Kaleido by Silkie B.

Knitting Designs By Silka Burgoyne

Back to Basic – convertable Mittens August 28, 2011

Filed under: Kaleido By Silkie B. Design,Silkie's Freebie — silkaburgoyne @ 7:47 pm
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Convertable MittensIf you are a knitter and loves to knit kidswear, then you will certainly like Petite Purls. Petite Purls is similar to Knitty but specialize in Kids knitwear. Petite Purls publishes 4 issues a year and fills the issue with trendy and beautiful knitting patterns for kids. Petite Purls also publishes a list of patterns what they call ‘Back to Basics’; the idea of ‘Back to Basics’ is to provide pattern that not only will be great beginner patterns to work from, but also great patterns for those of knitter who want to explore their creative side: a good starting point for colorwork, a decorative stitch pattern, or a border motif. The possibilities are endless.

Stripy versionThis month, Petite Purls, has added my convertable mittens pattern to their ‘Back to Basics’ issue. The design for this basic convertable flap mittens pattern creates a blank canvas for knitters to create their own version of flap mittens. This basic pattern can be easily adopted to create a pair of striped or Fair Isle mittens. Check out my version of the covertable mittens! For those of you would love to have the pattern for the stripe version, check out the upcoming issue of Interweave Gifts which is available very soon!

The pattern for the Basic convertable Mittens is free and available HERE!

Stripe Version

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A yarn called ‘tern’ May 18, 2011

Filed under: Kaleido By Silkie B. Design,Knitting Life — silkaburgoyne @ 3:24 pm
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‘tern’ is a fine weight yarn from Quinco & Co. that consists of 75% American Wool and 25% Silk, and ‘tern’ is my favorite fine weight yarn for the moment. ‘tern’ comes in 12 colors and I love the subtleness of the each color… and to me the best part of this yarn is how easy it is to work with and the way it showcases different stitches.

I leave you now with a couple swatches that I made with ‘tern’ and a little preview on what’s coming for my Accessory Collection 2011 that hopefully will be available by this Fall.

So what projects will I be using these swatches? Gloves? Socks? Cowl? Hat? I would love to keep it a secret for now.

A big ‘Thank You’ to Suzanne from SP Photoart for taking the pictures.

 

Easy Breezy Shores May 16, 2011

Filed under: Kaleido By Silkie B. Design — silkaburgoyne @ 5:02 pm
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Breeze Shore - Creative Knitting July 2011

Just like the title said, an easy breezy cardigan that is perfect for the warm climate. This is my cardigan design that is currently published in the July 2011 issue of Creative Knitting.

This lightweight cardigan is worked in fine sock yarn with size 4 needles…. it is also mostly seamless.. I said mostly because there are 2 seams to join the shoulder together. The entire cardigan is work in one piece from bottom up till the arm shaping; then the back piece and 2 front pieces are worked separately. The 3rd quarter sleeves are worked from top down and sleeves caps are shaped using short-row after the shoulder seams are joined. The lace border is worked in such a way that is joined to the front side while knitting it. Hence, there is no sewing the border to the cardigan afterward. Of course, it’s up to personal preference to how to work the lace border.

I love minimal design; clean, classic and very practical; so this cardigan in a way is very me. As always, if you have question of the design, feel free to leave me a message.

Happy Knitting!

 

Introducing Hourglass Lace Socks May 3, 2011

Filed under: Kaleido By Silkie B. Design — silkaburgoyne @ 10:29 pm
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Hourglass Lace Socks

Summer is almost here… time to knit some SOCKS! Well.. you can basically knit socks all year long but a pair of lace socks in the summer would be a fun project. Summer issue of Interweave Knits will be on sales soon and I am excited to be one of the contributor. Let me introduce my Hourglass Lace Socks… for those of you have seen my ‘Bonnie’ fingerless mittens in my previous post or at Ravelry might find this socks design familiar.

Hourglass Lace Socks


The truth is, I have designed both mittens and socks at the same time – around fall last year to be exact. Since the design is inspired by my sister ‘Bonnie’, I wanted to make a pair for her for the holiday and I wanted to showcase the design and the story behind the design in my blog. After finished the fingerless mittens, I have decided to modify the design to work into a pair of lace socks.. and this socks design resulting in the summer publication of Interweave… it’s a honor to be part of the issue.


So here come the details:

Hourglass Lace Socks


Finished Size: 7½” circumference and 8½” long from back of heel to tip of toe; to fit women’s U.S. shoe sizes 8–9. Foot length is adjustable.
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Heritage Quatro (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon; 437 yd [400 m]/100 g): #5668 purple, 1 skein.
Needles: Size 2 (2.75 mm): 29″ circular (cir) or longer for magic-loop method. Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge (see Notes).
Notions: Marker (m); cable needle (cn); tapestry needle.
Gauge: 32 sts and 42 rnds = 4″ in patt st.

As always, if you have any question with any of my patterns, feel free to contact me… I try to response as quick as possible.

Cheers!

