This pattern came out last fall and I was so pleased to see two of my favorite things together- Cocoknits style & Shibui Linen! I cast on right away even though the cold weather was coming. I got to wear it a few times, and then I folded it up for next season. Well, next season is here and I am psyched to wear my (nearly) new Belle sweater again!

Belle is a big, gorgeous swath of knitting in the round with 4 openings: neck, a hem and 2 sleeves. What makes it unique is the way they’re distributed across the rectangle’s perimeter; the hem and neck are on opposite corners! This, coupled with the ultra drapey Linen, creates the beautiful, bias fabric that makes this slouchy sweater special.

Knit on a size 9, and using just 3 skeins of Shibui Linen in Field (I knit the medium), I knit this up in just under a week. I know linen has a bit of a reputation for being hard on your hands, but I assure you that is not the case with this yarn! The chain construction lends a little extra give, making it a pleasure to knit.

I love that Belle gives a little extra coverage in the AC and lets me wear a handknit sweater in the summer! You can pull the sweater down long to wear over a long tank dress, or keep the hem gathered at the waist to dress up tanks & jeans. If you’ve been thinking of giving the Linen a try, this is a perfect project to do so!

Local hand-dyer Carol Sulcoski, owner of Black Bunny Fibers, will be here June 15 and 16, 2013 with bundles of freshly-dyed yarn. Carol dyes yarn in small batches and doesn’t repeat colors – everything you knit or crochet with her yarn is unique!

Beautiful yarn hand-dyed by Carol Sulcoski.

Carol is also an author and designer. Her latest book is Sock Yarn Studio, which is full of things – other than socks – to make with sock yarn. We’ll have copies of the book on hand; Carol’s happy to sign copies and to help you pick yarn for your project.

Come meet Carol on Saturday, June 15 from 12 to 4 and on Sunday, June 16 from 11 to 2. Hope to see you!

Crochet is on my mind this spring. When I saw Crochet Living by Nicki Trench for Debbie Bliss, I knew I wanted it for the shop. Among its 11 designs are blankets, doilies, a table runner, a beret, garland and a poncho. All made with beautiful combinations of crochet stitches and motifs, and all with lots of wonderful colors.

The yarns used in the patterns range from sport to worsted in weight. Milla Mia’s Naturally Soft Merino, Blue Sky’s Skinny Cotton, and Spud & Chloe’s Sweater yarns – a sport weight, a DK, and a worsted weight, respectively – would be great for these projects.

We’re offering several crochet classes this month where you’ll learn what you need to know to make most of these projects. So if they entice you like they did me, then please call 215-893-9939 or stop in to sign up.

Happy crocheting!

We’ve had requests for crochet classes lately, so I’ll be teaching 3 this month. Each of the classes is offered on the weekend and during the week. I hope one of them fits your schedule!

Learn to Crochet

$28 for one 2-hour session; materials included.
prerequisites: none

Saturday, May 11: 10am to 12noon
Wednesday, May 15: 6 to 8pm

This introduction to crochet will give you the basics of a new craft – or a quick refresher! Learn to chain, single, half-double, and double crochet. Yarn and hook are included in the class fee.

Granny Squares and Crochet Motifs

$20 for one 2-hour session
prerequisites: ability to chain, single, and double crochet

Saturday, May 18: 10am to 12noon
Wednesday, May 22: 6 to 8pm

One Big Granny Square Throw and Afghan Pattern

Motifs like granny squares that are worked in rounds are the building blocks of blankets, afghans, and even garments. Learn to crochet in rounds, to change colors and to weave in ends. If there’s time, we’ll cover attaching motifs too.

supplies: two or three colors of smooth worsted weight yarn and a size F hook.

Crocheted Baskets

$20 for one 2-hour session
prerequisites: ability to chain, single, and double crochet

Saturday, May 25: 10am to 12noon
Wednesday, May 29: 6 to 8pm

Crocheted Baskets Pattern

Crocheted baskets are beautiful, practical, and make great gifts! We’ll crochet a small round basket in class with a pattern that you can adjust for different size baskets.

supplies: 200-300 yards of worsted or chunky yarn and hooks two and three sizes smaller than recommended.

