Our Castle

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Jen

We discovered a castle !

That is, part of a castle, more the entrance of the castle. A gothic brick & stone building at the gate of the Castello di Amorosa.

Which was actually quite perfect, for nobody was about and we could just be creative with the knitwear. . .

007jenjoycedesign©una cosettina

We did actually drive up to the castle, but there were hundreds of people swarming about, and that was less than ideal for photographing. But we did get a shot of Miss Fifteen standing through the sky window of my car, with the castle in the background …

It was a GREAT discovering this new favorite photo place, all three of us were very taken by the gothic feel of iron & brick & stone & arched windows, and all agreed it should be the new design image for us. Modelled in photos are holiday & birthday presents from me; a pair of Una Cosettina mitts and accompanying infinity scarves “Una Cosettina Sciarpa Infinita” which is all upcoming… we just had to give ‘er a test run here at the castle today !

Here are a few more of the shots…

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Dicey Highland Hats !

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Jen

There are three shapes of Dicey now, and all modeled together here in one ensemble. First of the three, the latest shape added to the pattern and gaining in popularity, the Dicey Highland Cap (mentioned over in this post) with … Continue reading →

Look Here !

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Jen

I’m so proud of my eldest niece! On November 12th, competing in a season final, the CMC cross-country race against 114 girls Varsity Level (thats freshmen to senior grades) our very own Miss Fourteen came in 19th ! Now, as one of the top three girls from her school, she goes to compete in the post-season NCS race. Yay!!

Penny Candy Winter !

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Jen

It’s here, finally, after redesign & re-knit of the yokes, and this morning re-photographing of… my Penny Candy Winter ! My nieces, their mom, and I met at the Calistoga Roastery as we usually do for these occasions, and then … Continue reading →

Sweater Success !

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Jen

Here they are folks, my beautiful nieces in their Autumn sweaters.

I’ve been quite busy with these sweaters since July.

This Autumn I have designed a Winter version of last Spring’s design, because to my amazement it was so well received, I just couldn’t resist making another Penny Candy design for cold weather. It has some unique features that are different from the tee, but I won’t go into the details until the pattern comes out.

These are two longer ‘tunic’ examples of Penny Candy Winter.

One thing I’m a little embarrassed about is that it seems that Miss Fourteen has ‘shrunk’ a little in the last year, from training so much with her school’s cross-country & track team, and I somehow anticipated her needing more room for a winter pullover, so I apparently made it a bit on the ‘too’ big side.

While Miss Eleven has grown even more since I last saw her last August, and wearing her pullover with not much room to grow into. She’s grown inches and inches this year, and doesn’t seem to be stopping, and already passing me up in height !

jenjoycedesign©027 We flounced around Calistoga in the late morning, seeking out our usual spots, hoping for shade, but missing it for the most part. The ‘four corners’ on Lincoln & Washington streets, then the mural of Old Town Calistoga. One thing, it was incredibly HOT while taking these photos, in case you can’t imagine, it was probably in the 80’s easy at 11:30, when we finished.

Miss Eleven is modelling the Penny Candy Winter in it’s signature stripes & lace in four colors, whiles Miss Fourteen models the basic solids version. I’ve been working on the pattern like an ox through all the summer it seems, and I am very close to finishing, so I thought it a good thing to show you the photos from this morning.

You can see the rest of this morning’s note-worthy photos in the slideshow …

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Click image below to see all Sweater Successes past .

September 2010

Autumn Sweaters Done & Dusted !

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Jen

I’m ecstatic for two reasons. For one, the Autumnal Equinox has turned, and two, both sweaters I set out to design & knit by the equinox are done & dusted! I did have to reknit an awful lot too. This is all you get to see of them for now, but we have the date set with my nieces to give them these and they will model them and we will have a boatload of fun with a photo shoot in Calistoga, and then you’ll get to see photos galore of them. Then sometime in October I will buckle down get the pattern done & dusted too. But for now, just a happy chirpy sort of pleased-with-myself post on the first day of Autumn.

1st Place !

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Jen

My Fourteen-Year-Old Niece is a running superstar !!! Here she is today, having won first place in junior varsity for her school, in an invitational meet of over sixty schools participating. She raced the 2-mile cross-country and I am so proud of her. She is my super duper model and an absolutely killer runner !!!!

* * *

Autumn Sweater News Flash : One down, the most colorful for youngest niece & blocking right now. Casting on a more subtle colorway for the Running Superstar’s tonight! It will be nothing short of a miracle if I get these done by the Autumnal Equinox, but I am going for it.

