Knitting Daily

Lovely lace: Oh, the places it can go!

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:00:00 GMT

What do you think of when you think about knitted lace? A shawl, perhaps? A scarf? Socks? Gloves? Sweaters?


Lacy Waves Top by Norah Gaughan, from Lace Style.

Yes, the possibilities are endless. And lace knitting is so addicting that you'll want to explore all of your options. For me, knitting lace evokes generational knitting because I feel like I'm knitting in the tradition of the hundreds of knitters who came before me.

Interweave Knits editor Eunny Jang says, "I've seen lots of metaphors for knitting lace—a butterfly emerging from a cocoon; a flower blooming—but to my mind, there is enough romance in the simple reality of lace knitting: exectute a few easy, repetitive maneuvers with two sticks, and a length of string transforms into delicate, airy fabric traced with pleasingly intricate patterning."


	*The Peek-A-Boo Cloche by Mona Schmidt, from Lace Style. This hat is so cool*—it's a two-parter: A solid underlayer and the lace topper. You can really play with color in this one. I knit the underlayer in gray and the lace top in white. It was stunning, and I still admire it when the friend it I gave it to wears it.

Upon looking through the classic book Lace Style by Anne Budd and Pam Allen, I came across the Lacy Waves Top by Norah Gaughan. Even though I've looked at this book many, many times and even knitted something from it (the Peek-a-Boo Cloche by Mona Schmidt), but somehow I missed this super gorgeous top. I can't believe it, especially since Norah is one of my top five favorite designers.

I have to admit that I've never knitted a lace sweater. I've started two of them and frogged both. I didn't like how the shaping worked on one of them and the yarn I choose for the other ended up not being the best fit.

With just the sleeves and that cool wave motif on the front being lacy, this sweater is a good mix of lace and my favorite stockinette. I'm undecided on whether the lace sleeves will look good on me, though. I might just do short stockinette sleeves. We'll see. (I want this to be a summer top, so I'll knit short sleeves regardless.)

Anyway, I must add this top to my queue. Since I'm knitting from my stash, I should probably look through all of my sweater-quantity yarn to see if I have something appropriate in the DK weight that this sweater calls for. The original yarn, Berocco Softwist, is discontinued. Alas, I loved that yarn. But I'm sure I have something. Hold on . . .

Found it! I have a bunch of balls of Rowan Tapestry. It's in the blue/white variegated colorway, which should go well with the wave theme. The decorative panel on the front of the sweater is bold enough to stand up to the variegated yarn, too. I think it'll be a beauty. Now I just need to squeeze it into my knitting schedule. Time is the knitter's enemy, at least for this knitter! Why does it just whiz past?

Join me in a lace journey, won't you? Even if it's just adding a lace pattern to your queue; that's something, right?

And if you don't have a copy of Lace Style, get one STAT! It's fantastic, and it's now available as an eBook.

Cheers,

A New Knit-Along: The Lapis Yoke Pullover!

Kathleen Cubley — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:15:00 GMT


The new knit-along is the Lapis Yoke Pullover. It's available in the Knitting Daily Shop or in the Fall 2010 issue of Knitscene.

Remember when you voted for a pullover and I said I'd knit the winning design? Well the winner was the Lapis Yoke and I'm just about ready to start. Want to knit this cute knitted pullover along with me?

Here are the details of the pattern:

Lapis Yoke Pullover by Hannah Fettig

(Easy)

Sizes: 34-3⁄4 (39, 44-1⁄4, 48)" bust; shown in size 34-3⁄4"
Yarn: The Fibre Company Organik (70% organic merino, 15% alpaca, 15% silk; 98 yd [89 m]/50 g): seawater, 10 (12, 14, 16) skeins. Yarn distributed by Kelbourne Woolens
Gauge: 17 sts and 25 rows = 4" in St st on larger needles

Tools
• Size 7 (4.5 mm): 24" circular (cir) needle
• Size 7 (4.5 mm): set of double-pointed needles (dpn)
• Size 8 (5 mm): 16" and 24" or longer cir needles, depending on size
• Size 8 (5 mm): set of dpn
• Markers (m)
• Yarn needle
• Stitch holders

Schedule
2/6-2/13: Find or buy pattern, choose yarn, and get gauge
2/14-3/6: Knit yoke
3/7-3/28: Knit body
3/29-4/19: Knit sleeves and complete finishing and blocking

I'm using Cascade Cash Vero for my sweater. It's a 55% merino, 33% microfiber, 12% cashmere blend and it's super soft. I'm knitting this sweater in a slightly larger gauge than the pattern calls for because I want it to be a little roomier. I've got 16 inches per inch on size 9 needles and I like the fabric—it's not too loose. I'm also going to 3/4 sleeves because I just like them better than long sleeves. I'll post a photo of my swatch as soon as I can take a photo of it.

