On the road...

I've been lamenting the lack of travel in my life lately and so I'm happy to be off on a short trip to the Midwest. I'm really looking forward to hanging out with Andrea (AKA Selkie) in Madison. Yarn crawl, Madison Knitting Guild event with the Mason-Dixon peeps, I can't wait! A lovely knitstravaganza long weekend. :-)

Goal Attained: Paluk Snood

One of my New Years goals was to publish at least 4 patterns this year. I had no clue that I would manage to accomplish that by March 8th but I have. Today I uploaded another pattern to my ravelry store. This pattern is: Paluk Snood It's downloadable from ravelry or non-ravelry users can use the link in the sidebar of this blog.

It's knit using Malabrigo Silky Merino but would work in any DK weight drapey yarn. It can be worn as a cowl or a snood.

Here are some photos:

Fame! (15 min of Italian fame)

A few weeks ago, a fellow raveler messaged me and asked if she could feature my pattern for Sweet November Shawl in the knit/crochet section of an Italian online mag called Leiweb. Obviously I said yes. Anyhow, the post featuring the Sweet November pattern was published today. It's about how film inspires knitting. I quite like this section:

"La talentuosa Caryl Pierre (qui il suo blog e qui il suo Etsy shop) ha da poco rilasciato, infatti, lo Sweet November Knit Shawl, per cui ho già chiesto e ricevuto dall’autrice l’autorizzazione a realizzare una traduzione in italiano."

I don't understand much of it but I like "La talentuosa Caryl Pierre". Maybe a movie title, a psycho knitting woman who befriends a couple and finds ways to eliminate the guy because of a Sappho-like love of the female member of the couple. :-)

In other news, I knit a tweed version of my Jay Street Slouch. I just wanted to see it in tweed. I thought the tweed would really lend itself to the seed stitch.

Pattern: Jay Street Slouch by Caryl Pierre
Yarn: Peace Fleece Worsted (0.8 skein) Siberian Midnight

Hot off the presses...

I've released a new pattern. It's the Jay Street Slouch.



This hat is knit in worsted weight yarn. It's photographed in Malabrigo Merino Worsted (colorwary: Rhodesian).

The pattern can be downloaded from ravelry (click link above) or from the sidebar of this blog (both ravelry and non-ravelry users can use that link).

Snowpocalype - The Sequel

It seems that winter is in no mood to let go. There were a few sunny days, then very rainy and then snowpocalype. My brother's school was closed today which I think made him very happy as he would have had to take a test otherwise.

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Life lately had been up and down - almost manic depressive I'd say. I had a decent job interview and was told there would be a second one. I waited, checked in with my agency, waited and waited, checked in with my agency again and they told me, oops, the Company had called to say they'd found someone else. Sorry for not letting me know. Sucky, eh?

Then I had a dream job, working one day a week at a yarn shop. This led to meeting a lovely woman who provided me with some freelance work. Just as I started the freelance, the yarn shop said that she didn't really need me. So now no yarn shop job. I can still teach classes at the shop but I feel like I'm moving backwards.

It's kind of the same with my Etsy shop. A couple of days will go by with decent sales and then nothing for weeks. It's really hard trying to run an online business.

I sound really down, don't I? I'm a bit upset at the moment and kicking myself for accidentally repeating a mistake. I guess I'm on the depressive spectrum of this manic depressive life that's going on right now.

I did manage to go outside for a little while to take some snow pics.

And the medal goes to...

Me!!!!

I completed my first Ravelympics event, the Designer Original Dance, and so won a medal for the following design.

Jay Street Slouch


I named it the Jay Street Slouch as the inspiration for this hat came as I was standing on the Jay St-Borough Hall platform waiting for the F train.

When I write up this pattern it will be sized for the S/M head and the M/L head. It uses approx. 80 grams of Malabrigo Worsted yarn (colorway Rhodesian in photo) or any other worsted weight yarn.

Back view

Other views

Twist and Shout

Yesterday, I had day 2 of work at Gotham Fine Yarn. It was a busy day. We're looking to change the yarns carried by the shop so I spent a lot of the day on the phone talking to yarn suppliers to find out their policies and buy-ins. I suggested String Theory yarns to Rebecca. I saw their stuff at Stitches East and it's beautiful stuff. Rebecca loves it to so we're going to order a bit of the Caper sock and some of the silk laceweight. I can't wait!

I also managed to leave work at a deficit. The box of Malabrigo Twist arrived and I was like a kid in a candy store. OMG! The colors were so beautiful. I totally ended up leaving the store with a few new Malabrigo buddies in my Argyle Land's End tote. I love that tote so had to give it a bit of a big up (pic stolen from Land's End site). A skein of MadTosh also desperately needed a new home and I couldn't say no.


I arrived home and a new camera I ordered had arrived. I'm really excited about this. It's a Canon Rebel XS. My first DSLR.


It's pretty much a DSLR for beginners which is me to the T. I got mine from PrimoCameras which I must say is a disappointing online shop. The prices are a bit cheaper but the service is pretty horrible. I was a bit annoyed when they called to upsell me and tried to convince me I needed stuff which I didn't. Then I assumed the item had been shipped once I saw it was charged to my card. A week passed with no delivery so the next week I called and asked about it. They told me it had shipped from their warehouse the Monday before. They sent no email with shipping confirmation. I gave it another week. Then this past Monday I got a it's been shipped email. That's nearly 3 weeks after I placed the order. I recognize the camera isn't a life and death situation but the lack of communication etc was totally uncool. Also, their website states that when you buy a camera you receive free: tripod, camera case, lens cleaning kit, etc. Guess whose order arrived with none of that stuff. I just called them and it will be sent to me via USPS.

Well I'm a bit inspired to knit this hat so going to work on it now. I also want to work on my Ravelympics project.

Arsenal is playing Porto in the Champions League.

Go Arsenal!!! And its Arsenal,Arsenal FC !
We're by far the greatest team the world has ever seen!"