Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2011

contributed by Shawn

I just can't keep up with the number of new patterns that have arrived in the shop that I want to make!  Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2011 arrived just in time to tempt all of our customers with excellent gift ideas!

I didn't waste any time getting started. I grabbed some Berroco Remix so that I can try out the short row techniques that Robin Ulrich uses to create the Northwoods Coasters. I'll let you know how that goes soon.

Next on my list? Is it an octopus? Or an octahedron? The Cephalohedron by Erica Schlueter is both! The Kidz Orange color in Berroco Comfort DK will be perfect. Then again, I can see one of the spotted colorways being a fun choice too!

I think I will be practicing my garter stitch seams by making a few of the Quatrefoil Cups by Katya Frankel in Berroco Vintage.

I might have to sneak the Midtown Cowl by Jenny Williams into my queue just for myself.  It's a wonderful excuse to knit with the Filatura di Crosa Superior yarn.

So many of my favorite yarns make an appearance in this issue that I just don't know when I'll have time to get all these projects in.  We just got some new Malabrigo stock so I've been eyeing the Rib and Button Scarf by Talitha Kuomi. It's shown in Malabrigo Rios yarn.

I also like the First Friday Shrug by Erica Jackofsky (Fiddle Knits). This is shown in Malabrigo Lace yarn.

Another of my favorite yarns, Manos del Uruguay Rittenhouse is simply stunning in the Flamboyant Shawl by Maria Leigh.

The great patterns don't stop here! Come on in and check out all of the other amazing gift ideas.  Don't forget you have just under 3 months before the winter holiday season hits!

Interweave Knits Fall 2011

contributed by Shawn

I may knit all year round, but I have to admit I love the lead-in to autumn in the shop as new yarns and patterns come in! There are new temptations that will urge anyone to pick up their needles in the recently arrived pages of Interweave Knits Fall 2011 magazine.

The Dahlia Cardigan by Heather Zoppetti is a simply stunning sweater.  This piece has a delicate and eye-catching lace motif centered on the back of the sweater and is knit from Manos Serena yarn. The simple rectangular shape of this sweater drapes into a lovely silhouette due to the Serena's lightweight blend of alpaca and cotton fibers.

Take a look at the colors and patterns that Odessa Raichel used in the True North Mittens. Snowflakes, deer, and evergreens, oh my! These will be a cozy treat knit from Berroco Blackstone Tweed.

I'm especially pleased to see that the ladies from Kelbourne Woolens are the feature of this issue's designer profile.  It is so nice to learn more about the folks who answer the phone when we place orders for our Fibre Company yarns! Kate Gagnon Osborn and Courtney Kelley also have some lovely patterns and we have a number of them available here.

I love the lines in this long cabled coat and can imagine pulling the collar up on a chilly day.  Wouldn't this be lovely knit from the Aquatic color of Twinkle Handknits Soft Chunky Yarn? It's the Cardiff Coat by Jennifer Wood. It makes me think of leaf season in Vermont! And the Shadow Tuque would match my coat when the weather turns to snow.

Have you noticed that summer is slipping by? It's August already and that means it's time to start thinking about your autumn knitting!

Wowser Weekend, part 2

contributed by Shawn

To finish my post from the other day... here are more things you'll find inside the Interweave Knits Weekend 2011.

I love the Norquin Beret by Kate Gagnon Osborn for two reasons.

One: it is knit with the Fibre Company Canopy Fingering yarn and we have new colors since last year.  The yarn is so soft and creates such a nice halo I can't wait to knit with it and pick out my color scheme.  Two: I've got to learn how to do the Estonian roositud-inlay technique to create that amazing woven-look 'embroidery' detail.  Fully explained in the pattern of course!

There are a couple of children's patterns that are cute as can be.  I wish that the Purl Stripe Cardigan knit in Plymouth Merino Superwash yarn was designed in adult sizes! 

I would use the Knit One Crochet Too Wrapunzl yarn for the striping and it would be so much fun to wear - machine washable too!

Can you believe all this is in one magazine?! I've barely brushed the surface  here.

