Last week I posted about our May knitalong – which features a bit of financial incentive for those who finish up by early June. If you want to see what others are doing, be sure to jump on over to our knitalong thread in the Fans of fibre space forum on Ravelry. Have you cast on?

The unreasonable person in me has decided to knit both shawls. Lucky for me, I had the Sundry project cast on before we launched the knitalong…so I guess I cheated a bit. I settled on a black and gold (perhaps Steelers themed) shawl that I can wear during the football season. Because I used fingering weight instead of a sport weight as the pattern calls for, mine is a little smaller than yours will be. But it worked up really quickly and I love that the slip stitch pattern in the middle looks very similar to the Pittsburgh check pattern that appears on the coat of arms, our flag and our police officers. Now if I could just get the tails woven in…

It’s no secret that we at fibre space™ are addicted to hand-dyes, but it’s a rare occasion that we get to dive into the mind of the artist to find out what makes them tick, and how they come up with the amazing colors that we all go nuts for. For this reason, I jumped at the chance to chat with Melissa Gilje about her company Wool Therapy, our newest hand-dye! She’s a little shy, but was willing to share a few things about herself and her yarns.

Lesley: What made you decide to start dying?

Melissa: Getting started in dyeing was a natural progression for me into the rabbit hole that is the fiber arts. I started about 4 years ago by taking a class at a fiber festival. I also walked away that weekend with a spinning wheel….. who knew?!

Lesley: I can relate! I love my wheel! Though, I think with all hand dyers, I am most curious about where you find the inspiration for your colors?

Melissa: Mostly nature and my surroundings, usually something rather random that catches me eye. My favorite pair of shoes (Fluevog) became the inspiration for the color “Guides”.*

Lesley: It is no wonder that Danielle was drawn to your yarns! We all know how much she loves her Fluevogs. So, how do you come up with color names?
Melissa: Sometimes the name comes before the color, an idea in my head that I have to put on yarn or fiber. Other times it is the opposite and I think, “Wow! That looks like……”. Very, very scientific process really, especially when a toddler helps

Lesley: I can only imagine! What about the name for your company, how did you come up with it? (I love it, by the way!)

Melissa: Wool and the fiber arts are my Therapy. Be it the retail side, (buy all teh yarn!) or actually knitting, spinning, weaving or dyeing, I find my solace in sniffing the wool.

Lesley: I think you are not alone in that. So, we are all knitters too, right? What is your favorite thing to knit?

Melissa: Sweaters. I am obsessed with having a closet full of sweaters to wear and bins full of sweater quantities of yarn to knit! Although having 3 on the needles all the time doesn’t help to get them done quickly. I really should go knit right now……

Lesley: Me too! I am nearly finished with a sweater myself….

Come on in to fibre space™ to check out Melissa’s yarns! We just received Tranquil, which is a generous 460 yard sock yarn blend of 75% BFL  and 25% nylon, as well as Harmony, which is a 230 yards of DK weight squishy 50/50  Silk and Merino blend. I can’t wait to play with all of the amazing color!

Happy knitting! I’m off to finish my sweater…

So I told you awhile back about my mother learning to knit. Her first project? A vest! Seriously…and she actually finished it. I am really really proud of her and her new found knitting skills. She didn’t even whine about how long it took vs crochet. (She feels crochet is superior because it is faster). Here is her vest in all its glory:

Shawl Collar Vest from Blue Sky Alpacas worked in Ianthe

She then moved right into lace. Lace? Yes, lace. I guess my drive and ambition comes from my mother. Someone had left a skein of Malabrigo Lace in the back room for staff to take, and she wanted desperately to knit with it. She chose the Emily Shawl pattern from the Best of Knitscene book. She then proceeded to learn about brackets in a pattern and that they indicate section repeats; she learned to read charts and work lace increases and decreases…all while actually knitting the shawl. Whenever she didn’t have any boxes to unpack or shelves to restock, my mom was sitting in our classroom space working on her shawl and asking random questions of the staff who happened to walk buy. It didn’t take her long to knit this thing…rather amazing really. I don’t know what she is plotting next. Perhaps intarsia?

