The spring issue of Knitscene is here! Fortunately they seem to have decided, much like us, that it’s way too early to be knitting tiny cotton sleeveless tops and they have given us some sensible sweaters that we can wear right now – and even some hats and mittens!

(Well, OK, there are a few little sleeveless tops. They’re pretty cute… Maybe we can wear them over something?)

This issue’s featured designer is Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark (have you knit her hilarious Incognito cowl yet? Go on, hurry up! We’ll wait.)

OK, now that you’re done with that, let’s get to the patterns!

The sweet A-line styled Fleurette Camisole (the first of the aforementioned little sleeveless tops) is inspired by historical embroidered garments. Put on a Jane Austen movie, knit it up in Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy, and wait for warmer weather.

Seberg Sweater - Interweave Press

Rock your inner French gamine in the Seberg Sweater with its stripe-patterned boatneck and curvy shaping! With some ballet flats and cropped pants, you’ll be ready for stardom. This is done in a DK weight yarn knit at 20 stitches over 4 inches, so you have a lot of yarn choices for this – the bright colors available in Stonehedge Fiber Mills Shepherd’s Worsted will make this pop! For something subtler, try The Fibre Company Savannah DK.

The retro-styled Beulah Cardigan will be adorable with jeans now and over a spring dress later in the year – the scallop embroidery detailing is super cute!  Knit this in a fingering weight yarn like Spud & Chloe Fine or Miss Babs Yummy 2-Ply.

Knitscene asked two of our favorite designers, Kate Gagnon Osborn and Courtney Kelley, the question “What would you design for yourself?” The answer is in the next story, “Selfishly Striped.” Kate & Courtney put together a collection featuring bold stripes rendered in muted colors, creating a fresh & contemporary look.

Manayunk Cardigan - Interweave Press

The Manayunk Cardigan has a classic shape and great skinny stripes – knit in The Fibre Company Terra, this will be a piece you’ll want to wear all the time.

Pretty chevron patterning in the Grays Ferry Cowl is rendered in soft and luxurious Road to China Light by The Fibre Company. This would make a lovely gift… except these designs are all about making things for ourselves!

Everybody needs a slouchy striped hat! The East Falls Hat in The Fibre Company Acadia combines colors and textures in its stripes, set off with a few buttons. (Hmm, I think I have two colors of Acadia that I was going to knit a different hat with…)

The Roxborough Dolman sweater will be soft and drapy when knit in The Fibre Company Canopy Fingering – the loose and flowing fabric is created by knitting on a larger needle than usual for this yarn.

The next story, “Six Mandolin Lane,” features “knits with quiet charm” and “yarns with delightful dye.”

Brindle Pullover - Interweave Press

The Averill Vest displays a great use of variegated hand dyed yarn – try Miss Babs Yummy 3-ply or Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sport for this sleeveless top (hey wait! it’s another sleeveless top!) with its pretty lace back detail.

Another highlight in the handpainted yarn category is the Brindle Pullover, which uses a textured slip stitch pattern to blend the variegated yarn perfectly. The flattering scoopneck silhouette will work up nicely in Neighborhood Fiber Company Maisonette DK or Miss Babs Northumbria DK.

A selection of accessories round out this story – make the pretty beaded-edge Natalie Mitts or the striped Nixie Shawl in your favorite hand-dyed fingering weight yarn.

Secret Song Mittens - Interweave Press

The patterns in the “Covered in Color” story are all about duplicate stitch – an easy way to add colorful details to your knitting! The Secret Song Mittens with their stitched-on heart motifs are especially cute! Knit them up in Manos del Uruguay Rittenhouse Merino 5-ply for snuggly warmth.

The last story in the issue, “Oh. Ecru.” focuses on sleek and simple designs in neutral colors. The Panthera Vest has a curved front hem and pockets created with short-row shaping, knit in soft Savannah from The Fibre Company.

The dramatic A-line shape of the Flying Buttress Tank calls for a cool and crisp yarn like Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy to set off its dragon scale pattern.

From stripes to neutrals to stitched-on color, there’s plenty of patterns to suit your taste! Which one will you knit first?

