Follow along and discover your next inspiration as we cast on for projects we love, explore new techniques, and dish about the latest and greatest from Knit Picks.
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I’m usually not terribly tempted by sales, but this year I just had to treat myself to the limited edition Wool of the Andes colors that we had for Cyber Monday! Apparently I wasn’t the only one who had that idea, considering that by the time I placed my order, one color was sold out and two more were just a few skeins away. So, I got what I could!
And it was a lot.
To ring in the new year, Jenny and Stacey get together to chat about new collections and yarn out for our Winter 2014 catalog! The first of three collections highlights the Gloss yarn line with 6 versatile designs, while the other two collections make the most of your yarn stash with patterns designed to use under 100 grams of yarn. The Under 100 Knit collection brings together 30 designs and the Under 100 Crochet collection features 10 designs – all of which are ideal for those odds and ends of yarn from the post-holiday crafting season. Finally, Jenny and Stacey talk about Brava’s expanded range of colors and our ever-growing selection of free patterns (psst…be sure to check out our 52 weeks of dishcloths)!
You can find our three new collections for Winter here:
Gloss 2014 collection printed book
Gloss 2014 collection ebook
Under 100 Knit collection printed book
Under 100 Knit collection ebook
Under 100 Crochet collection printed book
Under 100 Crochet collection ebook
And be sure to check out all of our new Brava colors!
3 easy ways to listen…
Happy New Year!
How many of you knit or crochet dishcloths? We know they are pretty popular – all of us here make our own dishcloths all the time, usually practicing a fun new stitch or technique. And I find that all of my handmade dishcloths last work so much better than ones found in stores.
So with that in mind, for 2014 we thought we’d have a fun little Dishcloth-along! Every week, we will be posting a brand new dishcloth pattern – for free! Each pattern is written by the Knit Picks staff and at the end of the year, we have something special planned for them. (it’s a secret for now, but I think you’ll enjoy it!)
So first up is the dishcloth pattern I make all the time for myself – Orbital.
It’s hard to believe that the holidays are already upon us! I’ve got some presents to wrap and some cookies to bake, but other than that I can relax and finish my sweater this weekend. It’s almost done!
Hopefully I’ll have it done by Wednesday, so I can give gifts in style. Only a yoke to go!
To those of you that are traveling for the holidays, stay safe and happy travels! And to all, have a lovely holiday season. May your yarn stash extend ever on. Happy knitting and happy holidays!
Today was a good day. We received a visit from the Snuggle Express!
A few weeks ago, I spotted a program that the Oregon Humane Society was doing this holiday season – for a donation to OHS, offices could receive a visit from some adoptable puppies & kittens for some snuggle time! I was so excited and got it all set up for our office – and we received a visit from 3 puppies & 2 kittens today!
Read more »Our friend Katrina from our sister company Connecting Threads showed off one of her first crochet blankets a month ago – but now she’s back with yet another gorgeous gift!
In my last post about the Large Stripe Chevron Blanket, I mentioned that I had already moved on to chevron blanket #2. Since then, I completed the blanket with a few improvisations. Rather than sticking with one skein per stripe, I switched it up a little and alternated colors after every three rows. This way, I was able to fit each color in three times rather than just the one.
Read more »A cable crossing in the wrong direction, a dropped stitch, knit stitches that should have been purled. As knitters, we are all familiar with this heart wrenching moment, when we know that something has to be done before moving forward. This week, Kelley talks about both the physical and emotional impact of moving backwards and the difference between ripping a project back versus unraveling, where stitches are dropped and then reworked. Next, Kelley reviews a few of her recent favorite non-knitting books and chats about what projects are currently on her needles.
Reviewed Books:
The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
Six Years by Harlan Coben
Alice Waters and Chez Panisse by Thomas McNamee
The United States of Arugula by David
An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Lye in Wait by Cricket McRae
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman , narrated by Barbara Rosenblat
Kelley’s Pattern Picks:
Swarm of Bees by Lisa Kereliuk
Business Casual pattern by Tannis Fiber Arts
Diverged by Ariel Altaras
Funchal Mobius by Kate Davies
Canopus Magic Scarf by Alexis Winslow (from the Winsome Knits collection)
3 easy ways to listen…
Lately, we’ve been taking some time to weed through our older free patterns that need a little update and having them reknit for new photos or if the original yarn has been discontinued. I love taking good, solid patterns and giving them a mini makeover to match our current aesthetics. Our most recent redo was the Chunky Slipper Pattern from a few years ago. I whipped these up over two days in Wool of the Andes Bulky Navy and love how they fit. Not too bulky, but perfect slipped over a pair of socks for around the house on cold mornings.
Read more »This year, my wish list is full of fibery goodies. But what I would really love (and I think just about any spinner would agree!), is the Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook!
This book is so much more than just a spinning how-to. Beautiful imagery and an incredible wealth of information await inside. With this book as your guide, you’ll learn not only how to spin, but why, and what to spin for what purpose.
Read more »There are a few tools that perpetually reside in my shopping cart, just one click away from being all mine. And yet there they stay, waiting for that moment when I break down and splurge or someone magically gifts them to me. The long-term resident on my list is a Kromski Harp Loom.
