My Designs – Page 5

Azul

Published on July 19, 2018March 12, 2019 by Jen16 Comments

jenjoycedesign©Azul chullo2

Today I tripped over a jewel forgotten since the wildfire! Looking in my design computer files I discovered a partially written pattern, along with a few photos of a hat that I knit for my brothers birthday. The pattern was almost finished except for a few details which needed doing, and so I spent most of yesterday finishing the pattern. Wow, I am amazed. I did that?

It is an intensely colorful folksy chullo, and which I posted about way back here. It one of my best colorwork pieces in my opinion, inspired by South American motifs, in four shades of blue, from very dark to very light, complete with tassels & knitted braid! Intensely blue I tell you! But it could be any other color as well, in four shades.

I think I’ll knit up another one of these!

jenjoycedesign©Azul detail

The design is completely my own colorwork motifs, and had originally some very poignant meaning, and a series all in queue as I recall that much, but of which now I can not remember (since the disruption of the wildfire), only that there were some discussions with a long time writing friend of mine from Argentina who lectures on varied subjects of philosophy from time to time at a Seminary in a small town called Azul.

I therefore had named it at the time “Azul” .

jenjoycedesign©Azul chullo

The actual knitted Azul chullo has long disappeared into my brother’s possession, but as I had detailed photos I was able to assemble the pattern. Voila! (( There is-was a vest pattern in the works too, but that is another matter )). For now, there is Azul Chullo. And as it is presently the middle of winter in Argentina, I will make haste…

pattern is LIVE on Ravelry ~~~ HERE !

♣ ♣ ♣

Edit in: After discussing with Alejandro just now about what we may have been discussing at the time I designed this colorwork pattern, and as our topics of discussion often have reference to the Andes Mountains, and as I personally echo the sentiment of such a new title, this chullo will now be officially named “Montañas Azules”, meaning “Blue Mountains”, as are the Andes of Argentina!

Mountains & harsh elements seem to be the thread which is woven into most of my life it seems, so I hope to pick up that series of the design in the near future to work it through. Forthcoming, perhaps more Azules.

Pour Yourself Into This!

Published on July 9, 2018May 27, 2024 by Jen6 Comments

jenjoycedesign© Lincoln Street by JJD

Hi everyone, its me Abelene!

I am giddy! Since Jen has unpacked me she decided I get to model her newest & latest design, because it will be weeks away before she can photograph her nieces in them, and she wants to get the pattern out there while the Summer is still young so knitters can not only enjoy knitting one, but wearing one as well. Jen says that’s eight inches negative ease. Whatever that means, but she nearly rolled her eyes worrying about how misrepresenting that may seem. Jen says there’s an expression for such a fit, called ‘poured into’ . . . so I am poured into the pretty sleeveless summer thing, and I just feel grrrrreat in it! ::squeal:: Um, but did you know I have a sort of … dream… that I was born as Audrey Hepburn instead of a dress form? Yes, it is so. I know, we ought to be grateful for what we have, but I just love her and the whole Paris thing. And so here she is, my sweet demure fantasy human embodiment, and this is what Audrey has to say about this new design…

Audrey

Oh, but Jen also let me model the pink one , a much more acceptable fit of 32″, and that means, well, only four inches negative ease! Isn’t that something!

jenjoycedesign© Lincoln Street Sleeveless! 2

Let me move to the side a little bit so you can see the shaping of the armscye. That is the ‘arms eye’ Jen told me, a really old-fashioned dress-maker’s way of saying it but you can also just say arm hole. Yes, the hole that my arms, if I had them, would go through, and make a sweet flirty summer top, which is really just so nice! Jen has also included an option for lower neck than shown here, which she thinks she will knit up next.

jenjoycedesign© Lincoln Street Sleeveless square

The back, which Jen tells me is the same as the front, only higher. All around, at any angle, this top just makes me feel like I should be having an iced cold pop-sickle while walking down Lincoln Street in Calistoga. Go for the sizzle I say!

jenjoycedesign© Lincoln Street Sleeveless back

I feel that this top is the classic of classics and it feels absolutely delicious, and I think that everyone should have one!

jenjoycedesign© Lincoln Street Sleeveless detail 5

Jen points out that the sizes go to infinity, so big burly men can wear them, as well as little kids too ( but I think I’d rather like to imagine being Audrey wearing one).

Jen says very soon, when she finishes (a larger) Miss Fifteen’s Lincoln Street, she will photograph them on the actual Lincoln Street in Calistoga, with the Darling Duo, later in the summer. Lincoln Street is all ready for you to make one while the summer is young, and the pattern is now submitted and LIVE on Ravelry. Jen would appreciate it if you made one, or at least went and checked it out over on Ravelry HERE.

