Charm Knit Along & Book Giveaway

May 17, 2013 in Louisa Harding, Mitts

The other day I was emailing with my blogger friend Lisette and she mentioned she was planning to knit the Charm pattern from Louisa Harding’s Three Graces book as one of her next projects.

Photo by Stephen Jessup
Charm from Three Graces book by Louisa Harding

I said I had also been planning to knit Charm! Lisette was thinking of using shades of pink or blue. I had already selected a rich, blue colorway for mine.

My Grace Hand Dyed and Grace Hand Beaded.
Don’t you love the shine?

Then I thought, “Well if two’s company then three is a knit along,” and I thought I’d see if anyone else had this set of pretty fingerless mitts on their to-knit list.

If you’ve been putting it off, now is the time to bump them up the list! Add Charm to your Ravelry queue.

Photo by Stephen Jessup
Charm from Three Graces book by Louisa Harding

The Charm pattern will be good for an experienced knitter or someone ready to challenge themselves. There are cables and lace, but they are knit flat so you don’t have to worry about knitting in the round.

Charm by Midwest Yarn, a local yarn store in Wisconsin.

This version is at Midwest Yarn, a local yarn store in Wisconsin.

The pattern uses 2 hanks of Grace Hand Dyed for the multicolored version OR 2 hanks of Grace Wool and Silk for the solid color version. Both versions also take 1 hank of Grace Hand Beaded in a coordinating color for the trim.

Such rich colors!

Locate stores near you that carry Louisa Harding’s yarns and pattern by using the “find a store” feature on our main website and filtering by zip code and brand.

You have time to get your supplies. I have a few works in progress (WIPs) to finish up before I can start mine.

I’m planning to cast on June 1!

Charm will be a great project to work on as the weather warms up because they are small and portable. They’ll probably work up quickly, too!

This Ravelry user has a nice review of the pattern and yarn in her project notes.

They will come in handy (haha) when the air conditioning fires up later in the summer. I love wearing fingerless mitts while I type because they keep my hands warm but leave my fingers free.

Yes! They keep my fingers warm as well. I think it has something to do with your hands being warm so warm blood is circulating.

Three Graces Book Giveaway!

Photo by Stephen Jessup
Three Graces cover

To kick things off, I get to give away 5 copies of the Three Graces book! (US Residents only. Void where prohibited.)

Lisette is planning to knit her Charm for a gift. I’m planning to knit them for myself (I live in a cold area!).

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this blog post between now and midnight on Tuesday, May 21. Five winners will be selected randomly.

Tell me if you would knit them for yourself or someone else. Or why you like the pattern.

The Three Graces is full of pretty sweaters and accessories featuring the three Grace yarns: Wool & Silk, Hand Dyed, and Hand Beaded.

Photo by Stephen Jessup
Sweetness Cardi from Three Graces book by Louisa Harding

The Sweetness Cardi is another of my favorites from the book.

Photo by Stephen Jessup.
Grace bag from Three Graces book by Louisa Harding

The Grace bag is also adorable. It takes just one skein of Grace Hand Beaded. Wouldn’t it make a lovely gift or lavender sachet for your lingerie drawer?

Leave a comment to enter the giveaway! Winners will be selected and notified on Wednesday, May 22. When the comment system asked you to sign in make sure you use a real email address that you check regularly so I can contact you if you win.

To leave a comment, scroll down a little further and look for the box that says “leave a message”. It should be under the blue links and above the other comments people have already left. If you can see more than one blog post, look for the little blue “comment” link just a little bit down and to the right.

Tags: silk
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Spotlight: Juniper Moon Farm Moonshine

May 6, 2013 in Cowls, Juniper Moon Farm Yarns, Sweaters

It might not be booze, but I bet the Dukes of Hazard would still want to transport the Juniper Moon Farm version of Moonshine!

After all, who could resist a yarn that is a 40% Wool, 40% Alpaca, 20% Silk blend with approximately 197 yards per 100g? Not me, that’s for sure!

Doesn’t it look glossy and mysterious?

It’s available in 16 colors and has a suggested gauge of 4.5-5 sts per inch on a US 7 needle. Tempted yet?

