Stashbusting Poms

We've all got a yarn stash lurking somewhere. Why not grab a multicolored yarn (or a few strands of solids) and make some fun pom-poms?

This pom was made with just a few yarns of Noro Silk Garden yarn. 
L O V E

Keep a long strand on your poms and use them as bookmarks, or tie them onto special birthday gifts. Maybe your kitty needs a new toy? I'm sure some of your hats could use a makeover, too. Have fun!

Let it Snow! (Upcoming Class Preview)

We're hoping for a winter full of snow this year. To get ready we're inviting you to join us for Snobuddy knitting.  

 The Knitting at Knoon's SnoBuddy Family pattern is always in demand as the flakes begin to fly, so come join us for an early start!  Winter will be upon us soon and these little soft snow people are a great way to celebrate the season. You'll be amazed how quickly you can knit up one or two snowball stacks for the 'body' of this project. The added accessories (hats, mittens, and scarves) for these little snow creatures are an excellent way to use up your leftover yarn scraps.

This ONE SESSION class meets Wednesday, November 14, 5:30 pm - 7pm. 

Stash Busting Child's Hat

This past Saturday we took a day trip to Helsinki and we traveled by train. On Friday night I set aside a travel knitting bag for my train knitting. I had just finished my crocheted baby blanket the night before and so I was itching for a knitting project.

Circles & Squares Baby Blanket - finished!

I decided to knit the Little Henry Car Coat - a cute little sweater in Sublime Baby Book #648 knit with Sublime Baby Silk & Bamboo yarn. I got a small bag ready and located the yarn, the needles and the notions I would need. But the pattern? MIA. I searched every nook and cranny of this tiny apartment, but I just couldn't find it. 

So, I grabbed some leftover Elsebeth Lavold Cool Wool from my stash and threw it into the bag with a couple of crochet hooks. I had no idea what I'd do with it, but it was all I could come up with!

The next morning on the train, I started a hat. I worked on it on the way to Helsinki, and on the way back from Helsinki, and then a little the next morning. I finished it off with a few flowers, and viola! It's a cute stash busting child's hat. 

Here's the pattern:

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75g of stash yarn, worsted

size F crochet hook

This hat should fit a child 18 mos - 2 years? It measures 17". To make it larger (or smaller) just repeat your increase rounds more (or less) and then add more (or less) length to the hat. 

HAT

Make an adjustable loop circle.

Round 1:  Ch 2 (counts as 1 hdc), 7 hdc into circle, join with sl st into 2^nd of ch 2. Pull adjustable loop to close circle. (8 hdc)

Round 2: Ch 2 (counts as 1 hdc), hdc into same stitch, 2 hdc into every hdc, join with sl st into 2nd of ch 2. (16 hdc)

Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 hdc), 2 hdc into next hdc, [1 hdc into next hdc, 2 hdc into next hdc] repeat to end of round, join with sl st into 2nd of ch 2. (24 hdc)

 

Round 4: Ch 2 (counts as 1 hdc), 1 hdc into next hdc, 2 hdc into next hdc, [1 hdc into each of next 2 hdc, 2 hdc into next hdc] repeat to end of round, join with sl st into 2nd of ch 2. (32 hdc)

Rounds 5 - ??: continue working in hdc and increasing in this manner (8 sts per round) until your circle measures 6" in diameter. Then continue working rounds of hdc with no increases until desired length (I worked for about 3.5-4").

FLOWERS

With any color, make an adjustable loop circle.

Round 1: [ch 7, sl st into the ring] 6 times. Pull adjustable loop to close circle. (6 petals started)

Round 2: In 1st ch-sp [sc, hdc, dc, 5 tr, dc, hdc, sc], repeat alternating colors for each petal. (You will have two petals per color.)

Weave in ends and attach randomly to hat. 

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I love 3 dimensional hats!

It's a keeper! A 'Beekeeper'!

contributed by Emily

I'm a student, and that means I do a lot of schlepping around campus, and sitting for hours in lecture halls. Recently I was looking for a project that would be fun, portable, and easy enough that I could still pay attention to the professors' lectures.

