Monthly Archives: March 2012

How to Pick Up Dropped Stitches

A dropped stitch is something that probably most knitters have had to face at one point or another. It can be quite the frightening sight to see a stitch just hanging out somewhere in your knitting, far away from the needle where it should be nicely nestled on top of. Knowing how to pick up your stitches can help save a project just when you think all is lost and also prevent rows and rows of stitches from being ripped back.

And to help you conquer those dropped stitches, we put together this handy video tutorial that will guide you through each step as you work your stitch back up to your needle. Not only do we show you how to pick up a dropped stitch on both the knit and purl side of stockinette stitch, but also on garter stitch fabric. So grab a crochet hook, and get ready to pick up some stitches!

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More baby things!

Like Alison, I’ve been working on some baby things!  Two of my closest friends are having a baby in May & I’m so excited for them.  I wrote about my decision making back in January and wanted to be sure I shared the final result with you.

I was originally planning on making a log cabin style blanket with University of Oregon colors – yellow, green, white & black – since we all grew up in Eugene & are big U of O fans.  I ended up ordering Swish Worsted because I liked those colors the best & got started!

But then after a few rounds, I realized how mind numbingly dull it was to knit – and slow! I had just finished up my Bullseye Blanket and was really in the mood to crochet something else.  And then when I saw Alison’s gorgeous Ripple Blanket, I thought that might be a great project instead.  I happened to mentioned it on Twitter and Linda Permann had an even better suggestion – Lyn’s Round Ripple Baby Afghan!

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What would your perfect kit be?

As with any fashion-type industry, we plan all of our patterns and
kits well in advance of their release dates. In fact, we’re about to
start planning our projects for 2013!

With so many other projects in the works, it’s a daunting prospect to
come up with so many ideas at once. So, I turn to you, dear readers,
for inspiration! What kind of kits would you like to see in 2013?

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Podcast Episode 181: Color Development & New Spring Yarns

With spring just around the corner, there are lots of new yarns popping up here at Knit Picks! First, Alison chats with Jenny about all of the fun that was had while developing the fifteen new colors of Chroma Fingering and Chroma Worsted. Hear all about the colors that almost didn’t make the cut, how they were saved and which shades are quickly becoming staff favorites. Next up on the list of new yarns is Aloft! Jenny and Stacey chat about why they just can’t make up their minds and choose a favorite of Aloft’s five new colors, in addition to giving tips and tricks to working with Aloft and of course, there is also plently of pattern inspiration for this lovely yarn. Finally, Alison introduces Hannah, our catalog designer for Knit Picks! In addition to dreaming up fun cover shoots and making the catalog beautiful, Hannah also gets to …

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Chroma Surprise Jacket

Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Opinionated Knitter
was one of the first books I bought as a knitter. I loved the photos,
stories about the various school houses she lived in and more
specifically, the story behind her Baby Surprise Jacket. Fast forward six years and I had still not knit a single thing out of The Opinionated Knitter. However, after years of gazing longingly at my favorite pattern book, I was
finally able to rally my courage and make my own “Baby Surprise Jacket”.

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Seaming with Mattress Stitch

I have to admit that putting the finishing touches on any project is not my strong suit – mainly because as soon as I bind off my last stitch, my brain automatically categorizes the project as done. And most of the time, there is still a lot to do until it reaches the official status of finished object! Whether it be seaming, grafting, or weaving in ends, I usually take a break from my project before I muster up the enthusiasm for tidying up any loose ends and finishing everything up.

However – when I do get into the finishing zone, I usually take a whole day to wrap up any projects I have laying around that need those finishing touches. And since motivation for a finishing spree doesn’t happen too often, I do take advantage of it when it strikes and I end up feeling a huge sense of accomplishment (and relief). Although I do tend to put off the finishing aspect of my projects, knowing which techniques to use and how they work is a huge help!

Mattress stitch is one of the more common techniques you might come across and it allows you to stitch together two pieces of stockinette stitch fabric, side by side. This method is nearly seamless and it is hard to tell where the seam lies from the right side. On the wrong side, you’ll find the first stitch of either side tucked away. And for those of you who might be putting off seaming up those sleeves or stitching together parts of your sweater, we’ve made a Mattress Stitch video tutorial to help guide you along, step-by-step!

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Knits for Nerds Winners!

Wow, thanks for all of your great entries in the Knits For Nerds Contest – I had a lot of fun reading all of your nerdy loves!  Alas, I only have 2 copies of the book so I loaded up the Random Number Generator & came up with our winners

Winner #1 – Meli Santiago!

Her comment: 

Nerdy-ness is a trait passed down in my family. My dad was a Trekkie and a Star Wars fan. Passed that down to me, who adopted Firefly, Doctor who, and Torchwood on top of that. Now I’ve got my phone that is completely Doctor Who-ified. It plays the Theme song when someone is calling, the TARDIS sound when I get a text message, and the background screen is of the tenth and eleventh doctor. (10 is my favorite) Squee!

Winner #2 – Jenifer!

Her commnet:

Um. My last name is Spock. Pretty sure I win on that alone 😉 I am a Firefly and Doctor Who freak. Husband, kids are all Star Wars nuts, I love the original and Next Gen Star Trek series, and I can quite pretty much quote any Harry Potter book, and am a firm believer that Cedric Diggory would have beaten the minions of Team Edward into the ground.
In addition, I also make and donate Jayne hats to the PDX Browncoats for their annual Can’t Stop the Serenity screening to benefit various charities. Also, did I mention that the “Status is NOT quo?” and Dr. Horrible is one of the best creations of Joss Whedon… I could go on with my love of DC Comics, but I’ll stop.., 😉
 

Thanks again everyone – this was a really fun contest!  Stay tuned for more contests here on the blog!

 

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