Ravelry users gave in to the temptation and landed Moonshine in the #1 spot on the Popluar New Yarns list for a good part of the month of April.

Moonshine was #1 on Ravelry’s Popular New Yarn list!

It has been used in 58 projects, with hats and shawls leading the pack.

Amalthea Cowl

The Moonshine book features 14 projects that are a mix of sweaters and accessories.

With a trip coming up, I wanted something portable and relatively simple to work on.

Photo by Susan Gibbs
Amalthea Cowl

The Amalthea cowl fit the bill. It’s knit in the round with a repeating pattern that doesn’t require charts and tons of concentration. The book includes a one skein and a two skein version, making this a great option for your gift box.

Doesn’t it look yummy?

It took me about a week to knit the one skein version. You can add this project to your Ravelry queue here.

The cowl is soft and squishy!

Although I knit it in April, I actually got to wear it a few times before the weather really warmed up. I think I’ll get a lot of use out of it next winter!

Just one skein makes it a great gift option.

XS to 3X

An exciting thing about the sweater patterns in the book (aside from how beautiful they are) is that they all range from XS (about a 30″ bust) to 3X (about a 54″ bust)!

In addition to the wide range of sizes, a variety of styles is includes to cover a wide range of tastes.

Photo by Susan Gibbs.
Calista Top

One of the eye catching ones, and a great option for the warm weather, is the Calista Top. Add it to your Ravelry queue.

Worked in the round from the bottom up, this pretty tank top will be a quick knit. Without seams to sew you’ll be able to weave in the ends and wear it right away.

For something with a little more coverage (hehe), consider the Dione Top.

Photo by Susan Gibbs
Dione Top

Add Dione to your Ravelry queue. I like the textured yoke and clean lines of this raglan sweater.

It is worked top-down in the round and includes some waist shaping for a flattering fit. Once again, minimum finishing means a short amount time between it coming off your needles and going onto your body!

The last sweater I’m going to highlight (and I could keep going!) is the Carme Sweater. Add Carme to your Ravelry queue.

Photo by Susan Gibbs
Carme Sweater

It’s easy to understand why this pretty sweater has 103 favorites on Ravelry. In addition to be attractive, Carme would be a fun knit.

The upper body is knit sideways and then the lower body is picked up and knit down in the round. Once again, no seams to sew!

Now the three sweaters I’ve highlighted are knit in the round, but don’t be shocked when you get the book and some of the sweaters are worked flat and seamed.

In any case, Moonshine is so soft and lovely to work with that you won’t mind spending the extra time with it that seaming will require.

You can read more about Moonshine and the book designer on the Juniper Moon Farm blog. You can preview the other patterns in the book here.

You can locate local and online stores that carry the Moonshine yarn and book (and other Juniper Moon Farm yarns!) by using the “find a store” feature on our main website. Search by zip code and filter by brand to narrow down the results.

Which pattern from the book is your favorite?

Tags: alpaca, cowls, silk, womens, XL
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Off the Needles: Asta Neckwarmer

May 3, 2013 in Cowls, Elsebeth Lavold, Inspiration

Elsebeth Lavold’s Silky Wool is one of my favorite yarns.

This 45%Wool, 35%Silk, 20%Nylon blend has a suggested gauge of 5.5 sts per inch, so you can finish projects in a timely manner, but not be weighed down by a bulky yarn.

The fiber blend and relatively light weight make it a good yarn for wearing in most of the seasons.

It doesn’t hurt that it’s available in a wide range of colors, too.

A great option if you don’t want to fuss with a big scarf.

The Asta Neckwarmer is from The Small Things Matter Collection.

In the book it is a set along with wrist warmers, a cell phone pouch, and an eyeglass case. I made only the neck warmer, but might double back to the wrist warmers later on.

I like the little sawtooth edging.

You can make the entire set with one skein of Silky Wool! Or you can make multiples of one of the items and get a jump on your gift knitting.

The neckwarmer is considered an intermediate project because of the shaping involved. Oh, sure it looks like mild manner cowl in my pictures, but it actually hugs the top of your shoulders.

The shaping helps give it a nice fit.

Isn’t that clever?

As you can see, it’s mostly garter stitch, which made this a good travel project. I just had to stay alert for the saw tooth edging and by the time I had to work the button holes I was done.

