The Knit Picks Staff Knitting Blog

Episode 367 – Botanic and the Ice Fire KAL

by Knit Picks Podcast on June 21, 2023

We’ve got a beautiful new lace book out, Botanic: Nature-inspired Lace, and Lee and Stacey share the inspiration and some behind-the-scenes details. Stacey also gets excited about our new Foursquare Sunstruck needles. Plus, Lee and Stacey announce our summer break. We’re taking July and August off from podcasting, but we’ll be back with fresh episodes on the first Wednesday of September!

Also in this episode, Lee and Stacey are joined by Andi, Jen, Regan, and Carlene to discuss how our Ice Fire KAL WIPs are turning out. Despite starting at the same time, everyone is at very different points, and we bet you can guess …

4 Comments

Tags: KAL, Podcast

2023 Pride Flag Patterns

by Knit Picks Staff on June 15, 2023

Originally created just for our social media followers, the Knit Picks Team worked together to makes these cute Pride Flags and pattern, and by popular request, we’re adding them to the blog for easy bookmarking and better accessibility! Included are charts and color suggestions for 13 flags, and other styles can easily be created by finding the flag with the right stripes sequence and changing up the colors. For example, 5 stripe flags can be used for Lesbian, Trans, Genderfluid, and more.

Materials Needed

US 6 (4mm) Knitting Needles

Palette Yarn held double (or use any yarn you have in the right colors!)

Yarn Needle

Colors in Palette Yarn

Trans Blossom Heather White Sky Bisexual Blue Lantana Rogue Pansexual Cyan Canary Cosmopolitan Asexual Black White Silver Mulberry Nonbinary White Black Safflower French Lavender Agender White Black Silver Pistachio Lesbian Conch Blossom Heather White Fuchsia Lipstick Aromantic Black Silver White Alfalfa Grass Gay MenNavy Chicory Bluebell White Pistachio Tranquil Shoal Progress Pride Blossom Heather White Sky Black Hazelnut Serrano Orange Canary Grass Blue French Lavender Demisexual White Black Silver Mulberry Demiromantic White Black Silver Grass Intersex Canary FrenchLavender

1 Comment

Tags: free patterns

Square Knitting Needle FAQ

by Andi Satterlund on June 14, 2023

Foursquare Majestics are some of our most popular needles, and we’re very excited to now offer one of our most popular styles in one of our most popular colors with Foursquare Sunstrucks! A bunch of the Knit Picks team has been using the Foursquare Sunstrucks since we got the factory samples, and even skeptics who had never used square needles before fell in love. We know the idea of square needles sounds strange, but they’re so much better than you might imagine if you’ve never tried them! Here are the most frequently asked questions we get about square needles.

Are they comfortable?Comfort is the key feature of square needles! The flat surfaces of square needles give your fingers ideal places to hold …

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Tags: Needles

Episode 366 – Knitting in Public with Michele

by Knit Picks Podcast on June 7, 2023

Knit in Public Day is this weekend, and we thought it was fitting to invite Michele Bernstein to join us for this episode of the podcast, because she will once again be joining the Knit Picks team for our own Knit in Public Day event! We talk with her about her current design passions, past small knitting events like Knit in Public Day, and bigger events with classes like Vogue Knitting Live. If you’re local to the Portland, Oregon area, we hope you’ll join us this weekend in Vancouver, Washington for our event. You can find more details on here on the Knit Picks blog.

Plus, Lee, Stacey, and Andi share their …

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Tags: Podcast

Our KIP Day Event is This Saturday!

by Andi Satterlund on June 6, 2023

Knit in Public Day is this weekend, and we’re so excited to see knitters at our local event in Vancouver, WA!

When: June 10th, 12-3pmWhere: Hidden House Event Space in beautiful downtown Vancouver, WA.100 W 13th St, Vancouver, WA 98660Why: To knit together!

We shared that we’ll have both indoor and outdoor seating and light refreshments, and now we can share more of the fun details! We will be joined by designers Michele Bernstein and Emily Kintigh with their trunk shows, and we’ll also have pattern samples from some of our latest collections for you to check out.

3 Comments

Tags: Events

The Ice Fire KAL Starts Today

by Andi Satterlund on June 1, 2023

Today is the day to cast on your Ice Fire Wrap! With the KAL running June 1st to July 31st, there are 8 weeks to knit your wrap, and it’s no coincidence that the large repeat is worked 8 times! To get your wrap finished by July 31st, all you need to do is work a full repeat of rows 5-76 once every week until you bind off.

If you ever get stuck, be sure to check out the resources in our Learning Center for help, or leave a comment here or on social media! Use the hashtag #IceFireKAL to share your own progress.

Resources for the Ice Fire Wrap KAL

How to CO using the Long Tail CO

How to BO using the Basic …

13 Comments

Tags: KAL

Free Downloadable June 2023 Calendar

by Regan N on June 1, 2023

Happy June! To celebrate, we have your free monthly calendar wallpapers. Enjoy these June 2023 wallpaper images (free download for you!) — featuring a few pops of color in Chroma Fingering, Curio #10, Palette, and Brava Worsted!

How to get the Wallpaper:

To get the free downloadable calendar background of your choice (smart phones, tablets, or desktop computers), simply click on the image of your choice to go to the full-size photo and then save it!

Free June 2023 Wallpaper for Desktop:

Free June 2023 Wallpaper for Tablet:

Free Blank Wallpaper for Zoom:

2 Comments

Tags: Calendar backgrounds, Wallpaper downloads

What Does Positive Ease Look Like?

by Andi Satterlund on May 31, 2023

Ease is the difference between the wearer’s measurement and the garment’s measurement, but knowing that doesn’t always help when it comes to choosing a size to knit if you struggle with visualizing that difference! There are three types of ease you’ll hear discussed with regard to knitting patterns, and they’re all based on a simple math equation: garment’s chest circumference – wearer’s chest circumference = ease.

Negative ease is created when the garment is smaller than the person wearing it, which makes a tight fit thanks to knitting’s natural stretch. Zero ease is created when the garment and wearer have the same chest …

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Tags: Inspiration

The Olive Knits 4-day KAL

by Knit Picks on May 26, 2023

Have you ever knit a garment in just 4 days? That’s what the Olive Knits annual 4-day KAL aims to do over the 4th of July weekend! Hosted by Marie Greene of Olive Knits and featuring a new design by her each year, this is the 7th year of knitters working on the same pattern to knit themselves a garment in just 4 days. The 4-day KAL begins June 30th, and you can learn more about the KAL on OliveKnits.com.

2 Comments

Tags: KAL

Yarn Substitutions for Wraps & Scarves

by Andi Satterlund on May 24, 2023

From bottom to top, Ice Fire Wraps knit with bulky, the original worsted, and DK weight yarns. Note the size differences!

Most guides for yarn substitution are aimed at projects that need to fit very specific measurements, like sweaters or socks. So how much of that applies when substituting yarn for something where final dimensions aren’t terribly important, like with the Ice Fire Wrap? Wraps and scarves have some flexibility to their final measurements because they can have a range of sizes that are several inches different and still be perfectly functional. When choosing your yarn for a project like that, here’s what you need to keep in mind!

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Tags: KAL

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