Here's the link to the forum, so come and join me!

Cheers,

Share your love with a prayer shawl

Kathleen Cubley — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Statistics say that there may be almost 300,000 new cases of breast cancer in 2012 (American Cancer Society). Shocking, isn't it? When I read this statistic my heart sank—it's 2012, how can this be?


Comfort Shawl by Sandi Wiseheart. This shaped shawl is an easy knit that stays on the shoulders. It's a free pattern, too!

My circle of friends is peppered with woman who have survived breast cancer, and I'm sure yours is too. I also have dear friends in the midst of their fights, and I feel so helpless. What can I do to support them? A meal here and there is certainly helpful and appreciated, and visits are wonderful, too, but since I'm a knitter, I want to knit something for these precious treasures to help them get through their fight. And the options are plentiful; I've knit hats and socks for my friends and for lots of cancer charities. It's such a win-win—I love knitting and the people suffering are so in need of these small items.

Since chemo patients seem to get so cold during treatment, prayer shawls are the perfect remedy. These shawls have many meanings for many people. Some people do use them while praying, some pray while knitting the shawls, and we all think positive thoughts and put love into each an every stitch.

There are free patterns for knitted prayer shawls, crocheted prayer shawls, woven prayer shawls, and sewn prayer shawls, so whatever your craft you can give the gift of support to your dear ones in need.

And, of course, there are many reasons other than cancer to share a prayer shawl! I knit one for my 91-year-old gramma and she wears it all the time. It's bright pink, her favorite color, so she feels cheery when she wears it and she spreads cheer to all who see her walking around her retirement home.

Knitting gifts is so rewarding, and as knitters we can give the gift of our time and support all wrapped up in a knitted garment. I've gotten so much pleasure out of giving these sorts of gifts, and I know you have too.

Share your prayer shawl story, pattern, favorite charity, and so on in the comments. I know there's a lot of inspiration out there that will lift us all up a little bit.

And if you've never knitted a prayer shawl, look up "prayer shawl" on Google and be bowled over by the resources that pop up!

Cheers,

Have a heart (and a free pattern!)

Kathleen Cubley — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Heart shaped items are a weakness of mine, and we're headed toward Valentine's Day, so hearts are everywhere. These little felted hearts from the book Gifted by Mags Kandis are so perfect for gift giving, and if you're knitting for children, they make a perfect decoration for a little girl's nursery.


*Felted Heart Milagros from Gifted, by Mags Kandis*

Here's the pattern!

Felted Heart Milagros

These little hearts bring me such joy that I can't stop myself from making and sharing them! Knitted in one piece with a bit of short-rowing for shape, there is just one quick seam and a little stuffing before you shout, "Everyone in the pool!" Well, the "pool" may be the washing machine or a basin, but I do promise it will be fun. These hearts can be used for anything you can imagine-pins, bookmarks, place markers, welcome garlands, good-luck charms, etc.

Finished Size: About 2 inches (5 cm) high and 2 inches (5 sm) wide
Yarn: Sportweight (#2 Fine). Shown here: Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sportweight (100% wool, 184 yd/[168 m] 50 g). Each heart uses less than 10 yards (9.1 m).
Needles: Size U.S. 6, straight or circular
Notions: Tapestry needle, small amount of polyester or bamboo fiberfill
Gauge: About 21 stitches and 30 rows = 40 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch, before felting. Exact gauge is not crucial for this project.

HEART
Loosely cast on 12 sts. Work short-rows as follows:

Short-row 1: (RS) K8, wrap next st, turn.
Short-rows 2, 4, and 6: Purl to last st, p1f&b-1 st increased.
Short-row 3: (RS) K7, wrap next st, turn-13 stitches.
Short-row 5: (RS) K6, wrap next st, turn-14 stitches.
Short-row 7: (RS) K5, wrap next st, turn-15 stitches.
Short-rows 8 and 10: Purl.
Short-row 9: K4, wrap next st, turn.
Short-row 11: K3, wrap next st, turn.
Short-rows 12, 14, and 16: Purl to last 2 sts, p2tog.
Short-row 13: K5, working wraps together with wrapped sts when you come to them, wrap next st, turn-14 sts rem.
Short-row 15: K6, working wraps together with wrapped sts when you come to them, wrap next st, turn-13 sts rem.
Short-row 17: Knit to end, working wraps together with wrapped sts when you come to them-12 sts.
Short-row 18: Purl.

Repeat short-rows 1-18 three more times—piece measures about 9½ (24 cm) from, cast-on at widest point. Loosely bind off all stitches.

Finishing
With yarn threaded on a tapestry needle, sew the CO and BO edges together. Stitch top of heart closed, leaving 1 inch (2.5 cm) open for stuffing. Stuff with fiberfill until lightly firm but not bursting. Stitch closed. Felt and enjoy!