It doesn’t look like much when it’s first finished.

In fact, because of the small size, this was a pretty quick project to knit. However it took me forever to sew on the buttons. When I finally did settle down to do the buttons it only took me half an hour. I can’t decide whether or not that was a long time. Either way I realized I shouldn’t have dragged my feet so long.

Asparagus Shawl

Having finished the Asta Neckwarmer I jumped right in to knitting the Asparagus Shawl from The Garden Delight Collection.

Asparagus shawl from The Garden Delight Collection.

There is a three skein version and a five skein version. I’m working on the smaller one.

Asparagus is a triangular shawl that has some shaping around the neck and shoulders. I’m looking forward to seeing the pattern develop.

Local Yarn Store Projects

I’m not the only one who loves Silky Wool. I’ve recently seen many pretty projects float by on Facebook.

Here’s a little round up for you to enjoy and be inspired by!

A great poncho at Port Hadlock Yarns, a local yarn store in Washington state.

A customer at Port Hadlock Yarns made this great “Easy Folded Poncho”. Contact the store for more details. Find the pattern on Ravelry.

A poncho at Apple Yarns, a local yarn store in Washington state.

Apple Yarns did a wonderful striped version of the same poncho. Contact the store for more details about the colors. Stripes are a great option if you can select just one color to use!

Autumn Walking Scarf at The Colonial Yarn Shop, a local yarn store in Pennsylvania.

Speaking of a great use of color, this Autumn Walking Scarf by a Colonial Yarn Shop customer is just stunning! Contact the store for more details. Find the pattern on Ravelry.

They’ve been doing a class for this pattern so there are many pretty version on their Facebook page.

Zuzu’s Petals at The Ball & Skein, a local yarn store in Pennsylvania.

Zuzu’s Petals has been in my Ravelry favorites for a while. This lovely version from The Ball & Skein just makes me like it more. From what I understand, this is actually a cowl with a pointed edge. It looks like you’re wearing an artfully wrapped shawl, but you don’t have to fuss with it!

A great beaded cardigan at Needlework Unlimited, a local yarn store in Minnesota.

If neckwear isn’t your style, check out this great beaded cardigan from Needlework Unlimited. The beads are a nice way to highlight the simple lace pattern. Contact the store for more details.

What have you made with this beautiful yarn?

Tags: cowls, finished objects
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Stripe Study

May 2, 2013 in Louisa Harding, Sweaters, Tips, Uncategorized

Many knitters and crocheters do not like swatching.

They see it as a waste of time and yarn. Swatching delays their ability to get to the good part of actually starting a project.

There is often little the pro-swatching crowd can say to change their minds, but it doesn’t stop us from trying!

Swatching is usually done to ensure you’re knitting at the recommended pattern gauge. If your gauge is correct your finished project will be the correct size.

However, swatching can have other uses, such as testing out an unfamiliar technique or learning a new stitch pattern.

In this example, I used swatting to test out the colors I’m using for a striped top.

Meet Billy

Photo by Stephen Jessup.
Louisa Harding book #127, Mila

Billy is one of the patterns in Louisa Harding’s new Mila book. (Add Billy to your Ravelry queue.)

Mila is a new cotton blend yarn (91% Cotton, 9% Polyester Metallic). It comes in 109 yard (50 g) balls and has a recommended gauge of 4.5 sts on a US8 needle. You can see all 12 colors here. You can preview the rest of the book here.

When it was time to select my spring projects I knew I wanted to make something with Mila since cotton has a reputation of being hard to work with. Many people find it fatigues their hands.

I have not found that to be the case with Mila. The yarn’s chainette construction gives it spring and allows for smooth stitching.

When I was selecting my colors I’d only glanced through the book, but hadn’t settled on a project. I remembered many of the projects had striped versions and that seemed fun for the summer.

Louisa Harding Mila #9 – Venice

I started with blue, because it is one of my favorite colors. (You can really see the shiny bits in the blue ball.)

Louisa Harding Mila #1 – White

Then I selected white, because it goes with everything.

Louisa Harding Mila #6 – Tomato

Then I took orange, because I was feeling frisky that day and orange and blue are paired on the color wheel.

