Best meet-up in Orlando

I have been part of Ravelry for over 5 years now (WOW! Can you believe it?), and I have been blessed (like the rest of us) with many, many friends.
Those who live near me, in Buenos Aires, have become some of my greatest friends, and very important people in my life, but I was also lucky to find many new friends around the world that I never thought I would be able to meet.

10 days ago, when we were still on holidays in Orlando, I had the privilege to meet 3 girls who make my designing job really fun: Maggy (Mswnnola), Shannon (Knitwit41) and Carol (Cdncarol).

These girls met while testing one of my patterns, and soon became close friends.  They kept on testing for me (thank you!), so they would end up always knitting the same sweaters at the same time... And one day they decided to meet up (the live far away from each other) and model these sweaters together.

From left to right: Maggy, Shannon and Carol, modelling their Jenica Hoodie

From left to right: Maggy, Carol and Shannon, modelling their Dragonflies Jumper

I owe them so much for helping me out with such a tedious job as testing is... They would find mistakes which meant they had to rip out a sleeve... Or would find out that the measurements are wrong and adjustments need to be made...  However they seem to enjoy it for some strange reason, and for that I am forever grateful.
But they also offer me the gift of their friendship, and when they found out I was coming to the US on holidays, they decided to make a trip to Orlando so that we could meet on my Birthday.
Of course, a visit to a theme park was the obvious hang-out date, so we met at Universal Studios.

I finally made it to their group shots!!!

We had so much fun!  And I got to understand why Carol gets so many knits done.  She even knits when waiting to ride a roller-coaster.

I cannot tell whether she was actually knitting while on the ride, but I suspect she actually did...  I wish there was an "Extreme Knitting" attraction somewhere.
They also took care of our boys so that my hubby and I could ride the big big roller coasters!  That was a Birthday gift on its own, but they surprised me with another awesome gift, spun by Shannon herself:

At night we went for dinner, and got to chat about life and future projects.  They were all wearing Window to my Soul, the latest test knit they did all together (more on that design on a future blog post).

Yes, I am having a mojito.  They told me this was the "small" one.

So even though I was not dressed up for the ocasion, I wore mine too and we took some pictures the 4 of us together (sorry, taking pics at night with a flash is not easy...).

These girls are awesome, and I am so happy that we could meet in "real life"!!!  I'll remember this Birthday forever!  THANK YOU!!!

-Joji

Our NYC holidays

So last Tuesday we came back home after spending a 20-day holiday in the US.  We had the chance to spend a whole week in NYC, and the rest of the time in the amazing Disneyworld, where the whole family had a fantastic time.  Such a wonderful holiday!!!

Even though one would think I would go straight to all the yarn stores there are to be seen, I was travelling with 4 men: my husband, my brother and my 2 sons.  So there was very little time for window shopping and the only time there was we spent it at Toys R Us or The Foot Locker....

But they were nice and came with me to the 2 stores I wanted to know the most:

Purl Soho:
On our second day in New York, on a rainy day, we came to this fabulous, stylish shop!  And I was in very good company...

It was the first time in my life entering a yarn store where I could see the yarns I work with before buying them.  I don't usually work with the products we have available in Argentina.  We do have awesome, awesome products, but I try to work with yarns that other knitters can also get for their projects. 
I must admit I was even a little bit shy before going in... I had been waiting to know this store for such a long time!

The first impression was amazing.  I had never seen shelves like these back at home.  Oh boy! What to buy?  So many lovely yarns... And I got to touch yarns that I had seen on the internet many times without being able to touch them...
I must say it was too overwhealming, and after putting several skeins in my basket and then returning them to the shelves, 2 of them decided to come home with me as gifts for my most loved ones: these 2 skeins of the OH SO FABULOUS Anzula.

Of course, since I had been so good to my boys, I got this handsome hubby to pay the bill ;)

Knitty City:
During our last day in New York, I was not feeling too well, so we decided to do something relaxed.  Perfect excuse to insert a visit to another yarn store! 

