Follow along and discover your next inspiration as we cast on for projects we love, explore new techniques, and dish about the latest and greatest from Knit Picks.
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Hi guys! We have an awesome promo to get you ready for Sweater Weather projects. Use the promo code SWEATER10 to save 10% when you purchase 10 or more of the same yarn* weight and color!
If you are an avid crocheter, you know the struggle to find cute, somewhat modern and easy to follow patterns. Come Home To Crochet offers 7 home decor patterns that range from snuggly blankets to modern pillows.
If you are a new crocheter, many of the patterns are perfect beginner projects. The Darling Dinner Set is made with the broomstick lace technique that makes the project look extra fancy. Practice your edging technique and add a pop of color with the simple edge. Using CotLin yarn, the placemats are soft, durable and machine washable, making them perfect housewarming gifts.
There are also 3 gorgeous and very different blanket patterns. The Daisy Chain blanket has such a wonderful weight to it. Made out of Shine, it is unbelievably soft but is still machine washable! The flower chains and stripe effect surrounded by simple lace edging makes this an eye catching blanket. The stitch pattern is created in two parts, using half circle cluster stitches and shells. Don’t be intimidated by this complex looking stitch! The repeat makes this blanket a breeze to crochet.
Another one of the blanket patterns is perfect for babies! Crocheted in Comfy yarn and in a worsted weight, the Woven Baby Blanket crochets quickly. The interesting texture is created by mixing stitches to create a woven look. Any new parent would love to receive this blanket for their baby!
And to add some color to your couches, there are 2 pillow patterns included in this new book! My favorite is the Mandala Pillow. By working two panels back and forth in a slip stitch pattern and then sewed together, this project is so much fun to crochet! The colorful mandala is crocheted in joined rounds and then seamed onto one side of the pillow. I can’t wait to make my own; it will match my home decor perfectly!
One of the reasons I love knitting over crochet is the amazing texture that knit stitches have. When using a super chunky yarn, the texture is amplified! That is why I love our Super Tuff Puff yarn. At an astonishing one and a half stitches per inch, project knit up in no time at all. The 100% wool in a single ply with a slight twist, this yarn is perfect for making amazingly chunky home decor and accessories.
My favorite chunky yarn “hack” is knitting smaller patterns in chunky yarn for a super sized project! I recently knitted our Mini Kitty Poufs in Super Tuff Puff and am in LOVE with the results. This large kitty is so cuddly and the Super Tuff Puff makes it so soft!
Super Tuff Puff is also perfect for making poufs, baskets and other home decor items. They knit up so fast and are sturdy enough to use as functional storage. The fun, bright color palette will add some punch to your home decor too!
With our Summer Yarn Sale, you can save 30% on this fun yarn. Stock up on your favorite colors and explore some fun chunky knit projects!
Crochet is such a fun craft! Although I am not a confident knitter, crochet will always have my heart. I love how easy it is to play with color, how fast it is to finish projects, and the fun projects you can easily create with crochet. I thought that I would pay tribute to my love of crochet in today’s post by highlighting some awesome modern books and patterns.
I love that this craft is evolving constantly and I am enamored by the modern patterns being released by crocheters. Two books I am loving are Modern Crochet and Modern Tapestry Crochet.
Modern Tapestry Crochet explores the easy basics of tapestry crochet and has 20 gorgeous patterns with geometric patterned motifs. The geometric designs elevates this tried-and-true craft to a modern craft. I can’t wait to start the cowl featured on the cover. I think it will be my go-to Fall accessory.
Modern Crochet by Molla Mills gets me so excited to pick up my hook! There is something about functional projects that make me want to instantly make them. From baskets to cord covers, this book will inspire you to organize your house with crochet projects. I have been wanting to make a pouf/cushion footstool and the Pastille Cushions is the perfect pattern for me to finally make one.