Hilarious email from Marsha that arrived while I was away:

Well, you know those stupid commercials where the guy goes to the jewelry store and all the people are saying ‘ohhh, he went to Jared’s!!!’.  It was like that last night on my birthday but even better. I opened the gift from Phil and as soon as I saw the t-shirt I gasped ‘You went to Fibre space!!!!’.  He tricked me by wrapping it in a ginormous gift bag.  The t-shirt was cool enough, but then the gift certificate was even better.  From a man that knows I already have enough yarn to knit until I’m 200 years old — now that must be love.  and he accompanied it with a big box of assorted cupcakes too.  Yay! 

We are excited to announce the arrival of local designer (and fibre space instructor!) Tanis Gray‘s new book Capitol Knits: Twelve Modern Designs Inspired by America’s Capital, Washington DC. 

(Don’t miss the book signing and trunk show we’ll be hosting with Tanis on Saturday January 28 at 2 PM! Give us a call to reserve a copy of the book.)

A local’s love letter to the great city of Washington DC, Capitol Knits features timeless designs in gorgeous yarns, historical tidbits, beautiful photography by Tanis herself, and facts about local flora and fauna. This book is as much fun to look through as it will be to knit from!

The patterns in the book are divided into two sections: Sweaters and Accessories. Each section opens with stunning photographs of the places in the city that inspired each design and an explanation of how Tanis thoughtfully transformed that inspiration into a design and then into a knitted object.

American Indian Cardigan photo - TanisKnits

The American Indian Cardigan uses seed stitch to mimic the rough-hewn texture of the Kasota limestone on the exterior of the American Indian Museum as well as reference the intricate beadwork displayed inside. Tanis chose a warm orange color of Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes that reminds her of her time spent studying in New Mexico.

The Jefferson Pullover uses bold twisted cables to evoke the strong columns of the Jefferson Memorial while the teal blue color calls to mind the surrounding waters of the Tidal Basin. You’ll want a snuggly superbulky yarn for this – try Mirasol Ushya to keep it light and lofty.

The Lincoln Cardigan has simple cables reflecting the clean lines of the Lincoln Memorial. The thistle pattern on the back and the yarn color reminiscent of milk thistle flowers were inspired by a quote from Abraham Lincoln that is included in the book. A heavy worsted or aran weight yarn will be best for this design – Cascade Eco Wool, for example.

Union Station Infinity Cowl photo - TanisKnits

Next up are the accessories, starting with the Union Station Infinity Cowl. The intricate Fair Isle patterning hearkens to the hustle and bustle of people going to and fro in the busy station. Tanis chose five colors of light and lofty Brooklyn Tweed SHELTER to reflect the marble, gold leaf, granite, and mahogany used to build Union Station.

The E Pluribus Unum Cowl design with its multiple picot edgings is inspired by the White House, where the President and his staff work to solve the many issues of the country and make us “out of many, one.” Knit this up in a smooth worsted weight to show off the intricate pattern – some Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Worsted in the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue colorway, perhaps?

The churning waters of the Court of Neptune Fountain at the Library of Congress were the impetus for the twisting cable and lace design of the Library of Congress Hat. An aran weight yarn like Swans Island Certified Organic Chunky will be worthy for the king of the sea!

Summerhouse Hat & Wristers photo - TanisKnits

Bright green moss growing on the patterned brick and latticed ironwork of the Summerhouse, located on the West Lawn of the Capitol, inspired the Summerhouse Hat and Wristers – which in turn started Tanis on designing the rest of the patterns for Capitol Knits! Knit these in a luxurious sport weight yarn like The Fibre Company Road to China Light.

A shimmering chandelier hung in a striking hallway in the Renwick Gallery was the inspiration for the Renwick Wristers, knit in two colors of subtly sparkly Sublime Yarns Lustrous Extra Fine Merino DK to reflect the saffron walls of the hallway and the dark woodwork.

The bold stripes of the Constitution Hall Scarf evoke the American flag hanging outside the building where Tanis researched her family history as a Daughter of the American Revolution. A DK weight silk-blend yarn will work up with a lovely drape – try the hand-dyed colors of Neighborhood Fiber Co. Maisonette DK.