This store was not as chic as Purl, but I felt the true "artisan look" all over.  And let me tell you that the variety of yarns they carry is UNBELIEVABLE!  I felt I was in Wonderland.  This was the place where my wallet was actually shaking, and I did some damage to it for sure.

  There were so many delightful yarns tha tI had never seen live before, and the colors in each shelf were magical and mesmerizing...  However, this little shelf hidden in the bottom really took my heart: It was a big batch of Studio Worsted, from Neighborhood Fiber Co.

The skeins were really big (200g-400yd), but they only had 2 of them available in the color I chose, so I'll have to knit something tight!
Look at these beauties, I couldn't leave them at the shop:

And of course, I was in very good company, so the visit was delightful!

I hope you are not bored already, since I have the nicest story to tell you on a later post about some wonderful ladies I met in Orlando, after we left NYC!

-Joji

Imagine when...

I have an exciting new pattern to show you! 

I have been working on this project together with Sundara Yarns, and the whole process was pure bliss.  I enjoyed every minute of this project, too bad it was such a quick knit!

The construction is so simple, yet intriguing, using chained triangles to achieve an elongated shape, while still getting a very wearable piece (I love asymmetrical shawls, but I also like to show them off, so sometimes odd shapes are not my favorite).

I hope you like it! If you are looking for a quick, relaxing, but still interesting project to showcase 500 yards of some special yarn, then Imagine When is for you ♥

This simple yet elegant shawl was worked using Sundara's Fingering Merino Cashmere, available in 150g/500yd skeins of exquisitely dyed luxury.

The colorway is magical, but I'll let Sundara introduce it, since it is one of her new colorways.  All I can say is that photographs don't do justice.  It is too beautiful!

PS: Leaving on vacations tomorrow towards NYC... Pictures of Purl Soho coming as soon as I'm there!

-Joji

Neon - a collaboration with The Plucky Knitter Yarns!

I am so excited to share with you my latest news and pattern!
I have been working with The Plucky Knitter yarns in a collaborative design since the end of last year.  Pattern and yarn will be sold as kits tomorrow Monday February 4th on The Plucky Knitter's website, and the pattern will be also available as a Ravelry download in its own this week.

Scroll down to see the amazing color options Sarah has ready for us!

So I proudly present you my Neon.

Spring is just around the corner. What better way to welcome the change in seasons than with a darling little cardigan! I’m very excited to introduce this lovely little sweater designed with the amazing yarn by The Plucky Knitter. It will be just right for the surprises that spring weather always brings. Neon is designed in Plucky Sweater and features a top down construction, using the contiguous method. That means that there is no need to worry about seaming!

Neon has just enough textured stitch pattern to keep this charming cardigan interesting for the more advanced knitter, but is not too complex for an advanced beginner. The all over textured lace pattern, called the tulle stitch, is simple to work, but gives the finished sweater a very complex look. Plucky Sweater, with its subtle shading, is the perfect yarn for Neon, giving fantastic stitch definition and allowing your stitches to pop.

I believe my patterns are complimentary to women of all sizes. With just enough waist shaping and some deep ribbing, this sweet sweater will help to awaken your feminine side. Knit it in an intensely bright color to create a modern gem, or achieve a soft delicate heirloom piece by using a gentle neutral.

This sweater is here to help you prepare for those cooler transitional days as we gracefully move into Spring. Wear it over your favorite pair of jeans with a pair of sexy heels or slip it on over a cute summer dress. Neon will help break the chill of office air conditioning and will keep you cozy under the stars at a late night dinner.

Get ready to pamper your feminine side with a luxurious yarn and a charming design. We hope you love this pairing as much as we do.

Colorway shown: Hotsy Totsy

Sizes
To fit bust: 28/30 (32/34, 36/38, 40/42, 44/46, 48/50, 52/54, 56/58) inches. Shown in size 32/34, with 2” of negative ease.

