Knitting Designs by Melynda Bernardi

Welcome!

I'm Melynda and I'm a knitwear designer from Michigan. I love working with color and strive for knits with a timeless aesthetic. Here on my blog you'll be able to take a deeper look into the process behind my designs.

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Finding a home for this most beautiful piece of art. I’ve followed and long admired @lorepemberton ‘s work here on Instagram and this print (and a couple more) were a gift I promised to myself this holiday season. I wish this picture could truly capture the essence of this print (the colors! The whimsy!) but seeing her work in real life just goes beyond what these little digital Instagram squares can do 😍. 🌻 Hope you are all enjoying this season and can find little ways to treat yourself and others around you in the coming days!

Three Knitspiration hats done and gifted: ✅ ✅ ✅ I really do enjoy doing these projects with my kids for their teachers. It’s so fun to see their ideas and the excitement they have over the hat. Now that we have a couple more knitters in the house, the older kids were able to help with the knitting on their hats, too! 🥰

Just checking in on you. One week until Christmas. This time of year can be so busy, especially for us makers (talk about self-imposed deadlines, right?!). ✨ I just finished up the last of my holiday knitting and I’m realizing I still have a few more gifts to purchase (if anyone has any advice on great gifts for teen nieces and nephews, send them my way!). But things are slowing down, and I hope they are for you, too. I hope you’re finding some quietness and stillness in the holiday hullabaloo, but if you are still caught up in it- it will come soon (I hope!). ✨ So where are you at? Are your to-do lists tapering, or ever growing? Who out there is still working on handknit gifts (that recipient better be pretty special!)? ✨ And an update on the adult Merriment Cardigan 👆... just a few last tweaks and it will be launched in the new year- great first project of the decade, right?!😉 #mymerriment #frenchpressknits 📷: @elindauer at @thestudiodetroit

Before I shipped off my sixth (!!) Leelanau, I decided to take a picture of it with the rest of the collection. It won’t be my last- this is such a fun sweater to knit, but I’m thinking I need to break away from this color scheme for the next one. 💗 Elise is the only person in our family without one, I’m thinking a spring-like color. Pink... robin’s egg blue? #leelanausweater #frenchpressknits

Last chance to get “Snow Tamaracks” for introductory pricing. Use code STILLTIME for 30% off on Ravelry! Expires tonight at 11:59 EST. #snowtamaracks #frenchpressknits 📷: @elindauer

Thanks for all the love on Snow Tamaracks. This was a fun one to design and I can’t wait to see all the color combos/poms you put together! 🔹 It’s not too late to use code #STILLTIME ON @hi.ravelry for 30% off! 📷: @elindauer

High contrast or tonal? 🔸 Folded brim or unfolded brim? 🔸 Faux fur pom or real yarn pom? 🔸 What are your preferences?? Vote in my story, I’d love to know 🥰 🔸 Use code STILLTIME for 30% off Snow Tamaracks hat pattern all this week!

So excited to share this one with you all. Just in time for that holiday rush, a super quick (not to mention completely addicting) hat pattern to add to your list! 🔹 Five sizes, baby to adult large! Folded brim or unfolded, your choice ✔️ 🔹 Use code STILLTIME on Ravelry(because yes, it’s not too late in the season to knit that gift or just one for yourself!) for 30% off during it’s introductory week, expires 12/15/19 at 11:59 EST. Link is in profile 🤗 🔹 I loved putting this hat together and trying different color combinations- I can’t wait to see what you all come up with! Photo by the ever talented @elindauer #snowtamaracks #frenchpressknits #knitdesign

Operation Show me your Mantle!! 🧦 I know my mantle is not the only one dressed in its holiday best! I’d love to put together a story highlight featuring stockings knit from my Comfort and Joy Christmas Stocking book. If you knit some, would you mind sharing?? 🙏 Post your pic in either in your feed or stories and I’ll share it in my highlight reel. Either tag me or use hashtag #frenchpressknit or #showmeyourmantle

Spent the past week knitting this little Leelanau. It’s the sixth time I’ve knit the sweater in just over a year and it was no less enjoyable this time around! 🔹 There’s something about those repetitive colorwork patterns that keeps my attention so perfectly. It’s time to put the finishing touches on this one today. 🔹 This little version is just like my original. I was able to buy the last two skeins of @whyknotfibers “Steady” in “Blue Jean Baby” last time I taught at @spunannarbor . Here’s hoping this one gets as much wear as mine has gotten. 💙 #justonemorerow #leelanausweater

Sneak peek! 🔹 This just came back from the tech editor. Can’t wait to share it with you all so, so soon! 🔹 #christmasiscoming #timetoknit

Now that we are officially done with the Fall holidays, it’s time to start thinking gift knits! 🎁 I printed off a few of these card pages from my Knitspiration Hat pattern this past weekend. I’ll put my kids on the task of designing their teacher’s gift hats this week to give me some time to knit them up before the holidays. Feeling in a little time crunch with such a late Thanksgiving- anyone else? 🌲 To help kick things off, The Knitspiration Hat pattern will be 30% off this whole week. Use code “GIFTKNIT” in my Ravelry store or purchase from my web store- both links are in my profile link!

