Make Give Repeat

Have you heard about MAKE | GIVE | REPEAT? Do you want to knit items for charity this winter, but don't know where to donate? Check out Make Give Repeat for a wonderful list of charities, their addresses and specific needs. My friends Robyn Devine and Heather Walpole started Make Give Repeat simply because they love to support charities through their favorite hobby. And I can get behind that!

I am thrilled to be contributing a pattern to the cause. 'Sliver', a super-bulky (and quick) hat pattern from 'Weekend: Simple, Modern Knits' is the featured pattern for the Make Give Repeat December knit along. And you can make a few in no time at all. Sliver comes in sizes XS – XL and can be worn by children or adults. Ready to knit up some hats for charity? From December 1 through January 1, you can download Sliver for FREE with the code MAKEGIVEREPEAT.

The December charity focus is Nest: Maine. Nest is a charitable group started as a way to help keep folks in the Ft. Kent area warm. Each year they've collected items and distributed them to shelters and clinics in the area, helping their neighbors survive the brutal Maine winters.

Nest collects all sorts of handmade items, but most needed are hats and mittens in sizes from babies through adults. They also need stroller blankets this year. Nest prefers that items be made from 100% wool for maximum warmth, although stroller blankets can be made from acrylic and blends.

Finished items can be mailed to:

Jean Lee
NestMaine
P.O. Box 6011
Falmouth, Maine, 04105

Find all the Make Give Repeat December hat knit along details here. Knit a hat or two (or ten), and give someone in need the gift of warm fuzzies this holiday season.

Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals + a GIVEAWAY!

Whew! Did you make it through Thanksgiving weekend? It was a blur! (I spent the weekend in Minneapolis at StevenBe, but that's a post for another day.) :)

Just wanted to give a heads up that today is the last day that my book will be on super sale. Until midnight tonight (12:00 AM CST), you can pick up a copy of 'Weekend: Simple, Modern Knits' for only $23 (reg $28) + FREE SHIPPING with the code FREESHIP. So go snag a copy for yourself or as a gift for your favorite knitter. Such a great deal!

Finally, Jane Richmond, one of my favorite knitwear designers in the world, just blogged a beautiful review of 'Weekend' and I'm so incredibly honored. Her words mean so much because she is a huge creative force in the knitting world and I adore everything she does! She's also hosting a giveaway, so go enter (right now) for your chance to win a hard copy of 'Weekend.'

Hope you have a nice, somewhat relaxing week ahead – happy knitting!

Book touring + trunk showing

I'm taking this show on the road and embarking on a mini-midwest book tour of sorts. It's already proving to be a ton of fun. By the way, I'd like to send out a huge, heartfelt thank-you to all of the yarn store owners who have welcomed 'Weekend' into their shops. I cannot explain what a thrill it is to see this book being picked up in so many wonderful locations ... my very favorite yarn shops. (Pinch me, because last week I sent books to Fancy Tiger Crafts in Denver and Purl Soho in NYC. Dreams come true, my friends.) It's still totally surreal to think that this book has finally been published and is out there for the world to see. And spreading the love is the fun part. So yes, a book tour. Which has kind of already started!

Last month, I made a stop at Nina Chicago with a fresh stack of books and a trunk show of samples from 'Weekend'. It was a day of adventure, walking through the Lincoln Park Zoo with the whole fam on the way and grabbing coffee. Then Bo helped me wheel my box of books to the shop on a skateboard. HA. If you've never been to Nina, let me just say that she has curated the most fantastic, beautiful selection of yarns you may ever see in one space. It's the truth. Go see for yourself.

Nina is such a warm and welcoming store and the energy in the store was fantastic. I had the best afternoon meeting lots of Chicago knitters and hanging out with the lovely Nina ladies in Wicker Park. I'd hang out there every weekend if I could, truly.

And last month, my hometown yarn store Hill Vintage & Knits also hosted a book signing and trunk show event, and man ... I felt the love. Look at those sweet faces. I adore this local crew. Thanks so much to my pals Erica and Jess for hosting a super fun Friday Night Knitting night.

This weekend, I'm road-tripping with my pal Emily to Stitch Together Studio in Cedar Rapids, IA. I absolutely cannot wait to see this shop – it's brand new and it's owned by one of my longtime crafty friends, Kayanna Nelson. From what I've heard, it's super eclectic and gorgeous and they'll be offering a 15% off sale on all bulky yarns and roving. Woo! If you're in the area, stop by and hang out on Saturday from 1:00-4:00.