Materials:
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter Plucky Sweater (90% Merino/10% Nylon – 270 yd – 100g) 4 (5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8) skeins
Needles: US 6 (4mm) circular needles.
Other Notions: 8 (8, 8, 8, 9, 9, 9, 9) 15 mm buttons.
4 Stitch markers.
Waste yarn or stitch holders.
Gauge: 18 st and 24 rows to 4 inches on US6 (4 mm) needles, in tulle stitch, after blocking.
Pattern contains written instructions, schematics, video tutorial.

Colorways available ~

Please note: The kits will go live on the Plucky Knitter website Monday, February 4th at 9:00 a.m. Eastern and will remain open while spots remain. They have worked diligently to ensure they are able to fill the shop with as many kits as possible.

All sweater kits will ship the week of March 4th.

Thank you so very much from Joji and The Plucky Knitter!!!

www.thepluckyknitter.com
www.sjdimond4437.etsy.com
thepluckyknitter@gmail.com

A very productive year...

If you have been following me soou mewhere else than my blog, then you probably know about all this...  But unfortunately, my blog got very neglected this year.  And it was a very fantastic one!  So I thought I could write a post to catch up and tell you all about it.

It started while I was writing my very first (and only) ebook: April Showers.

 

This ebook was a comission from Malabrigo, as a part of their Freelance Pattern Project.  It was the first time someone from a yarn company contacted me to work for them.  It included 4 patterns, and I loved every single one of them.  It was A LOT of work, more than I expected.  Suddenly, I realized that writing an ebook required more than just writing 4 patterns and publish them at the same time!! Hahaha...

After starting to work on this, Malabrigo asked me to contribute for their new book (coming in November to your LYS): Malabrigo Book 4.  This was huge for me.  It was and still is the first time a pattern of mine was published in print.  Malabrigo was quite specific with the request: It needed to be a pullover and I needed to use one of their most lovely colorways: Cumparsita, a deep red with black spots.  And this was my design:  Alcazar.

This became even more exciting when I discovered who the other designers featured in the book were... Imagine my suprised when I learnt I was going to be published in a book together with Gudrun Johnston, Stephen West, Kirsten Kapur...

At the middle of the year, we decided to remodel our house.  This took a big part of my day and for some months there was not much designing done over here...  But just before Fall (I mean Fall in the northern hemisphere) I could release some of my favorite sweater patterns so far, on which I had been working for quite some time:

Boxy, which soon became a favorite among my friends:

Dragonflies Jumper:

Lemongrass:

Meridien:

 And 2012 was a year of collaborations too!  I had the pleasure of working with 2 amazing dyers for 2 different projects: a Shawl Kit, and a Yarn Club.  My designs were:

The way from Brighton: offered as a Kit in Lioness Arts Etsy shop.

 Autumn Blush: Part of Sundara’s Yarn Lovers Luxury Yarn and Pattern Collection.

As you see, it was a very productive year!  I couldn't be more happy with all the support I have received from all my ravelry friends.  I created my group last year, and this one it has over 1000 members!
Go check it out here if you like, to read about my work more often... This blog is not properly taken care of by this designer ;)

-Joji

New (free) Pattern and KAL time!

download now

This little knit just happened to be on the needles while I worked other more complicated things.  I worked on it every now and then, without paying much attention to it... Until one day I realized I was knitting the last row!  And that's when the pattern was born.

