Monthly Archives: November 2011

Advanced Cabling Techniques: Closed Cables

Over the past month, we have posted all kinds of cabling technique tutorials – everything from a beginner’s guide to cabling to unique and unusual cable textures for more advanced knitters. Not only do cables keep your knitting interesting, but it adds so much classic texture to the finished piece. Cables are also a wonderful way to dress up simple patterns that you might have laying around. By choosing a cable panel that works with your stitch count, you can easily transform your favorite basic hat or scarf pattern into your very own cabled creation.

So to finish off our Advanced Cabling Techniques video series, we saved a very unique cable for last – the closed cable! This is a cable that creates a completely closed ring without pulling in your knitted fabric, unlike many other cables. Check out the video to see how you can create closed cables!

Read more »


Freebies

Wallpaper and background images

We have had requests from some of our customers for a
wallpaper/background image of our latest yarn visuals. Below you will
find links to images that are suitable to use as computer desktop
backgrounds, screen savers, or wallpaper. Simply click on your favorite
picture to get to the larger version of the image. Then, right click on
the image and choose “Set as Background”. Enjoy!

Read more »


Advanced Cabling Techniques: Increasing & Decreasing Cables

So far in our Advanced Cabling Techniques video series, we have covered how to add a splash of color to your cables with intarsia cabling and how to create interlocking cable textures with multiple crossing cables. And just what else can you do with cables? How about adding in a bit of shaping!

For our third video in this series, we show you how to create both increasing and decreasing cables. This technique allows you to shape your cables to grow larger or smaller, letting you create unique and interesting cable patterns. I think increasing and decreasing cables have a lot of potential as interesting design elements on a hat or sweater. In addition to their distinctive look, there are also many clever ways you can incorporate increasing and decreasing cables into your knitting! If that cabled cardigan or Aran sweater is a bit too boxy, simply add in a few increasing and decreasing cables for a bit of clever waist shaping, and voila! A nice, flattering cabled sweater!

Check out the third video installment of our Advanced Cabling Techniques to start creating cables with shaping!

Read more »


Crochet Away Your Peculiar Insecurity, in Sixty Minutes or Less!

I wear a lot stuff around my neck, a fact that I only fully grasped during a recent clothing cull. I mercifully stopped counting after the twentieth scarf but, even so, it all seems excessive until you consider my persistence in wearing them. The very unstudied guess here is that I wear scarves, say, 90% of the time. Now while I could claim that it’s an aesthetic sensibility or just plain cozy, most likely it’s because I find my neck rather long and goofy looking. I mean, is that too strange? Is that totally unheard of? At least I’m not complaining about my nail beds.

Whatever the reason behind it all, now’s my time! I’m the annoying person who likes annoying weather and it’s bulky scarf season.

 

NeckwarmerCloseUp

Read more »


Podcast Episode 173: Creative Colorwork

This week, Kelley chats with Kim about her newfound love of colorwork
knitting and all fo the fun projects she has been creating using this
technique. Next up, Kelley reviews the books, Exploring Color in
Knitting by Sarah Hazell and Emma King as well as Mastering Color
Knitting by Melissa Leapman, both of which are helpful resources for any
colorwork knitting project. Kelley also shares a helpful tool for
colorwork knitting that you can take with you no matter where you go –
Color Snap! This is an app available for iphones, blackberry, and
android phones that allows you to take pictures and translate them into a
color palette. Finally, Kelley catches you up on her roadtrip down to
Mexico as well as the progress on her strash re-organization project.
Books & Tools Reviewed:
Exploring Color in
Knitting by Sarah Hazell and Emma KingMastering Color
Knitting by Melissa Leapman       Color Snap – iphone/blackberry/android app
 
3 easy ways to listen…
Subscribe ...
</p data-src= Read more »



It’s Cyber Monday time again!

I don’t know about you, but Black Friday for me means being lazy & laying around in my pajamas, recovering from Thanksgiving, not running around to a bunch of stores – I leave that to my sister who looks forward to it every year. (Of course my feelings may have something to do with my many years of having to work in retail on the day after (US) Thanksgiving). But I like nothing better than an online sale – which means Cyber Monday is perfect for my style of shopping!  No pushing & shoving involved!

This year our Cyber Monday sale will start at 6 am PST on Monday,
11/28/11 so that nobody has to stay up all night or wake up at 3 in the
morning to get the best deals. Book mark this special landing page – Cyber Monday – and check back Monday morning for some great deals!

Read more »


Wintery Freebie Friday

So, for those of you in the US, did you go out shopping for Black Friday deals this morning? Or are you like me and spending your day lazing around, recovering from Thanksgiving?  I’m actually going to be working on holiday gifts – in fact, we have two free patterns by our own Melissa that are a lot of fun & perfect quick gifts to work on this weekend!

First we have a trio of Snowmen!

Read more »


and the winner is…

Thank you so much for all your responses to the Knits that Fit contest!

It was fun reading your comments! I’m sorry we didn’t have more books to send out to you! We have randomly chosen two people to receive a copy.  Congratulations to:


Winner #1 – Thressa
!

who said: I would finally be able to make myself a sweater.

and
Winner #2 – Kim!
who said: Ooh me!

We will be sending each of you a copy of Knits that Fit.
Thank you again to everyone who participated. We love hearing from you!

Read more »