Tag Archives: colorwork

Interweave Knits.

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In the midst of  a muggy summer week, the Fall 2013 issue of Interweave Knits has arrived, just in time for cool-weather daydreaming. What garments and accessories will we knit in anticipation of the seemingly-distant sweater weather?

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This issue features garments and accessories in lacy drop-stitch patterns, cables, and texture patterns. I noticed one sweater made in a familiar yarn: Kauni Effektgarn, a self-striping yarn with long color repeats that this dolman-sleeved sweater shows off well.

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There’s also plenty of stranded colorwork patterning in this issue. Though some of these patterns use many colors, only two are in use on any given row, making this classic technique much less complicated than it first appears. If you’re eager to try stranded colorwork for the first time, consider signing up for our Inspira Cowl class for some guidance along the way.

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The Rheinfels Mittens call for Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift, a fingering weight shetland wool that is perfectly suited to colorwork. It’s not merino-soft, but neither is merino wool shetland-sturdy; shetland wool yarns typically have little fibers sticking out that want to grab onto one another, helpful for keeping tension in stranded colorwork, and keeping cut edges stable when steeking. I used Shetland Spindrift in my Stasis Pullover last winter, and it has stayed in great condition through many wearings. I picked a few high-contrast color combinations in the Shetland Spindrift that I thought would make nice mittens, though there are plenty of other yarns that could be substituted, like Jamieson & Smith 2-ply Jumper Weight, Isager Highland, or Cascade 220 Fingering.

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We were also delighted to spot this profile of Clara Parkes, a hero of ours that we were lucky enough to meet in person at TNNA.

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We have all of her published books on our shelves here at the shop, and her yet-to-be-published book, The Yarn Whisperer, is on order. Let us know if you’d like us to save a copy for you! 

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Come by the shop to browse the yarns, books, and magazines, and pick up a copy of Interweave Knits. See you there!

Three new knit samples.

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Over the weekend, Amy dropped off three new knit samples, each one the subject of an upcoming class.

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We’ve seen this Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf pattern made up in Zauberball Starke 6; here, it’s shown in Noro Silk Garden in shades of blue, green, and purple. The self-striping yarn really highlights the short-row construction of this garter stitch scarf, and the aran weight yarn knits up quickly, creating a cozy accessory.

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The Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf class meets two Saturday afternoons in August; read more about it and sign up on our website.

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This Inspira Cowl is knit with two different colors of Noro Kureyon in a simple stranded colorwork pattern. It’s a generously sized cowl that is shaped to hug the neck and accomodate the shoulders. The Inspira Cowl is an opportunity to learn to knit in the round, make decreases, and work a two-color stranded knitting pattern. Class meets two Saturday afternoons in September; head over to our website to sign up now.

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This last sample, a fair isle tam, is made using one self-striping yarn, Noro Silk Garden, and one solid color yarn, Plymouth Galway. The solid color recedes into the background and the self-striping yarn pops out as the main pattern color, giving the look of a many-colored fair isle garment without having to weave in all those ends. I’m sorry to report that Amy’s Beginning Fair Isle Tam class is already full, but the pattern is free from Knitty.com, and we’ll be happy to answer any questions should you decide to tackle it on your own. And if you’re set on learning fair isle knitting, including weaving in all the ends, take a look at Anne’s Introduction to Fair Isle class, which meets Wednesday evenings in July. She’ll even teach you how to bravely cut your knitting, creating steeks!

Come by the shop to see all three samples, and the yarns used to create them. If you hurry in today, June 19th, you can even get the Noro yarns at 25% off, on this last day of our Going to Market Sale! See you at the shop.

Colorwork, crochet, lace, and children’s things: the newest books.

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We recently received a shipment of new books from publisher Leisure Arts. This handful of new booklets covers so many techniques and projects that most could be tempted by one or two.