—From Gifted, by Mags Kandis

I hope you'll make some of these little cuties and give them to someone close to your heart. And if you're looking for more patterns for Valentine's day, check out our InspiRED patterns in the Knitting Daily Shop! We're teaming up with Jimmy Beans Wool for their Stitch Red initiative, sticking it to heart disease. With each red pattern sold on InterweaveStore.com, we'll donate 5% of the profits to The Heart Truth®, a National Awareness Campaign for Women About Heart Disease.

Cheers,

Design Contest

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:01:00 GMT

A note from Kathleen: Our friends at Juniper Moon Farm are having a design contest, and we want a Knitting Daily reader to win! See below for all of the details and then get knitting!

Does beautiful yarn speak to you? Does it shout "Knit me!" or "Crochet me!" Does the yarn tell you what it wants to be and inspire you to design something unique and all your own?

Well, this is your chance to gain recognition (and maybe win some yarn!) for your original design using either Chadwick or Willa from Juniper Moon Farm!

We want to see what Chadwick and Willa inspire you to create and the top 8 designs (4 for Chadwick and 4 for Willa) will win the following fabulous prizes:

First place wins $300 worth of Juniper Moon Farm yarns
Second place wins $200 worth of Juniper Moon Farm yarns
Third place wins $100 worth of Juniper Moon Farm yarns
Fourth place wins $50 worth of Juniper Moon Farm yarns

Guidelines
Design a new, original pattern using either one or two balls of either Chadwick or Willa. The design can be for anything—accessories, garments, children's garments, home accessories—whatever you dream up, but you can only use one or two balls of Willa or Chadwick.

Enter your project in the Ravelry database so people can find it (this will come into play later).

Securely attach a tag to your project with your name, contact information (address, email, etc.), and the name of the pattern as it appears in the Ravelry database.

Mail the completed project and written pattern postmarked on or before March 1, 2012 (new deadline!) to:

Juniper Moon Farm
Design Contest
1036 Venable Rd
Palmyra, VA 22963

(Don't worry, we'll mail it back after the contest ends.)

Anyone can enter. You can enter designs for one or both yarns. It should be a new design created specifically for Chadwick or Willa. We reserve the right to disqualify submissions that don't meet the guidelines.

Voting
Entries must be postmarked on or before March 1, 2012 (new deadline!). We will select our four favorite designs for each yarn. During the week of March 5, we'll post our top 8 (4 Willa and 4 Chadwick) on the Juniper Moon Farm blogand open up voting. The public will vote to decide which designs are first, second, third, or fourth place. (We'll be reminding people to vote, but you'll probably want to encourage your friends and family as well.)

The designs (either Chadwick or Willa) with the most votes will be 1st place and win $300 worth of Juniper Moon Farm yarn, 2nd place in voting will win $200 worth of Juniper Moon Farm yarn, 3rd place in voting wins $100 worth of Juniper Moon Farm yarns, 4th place in voting wins $50 worth of Juniper Moon Farm yarns.

Remember, each yarn will have 4 winners, so that's 8 winners total! Winners will be announced on the Juniper Moon Farm blog and our Facebook Page at the end of March.

Pattern Glory
The winning four patterns for each yarn will become the property of Knitting Fever Inc. This means you get recognized as the designer, but you can't sell the pattern. We might send the pattern to local yarn stores to use as a free pattern. We might even include the winning patterns in a future book!

The Yarns

Chadwick is a 60% Merino Wool, 40% Baby Alpaca blend. It comes in 202 yard (100 g) balls. Lots of yardage for you to create with and 12 colors from which to choose. The suggested gauge is 4.5 stitches/inch on a US 8, but you can use whatever size works best for your design.

Willa is a 60% Merino Wool, 40% SuperKid Mohair blend that comes in 153 yard (100 g) balls. Let your imagination run wild with the 12 colors available. The suggested gauge is 3 stitches/inch on a US 11, but you should use the size that moves you.

You can read more about both yarns on the Juniper Moon Farm blog.

Cast On or Get Hooking
What are you waiting for?! There is a lot of prize yarn up for grabs.

Find a local yarn store near you that stocks Chadwick and Willa and get your designer hat on. We can't wait to see what Chadwick and Willa tell you they want to be. If you're looking for inspiration, we've added three free patterns using these yarns to get you started.

Your project and pattern, with your name securely attached, has to be postmarked on or before March 1.

Learn something new: Bohus Knitting (plus a free pattern!)

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 GMT


Anne Berk models one of her fabulous Bohus pullovers. It's so beautiful; I was honored to take a class from her.

I'm working on a Bohus sweater and I'm almost to the colorwork yoke. I'm so excited because I've been knitting row after row of stockinette in the round. I'm also a little nervous because I've never knitted a Bohus design, although I did take a fabulous class on the method from Anne Berk at Interweave Knitting Lab (photo at left). So I've had just a teeny tiny bit of experience, I guess.