In The Kitchen

Posted on August 9, 2014 by Jen

As I mentioned in previous post, my nieces came for a visit for a couple of days. We mostly ‘chillaxed’ around together with our EDC’s (electronic devices of choice: iphone, kindle, laptop) but with plenty of time in the kitchen, just the way the last days of summer vacation should be spent, after a very busy one they had. Both nieces had a busy summer, but Miss Eleven had and an incredible growth spurt ~~ and this visit was special, as for the first and last time, we are all three the same height !

Two days, one night, and four times we flung flour. The first time was making noodles (flour & egg) for upon their arrival they were good and hungry and I had some home-made chicken soup all ready for their expert noodle work. By the way, Miss Fourteen could easily win a chicken-noodle-soup-eating contest … hands down! Second time, made Amish moon pies ( flour & butter) with apple filling I had made ahead of time waiting in the freezer , and came to life good & proper with their very experienced moon-pie-making magic touch. How many moon pies did I personally eat? Don’t ask, I lost count! Third time, pizza for dinner (flour & yeast) which means of course, pizza dough… and lots more flour (sorry , no photo of pizza) . Fourth time, next day repeat noodle making for to finish off the chicken soup. Thats about it, a whirl-wind couple of days flinging flour and exhausting relaxation. We three girls thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and that’s certain.

What totally killed me was in our last hour before I had to bring them back to Calistoga to meet their mom, Miss Eleven says ” Lets bake something ! ” Can you believe that? C’mon kid ! She cracks me up. Anyway, we will leave you with our humble little noodle recipe . . .

~ My Niece’s Way of Noodle-Making ~

Crack one egg into bowl. Add a pinch of salt, and maybe pepper and other herbs & flavors ‘to taste’~ whatever strikes your fancy. Add flour and stir with fork until ball forms. Add only enough flour to keep very moist wad of dough so that you can pick it up with your hands, the rest of the flour will be added from well-floured hands and surface. Break off small chunks and roll out with your hands. When all rolled out, into a pan of rapidly boiling water, or chicken broth, or soup, add all noodles quickly and at once, Stir , then let simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes. Eat and savor the hand-made goodness.

Chaltén Beret : The Pattern

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Jen

I talked at length in previous post the inspiration behind this design, which I’ve named Chaltén Beret. Now with my lovely nieces having modelled in an absolutely stellar photo shoot yesterday, against the stone walls of a gothic Catholic church in St. Helena, with an intriguing landscape of grasses, I have got the pattern done, and you can find it on Ravelry HERE. Either way, I hope that you knit it, and try out making the adorable chuflines (tassels), because believe me, they are the most fun that I’ve had in a long time.

Eldest Niece is modelling the pattern prototype with dos chuflines, knit in Jamiesons Spindrift (details can be found for this project on Ravelry project here, and Youngest Niece is modelling (a slightly larger) pre-prototype version with un chuflín, knit in Alice Starmore Hebridean 2ply yarn (details can be found on Ravelry project over here. Lastly, I have made a step-by-step photo tutorial on , found on my Tips From The Table on How to make a “chuflín” tassel.

Now, if you haven’t yet read the previous post about the inspiration and name-sake of this design, then you really must, as it really is such a very spectacular place, you’ll want to knit the beret! I knit it also in the sunrise alternate colorway, that is, Chalten at sunrise with the rusts and blues!

Penny Candy Socks Redesign

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Jen

jenjoycedesign©Penny Candy Socks - Copy (2)

Penny Candy Socks modelled by Niece Who Is Fourteen.

I had been knitting these for a couple of weeks and rewriting now for two long days ~~~ finished !!!

The socks have been redesigned due to the fact that I wanted them to match the very recent

Penny Candy Tee

… how sweet, a tee & sock Spring Duo !

Its all over on the Penny Candy Sock Pattern Page . . .

and way more details than you need to know, over on Ravelry HERE

Penny Candy Socks modelled by Niece Who Is Eleven.

A Humble Yarn

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Jen

This week, while at my LYS I fell in love with a new yarn. As I held it I instantly knew it’s potential. It comes in lovely 50g skeins, so I could really squish and caress, and yes, this stuff is amazing. … Continue reading →

Highland Hats !

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Jen

Hats were the occasion this morning.

We opened the cedar trunk with knitted hats, scarves, gloves, and sweaters . . .

jenjoycedesign©Vineyard Rows2

Niece Who Is Fourteen did a stellar job of giving new life to the rows of vines with deep red clusters of California Cabernet Sauvignon grapes . . .

Then, modelled by youngest niece ,

we have a new look for Dicey Highland Bonnet too , something about the charm of an Eleven Year Old . . .

You can find details about Dicey HERE , and Vineyard Rows HERE .

Sweater Success !

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Jen

The skies were perfect blue & sunny, and we had a terrific time for photographing Spring Tees 2014 ! This year, the design Penny Candy Tee has made it all the way to a published design, and I managed to get it all up and available in time to post the pattern ~~ right over HERE. What a crescendo, happy beautiful faces, and stellar lighting, with charm that just blew my socks off. I couldn’t believe my eyes, how much these girls have learned in the skills of modelling knitwear for their auntie. I am even getting a little teary just thinking about it. But on with the show !