This May, we thought we would host a knitalong for a fun quick”ish” scarf / wrap that you can wear through spring and into the warmer summer months. With the abundance of fingering and sport weight yarn in the shop, there are so many options for light weight yarns. Unable to decide between the two choices, we have decided to offer both. Both patterns offer you the opportunity to play with color and match up unexpected color combinations for a wonderful result. Here’s how it will work:

1. Pick one of the patterns based on your taste, skill level, etc

2.Use a fibre space™ yarn for the project, either from your stash for from our inventory of new yarns. Be warned that we are about to receive some new yarns in the next week or two that would be amazing AND we just got new deliveries that would also be amazing (see yarn ideas below).

3. Follow the knitalong progress on our blog and also by coming into the shop on Wednesday and Thursday nights when we are open until 9 pm.

4. Complete the project and bring it to the shop to show us by June 7th and be entered to win a $50 gift certificate (which should help you cover the cost of materials!)

That’s it. So what are we going to knit?

Option One: Sundry

Sundry is the easier of the two projects. It requires the ability to knit, purl, Kfb, K2tog, and slip a stitch. The Picot bind off will be a exciting for those who haven’t worked picot yet. We are happy to help, of course!

Materials:

The project calls for sport weight yarn. You will need 375 yards in each of two colors.

US#7 40″ circular needle

Copy of the Sundry pattern available on Ravelry.

Option Two: Ziggity (seen below)

Ziggity is just awesome – combining a bit of lace with lots of garter for a project that is a little more challenging than the first but still not requiring too many skills. You can skip the provisional cast on, so all you need to know is: yo, ssk, K2tog, M1, and SK2P. Ability to read lace charts will make this easier, but the instructions are also written out.

Materials:

Suggestions: grab two bright colors of NFC Studio Sock, Miss Babs Northumbria or Yummy 2 ply, Spud and Chloe Fine or even Brooklyn Tweed LOFT. I am using the Fibre Co Canopy Fingering and it is luscious! You will need 210 yards of the MC and 275 yards of the CC.

US#7 32″ circular needle

Copy of the Ziggity pattern by Kirsten Kapur available on Ravelry.

I have already started Sundry and will cast on for Ziggity tomorrow at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Who is joining in the knitalong and planning to try for the prize?!

Be sure to add your project to Ravelry and let us know when you cast on in the Fans of fibre space group!.

We’re so excited to share our newest free blog pattern with our space cadets! The Port Elizabeth cowl was created for fibre space™ by one of our favorite designers, the very talented Ann Weaver (who is a genius with color!) This color-blocked cowl lets you play with your favorite Brooklyn Tweed LOFT colors in a simple, playful design that you can wear with anything. We will have this beautiful cowl at the shop this weekend, so you can check it out in person. On that note, if you are headed into town for Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this weekend, come by the shop to pick up some of this amazing American-grown Targhee-Columbia wool. It’s a dream to work with. Light and delicate to knit with, but transforms into a strong and sturdy fabric—a rare combination! We’ll also be handing out free fibre space™ tote bags so you MSWF-goers will have something to stuff your yarn into!

-Daphne

   
Port Elizabeth by Ann Weaver
The first design in my series inspired by container ships and ship breaking, this cowl is named for the stacks of containers in the working shipyard of Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, which I drive past on my trips from Boston to the Washington, DC, area.
Port Elizabeth is worked in one piece as three tiers. The first tier of squares is knit flat and then seamed to make a loop. The stitches for the next tiers of squares are picked up from the edge of this loop, and the tiers are joined to these live stitches as they are knit.

Supplies

• 1 skein Brooklyn Tweed Loft (fingering weight; 100% American wool; 275 yds/50g per skein) each in Foothills (A), Truffle Hunt (B), Plume (C), Blanket Fort (D), and Hayloft (E). Actual yardage used: 100 yds A, 150 yds B, 65 yds C, 65 yds D, 65 yds E.

