Monthly Archives: February 2013

Super Snuggly Cowls

As with everyone else in the office, I ooo’d & aww’d over Billow.  The colors were beautiful and it’s so so soft! But when it came time for me to choose a project – I was stumped.  My coworkers were hard at work on blankets and sweaters but I wanted something smaller that I could keep next to my skin at all times – so cowls seemed to be the most obvious choice!

I opted to finally do the famous GAP-tastic Cowl – it’s been something in my queue for a very long time.  I chose my favorite color of Billow – Spearmint – and got to work.

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Podcast Episode 208: New Spring Pattern Collections & Yarn

The anticipation of spring can only mean one thing – new
yarn and new pattern collections! It’s been a bundle of excitement here
at Knit Picks, and Stacey chats with Jenny about all of the wonderful
new things that are lined up for this month.

Billow!
First up is Billow, the
newest member of the Knit Picks yarn family. Jenny and Stacey chat about
Billow, our new bulky cotton yarn, and share staff projects as well as
inspiration ideas for this delightfully soft yarn.
Next up is First
Light – the first ever pattern collection from Knit Picks! Inspired by beautiful and unexpected balances, this amazing collection brings
together 14 patterns from 12 independant designers. Stacey talks about the development
process of First Light and gives an overview of the included projects.

Finally, there are two stunning new collections from independant
designers: Vintage-Inspired Baseball Knits by Allyson Dykhuizen and
Winsome Knits by Alexis Winslow. Hear all about …

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The Cowl That Took a Year to Make

Billow Cowl

It took me a year, but I finally did it. I learned how to crochet. It’s been twelve months now that I’ve weekly been immersed in yarn, needles, patterns and talk of gauge size working here at Knit Picks. As an art director and a staunch fan of the Industrial Revolution, though, I never saw the need to create my own garments and accessories. Whatever would the machines do with their time if I did?

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(K)needing Knucks

This weekend as I was riding my bike, I realized how ragged my beloved Knucks have gotten.  Given I knit them over 4 years ago and wear them constantly, it’s not much of a surprise.  It’s funny, I own several pairs of fingerless mitts but I always seem to lose one (sadly, my Pint Mitts is one of them) – but not my original pair of Knucks. In any case, I decided it was time for a new pair.

I’ve made multiple pairs of Knucks over the years – it seems to be the pattern I turn to I make when I need a gift. They work well for everyone and so useful!  I personally need to wear fingerless gloves when doing activities such as biking in cold weather – my hands get cold but I need my fingers free to switch gears and fingerless gloves keep my hands much warmer than fingerless mitts (like my Semplice Mitts, which I do wear a lot as well).  And the Knucks pattern is just so much fun.

I dug in my stash for an appropriate yarn and decided on Wool of the Andes in the beautiful Mineral Heather (fun fact: I loved this color so much when we had it in the old Telemark yarn line and felt it was my mission to get it in Wool of the Andes when we discontinued Telemark).

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Cute Chroma Cap-Free pattern!

Recently I whipped up a little striped Chroma hat, and it’s quicky
become my favorite hat this winter. It didn’t take much yarn, just a
little of two colors, and the pattern is super easy! It’s a quick and
cute project for using up yarn leftovers. So, I thought I’d share.

You’ll need about 30 grams each of two colors of Chroma Worsted (my finished hat weighs 58 grams). I used Windermint and Wildwood…

Click through to see the pattern!

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Customer Question of the Week: Caring for Bamboo-Blends

Hey there! Welcome to “Customer Question of the Week”, a new weekly
blog feature wherein our crack team of experts (okay, it’s the KP staff)
answers your most pressing fiber-crafting queries. Have a ponderance or
problem you need solved? Email us at customerquestion@knitpicks.com. Even though we won’t be able to respond to every person, your question may be chosen for this feature!

Ultra-smart, in-house designer Kerin tackles this week’s fiber dilema.

Q: “How should I wash bamboo-blend garments?”

A: To begin, Rayon-type cellulosic materials like viscose, bamboo, and Modal are much different than other plant fibers in that they do not retain strength when wet. They will stretch more than cotton, and can shrink unevenly. When blended into a springy yarn, the inelastic viscose fibers are not held straight, but they will tend to relax and straighten out (therefore stretching the yarn) when wet.

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Crochet Folded Potholders

‘Tis
the season for hearty soups and fresh-from-the-oven cookies which means
that my potholders have been doing double time the past few weeks. My
favorite hot pads are a handmade set in a bright green and cream cotton
yarn, double thick, square and the perfect size for grabbing as well as
acting as trivets. Unfortunately, they’ve been looking a little battered
and scarred with burns and melted chocolate that just won’t wash out
anymore. It was time for a new set! I grabbed a ball of Dishie Multi in Fig and a size G hook and started perusing Ravelry for a pattern.

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