Depending on where you are, either it’s warm enough for Spring projects, or you’re dreaming that it’s warm enough. It’s time to get a little headstart with this beautiful lace wrap.
Knit on US Size 7 (4.5mm) needles in Radiant Cotton (203yds/100g), it’s a generous 84″ (seven feet!) as shown. It would be easy to lengthen or shorten – just add or remove a repeat or two from the central section. The crocheted picot edging is applied after finishing the piece.
This lovely sampler also comes in a narrower scarf version at about half the width.
There are some really bright Spring colors in Radiant cotton that would look lovely with this. Maybe 819 Sky Blue?
Or maybe something lighter and more delicate, like 807 First Bloom.
The 52″ Whirlpool Throw is crocheted with two balls each of two shades of Major (328yds/200g), colors 115 Stonewall and 114 Coastal. Start at the center with an adjustable ring and work out, alternating colors every row.
This is not a difficult pattern, being primarily double crochet, but the results are dramatic. There are quite a few color combos you could choose. I like 101 Verdant and 102 Underwater for a green “fairy ring” kind of feel. It’s hard to go wrong.
As you may have guessed, it’s not a recent picture. However, he’s still got that youthful spirit and twinkle in his eye. He still has a wicked sense of humor. And he’s astonished (in a good way!) that his little tomboy grew up to be such a prolific knitter. What’s better, he appreciates my knitting.
We all know there’s nothing like crafting for someone who truly cherishes what we’ve made. Dad’s great about that. When I made him his first pair, he proclaimed they were “like butter” and that he never knew socks could feel that good. Obviously, this is someone knitworthy.
When we got our first shipment of Allegro, a no-wool sock yarn, I knew this is what I’d be using for his 2017 birthday. It’s so smooth! I chose color 803 Slate Minstrel.
Knitting in the grass in summertime. Bliss.
Although there’s no wool content, Allegro has a bounce to it that makes it perfect for socks. They stay up and keep their shape nicely. Allegro would also be great for any projects where wool allergies are a concern, or for those who simply want to avoid animal products.
Ready to close the second toe!
As you can see, there was plenty in one ball to make a pair, and the striping matched pretty much perfectly. There’s enough left over that I could have extended the cuffs or made a larger size with no worries.
No, these are not my father’s legs.
My go-to pattern is Back to Basic Socks, a free pattern on our website for a cuff-down heel flap sock. It goes fairly quickly and stands up well to wear. It’s also a great starting point for those who want to customize by adding, say, an eye-of-partridge heel or patterning along the leg. For Dad’s socks, though, I kept it basic. Ribbed leg, plain heel, nice and simple. I knew he’d appreciate them just as they were.
Also not a recent picture of my Dad.
Dad’s birthday was at the end of January. Alas, I don’t have a picture of my dad with the socks, so please enjoy this picture of a previous birthday. Once again this year, he was delighted by his hand-knitted socks. And I am once again picking out yarn for his next pair.
We wish you joyful knitting for an appreciative audience.
We loved the way this simple color-changing scarf looked, so we knitted up several options to see how it looked in different colors. It was no hardship. The pattern is easy enough for a beginner and is worked on US size 10 1/2 needles in our Deluxe Bulky Superwash wool.
I’m a sucker for blues and greens, so the five-color version in those tones really speaks to me. Those who want to go bolder might try the six-color version, shown in purple, pink, and green. And those who want something classic and understated can knit the three-color version in shades of white and gray.
We’re not kidding when we say the welting pattern on this is easy. It’s a four row repeat knitted flat which goes: knit a row, purl a row, purl a row, knit a row. Great for beginners, or for those who want a project to knit that doesn’t require their full attention. (I still haven’t gotten to see the latest season of Sherlock; this would be ideal for that!)
As I look at this scarf, I also wonder how it would look with a couple of different colors of a self-shading yarn, like Poems Chunky. I’ve been searching for the perfect project for our newest color.
It might be February, but many of us are still working on projects from last fall’s Deluxe Cable Collection.
As a reminder, this is our ongoing blog series covering projects from the Deluxe Cable Collection. You can learn more about the knitalong by reading previous blog posts here, viewing the collection here, and joining our Ravelry group here.
Our Sales Director Yonca has completed both ponchos from the collection. We don’t have a shot of her Catawba River Poncho which she knit up in Deluxe Chunky 91904 Pomegranate Heather (which might be my most favorite shade of Deluxe). Below is free pattern Valentina worked in this same color.