• 16-inch circular needles in US#7 (5.5mm), US#5 (3.75mm), and US#4 (3.5mm) or size needed to obtain gauge, two sizes smaller than size needed to obtain gauge, and three sizes smaller than size needed to obtain gauge
• An extra needle (straight, circular, or double-pointed): US#5 (3.75mm) and US#4 (3.5mm), or appropriate size for gauge
• 2 stitch markers
• Darning needle

Pattern Information

Gauge
20 sts and 40 rows = 4 inches in garter st using largest needle
To save time, take time to check gauge.

Skills Used
Picking up and knitting, seaming

Finished Measurements
24-inch circumference at widest point
17 inches deep

Instructions for Squares

Square A
Knit 60 rows.

Square B
Knit 10 rows, ending with a WS row. On last row, place markers after st 5 and st 25.
Row 1 (RS): Knit.
Row 2 (WS): Knit to m, purl to next m, knit to end.
Repeat (Rows 1 and 2) 20 times.
Removing markers, knit 10 rows.

Square C
Knit 20 rows, ending with a WS row. On last row, place markers after st 10 and st 20.
Row 1 (RS): Knit.
Row 2 (WS): Knit to m, purl to next m, knit to end.
Repeat (Rows 1 and 2) 10 times.
Removing markers, knit 20 rows.

Pattern

Tier 1
Using A and largest needle, CO 30 sts using long-tail method. Work Square B. Cut A and join B. Work Square A. Cut B and join A. Work Square C. Cut A and join B. Work Square A. BO. Seam ends of piece together to form a loop.

Tier 2
With RS facing and starting at seam, using B and smaller needle, pick up and knit 30 sts along the edge of each square (1 stitch in every other row)—120 sts total. Note: Pick up stitches along the edge with the color changes so that the cleaner edge is the bottom of the cowl.

Using live yarn and backwards-loop method, CO 30 sts. Using extra needle to work the stitches on the RS rows and circular needle to work the sts on the WS rows, work Square B, joining RS rows of square to live sts as follows: Knit to last st, slip this st, knit first st of live sts held on circular needle, psso.

Cut B, join C, and work Square B.
Cut C, join B, and work Square B.
Cut B, join C, and work Square B.
Bind off. Seam BO edge to CO edge.

Tier 3
Using D and smallest needle, pick up sts along top edge of Tier 2 as for beginning of Tier 2. Join RS rows of squares to live sts as for Tier 2.

Using D, work Square B.
Cut D, join E, and, work Square C.
Cut E, join D, and work Square B.
Cut D, join E, and work Square C.
Bind off. Seam BO edge to CO edge.

Weave in ends. Wet block.

Sleepy Monkey Blanket by Mary Ann Stephens

Sometimes a pattern takes ahold of your brain, and you can’t really let go of it. Years could go by, and you still look back on that pattern longingly for some reason. This was the relationship that I had with the Sleepy Monkey Baby Blanket from Twist Collective.

I don’t have kids. Finding a kid that I wanted to spend this much time knitting for was difficult. Not to mention, this pattern involves the dreaded steek! I had never attempted to cut my knitting before. But still, I kept the pattern in mind. I played with different color combinations of Cascade Eco Wool for probably six months! Finally, I broke down and bought the yarn, but there was still no baby to knit for (and now 5 giant skeins of Eco Wool taking up space in my yarn stash…). So, in January, when my best friend (that I have known since she was in the 6th grade) told me she was expecting her first child, I jumped at the chance to knit this ridiculously adorable and complicated blanket.

Those happy Monkeys have no idea what's about to happen....

I think the Mom to Be is as Sleepy as the Monkey...

I can’t even tell you how many fellow knitters told me that I was crazy. Fair Isle. Steeking.  What was I thinking? Still, the 2 panels of the blanket knit up quickly  in the round, and they looked amazing. And then came the cutting. I went to the store and bought new scissors. I locked myself in my apartment for the evening, read tons of online tutorials, and finally settled on this one from Exercise Before Knitting…And when I couldn’t put it off any longer, I  crocheted the steek, took a deep breath, and cut. Sadly, there are no pictures, since I was at home alone, but I have to say, it was kind of anti-climatic. The end result was pretty great though, after all, who can resist adorable monkeys?