As you can see, Louisa shows Billy in two colorways.

Photo by Stephen Jessup.
Louisa Harding book #127, Mila

The red version has long sleeves, while the green and yellow version has short sleeves. (I’m making the short sleeved version.)

I would say the options shown in the book are gradient.

My three colors are far from gradient!

If I’d been buying the yarn at my local yarn store with the book in hand I probably would have followed the example in the book and made a gradient version. Probably in blue. As it was I had to get creative.

But getting creative is one of the best parts of knitting and crocheting! We can make our projects in the colors we want!

Balancing Stripes

Go team!

I remembered that dark colors are suppose to minimize the area they cover so blue would go at the bottom around my hips. White in the middle with orange at the top seemed logical, but I wasn’t sure.

I fished out my trusty copy of Maggie Rhigettie’s “Sweater Design in Plain English” and reread the section about colors influencing how we view a garment.

She says dark colors minimize and light colors draw the eye. Suddenly I wasn’t sure about having white around my waist!

The only way to be sure (and avoid knitting a sweater with which I wouldn’t be happy) was to swatch. I knit abbreviated versions of the stripe sequence to get an idea of how the colors would look together.

I started with orange in the middle, since it was the option I was most unsure about.

I don’t like it. Some people might prefer it (and that’s OK! ), but to me it a little too “sports team.”

Just right.

Happily, the white in the middle was in line with my vision of the sweater.

It was safe for me to proceed.

The other thing all the swatching confirmed was that my gauge was correct. I was very surprised when my first swatch with the suggested needle size was spot on. Usually I have to go down a needle size!

Side by side.

Have you worked a swatch for a reason other than to check your gauge?

Tags: tips, WIPs
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Off the Needles: Monika Hat

April 24, 2013 in Elsebeth Lavold, Hats

I finished my Monika hat just in time for the warm weather to arrive.

Taunting Spring by continuing to knit winter projects finally worked!

Why yes, that is a Color Affection I’m wearing.

The Monika hat is from the Elsebeth Lavold book “The Small Things Matter Collection“.

In the book the hat is knit using shades of blue and purple, but I decided it mix it up and use autumnal colors.

Monika set from Elsebeth Lavold The Small Things Matter Collection

The pattern calls for original Silky Wool yarn held doubled, but I was able to get gauge with Silky Wool XL.

I used colors #17 – Dark Chocolate, #18 – Sap Green, #20 – Toffee, #11 – Purple, and #16 – Tomato Red.

Short rows makes this side taller.

This was a fun and relatively quick knit. When I started it I was rotating it with other projects (as you do) but then I reached a point where I focused on it and it just flew along.

I posted a picture of it on Facebook and people were saying they’d made similar striped hats, but they couldn’t see the interesting shaping involved.

This hat is worked flat. Most knitters cringe at the thought of hats worked flat. It’s much easier to work it in the round and be done when you’re done rather than needing to seam it at the end.

As I was facing the prospect of seaming the hat I was considering how to convert it to knitting in the round. However, I realized the seam is a design element that shouldn’t be skipped.

On the side away from the seam (photo above) there are short rows to give that side of the hat height.

When you sew the seam you pull it tight to gather that side and make it shorter.

The seam gathers this side to make it shorter.

My short side can be shorter. When I was seaming the hat I thought I would be clever and use the tails from the colors changes to sew it shut, but that meant I couldn’t gather it as tightly as I probably should have.

I’m vaguely considering undoing it and sewing a new seam with a single strand of yarn so I can pull it snug.

The hat should probably also be blocked to smooth it out.

This is a good example of why you should read a pattern through completely before you start making changes. If I had converted it to working in the round then read the finishing directions I would have been pretty annoyed to realize what I’d done!

There might be a second, modified Monika hat in my future.

After I had seamed it, but before I attached the side band, my husband found it on the dining room table and started wearing it around the house. It fit him nicely and looked pretty good.

But it’s safely on my side of the coat rack now. We both agreed the side band makes it too feminine for him to borrow it!

In case you’re wondering…that is my Color Affection scarf I’m wearing. I used Ella Rae Lace Merino yarn. You can read more about it in this blog post.