I always reach for my knitting needles when starting a hand-made garment. But the new free crochet pattern, Oceanic Breeze Shawlette, has me reaching for my crochet hooks and excited for cool Autumn weather. The stripes give this shawl a modern look and makes the color combinations endless!
I have only made a few crochet afghans, as I usually find the patterns do not fit into my home decor style. But the Fireside Gingham Afghan and Pillow is just the opposite! Not only is is simple and fun to make, it would fit into any rustic and farmhouse decor. The colors are easy to change to get a different look too! I will be curling up on the couch this Winter with this cozy project.
As the rain goes so does my pattern queue. It’s been a long wet season in the Pacific Northwest and I have added many projects to my list, especially as my skills grow. A “problem” many of us can relate to, I’m sure, no matter what the weather.
There are the ones that you just have to make because: so cute! Like the Easy Stripes Blanket. The pattern is simple and with just two colors the possibilities are endless. Perfect for every room in the house. I’m already planning to make it in Custard Brava Worsted and Dove Heather Brava Worsted, and another in Crest Preciosa and Blue Skies Preciosa. Bonus is the pattern is free and it only takes 6 100gm balls of worsted, making this a very budget friendly gift project.
The Moxie Shawl caught my eye because it immediately made me smell flowers. I daydreamed of strolling in a park full of fresh spring blooms or the on boardwalk at dusk. Plus it will be a great way to test my crochet skills. 
In a richer gem stone color it would make a perfect addition for an evening out. Biggest problem would be trying to narrow it down to one color of Luminance. Just look at the riches.
And because I can’t fight my love of whimsy, the Cowl’s Meow made it on to my list too. I love the colorways in Chroma and this looks like a fun project to step out of my comfort zone. Plus CATS!
What’s in your pattern queue?
Wondering how the Knit Picks staff is faring with their New Year’s Resolutions now that a quarter of the year has passed? I was too, since, statistically speaking those with remaining New Years Resolutions, like myself, have less than a 50% percent chance of completing them. ACK! But I’m a glass-half-full type, so I’m confident there is still time. Let’s see how the others have progressed since our last check in.
Alison, Director of Knit Picks
Alison Finished the Brooklyn Tweed Corvid sweater she started last March using Wool of the Andes Tweed!
Emily, Graphic Designer
Since Emily wanted to finish more projects before starting others, she’s been trying to resist starteritis (which is so hard in spring, for some reason!) and she’s been sticking with her resolution. She finished two sweater WIPs that were kicking around from last year, and is working on a cowl WIP. She did start a new cardigan project, and de-stashed a bunch of yarn that she realized she would never knit. Unfortunately, being surrounded by incredible new yarns all the time means she has a lot of ideas for new projects inspired by that yarn, but until she can figure out that time machine, she has a limited amount of time to make them. Emily is still working on finding that balance!
Daniel, Administrative Assistant
Daniel is soooo close to finishing his sweater “just needs blocking and buttons.” However, this friendly feline thinks it’s perfectly finished.
Stacey, Outreach Director
Stacey worked on her Napali Cardigan for a while…but then got distracted. She had a couple of skeins of Hawthorne Sport in Rose City in her stash and decided what she really wanted to do was make another Ms Marigold to wear this spring and summer! So that’s what she’s been working on – in her words, “Still a sweater like my resolution, just a different one.”
Hannah, Catalog Director
As much as she’d love to say that she’s now a brioche Queen, she hasn’t made any progress since January. Instead, she whipped up a sweater and three pairs of socks, she definitely hasn’t been idle! However, now that it’s already April (how did THAT happen?!) She is ready to buckle down and actually make a few forays into brioche. With that in mind, this brioche DVD might be just the ticket! Especially if you are visual learner, like Hannah, and being able to see each step in the process will be so helpful.
Jennifer, Marketing Director
Finally picked her patterns! Deciding she wants to make the Tuff Granny Throw and Rainbow Crochet Blankie, both designed by our very own Stacey. Now that is some crafty love.
