How to Block a Sweater

After investing a great deal of time into knitting a sweater, you want to give it a beautiful finish. This often involves blocking the sweater to the proper dimensions. When you block a sweater, you are setting the stitches and evening out the fabric in addition to preserving the correct sizing. Generally, sweaters can be wet blocked (good for cotton and linen), spray blocked (good for wool and alpaca) or steam blocked (good for wool and alpaca) depending on their fiber
content.

And to make sure that your first sweater blocking session is a success, we have a handy video tutorial that walks you through all of the steps! The video also shows you what to do for the three different blocking methods (wet, spray and steam). That way you can match a blocking technique that is best suited for the fiber type of your sweater.

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Am I Regressing?

So all I want to knit at the moment is fingering weight garter stitch scarves:

Does that mean I’m regressing as a Knitter?

Well, in all honestly, they’re not like the garter stitch scarves I made when I was first learning to knit – these all have a unique construction, which makes them much more entertaining to work on. I’ve made all three of these over the past couple of months (and this doesn’t include my Color Affection, also in garter stitch with unique construction that I also finished this summer!).

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Long weekend projects

Last weekend was a long weekend for us – I had all these plans to finish up some works in progress, especially my Graham Scarf, so I can start on some bigger projects. Instead, I ran out of the Stroll Tonal I was using on Friday afternoon (completely my fault, nothing to do with Erica‘s wonderful pattern.)  Luckily, Jenny is also working on a project in Goldrush & had some leftovers!  But this meant that I wouldn’t be able to work on it all weekend.  And none of my other projects just seemed to appeal to me and I just fell into a blah mood.

So I decided I needed cute quick projects to make me smile.

I got out the brightest Swish colors in my stash and my E hook & had some fun!

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Back to school, and back to fall knitting!

Well, as if the shortening days weren’t enough to tell us that summer
is nearing its end, school is beginning again! Before you know it,
there will be a chill in the morning air. Better get started on your
super warm fall accessories now!

If you really want to chase the chill away, why not try the Burdock Hat and Scarf kit?

This is a super-soft, machine washable, totally reversible set. The
pattern is inspired by the Burdock plant, a Scandinavian thistle, and
Fana stripes.

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Podcast Episode 195: Technology and Apps for Knitting Organization

Always on the lookout for new and interesting ways to use technology to organize her fiber life, Kelley shares her enthusiasm for a handful of knitting apps! Kelley reviews three apps for android users that help you stay on track throughout your knitting project and keep you connected to your Ravelry account – no matter where you might find yourself knitting! Kelley first reviews Ravulous, a handy app that links to your Ravelry account so you can manage your stash, search through patterns, and update your projects. Next, Kelley talks about the Ravelry Photo Uploader app that lets you snap a photo of your WIP and upload it to your Ravelry project page directly from your phone! That way you can be sure to keep your projects organized and up to date, no matter if you are at your local knit night or on the road. Both of the Ravelry …

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Get Acquainted With Alpaca

Alpacas are known for their cuteness, but they do have a few other tricks up their woolly sleeves! Hailing from South America, Alpacas belong to the camelid family (which also includes camels and llamas) and are known for its fleece that spins into luxurious yarns. In centuries past, the Alpaca was an incredibly valuable animal, even more so than precious gems – although if you ask a knitter or crocheter today, they still might be inclined to agree with that sentiment.

So in honor of Reverie, our newest Alpaca blend yarn, let’s explore the properties of Alpaca and just what exactly makes it so wonderful for us fiber fanatics!

Our newest addition, Reverie!

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Wedding Gifts

These are the big secret I’ve been keeping the last couple of months. Bob’s youngest son, Jon, married Mara on August 18th in Stowe, Vermont. They will be living in Connecticut and have a particular affinity for owls. When I think of Vermont, Connecticut or the rest of the northeast, I think of cold winters and simple living. A perfect lifestyle for hot water bottles! When I found the Hoot Water Bottle Cozy pattern by Robyn Wade, it seemed like fate! I used Wool of the Andes Tweed in Marine and North Pole. I used little bits of Palette for the owl outlines and the branches. Notice how I have the owls’ eyes open for the night (Marine) and closed for the day (North Pole).

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The first hints of fall

Even though it’s still August, the first whispers of fall are in the
air. It was downright chilly this morning, and the sun isn’t really much
help when I get up for work. Colder weather is on its way – perfect
time to start planning your fall knitting projects!

Just right for fall is the new Viticetum Coat.
This duster-length coat has a pattern of swirling vines over a shifting
background. In fact, just as an Arboretum is a collection of trees, a
Viticetum is a collection of vines – just what you’ll find in this coat!

Smaller vine patterns appear in the edgings, and the coat is finished with elegant clasps.

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