“Alouette, gentille alouette…”
As sweet as a whimsical children’s song, this little cardigan is the prefect addition to a little girl’s wardrobe.
Straightforward to knit with its top-down construction and pretty stitch pattern, it features lovely details such as the subtle flare at the top of the 3/4 sleeves, which echoes the overall swingy shape.
Alouette calls for sport weight yarn and comes in sizes 3 months to 8 years. You can find it in my Ravelry, Craftsy, and Etsy stores.
I wanted a romantic little girl dress, something with a hint of nostalgia but not too fussy. Think English garden tea parties! Something you could play croquet in 🙂
The embellished bottom hem adds a bit of lightness to a clean, polished design but the dress is still comfortable and easy to wear. Two lengths are suggested: top or dress.
Broderie calls for sport weight yarn and comes in sizes 3 months to 8 years. You can find it in my Ravelry, Craftsy, and Etsy stores.
This one is as irresistible as those miniature berry tarts, with its pretty cable edging and rich seed stitch “filling”.
It can be as chic or as casual as you want, either paired up with a pretty summer dress in the evening or on a windy day, or simply dressing up a pair of jeans in the Fall. The back has a slight poof to it, to echo the puffed sleeves.
Several options are offered in the pattern:
-two lengths (shrug and cardigan),
-two closure types (button and I-cord)
-two sleeve types (puffed or regular – short or long).
A very quick and fun knit, with an unusual construction, it will showcase your prettiest yarns and the little ladies are sure to love it!
Tartelette calls for worsted weight yarn and comes in sizes 3 months to 8 years. You can find it in my Ravelry, Craftsy, and Etsy stores.
There is something a bit retro and playful about this one, like the carousels of our childhoods! You can just relax and enjoy the ride 😉
Carousel is a very simple unisex cardigan that knits up in no time. Perfect to use small amount of leftover yarn, and to have fun with color! Two versions can be knit from this pattern: a short sleeve or a long sleeve version. Adorable pockets can be worked too.
Carousel calls for worsted weight yarn and comes in sizes 3 months to 8 years. You can find it in my Ravelry, Craftsy, and Etsy stores.
“Peekaboo! I see you!”
This classic crew-neck top-down sweater gets downright playful with its faux undershirt peeking out of it. Garter stripes offer endless customization opportunities while using up yarn leftovers, and cute faux seams add a nice polished touch. There’s even an option to add pockets!
Peekaboo calls for worsted weight yarn and comes in sizes 3 months to 8 years. You can find it in my Ravelry, Craftsy, and Etsy stores.
To complete my mini-collection on the leaf theme, I recently released two more patterns: most recently, the Petites Feuilles Vest, and a couple of weeks ago, the Petites Feuilles Boots.
The idea behind the vest was that it had to be truly unisex, with a simple yet well-thought-out design. There are a couple of techniques in there that even more experienced knitters might enjoy. I thought the addition of an optional secret pocket would allow knitters to have fun with color pairings as well as use up small amounts of leftover yarn. I like that the pocket bind-off hints at the color of the hidden lining. Also, little kids are usually enthusiastic about pockets, and I’m always thinking about what they’d like, too 🙂
When it comes to the boots, the main idea was to make booties that would stay on little wriggly feet, so that meant that ties were a must. In my experience that’s really the only way a bootie will stay on a tiny foot.
I chose garter stitch for the bootie because picking up stitches is so easy and clean with garter stitch (you need to pick up stitches around the sole to work these booties seamlessly), and also, garter is very stretchy, which means that the booties should get a maximum amount of use.
Finally, I wanted the booties to be tall, not only for my leaf motif to fit, but also to make them extra warm and easy to put over pant legs. I also had a vision of my daughter wearing her boots with striped stockings underneath and a short skirt 🙂
I have to say I am not 100% satisfied with the photos I took for the pattern page, my daughter is constantly on the go and it was very difficult to get a decent shot that would show off the boots properly. Some of my testers, however, made some adorable versions and I made a little montage because they are just too cute (photos used with permission, clockwise from top left, boots by marthajane73, serendipitystitch, sweetbasil and t-a-n-y-a):
These two patterns, as well as the Petites Feuilles cardigan and the Petites Feuilles bonnet, are available individually and also as part of a 4-pattern bundle with a discounted price.
All patterns are available in my Ravelry, Etsy and Craftsy stores.
Well, I’m still here!! Now the question is, are you still there too?? Lots going on, which explains my neglect of the old blog, I will definitely have to give you a few updates.