For me, this cowl was a very enjoyable knit for many reasons.
- The yarn.  Oh my God the yarn!  It's called String Theory Caper Sock, and the colorway is Didgeridoo.  The yarn was "borrowed" to me.  My friend Jenny sent me this skein and I was supposed to knit something for her with it.  So this cowl has already an owner.  I just feel lucky that I was able to know this yarn, which I would have not chosen myself.  It is beyond gorgeous!
- The size.  You have no idea how awesome it felt for me (who always has a huge sweater project in her bag) to be travelling around with this tiny project!  And I was sure that I'd have lots of fun without running out of yarn...
- The stitch pattern.  It has it all: cables and lace.  I am a lover of simple knits, but for some reason I always tend to choose intrincate stitch patterns.  This one was super fun to make, but easy to memorize. 

download now

We'll be having a KAL (knit-along) during the month of June in my Ravelry group forum.  There will be prizes!  Come join the party if you like, we'd love you to share your progress with us.  Hope to see you there!

KAL Thread

New pattern: Tourist Sweater

Wow, it's almost June!
I am very happy to be able to show you my latest pattern: Tourist Sweater.

This tunic is the perfect go to pullover when you need something simple yet stylish. It’s a simple and quite quick knit, with a few twists that will keep the process of knitting it interesting, starting with knitting the collar in one direction, and the rest of the body in another.
Since it was designed to be the perfect traveling sweater (I made this specially thinking of our trip), it has a kangaroo pouch where you can put what you need to keep most at hand at all times. Finding the perfect buttons for the pouch adds the last touch of fun to the process of making the sweater.
It is designed for bust size ranging from 28/30 to 56/58 inches or 70/75 to 140/145 cm.
You can read more about it here.
Or buy the pattern here:

My sister took these pictures of me while we were visiting her in The Netherlands.  The daffodil gardens were perfect for a backgroud with this awesome yellow yarn.
The yarn I used is Malabrigo Merino Worsted, one of my favorite yarns ever, in colorways Frank Ochre.  A perfect shade of yellow.  Just perfect!

And just because I love this little guy so much and we aunties are like this....  Here is another piture of my Tourist sweater in action, the moment I met my Godson: Noah.

Hope you guys like it!

Contest time! / Concurso!

Hello everybody!
The word is out:
I will be publishing a collection of Springtime patterns on April 17th, sponsored by Malabrigo, as part of the Malabrigo Freelance Pattern Project.  We want to keep the patterns a mystery until the release date, but maybe you would enjoy a sneak-peek?

Hola a tod@s!

Ya no es más secreto:  El 17 de Abril voy a publicar una colección de patrones para Primavera, esponsoreados por Malabrigo, como parte del  Malabrigo Freelance Pattern Project.  Queremos que los patrones sean un misterio hasta el día del lanzamiento, pero a lo mejor les gustaría un adelanto?


I thought it would be fun to have a contest my ravelry group.
2 winners will win a copy of April Showers, a collection of 4 patterns inspired by rain.
Here is how it works:

• To enter the contest, you need to go to the group board and enter this thread:  
  http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/designs-by-joji/2072211/1-25#1
  Post a picture of a project that you made for springtime. It can be anything: a cardigan, a shawl, a tank top… It just needs to be something that reminds you of spring. Photos do not need to be artistic! The idea is that you share your creations, which can inspire other knitters… If you want to, please share with us which pattern/yarn you chose and why you chose them.
  
• Only members are eligible to win the prizes, so please join or group. New members are always welcome! (to be able to join the group, you need to have a ravelry user)
  
• Only one post per person, please…
  

The contest will remain open until April 16th midnight. Then we’ll do a draw with the post numbers and we’ll know who the 2 lucky winners are.
Good luck everyone!

Me pareció divertido hacer un concurso en mi grupo de ravelry.

2 ganadoras se llevarán una copia de April Showers, una colección de 4 patrones inspirados por la lluvia.

Así funciona:

• Para participar del concurso, tienen que ir al grupo y entrar en este hilo:
  http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/designs-by-joji/2072211/1-25#1
  Posteen una imagen/foto de un proyecto que hayan hecho para primavera.  Las fotos no necesitan ser artísitcas!  La idea es que compartan sus creaciones, que pueden inspirar a otras tejedoras...  Si quieren, compartan con nosotras qué patrón/lana usaron y por qué los eligieron.
  
