Today I have a different kind of post to share with you.

This one is all about the wee library in my hometown of Shutesbury Massachusetts (where we will be returning to in April). This past week they put out a video (see above) to help raise funds to build a bigger and better space. The video went viral and was posted on BoingBoing, tweeted about by Neil Gaiman, and blogged about by John Hodgman  and watched all over the world.

There has been some serious division in the town over whether we need a new library, it has been an intense and dramatic process that we have had to witness from afar (what with us being in Scotland this year).  I won’t go into all the details but you can catch up with some of what’s happened in this article.

Needless to say my family and I are supporters of having a new library. If we can raise as much of the money needed as possible this will reduce the burden on the town’s taxes.

Ever since we lived in this town we have been frequent users of our little public library. When we homeschooled this library provided many of our resources, it also has a fantastic DVD collection (another important use for us non-TV folks), hi-speed internet access (which we don’t have at our house) and wonderful staff and volunteers. In only 900 square feet it is an amazing facility…however it has some serious limitations due to its size.

There is no running water, only a composting toilet, no space to sit with your own computer and work/study, no space for bigger community events/workshops and obviously not enough space for new materials to be added/updated.

I know our family would make good use of a new library and we hope we get to see it happen. So I’m sharing the video here in an attempt to help spread the word….watch it…..it’s very cute…..if you can spare a few pennies they will be immensely appreciated!

I can hardly believe that I’m announcing yet another amazing knitting retreat that I get to teach at! This one takes place in Iceland, where I will meet many other Gudruns. Plus I get to teach alongside my lovely friend, the talented designer Mary Jane Mucklestone.

Technically this photo was taken in Shetland but it’s not too much further to Iceland!

This retreat is full of wonderful happenings. We’ll have excursions in the vibrant city of Reykjavik and out to fjords in the west,  a dip in a geothermal pool and a visit to a natural dyer, Guðrún Bjarnadóttir (see I told you there would be other Gudruns). We’ll meet some Icelandic cashmere goats,  make a wee lopi sweater with Ragga (the organizer of this whole event), get yarn for our real size lopi sweaters and of course there will be a class with me (Shetland Lace) and one with Mary Jane (Fair Isle).

If that’s not quite enough you can also enter the Iceland Marathon which occurs on the final w’end of the trip! I’m thinking I might only be up for doing the 3k!

Click on the image above for all the information!

I Just whipped up another Norby. This one is going to adorn my friend Joanna’s head as a birthday gift but I thought I’d snap some shots of it on me first as she hates having her photo taken! Thankfully I will get the original one back from Jared so I won’t be Norbyless for too long……

This one was knit on US 5 needles to make it a little slouchier for my friend’s larger noggin !! I think this lovely shade of loft (Tent) will go wonderfully with her white/blonde hair.

Looking forward to celebrating her birthday with a night out in Glasgow to see another friend’s gig at the Celtic Connections festival….and we even get to stay in a funky hotel overnight….yay!

Being that it was a chilly and frosty -7 C here this morning (and a lot colder in parts of North America) it seems like an appropriate time for me to release a new sweater pattern!

Cara is worked bottom up in the round with sleeves that are then picked up from the armholes. Once again I used  short rows for shaping the sleeve caps (I continue to love the results of this method). This sweater also has waist shaping and can be worn fitted or more slouchy, whatever your preference.

As you can see  Garter Stitch is featured in all of the stitch patterns used (garter st sleeves, garter ridge in body and garter rib at cuffs, hem and cowl). This creates a nice cozy fabric with a clean and simple texture. Worked in an Aran weight  (or heavy worsted) yarn this knits up fairly quickly.

The pattern comes in 12 sizes ranging from a 30-54 1/4 inch chest circumference and includes all the necessary info for any special techniques used.

For the first week only if you buy Cara you can get 1 of my other individual Shetland Trader patterns for free!

More info and purchasing options here!

Photo copyright Jared Flood

It is with great pleasure that I can now share a new pattern, Norby, from Jared Flood’s latest collection, Wool People 2.