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These two collections from designer Kathleen Taylor are perfect not only for those who love colorwork, but also for those who haven’t yet attempted the technique. The patterns are lovely, but perhaps even better are Taylor’s words of knitterly wisdom regarding gauge, steeking, and color theory for stranded colorwork.

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Avid sock-knitters will be happy to see that Taylor covers lace socks, as well. This booklet gives good guidance on sock construction as well as lace patterning, so a knitter who hasn’t tackled either of those techniques can feel emboldened to try.

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These two booklets focus on knitting for babies and young children. Baby Beanies, as you might guess, is all about hats: a perfect baby shower gift that is quick to knit. Fair Isle Flower Garden, on the other hand, has more intricate patterns for sweaters, dresses, and accessories, all in colorful fair isle.

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For crocheters, here’s a collection of stitch patterns for Tunisian crochet compact enough to fit in a project bag. Stitch dictionaries of any kind can be the key to creating your own designs; this one can also assist in reading Tunisian crochet charts.

 

Look for these on the teacart, where we collect the latest in magazines and books. See you at the shop!

Show and tell: sweaters, shawl, and socks.

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It’s been a while since I’ve done a “show and tell” post, not because there’s nothing to show or tell, but because my camera is not always handy when some finished piece is held out for Anne and I to admire. I’d like to photograph them all; here are the few I’ve captured of late.

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Anne took a trip to New York last weekend to visit with family, and managed to finish this adorable sweater for her granddaughter just in time. It’s made in Fibre Company’s Acadia, a sport weight blend of merino wool, alpaca and silk–nothing but the best for baby Willa. She used the leftover yarn to improvise baby mittens, and spent her flight to NY knitting i-cord to connect them.

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Here, Margie models a colorwork sweater she made in a variety of fingering weight yarns, some solid and some variegated, the likes of Marion Foale 3-ply, Isager Alpaca 2, Classic Elite Alpaca Sox, and Colinette Jitterbug. It’s a unique take on a pattern from Vogue Knitting Magazine a few years back, one that Margie modified heavily to create exactly the sweater she wanted.

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Marion came in on Saturday wearing her completed Promenade shawl, a Hanne Falkenberg kit purchased at September’s trunk show. Promenade is a large shawl knit in garter stitch on small needles; to finish knitting it is an enormous accomplishment.

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Congratulations, Marion!

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Margaretta completed the first in a pair of French Market Socks, from a pattern by Nancy Bush in Sock Knitting Master Class. For this pair, she used Jamieson & Smith 2 Ply Jumper Weight, a sturdy Shetland wool that is perfectly suited to stranded colorwork like this. Any adventurous sock-knitters out there who haven’t flipped through Sock Knitting Master Class ought to come in and do so; there are all sorts of intriguing patterns there, from the cable-crossed to the lace-covered, not to mention socks featuring entrelac, shadow knitting, and traveling twisted stitches.

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Thanks to all for the show and tell, whether it makes it to the blog or not! Looking forward to seeing all that comes off your needles.

Cables, colorwork, crochet: the latest books.

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It’s been box after box of books lately. The teacart is filled to the brim with new magazines and books of patterns.

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Scottish Knits is a colorful bunch of patterns from designer Martin Storey. Fans of stranded colorwork and cables will likely find something compelling between its covers, be it sweater, hat, or mittens.

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Tunisian crochet is a technique that uses an elongated hook to crochet a fabric that sometimes resembles knitting. The New Tunisian Crochet offer a wide range of patterns for this technique, from garments to home decor.

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Along with those two new books, we also received the latest issue of Koigu Magazine and two collections of patterns from the Craft Tree collection: Easy Knitted Hats and Easy Knitted Accessories.

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Not sure what your next project will be? Come by the shop to browse these latest publications, along with all the rest.

Show and tell.