National Gallery Shawl photo - TanisKnits

The Capitol Shawl calls for a silky, drapy DK weight as well. The green lawns and marble steps of the Capitol building influenced the geometric shaping and graphic striped design. Try The Fibre Company Acadia for a textured look.

Last but definitely not least, the idea for the National Gallery Shawl was sparked by the LED-lit tunnel at the National Gallery of Art. Knit a one or two-color version in luxurious Skein Worsted MCN or The Fibre Company Terra.

Congratulations to Tanis on her newest book! We can’t wait to see what’s in store next from her creative mind and needles!

NFC Maisonette DK - one of our Second Winter arrivals!

You know how Knitty does a Fall, a Deep Fall, AND a Winter issue so that you can have twice (or is that three times?) as many patterns to knit once the weather gets cold? Well, we’ve decided to do something similar with yarn at fibre space!

Many knitting stores bring in their fall and winter yarns starting around September or October, maybe add in a couple of special luxury yarns right before the holidays, and then after Christmas, DONE! Time to start thinking about spring and summer yarns, right?

Except here in the DC area, it’s just starting to get really cold in January (well, depending on the day) and we’re finally getting around to knitting winter things for ourselves now that we’ve got all our gift knitting done. We want more winter yarns!

So we thought, hey, why not have a SECOND winter yarn season and bring in some new yarns? So we did!

Since the beginning of December, we’ve brought in new yarns from Manos del Uruguay, Neighborhood Fiber Co., Noro, Rowan, Skein, and Swans Island – and there’s more on the way!

Veronica modeling Escargot!

Speaking of Knitty… their winter issue arrived at the beginning of December too, but we were so busy with the holidays, inventory, and getting new yarn in we didn’t really have time to sit down and give it a good look through. We were really pleased to see that our very own former fibre spacegirl Veronica had a pattern published in this issue though! (Congratulations, Veronica!) So we had to take a minute and talk it up, of course!

Veronica knit her super cute Escargot cloche in Dragonfly Fibers Blue Faced Worsted – one of our favorite yarns from this local hand dyer! This would also be great in the Manos del Uruguay Rittenhouse Merino 5-Ply that we just got in – the rich saturated colors will brighten up a cold winter’s day. Or try a variegated version in Skein Worsted MCN!

SkyIsle

Another great pattern from this issue is the SkyIsle cardigan, knit in Tahki Donegal Tweed. (Yep, we’ve got it in the shop!) The light-colored Fair Isle-patterned yoke and darker body with waist shaping are very figure flattering! (For most of us, anyway – Danielle, however, will insist this makes her shoulders look too big, and will reverse the colors to have a dark yoke pattern and a light colored body. Isn’t it cool how you can do that when you knit things for yourself?) This looks like a fun knitting challenge  - it’s worked in the round from the bottom up and then steeked. Cascade Eco Wool would be another good choice for this if you’d like something a little less tweedy. At 4 stitches to the inch, this should be a pretty quick knit too!

Alata

Maybe you prefer cables to colorwork? Personally, I am loving any and all short sleeved pullovers to wear over long sleeved shirts this winter so Alata might just have to move to the top of my queue! This one is knitted in the round from the bottom up as well. Manos del Uruguay Rittenhouse Merino 5-Ply would be a great yarn for this pattern – the plies will help the cables stand out and keep the yarn from pilling with wear.

Not enough cables for you yet?

Groove

Stephen West’s Groove scarf/shawl uses two colors of The Fibre Company Acadia, a gorgeous slubby blend of Merino, alpaca, and silk, in a pattern that’s got stripes AND cables. (And lots of buttons too!)

This would also be beautiful in Neighborhood Fiber Co. Maisonette DK or Rowan Tweed – both new to the shop for Second Winter! The hard part will be picking out which two colors you want to use!

Lesley mentioned in her recent post that she has a lot of hats – so do I! I have a whole drawerful of hats that I’ve knitted and not one single solitary pair of mittens to keep my hands warm. (Well, no finished pairs anyway… there are plenty of single solitary mittens floating around.) The Borough mittens might just be the solution!

