knitting school dropout

she's here!

2012-05-03T04:31:24Z

april 22, 2012 will go down in history as the greatest day of my life.

that's the day when my daughter, stella louise, was born.

she surprised us with a little bit of an early arrival (she was due in may), and her birth didn't exactly go the way i had planned. but, she's here, the beautiful, and healthy, little love of my life. i just can't imagine life without her anymore.

forgive me if i'm the world's worst emailer at the moment. i'm still trying to figure out how to get everything crammed into a day.

hey yarn shops, wholesale patterns are now available!

2012-03-10T13:58:32Z

i'm happy to announce that starting this month, i will now be wholesaling hard copies of many of my patterns. they are professionally printed on lightweight gloss paper and each comes in a protective plastic sleeve. so, if you're a local yarn shop and would like to carry some of my patterns, you can email me for more details by using this email address: wholesale@knittingschooldropout.com

patterns that are available as wholesale hard copies:

avery
almost autumn
cecily
vine loop
skinner hat
november leaves
september circle
crooked paths

more designs will be added over the next few weeks, but those listed above are all on hand and ready to ship.

thanks so much!

2 new designs for spud and chloe!

2012-02-26T19:28:13Z

I have 2 new designs out in lovely yarns from spud and chloe.

The first is a warm cowl, with a reversible knit/purl chevron pattern, so it will also look good folded over. it uses 3 skeins of spud and chloe outer and size 13 needles, so it's a very quick knit! it's also a free pattern!

pattern for the swell cowl on ravelry: here
or on the spud says blog: here

The other is a bottom up, cozy lace and stockinette seamless cardigan in spud and chloe sweater. it's available as a single pattern from your favorite s & c stockist.

find the folk story cardigan on ravelry: here

well, i've got a sleeve to finish! that's all for now!

some new designs

2012-01-18T18:56:10Z

thanks for all the lovely messages on my last post. exciting times here, for sure!

i've neglected to mention a few of my newest designs here. you can click through on any of the nemes to go straight to the ravelry pages and find links to purchase them.

cecily and i have continued to collaborate on the Wool series of ebooks for quince and co.

in book 2, our most recent release, i have 2 new patterns.

madigan is a short-sleeved, cowl-neck pullover that's a great piece for layering. it's a round-yoke style sweater, knit from the top-down. it's knit in lark, quince's lovely worsted weight wool, so it flies off the needles.

photo by carrie bostick hoge for quince

gladys is a long toque, knit in the lovely sport weight yarn, chickadee.

photo by carrie bostick hoge for quince

and last but not least... i have a pattern in the newest Wool People for brooklyntweed

Lawrence is another short-sleeved pullover meant for layering (can you tell i'm obsessed with these lately?). it's also knit from the top-down, in a raglan style, and features an off-center lace panel and welted trim.

photo by jared flood for brooklyntweed

lawrence is the sweater that almost didn't happen. i was knitting it during my first trimester and was so sick, and so exhausted, that i struggled to knit even a row or 2 at night. luckily, jared and co were super understanding, and helped me make it work. i'm so happy i powered through because in the end, i loved it!

happy knitting!

work-in-progress

2012-01-12T20:57:53Z

a year has come and gone. i moved to a new apartment, after 14+ years at my last one. new designs have been released, without even a mention here. the truth is, i've been preoccupied. i even had to take an almost 3 month break from knitting (luckily, i've picked the needles up again). i've been 100% focused on my most important, and exciting, work-in-progress ever:

(ultrasound photo taken yesterday, at 23 weeks)

my partner brendan and i are expecting a baby girl in early may!!!!!

these days, it's pretty impossible to try on those handknit sweater samples that i send off. b took this photo 3 weeks ago. i'm even bigger now.

i'm home today, nursing a cold that i hope won't get any worse. it dawned on me that all this time on the couch would be well spent updating this ghost-town of a blog. i'll be back with a post about some of my newest patterns a little later.

melissa

help a knitter out

2011-12-01T23:09:40Z

hey there!
i'm posting today with a kind of request that i haven't made here before. on sunday december 4th, 2011, i will be walking (and knitting at the same time) in the annual hot chocolate run in northampton , ma, along with about 40 of my fabulous co workers from webs. we are trying to raise money for a fabulous, local organization called safe passage, which assists victims of domestic violence. kathy and steve, the very generous owners of webs, have decided to match every dollar that we raise, so the whole group is even more excited to raise as much as possible now.
i'm asking if you'll consider making a donation of $5 or more on my page. any amount is very much appreciated. once you donate (please use at least a first name as your display name on the pledge page), email me at knittingschooldropout at gmail dot com and let me know that you donated. i will send you a one time use code good for a free pattern in my ravelry store.
as soon as i reach my fundraising goal, i'll be back with an exciting announcement!
xo
melissa

link:

my fundraising page

goodbye october sale

2011-10-22T00:25:32Z

so sad. october is my favorite month and it is just flying by this year. as i celebrate fall by casting on for the dozens of projects in my head, i thought a sale might be a good way to end the month. from now until the end of october 31st, 2011, all patterns in my ravelry store are 30% off. enjoy, and thanks for your support! (discount will be applied automatically when purchasing) check them out here.

