 |
by Knit Picks Staff on May 25, 2010
At long last, the Calluna sweater pattern is available! Well, you may not have been waiting for it, but I have! We had hoped to release this pattern when City Tweed was first launched, but when we realized that all of you intrepid knitters would end up finishing the sweater in the summer, we decided to push it back a little. This sweater is perfect for fall – so now is a great time to start! Yes, I know, knitting alpaca in the summertime sounds crazy, but the heavy worsted City Tweed knits up so fast, you won’t even have time to break a sweat. When I started thinking about a great use for City Tweed, I couldn’t help but love the way it shows texture. I really wanted a textured sweater – cables, ribbing, knit and purl patterns – I couldn’t decide! So, I took a ... |
Category Archives: Inspiration
|
by Knit Picks Staff on May 25, 2010
Mr. Foster likes to plan ahead. It’s only July, but he’s already wondering what he should wear for Halloween this year. He thought you guys might be willing to help him out. So here’s your mission from Knit Picks and Mr. F, if you choose to accept it- 1. Create a handmade Halloween costume for Mr. Foster using yarn or fabric. Store bought accessories are okay. You are allowed to base your costume on an existing Mr. Foster ensemble, you can get those patterns here for only $4.99 if you don’t already have them (the monkey pattern is included too). 2. E-mail a photo of your creation to contests@knitpicks.com before August 31st. 3. Help Mr. Foster pick a winner. In early September, we’ll post our favorites, and you can vote for the winner. 4. Check back October 1st when the winner will be announced. We’ll also post a slideshow ... |
|
by Knit Picks Staff on May 25, 2010
AmongTheRoses for her idea to make paper out of dryer lint! AmongTheRoses had several really great entries for this contest, including: Her son using bottle caps as “army guys,” and he stores them all in an old coffee can when not in use She uses old pantyhose as shoe shiners Her and her children saved cellophane candy wrappers to complete a “stained glass” project And she uses any possible scrap paper, from holiday wrapping paper to shredded junk mail to pack up her moving boxes. Even though a winner has been chosen, if you haven’t read through the thread of entries it is worth a read: http://community.knitpicks.com/group/montavillamarketbagkal/forum/topics/enter-the-wackiest-reuse We could write a best selling book if we just compiled all the ideas and published it. Members of the Knitting Community shared dozens of amazing ideas of creative ways to re-use just about everything in their homes. Thanks to everyone who participated. AmongTheRoses will receive an organic gift basket including Knit Picks ... |
 |
by Knit Picks Staff on May 25, 2010
I went to craft day on Sunday at work, and made a lot of progress on my Vivian sweater. There are 6 different cable charts that I need to pay attention to for the body of the sweater, and some of them don’t repeat! This means that I can’t knit this sweater while on the bus or while paying attention at meetings. I need to sit still, spread out my charts, and focus on this sweater. But it’s worth it, because this sweater is beautiful and well designed! And I love how all of these textured stitches look in City Tweed HW! Plus I love a challenge! And as I become familiar with the charts, the knitting does speed up. < |
|
by Knit Picks Staff on May 25, 2010
I’ve heard a lot of people say they don’t know how they would wear lace shawls, and that keeps them from knitting them. We think lace shawls are infinitely wearable (you don’t even have to look like an old lady when you do wear them!), and here is Nina to demonstrate: The shawls shown, in order, are: Chinook Shawl – from the Lace Yarn Sampler Kits, shown in the Deep Sea colorway. Lady’s Circular Cape – from Victorian Lace Today, knit in Spring Green Heather Shadow lace yarn Rona Shawl – from the Rona Shawl pattern knit in Stream Heather Alpaca Cloud lace yarn Thistle Design Balmoral Shawl – from the Second Book of Modern Lace Knitting, knit in Cypress Gloss Lace yarn Curved Shawl – from Victorian Lace Today, knit in Autumn Heather Alpaca Cloud lace yarn Miralda’s Triangle Shawl – from Knitted Lace of Estonia, knit in Iris Heather Palette yarn Myrtle Leaf Shawl – from ... |