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Katherine came into the shop a few weeks ago with this beautiful bit of show and tell: a fair isle hat made with her fingering weight leftovers in Isager and String Theory yarns. This is her first attempt at stranded colorwork, a pattern called Edith the Hat. I’m impressed, not only with the color knitting technique, but also with this good use of leftovers. Let not a single precious yard of Alpaca 2 go to waste!

Another knitter brought a recently-completed sweater to show off, made with the last skeins of Berroco Jasper that were left in our sale trunk. There wasn’t enough in one self-striping colorway to make a whole sweater, so she carefully placed two agreeable colorways in different parts of one sweater to a delightful colorblock effect. Resourceful, no?

Victoria treated us to some woven show and tell this past week. Take a look at this incredible scarf, made in Louisa Harding Grace Silk & Wool and Lana Grossa Chiara. We see far more knitting and crocheting than weaving at the shop, so this was particularly exciting. Woven fabric and knitted fabric are so different from one another, and it was great to see how familiar yarns behaved in this unfamiliar-to-me technique. I can’t wait to see the next piece off her loom!

Thanks to all who bring their completed works to the shop to share with us! I look forward to bringing more of it to the blog soon.

Northern Knits: Gifts.

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A new book arrived a couple of weeks ago that immediately caught Anne’s eye.

It’s no surprise–Northern Knits: Gifts is filled with three things that often catch her eye. Is there colorwork? Yes. Fine, lightweight yarns? Indeed. Something to knit for babies?

Oh, yes! Anne is making three of these little hats for her three little grandbabies, using an armful of colors in Cascade 220 Fingering.

It’s perfectly well-behaved in this stranded colorwork pattern, sturdy and warm, but softer after washing. As she knits, Anne keeps pausing to exclaim, “I’m having so much fun!” And she must be, because the first hat is done, and the second is nearly there, too.

Come by to flip through Northern Knits: Gifts and admire this sweet baby hat before it leaves the shop to be worn by a sweet baby. See you there!

Lascala.

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The Hanne Falkenberg Trunk Show has come and gone, but for the Falkenberg-curious, we still have one garment on loan. Behold: Lascala, a colorful scarf worked in garter and slip stitch patterns.

Lascala is generous in width and length, but lightweight, due to the fine shetland wool that comes in Falkenberg’s kits. It’s knit in two pieces, then sewn together with the color sequence inverted at the seam.

Intrigued? Come by the shop to admire the sample, and pick up a Lascala kit of your own.

New colors in Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted!

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When we first discovered Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted in May, this smooth, soft, washable merino yarn came in just seven colors. We’re happy to announce that we’ve just received a shipment from Ewe Ewe containing five new colors for fall!

There are now 12 gorgeous colors to choose from, some bold, some soft, some bright, and some neutral. I couldn’t help but think of more color combinations for the Boston Whaler Baby Hat, a quick colorwork project that has become a favorite at the shop.

Anne has taught three classes on this hat so far, and we’ve sold out of the pattern over and over again. We’re happy to have the pattern back in stock and to have so many more color choices in the yarn. Come by the shop to take a look and plan your next project with Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted!

Noro Slip-Stitch Cowl.

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On Tuesday morning when I first opened the shop for the week, a new knit sample caught my eye. A cozy, woolen cowl in a riot of colors made me reach for my camera. Take a look at this Slip-Stitch Cowl from Knit Noro Accessories.

This cowl was knit by Katherine, an amazing knitter and crocheter that we are proud to have as a teacher at the shop. Her latest class is on this very cowl, which uses a simple slip-stitch pattern and two colors of the self-striping Noro Kureyon yarn to give the illusion of stranded colorwork. As I write this, there are only two spaces left in the class, which begins in September. Sign up now if you’d like to join Katherine and a great group of knitters in the making of your own Slip-Stitch Cowl!

If you’re unable to secure a space in the class, or would like to tackle this project on your own, come by the shop to page through the beautiful book Knit Noro Accessories. We have many colors of Kureyon in stock, as well; come and lose yourself in the endless color combinations!