Most people get surprised when I post photos on social media during the extreme seasons: summer or winter. I am so integrated with the international community of knitters that everyone (me included, sometimes!) assumes I live in the Northern Hemisphere, where the largest number of knitters is from.
But turns out I am in Argentina, way down South, where we get beautiful warm, and incredibly sunny weather from the end of November until mid March.
Summer is my favorite season. Even though we travel and take vacations as a family for several weeks, I somehow manage to finish a lot of work. I focus, I knit, I plan... I am much more relaxed when my brain doesn't have to worry about being cold all the time. I can be outside and feel incredibly free. My soul really calms down.
Last year I made the decision of taking things more slowly with work and life in general. To enjoy everything I do with no expectations, goals to achieve, people to impress. Let me tell you: it was beautiful, but it wasn't easy. I had to let go of a lot of things in the process. But it was worth it. Oh so worth it. It was the year of self-care, or better said: the year I started taking care of myself.
My publishing work is not as fast paced as it used to be, and I am enjoying everything I work on. I pause, I reflect on every piece I knit, and I don't rush. And I've produced knitting pieces I am really so proud of!
Here are my new releases for 2022 so far:
Atlantic Heart is a simple, crescent shaped shawl worked from the top down. The name was inspired by the scallops along the border which is created using a fun combination of slipped stitches.
I probably didn't do the best job photographing this shawl! But I really wanted to publish it on January 3rd so I went with the photos I had. The border is stunning!
I used 3 skeins of Rustic Fingering by Neighborhood Fiber Co (100% Superwash Merino; 475y 434m; 100g) 1 skein in each of these colors: Shadow, Upton and Cross Street Market. I knitted this on US 4 (3.5mm) needles).
The second pattern I released is one of my favorite and got a great welcome both on Ravelry and here on my web. It's the Marble Mount Pullover.
I was working on this sweater last year, while my family and I were visiting the Pacific North West of the USA, so this sweater will always remind me of that area. The name comes from a place we stayed at while exploring the North Cascades.
I haven't been able to wear my sweater yet. I wanted to have it neat and new for the photographs, and then summer came and it's too hot for it. But I know I will wear this every day as soon as the fall weather arrives.
To me, fingering weight sweaters are the most flattering and versatile. Plus, I had been planning for quite some time to have a sweater I can wear tucked inside my baggy jeans or skirts, and this is it.
Marble Mount comes in 10 sizes, with finished bust circumference of 28 (32, 34¾, 38¾, 42½, 47, 51, 54¾, 58½, 62½)“ 70 (80, 87, 97, 106.5, 117.5, 127.5, 137, 146.5, 156.5) cm.
Materials needed:
Yarn: 3 (3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 6) skeins of Cashmerino 20 by Sweet Fiber (70% Merino / 20% Cashmere / 10% Nylon; 400 yd 366m; 115g). I used colorway Charcoal.
Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm) and 2 (2.75 mm) circular needles, 32” (80 cm) long.
Lots of people are working on now, and you can join a knit-along in our Ravelry group too.
The last pattern was published just today (Happy Valentine's Day!) ❤️
This pattern was designed in collaboration with my dearest friend, Alejandra. I talk about Ale a lot. She is truly a gift to me, to my whole life. She's been there in all my ups and my downs. When I am super busy but also when I am bored, or hyper. She's traveled and also confined with me, and I owe Ale a great deal of my mental health.
Ale has her own hand-dyed yarn company, called Pura Hilados and she created this yarn for me to design with. I was going through a colorful season last year (not su much this year, though) and I requested Magenta (BAM!).
In hindsight, I would probably have finished this much sooner had it been gray. I confess I struggled a lot with the color and how I would style this for the photographs. As you can see, I kept everything else neutral.
The yarn is divine. Hard to get outside Argentina, but so easy to substitute.
I used Pura Abrigo DK. This is 100% Argentine wool, and the base (before dyeing) is gray, so once you over-dye it, all the colors are deep and somewhat muted (even though this magenta is really, really bright). The yardage is 240 yards per 100g skeins, so you can substitute the yarn I used with most well known DK or light worsted yarns.
It comes in 9 sizes, with a recommended positive ease of approx. 12-14” (30-35 cm). Finished bust circumference: 44 (48, 52, 56, 60, 64, 68, 72, 76)“ 110 (120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190) cm.
Materials Needed:
Yarn: 4 (5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8) skeins of Pura Abrigo DK by Pura Hilados.Needles: US 6 (4 mm) and US 4 (3.5 mm) circular needles, 32” long. You'll also need 4 (4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5) buttons, 1.5 cm (5/8”) wide, stitch holders and tapestry needle.
As always, I have so much more to share... I sometimes wish I had the consistence to write and communicate everything I do, everything I put out there and work on... But then I'd probably never knit. I'd just be writing.
You know you like me to knit.
❤️
Joji