Free pattern Valentina, worked in Deluxe Chunky Pomegranate Heather
But Heather did manage to catch Yonca the other day as she wore her new Cumberland Poncho in Deluxe Worsted here at the office.
Is she adorable, or what? Yonca made a couple of small changes to the pattern.
First, since she is a rather petite woman, Yonca knit each panel a little bit shorter is called for, which resulted in a bit less circumference in the finished poncho. Her gauge was also a bit tighter than called for in the pattern, but it worked out in her favor, giving the piece a bit less depth, as well.
Second, Yonca added only half the fringe called for in the pattern. Which I adore! A few weeks ago, she had her poncho here in the office to show us how it was coming along. At that point, the entire thing was knit and seamed with half the fringe attached. She put it on to show us, and we convinced her that it looked totally awesome only partially fringed. And she was delighted to hear this, particularly since that is a lot of fringe to attach and she was getting rather burned out of doing it!
I love these changes that get made along the way (especially when they involve less work!)
How about you? Are you still plugging away on a project from this ebook? I’d love to hear about it!
First, it’s a neat example of how to work the same stitch pattern flat or in the round. Row one is the same on both, but of course when you’re working in the round things are a bit different because you’re never reversing directions. In row 2, stitches are knitted for the flat back-and-forth of the scarf, but purled in the round for the hat.
The second reason to like this set:
It’s pretty cool what you can do with a pom-pom maker and a self-striping yarn like Major. You can plan out the colors, or just go with the flow. This little half-and-half topper happened organically.
Plus, let’s face it, what isn’t improved by the addition of pompoms?
The cowl looks great doubled over and scrunched – or if you’re in a silly mood like designer Tori Gurbisz, wear it however you please. Very “Cat in the Hat,” Tori. You’ll definitely turn heads.
You can read through the entire tale of the moto jackets on previous blog posts here, here, here, and here. It took a few near all-nighters, but the moto jackets got finished by my goal of TNNA last weekend. Yay!
Here are myself and Yonca wearing them in the booth:
I love Yonca’s choice of red zippers!
For those who aren’t familiar with TNNA, it stands for “The National Needlearts Association” and is our industry trade show. The winter show took place in San Jose just this past weekend. It’s an opportunity for our LYS customers to swing by our booth and see all our new yarns, colors, and designs. We love meeting customers in person – thanks to everyone who attended!
After returning from our long weekend, Heather kindly snapped some detail shots of the jackets.
Each jacket has 5 zippers – that was 10 total zippers to shorten. Whew!My pop of color is on the inside of my jacket in the form of teal lining. Mmmm.I really do love this pattern that includes details like these pleats. They’re both stylish and functional, allowing for ease of movement in the back and shoulder area of the wearer.
The gray contrast fabric at the waistband, elbow patches, and a few other locations is a wool blend that was purchased.It’s amazing what a difference the details can make!
Next time, I’m going to be back at the rigid heddle loom with some of our Ready to Dye yarn and some experimentation!
Luscious, right? Well, we also did a long version, for those who like to loop their cowls around.
This version uses one skein of Deluxe Worsted wool as a backdrop for the variegated Bamboo Bloom. We chose a more subdued color palette for this combo. The large version is the same height as the small, but twice as long. Here are the stats! FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Height: 15¼”
Circumference: 61”
Needles: US Size 11 (8 mm) 32” circular needle or size needed to obtain gauge
Notions: Stitch marker, tapestry needle
We’re loving this pattern and are having a great time with other color combinations as well. Here’s one that features two hanks of Bamboo Bloom Handpaints in 311 Bonsai and two skeins of Wisdom Yarns Poems in 602 Bruges.
The pattern is a simple linen stitch that you can easily master. In the coming days, we’ll be sharing other color combinations in this rewarding pattern.
What a pretty, practical crochet project! Two balls of Fibra Natura 100% hemp Java makes this charming bag. Make each side separately from the center out, then use the halves as templates for cutting out a lining. Join the second side to the first, then add the lining and handles and you’re good to go.
We’re big boosters of Java, partly because it’s such an earth-friendly yarn. Hemp is a hard-wearing renewable plant fiber that will soften some with washing. We like it for all sorts of home decor projects, like the knit sampler washcloths pictured at right.
Without a lining, this crochet piece would make a good market bag. With the lining, it’s a versatile warm-weather accessory.