I know I can do it, though. Especially since my sweater uses a simplified version of the technique, where only two colors are used in each row.

Two of my favorite designers, Courtney Kelly and Kate Gagnon Osborne have a new DVD Workshop called Knitting Seamless Colorwork and they feature Bohus Knitting as one of their techniques.

Here's some information from Kate and Courtney about this timeless color knitting method.

Color-stranded knitwear designs produced by the Swedish Bohus Stickening Cooperation were famous in the late 1930s to the 1960s for their attention to detail, innovative design and color, and exacting standards of craftsmanship. Traditionally worked in a fine-weight blend of angora and merino that created a gorgeous halo, the color-stranded patterns were punctuated with purl stitches and sometimes a third—or fourth or fifth—color per row.

The painterly knit-and-purl colorwork of the Bohus tradition inspired the Freyja Pullover. Five colors shift and blend from stitch to stitch in a soft, haloed yarn blended from camel, alpaca, silk, and cashmere. A zigzag pattern builds into shaping in the circular yoke.


Courtney Kelley's Freyja Cardigan. Want to knit it yourself? You can start right now because it's a free pattern!

Bohus Knitting Tips
Bohus knitting is deceptively simple—there are just a few things to keep in mind for optimum results.

—After purling a stitch, be sure to move the yarn to the back of the work before knitting the next stitch.

—When working with more than two colors per row, it is imperative to assign "placement" of the yarns as they are carried across the back of the work. Instead of just one yarn carried "over" and another carried "under," you will also have a yarn carried in the middle. Be sure to maintain consistent placement of these yarns throughout the row.

—When choosing your own color combinations, consider how yarns interact with one another in the colorwork pattern as well as how the purl stitch will affect the color it "pops up" from the row below.

—Kate Gagnon Osborne and Courtney Kelley

Isn't that colorwork beautiful? It makes me want to stop writing this and start knitting on my sweater. But I can't leave you in the lurch, can I?

Here's a preview of Kate and Courtney's workshop:

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Pre-order your copy of Knitting Seamless Colorwork today (or download it if you can't wait!) and get inspired like I did! I'll keep you posted on my progress and post some photos soon. It's just a bunch of brown stockinette at this point, but soon it'll be bursting with color knitting!

Cheers,

How to Organize an Unruly Stash

Kathleen Cubley — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:00:00 GMT

A note from Kathleen: Interweave Crochet's project editor Sarah Read recently blogged about a subject near and dear to us fiber fiends, especially those of us who enjoy knitting and crochet, and when I read about Sarah's stash adventure, I knew you'd love to read about her journey, too.

Taming the Stash

When faced with a feral stash, you may have heard that the safest course is to curl up in a ball, cover your neck, and play dead. But I believe that even the wildest of stashes can be tamed. And yes, that's my own stash up there, back when it was very wild indeed (a few weeks ago).

The first step in taming your stash is to get ALL of it and spread it out where you can see it. (From experience, I can tell you that this is best done while small children and the yarn-prejudiced are not at home.) As you lay it out, divide it by sections, like so:

It's a little hard to see my category names in this photo. Clockwise from left, they are: Acrylic Island, Sock Valley, Accessories Alley, Cotton Cove, Mountains of Thread, Sea of Sweaters, and Bay of Lace. A little humor never hurt any of us, right?

Have your empty bins handy, and load the yarn into the bins according to category. Create categories that make the most sense to you. For example, my categories are:
1. Sweater yarn (sweater quantities of worsted yarn)
2. Tee yarn (yarn for short-sleeved garments)
3. Sweaters made of itty bitty yarn (sport and fingering weight in sweater quantities)
4. Lace
5. Cottons and linens
6. Thread
7. Sock yarn
8. Super fancy-pants sock yarn
9. Acrylic and baby yarn
10. Single skeins (not of the cotton, lace, thread, sock, or acrylic variety)

The next step is to build a fort out of your bins.

Then, when you have conquered the world from the safety of your yarn fort, file the bins away in their storage space.


My hanging holder of projects

If you know the next few (or many) projects you intend to start, keep them filed in a separate, easy-to-access system. My friend Sheri from The Loopy Ewe blogged about her fabulous baskets, and one of her readers suggested using a hanging shoe holder as a great space saver, which seemed like the perfect solution for me, as my attic studio has no level walls.

It's great for holding a small- to medium-sized project worth of yarn, as well as the pattern for the yarn, so five years from now, when you finally get to that project, you remember what it was going to be.

Congratulations! You are now a stash-tamer. You are probably also much more aware of the scope of your stash. I was actually comforted by the process, especially when I ended up with two extra empty bins that were certainly not empty the last time I did this. That means two things to me:

1. I have two empty bins to fill, and

2. If I can work through two bins a year, I'm not as close to Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy as I thought I was.

