SweaterBabe.com's Knitting and Crochet Patterns Blog

Two upcoming patterns and ANOTHER Pattern Giveaway!

This super-cute pixie hat pattern is coming very soon!

See the lovely, unique lace stitch pattern?  This is one you'll have to pay attention to as you knit, but the resulting fabric is very pretty.

Plus, this hat looks super cute on (more photos coming when my 11-month old is up for it!) and knits up quick.  The smaller sizes only require 1 ball of Debbie Bliss' Cashmerino Aran yarn.

Also coming soon is another great cowl!  This one in a cloud-soft mohair and very current shade of purple.

Cowls are really popular this season and this one is so wonderful to wear and knit!  It's actually a long piece that is seamed to become a mobius strip.  Wear it double looped as shown in the first photo, or as a single twisted circular scarf.

It makes for a fabulous gift project.  Sample shown is knit in the soft super kid mohair from GGH.

Watch for BOTH of these patterns to be released next month!

 

*** Want to WIN fr*e copies of BOTH of these patterns when they are released in October? ***

Just enter a comment below by 9 pm, PST, October 18th.  One comment per person, please.  Three random commenters will be chosen to win a copy of BOTH patterns. 

Good luck!

[Hey - Knitting Club Members - no need to enter this giveaway!  You'll be receiving these as the free monthly downloads for October.  Want to become a Member so you will automatically get these two patterns first?  Join now for just $7.99/month!]

*** November 12 Update ***
And the winners are: Marilyn,Vicki Morgan-Bogart, and Linda Robinson!  Congratulations!  Each winner has been emailed these 2 pattern pdfs.  Enjoy!

Flutter-Sleeved Cardigan Pattern Preview!

 

Here is the Flutter-Sleeved Bloused Cardigan - coming soon to the pattern shop!

It's knit in Knit Picks Andean Silk (my current fave), so it has a beautiful drape and super-soft feel.

Lots of details make this one very unique with a nod to vintage style, but still very up-to-date and wearable!  Oh - and yes, it's also top-down (after the cabled, lace neckband it knit).

I'll announce the pattern soon through the SweaterBabe.com newsletters!

Here's another view:

Some upcoming patterns - a photo preview!

I've been busy knitting! Will soon need to chain myself to the computer to write up all of these patterns and more! Enjoy the preview photos. These patterns will be up in the weeks to come. . .

     

Top 5 Best Selling Knitting and Crochet Patterns

Curious what other knitters and crocheters are making?  Here are the current top selling knitting and crochet patterns on SweaterBabe:

TOP 5 Knitting Patterns:
1) #77 Vine Lace Top Down Cardigan

This is one of my personal FAVES.  I wear it all the time.  So cozy!  And I always seem to need pockets to carry tissues, keys, random toys, etc.!  This is a popular one on Ravelry too!  92 projects for you to peruse and faved 1339 times! (See the SweaterBabe.com's Designer page at: http://www.ravelry.com/designers/sweaterbabe)


2) #70 Lush and Lacy Cardigan
One of my more feminine designs!  Have seen many versions in different yarns that bring out the stitch definition.  Looks great on many different figures!  Also a winner on Ravelry!


3) #90 Chic Cables and Lace Cowl Neck Sweater

I get compliments from guys a lot on this one!  They often say, "I don't usually like cowl necks. . . but I like that design a lot."  Guess guys like to see our necks?


4) #73 Women's Top-Down Short- Sleeved Cardigan

A very versatile top-down design!  Do the sleeve length as you wish, as well as the body!  Knit in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky yarn, which comes in so many vibrant, fun, or classic colors.

5) #72 Child's Top-Down Short-Sleeved Cardigan

The kid's version of #4.  A really popular one as well.  One of my customers made 12 of these!!!

TOP 5 Crochet Patterns:
1) #76 Vintage Top-Down Crochet Cardigan

A top-down crochet cardigan!  Fairly quick to make with bulky yarn.  Gets lots of compliments for it's unique look. 

2) #80 Lacy Striped Crochet Scarf

I'm not a big fan of straight stripes (a little too J. Crew for me!), so the wavy striping created by this stitch pattern was so appealing to me. . .

3) #86 Fancy Crocheted Booties

Made these on a whim in anticipation of my 3rd child.  Organic cotton too!!

4) #50 Kimono Wrap Lace Top

This was a quick fix to glam up the summery dress I was wearing to a wedding.  I love the kimono sleeves.  You feel covered up, but the airiness is very sexy and pretty.