Borough

Knitted in cushy Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes, these convertible mittens have flip-tops that conveniently button back to change them into fingerless mitts – it’s like having two pairs of toasty warm handwear but with half the knitting! (That’s what I’m going to tell myself, anyway. Swans Island Certified Organic Chunky would be another great yarn choice for these.

These are knitted in the round on US 8s and you only have to cast on 30 stitches for the medium size… I might end up with warm hands this winter after all!

Have you knitted anything from this issue yet? What are your favorites?

I have more hats than any other knitted garment, hands down. I think that the reason I prefer knitting hats to other things is that you can usually finish them in 1 skein, and it’s an easy way to tackle something new. Also, they get finished, which is a huge plus in my book.

We learn hats first to learn how to knit in the round, and to make increases and decreases. The First Hat class is a prime example, and great for newer knitters looking to expand their skills.

Setesdal Love Hat by Kate Gagnon-Osborne, photo by Interweave

For a more experienced knitter, you can use hats to learn other skills like fair isle and cables. My favorite fair isle hat is the Setesdal Love Hat by Kate Gagnon-Osborne. I made one a year ago, but I can’t help but be tempted to make another in BrooklynTweed Loft. After all, you can never have too many hats covered in adorable hearts! If you would like some help embarking on your fair isle journey, the fair isle hat class might be the perfect fit for you.

Urchin by Ysolda Teague

I also have an attraction to uniquely constructed hats. Some of the other yarnistas and I recently knit some pretty cute Urchin hats out of Neighborhood Fiber Company’s Beltway Bulky yarn. This hat is constructed sideways, using short rows to make the shape of the hat. It’s an excellent way to learn short rows, as well as Kitchener stitch. Not sure about short rows? Come join us in knitting the Muir hat. We will help you deconstruct the mysteries of wrapping and turning.

What hats have you knit lately?

Sometimes being a knitter is pretty hilarious, particularly when you are getting to know someone new. At some point, they always ask, “so, what’s the most difficult thing you’ve ever made?” This question always sends me into a tailspin, trying desperately to locate my most complicated project ever! I often forget that someone who has never knitted a stitch is probably just as impressed by my first sweater that I have never worn, as the Estonian lace shawl that I am knitting for a wedding gift.

These conversations are generally with non-knitters, so I can’t just send them to my online Ravelry page, which is generally organized (though not quite as organized as my queue. I might be obsessed). No, I must instead send them into the depths of my poor flickr account, which really only serves as a place to hold some of my travel photos, and to feed images of projects into Ravelry. The problem here is that it’s not just projects. It’s also hundreds of pictures of yarn. Which leads to conversations like this one:

Bismark Hat by Kelbourne Woolens in Road to China Light. And me in my office looking silly.

Lesley: Well, here’s a hat I made recently

Friend: that hat is quite impressive.

Lesley: this is lace. It was a shawl for my sister’s wedding (this is me trying to impress my new friend with my fancy shawl)

I love that hat.

Friend: we drove from Virginia to upstate New York every summer…and one year I traveled with big needles and a ball of yarn. The project only lasted the length of the trip…two long car rides on either end of a week on Lake George.

Lesley: It’s a good travel project

I generally knit socks when I travel

Friend: the lace looks very delicate.

(Brief Pause)

Friend: You take pictures of yarn….just yarn. That’s funny.

SweetGeorgia Tough Love Sock in Pistachio. Also "just yarn."

Lesley: (oh crap, now they think I’m insane) Well, there is a reason…!

Friend: do tell

Lesley: There is a special social networking site for knitting and crochet

it’s called Ravelry

and you can list all the yarns you have so that it’s easier to pick projects

the site communicates with flickr, so all my photos are there

Friend: wow. a world I had no idea existed.

Lesley: yeah

knitters are silly

Friend: apparently.

Perhaps I should clean up my flickr account to avoid such future explanations? Probably not. There’s far too many interesting things on Ravelry to distract me.

Have you had a strange encounter of the knitting kind? Share it with us!