So . . . now it's your turn to flash your stash! Come to the forums and share your stash, feral or tame!

Cheers,

Sarah

Picking a yarn for knit gloves

Kathleen Cubley — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:00:00 GMT


These finely knit gloves look back to the 1940s and 50s when no elegant winter outfit was complete without coordinating accessories. The openwork rose lace motif worked on the back of the hand, and the flared contrast-edged cuff, give them a pretty and unique touch.

Handknit gloves are such a treat. And since you see your hands all the time, you get to admire your knit gloves! I have to admit that I do gaze lovingly at my hands when I wear handknit gloves. I sometimes do the same to my handknit sock-shod feet, but that's not as socially acceptable.

The gloves shown at left are the Openwork Gloves from Rowan designer Jennie Atkinson's new book A Handknit Romance. The vintage look is so attractive and feminine.

If I were to knit these gloves, I would first look to my stash to see which lace-weight yarn I have on hand. I like the yarn that the project calls for, but I know I don't have it in my stash, and I actually prefer a smoother yarn for gloves. The yarn in the pattern is an 80 percent baby suri alpaca/20 percent extra fine merino blend, which is yummy for sure, but a little fuzzy. I happen to have a 70 percent merino/30 percent silk blend that I would like to use instead, which brings me to the next topic, how to substitute yarns.

Here's some great information from Jennie Atkinson:

Choosing Yarn Substitutes

When planning a garment design, the type of yarn chosen makes all the difference to the way the garment looks. I often knit swatches in a variety of stitches to see what works best for that yarn. For a garment that needs to have some "give" or elasticity so that it fits well I would choose a springy pure wool. Whereas for a loose garment where drape is the most important factor, a yarn that has no elasticity but hangs well, like a bamboo yarn, is ideal.

There are so many different yarn types available now that it is impossible to generalize, but as a rough guide, wool, wool mixes, and sunthetic wool substitutes are the yarns that have most elasticity, and these are great for knitting plain and textured stitches and for fitted garments. Yarns that have no stretch are good for draped garments or knitting lace stitches.

When substituting yarns, always knit a swatch first in the chosen yarn, not only to check that it has the same gauge but also to check that the "feel" of the yarn is suitable for the design.

Gauge and Yarn Quantities

When substituting yarn it is best to find a replacement with exactly the same gauge/needle size as the suggested yarn, but you can usually change the needle size up or down by one or two sizes to give the right gauge without affecting the way the knitting handles. Be aware that even slight variations in the gauge will affect the final size.

You will also need to calculate how many balls of the substitute yarn are required based on the yardage per ball. Multiply the yardage of the yarn suggested in the pattern by the number of balls needed for your size. Then divide the result by the yardage given for a ball of your substitute yarn.

—from A Handknit Romance by Jennie Atkinson

If you're planning to knit your way through your stash this year like I am, this information should help you on your way.

Cheers,

The winter galleries are here!

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:00:00 GMT

We've got a new crop of galleries for you, fresh from the pages of the Winter 2011 Interweave Knits—Customizing Pullover and Cardigan Knitting Patterns from Interweave Knits: A Winter Knitting Gallery Presented by Knitting Daily. Five knitters took up their needles and made one of two beautiful patterns, the Livingstone Cardigan and the Leif Slipover.

The Livingstone Cardigan (left) by and the Leif Slipover (right) from Interweave Knits Winter 2011

Amy Miller's Livingstone Cardigan's lush cable panels and dramatic ribbing give it lavish texture and a sleek fit. A generous shawl collar and chunky toggles stand guard against winter winds. The yarn, Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Grande Tweed, is bouncy and baby soft; all the gallery knitters loved knitting with it on this cardigan knitting pattern.

A flattering hourglass shape and deeply etched cable textures keep the bulky, lofty Leif Slipover flattering and visually rich. Adrienne Larsen's shaped hood grows up and out of the body's sinuous cables. This knit pullover is a unique piece and our knitters were challenged and pleased with the results. They enjoyed working with Cascade Yarn's Lana Grande, too.

Check out Customizing Pullover and Cardigan Knitting Patterns from Interweave Knits: A Winter Knitting Gallery Presented by Knitting Daily and get inspired to make one of these warm, wonderful, winter knits!

Cheers,

Blog Tour: The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos

Kathleen Cubley — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:05:00 GMT

We're kicking off a fun new blog tour today to celebrate the international launch of Heidi Adnum's book, The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos, which is now available in North America from Interweave, in the UK from Search Press, and in Australia from Murdoch Books.

Throughout the tour you'll learn the keys to taking great photos of your work, hear from some of the successful designer-photographers featured in the book, see some before-and-after photos from bloggers who have read the book and used Heidi's advice, and hear a lot from Heidi herself!