Do you have any knitting techniques you are afraid to try? Come take your knitting to the next level with our techniques series.

~Lesley

Take the time to celebrate the mothers in your life this Mother’s Day, May 13th. And if you’re a mom, start writing your wish list–we keep them on file at the shop! There are many ways to translate your love of yarn into a beautiful gift to honor the women most important to you.

Knitted Gifts – Make it personal by knitting something luxurious in her favorite color.

• The comfort of ultra-soft camel, alpaca, silk, and cashmere in Road to China Light makes it the ideal indulgence when whipped up into a frothy cowl.
• Hand-knitted socks in a thicker, DK-weight yarn make for perfect bed socks and are more feasible to finish by Mother’s Day. Knit a lacy pair with our hand-dyed Miss Babs Northumbria to make them extra special.
• A handmade dishrag adds a touch of luxury to household chores. One of my favorites is this scalloped hand towel, and with the updated palette of organic Debbie Bliss Eco Baby, it won’t look like a throwback to pastel kitchens. Wrap it up with a tin of all-natural Lavishea to treat her hands after washing dishes.

Give a gift of yarn – for mom to make something for herself, of course. Finish it with a set of our glass knitting needles from Moving Mud.

• Buttery-soft Swans Island Certified Organic Fingering is a knitter’s dream. Two skeins of this naturally-dyed yarn are gorgeous enough to sit on the coffee table, but they also make a wonderful Sakura shawl (pattern available in print at shop). Gift it with a bottle of the newest Soak scent, Lacey—the light bergamot adds an air of romance to a lace shawl.
• A bundle of Brooklyn Tweed LOFT is enough to inspire a slew of colorwork projects. Pick five colors and set her up with a kit to make the Seasons Hat (pattern available in print at shop).
• The soothing stockinette stitch in this streamlined cardigan is illuminated by The Fibre Company Acadia, a shimmering blend of silk and wool. A gift worthy of a mother’s love, especially when paired with our One World recycled Tagua buttons.

Little extras - notions, or books to inspire.

• Organizing is a beautiful thing when done with our silk Della Q needle cases, a company that benefits women in Vietnam.
• A set of interchangeable needles, lace or steel HiYa HiYa or KA Bamboo, are the ultimate knitter’s tool. We also carry sets of crochet hooks made from beautifully dyed Birch wood.
• My Grandmother’s Knitting – Because grandmother’s goods didn’t go out of style. The classic patterns and heartwarming stories are what I love about this book. Find designs by some of your favorites, including Norah Gaughan, Meg Swansen, and Kirsten Kapur.
• Vintage Modern Knits – A little bit vintage, a little bit modern. This book from the duo at Kelbourne Woolens continues to be one of my favorites because of the variety of techniques that are taught, and the versatility of the garments. From quick wrist warmers to elaborate, cabled sweaters, this is a book to be enjoyed for years.

Like a true crazy stitcher, I decided two days ago that I needed a gray scarf to match the coral dress that I intended to wear to the Smithsonian Craft Show Benefit Dinner. And, given that I am a crazy stitcher, I decided on a pattern that calls for laceweight yarn. So on Monday evening, I grabbed a hank of Skein Silky BFL lace (2 ply, 876 yards, 80% Bluefaced Leicester, 20% silk) in Graphite and downloaded the Bias ‘Before and After’ Scarf from Churchmouse Yarns. You won’t catch me knitting with lace yarns too often, so if I am going to jump into a lace weight project, it is going to have to be easy. This one fits the bill. The pattern is a bias scarf done entirely in stockinette stitch. If you can knit and purl, you would only need to know how to increase (a make 1 or perhaps a Kfb) and work a K2tog. That’s it. The pattern also has an option for adding beads to the beginning and end, which I thought would be a cute touch. I did manage to finish the project about 20 minutes before I had to run out the door to the benefit event. I steam blocked it on the fly, which worked amazingly well. It is my new favorite accessory for spring! So lightweight and slinky. And as my first neutral colored scarf, I am finding that it goes with a lot more in my closet than my typical brightly colored scarves do.

