Category Archives: KAL

Our Axiom Sweaters

Our Axiom KAL has come to its end! Almost everyone in the office completed their sweater, and each one is unique. Everyone modified the wonderful Axiom Sweater pattern by Claire Slade to suite their personal knitting preferences and wardrobes. Each sweater highlights the versatility of the pattern in creative hands.

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How to Seam a Sweater

Assembling a seamed sweater is an important step that often is not given much detail in patterns. There are many different seam types to choose from that will get the job done, but they all have their own strengths and drawbacks, and some only work on certain edges. When it comes to seaming vertical-to-vertical, horizontal-to-horizontal, and vertical-to-horizontal edges, we’ve got two favorite seaming stitches that can be used separately or together to finish a sweater: mattress stitch and fake grafting! We chose these two seaming stitches because they’re strong but have some stretch, and they create neat, discreet seams.  Vertical-to-Vertical Edges

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Our Axiom KAL Progress

We’ve got exactly one month left of the Axiom Sweater KAL! Progress varies widely at the Knit Picks office, with some knitters done and some knitters a bit behind, but every sweater is a looking great! Alena was the first to finish, and her sweater looks beautiful! Her only modification was to knit the sweater seamlessly. Carlene’s sleeves weren’t here to photograph, but she finished them as well, ...

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How to Knit 2×2 Cables

Although the Axiom Sweater by Claire Slade looks like it has four distinct cables, all the cables are created with 2×2 cables crossing left or right, and it uses different spacing and different combinations of knit and purl stitches in between to create dramatically different looks from the same handful of skills. Many cables are deceptively simple like these, but it’s not until you review the chart key that you might realize how few techniques are used to make gorgeous, complex-looking cables.  Below you’ll find an overview on cabling from Knit Bits: How to Knit Cables and tutorials on the left and right 2×2 cables, which are the only methods used to make up even the larger cables ...

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Starting Axiom and KAL Resources

Today is the day to cast on your Axiom Sweaters! Because the pattern is knit in pieces and seamed, the order you knit the four pieces is up to you. If you’re new to knitting cables, we suggest starting with your back or sleeves to get you feeling confident about your project, and we’ll have some tips for working the cables later this month on this blog. To stay on track, we recommend aiming to take about 15 days per piece, leaving you plenty of time for assembly and finishing by the end of the KAL on December 15th. Be sure to check out our Learning Center for resources, and use the hashtag #AxiomKAL on Instagram to share ...

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How to Convert a Seamed Sweater to Seamless

Axiom is a great pattern to try changing from seamed to seamless, and many Knit Picks team members are planning to do that with their own projects. Patterns can be followed precisely, or they can be used as a creative jumpstart, to be adapted as each knitter prefers. Like with most pattern modifications, when converting from seamed to seamless, a lot of frustration can be avoided by asking the right questions before getting started and doing a pinch of prep work. To get started, there are a few questions ...

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Worsted Weight Yarns for Cables

The Axiom KAL begins October 1st, 2023, so now is the best time to begin picking out yarn to have it ready to cast on by the 1st! The Axiom Sweater was designed using Wool of the Andes Worsted, but this pattern lends itself to substituting other worsted weight yarns that cable well. The key attributes to look for are good stitch definition and elasticity to make well-defined cables and ribbing that holds its shape. Here are the yarns we think are best to use and why! High Desert Worsted or High Desert Tweed

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Join the Axiom KAL!

Sweater Weather is finally here, and we’re excited to announce that our next knit-along will be the Axiom Sweater by Claire Slade!  Just the Details What: Knit the Axiom Sweater along with us When: October 1st – December 15th 2023 Skills to Know: CO, BO, knit, purl, increases, 2×2 cables, getting gauge, seaming, picking up and knitting Why: To make a beautiful cabled sweater with others We chose the Axiom Sweater because it’s a great choice for a first cabled sweater, as well as being gender-neutral and size inclusive. It’s a simple, seamed, drop-shoulder pullover knit ...

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Our Ice Fire Wraps

Today is the final day of the Ice Fire Wrap KAL, and we’ve loved seeing your projects under the #IceFireKAL hashtag on Instagram! Most of the Knit Picks team finished their wraps by today, although the eagle-eyed among you may spot a few wraps still on the needles in these photos. We all started with the same pattern, but through color choice, pattern modifications, and yarn substitutions, we each ended up with unique pieces. One of the most fun aspects of doing knit-alongs is ...

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An Ice Fire KAL Update

We’re grooving along on our Ice Fire Wrap KAL projects! The KAL is coming on an end on July 31st, and some of the team have their eyes on the finish line, some are already finished, and a few decided to put their projects into hibernation. Jen has a long ways to go one her Ice Fire Wrap, but she’s determined to have it finished by the end of the KAL. She’s using Chroma Worsted for her main color and Swish Worsted as the solid contrast.

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