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…

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!.

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!

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

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

I had a sample knitter whip up some shop samples from our new spring yarns..mostly garments that I also wanted to wear around the shop from time to time. Lucky for me, the weather this week is making it possible to go through all of them. It is hot out there!

This one is made with Berroco Seduce – a rayon, linen, silk and nylon blend that has a really interesting cord like structure. The pattern is Pucker, which is in the Norah Gaughan Vol 4 booklet here at the shop. It is a quick knit with lots of stockinette stitch and just enough going on to keep your attention. I kinda dig the way it gathers at the bottom and creates…well…a pucker. I layered it over a bright green tank top (otherwise the fabric is a bit scandalous) and paired it with cropped denim. The necklace is made from glass beads – I picked it up in Prague. New hairdo by Blown Salon here on King Street (ask for Dominique)…but be warned that she will insist on dipping bits of your hair in different colors of hair dye. For someone who sells hand dyed yarn all day, this is fun but I can see how this might be a problem for those of you with “serious” jobs.

photo – Knitting Fever Inc.

Self-striping yarn, that is!

For our “Second Winter Season” we’ve been bringing in an assortment of colorful yarns from Noro – first the classic favorite Kureyon, a rustic worsted weight wool, and now Taiyo and Taiyo Sock, both blends of cotton, nylon, silk, and wool. These yarns are spun in the Aichi province of Japan from an assortment of hand selected and individually dyed fibres to create their distinctive striping patterns.

The founder of the company, Eisaku Noro, oversees the creation of each colorway and insists on using the highest quality fibres and ecologically friendly processing. His philosophy is to do as much of the yarn production as possible by hand, rather than by machine, to preserve the natural character of the fibres.

(Want to learn more about how Noro yarns are made? View their 27-page e-booklet full of interesting information and photos here.)

It can be hard to find just the right project that makes the most of the long color changes in a self-striping yarn, so we thought we’d give you some ideas to try out these yarns with!

photo - Sixth & Spring

First off, we have two new books full of patterns designed specifically for these unique yarns!

Can’t decide which colorway you want to try first? Knit Noro: Accessories: 30 Colorful Little Knits is full of small projects to let you sample as many as you like!

Try a toasty Brioche Scarf, boldly patterned Entrelac Mittens, eye-catching Eyelet Bobble Scarf, practical Felted Patchwork Tote, or the versatile Reversible Scarves in lofty Kureyon. Knit an iPad Cover in Taiyo to keep your favorite high-tech knitting accessory cozy!

(Try Kureyon and Taiyo in any of the patterns written for Silk Garden as well.)

photo - Sixth & Spring

For larger projects as well as accessories, turn to Knit Noro: 30 Designs in Living Color.

The striking Chevron Scarf and fetching Fair Isle Cap show off multiple shades of Kureyon, while the Entrelac Scarf and Striped Shawl make the most of a single colorway. Ready for a colorful challenge? Knit up a cozy Cowl Neck Tunic or snuggly Hooded Vest.

Want even more? How about a dramatic Modular Afghan or Patchwork Afghan in Taiyo? For garments, there’s the pretty Parasol Lace Vest and bold Sideways Stripes Vest, or try the Reversible Cabled Scarf for a quicker knit.

Choose Taiyo Sock, a new member of the Noro family, for the Ridged Ripples Scarf - the challenging design uses two strands of the same colorway started at different points in the color repeat to create a stunning faux-cable pattern. Take a few minutes to check out the Ravelry project photos for this one!

photo - fibre space

On Ravelry, you’ll find the popular Noro Striped Scarf, Turn a Square hat, and Lizard Ridge blanket among the many projects knit in Kureyon  - these are great patterns for Taiyo too!

Try Taiyo Sock for the Lacy Karius pattern (we have one knit up at the shop for you to see), or combine it with a solid color for the Spectra scarf. The Uzu sock pattern from Knitty is a great way to get some Noro from head to toe!

Still need a bit more encouragement to try these unusual yarns?

Try our Entrelac Scarf or Wrap class to learn a fun knitting technique that looks great in a self-striping yarn (or just stop by for the pattern).  Crocheters can try one of the many variations of the Queen Anne’s Lace scarf. (Keep an eye out for upcoming classes – we have our own version of this pattern available at the shop as well!)

Is it here? I don’t know. I keep hoping that we will get a freak snow storm. I feel robbed this winter. But alas, it is warm outside. And so I gave in to the temptation of our new spring yarns and cast on for a spring top. If you are planning to wear knitted items in spring and summer, you basically need to get them started asap. Otherwise, they won’t be done in time to wear! If you aren’t a quick knitter, just stick to winter sweaters and you will have a nice new garment when the weather gets cold again in September and October.

I may have been pulled in by the Rowan Purelife Revive booklet and its fabulous men’s and women’s garments. Ultimately, I cast on for this top:

Pumpkin - from Rowan Purelife Revive Collection

Given that it is mostly stockinette stitch with absolutely no waist shaping, I thought I could knock it out pretty quickly. I modified the striping pattern slightly so that I could carry the colors up the side and avoid weaving in one million tails. If you want to do the same, work 4 rows of the first color, one row of the edging color, four rows of the second color and one row of the edging color again. Adding the extra row to the second color will mean that your pattern repeat will work out nicely and you will always be able to grab the color you need from below. To carry the yarns up the side, I always knit the first stitch with the color I need and the color that is being dragged along. Since I will seam in that first stitch anyway, it won’t be seen at all in the finished garment. I cast on Saturday and here is my progress:

My pumpkin tunic

I love love love this yarn. It is made from recycled clothing – cotton, viscose and silk. The silk makes little slubs of color that pop from the yarn. It helps the different colorways to really work nicely together. It is definitely like knitting with linen though, and I wouldn’t recommend double stranding it or doing serious cable work with it. It has no give. But for a wool addict, this stuff is pretty awesome. I think I might be converted to cotton again.

Be sure to check the schematics for this garment. If I made this as they instructed, it would be a dress on me. Luckily there is no waist shaping to modify – I just cut inches from my work and it will be fine. Now watch the weather turn to snow flurries on the day I get this blocked and ready to wear…

Oxidize by Ysolda Teague

In case you haven’t been following our tweets, we received a whimsical little surprise!  Ysolda Teague’s new book, Whimsical Little Knits 3 arrived in the shop full of adorableness – so typical of Ysolda.  Here are some of our favorites:

The Oxidize hat with its cross-crossed cable detail uses a special twisted stitch technique to create an asymmetrical cable pattern that really pops.  It can be done in a single color, or two colors for more variety.  I would recommend the Sweet Georgia Superwash Merino Worsted.  This lovely hand-dye has a great range of colors for a stunning combination.

I also love the Narwhal mittens. They are covered in sea creatures! They are swimming all over your hand.  We recommend the St. Denis Nordique, a 100% wool in a sport weight, which comes in 21 delightful colors to choose from.

Hendreary by Ysolda Teague

The Hendreary hat, (which would be the cutest part of the book, if not for the next….) would be perfect in our newest staple yarn, Zara 8.  The springy-ness of the Zara makes it wonderful for working in stranded colorwork without the puckering that sometimes happens with less stretchy fibres.

I think the cutest pattern is the little robot, Trinket.  He’s worked in the round, with limbs knitted on.  Ella Rae Chunky would be a good choice for a machine-washable toy for the next delightful bundle to come into your life.  Look at this thing!! How could you not want to knit that for your favorite child (or dad/husband/boyfriend)?

Trinket by Ysolda Teague

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?

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?