Tags: finished objects, hats
1 Comment »

On the Needles: Jenna Top

April 20, 2013 in Elsebeth Lavold, Sweaters

Spring is in the air! Or at least it is for people who don’t live in the mountains, unlike myself.

Still, I know the weather will warm up eventually and I want to be prepared to greet it with a new top.

With that goal in mind I cast on the Jenna Top from Elsebeth Lavold’s “The Lazy Day Collection” book earlier in the month.

Jenna Top in the Lazy Days Collection book.

This top has enchanted me since the book first came out. I love how the pretty lace at the collar and sleeves contrast with the simple stockinette stitch body.

That combination means it will be good TV knitting, but still have interesting parts to challenge my knitter’s brain.

There are actually two versions in the book. The short sleeved Jenna version and a long sleeved Jemma version.

Jemma is the long sleeved version.

I like the Jemma version, too, but for the summer I want a faster knit.

Both version use ViSilk yarn, a 90% Viscose, 10% Silk blend available in 18 colors.

ViSilk #13 – Gray Cyan

While I like both colors shown in the book, I decided to go with this nice icy blue since that is more in keeping with my wardrobe.

This yarn is so lovely to knit with!

It is silky soft flowing through my fingers and the fabric has lovely shine and drape.

The texture of the yarn shines in stockinette stitch.

As you can see, the yarn has intentional slubby bit of raw silk throughout. This adds extra interest to the simple stockinette stitch body, but doesn’t interfere with the lace.

I started my top just before I went on vacation so I had lots of time to knit in the car and in the evenings. I’m making great progress and am already above the armhole shaping on the back. I was happy to discover the is some waist shaping, which always makes a sweater more flattering when it has a lot of drape.

There is lace at the collar and on the sleeves

I must confess, I started with the lace inset at the collar! Sometimes it’s fun to start with the interesting parts.

You can see my swatch on the right in this picture. I missed with the US 6 needle recommended in the pattern, but I was spot on with a US 7 needle.

The loopy section in the middle of my swatch is a drop stitch row when I changed needle size. The slack from the elongated stitches helps keep the two sections from pulling on each other so you get a more accurate measurement. It’s easier than starting over with a new ball of yarn!

Even though there were snow flurries this morning the winter can’t last forever! This sweater isn’t going to knit itself so I’d better get back to stitching.

I hope you’re having a lovely (and maybe warm?) yarn-filled weekend.

Tags: WIPs
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Spotlight: Araucania Rinihue

April 12, 2013 in Araucania, Sweaters

Today we’ll take a closer look at Araucania Rinihue yarn.

I’m ready for my close up!

This 80% Wool, 20% Silk blend has a whopping 208 yards per 100g hank. You’d need just two to knit a good size scarf.

The suggested knitting gauge is 4.5 sts per inch on a US 8 needle, but it looks just as lovely in the single or double crochet stitch.

Knit swatch

Like all the Araucania yarns, Rinihue is hand dyed in Chile in a style consistent with traditional styles in that country.

This would be considered an ombre color because it runs from light to dark.

Rinihue is available in 16 colors. Some are tonal ombres such as the burgundy to deep wine (color #1702) colorway shown above.

It comes in hand-dyed variegated colors.

Others are variegated colorways that shift through a variety of colors such as color #1705-Blue, chocolate, green seen above.

Which of the 16 colors do you like best? Do you prefer variegated or tonal colors?

The colors will play out in different ways depending on the size of your project and the stitches you use.

Swatching Rinihue in single and double crocheted allowed me to see which I preferred.

Ravelry show 57 projects using Rinihue. You can see them here. It has been popular for hats and cowls. I’m planning to make a hat with my burgundy yarn.

One of the things I like about Rinihue is its changing personality.

When I first swatched with it I noted it is a hearty yarn with a nice crunchy feel from the silk content.

After washing my swatch became plump and soft with lovely drape. The hearty texture I enjoyed while I was knitting and crocheting was still present.

This variety means the yarn will make for garments and accessories that are comfortable to wear, but can still retain textures and cables.

This cowl neck pullover is in the Jenny Watson Fall 2011 book. This book also includes a lovely jacket and a scarf and hat set using Rinihue.