• Sólo los miembros del grupo pueden ganar los premios, así que porfa únanse al grupo!  Siempre es lindo tener miembros nuevos! (para poder unirse al grupo deben ser miembros de ravelry).
  
  
• Sólo un post por persona porfa…

El concurso estará abierto hasta el 16 de abril a la medianoche.  Después haremos un sorteo con los números de los posts y sabremos quiénes son las 2 afortunadas ganadoras.

Mucha suerte a todas!!!!!

In red / En rojo

I have some projects that I want to show you...  In red.
Even though hot Buenos Aires made it quite hard to get these done, I managed to finish them with some help from my air conditioner.  Our weather has changed a lot, and it feels like our city is turning into a tropical weather place.  We no longer have cold winters (I rarely wear my heavy weight sweaters), and our summers seem to last longer and longer.

Tengo algunos proyectos que les quiero mostrar... En color rojo.

A pesar de que la calurosa Buenos Aires hizo bastante difícil que pudiera terminarlos, pude hacerlo con un poco de ayuda de mi acondicionador de aire.  Nuestro clima ha cambiado un montón, y pareciera que nuestra ciudad se está convirtiendo a una con clima tropical.  Ya no tenemos inviernos fríos (apenas uso mis sweaters gruesos), y nuestros veranos parecen ser más y más largos.

This is my Jenica Hoodie.
Esta es mi Jenica Hoodie.

If you didn't read the story of this sweater, you can do it here.  I love the way it came out!
Si no leíste la historia de este sweater, podés  hacerlo acá.  Me encanta cómo salió!

Some shots of the back:
Fotos de atrás:

The yarn I used for this project/pattern is Madelinetosh Chunky, a glorious yarn.  It seems a little heavy when you knit it, but it softens up a lot after blocking.  And it didn't eat up that much yarn!  The best part is that it knits up at a big gauge, so the knitting goes FAST!

El hilado que usé para este proyecto/patrón es Madelintosh Chunky, un hilado glorioso.  Parece un poquito pesado cuando lo usás, pero se suaviza un montón cuando lo lavás.  Y no llevó tanta lana!  La mejor parte es que se teje con agujas grandes, así que el tejido avanza RÁPIDO!

The cables crossing in the back take the centre of the attention in this hoodie, but it has so many little details that make it beautiful: horizontal braiding in the yoke, side pockets with smaller braids, roomy hood…
Knit from the top down, Jenica is not a traditional cardigan… It is built in a way that will make you have lots of fun while working it. You will be going from one piece to another, changing directions… The heavy weight yarn makes this pattern a very fast knit, and since it is seamless, very little finishing is required.

 

El cruce de trenzas en la espalda se lleva toda la atención en esta "hoodie", pero tiene tantos detalles que la hacen hermosa:  trenzas horizontales en el canesú, bolsillos laterales con trenzas más pequeñas, capucha amplia...  Tejida desde arriba hacia abajo, Jenica no es un cardigan tradicional... Está construido en una manera que te hará entretener un montón mientras lo tejés.  Vas a ir de una pieza a la otra, cambiar de dirección...  El hilado grueso hace que el patrón sea muy rápido de tejer, y ya que no tiene costuras, se requiere muy poca terminación.

 

 
With my leftover yarn (about 1.5 skeins), I decided to make something for the men in the house too, so I made them each a hat.  I hope they wear them, cause they always complain about woolen garments.  Can you believe it?  Even though I have tried to knit them with the softest yarns ever, they keep saying my knits are itchy....
 

Con el hilado que me sobró (más o menos 1 madeja y media), decidí hacer algo para los hombres de la casa también, así que les hice a cada uno un gorrito.  Espero que los usen, porque siempre se quejan de las prendas de lana.  Pueden creerlo?  Aunque usa los hilados más suaves que existan, ellos siguen diciendo que les pican....

Mariano, Charly, Sebi

You can read more about these here.
Pueden leer más acá.