There’s a lot of hats being made around here
by on February 7, 2011

When I took this job at Knit Picks, I knew pretty instantly that
knitting was going to quickly become one of my new favorite hobbies. 
Since completing my first hat a couple of weeks ago, I have already made
another one and started on a third.  The first two were just my way of
testing my skills and trying out new stitches.  Because they are a
little too big for my head, I have decided to donate them to charity in
hopes that they will keep someone else’s slightly larger head warm in
this winter weather.  The one that I am working on now is the first one
that I am using a pattern on and I am really excited to see the end
result. 

In case you didn’t see a picture of my first hat on our Facebook page, here’s what it looked like:

I unfortunately haven’t captured a good picture of my second hat yet but here is what it looked like in the process:

My third hat is a cloche pattern that I got from Ravelry.  The pattern link is here: Cloche Hat
So far, I have just completed the brim section but I hope to get a good start on the body of it tonight.

My new-found love for knitting is starting to rub off on others in
the office and a couple of people have even stepped up and finished
projects that they were working on for quite some time now…

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Tags: charity, Finished Objects, Fun


Checklist for a perfect project
by on February 3, 2011

I know I am going out on a limb because each knitter has his or her own set of parameters. But, as I finished my Lace Ribbon Scarf I realized it was one of my absolutely perfect projects. Here is my checklist –

1) Easily obtainable instructions – right from Ravelry. I was able to use my Google Documents app to make the PDF file show up on my phone whenever I wanted to check the lace pattern

2) Memorizable pattern – it didn’t take long for me to be able to read my previously knit stitches to tell where I was in the pattern.

3) High quality yarn – our Chroma yarn is delightfully soft as it flows through your fingers, it makes a fabric that is decadently soft and the color play as the lace pattern travels back and forth was mesmerizing.

4) Quick to knit – don’t get me wrong, I love challenging projects like lace shawls or colorwork sweaters. But, those don’t fall under my category of “absolutely perfect”.

5) Easy to give away – that’s right! A friend was admiring this scarf as I was knitting it. I loved that I didn’t hesitate for a moment before I offered it to her as a gift. I enjoyed knitting it and I knew she would love it day after day after day. 

6) My fingers are itching to cast on another potentially “absolutely perfect” project – and I think I’ve found it. Using my other ball of Chroma Fingering weight yarn in Sunrise. And, I will only need one ball because it has nearly 400 yards in the 100 gram ball. The pattern for this shawlette.

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Tags: Fun, Inspiration, Yarn


Some flowers for mom – and you!
by on January 28, 2011

I was walzing through a yarn shop a few months ago, and I called my
mom to ask if there was anything I hadn’t knit for her yet. She reminded
me of the tams we used to wear all the time (I say ‘we’ but I really
mean ‘they were hers and I destroyed them’) and how she wished she had
one again. It had been a looooong time since she’d seen one in a store.
So, I said, “I’ll see what I can do.” I picked up some yarn and got to
thinking.

My mom’s favorite garden flowers are impatiens. So, I figured an
impatien-like design would be nice. Leaves make a pretty good crown –
yeah, that’ll work. And a few days later, I brought the result into the
office:

Immediately, I was descended upon by Chroma-bearing coworkers saying “THIS MUST BE A PATTERN!”

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Tags: colorwork, Knit Picks Designers


Kromski Spinning Wheels
by on January 28, 2011

The Kromski family has been making spinning wheels for more than 100 years. In their local cultural museum, you can find a spinning wheel made by Daniel Kromski’s grandfather. It’s no surprise that Kromski wheels are not only well engineered but they have several designs to suit any style preference. Ranging from simple modern to wood-turned embellished, you will find a wheel worthy of the investment of money and creative energy.

There is a Kromski Spinning Wheel Owners group on Ravelry that is bursting with information on each Kromski from spinners who use and love them. Where better to get advice on which wheel to buy?


The Fantasia is the newest in the Kromski collection. Yes, thoroughly modern in every aspect, but the concept and design are obviously Kromski.

 

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Tags: New Products


Spindling my yarns
by on January 25, 2011

Our Knit Picks Drop Spindle is an affordable introduction to drop spindling. Notice how I didn’t say, ‘introduction to spinning’. Thanks to Abby Franquemont’s book, Respect the Spindle,
drop spindling is no longer considered to be a ‘training exercise’ or
‘a first step towards real spinning on a spinning wheel’. More about
spinning wheels later. 

After you become comfortable spinning
yarn with your first drop spindle, you will want to collect more
spindles. Abby explains that there are practical, as well as esthetic,
reasons for expanding your spindle collection. Between the two, I can
justify nearly any spindle purchase.

Practical reasons usually
involve your wanting to spin different weights of yarns. My Golding is
perfect for DK/Worsted weight yarn. But, if I want to spin anything
lighter, I definitely need to use a smaller spindle.

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Tags: Books, Fun, spinning, Yarn


TNNA wrap up
by on January 18, 2011

Angela and I went to the TNNA winter show in Long Beach, CA last week. It was a little different for us than other shows we’ve attended – this time, instead of just walking the floor as a retailer, we were exhibiting as wholesalers! We’ve just started selling our needles to local yarn stores, and it’s possible that they’re already at a shop near you. Alisha made this initial list of LYSs that carry Knit Picks needles, and we’re adding new stores faster than we can udpate the list!

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Tags: Finished Objects, News, Office Gossip


Introducing Jenny!
by on January 17, 2011

I wanted to introduce you to the newest member of the Knit Picks team, Jenny!  Jenny’s our new Education Coordinator, and she’ll be writing tutorials, managing the podcast schedule, and creating new videos for techniques and virtual classes.  She’s already hard at work on podcast episode 151, and it should air this Thursday, January 20th.
 

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Tags: Inspiration


I’m knitting a hat…
by on January 17, 2011

Some of you may have seen the video of me getting a seed stitch
lesson from Kerin during our lunch break last week.  In the video, I was
working on what ultimately became a long swatch of different stitch
types.  After realizing that my swatch was never going to be a scarf
that anyone would want to wear, I decided to try knitting a hat.  On
Friday night, I sat down with my 16″ circulars and a ball of yarn and
had my entire 2″ band done before I noticed the part in the pattern that
says “be careful not to twist your ring of stitches.”  Oops.  At this
point, my entire row had been twisted and turned close to 50 times and
the whole thing looked like a hot mess.  After getting confirmation from
my mom over the weekend that there was no salvaging my work, I decided
to start over. 

Now I’m curious: what are some of the trials and
tribulations that you all have run into?  Being such the beginner that I
am, I could really use some tips from people who have knit up a few
hats in their day.  What specific things should one look out for?  Do
you have any (really easy) pattern suggestions?  I’d love to hear any
advice that you have.  Thanks in advance for your help!

-Alisha

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Tags: Fun, Office Gossip, silliness


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