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Later this month (November 27 + 28) I'll be road-tripping again to StevenBe in Minneapolis. The most magical yarntopia in all the land. How much fun will it be? All of it. All of the fun. On Small Business Saturday there will be free demos with Steven and I in the fiber loft, discounts on all things chunky, a 'Weekend' trunk show and book signing, and so much more. I get giddy just thinking about it. On Sunday, Steven will be having a tea party featuring his brand new tea blend, plus 35% off all yarns in the My Mountain Pop-In Shop, 50% off all yarns in Steven's Value Vault, a reveal of the best Cheap and Cheerful gifts, free gift with purchase over $100 and your choice of a tour messenger back or tour book with $200 purchase. Got it? It's a lot – I know. But I'll basically be at StevenBe for an entire weekend. So come hang out with us. We're going to have a blast.

More to come in the months ahead, but I wanted to share these upcoming events in case you live in one of these lovely cities and want to say 'hi'. Also! If you're a yarn shop owner and would like to set up a book signing/trunk show, feel free to email me any time. I would love to visit you, too.

Have a great weekend ... and knit on, my friends!

Week 1: Weekend Knit Along

The first week in October is behind us and we're already off and running with the Weekend Knit Along. So many people have already made a ton of progress, so I wanted to share a few of their pics.

Emily and her cat, Rick, are knitting 'Minnie', a hooded scarf in Mint Tuff Puff yarn from Knit Picks. (Cat helpers are the best helpers.)

My pal Kayanna is knitting 'Sliver' with WATG Crazy Sexy Wool in this gorgeous red. I do love a red hat! Kayanna just opened a new store, Stitch Together Needle Arts Studio, in Cedar Rapids, IA! I can't wait to visit next month. :)

Ena knitted her son this Distortion and Feedback set, and I adore how she did the accent stitches! So cool (and such a cute kid.)

TheThingsSheMade is starting out on her 'Undone' sweater!

Amy is working on her 'Undone' as well in this awesome purple color of Maxi Wool from Erika Knight. (Plus coffee ... very necessary.)

Erica is knitting an army green 'Undone.'

Nichole has finished a 'Feedback' cowl in hot pink and gray Tuff Puff from Knit Picks, and she's started knitting 'Minnie' and may also knit 'Distortion'! This girl is ambitious (and a very speedy knitter.)

And last but not least, Sarah is completely finished with her 'Undone', knit in Spud & Chloë Outer in Carbon. It's so good, so perfect! (And she knitted it so quickly!)

It's not too late to join us! The Weekend KAL lasts the entire month of October, so there's plenty of time to jump in. For more info on how to join, click HERE. Knit on, my friends.

Join the 'WEEKEND' knit along!

Knit a project in a weekend from the book, 'WEEKEND.'

Just a few weeks ago, my new book 'WEEKEND: Simple, Modern Knits' was released. Now it's time for us to knit something together, at the same time, sharing our pics and inspiring each other to make cool things. Are you in? It won't take long! Let's do this.

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WHEN
The WEEKEND KAL will start on Thursday, October 1st and end on Friday, October 30th.

HOW TO SIGN UP
Choose a project to make from WEEKEND – any project is fine! Enter your info HERE to be eligible to win the giveaway at the end of the KAL. You also must have shared photos of a project in progress during the KAL to be eligible.

GIVEAWAY
One lucky KAL participant will win an awesome prize!! (So, go sign up.)

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KAL RULES

You can choose any project you'd like to knit from the book WEEKEND. (Projects from other sources will not qualify for the KAL.)

To be eligible to win a prize, you must share photos of your chosen KAL project on the HEYJENRENEE Ravelry group board, which you can find here. (Feel free to share on social media as well, using the hashtag #weekendKAL.)

It's okay if you have already started a project from WEEKEND. Take in-progress pics and share them with us!

You may jump in any time during the month of October.

You may knit more than one project.

If you don't finish your project by the end of the KAL, it's okay! Participation is enough! Let's have FUN and make cool things.

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WHERE TO START

RAVELRY
Start with the KAL discussion threads in the HEYJENRENEE Ravelry group. Right away, you'll find a thread where you can say hello and chat about what projects you have decided to make, the yarns you'll use, etc. This is the fun part! Don't be shy. I'll be in there, too. :)

SOCIAL MEDIA
Check out everyone's photos by searching for and using the hashtag #weekendKAL. You can find me posting all the things (all the time) on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. (Find my social media links at the the top of my blog/website.)

BLOG
I will be posting about the KAL on my blog (and sharing your pics!) throughout the month of October.