Oh yes, and there will be prize drawings at some of the stops! Follow along, and enjoy the tour!

1/25
Mark Lipinski's Creative Mojo Podcast
live interview with Heidi at 3:50 pm EST

1/26
Rena Tom

1/27
CraftBuds

1/28
SweatShopofLove co-creator of @HandmadeRyanGosling

1/30
Artist Success with Lesley Riley

2/1
Jenny N Design — featured designer in the book

2/2
Rifle Paper Co. — featured designer in the book

2/3
See How We Sew

2/4
Imagination Kids Toys — featured designer in the book

2/6
Canadian Living Crafts' Blog

UK Blog Tour

2/7
Feeling Stitchy

2/8
UK Handmade

Australian Blog Tour

2/9
WhipUp.net

More tba . . . stay tuned!

5 Great Things About Sock Knitting

Kathleen Cubley — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:00:00 GMT


Lorilee Beltman's Our Paths Cross Socks

There's a new Sockupied and I think it's the best one yet. My favorite sock knitting pattern from this issue is Lorilee Beltman's Our Paths Cross Socks (pictured at left). Lorilee has a wonderful vertical stranding technique that's easy to master really effective for all kinds of colorwork. I took a class from Lorilee at Sock Summit and we used this technique to make plaid socks.

There's a bunch more fun in Sockupied, too; here's editor Anne Merrow to tell you all about it!

My first pair of handknitted socks ended in tears when my Dad felted them—but somehow I caught sock knitting fever anyway. What makes me love them so?

Let me count the ways...

5 Great Things about Knitting Socks

1. You can make socks fit perfectly.


	The Leapfrog Socks pattern turns handpaints and solids alike into a playfully patterned pair.


	*Cat Bordhi keeps finding new ways to knit socks. Learn about her latest invention, the Sweet Tomato Heel, in the new issue of Sockupied.*

Let's face it—feet are weird. They have some strange lumps and bumps that are necessary to accomplish everything we ask them to do, which can make for some odd fit issues. When you knit socks, you can adapt them to your own foot. In this issue, Kate Atherley explains how she developed a "Naïve Gusset" to customize a short-row heel.

2. You can use your brightest, most colorful handpainted yarn—or stick with subtle solids.
There are colorful yarns that would stop traffic if you used them in a sweater. If you're not eager for a pile-up, then socks are the perfect place to use them. Debbie O'Neill's Leapfrog Socks are this issue's One Sock, Two Ways pattern—they're lovely in yarns from demure to dazzling.

3. There is always something new to try.
Cat Bordhi, one of the most imaginative knitters we know, thought she'd already found the best way to knit socks . . . until she developed the Sweet Tomato Heel. Cat demonstrates her new technique, tells about her sock adventures, and offers a brand-new pattern in this issue.


What better way to feel delightfully indulged than to knit and wear Deborah Newton's sumptuous stockings?

4. They're the ultimate way to pamper yourself.
There's nothing like pulling on a perfect pair of socks in chilly weather to make me feel like I'm taking great care of myself. This issue, Deborah Newton's over-the-knee Frost Feather Stockings are a cozy indulgence to knit and wear when you need a little tender loving care.

5. Socks are fun.
Don't take my word for it. Listen to the three talented poets who took socks as their muse and created witty limericks that will have you in stitches.

A radical cosmetic innovation
Is sweeping the sock knitting nation.
It seems the only cure known
For Second Sock Syndrome
Is Second Foot Amputation
.
—Victoria Hewerdine Thornton

Plus . . . 3 Great Things about Sockupied

1. The Spring 2012 Sockupied is our largest ever. With six original patterns plus plenty of techniques, interviews, and more, this issue includes more of what you love about sock knitting.

2. It's available for the iPad. You can take Sockupied with you on the go when you buy the iPad version—or download the PC or Mac version for your desktop or laptop. It's available at our lowest price ever.

3. We heard you! Each issue of Sockupied—even the latest—is now available for only $4.99.

Go check out Sockupied, and start the new year on the right foot.

Cheers,

Tiny Sweaters: A great beginning!

Kathleen Cubley — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:00 GMT


How cute is this?

When I started knitting, lots of my friends were having babies and I knit a lot of baby sweaters. Tiny sweaters out of lots of different yarns using lots of different patterns.

It was so much fun knitting for babies and learning new skills while creating these darling little garments.


	The Kai Cable Sweater. I want this whole package, including the darling little guy!

I really pushed myself on a few of the projects, using advanced techniques on a small scale. I knit cabled sweaters, a striped vest, a Fair Isle dress, and an intarsia sweater. Those were the most challenging, but I knit lots and lots of simpler projects, which is what I'd like to talk about today.

One pattern that I made several times is the Kai Cable Sweater from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louise Harding. This book is full of darling patterns, but the Kai sweater is one of my favorites.

