravelry where everyone is sorted into houses and compete for points by completing assignments in different disciplines.

the first pattern i added here, detanglers, was actually borne of an assignment for Muggle Studies, and for Charms i dreamt up this little tote, lucky stars:

this was my first attempt at illusion knitting, but i've made it my personal goal to design as many of my assingments as i can and not follow other peoples patterns. it took a while to get the star motif just how i wanted it but it was worth it in the end. i had this yarn just laying around in my stash and thought the colors looked very celestial, but i'm considering making my mom a scarf with the same colors/design because she's a huge Laker's fan.

i also added another pattern to my pattern section for sickles & knuts, my finished assignment for Transfiguration.

it's not a pattern i think many people will want to try because it's a bit hard on the hands, but if you've got a computer geek in your life you think might like this, it's available to download for free ^^

well i think i'll give my blog a rest for the day, so goodnight fellow knitters, keep on clickin!

~petitevache

it begins...

so i woke up this morning and i said to myself "it's friday, good day to start a knitting blog."

no, actually i'm starting this blog out of necessity because i need a place to show my designs. i never really intended to start trying to become a knit/crochet designer, but i can't say it's something i never thought about. i love creating knew things with yarn, and sharing my creations with other people. so it appears this shall be my forum for that :)

welcome to the beginning of my blog, and of my experience as a designer ^^

for my first design i give you the detanglers!!

(PDF can be downloaded by clicking the "detanglers" link in the "my free patterns" section)


















cord detanglers


materials:
Brown Sheep Company Wildfoote, color – Rock ‘N Roll (any scraps of a fingering weight yarn will do)
Size B1(2.25mm) crochet hook

guage: 8sc x 8 rows = 1”

notes: pattern is written for a small cord size, adjustments for larger sizes are written in ( )

body:
ch 18 (22, 26)

row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn – 17 (21, 25) sc

row 2: ch 3 (counts as first opening) , skip first 2 sc, *sc in next 2 sc, ch 2 * repeat from * to * 3
(4, 5) times, sc in next 3 sc, ch 1, turn

row 3: sc in next 3 sc, *2 sc in next ch. 2 hole, sc in next 2 sc* repeat from * to * 3 (4, 5) times , 2 sc in next hole, ch 1 do not turn

border:
sc in side of last sc completed on row 3 (place marker to mark begin. of rnd) sc in first opening, 3 sc in last sc

working in bottom of chains sc in 15 (19, 23) sc across. 3 sc in last sc, sc in side of next sc, 3sc in next sc.

sc in next 15 (19, 23) sc, 2 sc in last sc, join to first sc of border with sl st, fasten off and weave in ends

button:
ch 3, 2 sc in 1st chain, sc in loop formed by 1st sc

sew button into place across from first opening