I think I have said before that I have a tendency (as do most of you) to over pack stitching projects when headed on vacation. It is just really frightening to imagine being without knitting, should I somehow knit through all of the yarn that I brought. Today I leave for Prague (yay!) for a week. In addition to the 8 hour flight to Munich and then one hour flight to Prague, there are all the cold nights in bars and restaurants to fill with good solid stitching time. I have narrowed it down to four projects…I think:

Socks

Sock projects fit into small purses and pockets and are super handy for discreetly stitching during a tour of a brewery, for example. I rummaged through my sock stash last night and selected one skein of String Theory self striping yarn in the fibre space colorway that we had awhile back and one skein of a sport weight hand dye that I picked up at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival a few years ago. I figured that if the tiny needles on the first one make my hands hurt, I can change to the US#3 and sport weight yarn. Both will be simple ribbed socks, so no pattern involved here.

Sweater

Photo by Brooklyn Tweed

Nothing says vacation like a new sweater project to cast on. I am teaching a lace pullover class on the Peabody sweater from Brooklyn Tweed and really should get it knitted soon! I wanted to use one of the new colors of LOFT, so I am double stranding it. My first swatching attempt resulted in a horribly tight fabric on US#6 needles…which I shouldn’t have been using anyway because the pattern calls for #7. i have no idea what I was reading. So now I have to try #7 needles. This will probably happen on the plane. At least my husband won’t be there to yell about my need to soak a swatch on an airplane. Traveling with other people who carry sharp pointy things can be handy. They don’t judge.

Mittens

Yeah, remember those fair isle mittens that I was knitting for this trip? They look exactly the way they did when I posted about them last. The fair isle mitten curse continues…it is my hope that I will knit a thumb and part of the mitten on the airplane. The handy fold down tray thing is pretty well positioned for fair isle chart reading. It’s not like I have anything else to distract me for 8 hours.

The other random thing

The problem now is that I am here at the shop and tempted to grab more yarn and throw it in my bag for some last minute emergency project to knit to keep me warm while in Prague. I already did this two nights ago when I whipped up a pair of One Cable Mitts in BSA Worsted Hand Dye. It took about two hours. Right now I am thinking that the Elizabeth Hat by Jane Richmond would  match them nicely and give me a “set” in theory..not that I have ever had a matching set of anything. I can have dreams though, right?

Elizabeth by Jane Richmond

Presenting my latest FO! I am so excited about this one. The pattern is Edie and available in the LOFT collection of patterns from Brooklyn Tweed. Really, it should have been done awhile ago. I have no excuse. Despite the fingering weight gauge, there is a lot of stockinette stitch and only a bit of cabling in it. And short short sleeves…really, no excuse here. The yarn was just lovely to work with – light and lofty, as it is named. I loved the tiered cables that start on the front and continue around to the back. These were a simple chart but a nice affect.

The sweater is short…which is obvious in the model photo. I would suggest adding a couple of inches to the body of the pattern, and you could easily knit it with longer sleeves. I used only 3 skeins for my size (34″) instead of the 4 that the pattern called for, so the extra inches wouldn’t have required more yarn than the pattern indicates.

I would rank this project as “funky” – requiring the ability to increase and decrease and work basic cables from a chart.

Today was super exciting because three new colors arrived from Spud and Chloe in the Sweater yarn: Chocolate Milk, Manatee and Lilac.

Chocolate Milk

Manatee

Lilac

What great additions to the vibrant color range of this yarn!

We also got in some new patterns…and I think this one is going to be a big hit:

Leaf Blanket in Spud and Chloe Outer

This amazing little baby bunting is worked in 4 hanks of Spud and Chloe Outer. It is a quick and easy project for baby gifts and amazingly adorable – another gem from Susan B Anderson. You would need US #15 32″ circular needles and US #11 double points and one button.

We also picked up this new men’s sweater pattern – worked in Spud and Chloe Sweater (a chance to use a couple of those new colors!) This is one of those sweaters that our men will actually wear…. simple with a touch of color.

Jersey Pullover in Spud and Chloe Sweater

Should you decide that a man in your life needs this sweater, you will need 7-10 hanks of the main color and one skein of each of the contrast color. It uses US #8 needles.

Do you knit holiday gifts for your co-workers? Do you feel like it’s a chore you have to do or have you found a way to make it fun?

At customer Trish’s office they have a Santa hat contest every year so that one of her lucky co-workers can win a handknitted hat!