Heidi, Art Director
Even the best of intentions go awry at times! While I wouldn’t consider it a defeat Heidi’s New Year’s crafty resolutions took a turn as her fingers have a mind of their own and were just insisting on working on color gradient shawls instead. She knit a Find Your Fade Shawl , like most of the knitting community, and just finished the lovely mystery knit-a-long Snowmelt Shawl by Helen Stewart. Her next project will most likely be another color fade shawl, knit in our lovely Hawthorne yarn. We’ll give her a pass on the sweater making this time.
Alexis, Merchandise Planner
Like Hannah, April came too quickly. I did make some progress with the quick can foods making pickled red onions, but haven’t made any progress on the blanket or my crochet skills. But I did finish up a scarf in Tuff Puff. Does that count?
In honor of KP Crochet’s launch, the Knit Picks staff is taking this week to focus on all our favorite, hook-tastic products and projects.
I, like my fellow coworkers, love to crochet. So I’m so excited to present Serenity, our very first crochet collection!
This gorgeous book has 8 patterns by 8 different independent designers and I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to work on. We wanted a variety of types of patterns included and we especially wanted to include garments, which is somewhat difficult to find for crocheters. We also wanted to highlight lighter weight yarns – everything from lace to worsted.
My favorite sweater, the Lynwood Pullover by Jill Wright (who was also featured in First Light), is just beautiful, with a wonderful panel of textured stitches down the front.
Also beautiful is the short sleeved Inkling Sweater by Aparna Rolfe, with a lovely beaded neckline and cuffs.
With the Witchlace Sweater by Jennifer Crowley, you get a great fitting sweater with a bit of broomstick lace across the neckline.
And the Romantic Interlude Pullover by Kristen Stolzfus is a cute little empire waist top with fun picot edging and a ribbon woven through the waistline.
Since I do crochet lots of afghans (my couch is filled with them – I’m certainly warm in the winter), I was particularly excited about the 2 afghans/throws we included. Squared Away by Beth Major is perfect for those wanting to expand their crochet skills to include Tunisian crochet with some entrelac thrown in.
Salt Water Taffy Afghan by Donna Barranti uses an allover star stitch – and best of all, it’s reversible!
Finally we included 2 accessories – the open, airy Hanging Garden Scarf by Kalurah Hudson is just lovely spring/summer accessory, especially when made up in Shimmer.
Finally, last but not least, our gorgeous cover piece, the Scallops and Shells Shawl by Michele DuNaier. I happen to know one of my coworkers is already working on this – when we got the sample into the office, it took our breath away.
I hope you all love this collection as much as we do! I can’t wait to do more crochet collections (stay tuned!)
You can get the Serenity collection as an eBook or as a physical book – or click on any of the patterns in the blog post to get the single pattern download!
In honor of KP Crochet’s launch, the Knit Picks staff is taking this week to focus on all our favorite, hook-tastic products and projects.
The introduction of KP Crochet just wouldn’t be complete without a whole set of brand new video tutorials! We were lucky enough to work with knit and crochet designer Kalurah Hudson from While They Play designs, who kindly shared her wealth of crochet knowledge with us to create our series of crochet tutorials.
Spanning a wide range of topics, complete beginners can learn about the anatomy of a hook or check out different ways to hold a crochet hook and yarn while those more acquainted with crochet can learn new techniques like broomstick lace!
Anatomy of a Crochet Hook
In addition to covering the main stitches found in crochet – single, half double, double, triple, double treble – we have several video tutorials where you can follow along with Kalurah to learn a few new stitches textures like bobbles, the popcorn stitch and the puff stitch.
For working in the round, be sure to check out Kalurah’s video tutorials on working in continuous rounds (spirals), joined rounds and of course, the very handy magic circle technique. And if you’re looking for ways to add shaping to your work, we have increases and decreases covered too.
