I finished the scarf I was making for my very good friend Andrea. As you probably guessed by the title of this post, I used Comfy Worsted Yarn in Cypress. The pattern is a free pattern from Ravelry, you can find it here. This pattern is really fun to make and takes no time at all. I used about 1 1/2 balls of Comfy–it’s just a matter of how long you want your scarf to be.

You’ll see in the photos of others who have made this pattern that they often use multi-colored yarn–it would be really good in our Stroll Multi Sock yarn I think.

My friend loved it by the way. She’s one of those super fashionable women who wears a scarf every day as part of every outfit–thus using cotton so she doesn’t get too warm.

You’ve probably heard the podcast of the spring yarn preview, so I thought I would give a little more background into the Stroll and Shadow Tonals. When Tina asked me to design the colorways of these yarns, I thought it was a great idea. Because the Tonals are hand painted, we have exact control over just how variegated the yarn is–something that we could never quite achieve with the old kettle dyed yarn. My goal was to take what we loved about the kettle dyed colors and make them even better–adding more variation of shade and hue, and coming up with completely new colorways as well. The name “tonal” is one I brought in from my fabric background. In the quilting world, a tonal fabric is one that has a similar color printed on a background color, so that the over all effect is more interesting than just a solid. …

This delightful project is one of many I want to make from Knitted Gifts.

Besides being such a cute little Hobby Horse, it is a lesson on the structure of hand-knit socks. A perfect project for someone who has been thinking of knitting socks. Just look at the un-felted version of the over-sized sock.

After just a bit of felting and some finishing, the sock magically transforms into a toy!

Even though several weeks passed between when I started this project and finishing, it is actually a very quick knit.


Wouldn’t you just love to knit this horse!! This giveaway will include Ann Budd’s book and the Wool of the Andes yarn you will need in the colors of your choice. All you have to do is leave a comment …

Tina and I went on an adventure Saturday and flew down to Stitches West in Santa Clara, CA. It made for a long day trip, but it was definitely packed with delicious fiber-y goodness. There were no photos or videos allowed inside the convention center, but we were able to see some kind of commotion out on the street as we approached the show.

We couldn’t quite make out what was going on, and when we crossed the street…

Fuzzy fiber ambassadors!

One of the ladies handling the alpacas said that the little brown guy was only 4 months old! I’m such a sucker for them, and these two were so petite I could almost convince myself that my yard is big enough for one.
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Just in case my monologue on Short Rows in Episode 134 of my podcast caught your interest, here are a couple of videos that I think will make Short Rows even more understandable.

jwdrop!
Congratulations!

Kate will contact you to see what colors of Wool of the Andes you would like us to send to you! And, there will also be a copy of Knitted Gifts.

Are you ready to knit the thumbs of your mittens? Here are the videos!

I’ve knit Dan a number of sweaters over the years, both pre- and post-marriage, and a few months ago I pulled the stack of not-worn-very-often knits out of his closet and had him put on a little fashion show for me. Let’s just say that I’ve learned quite a bit about sweater shaping and design over my knitting career, but (sadly) Dan’s sweaters came before all of that fancy knittin’ book learning. Too-tight necks, gaping collars, short sleeves, ridiculously long sleeves, too much/little ease, every major sweater disaster was present. So, time for a New Fancy Sweater for Dan!

I love Norah Gaughan patterns, and she had just written a booklet of men’s sweater patterns that were perfect for Dan’s wardrobe: clean lines, detailed without being fussy, and interesting textures. Beagle has double moss stitch across the shoulders and these nice slightly-fancy ribs …

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Knittin’ Mittens KAL/class. It was just my second online class so I appreciated everyone’s enthusiasm and questions. What I really love is the idea that an online class doesn’t have to end! The videos and comments will stay up on the KAL page as long as there is interest. So if you have any knitting friends who want to give mittens a try, be sure to have them watch the video series!