Tag Archives: lace knitting

A New Knitting Pattern for the Little Darlings

Happy Saturday to you all! The snowfall from this past week is almost all melted around here, and spring is feeling just a bit more of a reality than it did a week ago. Yay! I know a lot of you already have lots of blossoms and blooms happening in the garden. That sounds wonderful!

My latest cardigan from the “Rosies and Lavender” ensemble has been published. It uses fingering weight yarn and can be worn as a cardigan or reversed to look like a pullover. I reworked the neckline to dip in a little bit, so it does not cut across the neck. The lace panels are on the back, sleeves, and along the front edges. The sewn bind off keeps the hemlines stretchy so that the lace can remain open and beautiful.

LD lace cardigan pattern p1 only

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The lace stitch panels are only 9 stitches wide with lace rows worked on two right side rows every 6 rows. You are not constantly knitting lace stitches. I also have the lace stitches written in a vertical format that I find easy to follow. They are also graphed. To alleviate mistakes, I added instructions for using ring markers to mark off your lace panels so that you can count your stitches immediately after knitting those stitches. The rows that each of the two different lace rows are worked on are also noted on the charts and graph. I try to make knitting these lace panels as foolproof as possible as I tended to forget yarn overs or decreases. This method works for me every time.

You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

I wish you all a fantastic weekend (even if you still have snow on the ground)! Thanks for stopping by, friends!

“Rosies and Lavender”

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It’s super hard to get into spring-y feelings this morning. It snowed all night and a fine snow is still falling. However, we don’t have much snow on the ground, six inches or so. Six inches of snow is better than 24, so I’ll take it without complaining.

I have my smiling Little Darling, Lucy, here to help bring back some feelings of spring. She is wearing the most (one of them, anyway) beautiful floral prints in a unique color palette. Instead of green for the greenery, it is in medium grey. The background isn’t white, ivory, or ecru. It is the color of whipping cream! The roses are in cool rosy tones with muted violet blossoms. The blossoms, stems, and leaves make up bouquets scattered randomly on this Japanese cotton fabric.

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Isn’t this a beautiful print?

Lucy’s dress has English cotton Cluny lace snugged underneath a skirt tuck. The waistline sash is in rosy colored satin ribbon.

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Muted lavender works perfectly for the sweater. The elbow length wool cardigan has delicate lace panels down the center back, sleeves, and along the front edges. I’ve embroidered floral motifs in an asymmetrical composition amongst the lace panels.

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Lucy wears a crocheted cap made out of white bamboo thread. It is decorated with a crocheted mohair/silk rose, satin bow, and glass leaf bead. What a pretty girl!

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Lucy’s accessories include a bouquet, bracelet, and tights.

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“Rosies and Lavender” will be available tonight (March 13, 2017) at 7:00 pm CST, cindyricedesigns.com.

“Springy and Delicate”

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After many, many springlike days winter weather returned on Friday. We woke Saturday morning to a light dusting of snow and temperatures that were well below freezing. Brr! Saturday remained cold, and reminding me that it is still indeed February.

I cannot remember ever seeing crocuses blooming in February, but this year I did! What a wonderful surprise they were! They started blooming (always the yellow first) last Wednesday. Since it’s getting warmer again this week, the violet and white crocuses should quickly follow their yellow friends out into the world. Spring flowers make me so happy!

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In my studio, the “making of spring” also continues. Here is my Little Darling, Gina, modeling my last February ensemble.

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Isn’t this the most precious print? It is so shabby chic and in my favorite shade of blue. This was one of those ‘order immediately before it’s sold out’ fabrics. I fell so much in love with it that I also purchased it in pink and yellow.

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Gina’s cardigan is knit with mohair/silk lace yarn. Lace panels on each front, the sleeves, and center back add to the delicate-ness of this cardigan. The mirrored rose bouquets are embroidered at the neckline and bottom hemline. I brought rosiness to the button band with pastel pink glass pearl buttons.

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I finally bought some wool roving to make little needle felted accessories with. (I received a needle felting pen and mat for Christmas.) I’ve watched some You Tube tutorials, so had a general idea how to needle felt, but I was just having fun and experimenting while making this bunny. To my surprise, he came out looking like a bunny! Gina claimed him as her own and told me all she needed was a basket to put him in. Of course, dear Gina! I made a flat shaped basket (like my flower cutting baskets) so he could sit in the basket and be seen. He’s not perfect, but cute, I think so anyway.

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“Springy and Delicate” will be available tonight (February 27, 2017) at 7:00 pm CST, cindyricedesigns.com.

My little Kaye Wiggs Millie is patiently awaiting the next spring ensemble which will be hers! I think it will be in the pink colorway of this same print. I was looking at her album of outfits and she seems to be missing a pink dress. She has had a lot of ensembles made with prints that have ivory backgrounds, and not one print that is predominately pink.

Thanks for stopping by today, my friends. Enjoy the week!

❤