So about that Craft Show. The Smithsonian Craft Show is an annual show held at the National Building Museum. This year is the 30th anniversary of the event. Tickets for entry are $15 and it is open to the public today through April 22. The artists are amazing. You will find several fibre artists who are doing very interesting things with felting and wool. My favorite was Jeung-Hwa Park, who “combines knitting and felting to create textural scarves that bring a new aesthetic of knitting.”

Photo from Smithsonian and Park

I think my favorite booth was Ignatius Hats, whose hat boxes alone were worth the hat purchase.

Photo from Smithsonian and Ignatius Hats

Photo from Smithsonian and Tia Kramer

I may have also stumbled over the most interesting jewelry from Tia Kramer! The artist is from Seattle and boasts that the paper in her pieces are resistant to even Seattle weather. Her packaging is brilliant. She ties a wonderful wire and paper flower around each box and then sprinkles bits of the dyed paper into the inside of the box. I bought two necklaces, one for me and one for a friend who just had to have it after I sent her a text photo   I am an enabler.

So I would encourage you to check it out this weekend, particularly if you are already bouncing around the city for the Metro Yarn Crawl!

Cara Cara Pullover by Amanda Bell

Springtime means different things to everyone, but it always makes me think of that scene in Bambi where Thumper explains what “twitterpated” means. I think the feeling is similar when we find new knitting patterns that we want to try. I could (and do) spend hours contemplating various combinations of yarns and patterns and needles. So of course, a new magazine just contributes to the excitement. The newest Knitscene just arrived, and it is pretty darn exciting.

If you have seen my projects on Ravelry and my queue, you know that I am slightly obsessed with lace leaves. This issue of Knitscene has an entire article on all of the different ways to knit leaves.  I could knit leaves into every garment I make til the end of time using what this article teaches. Among my favorites is the Leaf Net Stole, which can be worn as a casual summer shawl or a snugly evening scarf. This would be a great accessory in one of this seasons hot colors like mint (cockatoo if you follow the Pantone colors) or coral. Canopy fingering has amazing drape as well as all of the best color palate’s for summer.

Leaf Net Stole by Kristy Howell

Ginkgo Counterpane Shawl by Paula Levy

I do love a good challenge in knitting, especially if it keeps my brain from thinking about work and other stress. That is why the Gingko Counterpanes Shawl caught my eye. It’s meant to look like ginko leaves, and it has a unique construction that involves a hybrid grafting technique to sew live stitches of one piece to the selvage edge of the second. I think that it would look amazing in any great hand-dye: Skein, Neighborhood Fiber Company, or Dragonfly. Kate from Dragonfly has some amazing greens that would be spot on for this shawl. (like I need more green sock yarn.)

I was also really excited to see a pattern that works wonderfully in self striping sock yarn. The Westport Shawl features a touch of delicate lace and plenty of flat stitched areas to show off the color changes. We have two striping sock yarns in the shop now – Noro Taiyo (combination of cotton, wool, nylon, and silk will keep you cool in the summer) and Crazy Zauberball (a merino and nylon blend that would be a little warmer).

Westport Shawl by Sarah Wilson

Quinn Sweater by Amy Gunderson

Like all Interweave summer magazines, this one has several great options for knitted spring and summer tees. I am in love with the Quinn Sweater. Debbie Bliss “Eco Baby” is the perfect compliment to this pattern, and has so many colors too choose from, I am struggling to pick one.

Garter Lace Scarf

by Jennifer Kessler

Size:

Approximately 78”/200 cm long scarf

Materials:

• 1 skein of Skein Yarns Top Draw Sock or approximately 400 yards/350 meters of fingering weight yarn (sample shown in Kaffir Lime colorway)
• US Size 5 needles
• Stitch Marker

Gauge:

22 sts/26 rows is 4”/10cm in garter, after blocking

Instructions:

• Using fingering weight yarn and a US 5 needle, cast on 25 stitches.
• Knit 4 stitches, place marker, work Row 1 of Lace Chart.
• Continue in pattern, working following Increase Row of Rows 15 and 29 of Lace Chart.
• Increase Row: Knit to 1 st before marker, kfb, sm, work in pattern to end of row.
• Work Increase Row in Rows 15 and 29 for 8 repeats of Lace Chart, or until you are about 40% done with your yarn.
• Work Lace Chart once without Increase Rows.
• Work 8 repeats of Lace Chart, working following Decrease Row on Rows 1 and 15 of Lace Chart.
• Decrease Row: Knit to 2 sts before marker, k2tog, sm, work in pattern to the end.
• Bind off loosely.