 |
by Knit Picks Staff on May 25, 2010
With all this recent talk of lace and socks and warm-weather knitting, you might think that I’d forgotten about my City Tweed sweater. Well, I HAVE slowed down a bit, but progress is still being made! There’s the back and both fronts on the blocking board, (I noticed that I pinned them crooked as I uploaded this picture. Don’t worry, they’re even now!) patiently awaiting the sleeves, which are still rather un-impressive: But hey, it’s something! We have a saying around the office (Or, maybe it was said once and I decided in my mind that it was a saying…) which goes, “If it has holes, it’s lace,” and when I think about it that way, fully half of my projects count as lace! Or, they will, once they’re done. So, since this sweater is lace, that makes it ... |
 |
by Knit Picks Staff on May 25, 2010
I love lace knitting, but I’m already the proud owner of four lace shawls, so I wanted to knit something else in lace. When I saw the Essential Tank Top by Laura Zukaite in the book Lace Style, I knew that was the next lace thing I HAD to knit! (It is image #1 under View More Images, and we’ll also be showing a version of it knit in double stranded Gloss Lace on page 5 of our lace catalog which is now online!) I’m knitting it in single stranded Essential Kettle-Dyed in a sample color that didn’t make the cut (sorry!). However, if you’re an orange lover like me, I think you could get really close to this color by dyeing the Bare version of Essential with Burnt Orange Jacquard Acid Dye (maybe throw in a few grains of Chestnut for a slightly darker edge). Which reminds ... |
|
by Knit Picks Staff on May 25, 2010
I’m inching along on my Classic Lines Cardigan, and I’m amazed to see how much progress I’ve made just by knitting in meetings at work and the occasional car trip. (Alice has discovered that her hands can GRAB things, so anything in my hands or on my person at home is not safe!) On the right is how the cardigan looked a couple weeks ago, as modeled by my new dress dummy. (I think she needs a name! Any suggestions?) I just measured, and I am now only an inch away from the armpits. I guess that means I need to knit the other sleeve. I knit one sleeve already, but for some reason cast on the body next (even though it’s just more of the same in wider format). If you haven’t been following along through the Classic Lines Cardigan knitalong, the pattern ... |
|
by Knit Picks Staff on May 25, 2010
Survey Results – GlowDay.com In the spirit of the reusable Montavilla Market tote, we asked knitters to share their wackiest and most creative re-uses that can be helpful around the house. We had a lot of responses in this thread, but we managed to select our top six finalists. You have until Tuesday July 30th to vote, and the winner will receive an organic gift baskets including chocolate, a candle, and of course Knit Picks yarn and needles. 1. Wendy Tolley uses orphaned socks to absorb moisture when she freezes bread. For the full story, click here. 2. AJ crochets plastic grocery bags into sturdy and reusable grocery bags. For the full story, click here. 3. judezy uses a shop towel to make a hammock for wildlife that she is rehabilitating. For the full story, click here. 4. clockworktomato uses soda to clear her drains. For the full story, click here. 5. SarahD turned a light fixture ... |
 |
by Knit Picks Staff on May 25, 2010
Lots of you have probably already noticed the new Lace Samplers that have appeared on our website. They come in 4 rich, pretty colorways and each sampler comes with the pattern to knit both the Chinook Shawl (pictures above in the “Deep Sea” colorway) and the Pyrifera Scarf. (Click “more images” on the product page to see more pictures of these!) Well, today Tina launched our Lace Knit Along and I graciously agreed to go on the record, as the designer of the Chinook shawl, to give you all an idea of how it came to be: Neat, eh? Anyone can join the KAL, you don’t have to be working this particular pattern to do so, so come on by! I’d love to see a good mix of seasoned and newer lace knitters there, helping each other along. I’ll be there, answering questions about the ... |
