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!

(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.

xo

melissa

link:

my fundraising page

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!

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!

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

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)

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.

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.

xo

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.

FINISHED BUST MEASUREMENTS:
32½ (35½, 39, 42, 45, 48½, 51½)”

YARN:
lark / peacock 109
7 (8, 9, 9, 10, 11, 12) skeins

NEEDLES:
29” circular in size US 7 [4.5 mm]
set of dpns in size US 7 [4.5 mm]

GAUGE:
20 sts and 26 rows = 4” in stockinette stitch

you can purchase the pattern through ravelry here or on the quince and co website, along with the lovely lark yarn to make it, here. the pattern is $6

after a few requests from fellow ravelers, i finally started a ravelry group where folks can discuss my designs: knitting school dropouts!

i am still busy knitting. but, one of the projects that has kept me busy for the last few months has finally popped up on amazon. cecily and i put together a collection of hat designs from 21 different designers, and it'll be available in october. check out weekend hats!

thanks so much!

i'm currently buried in swatches for the many, many, exciting designs i have in the works. hopefully, i'll be able to tell you more about some of them soon!