Call us at 215-893-9939 or stop in to register. We have lots of fun knitting classes starting this month, and remember we have sewing classes too. So much to learn and make!

It’s the last week of April- how did that happen so fast? That means just a few more days of Kersti as our yarn of the month! So far, I’ve talked about accessories & sweaters, but one of our favorite Kersti uses is baby knitting.

This 100% merino hand dye is machine washable and so soft. The crepe construction wears well against repeated washings, which tends to come in handy when comes to baby clothes! Kersti’s color & speckles are bright, cheerful & just right for little cuties!

Stay On Baby Booties – There’s nothing cuter than a baby bootie- especially when it stays on a tiny, kicking foot! This pattern is worked up 2 weights: fingering & DK- perfect for Koigu & Kersti respectively.

Easy Peasy Baby Jacket – We knit a darling button closure version of this in the shop- everyone is loving it! You can also knit this as a vest & in multiple weights.

Picot Edge Baby Blanket – A simple knit with a pretty edge, ideal for gifting. Let the yarn do the work while you enjoy a a relaxing knit!

Ribbons Baby Blanket – Knit in the round from the center out, this striped rib blanket has endless color possibilities!

A new baby is often the catalyst that brings new people to knitting, or brings the lapsed knitter back to the fold! In both instances, a simple project that yields a beautiful result is in order. Cue the Wave Blanket: 5 colors of Blue Sky’s Worsted Cotton plus feather & fan stitch make a perfect match!

Since we made our first version in 2008, this blanket has been knit countless times. Blue Sky Cotton is organically grown for ultimate in softness for baby and the stitch pattern is easy to memorize and accomplish. The hardest part is picking the colors! That’s where our new Wave Blanket Kits come to the rescue!

Knowing that picking the right colors can be a challenge, we put together 3 color combinations. A bright rainbow for a baby whose gender will be a surprise, cool blues with a turquoise pop for baby boys and a purple & pink party for little baby girls!

Each kit comes with the pattern & one skein of each color shown all wound up and ready to go! With the color guesswork taken way & the yarn rolled up, you can relax, knit and dream about the sweet babe that’s soon to come!

I love thinking about how many babies have been wrapped up in our design! If you’d like to knit one more to swaddle your little one, here’s the free pattern! Have fun!

WAVE BLANKET

SIZE
approximately 33” by 39”

MATERIALS
5 hanks of Blue Sky Alpaca’s Worsted Cotton
40 inch US 9 circular needle

GAUGE
16 sts = 4 inches in stockinette stitch, but gauge is not critical for this project

ABBREVIATIONS
K – knit
P – purl
K2tog – knit the next 2 stitches together as one stitch.

STITCH PATTERN
Row 1 (right side) – knit
Row 2 – purl
Row 3 – *(K2tog) 3 times, (yo, k1) 6 times, (k2tog) 3 times; repeat from * to end.
Row 4 – knit.
Repeat Rows 1 to 4.

BLANKET PATTERN
CO 144 stitches. Repeat pattern. Change to new color after finishing Row 4 of pattern. We knit 8 pattern repeats for each color.

Bind off loosely and weave in ends.

Enjoy!

As wonderful as it is for accessories, when I think of Kersti, I think of sweaters. We chose a gorgeous spectrum of semi-solids with sweater knitting in mind. This subtle dyeing creates a depth of color that keeps your knitting interesting & creates a beautiful, unique garment!

Kersti is a classic DK weight, easily substituted for a variety of sweater patterns. It’s machine washable, and the crepe construction guarantees long lasting wear. As our yarn of the month, it’s 10% off until the end of April, so this is the time to stock up for a new sweater project!