Personally, I really appreciated Kalurah’s tips in the video that shows how to work a foundation chain. In addition to showing you how to make the foundation chain, Kalurah also demonstrates several different methods for working into your foundation chain. And for a beginning crocheter like myself, a foundation chain seems like a simple enough task but these tips were a huge game changer!
How to Make a Slip Knot & Foundation Chain
If you’re more comfortable with written instructions but want to try out charts, Kalurah’s video tutorial on crochet charts and symbols is sure to get you on track to trying out a charted pattern or two.
How to Read Crochet Charts & Symbols
And again, huge thanks to Kalurah! In addition to being our very awesome crochet expert, Kalurah has over 50 crochet and knit designs to her name! You can also find her beautiful design work in both our First Light pattern collection and our newest crochet pattern collection, Serenity.
You can find all of the tutorials mentioned in addition to so much more here:
Crochet Tutorials
So go ahead: get out a crochet hook and a ball of yarn while you peruse our brand new section of crochet tutorials! And be sure to keep checking back throughout the coming weeks and months, we have many more crochet tutorials in store that we will be adding throughout the summer.
What are some crochet techniques that you’d like to learn?
In honor of KP Crochet’s launch, the Knit Picks staff is taking this week to focus on all our favorite, hook-tastic products and projects.
Having fallen deep into the crochet rabbit hole, it only seemed natural that I was completely intrigued and enamored with Curio from the moment our samples arrived at the office. And although it was a big departure from my usual size H or I hook, I decided to dedicated myself to Curio and a 1.5mm crochet hook for an entire weekend.
I worked my way through a few vintage doily patterns that I found perusing Ravelry to familiarize myself with crochet thread. And to my surprise – I couldn’t stop making these! And that was when I realized that I needed a plan for my little, yet growing collection of doilies.
I finally settled on the idea of sewing my crocheted doilies onto a pillow cover – not only would I be able to use up my little motifs but I’d also get to dress up my living room with an embellished pillow!
After I finished up a few more motifs, I went out and got a plain 20×20″ pillow cover. Next, I made sure to block the doilies. I pinned each motif down, making sure to stretch it quite a bit to show off all of the intricate stitches. Finally, I sprayed them with a bit of wool wash and water until they were fairly wet. The next day, they were dry and kept their shape beautifully after I removed all of the blocking pins!
I laid out the doilies on the pillow case and played with the arrangement for a bit before stitching them to the pillow. I sewed down the smaller motifs by working my way around the outer edges. For the larger motif, I also made sure to sew down the center to stabilize it a bit more.
As you can see, I’ve still got quite a lot of space to fill up but I’m looking forward to adding onto the design as I go. In the beginning of this project, I was originally using several colors of Curio for my doilies but I eventually settled on using only the Lichen colorway. I might use the other doilies I finished to embellish fabric and display them in my living room with an embroidery hoop.
My favorite part has been experimenting with different motif sizes and shapes, plus Curio is so lovely and smooth which makes it easy to work with.
Being new to the world of crochet thread, I’d love to hear your project ideas for Curio!
Looking for doilies to crochet? Check out the vast collection on Ravelry!
In honor of KP Crochet’s launch, the Knit Picks staff is taking this week to focus on all our favorite, hook-tastic products and projects.
When I began working at Knit Picks, I was fascinated by the way people would knit during office meetings; their focus so smoothly divided, yet free! Now, nearly two years later, there’s something a little different about our meetings: At any given time, about half the staff whips out crochet projects (yours truly included). Granny stripe blankets, cotton thread lacework, crochet toys, cowls, slippers and shawls—it’s basically a bonanza.
This month, we’re proud to introduce KP Crochet—a response to your thoughtful suggestions, as well as a very natural conclusion to the ever-growing crochet love amongst our staff. From our brand new #10 cotton thread to a gorgeous crochet collection from independent designers, there’s a lot to explore (and more on the way!).
So crocheters, we’re all ears: What else would you like to see in KP Crochet? Leave all your lovely thoughts in the comments section; notes will be taken!