And there are great articles here too. Do you have questions about how to Care for Handknit items? Do you know people who need to learn more about how to treat hand knit items?  There is an amazing article, Wash Me: A Comprehensive Guide to Caring for Hand knits, by Larissa Gibson in here too! 

Want to know more about how the fiber, construction, or garment type might affect how you should wash your project?  Wish you knew more about what fibers might pill or wear poorly BEFORE you choose to knit your favorite sweater in them?  Ever wonder the best ways to prevent MOTH damage?

And if you are a bit more interested in how you yourself can also look your best wearing hand knits?  How about the How to Wear a Scarf expose?  This includes 10 different ways to arrange and flaunt your beautiful mobius, skinny, or standard style scarves.  Best part? There are how-to illustrations and instructions on 'how-to-tie' those fancy knots!

There's more, but I really have to get back to the magazine.  I want to take a look at that article on twisted stitches and figure out how to do that reversible Brioche ribbing too.

Wowser Weekend!

contributed by Shawn

Wowser!  That's what I said when we received our shipment of Interweave Knits' special Weekendmagazine for 2011 last week. I can't believe the goodies that are packed into this magazine! Since the shop was busy over the holiday weekend I only just had a chance to glance into the photo index at the end of the magazine briefly when it arrived. I love that there is a photo index at the back to show all of the projects. It's even arranged by month so if you are so inclined and organized all you have to do is sit back and knit one delicious project after another!

There are so many great projects in this magazine that I'll have to break this up into two posts. I grabbed the magazine and have been glued to it ever since. Here are the highlights (in my opinion) so far!

The Gansey Legwarmers by Courtney Kelley take just 3 skeins of Road to China Light yarn.  

Such a luxury but it would be worth it to pair these with the Alice cowl I knit last fall...

Speaking of Cowls, the Mixt Cowl by Cirilia Rose is knit from Berroco's new yarn Boboli.

 This is a great worsted weight yarn that is a lighter version of it's 'cousin' yarn that came out last year, Borealis. Both yarns come in delicious colors!  I can't wait to make one of these 'infinity-type' cowls as a gift.

The color of the Manos Silk Blend in the photo for the Wheat Field Scarflette by Cecily Glowik MacDonald definitely caught my eye!  Topaz is one of my favorite shades so now I might need one of these skinny little scarves that forms a gentle arc of garter stitching along the lace border in this color for myself.  It takes just 2 skeins!

Then there is the positively RADIANT Spoked Cardigan by Carol Feller that uses short row shaping to create a yoke of radiating garter ridges.  Gotta love the colors to choose from in the Noro Kureyon for this too.  (New colors of this yarn should be arriving soon at the shop.)

Last year I knit an amazingly gorgeous Stratum hat from the Fibre Company Terra yarn for a friend's birthday. I think I'll have to match that this year with these Kilronan Mittens by Kate Gagnon Osborn.  I love the tight cabling and know the pattern will keep fingers super warm and cosy using Terra's lovely baby alpaca, wool, and silk fiber blend.

I'll finish my raving in the next post... believe me, this magazine is a keeper.

Elephants on Parade!

contributed by Shawn

The NEW issue of Interweave Knits arrived recently and it has the most amazing and whimsical child's pattern in it! The Baby Elephant Vest by Melanie Rice has elephants on parade! The design is SO simple using yarnovers to pick out the stylized elephant motif that is repeated across the vest. I love the look of this and the idea of creating custom lace charts to make your own motifs. (I love the simple motifs on the Roo Designs sweaters for children, but yarnovers are faster than intarsia color work for me!)

There is a very detailed article that describes how the charts for this pattern were created. Melanie not only points out how she created this motif for her design but gives great tips about how to start making your own lace motifs. There are tips concerning yarn choice, information regarding knitter's graph paper - a must for developing your own motifs - and plenty of encouraging words to take you step by step through the process.

Even if you are not interested in creating your own lace motifs there are plenty of sage words in this article for any knitter. It's always good to remember that a break from your project can often lead to an "aha" moment when previously faced with only frustration!