It's deceptively easy, with its cable up the front and open sides. In fact, if you're new to cabling, the Kai is the perfect first project.


The cable appears to grow organically out of the ribbing.

One of the reasons the cable looks so nice is because it grows out of the ribbing, which is a design detail I love.

The cable is a classic eight-stitch braid cable where four stitches cross over four stitches You can see in the photo at left that the cable crosses begin with crossing a set of K2/P2 rib over another set of stitches so the the cable looks like it grows out of the K2/P2 rib.

To make this look especially nice, there are some increases in the first row after the ribbing is finished, right in the area where the cable will be, that preserves the two purl stitches right before the cable cross. These two stitches, as well as the two purl stitches on the other side continue all the way up the front of the sweater.

As in many cabled sweaters, the stockinette stitch cable is set off with purl stitches to make it really stand out.


	I wanted to show the Kai in a different color, so LicketyKnit (a.k.a. Rachel) on Ravelry let me use her photo. I love the red, and the model!

Louisa's collar design is striking, too, with the cable continuing all the way up the funnel neck. It's so cute!

The edges of the bottom ribbing are open at the sides to give a baby's tummy area more room to move around. The neck opening is plenty big enough to accommodate those baby noggins that are always a little larger that you think—there's a split at the back of the collar that provides that extra head room.

One final detail is the three-needle bind off at the shoulders, which is done with wrong-sides together so that the seam shows. Very fashion-forward! And isn't that what we all want for our little ones (wink, wink). But I really do like this knitterly detail.

Check out Natural Knits for Babies and Moms and add the Kai Cable Sweater to your repertoire!

Cheers,

Project Diary: The Spoked Cardigan

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:00:00 GMT


Kathy O'Neill models her Spoked Cardigan from the 2011 issue of Interweave Knits Weekend.

My knitting group went to a function at our local yarn shop and my friend Kathy showed up in the most beautiful cardigan sweater. I recognized it but I couldn't put my finger on where I'd seen it. I asked Kathy about it and she laughed and said it was the cover sweater from Interweave Knits Weekend 2011. No wonder it looked familiar!

The design is the Spoked Cardigan by Carol Feller, and it's one of the cutest cardigan knitting patterns ever. And it's a pretty easy knit, too!

I invited Kathy here to tell us about knitting her version. Here she is!

The Spoked Cardigan from Interweave Knits Weekend 2011

At first I pretty much ignored this pattern as the colors were about as far from "my" colors as they could get! I also thought "this is for a 20-something girl and I'm a 50-something, but still a girl at heart." And it was overshadowed by a couple of the other sweaters in Weekend that I loved.

But the Spoked Cardigan somehow got stuck in the back of my mind. I love the Noro "Kureyon" worsted-weight yarn and the wonderful color schemes they come up with. Somehow I got to the Noro section on a recent trip to the yarn shop and I ended up going though every color combination they had in the right quantity for the Spoked Cardigan. I found a lovely red-blue-fuchsia-gray combo that was just perfect.

I got the right gauge with a size 9 needle instead of the 8 that was called for in the pattern. I'm really an up-"tight" knitter so I do need a larger needle at times.

I really just went straight by the pattern, which ended up true to size (I made the 38" bust size). The model in the magazine must be several inches taller than I am because the sweater looked a bit short on her for my taste. I didn't end up lengthening it at all, though-I'm trying to get out of my rut of making and wearing only long sweaters. Turned out on me it's a comfortable length, but not way below the belly.

I did leave out all of the tabs. I thought the sleeve tabs might look better if they faced towards the outside of the arm instead of the inside, which that would have been any easy modification to make, but I decided to leave them off. I didn't need any additional bumps on my hips so left out the hip tabs, too.

I did have to get a bit of advice from my knitting pals to fully understand the chart. I've mostly worked with charts that show only the odd rows, or only the even rows, but not both, so this chart took some getting used to. It really went fast when I got going, though, especially after I had the short-row process perfected. I actually finished it faster than any other sweater I've knit. The lack of finishing work it required was a bonus-yippie--I do dread the finishing work!

I thought the yarn might be a bit scratchy at first, but it's a lovely garment to wear and the sweater is really nice and soft, especially post blocking. I've gotten lots of compliments on it and I'm even thinking of making it again in Noro Silk Garden using a subtle color palette.

Happy knitting,

Kathy

P.S. Want to knit the Spoked Cardigan? The 2011 issue of Interweave Knits Weekend is on sale now!

Ruffles: The perfect birthday treat

Kathleen Cubley — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:00:00 GMT


	Angora from my stash: Fleece Artist Peter Rabbit

It's my birthday today and I feel like a little something girly. Ruffled angora scarf? Yes, please!

