Skein Shop Spring-A-Long & Mariner Toe-Up Sock KAL

I'm currently engaged in two a-longs......

Skein Shop is having a Spring-A-Long, which as long as it is a spring theme, it's okay.  It can be knit, crochet, or even weaving.  I am working on a design, but I haven't shared anything yet. Soon though! I've been having a little designer block.....I just can't get the idea to gel.  Swatching some lovely CoBaSi from HiKoo.  Lovely spring colors, in this cotton/bamboo/silk blend in a fingering weight. It's not too late to participate...go to their Ravelry group here to sign up, but don't wait too long...it ends April 16th.

I am also taking part in a KAL with Katalin Beth.  She's an indie designer/yarn dyer out of Australia.  You might recognize her name from the 5-Day Toe-Up Sock Challenge. This is a toe-up sock pattern called Mariner with stripes and a fairisle motif of anchors (making me use those fairisle skills from the last challenge). You should check out her website at Katalin Beth Designs.



These are some of my earlier color choices, but as you can see they didn't quite work out the way I had hoped.  I went with two contrasting solids finally, a navy blue and butter yellow as seen below.
I'm using Cascade Heritage Sock yarn. I like them together and think they look good, but I'll show you that in my next post.

Merengue Knot Bag & Skein Shop Independent Designer Program

I am proud to announce the release of Merengue Knot Bag, in conjunction with the Skein Shop Independent Designer Program.  I was fortunate enough to become acquainted with Alexandra Parks (aka Sasha) of Skein Shop and Dashing Mouse Designs, while buying some yarn for another design that I am currently in development.
She expressed an interest in my designs after looking at my designer page.  She asked if I would be interested in participating in their Independent Designer Program.  After receiving the details, I told her that I would love to collaborate on a design. This pattern is the result of that collaboration, with Skein Shop providing yarn support, tech editing and a lot of promotion.  I provided the inspiration, design and prototypes.  Sasha is a designer herself, but prefers to spend her time dyeing her line of yarns. You can find more information about the Independent Designer Program on the Skein Shop blog.
The Merengue Knot Bag inspiration came from the extravagantly ruffled costumes of some Latin dances. I love the sculptural qualities of felted ruffles.  I wanted to pair those ruffles with a simple knot bag.  The pattern has a nice photo-tutorial to help with construction of the ruffles.
So, without further ado, please take a look at the pictures below and start thinking of what colors you want to use for your own Merengue.
I am also offering an introductory promotional discount of 25% until 12/15/2016 midnight.  Take advantage of this and make yourself a tropical delight to chase away the winter cold (at least for a little while).  My shop is Paula King's Ravelry shop...KraziKnitz by Paula,