They play games like “race to wrap a present”, “pin the pom-pom on Santa’s hat”, “complete the Christmas song lyrics”, and Christmas trivia to pick the winners.

Wrap faster!

Here are a few determined competitors in the “draw a Christmas tree & ornaments with the paper on your head” contest!

How does my tree look?

Want to make your own Santa hats for your officemates?

Lucky winners!

The two hats here are (on the left) Penny’s Santa Hat, knit in aran weight on US 9 needles and (on the right) our very own Whimsical Holiday Hat which knits up SUPER fast on US 17 needles!

Happy knitting to all! Eat a bunch of Christmas cookies, have some eggnog, and don’t work too hard!

Vintage Modern Tree Skirt

In case you missed Danielle’s post earlier this year about granny squares entering current fashion trends, we have had even more proof this season from Anthropologie with their funky tree skirt. We crocheters are not to be outdone, however, so we bring you the Vintage Modern Tree Skirt pattern, available in the shop and on Ravelry. Now you can make your very own funky tree skirt, so that you can customize it to suit your holiday decor.

In the Tree Skirt workshop this weekend, there were many discussions on what else we can use granny squares for, so I thought I’d take a moment to share a few of our favorites.

African Flower Hexagon Pillow by Katepie (ravelry)

Personally, I like non-traditional granny squares, so the Hexagon How-To and the African Flower Hexagon are a few of my favorites. The beekeepers quilt has nothing on crocheters! These patterns can be worked up as pillows, blankets, bags, and even pin cushions in any gauge of yarn. Ella Rae Superwash would be ideal, since it comes in so many amazing colors and can be thrown into the washer. I think I seriously need that pillow for my couch though…

Earlier this year I crocheted myself the Sunny Spread blanket, which is another non-traditional granny square construction that uses around the post crochet stitches to add a little bit of depth to your project. This would be a great summer throw in Berroco Weekend, and it is a lot of fun to make. There are plenty of examples on Ravelry on how to alter the colors to make it a lot more fun.

Granny Tea Cozy by crochetwthraymond

Of course, granny squares are not just for blankets and pillows! The folks at Purl Soho came up with some awesome granny square slippers, and I am really not sure how I have lived without a granny square tea cozyfor this long. Would it be too much to make it out of the new Rowan Tweed DK? The colors are perfect.

Tessellations Hat, Photo by Brittany Tyler

While the world of fashion seems to think that granny square dresses are the cutting edge of fashion, I think I’ll stick to wearing them on my head, because the granny square hat pattern, Tessellations, in the new issue of Tangled is absolutely adorable. It’s great in a graduated color yarn like mini mochi, but why not something with a little sparkle for the holidays, like Space Cadet Lucina?

I can’t wait to see what wonderful things you come up with!

*Credit to Marsha for this quote!

The days til Christmas are slowly ticking away, but that somehow doesn’t stop pattern designers from putting new patterns out there to distract us from our well laid gift planning…The newest edition of Twist is full of amazing new patterns that will make great gifts for someone…Or maybe to keep!

Before we get lost in photos, I want to draw attention to their article about increases and decreases. I hear this question so often, and it’s all laid out here so clearly!

Perianth Mittens, photo by Jane Heller

There is always one project in Twist that I have to fight not to cast on right away. Sometimes I lose the battle (cough, Trousseau, cough), and I may just have to bite the bullet and cast on the Perianth mittens. I love the cute fair isle motifs, and that they can be made in different sizes by just adjusting the needle size. I know I will make them in Brooklyn Tweed Loft. In Plume and Postcard. Or maybe Plume and Blanket Fort….oh, wait, we were supposed to be talking about gifts….

Hats always make great presents in my book. They are generally knit in the round, they go pretty quickly, and there is only one

Yukimi Hat, Photo by James Brittain

piece! Yukimi is a great twist, as it is worked from the top down, instead of bottom up. If you have never started a hat this way, it’s a great way to learn something new while making a sweet gift for someone special. Perhaps my office secret santa partner is in need of a new winter hat… The new Rowan tweed DK would knit up quickly, and comes in some spectacular colors.

