Hello to our extremely lovely and fabulous Knit Picks blog readers out there! I’m extra excited about today’s post, because I get to show you some of the staff projects that each of us are working on right now in our free time. We want to inspire you to create, and there’s no better conduit to that enthusiasm than sharing our own. I hope this opportunity to hear about our what’s on our needles helps you get excited about a project you’ve wanted to start on. The knitting community is our biggest source of inspiration, so we’d love to return that inspiration back to you!
Hillary
“I have been wanting to make the Mini Kitty Pouf as soon as I saw it! It is a cute and quick project that can be knitted up in an evening on the couch. As soon as our Super Tuff Puff Yarn was added to the Summer Yarn Sale, I knew I wanted to make a giant fluffy version of the Kitty Pouf! I used 2 skeins of Pucker and White with size 17 needles. This was my first knit project in the round and now I can’t get enough! For some reason I was intimidated to knit in the round but now I feel confident to tackle new knit skills. My nieces are already asking to me to knit them giant kitty poufs for Christmas this year!”
Stacey
“As soon as I saw the pattern for Claire Slade’s Stratosphere, I knew I wanted to knit it immediately. First of all, I love the style of asymmetrical garter stitch shawlettes – they are always a comfort knit for me. Second, I love all the Hawthorne lines and I wanted to use up some of the random skeins I have sitting in my stash. Third, Claire has become one of my favorite designers, so I knew it would be an excellent pattern. This was such a pleasure to knit – I love the blending of plain garter stitch, stripes and lace and it’s such a perfect project to have when the office air conditioner gets a little overenthusiastic.”
Alexis
“I picked up a lovely hand dyed yarn at the Stitches Midwest show this spring, from Black Cat Fibers in Milwaukee, WI and knew I would need to pair it with another yarn to actually make something that wasn’t just hat sized. Since it was DK Merino I went straight to Capra DK and was thrilled that the Navy color matched a color in the dye effect perfectly-plus the added bonus of cashmere. I also wanted to practice a new technique, so I choose the Ruvene shawl that has rows of mini cables running throughout it. It has been so much fun, and the repetition is ingraining it into my muscle memory.
I highly recommend this pattern for beginner cables, it teaches you the technique in a small forgivable rows.”
Brooke
“I’m working on my two-color brioche lately! It’s not based on a pattern, but I’m thinking of grafting two of the ends together when it’s finished so I can turn it into a cowl. I’m using Mighty Stitch Super Bulky in White and Chroma Worsted in Lupine with size 7 needles. I must have knitted nearly a million test swatches to see how different yarn weights and colors worked together, and I was surprised when I found that these two yarns were my favorite combination. I didn’t expect yarns of such different weights to work so well together, but I think the bright splash of color ends up being framed better when it has a larger amount of white to contrast against. The super softness of Mighty Stitch doesn’t hurt, either! This yarn is such a delight to work with, it’s hard not to love everything I make with it.”
We love to inspire you with the things that have us knitting, and we’d love to hear what you’ve got on your needles in the comment section, too! What makes you excited about the project you’re working on right now? Is there something fun or challenging that makes it particularly exciting for you? Comment below so we can get inspired with you!
