Pattern Retrospective, part 2

So today’s post doesn’t go back to the age of the dinosars, but it does go back to when I was teaching in New York.

After our evacuation on  9/11, a few teachers and I taught a bunch of our students to knit and we donated what we made to Women in Need shelter and the Bowery Mission. Many yarn companies and publishers stepped in to support us with donations which meant the world to us (SoHo Publishing, Elizabeth Eakins,  and Patternworks, being the three names I recall most on support packages). It was very VERY good for all of us to have a purpose and a goal and a Thing We Could Do to Help Others.

And one of the others we wanted to help was our Principal.

She lost her sister in the attacks and so the kids and I took turns knitting her a giant Wedge Shawl  (you can see why we wanted to give a little something back to her if you take a  look at Story Selection #1 here). I’d made a bunch of these shawls—they’re easy, reasonably fast, and very, very comfy to have around you. She was pleased, I think.

I think I learned this pattern originally from our LYS, but since then I’ve added to and modified it a bit–which is what you see in the  Wedge Shawl  pattern I have on Ravlery. You probably could do this in any yarn at any gauge, but I’ve usually gone with worsted and 13US or 15US. It’s good mindless knitting and when you get the turns down, you can do it in a movie theater.

Ask me how I know.

My latest version was for my eversobestest friend in Los Angeles (the one we will stay with during the surgery). Soon I will post pics of her with her gorgeous daughter and their new shawl.

* * *

A couple of years ago, while I was finishing edits on the first Defarge book, I was contacted by an old high school friend (She’s not old. I am.) who was interested in doing a blog hop for the holidays called A Dickens of a Christmas Blog Hop.

It was fun and I learned a lot, contributing free  A Christmas Carol podcasts (staves 1–2  and stave 3 and staves 4–5) and this little hand-warmer design—The Cratchette. Thing 2, of the Ear-Surgery-Sale is the model for the Dickensian picture you see in the pattern.

I had little free time, what with finishing the book, so I knew I needed a quick-to-knit-mitt that would be very, very warm (because honestly, poor Bob Cratchit!). This is what I came up with. It’s pretty darn simple and a few knitters on Ravelry have found even more ways to modify it and make it sing. It makes for an easy and fast Christmas giftie. So there it is! The  Cratchette.

 

And who knew that in the middle of posting about my patterns I would be having a surprise sale!
I planned these posts before we found out about Thing 2’s  surgery  but it’s timed out well because all of my  Raverly Store patterns will be 10% off  through this Sunday, August 26, 2012 (some are free no matter what, too!). So if you want a Cratchette  or a Wedge Shawl  pattern, please start with the sale link  if you’re within the deadline.

And if you haven’t already, please sign up to get my  free newsletter  to get links to sales and new patterns as they’re released.