First things first, I recently released a new girl pattern, “Clementina”, (sizes 0-3 months to 5-6 years) which as of now is only available on Ravelry. It should be available in my Craftsy and Etsy stores very soon as well, so stay tuned!
My idea with this design was to keep exploring the Entrechat construction but try to turn it into a regular cardigan shape… My aunt’s words were still echo-ing in my ears: When I showed her the Entrechat prototype, she made a face and said, yes it’s very cute, but I like to knit more practical things… you know, where the baby’s tummy is actually covered!
Point well taken! So I thought long and hard about how to make this work while keeping it fun to knit, and a light-bulb went off! Short Rows! Garter stitch!
Short rows tend to scare people off but they are actually really easy, especially when worked in garter stitch. In general, I use a method called “German Short Rows” — google it! There are tons of tutorials online. It’s so easy and fun, and the results are in my opinion always very seamless and neat.
So here it is, a cute little kimono-style cardi, easy and fun to knit, AND practical as well. You can have buttons down the front instead of the I-cord if you prefer, too. I hope you like it!
P.S.:The yarn is just gorgeous, it’s Malabrigo Rios, which is machine-washable. The shade shown here is “Sunset”.
I wanted to make something for Axel that was reminiscent of an evening jacket, something that a gentleman would wear by the fireside while catching up on scholarly affairs…
It had to have a shawl collar, some discreet pockets (to stash the monocle), and it had to be double-breasted. BUT since my baby is still just a baby, I added a bit of garter stitch to add a bit of sweetness to the whole affair, including 2 elbow “patches,” a simple touch that I just love.
The result is my new (-ish) pattern, Storytime Scholar, available on Ravelry here. I think it turned out quite cute, here’s a few photos of our little book-obsessed guy wearing it:
Pockets hidden behind a large ribbed hem:
And a view of the elbow patches:
Ta-da!
Claudine Layered Top and Dress: click on image for Ravelry link
Behold my new pattern !
Bravely modeled by my son, Axel, who thankfully hasn’t yet realized that he is a boy 😉
I put together a quick barrette at the last minute because I thought he wasn’t convincing enough as a girl…
So about the pattern: it’s completely seamless and really versatile, you can make a puffed sleeve or three-quarter sleeve version, and it can be knit as a top or a dress. If you leave the collar and sleeves out altogether, you get a very cute flutter sleeve top or dress for the summer. It comes in 5 sizes, from 3 months to 24 months and is available on Ravelry for $5.
Here’s the “top” version:
Puffed sleeves
Three-quarter sleeves
I’m always surprised (and a bit frustrated) at how much effort and time goes into writing a pattern, though it’s true that the process is getting easier. From the idea to the release, this one took about a month and a half!
Of course I have limited amounts of time to work on my designs these days, and between tweaking the prototype, grading, getting it tech-edited and tested… It just seems like it takes forever. But I’m so happy with the result, and I hope people enjoy knitting it 🙂
~~
Et oui, c’est pas tout ça, mais on est le treize, et la journée est déjà bien avancée pour la plupart des participantes, donc, vite vite il a fallu finir dans l’avion du retour pour être dans les temps:
~~
I’m part of a knitalong of sorts called the Trico’Treize, where everybody posts a cable or intarsia-based project on their blog on the thirteenth of each month. This, of course, is meant to keep things challenging and to share any frustrations of victories with these two techniques… I had to hurry up and finish my project on the plane home:
~~
I got going as soon as I got to my seat
~~
Ce mois-ci, donc, j’ai choisi le jacquard à fils tirés, avec ce modèle bicolore trouvé dans le dernier Interweave Knits magazine. Il s’intitule “Harvard Square Cap” par Sean Riley.
~~
This month, I chose “Harvard Square Cap” by Sean Riley, a two-color Fair Isle pattern so that I could practice my color stranding without making a big mess. I found it in the latest Interweave Knits.
~~
Early morning photoshoot: yes, I picked out a blurry one 😉
~~
Initialement j’avais prévu ce bonnet pour Gabe, mais comme indiqué dans les instructions du modèle, il faut que les fils tirés ne soient PAS tirés justement, mais très lâches, sinon le tricot manquera d’élasticité. Or, comme établi dans le post précédent, Gabe a une très grosse tête. Donc le bonnet sera mien, hé hé! Et sinon, le jacquard est ma nouvelle activité favorite! Vraiment très sympa à tricoter.
~~
This cap was meant for Gabe initially, but it wouldn’t stretch enough for his very large head (in spite of Sean Riley’s warning to strand VERY loosely, I must have kept things too tight). So the hat shall be mine after all =)
~~
~~
~~
Frogginette Makes Things 