Soak and block.

Lace Chart: (click to enlarge)

As many of you know, Shepherd’s Wool from Stonehedge Fiber Mill is perhaps one of the most loved staple yarns at the store. I am grateful that a lovely customer suggested looking into it before we opened the shop. Working with a family run operation in the US has been wonderful for us as a store, and you all love supporting a US made yarn. Recently Stonehedge has started expanding their yarn into other gauges. The newest is Shepherd’s Wool DK, also a 100% merino wool that knits up into an amazingly soft fabric. The ply on this one is a little different than it’s larger worsted weight cousin, and I have been just itching to play with it. When Kate Gagnon Osborn had her little daughter Charlotte last month, I found a great reason to finally knit with it. Kate is a fab knitwear designer and also co owner of Kelbourne Woolens, distributors of the Fibre Co yarns. It is darn hard to figure out what yarn to use when you are knitting for someone who owns a yarn company. I figured she probably didn’t need to see more of her own yarn. I didn’t want to knit in something that wasn’t a small independent company since theirs is also. And I wasn’t super concerned about machine wash-ability since I figured a knitter would understand hand washing:) Shepherd’s Wool DK seemed like the perfect choice. The pattern that I selected was Olivia Petit by Connie Chang Chinchio. For the 9 month size, I used just 2.5 skeins of the yarn. The color is Antique Rose – a lovely heather of coral and pinks. I paired it with some of our new hand painted wood buttons. I think it turned out just adorable!

We also just got a wonderful shop sample knitted up in Shepherd’s Wool DK. This would be a great Mother’s Day project, if you are still looking for a good one. We selected two wonderfully contrasting colors for the Filtering Daylight shawl. It is has a simple feather and fan border and the center lace panel isn’t too bad with a nice garter stitch section all around it. I think it would be a good television project, for a show you didn’t want to pay too much attention to This version took 3.5 skeins of the white color (420 yards) and one skein of the blue (120 yards), but it did take every single yard of the blue. (We bound off in white because of this). If you are worried about yardage or are a loose knitter, you might want to grab two skeins of your contrast color.

While springtime doesn’t usually bring up images of knitting, I have a hard time putting down my needles regardless of the season. Even though the weather is gorgeous and we have less of an excuse to spend time indoors, there’s still a way to work yarn into your schedule. The soothing benefits of knitting can be enjoyed year-round. This time of year I look for projects that are easy to put down and come back to, and small enough to tote around. One of my favorites is the Blackcurrant Shawl by Veera Välimäki, created from garter stitch and unique angles that make it rest nicely on the shoulders. Veera’s designs are always a combination of simple and brilliant.

thischickadee's Blackcurrant

We were inspired to start a knitalong for this shawl—it’s the perfect balance of relaxing and interesting. The shawl is produced with two strands of yarn, one fingering weight and one lace or fingering weight, providing an opportunity to experiment with some of the new hand-dyed yarns at the shop. The two strands are knitted loosely on larger needles, which results in a bouncy, breathable fabric. The yarns look best together when they’re similar in color, so that the contrast in fibres is really shown off.

Come to the shop tonight for our Stitch in Space to start the Springtime Knitalong! We’ll be picking out yarn and casting on tonight!

Yarn ideas:

• The soft sheen of Skein Merino/Silk Sport would pair nicely with the slight halo of Manos Lace.
• Skein Top Draw Sock and Miss Babs Northumbria Fingering create a beautiful contrast in texture (as seen in thischickadee’s shawl above)
• The single twist of Neighborhood Fiber Co. Rustic Fingering and the plumper Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock allow you to pair the same colorways
• Choose your favorite variegated Miss Babs Yummy 2-ply colorway and pair it with Spud & Chloë Fine solids

We hope to see you tonight at Stitch in Space! The shop is open ’til 9 p.m. Stay tuned for blog updates on the Springtime Knitalong!

