And DW answered, “Ah, but you’re just right for so many things! Lots of people want a littler yarn for littler people!” And DW was right! People did want DK for kid projects.
What a great look for Spring, eh? Cap sleeves, open neckline, and some lovely waist shaping for a more polished look.
You can juuust see the double eyelets accenting the neckline.
This pattern is knitted flat. Turn the hem up and stitch it to the inside for a nice non-rolly stockinette edge. This is a great piece for warm weather, and the bright colors of Bamboo Bloom Handpaints really help set a bright mood.
We hope you find something colorful and fun to do this weekend.
Recently we had a shop mention that we hadn’t had a Free Pattern Friday in Cotton Supreme lately. Well, we can’t have that; we love this yarn!
I don’t know about you, but I’ve knitted with some cottons that left my hands feeling like they’d been through the wringer. Nobody should feel like crafting is something to slog through. It should be a pleasure. Fortunately, I’ve never had that problem with Cotton Supreme (180yds/100g). It’s easy to work with, machine washable, and the colors are to die for. All of which makes it a great choice for this little kid’s pullover. Knit it flat, seam it up, and send your little all-star out to play.
This one would be really easy to customize, too. Can’t you imagine this in team colors? Or… and this is just my inner geek talking… move the intarsia star to the chest and you’ve got a little Captain America.
Sky Surf 927 and White 502, and add 509 Red if you wish. I could knit this all day.
I’m filing this idea away as a potential gift for superhero-loving parents and kids.
Feather and Fan is a classic for a reason. It gives motion and texture to an otherwise plain knit. And in this pattern, the addition of a few well-placed increases gives shape to a lovely cardi.
We’ve chosen Lumen (134yds/50g) for this design because its blend of fibers goes well with open lace to create a great warm-weather piece. A mix of matte cotton and shiny viscose sections gives this garment a little extra shine to take it to the next level.
We hope you have an uneventful Friday the 13th, and a great weekend!
This is a great light sweater for Spring in a lovely lightweight yarn. Uptown DK (273yds/100g) is 100% anti-pilling machine washable acrylic. Even if you’re a fiber snob, as I confess I sometimes am, you’ll be surprised by just how pleasant it is to work with, and just how nicely it knits up.
This cardi is traditionally constructed, knit in pieces from the bottom up. The collar and button band are picked up and knitted after finishing the garment. The Little Swirl and Big Swirl lace repeats are both written and charted.
We love this sweet piece, perfect for the cusp of the changing seasons. We hope you do too.
Mmm… Amphora. This mohair/acrylic/alpaca blend has been gaining in popularity with the release of Amy Gunderson’s Turtleneck Pullover in Vogue Knitting Winter 2015-16. So it’s a delight to see another design from Amy in this yarn – this time, free!
More snow’s in the forecast – could you use a little knitspiration?
Red Birds in Snow by Adolf Dehn, 1959
Our snow is over (for now) on the Eastern Seaboard, but there’s a blizzard forecast for the Midwest. I love snow, but I’m sure most folks have had enough of it.
Photo: Snowy Perch by Nate Zeman
We feature Red Birds in Snow because it’s a nice nod to our state bird here in North Carolina, the cardinal, which gives a lovely burst of color to the monochrome landscape. I also love it because it’s a good reminder that noticing the things around us is a good antidote to the winter doldrums. Seeing something so bright in an otherwise gray day can snap the world back into focus.
When we’re feeling trapped behind closed doors, it’s important to notice the things around us to bring texture and color back into our lives. These designs are perfect examples. Continue reading “Knitspiration – Red Birds in Snow”
Happy Selfish Knitting Month! Yes, it’s January, and all the gift knitting is done, so it’s time to do something just for you. Enter, the Landscapes Sweater.
This entrelac pullover is based on another popular design we had in a discontinued yarn. We couldn’t let the sweater go, so we re-wrote it into the sock-weight version you see here and made it available for free!
I had to take it outside into the sun. So pretty.
The yarn is Poems Sock (459yds/100g), a strand of 75% wool/25% nylon that moves smoothly from shade to shade. I really like the choice of color 971 Earth and Sky for this. It works well for a full-sized garment – colorful but still grounded.
The Landscapes Sweater is constructed in pieces. The sleeves are worked lengthwise, so the stripes run the length of the arms. The entrelac front and basic stockinette back and sleeves are worked flat and then seamed. Sized from XS to 4X, the whole sweater takes from 3-6 balls of yarn.
We hope you enjoy this “just for you” pattern, and that you keep striking the right balance between challenging yourself and just kicking back and enjoying your projects.
Happy New Year! Made any resolutions? I’ve resolved to knit from my stash more – mainly so I can have an excuse to add even more to that stash. There’s just so much good yarn out there!
Today’s free pattern combines two of those good yarns. The main yarn is Amphora (306yds/100g). Amphora was just featured on the cover of Vogue Knitting Winter 2015-2016 as part of Amy Gunderson’s fabulous Turtleneck Pullover. Another of my resolutions is to learn new things, and this Bohus colorwork technique looks like a great opportunity to do just that.
The secondary yarn is sequined Rozetti Cotton Gold (200yds/25g). Beautiful on its own or as a carry along, Cotton Gold is a cotton thread strung with glittering sequins and wrapped in a metallic thread. It’s an easy way to get maximum sparkle into a garment. I’m a big fan of this stuff. I’ve had problems in the past with durability of some sequined novelty yarns, but not with this one. I’m using it in a Crinkle Cowl and I haven’t lost a sequin yet.
This is such a great sweater for the new year. A traditional pullover that’s made in pieces and seamed, the color and the sparkle remind me of champagne. I like the slouchiness of the fit and the basic rolled cuffs and neck. It’s got that casual elegance that’s in style, but it will still be forgiving of any holiday excesses we haven’t yet worked off. This sweater says “effortlessly amazing.”
We hope your new year is off to a great start. We have no doubt this is going to be the best yet – for all of us.
Once upon a time, there was a yarn named Deluxe DK Tweed Superwash. It was just a bit smaller than its big sibling, Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash. DK wondered, “What can people make with me? I’m littler than you are!”
The secondary yarn is sequined Rozetti 
