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by Heidi on April 29, 2013
At the ripe old age of 8, my sweet niece Natalie is already more skilled than me at most things. Verbal sparring, cooking, being kind to fellow human beings – you name it, she’s better at it. Recently, she has taken to crocheting with a ferocious appetite. Everything from baby booties to cowls to dish clothes have been emerging from her soft little porcelain hands. I recently celebrated my birthday (yay, me!). As is true of most 8-yr olds, Natalie does not have a lot of discretionary income. I’d been hankering after Billow hat in my favorite color, Comfrey, so I casually dropped a subtle hint. “Hey Natalie, make me this hat for my birthday! Do it.” I would provide the yarn, she the manual labor. Everyone would be happy. |
Category Archives: Inspiration
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by Knit Picks Podcast on April 25, 2013
This week, Kelley dives into her stash in search of inspiration for her collection of fingering weight yarns. And with a mission to make more than another pair of socks, Kelley peruses Ravelry in search of unique and versatile patterns that are perfect for fingering weight yarns that you might have hanging out in your stash. |
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by Stacey on April 15, 2013
We love our fine feathered friends here in the Pacific Northwest - thanks to the TV show Porlandia, our unofficial motto is "Put a Bird On It". So I was delighted to knit and crochet a flock of birds for a great cause. Our Full Circle yarn line is one of my favorites we've come out with - it's such a soft yarn, a blend of Merino and Highland wools that would have otherwise gone to waste. It works equally well for crochet as well as knit projects. I've made dozens of projects in each and just enjoy each stitch - the only sad thing is that it's only here for such a short time! And from now until May 1st, we are having a wonderful promotion - for you it's saving 15% on the entire Full Circle yarn line - worsted, bulky and roving. For our birdie friends, we are donating $1 of every skein sold to our friends at International Bird Rescue! (Make sure you check out all the great works they have done!) |
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by Knit Picks Podcast on April 11, 2013
This week, Jenny and Stacey get a chance talk about all of the new and exciting things that are out for April! First and foremost is Felici, our limited-edition self-striping fingering weight yarn - hear about all of the wonderful new colors that are now available. Next, Jenny and Stacey talk about the two new pattern collections out for April: In Tune by Luise O'Neill and Urban Texture by Tabetha Hedrick. You'll also hear more about the new kits that are available and which books make out must-have lists while the big book sale is going on! Finally, Stacey gets a chance to talk with designer Tabetha Hedrick - hear more about her inspiration and design process behind her collection, Urban Texture. And due to the popularity of the kits, we have sold out of the Dish Towels and Pookies kits but fear not! You can still find the pattern downloads for these kits here: Dish Towels Pattern by Kerin Dimeler-Laurence Pookies by Barbara Prime 3 easy ways to listen... |
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by Stacey on April 2, 2013
We had some beautiful projects in our Billow contest! I'm certainly glad I didn't have to pick the winner - for this contest, we tallied the "love" clicks on the bottom of their Ravelry post! And the 1st place winner is jodiemom with her gorgeous The Road Not Taken throw! |
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by Knit Picks Podcast on March 28, 2013
Kelley has been a long-time fan of Spilly Jane’s designs, so she jumped at the chance to chat with her for the Knit Picks podcast! And those who aren’t familiar with Spilly Jane’s patterns, you are in for a real treat. Spilly Jane is a Canadian knitter and knitwear designer who is in love with colour and texture and habitually translates songs, food and architecture into elegantly quirky handknit socks and mittens. Hear all about how Jane first started knitting and what started her mitten obsession, in addition to getting the inside scoop on her design process for her well-loved patterns. The Swedish Fish Mittens might be one of my personal favs, but it’s so hard to choose just one! Find all of Spilly Jane’s mitten designs here: Spilly ... |
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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 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 Kelley on February 12, 2013
Photo from Baktus scarf by Strikkelise Raverly Page I couldn't say what made me look Baktus scarf up in Ravelry. I follow a lot of knitting blogs so I imagine something sparked my curiosity. Or, maybe a photo link in Pinterest. |
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by Knit Picks Staff on January 30, 2013
Oh, dear. The title says it all, I think? But rest assured, all the free-pile yarn that I score hasn’t been going to waste: I’m a long-time crocheter. You know what else has been going on for a long time? My violent failure at knitting. You see, pride issues are persistent. Even with all the educational resources KP can provide, I refused help from my coworkers like sour, sour milk! My attitude in essence: Yes, I’ll let you explain how to better improve my butterfly stroke. But no, I won’t let you see me flail and dogpaddle during my first visit to water. Moving along…Last week, I took the “Beginner’s Knitting” class at Yarnia (a LYS located in beautiful Southeast Portland, my beautiful ‘hood). The lesson was perfect, and truly just the basics: long tail cast-on and knit stitch—with just the briefest/most horrifying glimpse of purl. At our instructor’s recommendation, I continued knitting when I got home that night, leading to the production of my very first proper swatch: Hahaha, just kidding! That relative confection of beauty is actually my second swatch. Small children and tender hearts, turn away—here’s my true first swatch: |