–

Daphne

I am really excited to see the first fibre explorer’s package head out to you all today. Each month is themed around the origin of the yarn, and this month’s yarn comes to us from Lorna’s Laces in Chicago! It is the new Sportmate – available first to our club members. This brand new yarn from Lorna’s is a sport weight version of their Solemate yarn. It is a blend of superwash merino, nylon and Outlast. Outlast is a wonderful fibre that regulates temperature. So a pair of socks knitted with this yarn would keep your feet warm in the winter and cool in the warmer days. The four colors that we got for this month’s club are all brand new and named after areas in Chicago.

We paired the yarn with a lovely Irish soap and a good green cocktail recipe – a nod at the city with 12 Irish mayors in its history. We included two pattern options.

If you aren’t exploring with us yet, grab a spot fast! We do have some spots left in the club and you can provide us with some guidance on your color preferences. Jump on over here to read the full details, costs and registration info.

*Please note that you are not able to select your package colors specifically. You will be given a package based on the color preferences provided to us. (Although feel free to trade with other club members!) We will record what color you receive to prevent you from getting repeat colors with future packages.

This is our newest free pattern, just in time for spring baby knitting. The purple squares are worked with a textured lumpy and bumpy yarn to give baby something fun to feel while snuggling under their blanket. By using Miss Babs Yowza and it’s huge yardage, here are very few ends to weave in.

Entrelac Color Burst Baby Blanket

Materials

Main yarn: 2 skeins Miss Babs Yowza held double or 1,000 yards of other worsted weight yarn or 500 yards chunky weight yarn

Contrasting yarn: 1 skein Neighborhood Fiber Co Beltway Bulky

US# 10 circular needles 24″ or longer

Gauge

14 sts = 4″

Measurements

24″ x 36″

Directions

Work base triangles. **Work left side triangle, tier one rectangles, right side triangle and tier two rectangles. Continue to repeat from ** two more times. Then work left side triangle, tier one rectangles, right side triangle and final triangles. Be sure to choose one, three or five squares and triangles to work in the contrasting yarn. Have fun and be random!

Base Triangles:

Cast on 60 stitches with main yarn held double.

*Row 1: (RS) K1, turn
Row 2 and all WS rows: purl all stitches in that section
Row 3: sl 1, k1, turn
Row 5: sl 1, k2, turn
Row 7: sl 1, k3, turn
Row 9: sl 1, k4, turn
Row 11: sl 1, k5, turn
Row 13: sl 1, k6, turn
Row 15: sl 1, k7, turn
Row 17: sl 1, K8, turn
Row 19: sl 1, K9, turn
Row 21: sl 1, K10, turn
Row 23: sl 1, K11, turn
Row 25: sl 1, K12, turn
Row 27: sl 1, K13, turn
Row 29: sl 1, K14, turn
Row 31: sl 1, K15, turn
Row 33: sl 1, K16, turn
Row 35: sl 1, K17, turn
Row 37: sl 1, K18, turn
Row 39: sl 1, K19. Do not turn.*
Repeat from * to * until all cast on stitches have been worked and you have three triangles formed. Turn.

Left side triangle
Row 1: (WS) k1, turn
Row 2: kfb, turn
Row 3: k1, p2tog, turn
Row 4: k1, m1, k1, turn
Row 5: k1, p1, p2tog, turn
Row 6 and all RS rows: knit to last st, m1, k1
Row 7: k1 p2, p2tog, turn
Row 9: k1, p3, p2tog, turn
Row 11: k1, p4, p2tog, turn
Row 13: k1, p5, p2tog, turn
Row 15: k1, p6, p2tog,
Row 17: K1, p7, p2tog,
Row 19: K1, p8, p2tog,
Row 21: K1, p9, p2tog,
Row 23: K1, p10, p2tog,
Row 25: K1, p11, p2tog,
Row 27: K1, p12, p2tog,
Row 29: K1, p13, p2tog,
Row 31: K1, p14, p2tog,
Row 33: K1, p15, p2tog,
Row 35: K1, p16, p2tog,
Row 37: K1, p17, p2tog,
Row 39: K1, p18, p2tog,
Do not turn. Work Tier One.

