Margareta revealed

Meet Margareta, this design the namesake of my grand-aunt, dad's aunt.  She was not only my grandmother's sister, but her sister-in-law as well!  How possible? Sisters of one family married brothers of another!  How fun is that, and a bit risky too for relationships overall – but so it goes in matters of the heart.

Margareta is a two-color, short-sleeved tee worked in fingering-weight wool – light and airy for warm days and nights. Its sleeves and shoulders are worked in ribbon lace – an easily mastered 9 stitch by 20 row repeat – in a complimentary color that provides a fresh pop and textural companion – a bit of frosting – to the stockinette stitch simplicity of its lower bodice. This tee is slim-fitting, shaped, and extends mid-hip in length. Worked bottom-up, the lower portion begins as one piece on circular needles, until the starting point of the lace at the underarm where it splits and each side is worked separately.

Click here for pattern details. You'll find this pattern for sale on Ravelry.

Lace for the Helens

 Oh, I get so excited when I launch a new piece.  This one is for my aunts, both named Helen.

My Helen sweater is a shapely, lacy, v-neck pullover.  Its Hexagon Fern lace – an easily mastered 18 stitch by 16 row repeat – is worked throughout and echoes the lines of its 1x1 rib trim and angled neckline.  The bodice is slim fitting, extending mid-hip in length, and follows body curves.  Narrow sleeves end just below the elbow, long short sleeves that feel ample. This versatile piece may be dressed up or down and layered, establishing it as one of my all-occasion, year-round favorites.

Click here for pattern details.  You'll find this pattern for sale on Ravelry.

Taking stock

About a year ago, when I first started designing knits for publication, I thought about what to name my patterns.  Up until this time I had titled them simply as cardigan with three-quarter sleeves..  and I knew this wouldn't do.  Then it came to me and I named the first for my mother, Marlene.  This felt right.  The work is quite personal for me after all, and a family affair with daughter Juliet as top model.  I continued this naming convention with each new design that followed, tapping my maternal family tree – a project researched initially by great aunt Hilda, an MIT librarian in her day. 

Here's my first set of designs, in chronological order by namesake.

  • great great grandmother, Johanna

  • great grandmother, Martha,

  • great great aunt, Louise,

  • great great aunt, Augusta - aka Gussie

  • great great aunt, Florence - aka Flossie

  • great great aunt, Emma

  • great great aunt, Harriet - aka Hattie

  • great great aunt, Dorothy

  • great aunt, Hilda

  • grandmother, Mildred

  • grandmother, May

  • and finally mum, Marlene

Oh how they would have enjoyed this work.

I'm on to dad's family now and when I look at my pattern list on Ravelry I feel surrounded by kindred spirits – like a group hug :).

Winter lace?

Here's a peek at my next piece, Johanna, named for my grandmother's grandmother.  

I just love the delicate texture of this diamond brocade that feels like lace to me without the holes.  Juliet and I collaborated on the sweater design, but she wanted stripes – random   stripes! and although her wish is my command I feared random stripes might intimidate prospective knitters especially in light of shaping and buttoned cuffs. (I'll admit to being a bit intimidated myself!)  So I've made her version first, serving the groundwork for dimensions and sizing.  It looks fabulous on her and we'll certainly get a picture during our next photo shoot.  Meanwhile my work continues, happily, on this – aiming for a December pattern launch. Stay tuned!

Augusta - aka Gussie

Great aunt Augusta, better known as Gussie, was a bit of a wild child I'm told and I'm intrigued – the ideal namesake I feel for this sassy knit. 

Here I offer the lace and shaping of my Louise cardigan re-imagined slightly shorter with elbow length sleeves and a broad neckline scoop, making for a perfect all-season topper. Wide garter stitch bands that trim its edges create a calming balance for the active diagonal of its lace.  Most flattering, it may easily be dressed up or down, shown here fashioned with a favorite belt.  Pieces are knit flat, bottom up, with seaming.

Click here for pattern details.

Marlene revisited

I logged in to my Ravelry site today and was amazed to see 23 new posts of user activity favoriting or queueing Marlene since yesterday.  Zowie.  Thank you ravelry member who spawned the activity with a single discussion board mention. 

Marlene was the first pattern I published on Ravelry, named for my mum, who is forever in my heart.  She'd be delighted too.

Hattie

I'm hard at work on my latest project, named Hattie. Not quite post-ready yet as there'll be a remake before I do.  There's been too many changes along the way to trust scribbles without a double-check.  Hattie (Harriet) was my grandmother's aunt, the youngest sibling of her mother Martha, born in 1888.  I was a teenager when our paths crossed; she was in her late 70s.  She appreciated my interest so I've got her knitting needles.  Hattie, the sweater, has a shawl collar created as a separate piece that extends around the neckline and down the bodice front as a vertical insert.