We also have this free pullover pattern on our website.

Suitable for an experienced knitter this sweater will keep your attention as you knit. Ribbing, cables, smocking, and a textured stitch all combine to ensure you won’t get bored!

You can add it to your Ravelry queue here.

You can locate local and online stores that stock the Araucania brand by using the “find a store” feature on our main website and filtering based on zip code and brand.

What would you make with this beautiful yarn?

Tags: silk, spotlight
2 Comments »

Monika Hat Progress

April 1, 2013 in Elsebeth Lavold, Hats

You might be wondering how I decided to resolve my Monika hat color dilemma from over the weekend.

Shall I switch the orange stripe for the blue yarn?

To recap:
This is the Monika hat from the Elsebeth Lavold Book “The Small Things Matter Collection.”

I am using Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool XL yarn.

I had been happily chugging along, but decided that the orange yarn at the top was too close to the red-orange yarn below the purple. The blue was a contender to use instead.

A lot of good feed back was provided in the comments on the other blog post and on our Facebook page. There was a lot of support for my concern that the orange and red-orange are too similar.

Blue and orange were both cut from the team. The top is a dark green.

Many people liked the idea of adding the blue because the more colors the better!

Other people said to skip the blue because it was a cool color and the other colors are warm.

As a designer with training in color theory, I say stick with your warm colors. The color scheme you have running right now is Analogic. If you throw in Blue, it will become an off-kilter Triadic scheme, and you’ll have to get rid of all the orange.
This is science! Listen to science.–Nicole D

Some people started making wild suggestions about ripping the hat back further and placing the blue closer to the start. Those suggestions made me LOL.

But what made up my mind was a clever move by our Facebook fan Henrys Wigglebus.

A fan edited the picture to show the blue instead of orange.

They used a photo editing software to approximate what the blue yarn would look like in the hat.

Personally I didn’t like it.

Just need to seam it!

After considering all the advice, I decided to stick with the colors I already had that were working well together.

I ditched the orange and the blue and repeated the green, purple, and red instead. The pattern calls for five colors with colors three and four repeating at the top.

Since the hat is worked flat and seamed, there is a band that is knit separately and attached to hide the seam. I’m going to knit that band in the tan color so it has a second appearance.

I think this has been a good exercise in remembering that just because a pattern is shown in certain colors in the book doesn’t mean you can’t change them around!

Tags: hats, WIPs
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Monika Hat Dilemma

March 30, 2013 in Elsebeth Lavold, Hats, Sweaters

I’ve been quietly knitting the Monika Hat from Elsebeth Lavold’s book The Small Things Matter Collection. Add it to your Ravelry queue here.

Monika Set from The Small Things Matter Collection.

I’m not sure why I haven’t been showing you pictures. I guess because I’ve only been working on it occasionally so haven’t make a lot of progress.

That is what it will look like when it’s done. It’s knit flat an seamed. There are short rows to give it the height on one side and the band is knit separately. I think it’s going to be really cute when it’s done.

My dilemma is the colors I selected.

Monika hat progress

This is my progress so far. You can see I sent with an autumnal theme. I’m using a dark brown as my main color between the welts. I was really pleased with how it was turning out until I hit that orange stripe at the top.

I admit the orange yarn has been giving me pause all along. I think there just isn’t enough difference between it and the red/orange yarn below the purple.

The pattern calls for colors three (red/orange) and four (purple) to repeat again in reverse order.

Since it’s too late to put the orange in a different spot (the hat is working up quickly, but I still don’t want to loose all that work), I’m thinking of changing it out.

Shall I switch the orange stripe for the blue yarn?

This steel blue is the leading candidate. Really the only way I’ll know for sure is to rip the orange out and knit the welt with the blue. It’s just 6 little rows so it shouldn’t be too bad.

What do you think?

Silky Wool XL

The pattern for the Monika Hat and Bag actually calls for the original Silky Wool yarn held doubled. However, when I had that little bout of “startitis” at the beginning of March I swatched using Silky Wool XL and was able to get gauge.

Silky Wool XL is an 80% Wool, 20% Silk blend that is available in 28 colors. Each 50 gram ball has approximately 104 yards. It will work on needles ranging from US7 to US10 with suggested gauges of 3.75 to 4.5 sts per inch.