Tier One Rectangle
Row 1: (WS), With wrong side facing, pick up and
purl 20 sts along selvedge edge of next triangle. Sl last st
picked up onto left needle and p2tog, turn.
Row 2: k20, turn
Row 3: sl 1, p18, p2tog, turn
Rows 4-39: repeat last two rows. At the end of row 39, do not turn. Repeat Tier One Rectangle once more. Then work a right side triangle.

Right Side Triangle
Row 1: (WS) Pick up and purl 20 sts along selvedge of next triangle or square, turn
Row 2 and all RS rows: knit to end of sts in this section, turn.
Row 3: sl 1, p to last two stitches, k2tog, turn
Repeat last two rows until only 2 sts remain.
On next row: k2tog
The remaining st will be counted as the first st picked up for the first rectangle in the next tier.
Turn and transfer this st to the right needle.

Tier Two Rectangle
Row 1: (RS) With right side facing, pick up and knit 20 sts along selvedge of next rectangle or triangle. For the first rectangle only, the remaining stitch from the last tier counts as 1 picked up stitch. Sl last st picked up to left needle and ssk, turn.
Row 2: p20, turn
Row 3: sl 1, k18, ssk, turn
Repeat the last 2 rows until all sts have been worked. Do not turn. Repeat Tier Two twice more, then begin over again with Left Side Triangle.

Final Tier Triangles
Row 1: (RS) With RS facing, pick up and knit 20 sts along selvedge of next rectangle or triangle. For the first triangle only, the st remaining counts as the first picked up st. Sl last st picked up to left needle and ssk, turn.
Row 2 and all WS rows: purl to the end of sts in the section. Turn.
Row 3: k2tog, k17, ssk, turn
Row 5: k2tog, k16, ssk, turn
Row 7: k2tog, k15, ssk, turn
Row 9: k2tog, k14, ssk, turn
Row 11: k2tog, k13, ssk, turn
Row 13: k2tog, k12, ssk, turn
Row 15: k2tog, k11, ssk, turn
Row 17: k2tog, k10, ssk, turn
Row 19: k2tog, k9, ssk, turn
Row 21: k2tog, k8, ssk, turn
Row 23: k2tog, k7, ssk, turn
Row 25: k2tog, k6, ssk, turn
Row 27: k2tog, k5, ssk, turn
Row 29: k2tog, k4, ssk, turn
Row 31: k2tog, k3, ssk, turn
Row 33: k2tog, k2, ssk, turn
Row 35: k2tog, k1, ssk, turn
Row 37: k2tog, ssk, turn
Row 39: sl 1, ssk, psso. Break yarn and draw through remaining stitch to finish.
Block well to flatten out the texture.

I finished the Pumpkin project! (From the Rowan purelife recycled collection, worked in Rowan Purelife Revive). What a great top for work. I love it. I paired it with a wide leg pant but it would also work with a khaki skirt. The yarn was really interesting to work with. The silk slubs gave it an interesting texture and kept new fun colors popping up from time to time. The colors that I used: Grit (aqua), Silt (orange) and Scree (green).

Shallot from the purelife recycled collection - Rowan

I am already thinking that I might cast on for the Shallot sweater (above) in the book as well. But before I take on another sweater, I should probably finish a few in my closet. It is just so hard to concentrate on wool pullovers when it is 70 degrees outside.

Why not whip out small summery tops instead? We just added another great one to our shop sample collection. Those of you who have been knitting for awhile will remember this one. It is the Orangina from Stef Japel. Back in the day before Ravelry, bloggers were our main source of patterns (can  you imagine?!), and this one was rather popular one summer. We worked it up in Rowan Sienna, and it is just lovely! Here is our creepy mannequin modeling it for you. It took just four skeins of Sienna for the 34″ size.

Orangina pattern by Stef Japel