Follow along and discover your next inspiration as we cast on for projects we love, explore new techniques, and dish about the latest and greatest from Knit Picks.
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This week we are featuring a big favorite around here – the Classic Lines Cardigan.
This is an older pattern but one we just simply love. Our own Alison wrote it – her one & only pattern so far – and it just looks good on everyone.
Read more »We had a taste of summer weather this weekend so Kerin, Jenny K., Hannah and I all went for a scenic drive – which, of course, ended at the Columbia Gorge Fiber Festival. None of us can resist pretty yarn & fiber!
Photo of the Upstream Alpaca booth
Read more »This project has been a long time in the making! I dyed my fiber last year using Greener Shades dyes, then spun it into four different 250g skeins of bulky weight 2-ply, and now I’ve finally transformed it all into a finished object.
When I’m stash busting or using up unlabeled yarn, I tend to create my own patterns that are a) extremely basic and b) allow me to change plans mid-stream in order to work around yarn shortages. For this project, I decided to do a basic crochet ripple afghan – I wanted something soothing that let me really enjoy the texture and colors of my handspun without concentrating on a difficult stitch pattern. I also planned on creating stripes of varying widths so that I had more options for using up the majority of my yarn.
Read more »I’ve been holding off on posting about it publicly, but once I saw the pictures from our de-stash party I figured I could start telling folks that I’m pregnant. Dan and I are expecting our first child this June, a boy, and we’re super excited.
It’s no secret that I have a ridiculous stash. I’ve been fighting the
dreaded SABLE (Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy) for some time
now, and the only weapon I have is youth! But, barring medical advances
that would have me able to knit productively till about 120 years old, I
need to do something about my stash.
What really spurred me on was the stash swap party we had last week. I
had to go through my stash and get rid of stuff, and I was also
determined to bring home less than I brought. But, I have to say that
dumping out a comforter-bags’ worth of stash all over my dining table
was a bit of an eye-opener!
So, thanks to all your suggestions, I was able to narrow down the potential colors for my Hubby’s new sweater, and he chose…
It was between that and Flagstone Heather
for him, but since the last sweater I knit for him was roughly that
same shade of grey, we went for something lighter. That’s good for me,
too, since I’ll be able to see the cables well! He generally wears
pretty dark colors, so it’ll be nice to see him in something light for a
change.
I swatched, calculated, and drew up a basic plan for the sweater
based on the fishy one I knit for him. I’ve got the yarn ordered – 24
skeins! – and it should be here in a week or so. This weekend I’m hoping
to get some time to sketch out some cable patterns so I can jump right
in as soon as it arrives…
Working alongside so many clever crafters, it is easy to branch out of my comfort zone and try my hand at new projects and crafts. In addition to those who knit and crochet, there are also spinners, weavers, and dyers here at the KP office – a wealth of knowledge and inspiration! Over the past year, I have crocheted a few amigurumi toys and learned how to weave on a rigid heddle loom. Not only is it so much fun to explore new ways to indulge my fiber love, but it is also welcomed reality check. It was strange and exciting to be back into that unknown territory where I couldn’t read my stitches and I wasn’t sure if my hands were moving correctly to warp the loom. It was fun to have a project where I could embrace the experience and learning process rather than focus on the finished object.
In the spirit of a new year and new projects, I am beginning to plan my list of new things to try out in 2012. First things first – I am starting to realize I have a growing collection of fiber. I have a drop spindle that I play around with from time to time, but I think learning to spin would be a much more effective use of my time and fiber!
Wool of the Andes and Hanks in the Hood roving
Read more »I had a little bit of relaxation time during the holiday season, and it was nice to be able to sink my teeth into some fiber projects (both new and old). I did start a bunch of knitting projects, but I also had time to take my spinning wheel for a, um, spin.
You don’t need to be a spinner to love fibers! I’m not a spinner but it doesn’t stop me from indulging in an assortment
of fiber. That’s why I am so excited that Knit Picks is now selling many
types of fiber.
There’s Wool of the Andes roving in Bare and in colors, recycled fibers with Full Circle Roving; there are spinning batts in many colors and now silk hankies!
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I recently finished spinning a bunch of the roving that I had dyed with Greener Shades dyes back in February. I was trying to work my way through a bin of older fiber before I allowed myself to play with my new goodies – thinking about it, it’s kind of weird that I create so many rules for myself while working on tasks that are supposed to be purely recreational.
Anyway, I ended up pulling out several braids of dyed Merino that seemed the most fun, then spun them each into a lofty 2-ply bulky weight yarn. I had split each braid in half and then predrafted the fiber without splitting it further, resulting in long color repeats for each single ply. When I plied them together, I got a nice barberpole effect that should work up as subtly shifting stripes.
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