You guys!!! I keep mentioning that February is going to be a big month for me in terms of pattern releases and THIS IS WHY!!! Introducing Crazyheart. Crazyheart is my contribution to the fantastic new Heart On My Sleeve ebook put together by Tin Can Knits. I started working on Micah's little grey and blue version while on vacation last summer. It took me quite a while to figure out exactly what direction I was going to go in for my yoke design, but once I landed on this graphic diminishing triangle pattern I just couldn't stop knitting it! As is made evident by the fact that every single member of my family has their own version of Crazyheart, which is, I know, totally crazy!
Heart On My Sleeve ebook available on Ravelry here.
I love this design and have plenty to share about it, but for today I'd like to focus on the collection and what makes it so awesome. When Alexa and Emily reached out last year and asked if I would be willing to donate a design to this project my answer was a resounding YES! I am thrilled that they thought of me and am honoured to be part of a project featuring such an amazingly talented group of knitwear designers. To see my name in writing next to : Shannon Cook, Romi Hill, Bristol Ivy, Joji Locatelli, Jane Richmond, Ysolda Teague and Emily and Alexa of Tin Can Knits is definitely right up there on my list of career highlights.
This is s charity project, all of the patterns were donated and all of the proceeds (after Ravelry and PayPal fees) are going to the Against Malaria Fund. How cool is that!? Here are a few words from Tin Can Knits about how and why they chose this particular cause:
We chose to donate to the Against Malaria Foundation because the need spoke to Emily and I personally as mothers. Malaria is a preventable disease – no one need die of it. Yet thousands of small children and pregnant women die of it every day. Malaria is relatively cheap to prevent, which means that every ebook sold and every dollar you donate really counts toward saving lives and improving economies.
WONDERFUL! Another really fun thing about this collection is that each design is built off of the same base template. Tin Can Knits provided us with a pattern for the body and sleeves and then left the yoke up to us. I LOVE that and though I think that the patterns certainly stand on their own, the fact that the collection is kind of a "choose your own adventure" is a really fun detail that makes the collection extra special and unique.
We took so many photos of us in these sweaters! Picking which few to highlight in today's blog post was a near impossible task. I decided to put the focus on family and picked my favourite pseudo-candid shots that capture the things I love most about my boys. Micah's pout, Rowan's photobomb, Chris' man bun! These are truly my faves.
Because I have made 4 versions of this sweater I have had plenty of opportunity to dream up colour schemes and let me tell you... it's been FUN! I knit Micah's first, next was Rowan's bolder approach, then I took it down to cool town with my more subdued version, and lastly Chris got the Christmas sweater of his dreams. Each palette is unique and I think equally beautiful in it's own right. There is so much potential for colour play in a pattern like this. I can't wait to see what you do with it!
Join us for a CrazyCamaroKAL over in the Ravelry group!
Lots more to say about this project, but for today I'll leave it at that. Tin Can Knits is hosting a HOMS KAL over in their Ravelry group and we're hosting a complementary KAL over in our Ravelry group, so join us and knit yourself a beautiful colourful sweater and beat those winter blues!