Episode 375: A Gift-knitting Roundtable

‘Tis the season to knit gifts! Lee and Stacey were joined by our coworkers Jen, Regan, and Alena to discuss gift knitting in a roundtable moderated by Andi. The group discusses their go-to gifts to knit, their best and worst gifts, and more! They provide tons of inspiration for last minute gifts in addition to discussing more elaborate projects.

Vertical background image of podcast recording studio with two chairs, copy space

Plus, Lee and Stacey discuss their current WIPs and future plans for what they’ll knit during the podcast’s holiday break that’s starting now. We’ll be back mid-January with new episodes!

Mentioned in this Episode

Shine yarn

Andean Treasure yarn

Lee’s Andean Treasure cardigan project (Ravelry link)

Swish Pops yarn …

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Free Downloadable December 2023 Calendar

Happy December! To celebrate, we have your free monthly calendar wallpapers. Enjoy these December 2023 wallpaper images (free download for you!) — featuring a variety of green yarns with Woodland Tweed Bunchberry Heather, City Tweed DK Toad and Grove, Wool of the Andes Superwash Bulky Bamboo Heather and Aurora Heather, Hawthorne Cattail Kettle, High Desert Worsted Ponderosa, Wonderfluff Mountain Fern Heather, Provincial Tweed Salsa Verde, and Capra DK Forage and Lost Lake Heather.

How to get the Wallpaper:

To get the free downloadable calendar background of your choice (smart phones, tablets, or desktop computers), simply click on the image of your choice to go to the full-size photo. For desktop, right click the image and “Save As”; for smart phones and tablets, tap and hold to “Save Image”.

If you try to save the calendar without opening the full image you will get a WebP file. Please be sure to click on the …

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How to Seam a Sweater

Assembling a seamed sweater is an important step that often is not given much detail in patterns. There are many different seam types to choose from that will get the job done, but they all have their own strengths and drawbacks, and some only work on certain edges. When it comes to seaming vertical-to-vertical, horizontal-to-horizontal, and vertical-to-horizontal edges, we’ve got two favorite seaming stitches that can be used separately or together to finish a sweater: mattress stitch and fake grafting! We chose these two seaming stitches because they’re strong but have some stretch, and they create neat, discreet seams. 

Vertical-to-Vertical Edges

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Episode 374: Get to know designer Yu Ra Kim!

In this episode, Lee and Stacey are joined by designer Yu Ra Kim, also known as Knitboop, to discuss her work, including her recent pattern in our collection Déjà Yarn: Single Color Stashbusters. They also chat about her patterns in previous collections, like the Trellis Tee, and her next upcoming design. The conversation then turns to Yu Ra’s online project that consumes much of what could be her knitting time: Craftivity Club. Craftivity Club will be an online community for multicrafters–including knitters and more–that’s being built with accessibility and inclusivity in mind.

Plus, Lee and Stacey share a what they’ve been working on, and Andi joins in to chat with Stacey about the Axiom KAL.

Mentioned in This Episode

Hawthorne DK yarn

Stripes …

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Our Axiom KAL Progress

We’ve got exactly one month left of the Axiom Sweater KAL! Progress varies widely at the Knit Picks office, with some knitters done and some knitters a bit behind, but every sweater is a looking great!

Alena was the first to finish, and her sweater looks beautiful! Her only modification was to knit the sweater seamlessly.

Carlene’s sleeves weren’t here to photograph, but she finished them as well, …

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Episode 373: The Big Sale with Alexis

Our biggest sale of the year is here! To kick things off, Alexis, the Knit Picks Brand Director, joins Lee and Stacey to talk about the history of The Big Sale, daily deals, and shopping tips. We regularly have new yarns come out at the same time of the sale, and Alexis shares some of the development stories behind them, including our new self-striping sock yarn, Felicini.

Plus, Lee and Stacey chat about their personal projects, and Andi joins in to discuss the Axiom KAL. Andi also reveals that she has new patterns …

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Free Downloadable November 2023 Calendar

Happy November! To celebrate, we have your free monthly calendar wallpapers. Enjoy these November 2023 wallpaper images (free download for you!) — featuring some of our newest yarns: Woolen Cotton and Woodland Tweed!

How to get the Wallpaper:

To get the free downloadable calendar background of your choice (smart phones, tablets, or desktop computers), simply click on the image of your choice to go to the full-size photo. For desktop, right click the image and “Save As”; for smart phones and tablets, tap and hold to “Save Image”.

If you try to save the calendar without opening the full image you will get a WebP file. Please be sure to click on the image before saving it!

Free November 2023 Wallpaper for Desktop:

Free November 2023 Wallpaper for Tablet:

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How to Knit 2×2 Cables

Although the Axiom Sweater by Claire Slade looks like it has four distinct cables, all the cables are created with 2×2 cables crossing left or right, and it uses different spacing and different combinations of knit and purl stitches in between to create dramatically different looks from the same handful of skills. Many cables are deceptively simple like these, but it’s not until you review the chart key that you might realize how few techniques are used to make gorgeous, complex-looking cables. 

Below you’ll find an overview on cabling from Knit Bits: How to Knit Cables and tutorials on the left and right 2×2 cables, which are the only methods used to make up even the larger cables …

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Episode 372: Knits in 10 Hours or Less

It’s the perfect time of year for quick knits, and we were so delighted to feature several patterns from George of 10 Hours or Less in our latest stash-buster pattern collection, Déjà Yarn: Single Color Stashbusters. You can probably guess what kind of patterns George specializes in (ones that take less than 10 hours to make), but you’ll be amazed to hear about his long career in the knitting industry that predates digital patterns. George also shares a glimpse inside his design process as he explains how he created his Art Deco Artisan Headband (shown above) and Rolling Ribbing Hat for Déjà Yarn.

Plus, Lee, Stacey, and Andi chat about their current projects, the Axiom KAL, and knitting while watching movies …

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A Look at Knit Picks Tweed Yarns

If you’re a fan of the Knit Picks Podcast, you know how much we all love tweeds! We have a large selection to choose from, and each tweed yarn has its own strengths and benefits. It can be hard to pick just one for a project because they’re each so beautiful, but knowing a bit more about them can help guide your selection. Here’s an overview of each tweed yarn we currently sell, with a swatch showing a classic cable, stockinette, and a simple lace panel.

Brava Tweed

Fiber Content: …

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