Russet Lodge Custom Knits

For anybody who has been wondering, my wedding went very well, and my husband will be moving here instead of having me move to Scotland. I have very mixed feelings about that, but I just want to be with him. That's the important part. The other big news is that I quit my second job to devote more time to knitting, and I may be hiring a second person to help with bonnet production! These are big steps for me, and I'm excited to try to branch out into publishing a knitting book, teaching classes, and learning to spin my own yarn. I really do apologize to my customers who have been waiting (and waiting and waiting) for me to finish their projects. I haven't forgotten you, I promise! I carry my knitting with me everywhere I go and work on it as often as possible. I racked up about 12 hours of knitting last weekend with no sore wrists in sight, so I plan to keep cranking out the goodies. Also, I am in the process of wrangling a scanner to scan an article from the holiday ...

I know I haven't been posting or knitting much lately, and I apologize to everybody for being slow. I am currently working two jobs, planning a wedding, and trying to orchestrate a move back to Scotland (again). I haven't forgotten about any of you, though, and to prove it here's the first of a pair of argyle kilt hose made to match the Isle of Skye tartan. The yarn's a bit thicker than the previous kilt hose I posted about, but it's very soft, and the hose have been a fun and challenging project.

Here is a link to a review of my simplified Balmoral hose over on X Marks the Scot . I'm glad they were so well-received and the pictures are much nicer than mine. Also, the waiting list has been recently updated for all my pending customers. :)

I thought it was about time that I posted a pic of the indigo bonnets, since I've made so many of them. Here's a pic of my latest, modeled by me. As you can see, this one's just a wee bit on the small side considering my enormous head, but it's a good representation of the color. Here's some of the socks I've made myself recently. They are both 100% wool and machine washable and wonderful. I haven't made the second of the green pair yet, but I wear the pink ones all the time.

I just wanted to share some photos of the pair of kilt hose I'm currently working on. The cuff is similar to Balmoral hose, but my customer wanted something a tad less fancy and formal, so instead of a two-color entrelac cuff with about six rows of entrelac bordered by several different colored stripes, we did a few rows of the entrelac in three colors and left it at that. The result is, I must say, very pleasing. If you're interested in purchasing something like these (or anything else) please scroll down for more info or contact me at russetlodgeknits@gmail.com.

These are very bad and rudimentary photographs of the kilt hose I finished months ago, but I thought I'd get them up on the site.  The construction time was about a week all together, and I did design the pattern myself so it's available to interested parties as a PDF download for $4.00.  The pattern takes about 600 yards of worsted weight yarn (you will probably have extra left over) and size US 6 double pointed needles.  The pattern has small, medium, and large sizes.  For pics of other hose made from this pattern see I'm currently working on a simple pair of entrelac hose and I'll share photos of those too. For now, please enjoy these low-quality pics of what is undoubtedly a high-quality pair of hose, modeled by my very own rather shapely Scottish Country Dance calves.

Hebridean Bonnets, also known as tam-o-shanters, after the Rabbie Burns poem of the same name , are a slightly more modern take on the headwear of the Scots. They are most commonly associated with the 1860s, but are still worn today. This pattern is now also available for purchase, as are the hats themselves. Pattern and hat prices are the same as the eighteenth-century style bonnets, and may be purchased from the paypal menu at the top of the blog.

For those of you who've always thought Scotch Bonnets were just a type of flower or perhaps a hot pepper, I've got news for you. They're hats too. Lovely felted wool hats. Think tam-o-shanter or beret on steroids. These babies are lovely, almost completely waterproof, and much softer than wool has any right to be. They were the hat of choice for Scots fighting in the '15, the '45, the French and Indian War, and even the American Revolution. Sadly, these bonnets are now pretty tough to find in this country, especially hand-made, as they should be to be authentic, and in any variety of colors or sizes. That's where I come in. I've designed my own pattern, and am now offering my bonnets to the world! Check the paypal menu at the top of the blog to order, drop me an email, or click the button below to purchase the knitting pattern online. Hat prices include shipping. Custom sizing available. Go nuts, Scotophiles!

Interest in my kilt hose and knitted goods is coming along slowly but surely. I've changed my profile and this blog to make it easier to contact me by email, but I also get comments on this blog via email when you make them, so feel free to get in touch however you like! I should be finished with a sample pair of the standard kilt hose this week, and as soon as I can chase down a camera photos will be posted here. I know I'm trying to sell them, but these things really are wonderfully comfortable. The size is very customizable for differing calf, ankle, and foot sizes. I've decided to make the pattern itself available for sale too for anybody interested in knitting their own. I've made standard small, medium, and large sizes, but if you have unusual measurements, I'm happy to customize it. Please contact me to order either kilt hose or the knitting pattern!

My fiance, Arlen , is a Scot. He loves his kilts and wears them with pride. He recently joined a forum for his fellow kilt-wearers from around the world, and pointed out to me that many of them are looking for hand-knitted goods. Favorite seem to be kilt hose, tams, and Aran sweaters, and these fellows seem to have a very difficult time finding quality hand-knitted clothing. This, then, is my offer to the kilted men of the world, as a woman who loves one kilted man in particular. I am now offering hand-knitted goods for the Scots and Scotophiles of the world . Custom sizing and designs are available, and the sky's really the limit. I can do argyle, plain knitting, ribs, cables, your name/initials, entrelac , anything. Really! I'm also happy to design and share patterns for those interested in knitting these types of goods themselves. Please comment or email me if you have questions or to make your order. You pick the fiber, color, weight, everything!

Welcome to Russet Lodge! This blog is dedicated to my knitting and fiber art exploits, and as a place to sell my work and help new knitters get started. Here's what's coming soon to Russet Lodge: Knitting patterns designed by me Hand-made knitwear Knitting needle cases Stitch markers Project bags Hand-spun yarn Hand-dyed wool roving Stay tuned, and if you're interested in any of these things before I get around to posting them, please feel free to contact me and request them!