And boy, did I ever find the perfect pattern! It's an incredibly sweet pattern called the Beekeeper's Quilt, and it is available on Ravelry. Each little hexagon (or hexapuff, as they're being called on Rav) is knit as its own little project, and so each one feels like a finished item! It's also really fun to come home from school and toss my newly finished puffs into their basket and watch the basket slowly fill up over time.

Many people are using up their scraps from sock projects, and lots of people are modifying the pattern to use other weight yarns as well. I started out with the best intentions to only use scraps, but then I realized that I really needed to make this blanket in honey colors. So I snagged a few skeins from the shop and my blanket is well and truly underway!

Yarns I'm using: Pagewood Farms Yukon, Tilli Tomas Artisan Sock, Malabrigo Sock, Baby Ull, Koigu, Rowan Kid Silk Haze (held double), and a bunch of scraps that I already had saved up!

Knitting Gardeners (or Knitters w/Gardening Friends)... This One's For You!

Is it just a coincidence that almost every single knitter I know is also an avid gardener? The only bad thing about knitting and gardening is that the knitting always suffers when it's gardening season, right?

Well there's not much we can do about that. I don't believe anyone has found a way to knit and garden (successfully) at the same time. I have seen people knitting while exercising though, so maybe it's only a matter of time?

For now, here's a great way for you to at least ENJOY your knitting while working in your garden. A husband and wife pair from San Francisco have started "Plant Bombing" and I'm absolutely loving it! 

Read the article on treehugger.com by clicking here!

I used to have hens & chicks in my rock garden, but I would much rather plant them in these colorful pockets!

Check out Heather's website for instructions!

Heather's website has great instructions on how to make these knitted pockets. Crocheters need not feel left out... it's a pretty simple construction and could easily be done in crochet.

This is a great project for stash yarn, and a great CREATIVE gift for all of your gardening friends this holiday.

Bits and bobs and hugs... a guest post

Thanks to India, a former Kyarns employee and knitting instructor, for this guest post!

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They’re having a rough winter in northern Italy.

Normally, this is something I would merely note in passing as I read the newspaper, but this year is different. My 20-year-old son Loren leaves in January to spend five months at the University of Bologna, so I have installed a gadget on my Google homepage to keep me apprised of the weather in Emilia-Romagna, the province that includes Bologna. It’s been cold—sometimes as cold as in Vermont—and snowy.

For Christmas, Loren asked for a wool pea coat and cap, and Santa dutifully delivered both under the tree. But I kept thinking something was missing, something to keep his neck warm. On Christmas Day as he happily modeled the new coat and cap, I asked him if he’d like a scarf , too. “Yes!” he answered, so I bounded upstairs to my stash and retrieved all of the odds and ends of sportweight yarn I could find (he didn’t want it too bulky).

He chose four colors of wool left over from three different sweater projects: some Dale of Norway Heilo and Falk, and a little Jaeger Matchmaker. Fortunately, I had about two skeins each of navy blue, gold, and purple, and a little bit of olive green just right for some skinny accent stripes here and there. I chose a reversible rib—not a simple 1x1 or 2x2 rib, but a slightly offset rib that produces a fully reversible accordion-like pattern, and cast on.

Reversible rib, relaxed and stretched. You can see the deep accordion pleats.

Here’s the basic recipe:

Approximately 650–675 yards sportweight yarn

Size 7 needles

Cast on 47 stitches.

Row 1: knit 3, *purl 1, knit 3*, repeat between **s to end

Row 2: knit 1, *purl 1, knit 3*, repeat between **s to last 2 stitches, purl 1, knit 1

Repeat these two rows until work measures desired length or the yarn runs out, whichever comes first, striping as desired or as your yarn allows.

Mine came out approximately 6″ wide (relaxed) and 6′ long, but gauge is not critical here.

So, at least for this winter, when Loren is far away across the ocean, I’ll know that each time he wraps that scarf around his neck, his mama is giving him a hug.

Do it Yourself Holiday Idea

It's that time - my mailbox is overflowing with catalogs featuring holiday decorations and gifts. I found a great stash busting idea in the Garnet Hill catalog... an Advent Hats & Mittens Calendar!

Why not take your odds and ends and knit up teeny mittens, hats and socks and attach them all with an I-cord or braided chain? It's easy to put numbers on with duplicate stitch, and it would be a great homemade advent calendar for your family to enjoy for years to come.

Or... a great gift!