I have a skein of Fleece Artist Peter Rabbit in my stash and I've been looking for the perfect pattern to show it off. It's the most beautiful pinkish-red; I got it on a yarn crawl in Portland, Oregon a couple of years ago and every time I visit it my stash I'm sad to see it still in the skein and not knit up into a beautiful, fluffy knitted accessory.

Laura Bryant and Barry Klein from Trendsetter Yarns filmed a segment on Knitting Daily TV about how to knit ruffles, and Laura's Ruffled Scarf is a beautiful, feminine scarf that seems custom-made for my yarn.

The pattern is deceptively simple, too. You start by increasing in every stitch in the first row, in most of the stitches in the second row, and then you knit several rows straight.

Then you pick up stitches in the cast-on row and repeat the process. The resulting poof of ruffles is so lovely, especially in angora.


Ruffled Scarves by Laura Bryant of Trendsetter Yarn

My Peter Rabbit is slightly finer than the Trendsetter Angora that the pattern calls for, so I'll either run it with a sport weight yarn, decide to have a smaller scarf, or cast on more stitches to make it longer and knit more straight rows on each side to make it wider.

Angora is one of those polarizing fibers; people seem to love it or hate it. There are some drawbacks to angora, for sure, like how it can shed and make you sneeze (and cover your clothes with fibers!) but it's also so soft you can barely feel it! It whispers along the skin, providing softness, warmth, and coziness. I, for one, love it.

As my birthday gift to you, here's the Ruffled Scarf Pattern, for free! This scarf would look beautiful in just about any yarn, too, so don't hesitate to try it if you don't have angora on hand. Just check your stash for a yarn that knits up on size ten needles; a variegated yarn would be beautiful.

And in cast you haven't heard, there's a new season of Knitting Daily TV coming up! Here's a preview of the first episode, Needle Art Trends.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

It's going to be a fun season! Check your local PBS listings to see when Knitting Daily TV airs in your area, or if you're chomping at the bit, buy the entire season on DVD now! As you can see from the preview, the new season is full of wonderful stuff! Learn how to knit all kinds new patterns and use new techniques. I can't wait!

Cheers,

A New Knitscene: Duplicate Stitch, Stripes, and so much more!

Kathleen Cubley — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:00:00 GMT

A note from Kathleen: My trusty UPS gal brings me so many gifts—I feel my heart rate speed up at the sounds of her delivery truck pulling up to the curb. The latest is the Spring 2012 Knitscene. My friend Lisa Shroyer is the editor of the magazine, and she's done another phenomenal job. I took a quick flip-through to see what was what, and I've gone through it again at least three times, earmarking certain patterns for yarn in my stash (keeping that resolution in mind!).


Allyson Dykhuizen's Tulip Slouch

Even with all the hats that I finished before the holidays, I'm still inspired to make knitted accessories, and Allyson Dykhuizen's Tulip Slouch (pictured at left) caught my eye. The body of the hat is knitted in one color and the tulips are added with duplicate stitch. It's unique and absolutely stunning. I can't imagine how gorgeous it is in person. Tulips are my favorite and I love the idea of wearing these happy little flowers in the dead of winter.

There's so much to learn and inspire in this issue. Here's Lisa to tell you more.


	Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark's Fleurette Camisole

	The Brindle Pullover, by Debbie O'Neill

I've been knitting most of my life. I'm fairly advanced in the craft, but there are holes in my knowledge-techniques I've managed to miss, avoid, or misunderstand all these years.

Just this past year, I learned the art of duplicate stitch from Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark. She was teaching an embroidery class at a knitting retreat, and it was there I realized that I'd never really understood the technique. When Mercedes decided to use embroidery on two of her designs for her Knitscene collection, including a good amount of duplicate in the Fleurette Camisole, it seemed like a good time for a tutorial on this powerful stitch.

I've come to find duplicate stitch soothing, meditative-passing a tapestry needle in and out of happy stockinette, making pictures and lines on my knitting. I've also found, in designing Fair Isle projects, that it's the easiest way to experiment with color placement.

Knit up a length of stockinette in one of your colors, then start duplicating over it to try out motif and color combinations. It's not good for measuring gauge, but it makes swatching for color patterns so much easier!

From coloring your knits with duplicate stitch to understanding multicolor yarns to playing with stripes to the palettes of spring brights, subtle jewel tones, and the creamy neutrals of "Oh. Ecru," this issue approaches color and yarn from many angles.

Color is important to knitters. It's such a part of the creative experience-from choosing a yarn to admiring the fabric as it grows to wearing the final product. The color of your yarn is a huge part of what makes knitting good for the soul.

What colors make you think of spring? What colors make you feel renewed, wise, ready to grow? For me it's earthy-green and brown infused with rose. A lot like the colors in the Brindle Pullover. I can practically smell the soil now, ready for spring planting.

Peace,