Colorblock Towels

The good people at Knit Picks gave me the opportunity to make another project for them -- a set of tea towels.

The pattern is well written, easy to follow, and error free.

CotLin is a beautiful yarn, and the colors they selected are lovely.

The provisional cast-on, and three-needle bind off mean that there's no seaming.

These are very quick to knit, and would make a good, easy care gift.

Project Details:
Pattern: Colorblock Tea Towel Set
Designer: Laura Wick
Yarn: Knit Picks CotLin DK (70% Tanguis cotton/30% linen) in Chartreuse, Sprout, Harbor, and Loden.
Needles: US 6 (4mm) and US 7 (4.5 mm)

You can also find these towels pictured in the May 2012 Knit Picks Catalog, and on the Knit Picks website.

Sideways Folded Scarf

This scarf was another Knit Picks project.  By the way, have I ever mentioned how much fun it is to be able to knit for them?  Getting to try out different books and patterns, not to mention their fabulous yarns, has really added to my wish list...and stash. 

Back to the scarf.  The pattern comes from Luxe Knits: The Accessories by Laura Zukaite.  It's a simple one page pattern that is very well written and easy to understand.  I don't remember there being any errors in the pattern.

It was an easy, fast knit, using Swish Worsted Yarn in Squirrel Heather and Stroll Sock Yarn in Dove Heather on size US 10 (6 mm) circular needles - I used the nickle plated Options interchangeables.  The Swish Worsted is used to work the folds, and the folds are the rows that took the longest to work as you pick up and knit the picked up stitches with the live stitches to create them.

The fabric between the folds is knit with the Stroll Sock yarn, and goes very quickly on the large needles.  The contrast of the lighter and darker yarns makes it lovely, and the wool yarn makes it warm.  It's also easy care because it's superwash.

Details:

Pattern Name:  Sideways Folded Scarf
Designer:  Laura Zukaite
Pattern Source:  Luxe Knits: The Accessories
Yarns:  Knit Picks Swish Worsted Yarn in Squirrel Heather
            Knit Picks Stroll Sock Yarn in Dove Heather
Needle: US 10 (6 mm) circular needles

The Rosebud Shawl

This beautiful Faroese-style shawl features a rosebud pattern framed in diamonds.  Knit from the lower pointed edge up; the construction is unique in working each individual point in sequence -- somewhat similar to the way that entrelac is worked, but keep in mind the similarity is VERY slight.

 

 
Once all the points are finished, the center gusset and garter stitch side panels are worked simultaneously.  The top border is knit in unwrapped short rows, joining the border with the top edge of the shawl.  Wash, block, et voila!  A lovely bit of lace to wrap yourself in.

Although my description of the process is just a tad confusing ;), the pattern is very well written and easy to follow, but there is a little errata for one of the charts.  Once you have the chart correction, you MUST follow the pattern.  Even when you think it's doing something crazy, trust the pattern.  Then you, too, can have this lovely shawl for yourself.

 
Rosebud Faroese-Style Shawl by Margaret Stove is from the book Wrapped in Lace published by Interweave.

Knit for the July/August 2011 issue of the Knit Picks catalog (where it can be found on p. 5), using Knit Picks Shadow lace yarn in the "Nocturne Heather" colorway.

Yarrow Blouse

Maybe you've heard that Knit Picks has released some e books.  I was fortunate to be able to work on one of the patterns.

I knit the Yarrow Blouse, in the Oregon Coast Heather colorway of Shadow. 

Yep, the entire sweater is knit in laceweight yarn.

The pattern combined some basic and lace knitting techniques with some basic crochet, for an end result that works very well with the e book it's published in.

Okay, I admit it, this pattern does not suit my personal aesthetic, but it is well designed, and for someone whose aesthetic it does suit, it is a lovely sweater.

As always, the yarn is soft and lovely.  The depth of color in this colorway was also surprising, and very pleasing, to me.  In addition to the light brown, there are also notes of pink, gray, and green.  The heathers that Knit Picks puts out are always so lovely, with a greater than expected depth.

It also looks like the other patterns in the American Prairie eBook are lovely as well.  And for the price, it looks like a good purchase. 

Test Knit: Gallitan Sweater

I'm sure that most of the knitters who stop by here have received their Oct. 2010 Knit Picks Catalog.  Well, you know that gorgeous colorwork sweater on the front?  I didn't knit it, but I did test knit the Gallatin sweater.  I did it in the largest size -- making sure the yarn amounts were correct for the kit.

