Category Archives: Kits

When geology meets yarn…

A moraine is a deposit of rocks and debris left by glaciers as they advance and recede. Moraines often add some really interesting terrain to the existing land, resulting in crazy looking hills and land that looks  folded or striated. Glaciers make for some pretty spectacular geologic features - moving bits of the Earth from place to place, bit by bit, blurring the line between 'here' and 'there'. Musing on those glacial effects resulted in the Moraine Pullover! It might be hard to see where to draw a comparison, but in the stitch patterning of Moraine, each 'point' recedes and advances through colors, leaving its mark in the next ripple.

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Fun & Fast Fall accessories

If you're looking to take the chill out of a November morning, the Lampwork Hat & Mitts set is a colorful way to do just that! The pattern includes instructions for the beanie-style cap and fingerless mittens. Each piece is also multi-sized and customizeable for a perfect fit. Though the patterning itself is simple, a spicy touch is added...

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Enjoy color with the Hue Shift Afghan!

Now that it's cuddle-up-on-the-couch season, it's just the right time for a new afghan. Add a little splash of color to your decor with the Hue Shift Aghan! This afghan is knit in Garter stitch mitered squares. The squares are picked up and knit off of each other in four large segments, so that the only seam required is to stitch the four segments together. Because of this, it makes an easy travel project, because no one section is very large. The 10 colors in the patterning of the afghan are arranged in such a way that they create a wash of 100 slightly different, shifting shades. This pattern is available in two colorways as a ready-to-knit kit: Rainbow and Decor. But, if you want to create your own colorful masterpiece, get the downloadable version and choose your own palette. With a little imagination, the color possibilities are much greater! For instance, if you wanted a rich, jewel-toned blanket, try these colors...

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I want a Snow Day

When I think of taking a Snow Day this winter, I imagine myself cozied up on the couch, watching fireplace videos, and knitting happily on all of the tiny treasures in our new Snow Day Ornament pattern!

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Keep in touch!

With chilly weather quickly approaching, it's time to start thinking about gloves. But one big problem with most gloves is that you have to take them off (or make do with chilly fingertips in fingerless gloves) to use your touch screen devices. What's worse than missing an important call because you can't get your gloves off in time? Naturally the fiber industry has stepped in with a fantastic material - Conductive Thread! We now carry the thread, and a great pattern that makes use of it. The In Touch gloves feature a circuitry-inspired motif and small pads of Conductive Thread on the fingertips. The way the thread works is by completing the circuit between your finger and the capacative touch screen of your phone, tablet or other device. As long as the thread touches both your finger and the screen, you can use the device just as you would with no gloves on at all! It doesn't take much, either...

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Back to school, and back to fall knitting!

Well, as if the shortening days weren't enough to tell us that summer is nearing its end, school is beginning again! Before you know it, there will be a chill in the morning air. Better get started on your super warm fall accessories now! If you really want to chase the chill away, why not try the Burdock Hat and Scarf kit? This is a super-soft, machine washable, totally reversible set. The pattern is inspired by the Burdock plant, a Scandinavian thistle, and Fana stripes.

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The first hints of fall

Even though it's still August, the first whispers of fall are in the air. It was downright chilly this morning, and the sun isn't really much help when I get up for work. Colder weather is on its way - perfect time to start planning your fall knitting projects! Just right for fall is the new Viticetum Coat. This duster-length coat has a pattern of swirling vines over a shifting background. In fact, just as an Arboretum is a collection of trees, a Viticetum is a collection of vines - just what you'll find in this coat! Smaller vine patterns appear in the edgings, and the coat is finished with elegant clasps.

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Elegant Simplicity

Sometimes when it comes to lace, less can be more! Inspired by the hardy, well-adapted arctic willow, the Salix shawl takes cues from a seemingly barren landscape that's far more alive than you might think! Salix is a full-sized Shetland-type shawl knit in Palette. Above a border of Shells is a low-lying row of Buttercups. The body of the shawl is worked in a pattern of Pebbles, with little variations just like those on a beach. The stand-out feature, though, is the willow catkin running up the shaped center panel.

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Dorothy Shawl

I'm comepletly in love with one of our newest kits. This gorgeous shawlette is the Dorothy Shawl, designed by Kristen Hanley Cardozo, who is one of my favorite designers.  She has been a part of the IDP program for quite a while now and while I always want to knit her patterns, Dorothy has shot to the top of my queue.

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Classic Lace with a Modern Twist

If you're looking for a fresh but simple lace pattern for summer, why not try the Modern Twist Shawl? This shawl combines simple Garter stitch, eyelet rib and a basic border with short rows, strategic increasing, and intarsia.

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