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by Jenny K on March 23, 2012
A while back, I tackled my first ever weaving project and instantly loved not only the texture, but also the way colors interacted with each other. I was so impressed at how fast I was able to work through so much yarn that it didn't take long for me to warp the Kromski Harp Loom for another project. Hannah has also been working on a few weaving projects recently and every time she brings in a newly finished project, my mind begins to wonder off and daydream of all sorts of fun, color-filled projects. Having this itch to weave led me to Ravelry, where I discovered I was able to filter projects in a way that only showed weaving projects. I have been intrigued by the idea of working with Palette since there are over 100 colors to choose from. One click led to another, and I entered "Palette" into the search field to only show weaving projects that used Palette. One word: amazing! I was instantly inspired by all of the stunning projects that Knit Picks customers have made. There was one project, however, that just jumped out at me - yarnvista's woven blanket! |
Category Archives: Inspiration
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by Knit Picks Staff on March 9, 2012
I'm now three weeks into the knitting of hubby's new sweater. That's about the longest I can usually pay attention to a project - but I'm only through the sleeves! I think this proves a couple of rules of knitting for other people. 1: Don't underestimate how long things take to knit, and 2: If you let the recipient pick the pattern, be prepared to face the consequences! I did some pre-searching through all of my pattern books and found several all-over cable designs that were nice and rhythmic and easy to memorize. I presented these to my hubby, and his reaction was pretty dry. So I let him look through my books, and he picked quite possibly the most difficult cable pattern he could have! It's the Baroque Cable from Barbara Walker's third treasury. |
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by Jenny K on March 6, 2012
The best way to create extra special projects is to use a yarn that is equally extra special! And knowing the different properties of luxury fibers will help you to make the very most of out of every stitch. No matter if you are looking to make a luxurious sweater for a friend or family member or perhaps you simply want to indulge in a one-skein wonder, you’ll find a variety of luxury fibers that are sure to suit your project. City Tweed DK |
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by Knit Picks Podcast on March 1, 2012
This week, Kelley gets inspired by stashbusting! As Kelley organizes and sorts through her stash, she imagines the possibilities that go beyond one-skein projects and instead, combine several leftover yarns together for a bit of springtime stashbusting. Next, Kelley reviews several patterns that she found while browing around Ravelry by search for “stash” and “stashbusting”. She reviews some of her favorite patterns that she stumbled across, all of which make the most of using up many yarns together in one project for the ultimate stashbusting satisfaction. Finally, Kelley catches you up with her recently finished projects and what she is planning to put on her needles next. Reviewed Patterns: Student Bank Account by Brenda BurrellCity Blocks Shawl by Laura AylorColor Affection Shawl by Veera VälimäkiLeftovers Vest by Alison Hansel HanselAdult Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth ZimmermanBaby Surprise Jacket DVD with Meg SwansonJustify by Lynne VogelEasy Square Scrap Blanket by BugzNBean 3 easy ways ... |
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by Jenny K on February 20, 2012
As we talked about in the last color theory blog post, inspiration for color is all around us. In addition to seeing amazing combinations of colors in nature, we can even look back through works of art to find patterns of color combinations that have stayed true for hundreds of years. Continuing along with our theme of warming up the winter blues, we will take a closer look at different shade of blue along with colors that are often paired with blues – including paintings from centuries ago to present day fashion. When I think of exceptionally lovely uses of the color blue, I can’t help but think of the 17th century Dutch painter, Johannes Vermeer. Known best for his domestic scenes of middle class life, Vermeer was also particularly fond of bright, vibrant shades of blues which were often paired with bold colors such as yellows, oranges, and reds. |
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by Kelley on February 15, 2012
Please, please, please buy Finishing School by Deborah Newton!! It’s not that hard to find the time to learn how to knit - take a class, spend an afternoon with a knitting friend or even get trapped next to an enthusiastic knitter on a plane who just happens to carry along extra needles and yarn for spontaneous instructions to total strangers. Of course, by the end of the flight you’ve become lifelong friends but that is another story. |
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by Hannah on February 15, 2012
One of the first things I spotted when I joined Pinterest was Karen Barbe's beautiful diagram of a needlepoint leaf stitch. The chunky yarn, texture of the stitches and overall "squishability" of the stitch instantly caught my imagination. So, I stopped by a craft store on my way home and picked out a roll of needlepoint canvas and set about picking through my Palette stash the minute I walked in the door. |
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by Stacey on February 13, 2012
Wow - we had over 1500 entries! I hope you had fun picking your favorite blue yarn and the ideas you listed were great! I just added a bunch of patterns to my queue from them. We can only have one winner though. So congratulations to Jackie! This was her comment: Shadow lace in Opal Heather is beautiful! It’s evocative of a painting by Monet… <3 It would make an amazing Featherweight cardigan =) I love blue and gray together and you get an added bonus with all the subtle hues of rose and lemon too. I quite agree - I love Opal Heather! |
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by Knit Picks Staff on February 10, 2012
It's no secret that I have a ridiculous stash. I've been fighting the dreaded SABLE (Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy) for some time now, and the only weapon I have is youth! But, barring medical advances that would have me able to knit productively till about 120 years old, I need to do something about my stash. What really spurred me on was the stash swap party we had last week. I had to go through my stash and get rid of stuff, and I was also determined to bring home less than I brought. But, I have to say that dumping out a comforter-bags' worth of stash all over my dining table was a bit of an eye-opener! |
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by Knit Picks Staff on February 3, 2012
So, thanks to all your suggestions, I was able to narrow down the potential colors for my Hubby's new sweater, and he chose... Down Heather! It was between that and Flagstone Heather for him, but since the last sweater I knit for him was roughly that same shade of grey, we went for something lighter. That's good for me, too, since I'll be able to see the cables well! He generally wears pretty dark colors, so it'll be nice to see him in something light for a change. I swatched, calculated, and drew up a basic plan for the sweater based on the fishy one I knit for him. I've got the yarn ordered - 24 skeins! - and it should be here in a week or so. This weekend I'm hoping to get some time to sketch out some cable patterns so I can jump right in as soon as it arrives... |
