29 June 2012

Y3 is here!

I have a new eBook subscription available! You've probably guessed this was coming. Am I right? The past couple of years were such fun that I'm doing another, and it is now available for purchase! And even better? Through the end of July, the eBook will be $16! On August 1st, the price will increase to $20.

This year will be a little different from the past two. I am moving into the 21st century, and I have had such a difficult time waiting to let you all in on the fun!

Most of you know that my family and I recently made a move to beautiful northern Nevada. I can't believe I lived so close for so long without fully appreciating the wonders of this stunning area! We are beyond happy, even though we are all native Californians, born and raised. Being insanely addicted to all sorts of yarny goodness, I was very much looking forward to being able to visit Jimmy Beans Wool in Reno, and I've found them to be the most wonderful people you can imagine! Warm and welcoming and just a complete pleasure.

We like each other so much, in fact, that we hatched a little plan.

Jimmy Beans and I are celebrating our area together, in a subscription eBook entitled “Home is Where the Heart Is.”
Each carefully chosen yarn and color I use in the upcoming months will be available from Jimmy Beans, both alone or with an exclusive hard copy pattern. (I know how much time some of you have spent looking for the same yarn I used! Well now it will be a piece of cake!) Jimmy has also cooked up a little EXTRA fun for you and you will be finding out about it as the year progresses!

As with past shawl eBook subscriptions, there will be some great accessories in addition to the 7 small shawls (yes–I love the number 7). The first pattern will be posted in late August 2012, and the subscription will be complete by July 1, 2013. There will be chatter and knit-alongs in both my forum and the Jimmy Beans forum on Ravelry. Will you join us in a tour around our beautiful home? You won't believe what an incredible place it is!

28 June 2012

she's here!

May I present the newest Muse?

Terpsichore Street!

There are three versions.

A small fingering weight

knit in a lovely merino/silk from Ripples Crafts.

The edge is a simple picot

and the gold with the silk content gives a sheen to the fleur-di-lis motif.

I absolutely loved this yarn and the subtle dye job with hints of browns and indigo.

For a night out on the town, there's a medium sized laceweight version.

This one is knit from Artyarns Cashmere 1.

I loved knitting with this yarn! Her cashmere is the very best quality, and you can tell when you have to rip several times, as I did. It held up beautifully, even though it is so soft that you can hardly feel it on your skin. And Iris dyed up some beaded and sequined yarn to match.

I love the addition of a little bling!

Last but not least, is the large version. I didn't knit the whole shawl - the edging is a little different from the medium size with the addition of an insert. Here it is in the lovely Sun Valley Fibers MCN laceweight

I love the color and the yarn is like buttah! I am actually knitting the large one, as well, because I love that yarn and color so much! One of my (fabulously incredible) test knitters did knit the whole shawl, however . She's on vacation right now, but I don't think she'll mind my posting her shawl picture here.

I think she did an amazing job and it looks fantastic on her!

Also in this eBook update: Mel's cowl. It's a casual version of the Melpomene shawl, and it comes in scalloped

and wavy edged versions.

The second one was Bear's idea. He loved the purple version, but not the scallops. So this one is his. :)

The last two patterns of the subscription - a scarf and a hat - will be out later today or early tomorrow. And then? Stay tuned for the next eBook subscription! It's going on sale tomorrow along with the big reveal of theme and other fabulous goodies! And even better? It's $16 instead of the usual $20 through the end of July (2012!)

25 June 2012

monday's musing

“Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.” - John F. Kennedy


Have a terrific week everyone!

23 June 2012

knitscene!

The fall Knitscene preview is up and I am the featured designer! Not only did the incomparable  Rachael Herron write a profile of me (thank you so much Rachael!) but I have a collection of three patterns. Number one is

my Terra Linda Cardigan

Made out of Malabrigo,

it melds texture and openwork.

Then there's the Perpetua Shawl out of Alisha Goes Around yarn,

a shallow crescent shape using the same motif as the sweater,

and last is the Purslane beret and cowl,

made out of incredible soft and yummy ArtYarns cashmere sock.

I hope you enjoy them all!

18 June 2012

monday's musing

“Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.” - Winston Churchill


Have a great week, everyone! I will be making continuous efforts. :grin:

16 June 2012

lyrica euterpe

Thank you all for playing! I have winners. And a shawl update to your muses eBook. Lyrica Euterpe is here! Yes to the majority of you who said that the shawl is Euterpe, the hat is Urania and the scarf is Thalia.
On to the winners!


The winner of the Iridaceae yarn (BFL/silk laceweight yarn in Rose from Afghanistan): daffynpooh said... "Oooohhh......aaaaaahhhhh!! OK serious stuff now (read as: total guess) Urania is the hat, Euterpe the shawl(s) and Thalia for the scarf."

The winner of the At Bullard Farm yarn (BFL/silk blend in Lavender): Candace said... "Love these! I'm guessing Euterpe a beautiful shawl; Thalia a hat and Urania a scarf."

