Knit With Me

Gudrun Johnston's new book, Knit With Me, focuses on a theme very dear to me - the idea of mothers and daughters being creative together. Gudrun was inspired to write the book after her daughter knit her first sweater. She wanted to create a collection of designs that both moms and their teen-aged daughters would want to make and wear.

I'm sure it comes as no surprise, if you know Gudrun's work, that she succeeded with a collection of designs that has a perfect blend of classic sensibility and modern styling. These are sweaters that you will turn to again and again. And since she collaborated with Quince & Co all of the patterns call for beautiful Quince & Co yarns, which come in an impressive range of colors.

The 7 sweater designs in the book are all worked in one piece - both top down and bottom up are represented. Soay, shown in the photo above, looks like it has set in sleeves but this pretty cardigan is worked from the bottom up with sleeve stitches picked up around the armhole edge. The sleeve cap is then worked with short row shaping. This is a technique that I have read quite a bit about, but have never tried. Gudrun's Soay might be my perfect opportunity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorites in the book is Brock. This cardigan is deceptively simple, yet has wonderful details - a lovely chevron pattern at the yoke, sweet 3/4 sleeves with just the slightest gather at the cuff, and a hem that dips down in back.

Knit With Me also gives knitters 5 simple accessory patterns - perfect for beginning knitters. My daughter Sofie started knitting when she was home from college last month. I know she would love to make this pretty hat, Rubens, to wear with the cowl she made. Or perhaps she'd like to make a pair of cozy Cortland leg warmers. I think it's about time I teach her to magic loop. (Have no fear DPN users, Gudrun calls for DPN's in the pattern.)

Gudrun sent a copy of Knit With Me to give to one lucky winner. To enter for your chance to win the book, simply leave a comment on this post by the end of the day on Wednesday, February 13th. I will draw the winner using a random number generator.

All photos copyright Carrie Bostick Hoge used with permission.

Avebury

Originally created for the Knitculture Studio Club, Avebury is now available to everyone. This lovely shawl combines large eyelets and ribs for a shawl that has a lot of interest without being overly fussy. The combination of ribs and eyelets also creates a shawl that is reversible. Avebury is worked from the top edge, increasing downward and outward. The bottom edge is finished with a sweet picot bind off.

I worked the original design in scrumptious Alchemy Silk Purse, in a gorgeous shade of teal, Cambodia Blue. I have found this color very difficult to represent in photos, in reality it is much greener than my photos show. Unfortunately if I used my current photo editing software to make the shawl greener, my kind model Izzy (with her wrinkly, wrinkly shirt) would look as if she had eaten a bad piece of seafood. As her mom I'd rather see the rosy, healthy glow she has with the bluer shawl.

The photo above, which shows the shawl worn on the reverse side, is a slightly more accurate representation of the color, but still does not do it justice.

Other yarn options for this shawl are Malabrigo Silky Merino & Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend. I also think it would be beautiful in handspun yarn or a beautiful tweed like The Fibre Company's Acadia. There are lots more photos on the Ravelry pattern page, including quite a few taken by the good people at Knitculture.

AVEBURY

Size: One Size

Finished Measurements: 60 wide x 24 deep

Yarn: Alchemy Silk Purse; 100 % Silk; 163 yds/150 m per 50g hank; Color: 166w - Cambodia Blue; 3 hanks

Needles: US 7 (4.5mm) straight circular needles  or size to obtain gauge

Gauge: 16 sts & 25 rows = 4”/10cm in (k2, p4) rib - blocked, always take the time to check gauge

Other Materials: 5 stitch markers, tapestry needle

Price: $6.00 US

Mystery Sock Prizes!!

I want to start by thanking my amazing test knitters for our Mystery Sock - Michelle, Amanda, Dawn, Julie & Krista!