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WHERE TO PURCHASE 'WEEKEND'

'WEEKEND: Simple, Modern Knits' is available in several formats. You can purchase the hard copy + free PDF ebook on my website under 'Shop'. You can also find the hard copy at local yarn shops, Amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com. Purchase individual pattern PDFs on Ravelry, as well as the full PDF ebook. It's also available on Kindle and iBooks! Find all of the links right HERE.

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Last but not least, I wanted to thank you all for being so incredibly awesome. Thank you to the blog readers who have stuck by me from the start. Thank you to the yarn stores who have expressed enthusiasm and support for someone they have never met in real life. Thank you for sharing your photos and sweet words on your blogs and social media. It's a thrill to hear that you're enjoying the book as much as I enjoyed writing it. I love you guys.  xx.

Stour – a Rowan cardigan by Martin Storey

Last weekend, I finished up this ultra cozy cardigan and I already can't wait for cooler weather so I can wear it all of the time. The pattern is 'Stour' by Martin Storey and I knitted it using Rowan Brushed Fleece, which is a gorgeous, warm, lightweight wool that's extremely soft (and not itchy whatsoever.) You have to feel it to believe it.

'Stour' is technically a mens' cardigan, but I really wanted to knit something for myself that was a little bit oversized and easy to throw on. I made the smallest size (which I believe was a 38" chest) and it's really quite perfect.

I fell in love with this hazel-green color (called 'Moor') as soon as I saw it on the shade card. I can see myself throwing this on over practically anything in my closet. I took my time with this cardigan (because I was busy finishing projects for my book) but it really didn't take long at all to knit. Quick knits are my favorite!

I'm totally in sweater mode right now; I have two projects (for myself) that I want to cast on next and can't decide which one to do first. But I also have a sweet little sweater pattern picked out for Bowie. So maybe I'll start with that.

What are you making this fall? If you can decide what to knit right now, check back soon for WEEKEND knit along details – it's going to be fun!

I see you.

Okay, you guys are blowing my mind with your pics and projects. Thanks so much for sharing.

(Ready for a Weekend Knit-a-Long? Pick a project from 'Weekend' and knit it in a weekend. First week in October. Let's do this ... more soon.)

Too soon for Christmas? (Nope.)

I couldn't wait. I had to share Rowan's Christmas Collection right now. (Because if you start knitting now, you can wear or give these beauties during the holidays.) These unisex fairisle sweaters have my heart! Rowan has released a collection of six Christmas themed knits, ranging from cozy scarves to these stunning, intricate fairisle sweaters. Above is 'Tidings', designed by Vicky Sedgewick using Felted Tweed. This polo neck sweater features an unusual Nordic style fairisle pattern. Absolutely gorgeous.

Another favorite of mine is 'Blitzen', a unisex sweater designed by Lisa Richardson using Rowan Tweed and Fine Tweed. This polo neck sweater features a modern Christmas fairisle pattern. I love the colors shown here, and with Rowan Tweed/Fine Tweed, the color combinations are endless.

And of course, cardigans! This design is called 'Partridge', which is a stunning unisex cardigan designed by Martin Storey using Alpaca Colour, Pure Wool Superwash DK and Wool Cotton. (!!) This intricate colorwork is suitable for the more advanced knitter. I'm completely in love. And sort of dreaming of a white Christmas. In September.

Want to see more? You can purchase the patterns individually, or buy all six patterns as a collection right here. Happy Halloween, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. It's knitting season, so let's just knit already.  ;)

It's here! 'WEEKEND: Simple, Modern Knits'

Over the weekend, I listed my new book for presale. The timing was appropriate, because it's called 'Weekend: Simple, Modern Knits'. 'Weekend' is a collection of 12 handknits for women, men and children. Knits you can live in on the weekend; knits you can create in a weekend.

Knit using bulky and super bulky yarn, these sweaters and accessories exude comfort and ease. My mission is to create casual, contemporary, wearable handknits that can serve as foundation pieces in anyone’s wardrobe. Approachable patterns that aren’t too complex, making knitters say, “I want to make that!”

I’m a minimalist at heart and I truly believe less is more, and simple is good. To me, simple equals wearable. Simple equals doable. And there’s no greater satisfaction than finishing a hand-knit piece, trying it on and falling in love with it. My goal as a knitter is to make go-to pieces that feel just right, like my favorite soft gray pullover from college. If you spend precious time knitting a garment, you want to love it and wear it a lot. It’s as simple as that. That, to me, is the definition of hand-knit success. And that’s what I hope to share with you in this collection.