new top-down sweater pattern : tereza pullover

2011-10-12T20:09:46Z

will you be in rhinebeck this weekend? cecily and i will be signing copies of weekend hats
in the carolina homespun booth at 1pm on saturday. stop by and say hi!

i don't end up with many patterns in magazines, since i almost always forget to write down submission deadlines, and never submit... plus there's that whole pesky full-tiime job thing, eating away at all my knitting time.
but, i do have a sweater in the next issue of knitscene!
the winter 2011 issue will be available around 10/25/2011 and among the many beautiful designs you'll find my tereza pullover (ravelry link)
knit in a bulky yarn at 13 sts to 4", this sweater flies off the needles! it's knit from the top-down, in one piece, so it leaves lots of room for trying on and customizing as you go.

p.s. amazon finally started shipping weekend hats yesterday. pre-order no more! hooray!

a little update

2011-10-06T14:32:04Z

I totally forgot to post here, but the patterns from Wool, book one are now available individually on Quince and Co's website. You can view and purchase them here. There are quite a few lovely finished averys popping up on ravelry!

The projects from Weekend Hats are now up on ravelry too. You can see them all here.

I have 3 hat designs in the book:

leaves long beanie (ravelry link) in madelinetosh vintage

greenery beret (ravelry link) in manos silk blend

and welted toque (ravelry link) , which actually has a great cloche-like look, in st-denis nordique

Weekend Hats has already shown up in yarn stores, and is shipping from the interweave store. Amazon should start shipping any day now.

Cecily and I had our first book signing at Purl Diva last weekend. It was a lot of fun. Love those Maine knitters! Ellen snapped this silly picture of us. I was trying to line up my eyebrows with Cecily, so I wouldn't look so short. :)

Are you headed to rhinebeck? i'll be there wearing my avery cowl (and maybe a new sweater, if i can find a moment to finish it). hope to see you there!

more excitement

2011-09-03T13:30:17Z

i told you i'd have a lot of new designs to show you...

a conversation over sandwiches in portland maine this march turned into a project that i am so, so excited about. what's not to love? another project with my bff, cecily? um, yes! a collaboration with quince, one of my favorite yarn companies, run by some of the most lovely and talented ladies i know? oh, yes please!
i'm so excited to show you the first of a quarterly series of ebooks for quince and co: wool, book one.

all photos are by the lovely, talented carrie bostick hoge

inside are 5 patterns:

cecily's beautiful sweater, kara.

a beautiful top-down cardigan from cecily, anastasia.

agnes, a top-down bulky pullover with pockets by me.

avery, a seamless loop scarf with a reversible knit/purl pattern, by me.

and lena, a fingering-weight, slouchy beret with twisting stems and lots of stockinette, also by me.

you can purchase the 5-pattern collection as a pdf here.

or, view them on ravelry here.

p.s. if you join my ravelry group knitting school dropouts, there's a special discount code for all the individual patterns available in my ravelry store from now until the end of the 3-day weekend 9/5/11

Weekend Hats!

2011-08-31T13:22:14Z

My advance copy of weekend hats
is here! It should be out at the end of next month. I'll start sharing more details between now and then. Yay!

back again

2011-08-17T00:20:53Z

the last year has been crazy, to say the least. i have lost pets and family members, gone through a break-up, wrote a second book
with cecily, got healthy by juicing and riding bikes, lost 30 pounds, said goodbye to a dear friend who's been there for me through it all, worked a full-time job, a part-time job and still managed to complete a ton of design work. it's a little overwhelming to see it all written down there! but, life is good, i have tons of exciting design projects coming up, and i still find time to ride bikes and spend time with my lovely friends. i am grateful for the last year. it has been hard, but i have learned and changed so much. hopefully, for the better!
over the next month i will have lots and lots of new designs to show you. some are part of more collaborations with my dear friend cecily, some are independent releases. i am back to show you the first of them...and i plan to be back a lot more to share what i'm up to.

almost autumn is 2 patterns in one, designed to take 2 skeins of the plucky knitter primo fingering. sarah is an absolute joy to work with, and i am so excited to be able to release another pattern in one of her beautiful yarns.
with 2 skeins you can knit the loop scarf and beret.

photos of me were taken by my friend elisabeth

find the pattern on ravelry here
or buy it now for $6 (all of my patterns including this one are 20% until the end of the day on 8/18/11)

new design and a pattern sale!