Now on to the prizes. Everyone has until midnight on February 28th to complete their socks and post a finished photo in the Through the Loops group forum on Ravelry. I'll set up a special thread for contest entries once the final clue goes out. I'll randomly draw three winners from the photos posted in that thread. If you haven't started your socks yet, there's still plenty of time to join in the fun. The pattern can be found here.

And the prizes:

Pigeonroof Studios Superwash Merino Sock in Dovecote, 2 skeins, approx 185 yds each. (I don't know if she carries this one anymore, I've had it for a few years.

Tanis Fiber Arts Yellow Label DK Weight in Cobalt, 115 g / 238 m (260 yds)

Malabrigo Sock in Abril 100 g/ 440 yds

 

A Cardi for a Sweet Girl

Long overdue, I made a cardigan for my sweet niece. I regret that I didn't make it bigger. It fits her perfectly now, I fear she will outgrow it next week very quickly. So it is when knitting for toddlers.

The busy, little peanut was a cooperative model. She's quite used to having a camera pointed in her direction.

The yarn is Spud & Chloe Sweater in grass & turtle. The adorable turtle buttons are from M&J Trimming. (Sorry I can't find them on their website, I picked them up in the store.) The pattern is almost ready to go out to test knitters. It should be ready  for publication in about 6 weeks.

On a related topic, I couldn't resist making a jumbo stocking for my niece. Her parents report that they had a good time filling it.

There are only cryptic notes on this one. I cast on and knit a top down sock in bulky yarn, on jumbo needles. Stripes and stitch patterns were added, making it up as I went along. The name is stitched on at the end with a chunky yarn that I had on hand. I'm not crazy about the added bulk it gives the top of the stocking. Next time I'll use a thinner yarn for the duplicate stitch. I just couldn't resist the way that acid green jazzed up the neutral colors. Added bonus, this project was completely knit from the stash.

Kanagawa Rainbow Complete

I finished my Kanagawa Rainbow mittens a few weeks ago. I love how toasty warm stranded colorwork mittens are. These have seen quite a bit of wear already.

I used Cascade 220 Sport - a favorite yarn of mine for colorwork projects. I have a pretty big stash of this yarn, so what was intended to be a pair of mittens using 5 colors ended up with 11. If you want to know which colors I used I've got them all listed on the Raverly project page.

 

Anne Hanson's Bare Naked Knitspot

Happy 2013 to everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. We started our Mystery Sock KAL yesterday and quite a few participants have already completed their cuffs. It's not too late to join. You can find the pattern here and chat about the mystery in the TTL group on Ravelry.

I'm not sure when I first discovered Anne Hanson's beautiful designs. It might have been 5 or 6 years ago when Wing of the Moth shawls started popping up on all of the blogs that I followed. What I do know with certainty is that I instantly became a fan of Anne's work. She has a skilled eye for combining texture and patterns, whether working with cables or lace on socks, hats, sweaters, or one of her magnificent shawls. It has been a pleasure to watch her become one of the best loved independent designers around.

I've been lucky enough to meet Anne in person a few times. Her integrity and dedication to producing high quality patterns have made my respect for Anne grow beyond my initial admiration of her designs. Anne is a true professional and her Bare Naked Knitspot club epitomizes everything that makes Anne's work so perfect.

For the Bare Naked Knitspot (aka BNK) club Anne designs with unique yarns, created with special fibers - in some cases having them spun specifically for the club - and presents them in their natural colors. BNK gives knitters the full range of these natural shades from elegant ivory, through gorgeous taupe, and sophisticated grey. Last year's club even included a "color grown" shade of cotton in green! These naturally colored yarns are well suited to Anne's lovely combinations of pattern and texture. The 6 installments of BNK go beyond simply giving the subscriber patterns and yarn. Each "chapter" contains 30-40 pages with variations on each pattern along with details on the yarn and how it was spun.

If you'd like to learn more about Bare Naked Knitspot you can read Erica's post on Knitspot or head over to Flickr or Ravelry to admire the beautiful designs from 2012.

All photos copyright Knitspot. Used with permission.