Monthly Archives: October 2011

We are lumberjacks & we’re ok!

(with apologies to Monty Python)

We all hope you are having a great Halloween!  Many of us here at the office love to dress up on Halloween and some of us couldn’t resist going with a theme – Lumberjacks!

When Joanna Rankin‘s pattern for Beardo came across my desk, we all thought it was one of the most fun patterns we’d seen & made plans right then & there to make them for Halloween.

Halloween_03 

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Weaving & Color

If you have been following along with our podcasts, you might have heard Kelley chatting with me about rigid heddle looms. After working with Kelley on creating video tutorials for weaving with a rigid heddle loom, I was instantly fascinated by the color possibilities! I have never worked with a rigid heddle before, but I am in the beginning stages of planning out my first project.

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A Primer on Charts

A couple of summers ago, I did a whole tutorial series on knitting
Lace. Now that we have better video equipment, I’ve made a video to
expand on some of the information I covered – specifically, how to read a
chart.

If you’re new to lace or mystified by charts in general, this (twenty
minute!) video takes you through everything you need to know to get
going. It’s not just lace specific, either – though lace comes with its
own set of interesting features. Since the video is HD quality, you can
watch it in fullscreen mode to get a high-quality closer look – and even
pause and knit along if you’d like.

Read more to see the video!

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Podcast Episode 171: Rigid Heddle Weaving

This week is all about weaving with a rigid heddle loom! Hear all about Kelley’s adventures in weaving as she chats with Jenny about weaving and why rigid heddle looms are perfect for anyone interesting in learning to weave. Kelley also shares great advice for new weavers and why rigid heddle weaving is wonderful for using up both larger and smaller amounts of yarn you might have hiding in your stash. Kelley also reviews two of her favorite weaving books along with her favorite tool for planning out projects, the Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool. Finally, Kelley catches you up on the projects she is planning out for her road trip.
Books & Tools Reviewed:
Hands On Rigid Heddle Weaving by Betty Linn DavenportWeaving Made Easy by Liz Gipson         Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool
You can find Kelley’s Rigid Heddle Weaving Class that was mentioned in the podcast here. You’ll find a series of ten …

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Race to Wrapped – How to Cable for Beginners

Fall is officially here in the northwest – there is a chill in the air, the days are getting shorter, and everyone I know is either planning out or already starting on their holiday knitting! In the spirit of getting things done on time and adorning our loving friends and family with cozy knits, I will be posting weekly video techniques that you can use to spruce up gifts and finishing tips that will make your projects extra special. We will also be posting about pattern ideas, quick knits, and our own works in progress as we strive to reach the finish line (on time) in our very own Race to Wrapped!

To kick off our Race to Wrapped, I loved the idea of using cables to add texture and interest to projects. And although many beginning knitters shy away from cables because they look too complicated, they are actually quite simple! Cable patterns are almost infinite in their design possibilities, and yes – there are cables that are harder to master then others. But it doesn’t take a lot to let a few cables transform a simple hat or scarf into a project with a classic and sophisticated twist. If you have always loved the way cables look, but weren’t sure where to start, I think you will find our “How to Cable for Beginners” video very helpful, and hopefully inspire you to give cables a try!

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Help! What should I do?

In the beginning of October, I told you in a post about the hat I made for my
granddaughter – as a reminder, here’s a picture of Kalyn and her big brother
Cole.

So after this little photo shoot, Cole asks me if I could make him a hat and of course I told him I would love to! 

“What would you like your hat to be?” I asked

“Skulls!” He said – yes, he’s 8 years old!

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Wow, lots of new products!

Over here at Knit Picks, we have been going crazy with the fun new accessory and gift items.  You spoke and we listened – there are so many to choose from!  You can find them in the New Tools section.  I wanted to show you some of my favorites.  First there’s the fun entertainment when you aren’t knitting… 

puzzles

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Baby Hat Sans Baby

There’s been an explosion of soon-to-appear babies in my life – cousins, friends, coworkers, they’re everywhere!  The news causes my two-part reaction of a) “Congratulations!” and b) furious knitting of wee baby things.

The only problem is that, since these babies haven’t arrived, I have to show you my finished projects photographed flat on a table instead of on a cute round head.

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