While I find the Baby Elephant Vest enchanting, I can't wait to read through the Swirl Skirt pattern to check out the knit-on-a-bias fabric that claims to prevent knitted skirt sag. There is also a great pattern for the Nantucket Vest: This is knit in the Tahki Ripple yarn which knits up into the most amazing textural fabric: This is a very popular yarn for summer and we featured it on the Manikin recently in the Myrtle Pullover.

Fixing Cable Mistakes

Last summer I worked on a large project that involved many different cable panels. It was the Aran afghan in the Berroco Comfort Knitted & Crocheted Afghans book. Since I am not a perfect knitter I definitely made mistakes along the way. Sometimes mistakes in cables aren't that noticeable, but I couldn't live with the project unless I fixed them. I didn't always realize I'd made a mistake until several inches later. And ripping back several inches of work would negate several hours of knitting.

So Barb showed me how to drop stitches JUST in the cable section to fix each mistake. This leaves the rest of the afghan intact, and saves hours of frogging and re-knitting. Last week Michelle brought in the back of her Point Gammon Pullover from the Fall 2010 Issue of Interweave Knits. She'd made a small mistake in one of the cables. Can you see it? I showed her what Barb had shown me. We put the stitches we wanted to leave intact onto her circular needles and the stitches that were involved in the 'fix' onto a double pointed needle. The live stitches that weren't involved in the 'fix' stayed on the circulars and we ripped just the stitches we needed in her 'fix' down to the row where she made an error. All she needed to do was re-knit the stitches involved in the error using the strands behind the work and two double pointed needles. Her remaining stitches stayed out of the way on the circular.

The key here is to be sure you use the loose strands behind your work that were ripped out in the correct row order. You've done this if you've used a crochet hook to re-knit a dropped stitch! This just involves more stitches. When you reach the row at the top, simply move the 'fix' stitches back onto your working needles to continue the work. Hooray, the cable is fixed! Now back to knitting your regularly scheduled program...

Interweave Knits Spring 2011 Preview

I got home the other day and found my copy of the Spring 2011 issue of Interweave Knits in the mailbox, and then yesterday, the copies for the shop arrived. I always love to see what new designs they tempt us with for spring! Especially when it's SO cold outside like it is today. Dreaming of spring knits can make the make the outside temps seem a bit milder, don't you think?

Lots of things caught my eye as I went through the magazine. I especially loved the Rowan advertisement on page 17 for their new yarn Savannah. We just received this yarn and pattern booklet, and it's been very well received in the shop so far. We did receive a model as well, that is not photographed in the ad. There quite a few nice patterns for this yarn.

The V-yoke Cardigan photographed on page 21 is stunning, and knit out of another new yarn for us... Classic Elite Firefly. This yarn is so gorgeous. We just knit up a scarf from a free pattern in Classic Elite's Web Letter Issue 131 website and it's just beautiful.

The Cranberry Island Throw pictured on page 45 is so cool! It calls for Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky. It would be fun to pick out colors for this!

I think my favorite sweater in the entire magazine is the Drop Mesh Tee shown page 57. We don't carry the yarn it calls for, but I would probably substitute Elsebeth Lavold Cool Wool or maybe the Plymouth Select Worsted Merino Superwash.

The Curvy Squares Tee shown on page 76 is made with Plymouth Mushishi. I really like the wide neck and short sleeves, and of course, that gorgeous color.

Come on in and preview this magazine for yourself. After all, it's time to start thinking spring!

Brattleboro Hat

When the New England Knits book arrived in the shop, I flipped through it to check out all the wonderful patterns, but there were so many good ones, that I couldn't decide which one I wanted to make.

A couple of weeks later the Fall 2010 Issue of Interweave Knits magazine arrived, and so did my solution! There was a nice review of New England Knits in the magazine, and and they published one of the patterns (the Brattleboro Hat) that appeared in the book. I couldn't stop thinking about the photo of the Brattleboro Hat that appears in the magazine. It was shown knit in Malabrigo Worsted, which is one of my favorite yarns. So I grabbed a skein and started.

I am pleased with the way the hat turned out and enjoyed learning the decreases to keep the textured pattern intact. Now if only I had waited a bit longer for the new easy care Malabrigo Rios yarn to come in. I think this hat would be amazing in the Sunset colorway!