The Calligraphy Cardigan has been in my queue for quite awhile, and I may finally cast one on in Kersti. I think it would round out my collection of drapey, wrap cardis quite nicely! Knit from then top down, you have control over hem & sleeve length and can try it on as you go to ensure a good fit.

As you may have noticed, brights & neons are all the rage right now, and this amazing magenta & spring green are right on trend. At the same time, since this is bound to be a go to piece, a rich charcoal may be just the ticket!

You may be familiar with the Tea Leaves Cardigan already- so many people have made it on Ravelry. You know what’s amazing? They all look wonderful on their knitters. Tea Leaves is also knit top down, but with a round yoke & a 2 button closure. What a great opportunity to use those special buttons you’ve been saving!

I like how the original was knit using more of a multi-colored than a solid yarn. I love primary colors and these gradients of red, yellow & blue would be shown off so well in this pattern’s ruched yoke & stockinette body. This sweater would be the perfect cherry on top of a simple neutral outfit, to add a little color and texture!

Karma is our most recent spring arrival from Berroco Yarns! This 100% cotton is dyed in softly shaded hues. It has a unique mesh construction that keeps the cotton light & airy and lends a lot of gorgeous drape, as you can see in our new free Karma scarf pattern!

Since Karma knits up at a chunky 3 sts/inch, we thought a quick knit spring scarf was in order. After a little swatching, we settled on our trusty favorite- stockinette stitch. Then, we a decided to add a simple drop stitch to open things up and create more drape.

Our result was a nice, long scarf suitable for wrapping around at least twice, if not more, for a cowlish look. Pastels are big this season, and Karma’s colors add a pretty, pale pop to a neutral look!

Here’s the free pattern! Happy spring knitting!

MATERIALS
Berroco Karma (100% cotton; 50g /66 yds): 3 skeins.

NEEDLES + NOTIONS
Size 11 (8mm) 24-inch circular needle.
Stitch marker and darning needle.

ABBREVIATIONS
BO: bind off
CO: cast on
K: knit
P: purl

CO 16 sts.

Set-up row: *K4, yo; rep from * to last 4 sts, k4.

Row 1: *P4, k1; rep from * to last 4 sts, p4.
Row 2: *K4, p1; rep from * to last 4 sts, k4.

Rep Rows 1 & 2, until 2 yards of yarn remain, ending with Row 1.

Finishing
Loosely BO to first purl st, drop purl stitch from left needle and drop down. Pick up top running bar of unraveled
stitch and twist into 2 new stitches on left needle and include them in BO. Rep to end.

Block and weave in ends.

Blue Sky Alpacas sent us the most beautiful Alpaca Silk trunk show! We have 6 beautiful samples in this 50/50 alpaca & silk blend- 4 sweaters & 2 wraps. The colors are vibrant and the sheen from the silk is to die for!

Knitting with this yarn feels wonderful and we want you to try it out. For the rest of April, when you come by the shop, visit our new swatch bar and knit a bit on this beautiful yarn. After you’ve tried it out, we’re sure you’ll want to cast on for one these beautiful projects!

clockwise from top left: Kaw Valley Wrap, Vladimira’s Shell, Cecily’s Silk Cardigan, Siivet Pullover.

It seems like it is finally becoming springtime in Philadelphia! While I’m not sure it will be quite warm enough to wear this ensemble this weekend, it’s definitely a good time to start knitting it!

Gretel- A pretty, airy tank knit with 2 cones of Cotton Gima- shown at top left. Just right for adding a little extra summer coverage, and a lot of beautiful texture to your look.

Bias Before & After Scarf- We knit our scarf in Blue Sky Alpacas gorgeous Metallico yarn- shown in braided skeins at top center. The simplest knit with the loveliest result- we used 2 skeins & adjusted the pattern slightly by casting on 40 sts.

Pretty Cheep Project Bag- Keep your project, pattern & notions tidy and attractive in these adorable birdie bags. I love this orange one, but they come in lots of cool colors!