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by Knit Picks Podcast on March 17, 2011
Kelley interviews Hunter Hammersen, author of Silk Road Socks – a beautiful book that takes a look at the history of Oriental rugs, design elements unique to each style of rug and translates them into 14 stunning sock patterns. 3 easy ways to listen… |
Category Archives: Inspiration
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by Kelley on March 15, 2011
Yarn – Aloft PLUS Design – Belinda Shawl in Mason Dixon Knitting: Outside the Lines EQUALS (had to refer to a thesaurus because I knew just one word wouldn’t be enough) Diaphanus, gossamer, luminous, radiant, resplendent, shimmering, exquisite, elegant, ethereal – you get the idea. This layer is done in Tarragon. I can’t wait to see what happens when I start the Eggplant layer. P.S. Kay and Ann recommend using straight needles but I am using Zephyr circulars and I’m a happy camper. But, don’t forget that we do have straight Harmony needles. |
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by Kelley on March 9, 2011
Warm and happy. Nice new slippers to celebrate all of the snow we had at our home the last couple of weeks. And, in my enthusiasm for Chroma in fingering weight, I had completely forgot that we also had it available in worsted weight. Alison pointed this out to me as I blocked my Gentle Reversible Shawl and was trying to figure out my next Chroma project. This is my free Seed Stitch Hot Water Bottle Cover pattern. I used the twisted stitch version to give the fabric even more texture. It only took a few hours to knit the cover so I was able to use it to keep warm during the worst part of our winter storm. I used one ball of Chroma Worsted in the Mesa colorway plus a little bit more. The good news is there was plenty of yarn left in the second ball to make a hat. |
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by Kelley on February 24, 2011
Well, my poor Gull Wings Pi Shawl has been languishing in a project drawer. A victim of the hectic holidays and my slow recovery from said holiday season. It's not as if it is a particularly complicated pi shawl. Look at those lovely, regular repeats. The instructions are easy to carry around. There are no excuses. You know what I need? A good audio book and a weekend dedicated to recommiting to my shawl. |
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by Kelley on February 23, 2011
I love the Belinda Shawl from Kay Gardiner & Ann Shayne's second book, Mason-Dixon Knitting Ourtside the Lines. It is incredibly simple in design but the result will be so elegant. When we received our samples of Aloft, we all started thinking about what we would like to knit with the gossamer soft strands of super kid mohair and silk. Watching the two open-work layers of the Belinda shawl move past each other would be mesmorizing but add in the glint of silk and the warm softness of the mohair and I think this will be a delight to knit and wear. Look at the colors I've chosen. Tarragon was a no brainer since it is the sort of warm green I enjoy wearing. I put several second color options next to it but it wasn't until I held up the Eggplant that I knew I had found my combination. All I need to do is grab a pair of Harmony needle tips and a 32" cable. The sharp point will make it easy to work with the fine yarn. |
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by Kelley on February 21, 2011
With a second ball of Chroma in my stash, I went exploring for a nice pattern that could take advantage of the generous yardage of Chroma Fingering weight. This Gentle Reversible Shawl by Diana Troldahl has a lovely surprise in the instructions. Diana explains how to determine the equal division of whatever yarn you want to use. Then she also tells you how to adapt that knowledge to knitting her shawl. Absolutely brilliant! |
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by Alison on February 10, 2011
Just a little shout-out to Ravelry user halesje (Ravelry link) who had a clever idea for organizing DPNs. She found a makeup brush organizer in clear acrylic that looks great with our Knit Picks interchangeable needle stand and filled it with her DPN collection. I liked the look of it so much I went ahead and ordered the same brush organizer for my own craft room. It’s now sitting on a shelf next to my three prototype needle stands, a coffee mug filled with crochet hooks, and a small bamboo steamer that organizes my cables into short, medium, and long. |
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by Kelley on February 10, 2011
When my sister returned from a trip to England last November, she sent me a ball of natural wool that she picked up as a gift. Did I mention that my sister does not knit? The single ball of yarn was your big hint. Don't get me wrong, I love my sister and I love that she thought of me. But, a single ball of heavy worsted yarn does provide a bit of a challenge. No wonder it had been sitting in my stash until a couple of weeks ago when the son of a dear friend asked me to knit him a hat. Bingo! |
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by Knit Picks Staff on February 9, 2011
Funny Alisha mentioned hats and charity in her last post - those two things are near and dear to me! In fact, at the end of January, I shipped off 25 little baby hats to a local medical charity. All of these hats are made out of Swish Worsted (except for three - one in Stroll and two in Comfy). They are super simple, quick and cute, and use only a little yarn. All of the yarn for these was scraps from other projects that would have been destined for the garbage or a long, lonely wait in some random scrap bin. But, I saw other potential in the yarn. Even a few grams would be enough for a stripe in a hat this small! Over the last few years, I've slowly amassed a pretty good collection of these scraps, and have found that charity knitting is the perfect use for them. Got scraps? Keep reading for a free baby hat pattern! |
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by Kelley on February 3, 2011
I know I am going out on a limb because each knitter has his or her own set of parameters. But, as I finished my Lace Ribbon Scarf I realized it was one of my absolutely perfect projects. Here is my checklist - 1) Easily obtainable instructions - right from Ravelry. I was able to use my Google Documents app to make the PDF file show up on my phone whenever I wanted to check the lace pattern 2) Memorizable pattern - it didn't take long for me to be able to read my previously knit stitches to tell where I was in the pattern. 3) High quality yarn - our Chroma yarn is delightfully soft as it flows through your fingers, it makes a fabric that is decadently soft and the color play as the lace pattern travels back and forth was mesmerizing. 4) Quick to knit - don't get me wrong, I love challenging projects like lace shawls or colorwork sweaters. But, those don't fall under my category of "absolutely perfect". 5) Easy to give away - that's right! A friend was admiring this scarf as I was knitting it. I loved that I didn't hesitate for a moment before I offered it to her as a gift. I enjoyed knitting it and I knew she would love it day after day after day. 6) My fingers are itching to cast on another potentially "absolutely perfect" project - and I think I've found it. Using my other ball of Chroma Fingering weight yarn in Sunrise. And, I will only need one ball because it has nearly 400 yards in the 100 gram ball. The pattern for this shawlette. |
