Project, Project and Yarn

I have taken a little break from blogging, since I've been quite busy. I know, who isn't. I have gotten 2 projects to work on for mags, yey. I really enjoy this process of creating and seeing my sketches to come to life, what can I say.

Cape Collar Jacket
I have finished knitting the Vladimir Teriokhin's Cape Collar Jacket and blocked it, though I had not had a chance to sew it together yet, so it's just sitting there and waiting. But that's OK, I will get to it when I have time. I can't wait to try it on.

New Store
I have been also trying to figure out what website to use for selling my patterns other than Etsy store. Ravelry (you are on Raverly, right?) will be offering a direct PDF download upon payment, so the customer does not have to wait 24 hrs to have their pattern e-mailed to them. I am pretty good about sending the pattern within a few hours of a customer's purchasing (sometimes even minutes); though it is not the best way. Further, I am limited on what size of a document I may send via e-mail, so I cannot send a document having as many pictures as I'd like, or I have to compromise on the quality of the document. I like to include many pictures with my patterns so one can see the details of what they are working on. That's what I want in a pattern - to see what I am doing. So now I am working on formatting my patterns to a same layout, so when a customer purchases multiple patterns they can put it in a binder and easily find what they are looking for. As for the store, I think at this point I will just create my own website to offer patterns for sale. It is somewhat time consuming, but it will be worth it in a long run.

Yarn Review
I wanted to share a review on a new yarn I got my hands on. It's a Classic Elite Yarns Duchess. I just love it. It is a bulky yarn: it knits up on US 10.5 (6.5 mm) needles producing a gauge of 3 1/2 sts to an inch (14 sts = 4"/10cm) and makes a knitting project fast. But that's not why I like it. Its composition is 40% Merino, 28% Viscose, 10% Cashmere, 7% Angora, 15% Nylon. It has 75 yd (69 m) in 1¾ oz(50g) and it feels very nice against the skin. When knitting it seems to produce rather a stiff fabric, which scared me at first. But when it's washed and blocked it softens and feels nice and soft. It is easy to knit with; it does not split at all, and looks as a single ply yarn. In my opinion, it is a great yarn for a beginner. I will definitely use it again.