2011-06-03T11:57:52Z

from now until the end of the day on sunday june 5, all patterns in my ravelry store are 20% off! click here to see which ones apply.

i have a new design out, done for the lovely folks at blue sky alpacas. the cafe beret uses just one hank of their lovely new yarn, techno.
see the design on ravelry here.

© blue sky alpacas
Cafe Beret
by Melissa LaBarre
Published in
Blue Sky Alpacas Pattern Leaflet: Café Beret
Craft
Knitting
Category
Hat → Beret, Tam
Published
June 2011
Yarns suggested
Blue Sky Alpacas Techno
Yarn weight
Bulky / 12 ply (7 wpi) [Information on yarn weights]
Gauge
15 stitches and 18 rows = 4 inches in lace pattern
Needle size
US 10 - 6.0 mm
US 9 - 5.5 mm

* female
* in-the-round
* lace
* ribbed
* seamless
* written-pattern

Café Beret
designed by Melissa LaBarre

This flowery beret is knit in a pretty lace pattern with a single hank of Techno!

EXPERIENCE LEVEL
Intermediate

MATERIALS
• Blue Sky Techno (50g/120yds): 1 hank
• Size 9 (5.5mm) 16” circular needle,
or 1 size smaller than size needed to obtain gauge
• Size 10 (6mm) 16” circular needle, or size needed to obtain gauge
• Size 10 (6mm) double pointed needles, or size needed to obtain gauge
• Stitch marker
• Tapestry needle
Photo Shown: Tonic Orange #1979

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Circumference: 17” Brim; 28¾” at Crown
Length: 8”

GAUGE
In Lace Pattern, with larger needles,
15 sts and 18 rows = 4”
Needle size required may vary depending on color of Techno chosen, please check your gauge.

i've been busy!

2011-05-04T14:13:57Z

life has been crazy here, for many reasons. trying to balance a full-time job, a part-time job and a million design obligations has been tough, especially since all that pesky "life" stuff still happens.
i've been trying to still have a life. forcing myself out of the house here and there has helped.

a few weeks ago, we headed MASS MoCA, saw some eye-searing art, got headaches, and then thoroughly enjoyed an Iron and Wine show. I love pretty much every song Sam Beam has ever played. joy!

ow, my eyes! (oh, and i cut my hair. SHORT!)

ah, iron and wine

since i have plenty of bad habits, i thought i'd adopt a good one. and after trolling for juicer recommendations, i finally decided on a reasonably priced one that had good reviews. i am now forcing things like carrots, which i hate, down my throat combined with things i love, like blood oranges. yay, health! boo to juicer clean-up, though. messy!

my apartment has needed a little sprucing up, so i started by buying some new art. these tiny 4x4 bird paintings have become the perfect companions to my paint-by-numbers horses. i'm sure i'll be buying a few more.

now, i really must get back to my knitting. i have so many new designs coming... they should start popping up everywhere over the next few months.

new pattern: rincleau

2011-04-29T11:56:08Z

I have a new pattern out, designed for tunney wool company/ o-wool, in one of my favorite yarns, o-wool classic. this sweater is worked from the top down in one piece with a knit/purl stitch pattern detail down the center that reminds me of pine trees.

the pattern is available to purchase from tunney wool company through ravelry here.

photo by tunney wool company

FINISHED SIZE
33¼ (36¼, 39¼, 44¼, 46¼, 49¼)” bust circumference. Pullover shown meas 36¼”

YARN
O-Wool Classic Worsted (100% certified organic merino; 99 yds/90 m 50g/1.75 oz) #4304 wheatgrass, 10 (11, 12, 13, 13, 14) skeins

GAUGE
16 sts and 24 rows = 4” in St st. Take time to save time, check your gauge.

NEEDLES
Collar—Size US 8 (5mm) 16” circular (cir);
Yoke and Body—Size US 8 (5 mm) 29” cir;
Sleeves—Size US 8 (5mm) double-pointed (dpn).

NOTIONS
7 st markers (4 of 1 color for raglan; 2 of a second color for Pine Panel; 1 of a third color for BOR); st holders or waste yarn; tapestry needle.