For the past two years, it has been my labor of love and I can't wait to share it with you! In all the craziness of setting up the shop on my website and uploading the patterns to Ravelry, I somehow ran out of time and didn't write a blog post!

Here are all of the details.

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PREORDERS – hard copy + PDF ebook

For a limited time, U.S. residents can preorder a hard copy of 'Weekend: Simple, Modern Knits' + a free digital copy for the sale price of $25 + shipping. (Regularly $28 + shipping.) Hard copies of 'Weekend' are paperback with a soft matte finish on the cover. Gorgeously photographed, this 140-page collection will look fantastic on your knitting resource shelf or your coffee table. Hard copies will ship in mid-September. Look for the PDF download link (for your electronic copy of the book) on your receipt. PREORDERS END SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2015.

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RAVELRY – PDF ebook + PDF individual patterns

I have also listed each individual pattern for sale on Ravelry, along with the full PDF ebook.

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AMAZON.com

'WEEKEND: Simple, Modern Knits' is also available on Amazon.com.

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Apple iBookstore – iBooks

'WEEKEND: Simple, Modern Knits'is available for download with iBooks on your Mac or iOS device, and with iTunes on your computer. Books can be read with iBooks on your Mac or iOS device.

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Kindle

Available as a Kindle eBook here.

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LOOKBOOK

Want to take a look inside? Check out the complete 'Weekend' Lookbook.

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I think that's it for now! Please feel free to comment below if you have any questions.

Also, you guys are amazing. THANK YOU for the wonderful response so far. Writing this book was a leap of faith. It was a somewhat frightening moment when I hit the final 'send to print' button after I had finished putting my book's files together. And it was equally scary to flip the 'on' switch to activate my online shop yesterday. I've been working on this book for a long time, all by myself. It's a thrill to finally share it with the world. Thank you for being there and thanks for all your supportive words along the way.

xx,
jen

The process

I've been quietly plugging away on a project for months, and I just wanted to share some of my photos of the process, before I forget.

In design school, our professors taught us that the process is just as important as the final product. Quite possibly more important. We didn't show a final project without showing our entire process. THE PROCESS, they kept saying. We were taught to draft several concepts and preliminary designs, and then draft a few more, and then they'd ever-so-kindly insult our choices and help us learn to weed out the strongest ideas for further development. Then we'd work on visual solutions and reasons behind our design decisions; everything had to have a reason. Why black and white? Why did we choose that typeface? Why did we use a grid? And everything that followed was the work. The production and the execution; the blood, sweat and tears. I've applied this knowledge to projects I've done as a freelance graphic designer ever since.

This is also how I wrote a book.

The process began with me hurriedly writing down scattered thoughts and ideas and tiny ink pen sketches in my notebook. And then crossing things out. And making lots and lots of lists. And more sketches. And crossing out the sketches.

Then came the knitting of many swatches and garments. Over and over again to test out new ideas and to get things just right. It was a bit exhausting. I threw my knitting a few times.

Knitting in the car, on a plane. Knitting until 3:00 in the morning.

I would knit in the back yard. And on the edge of my kids' beds while they fell asleep. Many rows were completed while I sat in the after-school pick-up line outside of my daughter's school.

It took so much longer than I thought it would, but I had to allow my ideas, time and energy to ebb and flow. We are all human. No one has great ideas on demand. There were times this project seemed silly. There were days I wanted to set everything aside. But I wouldn't and couldn't let myself quit.

Row by row, one experimental garment at a time, I slowly built a collection. And of course, not every idea or knitted sample made it to the final cut.

But the ones that made it earned their place. They belong.

The process sounds mundane, but it wasn't. I set a deadline and finished all of the pattern writing and sample knitting over the summer. There was so much trial and error – and sometimes heartbreak – but I loved every minute of the process. It was mine.

Then came the photo shoots. I kind of died over the photo shoots. It was such a thrill. I put together an accidental dream team of friends and acquaintances who took my Rubbermaid bin of hand-knits and turned them into living, breathing art. It was nuts.

And the rest has been that whole production and the execution thing. Choosing photos and putting together the layout. Writing out pattern notes and special techniques. Graphic design is just another thing I love, and once again, getting to do all of the design work on my own project is a very splendid thing.

I sent my final documents to print last night and I'll see my first proofs soon. In no time, I will have an actual book in my hand. So I guess this is it. I'm going to trust the weird little process I've laid down. It's a scary thing to get this far and have nowhere to go but hitting the 'print' button. But you're supposed to do the things that are scary, and I can't stop this train now. (I'll give you a heads up when I have that book in my hand.) <3