The first always to be photographed is the mint green bank building of Old Town Calistoga . . jenjoycedesign©PennyCandyTees Then we cross Lincoln and shoot against the terra cotta wall outside of Brannon’s Restaurant for our usual series of slightly goofy shots . . . .

Then we go to the corner outside of Hydro Grill.

People were having breakfast inside

watching us through the window seemed intrigued at what was going on just outside…

Last year’s addition , the ‘tree hugging’ shot outside of All Seasons Bistro,

now completes Four Corners, at the intersection of Washington & Lincoln Streets.

Then we make our way to the big mural of Old Town Calistoga ! The same poses are great because one can really see how the girls have grown in the years that I’ve been knitting for them (and blogging about it).

At the end of this post is a big long slideshow, I hope you watch it !

However, as this post is also a pattern debut, I must say, some lovely detail photos were taken.

Just look how lovely the neckline , with the scalloped neckline & mitered corners looks in these details . . .

And just how the bottom icord edge with scalloped lace pattern works . . .

Last not least , the back shoulder, and short rows.

The neck is just low enough in both the front and back. . .

Friends & Knitters, you can find the pattern over on it’s own page Penny Candy Tee Pattern page , here on Yarnings. or on Ravelry HERE Plenty to peruse, but, before you click off this page, the best is waiting next in this little slideshow !!!

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Thank you girls, you’re the one’s who made me into the knitter I am, and if it weren’t for you, there’d be no Yarnings. Here on this bench outside of Calistoga Roastery, we closed for the day, and I want you to see the first photo taken of them, on this same bench wearing the first cardigans I knit for them!

September 2010

All posts of the Penny Candy Tee in progress HERE

Edit In : I have rounded up most of the photos of my nieces here in Yarnings over the last four years. From present retrospect back to the first sweaters I knit for them in March 2010 . Simply click : Sweater Success !

Tee Two

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Jen

Well knitters & friends out there… I am emerging from my knitting woodshed, now with not one, but two Spring Tees in my holster ! I am going to be doing a lot of (photo) shooting in Calistoga this coming weekend with my beautiful & adorable nieces modelling! A second knit of my latest design ~~ Penny Candy Tee ~~ prototype in previous post, but this one is a little different. Not four colors , but three, and it is not shaped (for an eleven-year-old, c’mon…) and, I used up some left over stash Malabrigo Sock yarn for the lace, which is… um… quite a bit finer than the yarn of the rest. Not enough to get worried over. And just like the original in last post, the lacework is the feature of the design, an unlikely pairing with stripes, but hey, they get along wonderfully ! No fights in the playground yet . . .

Waiting patiently

now , for their girls to sweetly adorn,

I’ve got them folded away from distracting last-minute changes.

This sign I have had propped up on my spinning wheel by my knitting loft door, well, I’m so pleased that what seemed a daunting task a month ago when I hadn’t even started them, is now….

done & dusted !

As I am presently working like a pair of oxen writing the pattern for Penny Candy Tee, that will be coming up next, for Spring knitting ! Details found on Ravelry HERE

Penny Candy Tee !

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Jen

Well friends, I’ve finished up Tee One, which is also the prototype for Penny Candy Tee, and here she is slung over a chair back , just to show off how well the fabric drapes. This flavor ” Licorice Vanilla ” is for Niece Who Is Fourteen . . . sultry greys and creams, and a classic ensemble of colors suits her perfectly. Perfectly!

The pattern is already well on it’s way but I am being childishly impatient not to wait until it is ready before I show it off.

The fact that this design has moderate waist shaping is indeed a milestone for me!

Also, I figured out a clever way to work short-rows at the back of the neck, and miter the centered lacework too, though admittedly, a bit of improvisation is necessary.

I think the winning feature of this design, is that the scalloped bottom edge of the lace motif is so sturdy & stubborn and the fabric of the stockinette (sock yarn on big needles) is so lightweight & sheer … that the stripes completely yield to the lace’s personality!

Shown with the bottom folded up to meet the back neck.

Best of all , the steep raglan shaping is well-complimented by the stripes . . .

This lightweight springtime knit folds up into practically nothing. . .

I am going to go be busier than a beehive and finish Tee Two. Stash yarns in a mix of different yarn brands will do nicely… orange, peach, and rusty red are fav colors of Niece Who Is Eleven ! I’ve got the Calistoga photo session with my nieces already marked on the calendar for two weeks from today, so there’s no letting up until then. I will probably do some lovely still photos and show off Tee Two coming up soon as I race the clock, so watch this space!