Not an Old Dog Yet!

Thanks to India for submitting this guest post!

It was inevitable that I would knit the Cloisonné Jacket in the Fall 2010 issue of Interweave Knits.

I liked it the first time I flipped through the magazine. When I looked at it again, I realized that the sweater combines two of my favorite techniques—lace and stranded colorwork; one of my favorite constructions—body knit in one piece; and one of my absolute favorite yarns—Berroco Ultra Alpaca. And so I did something I don’t usually do: rather than adding this project to my (very long) list of things I’d like to make someday, I immediately put aside all my other WIPs, trundled down to Kaleidoscope to buy the yarn, swatched, and cast on.

Color choice was a bit of a challenge. I didn’t want to use the colors shown in the magazine, but it took some doing to come up with a combination I liked. In the end, with Shawn’s help, I chose a deep avocado green solid for the lace portion, and a heathery maroon for the main color. These colors work well with many of the shirts or turtlenecks I will wear under the sweater, and of course with jeans, my usual pants of choice.

I am a yarn thrower from way back. Nevertheless, a number of years ago I taught myself to carry a color in each hand when working stranded colorwork, my left hand chugging along in a vaguely continental style but actually awkwardly throwing the yarn in a dim mirror image of my right hand. However, this time I wanted to do better. And so, in the interest of doing it “right,” (and blazing new neural pathways—good for the aging brain!), I practiced picking the yarn with my right-hand needle on the knit rows. However, the cardigan is worked flat, so half the colorwork rows are on the purl side! With much effort, and several viewings of instructional videos on YouTube, I eventually developed a more-than-passable continental purling motion.

Once the colorwork section was complete, I decided to further practice my new skills, and so I completed the plain stockinette sections, sleeves (including the lace cuffs!), collar, and facings working exclusively in the continental style.

I also made a Baby Surprise Jacket out of Regia Stretch Sock Yarn for my newest nephew and worked that project in the continental style as well. And though I can’t perform the motions by feel only, as I can when I throw the yarn right-handed, nevertheless I’ve gained speed, confidence, and dexterity, both knitting and purling. I’m pleased to be ambiknitsterous, though I expect it will be a while before I knit ribbing or fine lace using the continental style. But I’m proud of myself for learning a new skill.

And, I love my new cardigan*!

*Carefully verify the math when dividing for fronts and back and check against your stitches! I found a couple of mistakes in the directions here for size 42. There’s also a mistake in the sleeve section; see here for corrections.

Playing the "What If?" game with Interweave Knits Weekend Edition 2010

It's finally here, and it's a good one. The Interweave Knits Weekend Edition for 2010 if full of body friendly shapes for all seasons. We can't possibly carry all of the yarns that are featured in every knitting magazine, so we always go through the mags and play the "What if?" game. What if a customer wants to make THIS sweater... what are the yarns that we carry that could be substituted. So here are a few previews of sweaters in the magazine, and some of my yarn recommendations.

I love the Vining Vest (knit in Austermann Natura) and I would choose Cascade ECO Wool, or Berroco Vintage Chunky, for a washable version. The Mariner Pullover is beautiful (knit in Classic Elite Soft Linen) and I would swatch it in Manos Serena and Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool. For the child's version, Mirasol Samp'a would be perfect! The Chesapeake Pullover is a great guy's sweater (knit in Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece.) I would like to see it done in Elsebeth Lavold Cool Wool or in madelineTosh DK. The Olivier Pullover is a classic (knit in Tahki Donegal Tweed) and would work up perfectly in Berroco Blackstone Tweed. The Bryony Cap looks quick and fun and is knit in Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica Naturals. No substitution needed here, but if someone wanted a completely different look, Mission Falls 1824 Wool would be a nice choice, or even Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted. There are a lot of other great projects in this magazine, too! Enjoy.

The yarn about yarns

It's always important to realize that the yarns that knitters and crocheters use in their crafts/arts all have a history or story behind them.


In fact if you check out the new Interweave Knits (Spring 2010) issue you'll find a nice little article called "Feel-Good Yarns." The author, Sharon Riggs, quickly spells out some important aspects of sustainably produced and organic yarns.


