Sooo…some of you are not into lace knitting, am I right? For those of you (ok, us) who shy away from lace, let’s talk about good, solid, new-to-us stitch patterns. If this summer is, for you, about trying new stitches with very little commitment, then our Loganberry Dishcloth Tutorial has just what you need! Make a few today and fall in love with these tiny bobbles, so easy to memorize and fun to create. You’ll not only be left with a great stitch pattern to use again and again, you’ll have a dishcloth that’s useful, too!
Read more »Monthly Archives: June 2016
Are you new to lace knitting? Is this the summer you try it out? Over the next few weeks, we’re featuring tips on lace knitting from designer Geoff Hunnicut. This week, Geoff takes you through a lace chart, and compares it to the knitted piece it produces. He’ll let you know why he thinks charts are preferable to written instructions, for knitting lace.
Read more »June is coming to a close (what, already?!?) which means you only have a couple more days to save 20% on The Big Cozy, our super soft, super bulky yarn!
The Big Cozy is a perfect yarn for quick projects – I love to use it for a break from fiddly projects or when I just want to zone out watching a tv show or two. And with a blend of superfine alpaca and highland wool, it’s a delight to work with as well! Just grab a pair of supersized needles or hooks and a skein or two and you’ll have a completed project in no time.
Read more »If you’re reveling in the newness of summer, this podcast is a celebration of that feeling. Whether you travel to new places, or try new crafts during the warmer months, summer is always a good time to try new things. In this episode of the Knit Picks podcast, we talk to Clara Parkes, author of Knitladia, about her adventures in yarn-based travel. We also speak with designers Joyce Fassbender and Stephannie Tallent about their history of knitting and designing, as well as their recent contributions to our collection, Joyful Lace.
So if you’re out and about this summer, bring our podcast along!
Read more »Socks are, in my humble opinion, the perfect summer project. Small, portable, and fun – they’re constantly on my needles all year long. Also, since I love knitting with wool, they’re light enough so I’m not dying of heat while working on them, like I would be with a heavier project. Plus, they are something I can wear right away instead of waiting until the weather cools enough for sweaters. Well, if you are looking for some fun sock patterns to try out this summer, look no further than Toasty Toes!
While you can get this gorgeous collection in book and eBook form for a low price, each of these 12 patterns are available for download for free!
Read more »The flowers are blooming and the days are getting warmer which means it must be time to break out the lace knitting! Lightweight, versatile and oh-so-classic, lace shawls are the perfect accessory to knit and wear. Our new Joyful Lace Pattern Collection is an exquisite compilation of 15 lace designs, just the thing to inspire you to dip into your lace yarns. We’ll take a deeper look at three of my favorite patterns from this collection, including the shawl in our brand new Luminance Yarn!
Read more »Great news! Felici, our beloved stripey sock yarn, is back with new colors!
Clockwise, L-R: Dark Side, Balloon Ride, Sprinkles, Bubble, Kaleidoscope, Ever After, Eclipse, Beyond the Wall, Lost Lakes, Sunset.
Aren’t they gorgeous? These are are our 10 new colors, plus we brought back our classic Rainbow and Time Traveler. Since Felici is limited time yarn, we get to have a lot of fun with coming up with new colorways for you to have fun with – of course if the colors are a big hit (such as Rainbow & Time Traveler), we bring them back, but mainly we just like to create new special colors for you to enjoy!
Read more »Did you craft in public this past weekend? We held a lovely get together in Colonel Summers Park in Portland, OR. There was free yarn and books, prize baskets, lots of chatting and crafting, and unfortunately, a good amount of rain. Nevermind! We headed under the park’s picnic shelter and carried on. No, those aren’t our wet socks on the line, but samples from Toasty Toes, all in a row!
Read more »We’ve officially kicked off our long-awaited Summer Yarn Sale! And this year, it’s bigger than ever with over 1,000 yarns on sale at up to 40% off. With so many yarns and colors to choose from, you’re sure to find a stellar deal for your next project or maybe just to stock up your stash with.
We’ve got everything from superfine lace to big and bulky yarns, and even roving on sale! And to help guide you through the hundreds and hundreds of options, we’ve rounded up our not-to-be-missed deals across every weight of yarn.
Read more »Lace is really hard for me. I’ve tried it a few times and had no good results. I’m resolving to try again, however, and in doing so, I’m going to start with the basics. As much as I would love to try the patterns in Joyful Lace, and go forth with our new 100% silk yarn, Luminance, I will start small. So I’m going to cast on with our cotton yarn Dishie, and try to knit a Lacy Spa Cloth.
With a super repeatable pattern that I can memorize really quickly, I think this will be a fast project where I can repeat my yarn overs and get used to how things look on the needles, before I progress to larger patterns. The texture reminds me of those string market bags you see at the Farmer’s Market all summer long. Maybe I’ll try my hand at one of those, next!
If you want to learn to knit a Lacy Spa Cloth, here are some handy links:
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