Five Lacy Pieces

One of the questions I most often get is, “How difficult is it to knit lace?” Of course, my answer is that it is easy and, if you start out with simple patterns and good instruction, that is true. Since e-books have become so popular I have released my book on lace shawls, The Mermaid Shawl and other Beauties: Shawls Cocoons and Wraps for Kindle and, as of yesterday, it was the #1 selling lace knitting book on Kindle and the #20 knitting book on Kindle! The success and popularity of the paperback (which was in the top 20 lace knitting books on Amazon for most of last year) I also started a line of single patterns which I sold through Ravelry at KnitYourTailOff.com. Now I have begun a series of pattern booklets in e-format which will available for Kindle and also in PDF format through Ravelry.

The Volume 1 in this Knit Your Tail Off series is The Pooling-On-Purpose Project which did very well in PDF on Ravelry and is now also on Kindle. This volume offers detailed instruction with diagrams on how to force hand-painted yarns to “pool” creating interesting color effects. There are instructions for a scarf, wrap, ruana, and kimono.

Volume 2 is Sumptuous Silk Bags: Learn Entrelac and More. This contains information on several different types of silk and silk-like fibers, how to work with them, and their unique properties, as well as patterns for three bags: an entrelac shoulder bag knit from silk/rayon blend, a simple shoulder bag made special by being knit from recycled sari silk, and a lovely basketweave stitch tote bag knit from banana silk, a natural, silk-like fiber made from banana husks.

I'm working on Volume 3 now and I call it Learn-To-Lace Marketing Bags. In it I give detailed instruction on how to begin to knit lace starting out with the most simple of lace stitches used to make a pretty, colorful rayon marketing bag (below, left). What follows is three more very basic lace stitches in three more marketing bags (below, center) and, finally, a slightly more advanced lace stitch, Old Shale, in a sturdy, colorful beach bag (above). I'm hoping to have this volume ready to release by the beginning of June.

There are several more volumes planned for this series, all of which will be released for Kindle and in PDF through Ravelry. I have already knit the pieces for one on Seaman's Scarves and Sculptural Scarves. Other volumes will include a pair of gloves and a smoke ring to go with my popular Raspberry Beret pattern and an adorable set consisting of an ear warmer, smoke ring, and fingerless gloves in a beautiful lacy pattern knit in an angora blend.

So check back. I didn't get much knitting done this winter but my hands are doing better now and I'm working at getting these patterns finished up and published for all my wonderful fellow knitters.

Thanks for reading.