The winner of the Little Red Bicycle yarn (Penny Farthing Sock in Beach Glass): Denise said..."I am so excited for these!!! My guess - hat, Urania, scarf, Thalia, shawl, Euterpe."



Ladies, please email your addresses: romi(at)designsbyromi(dot)com. Thank you!


Next post: More pics, more yarny goodness, more updates on nooz. But for now, have a happy Father's Day! We're off to a swim meet tomorrow. It's a Father's Day (and Mother's Day) tradition!

12 June 2012

making up for lost time

Whew! What a year, eh? Believe it or not, I actually did get a little work done the first part of the year, and you'll see it in the fall. :) But right now, let's get down to some muse-y business! (btw, at the end of this post, there's a give-away!)


This came off the needles the night before last and I blocked it yesterday.
I'm madly in love with it, so please indulge me a little here.
You're going to have to see it blocking...
oooh and aaaah over the beads along the edging...
and then you need to notice that there is no spine in the stockinette stitch area.

I'll let you off after you admire the spine in the lace section.
Here is her garter stitch sister.
I'll be brief.
Just a couple of pics. Okay three. :)


There's also a scarf. I showed it blocking (I think; I may have just tweeted it).
Here's a pic of three of the four projects I just finished. There's a hat in there too.
These are all going to come out in my muses eBook - and complete said eBook - as soon as my test knitters are finished with them! I will get into what the gorgeous yarns are in my next post. Now. How about the give-away!? Can you guess which project is which muse? The persimmon and green are one, then there's the hat and the scarf, for three total muse names. Leave me your guesses and you will be entered to win one of three gorgeous hand dyed skeins of yarn! You have until Thursday June 14, 11:59 pm PST to leave a comment and be entered in a random drawing! You have three chances, for three possible muses. And the prizes? There's this laceweight silk from Iridaceae:
or this laceweight silk/merino blend from At Bullard Farm:
or this merino/cashmere/nylon sock yarn from Little Red Bicycle.
All lovely lovely yarny goodness from gifted hand dyers.


Stand by for more news coming soon!

11 June 2012

monday's musing

I am loving two quotes today, from people born on June 11. So, even though they're kind of unrelated, they are also kind of related and I'm going to use both of them! :)


"The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have." - Vince Lombardi


"The impossible missions are the only ones which succeed." - Jacques Cousteau


Have a fabulous week!

07 June 2012

drive by posting

Hiya! Just popping in a little to show you this:
and this:
Isn't the last muse shaping up beautifully? This version is knit in Alisha Goes Around "Tittering of Magpies" in the persimmon colorway. It's a lovely blend of merino, nylon and stellina (the sparkly bit).  The following one is being knit in Mocha's Fiber Kizzie's Toes Sock.
It's the stockinette version, in the Erin colorway.
I adore this yarn (and Alisha's, of course). I have been entranced with wool/silk blends as of late. You might have noticed. ;)


Back to the needles!

04 June 2012

monday's musing

“Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do.” - Shaquille O'Neal


I think I'm going to plaster this one all over the kitchen, boys' rooms, and boys' bathroom. Heh heh.


Have a great week, everyone!

03 June 2012

pithy title

Well. Here we are! Thank you all for playing along and entering to win those blocking wires. They are absolutely fabulous, and I know that Barbie is going to enjoy them! She was the 25th commenter and the winner, chosen by random.org! Congratulations! Please email at romi(at)designsbyromi(dot)com and I will pass on your name and address to Rachel at Inspinknity!
Do any of you use the Hipstamatic app for iPhone? I finally discovered it Friday (am I the last person on Earth to discover it?), and, of course, played with it the rest of the day. I am deeply smitten with it. I am a product of the age of film, and I can't tell you how much I have missed it! There was a magical quality to it, in the different ways of processing and in the analog uniqueness of the way the light interacted with each different frame. And this app makes my iPhone photos look like beautiful memories rather than flat video. I took pictures all afternoon. This one is of the fire near us. Thankfully, it is out now.
This is The Bear eating dinner outside. Magical.
Here is my new muse - just a quick snap in my temporary studio. Isn't she lovely on her mannequin?
Then yesterday was the kids fishing derby and I was out there with my iPhone taking pics. Here they are gearing up.
#1 Son with his first fish.
The Bear with his.
I cooked up an amazing dinner (really, it was) of pan fried fresh trout dredged in cornmeal and blackened redfish seasonings. My new nickname? The Trout Whisperer. Heehee.
Today, I blocked a new scarf: part of the muse book, as well.
The color is nothing close to real in that previous one. This is more like.
The lovely yarn is from At Bullard Farm.
It's a BFL/silk blend (colorway: Fresh Grass).
I loved knitting with it. It's hardier than silk/merino. No fuzzing! Even with (lots of) ripping. :)
And the muse for whom the new shawl is named? Terpsichore!