5) #22 Easy Crocheted Beanie

This was a design I did to encourage my crochet students to try out hats!  It's been a bestseller always.

The Amazing Crochet Coral Reef Exhibit!

WOW!  I finally had the chance to see this AMAZING crochet exibit here in Los Angeles (Santa Monica at the Bergamot Station) before it left for Chicago.  It's pretty stunning.

It's called the HYPERBOLIC CROCHET CORAL REEF by the INSTITUTE FOR FIGURING AND COMPANIONS.  Apparently, it took tens of thousands of hours for hundreds of crocheters to make the pieces in the exhibit.

If you haven't heard of this one yet, let me try to explain it (but really, let the photos below show you)!  It is a crocheted representation of the Great Barrier Reef, all done in crochet.  Imagine all sort of colors, yarns in all different textures and plies (as well as other "recycled" materials), different crochet hook sizes, and different stitches ALL made to resemble natural sea plants, formations, and creatures.

Take a look at the photos.  It was just very interesting and cool.  Check it out if the exibit comes to you!  It's rare to see crochet celebrated in this fashion!

Sorry for the LONG post - I edited the number of photos, but you can see that there was so much to look at.  Viva crochet!

 

 

 

Send us your finished project photos!

Our first customer survey told us clearly that many of you would love to see more photos of the SweaterBabe patterns on real bodies!  See our great gallery of photos here!

So would we!

You can help us by submitting your finished SweaterBabe project photos!  If your photo is chosen to be posted on the site, we'll thank you with a free pattern of your choosing.

Send photos of SweaterBabe.com patterns to gallery@sweaterbabe.com.  Please send photos that are high resolution, i.e. please don't send ones that you have made smaller or compressed for the web.  The larger the better!

If your photo(s) are selected, you will need to give us permission to use your photo(s). 

We can't wait to see the lovely finished items!

NEW SweaterBabe Product Reviews! Submissions welcome.

Got a knitting or crochet-related item for SweaterBabe to review?  Want the chance to expose your product to over 20,000 knitters and crocheters for free?

SweaterBabe invites you to send us samples of your knitting or crochet-related product for review!  Knitting and crochet accessories, buttons, hand-crafted needles, yarns, books, bags, shawl pins, etc. will all be considered and welcome.

Please email us at: reviews@sweaterbabe.com with the following information:
- Name of your product
- Brief description
- Your name and contact information
- Where your product is available (stores, online, etsy, etc.)

Items that are well-suited to our 20,000+ knitting and crochet community will be chosen for review (It's like free advertising for you - easily a $100++ value!).  We'll email you back and let you know where to send your samples.

For items chosen for review, we ask that you send us 1 sample for review, plus 2-5 extra samples we will use as giveaways (which will give you even more exposure to our knitting and crochet community!).

We're excited to see your products soon! 

New Pattern Coming! The Cables and Flowers Asymmetrical Cardigan.

Here's the latest off my knitting needles... waiting to be written up!

It's a top-down cardigan with lots of pretty details. It has a gorgeous ribbed cable that curves down the front and finishes off the curved right front hem.

A shaped waist is accentuated with ribbing detail. The lower part of the cardigan is decorated with pretty flower and vine raised motifs.

An asymmetrical design, longer length, and wonderfully soft, drapey Andean Silk yarn from Knit Picks completes this unique design.


















And here is the pretty back view:

The New Cardigan is Finished!

Here is the latest project off of SweaterBabe's needles - a romantic and pretty shaped cardigan.  It's knit from the top-down, has 3/4 length sleeves that are slightly flared, and features a beautifully flared shape.  The waist is cinched with a wide ribbon and mock-cable belt loops that match the mock-cables in the flared bottom.

Knit in Blue Sky Alpaca's dyed cotton.  It's a wonderfully soft and very vibrantly colored yarn.

Look for this pattern coming very soon!  I'll be busy writing it up right away.

Here's the gorgeous detailing of the back:

Finished Lush & Lacy Cardigan Photos

Another lovely finished Lush & Lacy Cardigan from a knitter in Canada:

"Dear Katherine,

Thanks so much for the beautiful Lush & Lacy pattern! I'm attaching pics of my finished piece to show you. It was a great pattern, easy knit, and turned out more than wearable. I'm looking forward to future pattern releases from you so I can knit, knit, knit!"

-- Christina knitsabeautifullife.com

Looks great!  A sweet color choice.