Stonybrook Mitts, Photo by Jane Heller

Every weekend, someone comes into the shop looking for a pattern for convertible mitts, and Stonybrook is my new favorite. These will knit up fast in a smooshy worsted weight yarn like Dragonfly Bluefaced Worsted or Shepherd’s wool, but the cable pattern makes them look great! Also, there is some overlapping in the fabric to make sure hands stay very warm. You could not find something this awesome in a store.

If shawl knitting is more your speed, you can’t beat a shawl knit up quickly in worsted weight yarn. Geadathe newest installment from shawl expert Susanna IC, and is just gorgeous. I love the crescent shape and the short row construction keeps me interested to the very last stitch. For me, an interesting pattern is absolutely essential to project completion. This accessory would be stunning in SweetGeorgia superwash worsted, and their bright colors would stand out against a neutral colored winter coat.

Caprio Wrap, Photo by James Brittain

I have to admit, I fell in love with Caprio at first sight. The texture of the lace is so alluring, and while it would make a great gift, I am not certain that I would be able to part with the finished product. This pattern is knit from end to end with no grafting, and provides excellent practice in reading charts, as the pattern isn’t written out at all. You could knit this up in a  great solid colors from St-Denis, or find the perfect monochrome in Babs Yummy 3-ply. Either way, I would love to find this under my tree on Christmas morning.

Jaina, Photo by Jane Heller

If you are all done with your winter gifting, the latest Twist has some amazing sweater options to get you into the new year. My favorite is Jania, knit up with clever details in a supersoft DK weight yarn. I think I could easily live in this cardigan. Knit it up in Miss Babs Northumbria DK or Neighborhood Fiber Company Maisonette DK for excellent stitch definition and durable fabric in amazing colors.

 As I may have mentioned a time or three, I love knitting books. When we go to the trade show in the summer we get to hear about all the new books that will be coming out in the fall – so I’ve been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this book for months! It has two of my favorite things right in the title after all – “Irish” and “Knits.”

I’ve also been looking forward to a whole book of Carol Feller’s designs after seeing her patterns like Trousseau, Iced, Adrift, and more. Trained as an artist and a structural engineer, she sums up her design aesthetic by saying:

“I enjoy designing knitwear that is well-shaped, flattering to wear and enjoyable to knit. I strive to design clothing with a difference: not overly complex, but still giving a very unique end product. I like to work with different construction methods, so long as they enhance the knitting experience and make for a more intuitively put-together knitted item.”

In Contemporary Irish Knits, Feller combines her modern design sensibility with the colors and textures of the Irish landscape and the knitting traditions of the Aran Islands to create fresh new patterns.

Ireland has long been known for its wool industry (Donegal tweed, anyone?), and Feller highlights the three Irish mills that still produce hand knitting yarn by using their yarns in her designs and discussing how the yarn is produced.

Listowel - photo Joseph Feller

First on the list is Kerry Woollen Mills, in operation for over 300 years. The same family has run the mills for over 100 years and currently produce certified organic yarn and traditional Aran yarn for hand knitters. The cabled jacket pattern pictured on the book cover, Killorglin, is designed in their Aran Wool yarn. (Can’t pop over to Killarney to pick some up? Feller kindly provides a yarn substitution guide in the back of the book  - or try Imperial Yarn Columbia 2-ply for an American-made version.)

The Tralee skirt with its pretty kick pleats is designed in Kerry Woollen Mills Organic 2-ply – try Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd’s Wool DK, another American-made yarn, for yours.

The adorable Listowel shrug is a must-knit for your favorite little girl – the heart-shaped cable on the back makes it so special! (I’m knitting this for my niece’s birthday right now!) Make an extra-snuggly version in Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes.

For boys, the hooded Caherciveen vest will keep them warm through all their adventures! Knit one up in Cascade Eco Wool – 2 skeins is all you need.

Ballyragget - photo Joseph Feller

Next to be featured is Cushendale Woollen Mills, another historic family-run mill in the little village of Graig-Na-Managh, County Kilkenny. They produce dyed-in-the-wool yarns for hand knitting, blending together colors to create subtle shades in their Cushendale Woollen Mills DK (actually a worsted weight) and 4-Ply (a fingering weight.)

