Green Goes... Purple

Blackberry Blossom Scarf

The latest pattern in the Shades of Green collection isn't actually green at all. What's up with that? I just felt like it. That's what! If you want to stretch the limits of green you could look very closely at Blackberry Blossom and see greenish blue patches scattered across it. Believe it or not, the yarn was originally supposed to be a green/blue color. The dark purple came about as a result of my less than professional abilities to dye yarn. I didn't get what I wanted to I just kept adding other colors. I was very surprised the yarn came out looking as it did. I can't complain, despite having messed up, because I really like the result. A happy accident. I decided I'd use the yarn anyway. So there you have it, the reason behind green going purple.

Blackberry Blossom is a shawlette, cowl, and scarf all in one. The design begins with casting on for the longest edge first. (Yes, it's a very long cast on. I won't even try and deny it. However, it balances out when you realize each row you work after that is getting shorter.) The last row worked is the inner neck edge. This is where the magic happens. A picot stitch bind off serves as embellishment and also functions as buttons loops. Small buttons placed all along the inner "v" allow you to wrap the ends around your neck and fasten Blackberry into a cowl using those picots we just mentioned.

In the end, despite the mistakes and wrong turns along the way, I'm happy with Blackberry Blossom. I hope you love it too!

Blackberry Blossom buttoned up

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Check out the Knitted Fiddle Boutique for handknit designer originals like Blackberry Blossom.

Cutting Ferns Shawl

The Cutting Ferns Shawl

Last Friday saw the release of another design from the Shades of Green Collection. This one, Cutting Ferns, has quickly become one of my favorite shawls.

What do I love about Cutting Ferns?
The pattern uses bulky yarn and size 10.5/6.5mm needles.
There are only 71 rows.
The longest row is just 201 stitches long.
The large leaf lace makes a very wearable design.

Cutting Ferns is worked from the top center wingspan out and down. All increases are formed with yarn overs. Three different decreases are used, all of which are written out in the stitch guide included in the pattern for easy access.

Purchase the Cutting Ferns Shawl Pattern

$5.00 PDF download

Shades of Green Knitting Collection – Are there several pattern in the Shades of Green collection that catch your attention? Sign up to receive the remaining designs as they're released (and the final copy including all of them together) and save a bundle! The price of individual downloads for these patterns comes in at around $40. Purchasing the entire collection is just $18! Visit the Shades of Green Collection page for all the details.

New Month, New Designs

The 3 Rs – From the Shades of Green Collection

A few new designs have popped up on the Fiddle Knits site since the last time I posted. First we had the Green With Envy semi slouchy hat and today was the release of a 2 design set of travel mug cozies: The 3 Rs and Leaves Gone to Seed. All of these patterns are part of the Shades of Green Knitting Collection. I've been publishing designs from the collection weekly. (Builds more suspense this way!) At the moment we're just about half way through the designs.

Next week will see the launch of my favorite design from the collection, The Cutting Ferns Shawl. I love the shape of this one. It's a standard triangular shawl, but it's long and shallow making it great for wrapping around your neck like a scarf. Another perk is it's done in bulky yarn, so it works up pretty fast. Nearly instant gratification. The pattern requires some focus, but after a while you'll most likely start to recognize what's coming next.

Love knitting photos? How about sneak peeks of designs? You can find these things by following Fiddle Knits on Tumblr. I've begun to use this as a photo collection space. Bookmark the page and check back often. See something you like? Just click the photo and you'll be directed to the pattern page/blog/preview.