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by Hannah on January 25, 2012
It's the time of year for shifty, cool weather and I'm definitely bundled up all the time. When I'm knitting I have a blanket over my shoulders, when I go outside there's always a hat on my noggin, and even when I'm working at my desk I have a scarf (or two!) on. This time around I knew that I wanted to knit a super cozy cowl that I could wear outside to the market and inside around the office. Something substantial. I spotted the Toast Wrap over on Ravelry and had that little fluttery heart moment when I know I've found the perfect project. |
Category Archives: Yarn
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by Knit Picks Staff on January 18, 2012
Wow, the response to the Viola Afghan was much bigger than I expected! Some of you have been asking about washable yarn substitutions for it, and I've been working on that for a few days to get the colors right. One benefit to our good ol' workhorse Wool of the Andes is that, since it's really a 'staple' yarn, we can have an enormous breadth of color. That makes it so versatile for designing - but not machine washable! Finding a suitable substitute for Viola has proved to be quite a challenge. The palette of Swish has waxed and waned to a balanced, tight family, and Brava is too new to have the expanded color range that it likely will see in the future. The best option came in the wide range of purples in Shine. So, along with washability, Viola has had a drastic hue shift in this version! Since the yardage on Shine is a little less than that of Wool of the Andes, you'll need a little more of each color, and each substituted color is used in place of the original in every instance. So, here is a Shine-y, purple Viola! |
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by Knit Picks Staff on January 17, 2012
When it gets cold outside, there's nothing better than to snuggle your feet in a cozy pair of felted slippers! They are so toasty warm! I have made many as gifts and for myself. Wool of the Andes is the perfect yarn for these projects, and my preferred yarn of choice. I used worsted weight for this project. This last week I finished a pair for a good friend of mine using the Fiber Trends Felted Clogs pattern. (I love this pattern!) They have a double sole which felts nice and thick. Before felting, these slippers look enormous! |
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by Knit Picks Staff on January 12, 2012
In the past I've shared different techniques that I'm learning. I finally tried Fair Isle last summer, which I absolutely love! Also, I shared that my grandson wants a lego hat. (that decision was after I convinced him he didn't really want a skeleton hat!) After lots of research and asking all of you, I've decided there wasn't a hat pattern out there that fit my idea of what the hat should look like. So, as is so usual for me, I did things the hard way!! I've created a pattern! But the only way to get the pattern to look the way I wanted it to look, was to do intarsia, a technique I had yet to learn! The hat is not done, but it's on its way! (I'll blog later with the complete hat on my grandson). |
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by Alison on January 10, 2012
I had a little bit of relaxation time during the holiday season, and it was nice to be able to sink my teeth into some fiber projects (both new and old). I did start a bunch of knitting projects, but I also had time to take my spinning wheel for a, um, spin. |
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by Stacey on January 9, 2012
When we first received our shipment of Full Circle, I was in love. I love single ply yarns & this one was even more interesting since it was from recycled wool! I especially loved that it was in 100 gram skeins! So I immediately snapped up a couple of colors...but then I had to decide on what to do. Later that same day, Mara Jessup sent me her newest pattern for IDP - Woof! My decision was made. |
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by Stacey on January 9, 2012
Do you have a favorite hat that, no matter how many hats you have, you always grab it first? I certainly do, it's my version of Erica Jackofsky's Scalliwag. (that's Erica's version shown there - not mine!) |
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by Stacey on January 3, 2012
Even though my Christmas crafting is over, I still have some really fun gifts I'm excited to get started on. I have some really good friends expecting babies this year so that means I get to make a lot of baby things! My first projects are for 2 dear friends who are expecting their first baby in May. All of us are big University of Oregon Ducks fans (and if you are a college football fan, yes, we are all still celebrating the big win from yesterday) so I wanted to make sure I had a UofO theme for them. I'll definitely make a Duck Hat of course! |
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by Stacey on December 28, 2011
Like Kerin, I'm a bit of yarn snob. I mean, I started out using big box store acrylic yarns but when I discovered how much I liked working with wool, I pretty much left them behind. So I was initially trepidatious when we first received our initial samples of Brava. But I always like to play with new yarns and I did have a project in mind where acrylic would be the best fiber to use. These are the Feet Eaters from Knitting Mochimochi! |
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by Knit Picks Staff on December 5, 2011
I am what some people call a "fashion enthusiast". More accurately, I am a fashion fiend. In my past life (before marriage, college and job), I used to model for some really cool local designers, and even a couple of high-fashion brands. I stopped modeling professionally when I was about 18 but those years in the industry have definitely left their mark. Every season since then, I have made a ritual of stocking up on fashion mags and gummy bears and devoting a full day to sifting through the pages of beautiful (and quite often crazy) fashion trends that will soon be gracing the shelves of local stores. Over the weekend, my husband and I were invited to attend a private shopping party at Nordstrom where, while being fed an unreasonable amount of champagne and hors d'oevures, we were allowed to browse some of the upcoming season's hottest fashion trends. While I am the world's biggest sucker for a new pair of jeans, this season's shopping party was all about accessories for me. As I was calmly (ha!) sorting through the shelves of beautiful items, I started to notice a trend. Knits! Most of the items that I fell in love with were things that most knitters/crocheters could make fairly easily! I thought that since so many of you are much more talented than I, I would share some of the things that I saw flying out the door last night in the arms of proud shoppers, like myself, in hopes that you can gain inspiration for any last minute gifts. |
