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Archive: Knitting

February 9, 2010

New Mochimochi Pattern: Hugs + Squoze

Anna at Mochimochi presents her new pattern in her shop Hugs + Squoze ($5), a cuddly little duo to make for your main squeeze (or for yourself, of course) for Valentine's Day!

February 5, 2010

Scarf Blocking 101

I've always been really lazy about blocking (although I must admit the Knitter's Block has changed my attitude somewhat), but this great scarf blocking tutorial makes a great case for blocking even scarves! There are a bunch of how-to photos and some advice for hand-washing sweaters to boot.

January 26, 2010

Binary Code Coffee Cozy

Knit up this binary code coffee cozy that says "hot hot" in it's pattern of ones and zeros by Kathy of Kat Knits.

January 22, 2010

New Patterns at Mochimochi

I am loving the new patterns for sale by Anna at Mochimochi. Inspired by her tiny things posts, Anna rounds up her first Tiny Things Collection 1 Patterns ($5) which includes a set of 4 tiny patterns pictured above. You can also celebrate cute all year long with her cross-stitch pattern called Cute is Always in Season ($5).

CRAFT Pattern: Reversible Cable-Knit Scarf

Banner Craft Podcast

This week's CRAFT Pattern Podcast is a special treat! It's a beautiful reversible cable-knit scarf by Becky Stern's mom, Bette. Doesn't Becky look adorable and cozy in her scarf that her mom made her for Christmas? Now you can cozy up yourself in this scarf that combines ribbing and cables to make it warm and looking good from both sides!

Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes

(Right click to save the PDF to your desktop. See directions on downloading PDFs.)

About the Author:
Author Bette Stern
Bette Day Stern has been working in community recreation for the past 23 years. Currently she works as the recreation supervisor for a small town in northeastern Connecticut, where she's lived for the past 24 years. The one constant for the past 40+ years has been her love for knitting, cross stitch, and quilting (and a few other needlearts along the way). She's been married to the same man for 33 years, and has three grown children and two grandchildren.

January 21, 2010

Mario Sweater Vest Pattern

This Mario sweater vest from Happy Seamstress nerdy in a very, very cool way. After an outpouring of comments and requests for a pattern, she's sharing the design in PDF.

January 14, 2010

Totoro Mittens

Whether or not you're a Miyazaki fan, you have to admit that these Totoro Mittens are absolutely adorable. I love using the traditional stranded knitting technique from Norwegian mittens to create an image from pop culture. It works perfectly here! The pattern is available free on Ravelry, but you have to have an account to access it. (Via Whip Up.)

January 11, 2010

Woven Cowl

I was just skimming through my RSS reader when I literally did a double take. What a cool idea! I love the idea of a woven cowl made with such chunky texture. It looks incredibly architectural and cozy at the same time, which seem to rarely go together. It makes my day when I see something that really challenges my expectations like this. (Via Swiss Miss.)

Hug-Sensitive Dalek

Our Director of Retail Marketing, Heather Harmon Cochran, sent around a lovely customer email to our internal mailing list in praise of the new Make: Electronics book, including images of this awesome light-up, huggable Dalek. Gareth has the full story on Make: Online.

January 7, 2010

Angora Glove Pattern

I make no secret of my love for Selvedge magazine, and I'm totally into their free angora gloves pattern. They ran an excerpt from Faith, Hope, Knitting, Love by Lorna Miser in their print magazine, but you can download the pattern from their website (and check out their other free patterns and how-tos, for everything from textile doorstops to soap). Here's what they have to say about the gloves: "Angora is eight times warmer than sheep's wool, but like wool, stays warm even when wet. They're 'fuzz-less' as they're knit, but after wearing the angora blossoms, creating a warm, fuzzy halo for the hands."

Winter Olympian Does It with Yarn

Freestyle skier (moguls) Hannah Kearney enjoys knitting as a "soothing pastime." (Photo by NBC Sports / USOC)

With just over a month until the Winter Olympics begin in Vancouver, it was neat to find out that some of the Olympians are crafters as well as world class athletes. Take skier Hannah Kearney (pictured above), for instance.

A skier since the age of 2, Hannah was introduced to knitting in the 3rd grade. She's hooked on it now, pardon the pun, and carries knitting supplies with her on the road, along with photos of family and friends.

Here's a short interview I did with her as she prepares for what will hopefully be her second Olympic appearance. You can learn more about Hannah Kearney and other Winter Olympics athletes at NBCOlympics.com and the Team USA site. Be sure to look for the skier in the hand knit hats!

Olympian Hannah Kearney knit this sweater for her dog. (Photo by Hannah Kearney)

How long have you been knitting?
Hannah Kearney: I have officially been knitting since 2003, but I learned the basics when a 3rd grade project required me to carve my own knitting needles out of the twigs on an apple tree.

How did you learn to knit?
I learned to knit when a friend -- who is like an aunt to me -- was just learning herself and encouraged me to take a class at the yarn shop in my hometown of Norwich, VT.

What do you get out of knitting, why do you like doing it?
I love the fact that knitting is a productive, yet soothing pastime. I can be making gifts for my family while stuck on an airplane or knitting a hat for a charity while watching a baseball game on television.

What's the best thing you've made, the biggest, the worst, your favorite?
The first thing I ever knit was a terrible baby blanket that was supposed to be a perfect square, but I managed to add several dozen stitches while I was knitting and it ended up looking a lot like a trapezoid. Next, I knit a red wool sweater that took me 76 hours. It has since been donated to an orphanage in Russia. Some of my favorite items to knit are hats because they are quick, satisfying and useful in the New England winters. I really enjoy hats with cables in them.

Do you do any other crafts?
I own a sewing machine and would love to develop my skills, but for now, I mostly use it for hemming.

Has knitting helped you with your skiing, or vice versa?
Knitting has a rhythmic, calming effect and I clearly remember finishing an elaborate sweater-vest before my final run at the 2005 World Championships. I won, so maybe it was a result of my knitting.

December 30, 2009

Quick Knitting Projects

If you're like me, sometimes you just want to knit something for yourself and quick! I've rounded up some of our best knitting projects that you can finish by the end of the week like Kristin Roach's Stash Socks pattern where you can use up all your leftover bits of yarn.

Here are more quick knitting projects:

Bunny Hop Slippers

Katalin Mobius Wrap & Wristlet Set

Knit Your Own Team Logo Scarf

Knit Caution Tape Scarf

Short-Rows Wavy Hat

Cabled Balaclava

Alice Wrist Warmers

Fingerless Mittens

Sarah Mitts Pattern (Long cabled fingerless gloves)

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