Silky Wool XL is lovely to knit and crochet with because of the nice crunchy feel the silk content gives the yarn. The lovely colors are made more interesting from the tweedy bits in the yarn. It is a complex yarn!

While I’m making a hat, this yarn is wonderful for sweaters and other larger garments.

Florence from The Past Into The Present Collection.

The Florence hooded cape is from the book The Past Into The Present Collection. Add it to your Ravelry queue here.

It makes my heart go pitter-patter. The lovely cable detail combined with the cropped length and the practical hood make this garment a stand out in my book.

Harare from The City(e)scapes Collection.

For something a little more mainstream, consider the Harare cardigan from The City(e)scapes Collection. Add it to your Ravelry queue here.

This will be a great transition piece as we move into spring, and will also make a great cover up when the summer nights turn cool.

The like the wide collar and the simple cable on this cardigan.

Melbourne from The City(e)scapes Collection.

For the man in your life, check out the Melbourne cardigan from the same book. Add it to your Ravelry queue here.

Look at all the wonderful details on this cardigan! A fun cable pattern to knit, generous pockets, and an eye catching shawl collar. This cardigan will be a great addition to his wardrobe…or maybe your own.

Oda from The Come Closer Collection.

For something a little heartier consider the Oda jacket from The Come Close Collection. Add it to your Ravelry queue here.

That wonderfully generous collar will help keep you warm. And the rib and cable pattern will help ensure a comfortable fit. Add some fabulous buttons and you’re ready to go.

I’ve highlighted just a few projects using Silky Wool XL. You can see more on the left hand side of the Silky Wool XL page on our main website.

Check for the yarn and the books at your local yarn store.

What have you made using this yummy yarn?

Tags: WIPs
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Crossing Colors in Intarsia

March 26, 2013 in Cowls, Free, Juniper Moon Farm Yarns, Tips

Intarsia is sometimes referred to as “picture knitting” because it is used to work motifs into your project.

Compared to Fair Isle or stranded knitting, when working intarsia you are created isolated blocks of color.

Public side of the Argyle Cowl.

Perhaps the most recognizable intarsia pattern is the diamond motif of the Argyle pattern. But you can also use this method for creating polka dots, squares, stars, and even animals.

You use a separate ball of yarn for each section of color. So in the Chadwick Argyle Cowl pattern seen above you would have four balls of red, two balls of white, and one ball of black. As you arrive at each section of the motif you drop the current color and pick up the new color.

The potential problem with all this dropping and switching is the potential for little holes at the color change. However, they are easily avoided by crossing the yarns so they twist together. The tension created by the twist pulls the holes closed.

Crossed colors working a red knit stitch. Yarn thrown, stitch not completed.

To work the color cross you pick up the new yarn from the right and underneath the current yarn. Stated another way, when you get to the stitch where the color change happens pull the current yarn to the left, then grab the new yarn and pull it to the left and over the top of the old yarn.

In the picture above I’m about to work a red stitch after working a white stitch. I took the picture after I threw the red yarn around the needle but before I finished the stitch. You can see the red yarn hugging the white yarn.

Since all this might be a little hard to understand in text, I made a little video demonstrating the method. I filmed it while I was working the purl side since it seemed easier to see what is going on.

It probably looks a little awkward, but remember I was working around a camera and trying to use exaggerated gestures so you could see what is happening. LOL!

Inside of the Argyle Cowl. You want those little half-moons.

After all that crossing, the inside of your project should look like this. The little half-moons are your goal and the colors should be consistent on either the top or the bottom in each section.

If it still doesn’t make sense you can probably get a private lesson at your local yarn store where you can see the technique demonstrated in person. You’ll also get to ask questions as you try it out.

Intarsia is my favorite style of color work. I think it’s fun to be able to add pops of color here and here in projects. And argyle socks are fun to knit and wear.

Challenging ourselves with new knitting techniques helps keep our craft interesting and our minds sharp. What new technique will you try out?

If you’re ready to try out intarsia you can download the free pattern for the Chadwick Argyle Cowl on our website. You can add it to your Ravelry queue here.

Tags: argyle, cowls, intarsia, tips
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