 

A Close Call… April 23, 2011

Filed under: General,Knitting Life — silkaburgoyne @ 5:50 pm
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Like I said in my previous post that I have not knitted anything for the past couple of months… so last week, I have decided that I should start looking at submitting design again and back to my knitting self… what I am not sure at this moment is to whether I should concentrate on publish pattern on the online magazine or on actual Magazine or just published my design as idie pattern for my own site….

Anyhow, last week, I decided to start with something small… so I naturally decided on a pair of fingerless mittens.. as for yarn.. looking through my stash… I have a few skeins of tern by Quince and Co. already winded in varies color… so I chose one of the more subtle color and cast on… as for the design, I decided to choose a combination of eyelet cable and texture stitch.. the eyelet cable stitch will be featured in the arm and wrist area, eyelet rib as the divider, and the hand potion will feature a simple texture stitch…. After I finished the first fingerless mitten, I am loving the outcome of the design so much that I went ahead and work on the second mitten.. It might sound strange that I said ‘I went ahead and work on the second mitten’.. often time when I work on a submission, I will only work on a sample, so it is not unusual for me not to actually finish a pair of mittens or socks… in fact I have quite a few single mitten or sock laying around… Anyhow, as I was working on my second mitten, I suddenly realized that I might run out of yarn. For a designer, you should always calculate the amount of yarn needed for a project before starting to knit… so what happened to me then? That idea of running out of yarn did not even come across my mind… what a shame…

As I go further along with my second mitten, I saw the ball of yarn kept getting smaller and smaller.. it alarmed me. I just prayed that I would have enough yarn to finish it. I have a few idea in my head of course just in case if I ran out of yarn.. such as potentially work in a alternate color to create a stripe pattern for the upper potion etc… fortunately, I made it through… I finished my second mitten with less than a yard of yarn to spare… that’s a close call…..

Now my new fingerless mittens design has finished.. I just need to think a nice name for it.

I am not sure at this point in what I am going to do with this design.. so for now, I will not be posting any picture at this moment. All I can say is that I am extremely delighted with the result and loving the color and the yarn. Now I just need to create a matching cowl to go along with the mittens… it will be a nice set for the upcoming fall and winter season…

 

Misty Gloves – A new design December 25, 2010

Filed under: Kaleido By Silkie B. Design — silkaburgoyne @ 12:08 am
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Photograph by: Karen K. Modeled by: Silka B.

Let me introduce my new gloves design – Misty.

I love lace gloves that work in skinny yarn in the winter. I want to keep my hands warm but not feeling bulky at the same time. I also wanted a pair of gloves that can dress up to go to a formal event or down to have a stroll in the park. Therefore, I decided to choose a very lace motif and pair the design with a unique yarn that made from merino wool and milk fiber. The name ‘Misty’ came to me because of the color of the yarn. ‘Blue Notes’ is the name of the color and was hand-dyed and spinned by my friend Lindsey who is the owner of Waterloo Wools. This blue/grey/tan color combination remained me of the cloudy and misty sky in the winter.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Arm Circumference: 7 inches without stretch
Length: Varies depending on each individual preference

MATERIALS
[MC] Bayfield by Waterloo Wools [80% Merino Wool, 20% Milk Fiber; 420yd per 100g skein]; color: Blue Notes: 1 skein

NOTE: Substitute Bayfield with any sock yarn that maintains the same gauge.

RECOMMENDED NEEDLE SIZES
Gloves Body: One 29 inches or longer US 1 2.25 mm circular needles for magic loop method or size to obtain the gauge
Ribbing: One 29 inches or longer US 2 2.50 mm circular needles for magic loop method or size to obtain the gauge
NOTE: If you prefer using dpn, please substitute the same size as the circular needle

PATTERN NOTES1. The pattern of Misty is written in the assumption of using magic loop method. Hence, the pattern will refer sts in 2 groups – group 1 and 2.
2. Although Misty can be work using the dpn, but since the nature of the lace panel, magic loop method will be the preferred method.
3. Both left and right hand gloves are worked the same way; hence, only 1 instruction is given.
4. When working on thumb increase, always increase at the beginning on group 1 and the end on group 2. Refer to Chart 2 for group 1 sts and chart 3 for group 2 sts.
5. Always work the increase sts in purl.
6. Because each individual’s fingers are unique, so measures each fingers before working on the gloves.

The pattern pdf includes detailed written instruction, magic loop tutorial and detail supporting charts for the lace panel and thumb shaping.

To buy the pattern via Ravelry, simple click the button below:

Happy Knitting!

 

Victoria and Bonnie is available!! September 7, 2010

Filed under: Kaleido By Silkie B. Design — silkaburgoyne @ 3:40 pm
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Just want to announce that the patterns for Victoria Gloves, Victoria Socks and Bonnie Mitts are available through my site, Ravelry and my etsy store. Simple go to my pattern link and click on the image for more information. I have also put Victoria Gloves and Socks as a set in a discounted price.

As always, if you have any questions regarding the patterns. Please feel free to contact me!

Happy Knitting!

