The Knit Picks Staff Knitting Blog

Podcast Episode 322: Warm Weather Knitting

by Knit Picks Podcast on May 15, 2020

Cascades Tee

Here in the Pacific Northwest we’ve had our first burst of warm weather and we’ve decided it’s high time we talk about warm weather knitting. Whether you’re thinking of garments to WEAR or projects to MAKE during our upcoming heatwaves, we’ve got you covered. Listen along as we talk about the ins and outs of our favorite knitting season: SUMMER!

First up, Stacey and Hannah share their favorite projects. We’ll get you thinking about your own knitting queue and wardrobe. And if you’re wondering if summer is blanket-knitting season, the answer is YES! Modular blankets are easy to knit in small sections while sitting in the sun, and then pieced together in the cool evenings. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks.

Next, Lee and …

7 Comments

Tags: Podcast, cotton, Fun, Inspiration, silliness, Staff Projects, Yarn

Free Downloadable Virtual Meeting Backgrounds

by Knit Picks on May 14, 2020

Here are 5 crafty virtual backgrounds to choose from!

Instructions to use Virtual Meeting Backgrounds on Zoom:

While in a Zoom meeting, tap More in the controls. Tap Virtual Background. Tap the background you would like to apply, or tap + to upload a new image.

Click on your favorite to download:

4 Comments

Tags: Wallpaper downloads, Calendar backgrounds

Kitchen Kaleidoscope Dishcloths

by Lee Meredith on May 11, 2020

Have you seen our newest dishcloths book, Kitchen Kaleidoscope? Dishcloths are a perfect way to learn new techniques on a small scale, use up cotton leftovers, and make fun and useful gifts!

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Tags: Exclusive KP Collections, 52 weeks of dishcloths, Beginning Knitting, Books, cotton, eBooks, Patterns

Podcast Episode 321: DIY Yarn – Dye It Yourself!

by Knit Picks Podcast on May 1, 2020

We’re recording these episodes from our homes scattered across Portland, Oregon. We may be apart but our enthusiasm for all things yarn and crafting bring us together! Today, we’re taking a small departure from knitting or crochet to talk about dyeing yarns. No matter what craft you’re passionate about, being able to make your unique, custom colorway is an exciting and fun project that you can do at home with things you probably already have around the house!

First up, Regan and Hannah chat about natural dyes. You can get stunning washes of color from tree bark, spices, and common vegetables with just a little bit of time and effort. Regan shares his experiments with our Earthues dye kit and Hannah touches on some of her …

5 Comments

Tags: Podcast, Inspiration, Staff Projects

Free Downloadable May 2020 Calendar

by Morgan B on May 1, 2020

Get your free May wallpaper!

10 Comments

Tags: Calendar backgrounds, Freebie Friday, Fun, Inspiration, Wallpaper downloads

Stitch Away Stress – Self-Care

by Stacey on April 21, 2020

During stressful times, nothing is as important as self-care—if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to keep going to help other people. Even if you can only spare only a few minutes a day, it’s enough to recharge your batteries to handle what life throws at you! We’ve gathered together what the Knit Picks staff have been doing to practice self-care over the past few weeks.

Hannah Maier, Brand Director

For the past month, I’ve really taken time to savor quiet time in the mornings. I make my favorite tea, snuggle on the couch and listen to a podcast or read a book for a few minutes before I do anything else. I’ve …

9 Comments

Tags: Inspiration, Events, Staff Projects

Podcast Episode 320: Tried and True Knits

by Knit Picks Podcast on April 17, 2020

You may have noticed that we took a short break between episodes while we figured out how to record from home. We miss our tiny recording studio but we’re also so excited to be able to record new episodes for you to knit along to.

Many of us are finding more time to do our favorite crafts during the day… it’s a time to rest and find comfort in our projects. Even though we’re spending more time crafting, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all of that time is spent in one go over the course of a leisurely crafternoon! Instead, kiddos, pets, work or chores punctuate our days. Everyone on the Knit Picks team has found ways to make our precious knitting and crochet time productive …

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Tags: Podcast, Inspiration

Stitch Away Stress – Connecting with Crafters

by Stacey on April 14, 2020

How are you connecting your fellow crafters while staying at home? A lot of us have been missing crafting nights out or even simply hanging out with friends, and when that’s an important part of your life, it can feel pretty isolating. We’ve reached out to our friends for some advice.

For the Knit Picks staff, we’re used to seeing each other every day and to keep us going, we have a daily video call to check in with each other! It’s just lovely to see everyone’s face (and everyone’s kitties, puppies, and kiddos popping in to say hi!).

Test knitter Maeve (Instagram: maevezana) has a similar solution:“I wanted to say that I’ve had several lovely zoom meeting “knit nights” with our far-flung knitting group …

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Tags: Inspiration, Events

Stitch Away Stress! Knitter Tips for Managing Stress

by Stacey on April 7, 2020

With everything going on in the world, it’s been difficult to manage stress levels. A lot of us are finding ourselves torn from our usual daily routines while worrying about the health of ourselves and loved ones, while not feeling we have an outlet for our anxiety. Since April is Stress Awareness Month, it’s a great time to check out The Craft Yarn Council’s annual campaign to help all us yarn crafters find balance in this overwhelming time – Stitch Away Stress!