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by Knit Picks Staff on March 6, 2013
Oh, buttery-soft Billow, I've been waiting for you for ages. I've had the prototype skein of Billow on my desk for months, and it's easily the most-petted yarn sample in my office. It's soft yet sturdy, knits up quickly, and makes you look like The Fanciest Knitter in the World when all you're actually doing is miles of stockinette. This line is a completely new concept for Knit Picks - the 8-ply thick-and-thin structure gives you a yarn that knits up into a slightly slubby, richly textured fabric. We wanted to show off that texture to best effect, and consequently Billow was a challenge regarding color selection. We wanted to come up with softly saturated colors that came together unexpectedly in a fresh palette, and we also were trying to include a good range of neutrals (both browns and greys) in order to make the line more versatile. It's a great mix of colors, and they work together in surprising ways but can also stand on their own in solid-color projects. |
Category Archives: Finished Objects
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by Knit Picks Staff on March 4, 2013
Spring is finally starting to hint at its arrival here in the northwest. There are buds on all of the trees, and it's actually almost light out when I'm driving to work! This means that cold-weather knitting is winding down, and it's time to satisfy the need for something a bit lighter. Since I was also eager to try out the amazing new yarn Billow, I figured that a nice open-front cardigan would be just the thing for Spring! Ever since we got the first samples of Billow, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. |
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by Hannah on February 27, 2013
I found out a week ago that a wonderful, dear-to-me-friend would be visiting Seattle this weekend and my first thought was that I definitely wanted to knit her a little present. However, a week isn't much time to whip a present up and I wanted to make sure it was something she would want to wear in the mild climes of Arizona. So I began trawling through my magical Ravelry queue and found Lexy Lu's Foreign Correspondent's Scarf. I loved the lace pattern, the simple repeate and the fact that I could easily turn it into a cowl if I didn't have time to knit a full scarf. |
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by Hannah on February 19, 2013
I just can't get over HOW SOFT THIS YARN IS! I've been looking forward to our very first shipment of our brand new yarn, Billow, since the day we decided to add it to our lineup for 2013. I love the soft, luscious color palette, the wonderfully tactile thick-and-thin strand and... did I mention the color palette?! |
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by Stacey on February 14, 2013
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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by Jenny K on February 14, 2013
When our latest yarn Billow first arrived to the office, I was in the same boat as all of my crafty coworkers: completely head-over-heals, need to have it in my life, in love with this yarn. Unfortunately, this caused me great anxiety as I am very much a one-at-a-time project kind of gal – but Billow was just so tempting! Considering I was going to break my “one project” rule for Billow (I have an in progress cowl on the needles), I methodically rummaged through my books and patterns looking for the perfect project. my ultimate billow blanket, nestled nicely on top of my couch |
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by Hannah on February 3, 2013
'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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by Hannah on January 26, 2013
Remember this guy? Well, our little spokesbunny, Linus is doing well and getting into all sorts of mischief, even in the colder weather we've been having. He loves to race around outside when the sun is out and lounge around the house when it's blustery out. Every four months or so Linus gets a pretty major haircut because of the way his fur grows. He goes from looking pretty impressive and regal one moment to rather sheepish (but happy to be free of all that extra weight) the next! He just had his first shave of the new year this past weekend and he's been frisking about the house every since but it's been SO COLD outside the last few days that he's been cooped up inside because I was worried he'd be too chilly without his fur coat. He's definitely been missing his weekend jaunts in the garden and has started racing around the house and being generally pretty pesky. Thus began the search for the perfect pet sweater pattern. |
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by Hannah on January 19, 2013
As the jury duty continues, I've been getting more practice in with my crochet hooks! I wanted a simple project that I could pretty easily pick up and put down between sessions, and I also wanted a chance to try working with Reverie ever since I saw Jenny's delightful Francis Revisted sweater. I found Brittney Waterhouse's In Bloom Beret and Cap pattern and thought it looked like the perfect project for Reverie. |
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by Hannah on January 12, 2013
I have Jury Duty... for the next 30 DAYS! Once the shock wore off, I started to plan some projects to work on during the down time. I had already been thinking about trying to tackle a crochet toy and the note that I could only bring crochet hooks, not knitting needles past the courthouse security sealed the deal. I hunted through my Ravelry queue for something challenging enough to be interesting but easy enough to learn and remember where I was each time I was called up. I settled on Nekoyama's Amineko Crocheted Cat, he was just the right size and had such a sweet little face! |
