The weather’s been pretty crazy here in the Northwest. It went from the 40s to the 90s in 2 days, so when I finished my Fad Classic vest, it was 96 degrees. Thankfully, I have air conditioning! Today it’s back to cool temperatures and rain though. Normally I would be sad, but it gives me a chance to wear the vest before I have to pack it away for summer. (Summer IS coming, right?) This was a fairly quick knit, though the stitch pattern did get a bit tedious after a while. It’s supposed to double as a summer top, but it looks horrible on me like that for some reason. As a vest, it’s flattering. I wouldn’t want to wear a wool summer top anyway! Pattern: Fad Classic by Wendy Bernard Yarn: Swish Worsted in “Jade” Needles: Options Nickel Plated, size 6 for body and 4 for edging. ...

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Wow – it doesn’t feel like I knit all weekend. I had time to work in the yard, start sewing a blouse, go to a movie with a friend, plus do all the normal weekend catch-up-on-housework stuff (oh, except go to the grocery store; I didn’t do that), yet, I was shocked this morning when I laid the sweater out and looked at how far along it is! The lace pattern is so easy and fast (plus I’m knitting it in the round, so I don’t have to purl the WS rows!). What I’m doing different from the pattern: 1. Knitting in the round. 2. I won’t be doing the I-cord edging at the hem or cuffs because Shine Sport is a little thicker and more substantial than the yarn originally used for the pattern, and I don’t fancy the idea of having a tube of ...

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We’re thinking about selling buttons made from the bits and pieces left over from making our Harmony Wood knitting needles. What do you think? Would you buy these? I’d love your input about how strongly you like or dislike them. (The quarter is for size reference.) Also, each button will have slightly different coloring because each one will be cut from a different spot in the Harmony Wood. Button A (top – toggle) $1.99 for set of 2 Button B (middle) $2.99 for set of 2 Button C (bottom) $4.49 for set of 2 Please comment on all three shapes/sizes with a rank for each one: 1 = It’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen. 2 3 = It’s okay; it might look good on a sweater I’m planning. 4 5 = I’m pulling out my credit card right now, even though I don’t know what sweater I’m going to use it on ...

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Do you remember the evening before the first day of school each year, when you laid out all your brand new school supplies, and organized and reorganized them, and couldn’t wait until you could use the crayons for the first time on the clean white paper? That’s how starting a new knitting project is for me every time. I usually stay up late collecting all the supplies and skimming through the instructions to make sure I’m not missing anything so I can start in earnest the next day. The Apres Surf Hoodie from the new Summer 2008 Interweave Knits caught my eye. I’m going on a trip this summer, and I think this lightweight hoodie would be perfect to take along – to wear that is, not to knit, which means I need to get going on it! I think Shine Sport will be a good ...

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I ended up getting four skeins of Shimmer in Bayou and two skeins each of Shadow in Snorkel Heather and Spring Green Heather. Here’s my swatch: I held one strand of Bayou with one strand of Snorkel for the first half, then switched to one strand of Bayou with one strand of Spring Green. Using Bayou throughout softened the other two colors and pulled them together nicely. I got gauge (20 stitches/4″) using size 6 needles, then washed my swatch in cold water with some Kookaburra and blocked it out on a towel to dry overnight. The fabric softened up quite a bit after washing, and the Shadow kind of puffed up a bit and filled in the gaps in the fabric. <

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If you get our catalogs or browse our web site (which I’m assuming you do if you’re reading this blog…), you’ve probably noticed quite a few photos of models showing off hand knit shawls, hats, socks, gloves. You may have even seen photos like this of finished knit items like sweaters, pillows, afghans, dog bags, felted bowls… if you can make it out of yarn, we’ve probably done it at least once, maybe twice. And yes, we knit those things ourselves. We have a team of test knitters knitting and purling away at this very moment. We have people at their desks in front of their computers, playing with swatches and cables and trying to use new sock yarns in new ways, inventing new patterns for our catalogs and web sites. So as you can imagine, with all the knitting we’ve got going on, we have piles ...

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Hi all, I’d like to get your opinions about bamboo fiber for yarn. We’ve been researching bamboo and bamboo blends to see if we can add bamboo to the Knit Picks yarn line up. So far, we haven’t been satisfied with what we’ve seen. Bamboo fibers are relatively short, which means that 100% bamboo, unless it is super tightly spun or in a ribbon, tape, or other special construction, sheds a lot. The fibers don’t pill because they don’t have the scales or barbs on them that animal fibers do which causes them to cling to each other. Rather, bamboo just develops a pretty thick fuzzy halo quickly and with very little abrasion. Bamboo is commonly blended with other fibers, probably to help minimize the fuzzing issue, but also to lend bamboo’s positive attributes to the other fibers. Sheen like silk but less expensive, relatively cool to wear, and it does have antibacterial ...

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Finished!!! I don’t know if you’ll be able to see in this small picture, but about half way through the body of the shawl, I must have skipped a row, thus switching RS for WS. I didn’t notice until I had the shawl laid out flat, blocking. Oh well, I’m sure very few will notice while I’m wearing the shawl since it will be either bunched up or in motion with me. Pattern: Curved Shawl from Victorian Lace Today Yarn: Alpaca Cloud Autumn Heather Needles: Harmony Wood Size 3, 24″ circular and dpns I am soooo addicted to lace knitting now. I’d picked out my next project before this one was finished. I’d forgotten to wind my hanks into balls last week, so I came into work on Saturday morning to do it – I knew I couldn’t get through the whole weekend without starting the Myrtle Leaf Shawl, ...

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I was still deliberating between the hat or the sushi toilet paper roll cover for my next project until Tina sent me this article this morning from UK Glamour. Here’s a quote: “If your New Year’s resolution is to quit smoking (for the umpteenth time), we have found a solution so strange it could actually help you kick the habit for good. Research undertaken by Stitchlinks based at Bath’s Royal United Hospital suggests that knitting is a good way to break the addictive habit of smoking. “ And the article included this pattern for knitted cigarettes. Knitted cigarettes?! How can I resist? I don’t smoke, but my bf does, and he’s been “trying” to quit since we met almost a year ago. Wouldn’t this be the perfect form of encouragement? Maybe I should teach him to knit his own so he can finally kick the habit! I’d have to do some swatching before I ...

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