Tag: KnitPicks

Posted in knitting

Cast-on Monday: Search and Swatch

Posted on by Laura Kate

So my objective for this week is to prepare to knit socks – at least 4 pair! Just to make things interesting, I have set up a few criteria for these projects.

  1. They will use as much of my stash yarn as possible. You can see in the photo above that I have a fair selection which includes DK as well as fingering weight. Having gathered my yarns together in this bowl certainly helps me begin to think about color pairing of partial balls.
  2. I will choose patterns new to me so that I will have variety and new skills to learn.
  3. The new patterns will be available on-line from free pattern sources.

So far, I’m doing pretty good! I had no trouble finding patterns that I like without spending a dime. Some of these are written for DK weight. Here are my choices of patterns so far and the swatches I worked up for them.

VERTICALLY STRIPED SOCKS by NOVITA

Making use of a very graphical but easy stranded design, this pattern is knit at 24 stitches per 4 inches. These socks look fun, sturdy and very warm. The yarn I swatched here is Knitpicks Hawthorne Bare in a dk weight and Berroco Vintage dk. Full disclosure regarding the pattern: I downloaded it a few years ago and now can no longer find it on the ‘Net. I did see similar designs offered on the Novita website.

YAMADORI

This pattern by Ema Marinescu is available through knitty.com. She says the design was born “from my finally embracing variegated yarn.” To achieve this effect, the yarn chosen should have short color changes. This skein of Wisco Sock in colorway Caterpillar by Ewetopia certainly qualifies. With a tight gauge (34 st per 4 inches) and slipped stitch pattern, the resulting socks can’t help but be warm and sturdy.

LEMON DROP with BUNNIES

I have already made this Universal Yarn sock pattern once for my granddaughter. This time around, I will change it up by replacing the Lemon Drops chart with the Bunny Got Back chart, which is a sock pattern also offered by Universal Yarn. The designer is Amy Gunderson. The main color is an unidentified skein of cream wool in my stash. I’m pretty sure it is a superwash wool from Knitpicks. The variegated yarn is also Knitpicks and the solid dark is Berroco Heritage sock weight.

FAIRLEE

I’m pretty excited to try this pattern. Designed by Amy Christoffers for Berroco, Fairlee is designed for their Vintage dk yarn. She calls them slipper socks, so they will be great for scooting around the house during winter. But I think they will also work well inside boots during the worst winter weather. I’m showing a swatch of Berroco Vintage dk, but I will need to purchase more of this yarn to make these socks. My stash is a bit lacking in this weight.

Okay, so I’m keen to get started. If any of these patterns interest you, you may want to click through the following links:

Novita website: https://www.novitaknits.com/en/yarns-and-accessories

Yamadori: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/yamadori

Bunny Got Back: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bunny-got-back-socks

Lemon Drop Socks: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lemon-drop-socks-2

Fairlee: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fairlee

Posted in knitting

Finished Object Friday – Fair Warning

Posted on by Laura Kate

” When I am an Old Woman, I shall wear purple with a red hat – which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me “ – Jenny Joseph

I don’t know if this is the sort of hat that the poet had in mind. But perhaps if she had lived in the 21st century, in a cold climate, and was 3 and 1/2 years old, she might have chosen it.

The Surprising Story Behind the Poem “When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple”

Despite my playful suggestion about an old woman, this hat is indeed meant for Laura Lu. In my determination to use stash yarn, I came to the conclusion that red would work perfectly fine with purple yarn and a purple sweater.

The pattern, which includes a picot edging and very deep ear flaps, is Cameron’s Cap by Sarah Peasley.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/camerons-cap

The designer offers this pattern in four different sizes. I chose the child size, but it is ample enough to fit the child well into teen-hood.

The yarn is Wool of the Andes superwash, by Knitpicks.

Tell me, would you be bold enough to wear this color combination?

Posted in knitting

Finished Object: Child Cardigan

Posted on by Laura Kate

My week-end has been crazy busy, so this post of a finish is coming out today. I bound off the second pocket on the Lavanda little girl sweater on Friday.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lavanda

One of the things I like most about this pattern is that when you finish knitting, there’s no sewing up to do – only weaving in ends and sewing on buttons.

Here’s how it looks before washing and blocking.

Despite the fact that I had found my gauge before starting to knit, the finished sweater looks very narrow. Will it in fact block out several inches wider?

Well yes, Yes it did.

A fun feature of the after-thought pockets is the one-inch seed stitch border. It is made by knitting up from held stitches before knitting the interior of the pocket.

This gives a finished look and little extra depth to the pocket. Those rainbow-swirl wood buttons came from an Etsy vendor in the British Isle. They were surprisingly affordable. She must have been reducing her inventory.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Craftingforjoy?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1036971016

BACK VIEW OF LAVANDA SWEATER

Sadly, I did not have enough yarn to knit the attached hood. The sweet seed-stitch collar is a minor consolation. To complete the outfit, I’ll work my purple yarn left-overs into a warm, wooly hat – one with ear flaps.

I can hardly wait for the moment I will give this to Lu. (sigh) I’m afraid that it’s going to be a long summer for me.

Posted in knitting

Cast-On Monday: Spring Sweater

Posted on by Laura Kate

The weather is so glorious this morning that I moved outside for this photo shoot.

Today I am starting a coat/sweater for my granddaughter. You see my swatch, which turned out with the correct gauge on my first attempt. (I was lucky.) I wanted to make a big sweater, with cables, pockets and a hood – all the design features that a northern girl needs to keep warm while playing outside in early spring. I was fortunate to find the perfect pattern by Elena Nodel on Ravelry

Photograph by Elena Nodel

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lavanda

For the yarn, I chose Wool of the Andes Superwash by KnitPicks. Just last year I used it in the Weaver’s Square vest knitted for my daughter. It has become a favorite of mine for hard-wearing garments.

https://wordpress.com/post/dailyfiberfun.wordpress.com/1559

The color here is a bold one.

The sweater is worked from the top down. It features ribbed and cabled sections, with a knitted in seed stitch button band. All of these features are set up in the first 12 rows. When you take into consideration knitting raglan increases on either side of the sleeves, it makes for a somewhat complex start to the knit.

Oh, I forgot to mention the provisional cast-on. I used the crochet chain method. This allows for the hood to be added by knitting up from the neckline.

Whew! Now that I have established each section, the next couple dozen rows should follow without incident. I’m so happy to be working on a big, size 7 cable needles, after what seems like months of working with sock needles.

Posted in knitting

Finished Object Friday: Socks!

Posted on by Laura Kate

It’s been a while, but I finished a knitted garment this week. These socks were started as a travel project to fill the long drive to and from Ohio.

I picked up the yarn on sale last summer. It’s a typical superwash wool + nylon sock yarn, but one new to me: Static by Knitpicks. The colorway is Paradise.

I rarely make socks with self-striping yarn, but now I truly understand why it is so popular. It’s weird how many people that see these socks think they are Really Good!

Using a very basic sock stitch pattern, one can achieve a sock of great interest.

To me, the only skill I demonstrated was matching up the stripe pattern on each foot.

Yep. They match while I’m standing up in them too.