Jared always does the most incredible job with the photography and styling, and in my book gets it just right, every time! To see all the beautiful designs in Wool People 2, view the lookbook here.

I feel so honored to be amongst so many other gorgeous patterns by much admired designers.

Photo copyright Jared Flood

Norby is a slouchy beanie worked in Jared’s latest yarn, Loft. I loved knitting this piece and am particularly fond of the little tassles (although they can be easily omitted if they’re not quite your thing). Loft yarn is already a firm favourite of mine. In fact I’m currently working on a secret Fair Isle design in this yarn and I could not be happier with the results!

Photo copyright Jared Flood

Happy 2012 to you all…..I’m personally very excited about what’s in store this year!

When I first saw Agnes in Wool Book One I was immediately drawn to it’s simplicity, coziness and pockets! I knew I wanted one of my own for the winter months.  I also thought this would be a perfect first sweater project for Maya to attempt. Maya was on board and ready for the challenge so we picked our colours and ordered the yarn. Franks’ plum for Maya and Storm for me.

Being that it is top down and in a chunky yarn, progress was made relatively quickly. I made a deal with Maya that I wouldn’t knit further than her.

Well this was all well and good for a while but then Maya lost her momentum as the rows grew longer! My impatience to wear my own sweater meant that it was necessary to intervene! So I did  ………

I probably ended up knitting about half of Maya’s sweater but I’m proud of her efforts nonetheless! As you can see she went for a short-sleeved version (mostly to reduce the knitting) but as we took the photos outside today she was wishing for more coverage!

As you can see I didn’t get around to tacking down the pockets yet!

These were in fact finished a while ago but we’ve not had a chance to take photos together being that it’s dark by the time Maya returns home from school!! We’ve also had a particularly chilly spell here in Scotland so have worn our sweaters a lot already!

We love them….thanks Melissa for another great pattern!

I am very excited to let you all know that I will be teaching at not one, but two Squam retreats this year!

The first retreat will be back at the beautiful shores of Squam Lakes in New Hampshire where I’ll be teaching a Shetland Lace workshop
…..and participants will be the first to receive a newly released pattern (based on what will be practiced in class).

(photo: Lorenzo Surricchio)
and for the second retreat I get to teach in Abruzzo, Italy!!!! I’m more than a little excited about this…..

Classes there will include a Shetland Lace workshop and one on working a Simultaneous Set-in-sleeve.

There are two other retreats in the 2012 line up and as always there are a ton of great class offerings and teachers…..go and take a look!

As you will have noticed cowls are the must have accessory for this winter so I’ve jumped on the bandwagon and now have my very own cowl pattern to share with you!

I absolutely must have something around my neck during the colder months and a cowl is a great option. It can be double wrapped for particularly nippy moments or left to hang open just to take the chill off the back of the neck. The bonus of course is that it won’t slip off or really need much adjustment during the wearing process!

Being that today is a HUGE shopping day in the States I thought it appropriate to have my own wee sale!

This discount does not apply to the Shetland Trader book or ebook or any designs published by other parties.

Part of the whole reason I was up in Shetland recently was to be able to attend the launch of Jamieson and Smith’s first book of patterns.

Knit Real Shetland is a collection of 15 patterns all worked in Jamieson and Smith yarns. There are all sorts of wonderful projects to choose from, from fine lace shawls to Fair Isle tea cozies!

I was honored to be asked to contribute a pattern and to share the pages with an array of incredibly talented designers. Some of these designers are Shetland born and bred, and others hail from far away, but what we all have in common is a genuine love of the true Shetland wool.  Sarah Laurenson, from Jamieson and Smith, did an excellent job editing  and has created a truly beautiful product.

The printed version of the book is available now but there are limited copies so be sure to get yours soon! An ebook version will also become available in the near future. You can also see more about the projects on Ravelry.

Here are some modeled shots of my design, the Melby Dress (which is really more of a fitted tunic). Although I intended this as a child’s design we decided to add in adult sizes too. I already bought some yarn for mine!