Category Archives: Kits

Countdown to Christmas

I know Halloween was only yesterday, but I've been seeing Christmas decorations in the shops for months and it's got me thinking of candy canes and gingerbread men. Here's a cute project I made with our Snow Days kit and some Winter Fun fabric from our sister company, Connecting Threads, that you might want to make this month so that you'll be ready to countdown to Christmas on December 1st! Winter Fun also comes in blue, so it'd be very easy to adapt this idea for Hanukkah.

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Into the Woods

I hate being cold. I hate seeing my loved ones get cold. I guess this might be why I love knitting so much! When I started dreaming up a design for a hat and convertible mitts to function as the ultimate warm accesories, I decided to zero in on the parts of me that get coldest, fastest, when I am out and about in the winter months: my ears, and my fingers. Using that a a starting point, I worked up a design for a dapper, plaid hat and mitts that would harness the intese softmness and warmth of Suri Dream and concentrate it exactly where it will be needed: lining the earflaps and mitten tops of our Into The Woods hat and mitts!

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I want a Snow Day

When I think of taking a Snow Day this winter, I imagine myself cozied up on the couch, watching fireplace videos, and knitting happily on all of the tiny treasures in our new Snow Day Ornament pattern!

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Gallatin Sweater

Living in the Northwest, it is impossible not to be inspired by nature. For several months, I've had a sweater design in mind that would both represent some of the natural beauty I've been immersed in, but still have a sense of humor. I wanted a sweater that would be equally at home on a walk in the Columbia Gorge, a horseback ride on the plain, or a rainy late morning with a hot cup of coffee and a maple-bacon donut. So, I am of course very happy to share my latest sweater kit with you; the Gallatin Sweater!

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Jump in the pool!

I don't hide the fact that I love it when sock yarn pools and flashes. The more obnoxious the better! But, I also know not everyone does. Multicolored sock yarns are so appealing, so what on earth can you do to limit the pooling, or at least make it look really cool? Find out with the Flash Dance sock kits!

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Lace for All Seasons

I love lace projects, for several reasons. 1. Lace can be big and dramatic and ornate in a way that is hard to pull of in regular garments. 2. Lace accessories can be colorful without overwhelming the wearer. 3. You can wear the same lace scarf every day for a whole season without your coworkers wondering why you never do laundry. 4. Lace shawls make great gifts and you don't need to know a person's exact measurements to make them one. 5. Lace is super fun and engaging to knit! 6. Lace yarn is delicate and beautiful and you get a whole lotta yards in just one little ball. All of these are reasons I love lace, and all of these reasons inspired these two new lace kits, which I spent almost a year thinking about before actually writing the pattern! The Seasons Shawls, one for Spring and Summer and one for Fall and Winter:

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The Sweater!

Obviously, I love to knit! And, I love to knit interesting and challenging sweaters. But, now that I have finally finished my Classic Lines Cardigan (CLiC), I can imagine knitting a sweater pattern more than once! Alison's design is absolutely frightening in its simplicity, its versatility and its functionality. Let's start with the simplicty. Body knit in the round, sleeves knit in the round, joined, decreased neckline, quick steek cut, buttonband and Finished!! This has got to be one of the best "mindless" knitting projects! The versatility is what has got me tempted to knit another CLiC. I know, I can hear it now, "It took you nearly two years to knit the first one!" But, I've been watching the different kit versions come in from our sample knitters and I have even more appreciation for the CLiC! Remember that the sample knitters weren't really knitting for a particular size. We were more focused on getting versions of the color options than on the sizing. The result was a range of sweaters from my rather dressy version to what looks like a boyfriend sweater! Just too many possibilities between mixing and matching colors and sizing!

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I really wish I’d had these when I was a kid.

When you were a kid, you know how your imagination was able to turn your hand into a T-rex? Or a fierce lion? Or... anything? Or how your dad's old sock could transform magically into a sea monster, just by putting it on your hand? Well, I sure do! Bring that magic to the young'uns in your life with the Critter Mitts kit!

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