The best part? Kyarns carries yarns from all four of the companies highlighted in the article and you can stop by to take a look at them any time. We are happy to point these yarns out and help you find a pattern for the O~Wool Balance (from Vermont Organic Fiber Company), Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton, Cascade Eco Wool, or Green Mountain Spinnery's Sylvan Spirit yarn.


All of these yarns are a joy to knit or crochet with and their environmentally conscious background is a wonderfully satisfying bonus!


Our selection of organic, sustainable, and/or environmentally conscious yarns doesn't stop with these few selections - be sure to ask us about our other offerings when you stop by the shop or you can always contact us by email or phone for additional information.

If you were STRANDED without your knitting...

...what would you do? I don't even want to contemplate that one!

But while we're talking about "stranded", checkout Lisa R.'s AWESOME stranded cardigan!

Pattern is in Interweave Knits Winter 2009 issue. She used Cascade 220 yarn. Isn't it gorgeous?!?!

Here's the original, courtesy of Interweave Knits:

Interweave Knits Weekend

Interweave Knits just came out with a special issue called "Weekend" and it's got some great projects in it! When a new magazine comes out, we always look through it to see what yarns are featured. Sometimes, we carry a lot of the featured yarns. Other times, we don't. With all the amazing yarns out there, it's impossible to have EVERY yarn featured in EVERY pattern. And we substitute yarns more often than not.

So it's fun to go through the mags and get our "substitution list" ready for when folks come in wanting to make these items!

I love the Twisted Pine Pullover (below, left) and I would probably start swatching Tahki Donegal Tweed or Berroco Blackstone Tweed for this sweater. The Sailor's Rib Sweater (below, right) is adorable, and I think this would be perfect in Dream in Color Classy or Malabrigo Worsted. For a less expensive price tag, Berroco Comfort would be a good choice. The Gooseberry Cardigan (below, center) would be a great addition to my wardrobe. I think it has such a flattering fit! I've been looking for a project for Debbie Bliss Rialto, and it would work really well for this sweater. The Abacus Towel (below, right) is a great gift idea! Tahki Cotton Classic is a great yarn for this project - it would be inexpensive, and the color choices are endless. The Hero Pullover (below, left) is another great sweater for guys! The front is a chevron pattern, but the sleeves and back are ribbed. This sweater is screaming out "1824 Wool!!" to me, and thankfully that yarn just arrived today and will be available online in a day or two. And I just love Stefanie Japel's little Whirligig Shrug (below, left.) Too bad I don't have a little girl to make this for, but if I do need to make any baby girl gifts, this will be my choice! I would make it in Berroco Pure Pima. Or Cascade Cotton Rich DK. Or Louisa Harding Kashmir Baby. Or Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. OK, I'll stop. I have a hard time picking out a DK yarn - we have so many great ones!

Happy Spring!

I woke up this morning to see that the ice was gone in Burlington Bay on Lake Champlain. And spring officially arrived as I was on my way in to work at the shop.

So it's time to pick up some of my warm weather projects again. Last summer I taught myself how to crochet and picked out five colors in the Tahki Cotton Classic to make up a new tote bag. I took it with me to coffee shops in Burlington, and the single crochet went quickly. I really enjoyed the project and had some yarn left over.

Since I've been admiring the crocheted Salem projectin Berroco Book #273 Naturlin I thought I would use my leftovers to try out the hexagon shapes to see how they went. I was so pleased by the first one I just kept right on going. I haven't finished yet, because I need some more yarn to finish up. It should make a stunning new warm weather spread.

I've noticed customers coming in recently to purchase Cotton Classic for the Blooming Cotton Scarf in the new Interweave Knits Spring 2009. This scarf is so cool! It's slip stitch, and knit in the round. At the end, you cut your work!!! And unravel back a ways, and tie fringe to secure the knitting. What a neat project. So many color options too, because Cotton Classic comes in so many great colors:

By the way, we just put Cotton Classic on sale yesterday. It's 20% off through Monday, 3/23/09. Happy spring!