Such a great day shooting some new knits at @thestudio.detroit 🖤 Check out more details in my stories👆 🖤 #knitweardesign #photoshootday

Although I was quite quiet on Instagram throughout the summer, I didn’t go without knitting (or designing!). 🔹 Excited to share my newest pattern release, the Inversion Hat and Mitts, knit for Miss Babs late fall collection. An intriguing and fun-to-knit twist pattern is the focus of this hat and fingerless mitts pattern. 🔹 Looking for a great handknit gift set? This is the ticket- link in profile. 🔹 PS... Pom opinions appreciated 😉

More on the sweater vests, because I knit them in 2015, so in Instagram years, that’s like a lifetime! 🔹 Joe’s sweater vest was knit first, and it was a surprise. It was back in the days when I was working full time so I would hide it in my car and work on it during conference calls and downtime. There were a few times I remember smuggling it into the house and stashing it under the couch when I heard him coming 🥴. It was the first project I ever steeked, which was a little intimidating considering the sheer size/time of the project, but the fingering weight yarn made it a breeze for cutting ✂️. 🔹 The smaller vest I knit for Sam that Christmas so the boys could match. I used the same stitch patterns and similar colors, but in different orders. The yarn is all @knit_picks palette yarn. It’s a yarn that I like to keep in a variety of colors on the shelf for when I need to swatch up a colorwork design.

Yesterday at church, Ben was beyond eager to show everyone that he and Daddy were wearing matching fair isle sweater vests. I always appreciate a toddler who appreciates a handknit! 🔹 I knit Joe’s sweater vest for him as a gift when he finished grad school. A few months later, I knit one for Sam (our second). Ben is the third child to wear this one. 💙 #handknitgifts #matchymatchy #twinningiswinning

Looking for testers! 💙 Follow the “Testers” link in my profile for more info. 💙 #mymerriment #frenchpressknits

In case you were wondering... Why, yes! We are deep into soup-eating, bread-making season over here! 🥖 🥣 🔥 #breadstagram #breadin5

HELLO, OLD FRIEND! 👋 &hearts;️ An early morning bought me two hours of work before the kids were out of bed. Feeling good that I was able to grade 11 sizes of this yoke. Still need to write up the divide for sleeves/body, but then it should be smoot

HELLO, OLD FRIEND! 👋 ♥️ An early morning bought me two hours of work before the kids were out of bed. Feeling good that I was able to grade 11 sizes of this yoke. Still need to write up the divide for sleeves/body, but then it should be smooth sailing from there! ⛵️ ♥️ Hoping to get testers on this sometime next week (DK weight yarn for those of you thinking about it 😉) so I can have a pre-holiday launch. There, I said it- now I have to do it, right?! ♥️ #mymerriment

I know- TOO EARLY to be seeing Christmas posts, but NOT too early to start knitting for Christmas! Will this be the year you finally get on those family stockings?? 🧦 Hard copy of my stocking pattern book, “Comfort and Joy” is available on my website. Ebook is available on my website and Ravelry. Also, for the first time ever, you can purchase the individual patterns on @hi.ravelry . 🧦 Looking for some guidance? If you’re local to Michigan, I have two upcoming workshops at @spunannarbor (see dates in my story 👆). 🧦 Can’t knit but looking to purchase stockings? I will be doing a limited run before the holidays. Stockings will be $125 USD each. I will post more on this soon, but direct message me if interested! #comfortandjoy #handknitstockings

Before and Almost-After

August 20, 2010

Although things are still a work in progress for the nursery, I wanted to show you the work that was done last week. Quite a transformation in just a few days (remember?... I'm lovin' the second trimester!).

Before:

After:

Obviously this was post- shower and things have yet to be put away, but at least this gives you a little idea of what I've been up to!

I still plan on getting an overstuffed swivel-glider in a bright yellow color (much like the inspiration room), but that still needs to be ordered. From there it will be finding a place for everything and getting things up on the walls!

For those of you who have heard the rumors- yes, I will be attending Stitches Midwest this weekend! Jill (Knitterella) and I will be heading down later today and spending the weekend in Schaumburg. Not sure if there are any meetups going on, but I would love to attend. If you are there and want to meet up, email me at melynda [at!] frenchpressknits.com.