 

This sweater is knit with Wool of the Andes Bulky.  That means it knits up VERY quickly.  Colorwork?  Intarsia? And quick?  YES!  And the end result was a sweater I think is very beautiful.  Hats off to Nina, for a lovely, well-written, and easy-but-looks-complicated pattern!

The body is seamless, and the sleeves knit separately in the round, until the two parts are joined for the raglan shoulders.

Knit on the collar, do the belt, et voila!

Please excuse the dirty mirror.  My teenage son cleaned the bathroom, and guess what he forgot to do?

Shaker Throw

Now that the catalog is out, I can share about it!

I've completed the Shaker Throw from Knitter's At Home.  It's a Knit Picks project from the May/June 2010 catalog.

 

This lovely little lap-ghan (it's 40" X 46" including the fringe) is worked in panels of honeycomb and cables, then grafted together.

Yes, that does mean plenty of sewing, and lots of ends to weave in,

  

but in the end, it's not that big of a deal. 

And you end up with a lovely lap blanket.  

The edging is also knitted separately and sewn on with the fringe being knitted into the edging.  It was a new technique for me, and one I really like.  

Knit with Simply Cotton Organic Sport Yarn in the Marshmallow colorway.

Do make sure to check for errata before you begin.

The March 2010 Knit Picks Catalog is out, and filled with lovely things, as usual.

I was fortunate to be able to work on a project for this catalog - the Emma Lace Socks.  The pattern is from A Cuff Above, the yarn used is Stroll in Carnation.

 This one shows the color accurately.

The sock is knit cuff down, has a heel flap and gusset heel, and a toe construction I'd never done before.  The decreases aren't 4 sts every other round, instead there are several decreases in a round followed by several rows with no decreases (the number changes), and produces a rounded toe.  There is also no Kitchener stitching at the end, so if that was keeping you from trying sock knitting, here's a pattern you can fearlessly do.

 

Sorry about the photo quality.  This one was taken on my cell phone, and the color is not remotely accurate.

Of course, I completely forgot to take a picture of the completed socks before mailing them off, but you can see them on p. 4 of the catalog, or on the website.

Herringbone Men's Pullover Sweater

The January/February 2010 Catalog for Knit Picks is out, so I can now share with you the project I did.

I knitted the Herringbone Men's Pullover Sweater.

The pattern is found in Men's Knits by Erika Knight, the yarn is City Tweed DK in Desert Sage (green) and Tabby (brown).  I completely fell in love with this yarn!  It is so soft and easy to work with, and the tweedy texture is fabulous.  Buy and use this yarn.  You won't regret it.

The pattern is well written and did not contain any errors.  The sweater is knit in pieces and seamed together, with the neckband being knit on at the end.

And both of my men would wear this sweater if it were knitted in their colors - a big complement as one of them is super picky and won't wear most designs.  It also knitted up fairly quickly, and was interesting enough to work on that I never got bored.

Tibetan Clouds Beaded Stole

For the November 2009 edition of the Knit Picks catalog, I was fortunate to be able to knit the Tibetan Clouds Beaded Stole by Sivia Harding. Knit with fingering weight yarn, this stole is perfect for keeping the autumn and winter chill at bay. Lightly beaded, the stole starts with the center panel, then the sides are knit one at a time.

The yarn selected for this project was Gloss (70% Merino Wool, 30% Silk) in the Kenai colorway. And I got to select the beads to go with it.
They are 6/0 glass beads that I picked up at Michaels.

The center panel is created by starting in the center and repeating the pattern 4 times, making a perfectly symmetrical square. Then 2 of the sides are bound off, keeping live stitches on the other 2 for the side panels.

The sides are identical, featuring a lovely beaded brocade and feather and fan.

When finished the stole is 21" wide by 74" long; a bit too long for me to be able to photograph it all at once.

I would also like to recommend the book the pattern is found in, The Knitter's Book of Wool. Clara Parks has done a fabulous job explaining all things wool - and why it matters. And the patterns offer up something for everyone. You can read an excellent synopsis of it here.

I'm So Excited!

I'm so excited I could burst!

Today I got the Knit Picks email which stated that the new catalog (July 2009) was up. Well, remember when I mentioned that I had a new job? Being a test/project knitter for Knit Picks is the job. And my first project for them is in this catalog. It's the white shawl on page 2 - Triangular Summer Shawl, knit in Knit Picks Bare Merino Wool Lace Yarn.

I loved, loved, loved knitting this.

The construction was a little unusual, the nupps fun to do, and it knitted up quite quickly.

Thank you Nancy Bush for such a lovely pattern (and book!) and thank you Knit Picks for the opportunity to knit for you - you're wonderful!