 

Introducing Bonnie – Accessory Collection 1 September 2, 2010

Filed under: Kaleido By Silkie B. Design,Knitting Life — silkaburgoyne @ 3:16 pm
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Bonnie Mitt


I am very excited that my accessory collection for the Fall is shaping up. I first introduced ‘Victoria’ yesterday and today, let me introduce ‘Bonnie’; a fingerless mitten design.

The inspiration of ‘Bonnie’ came from my dear sister ‘Bonnie’. Bonnie is my rock. I know that I can tell her anything and she is always there for me. Bonnie is always there to listen and provide her honest opinion and support. It have been a very tough year for me and without Bonnie’s support, I might not be able to pull through. I chose a rather simple lace motif with twisted curvy border; the curvy border between each lace repeat looks like the gentle wave in the water… I love the water, living in West Michigan, I am lucky to be so close to Lake Michigan.. the curvy border reminding me the wave by the lake.. it’s so beautiful and calm and relax… and my sister Bonnie, is like the gentle wave in the lake, she can always calm me down and give me an ease feeling when I am stressing out… although Bonnie is rather tense and stress out sometime.. and very intense in some occassion or many occassion.. but she will always be my calming wave. In addition, her chinese name means ‘smooth, wave, round’ so the lace motif certaily represents her well.

Bonnie


So to my dear sister, Bonnie, this post is dedicated to you by your always busy and stress out sister… and with your support.. I know I will always be OK. Thanks for being so supportive and being such a great sister.

Cheers!

 

Introducing Victoria – Accessory Vol. 1 September 1, 2010

Filed under: Kaleido By Silkie B. Design,Knitting Life — silkaburgoyne @ 7:58 pm
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Victoria

As I have finished my urgent project commitment and have a little bit of time (a week to be exact) before next rounds of design submissions. I decided to start working on my first Winter Accessory Collection that I would like to be completed by fall. I am very excited to introduce ‘Victoria’ – A lace gloves and socks design features two of the Waterloo Wools; a fingerweight yarn composes of 50% merino Wool and 50% Tencel for the gloves and merino and nylon for the sock.

I wanted my 1st accessory collection to be driven by someone I know and I care about. For ‘Victoria’, I got the design inspiration from my sister, Vicky. Vicky lives in beautiful vancouver, Canada. She is a free spirit and fun loving person, a caring and a compassionate friend; a person who might look tough on the outside and often time not so easy to deal with; a stubborn person but with a delicate heart. We don’t see each other often, but I know she is always there for me when I needed her. I could not ask for a better sister. A lot of people might not think an overall lace motif will represent Vicky; but we just need to look through her outer appeal and look inside; then you will see how soft and delicate Vicky is. The tightly twisted cable inside the lace representing the tie between us.

Victoria - Sock


To my dear sister Vicky, I wrote this post on your birthday.. however, I wanted to have the pictures to come with it.. so this post is a little bit late… anyhow, this post is delicated to you by your also very stubborn little sister even though I might look more mature then you and have 3 kids.. but I am still your little sister. Cheers!

 

Meeting Lindsey…… August 4, 2010

Filed under: General,Knitting Life — silkaburgoyne @ 2:10 pm
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When you think of yarn, wool will most likely be one material that come into most of the people’s mind…. wool indeed a common material that make into yarn… as yarn evolves through time… nowadays almost everything can make into yarn… alpaca, camal, soy, bamboo, cotton, silk etc are very common… then comes some items that I don’t think can be possible to make into yarn… think sugarcane, seacell and even milk… Milk? How could it be possible? I have my doubt until I actually touch a skein of yarn that is 80% milk fiber… looks and feels absolutely wonderful!

But I am here not to talk about yarn evolution, I am here to talk about meeting Lindsey Ligett.

A couple days ago, with a connection from Shirley, a lady from my knitting group, introduced me to her niece, Lindsey, who happened to be in town for a visit. Lindsey is the owner of Waterloo Wools, a small business that locates in Waterloo, Ontario that specialize in hand dyed, handspun yarns and spinning fibers. I enjoy working with all type of yarns, of course everyone should know that by now.. but I am totally clueless on how yarn is made. I always admire people that can spun and dyed their own yarns… and meeting Lindsey who specialize in those 2 things is such a wonderful experience for me.

During our meeting, Lindsey has graciously given me a few skeins of her hand-dyed yarns that I attached in this post. Don’t you think the yarns look amazing? Lindsey did such a great job on the colors and they are absolutely beautiful. Amongst my goodies, one of the skein is made with 80% Milk Fiber and 20% Merino Wool, one skein is made with merino wool and seacell.. and there is one that is made with merino wool and Tencel. Of course I can’t just take the yarns and not do anything with them. In return, I will put myself into the design gear (soon after I finished my other project commitment) and design a few items that will features the yarns that Lindsey has given me so that she can showcase her yarns in the trade shows that are coming up in the middle of September and late October in Canada. It is also a good opportunity for me as an indie designer to reach out to other knitters using a different channel. So please stay tune for my designs in the next couple months that features Waterloo Wools.

Thanks again to Lindsey for the beautiful yarn and I am truly grateful.