Ta ta for now,

Abelene

jenjoycedesign© Lincoln Street

Un Chullo

Published on April 3, 2018March 12, 2019 by Jen5 Comments

jenjoycedesign© D's chullo 1

Another birthday chullo for my brother. He just loves them so much, he wears them like hair. For this birthday I chose to make an anniversary of last April’s Camino Inca Chullo pattern release, knitting from the pattern. This one samples the Incan wave motif, and I knit it up in some lovely soft Juniper Moon “Herriot” yarn, which is 100% undyed baby alpaca, and this baby is soft! My brother likes the folk look of the ‘gnome’ crown, so I worked the option for slower decrease and it is just a bit gnome like…
jenjoycedesign© D's chullo 2

Its the tassels that my brother really loves, and with a brow/mustache comb that has needle-sharp brass teeth, I am able to comb through the pompom fringe and fluff up the fine hairs to a really fine furry puff …

jenjoycedesign© eyebrow comb

Voila! I even tied on an extra bit of yarn to comb into a tassle at the tip of the earflap.

jenjoycedesign© D's chullo 3

This being the last of the deadline knitting, I am now able to spend some time experimenting with the traditional “mens” chullo ~~ the varied regional methods of picot edges, and knit with needles traditionally made from bicycle wheel spokes! When time, opportunity & energy come together in the near future, I will continue where I left off, and embark on a new chullo knitting adventure ! But for now I will leave you with an artful & inspiring short travel ad film which gives glimpses of the wild landscape and colorful textiles of Peruvian Highlands that I have been so very drawn to …

St Andrews Harbour Socks

Published on March 20, 2018July 29, 2021 by Jen16 Comments

Go now fishermen of olden days, slip away into the blues and greys of dawn.
Find me, cast away, and draw me back in your nets of knotted twine, for I long to be caught and reeled back in to the world. O’ to be born into the day once again!

St Andrews Harbour in Scotland, is an historic fishing harbor inspiring this classic ensemble of socks, mitts & tam, and the namesake for the collection ~~ St Andrews Harbour.

st-andrews-harbor-fife-scotland1 — Historic St Andrews Harbour, Fife, Scotland

Remember my series of fishermen neck gansey posts from last year?

Well, I’ve returned, with a fishermens gansey for your feet !

And for hands….

There’s an option for kilt-hose style turned cuffs ~~ adorned with kilt flashes or ribbons tied beneath cuff and folded down, this variation resonates the Scottish Highlands!

Option for legwarmers, anklewarmers, & boot cuffs….

jenjoycedesign© ankle warmers boot cuffs — boot cuffs ~ ankle warmers

Alive O’ !!

A bonus gift included of “Petra’s St Andrews Harbour Tam” !

Because nearing the end of my pattern writing for the socks, my good & dear friend Petra had been busy test-knitting the socks, but was also (secretly) adapting the sock pattern to a proper sea-worthy tam…

IMG_20180317_000210 — Thank you so much Petra for your tam contribution! ~ xx

So beautiful, easy to knit, and a Must Have! I am knitting one straight away ~~ but more on the tam knitting later. For now I am working like a team of knitting fisher lassies to get all this pattern submitted and sorted out.

Happy Spring everyone!

I have pushed to have this ready on the Vernal Equinox and and shared in short series of fishermen posts, and at last here it is ~~ done & dusted!

Pattern found on Ravelry HERE.

Fishwives Lace Shoal

Published on July 21, 2017July 25, 2025 by Jen16 Comments

The-Fish-Wife — “The Fishwife” by Edward Charles Barnes

This painting caught my eye last winter, and so when the coast was clear in spring I dove into a lace designing frenzy. For a while I have wanted to make a female counterpart to my Fishermens Neck Gansey, and so here it is finally ~~~ done & dusted! Inspired by the painting, and in the same colorway as the painting …

Fishwives Lace Shoal !

jenjoycedesign© small shawl & cowl together — Small shawl worn over medium cowl.

Fishwives Shoal = shawl + stole. ( Okay, plus a cowl thrown in! ) A play on words, indeed. As many of you have been reading all the fishy posts leading up to this one (especially Shoal or School? will help you get the name of my new design). Fish tails motifs with yarn-overs resembling splashes, and waves in-between create a beautiful lace pattern. Three styles, and three sizes in each.

The Shawl is square, and worn folded diagonally around neck double thick and tucked into corset, or just pin together. This one shown in pink is the small shawl(ette) size, while largest size, with diagonal of 64”, wraps around whole torso as a traditional Scottish hap does, and would also do nicely as a throw.

The Stole is just as a French neck & shoulder wrap, sized from wide scarf to full shoulder wrap.

jenjoycedesign© medium stole 1 — Medium stole.

jenjoycedesign© medium stole back — Back of medium stole.

jenjoycedesign© small stole 3 — Small stole.

The Cowl is simplest of the three styles, and knit in-the-round.

jenjoycedesign© medium cowl — Medium cowl

But of all the three styles, I think I love most is to wear two of them together!

jenjoycedesign© small stole & cowl together 2 — Small stole in rose, with medium cowl in natural white.

jenjoycedesign© med stole & small shawl — Medium stole in light grey, with small shawl in pink.

jenjoycedesign© med & small stoles — Medium stole in light grey, with small stole in rose.

Well that about wraps up an epic project. I will be laying low for a while, but soon back on another big idea I am sure. ~~ Boat loads of thanks to Wendy from Ontario for her test-knitting and generous help with figuring things out! Thanks Wen! ~~xx

Details on Ravelry pattern page over HERE

I will leave you now with some great old photos of a bygone era of real fishwives in their shawls…