The handsome Knockmore sweater is knit in the round from the bottom up and the saddle-shoulder shaping is created in one piece using decreases – interesting! Try Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd’s Wool to show off the textured stitches, and knit up a Ballyragget hat for yourself at the same time.

The cable & lace pattern of Dangan can be made in small or large sizes to serve as a pretty shawl or sweet baby blanket – knit this in the new Brooklyn Tweed LOFT (the hard part will be picking which color you want to make it in!)

You’ll get to play with color again in the Belville sweater with its tweed stitch yoke – use the rich dyed-in-the-wool shades of Brooklyn Tweed SHELTER to create the perfect combination.

Ballinagree is a boys’ sweater with bold cables – knit this in a heathered color of Ella Rae Classic Superwash for easy care.

Kilmanagh felted bag uses two colors of yarn to evoke the tradition of woven tweed fabrics - Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd’s Wool will felt up nicely for this.

Bundoran & Killybegs - photo Joseph Feller

The third mill featured by Feller is Donegal Yarns (formerly Kilcarra Woollen Mills), famous for the production of Donegal tweed yarns with their signature flecks, or “nepps,” of color. The Tahki Donegal Tweed that we carry at the shop is produced right here! Use it for any of the following patterns, or try Tahki Tara Tweed for a softer fabric.

The Killybegs cardigan and Bundoran beret use honeycomb cables to create texture and flatter your figure – make the beret as a gift and work on the cardigan for yourself!

The long lines of the Ardara cardigan will look great over skinny jeans or leggings, or perhaps a tweedy skirt & tights with boots! Wear it with a Glengesh wrap in a toasty color and keep warm with its textured cable & lace combination.

Straboy - photo Joseph Feller

I want to make the Straboy hoodie for myself! This pattern is a knockout with its traditional style cabling that shows off the tweedy yarn.

Rossbeg girl’s cardigan is another one I think I’ll have to make for my niece – every little Irish lass should have a cabled cardi!

The last section of the book introduces us to some modern Irish hand dyers – Dublin Dye Company, a group of dyers from Blackrock, and Hedgehog Fibres, a one woman operation from Cork.

Make the  lacy Dalkey Cowl & Fingerless Mitts in your favorite hand dyer’s fingering weight yarn – how about SpaceCadet Creations Celeste? One skein will do both the cowl and the mitts.

Rathcooney Hat & Mitts - photo Joseph Feller

The Rathcooney Hat & Fingerless Mitts have a gorgeous textured stitch pattern. The new Maisonette DK from Neighborhood Fiber Co. or a light worsted like Miss Babs Yowza would be perfect for these!

Which pattern is your favorite? I can’t wait to get started on some of these!

Dalkey Cowl & Mitts - photo Joseph Feller

Artfully Chocolate 2003 Mt Vernon Avenue

Many of you know that I have a love affair with Artfully Chocolate. When Eric opened in Del Ray a few years ago, I was smitten…he sells chocolate for petes sake! We have partnered on several events, and I think this has resulted in a few more converts to the world of fine chocolate. Knitters seem to understand why a high quality chocolate is better..it’s like a high quality merino. He has this chocolate bar with almonds and sea salt that may have helped me get this store open. I think I ate two a week.

So since Eric used to host our classes in his DC shop, I have owed him a knitted prize for quite some time. He is a large part of how we became fibre space.™ Today I finally got his gift done – Men’s Cashmere Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I used Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes. I think I even have enough leftover to whip up a pair of the free “One Cable Mitts” pattern from Blue Sky. (something to keep around for emergency gifting needs).

Cashmere Men's Scarf in Worsted Hand Dyes

I blocked it today during our “emergency last minute knitting and crocheting” at the shop. Every Thursday night we will have our iron and blocking mat out to help you quickly steam those items that you are furiously finishing up for the holidays. There are two Thursdays left! (We had Eric’s amazing cocoa here tonight and promise a treat next Thursday too….)

With this project done, I can now say that I am finished with my holidays. Done. Cards in the mail. Gifts finished and wrapped. DONE. I don’t even know what to do with myself now..I guess I get to start more projects…or finish all the ones sitting on my dining room table. Balance the checkbook? hrm.