Tucker and Interweave Knits Fall 2015
The fall issue Interweave Knits is out, and my latest design, Tucker, is in it - and on it (right there, on the cover!)
Interweave Knits Fall 2015
Tucker is a minimalist pullover worked from the bottom up in stockinette stitch with garter edgings. It is a simple sweater that shows off a distinctive cable circling the yoke. Horizontal, or infinite, cables are one of my favorite features to design with because the are fun to work and satisfying to watch as they take shape.
photo by Harper Point Photography
I started planning this design with one of my favorite books, Continuous Cables by Melissa Leapman. This is a great resource for learning the techniques and finding infinite cable stitch patterns. I didn't find the perfect cable for this design in the book, so I started sketching on graphic paper and came up with this pattern, not too complicated, but not to basic either.
photo by Harper Point Photography
The yarn I used is HiKoo's Kenzington. This is a chainette-constructed yarn, a knitted tube sort of like an i-cord. When you first get then yarn in the hank, it is a bit compressed. However, it blooms to a plump, round yarn when wet or steam blocked. You will definitely want to swatch with this yarn.
Here is a bit more info about Tucker:
Finished Size: 36 (40, 44, 48, 52)” bust circumference. Pullover shown measures 36″, modeled with 2″ of positive ease.
Yarn: HiKoo Kenzington (60% New Zealand merino wool, 25% nylon, 10% alpaca, 5% silk noils; 208 yd [190 m]/3½ oz [100 g]): #1000 pavlova, 5 (5, 6, 7, 7) skeins. Yarn distributed by Skacel.
Needles: Sizes 8 (5 mm) and 9 (5.5 mm): 24″ and 32″ circular (cir) and set of double-pointed (dpn).
Gauge: 16 sts and 24 rnds = 4″ in St st on larger needle.
PS - Interweave has sweater kits available on their website.
Favorites
These are few of my favorite things:
Mini-Skeins - They are little, cute, and colorful. What's not to love? They are even better when they come in a range of gradient colors, like this Ultraviolet color shift set from Seven Sisters Arts. I had the pleasure of meeting Karen, the dyer of these beautiful yarns, at her Fiber Frolic booth last weekend. It was fun to learn a little about her process in creating a cohesive color collection.
The While She Naps Podcast - I first learned about Abby Glassenberg from the Craft Sanity podcast. I recently discovered that she has her own podcast - and it is great. She interviews crafters and creative entrepreneurs. You get to hear their inspiring stories, and as a bonus, they give lots of recommendations for fun things like tools, books, and web finds.
Stitch patterns on Pinterest - I love stitch dictionaries, and have plenty on my bookshelf. But lately, I have been using Pinterest it as a place to collect stitch patterns. Be warned that many of them come from foreign language sites (so you may have to work at translating) and some of them look like questionable copies of pages from books. Still, you can find a lot of inspiring stitches there.
Victorinox SwissCard - This is a credit card sized swiss army knife, and it is one of my favorite knitting notions. With scissors, a knife, a pen, a straight pin, a small magnifying glass, tweezers, a light, and a 3 inch ruler, I use this tool every day.
Marsala Roundup
I just received some beautiful yarn for a design I will be working on later this summer, and it reminded me of the 2015 Pantone color of the year, Marsala. Of course, I had to go looking for other Marsala colored yarns, just to see what is out there. Here are some of my favorites.
1. Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Cinnabar
2. Plucky Knitter Sweater in Antiqued
3. SweetGeorgia Tough Love Sock in Terra Firma
4. String Theory Hand Dyed Yarn Tinker Island Fingering in Marsala
5. Mrs. Crosby Steamer Trunk in Vintage Port
6. Madelinetosh DK in Sequoia
Friday of Sock Week
TGIF. Sock week ends with a pair that will definitely keep my toes warm.
These are knit from a worsted weight sock yarn - Regia 8-ply Color in Berry Fusion. I love how fast and easy these were to knit. If I could find more of this yarn in less variegated colors, I would be knitting many more of these thick socks. As I mentioned earlier this week, I don't usually knit with variegated yarns. This one is okay, but still, I think I would have preferred a semi-solid or maybe stripes.
Thursday of Sock Week
Thursday's socks are actually knit from a pattern - Eunice from the book Sock Innovation by Cookie A. This pattern has been in my queue since the book was first published. In fact, I tried to knit them once with Cascade Heritage Paints, but that yarn didn't play well with this pattern.
This time, I used Mrs. Crosby’s Train Case. This yarn includes Outlast, a super high tech phase change fiber that is supposed to help regulate your body heat. I just want it to keep my toes warm next winter.
Again with the purple, here it is called Wild Huckleberry.
Wednesday of Sock Week
Wednesday brings another pair of socks knit with Simply Socks Yarn Company's Poste Yarn Striping Sock.
This time in the Ashikaga Park color - dark gray, light gray, and lavender stripes. These I have worn a few times, and I love how the yarn has really softened up after washing. See Monday's post for more about my love of this yarn.
The leg is knit with a 3x1 ribbing that continues on the top of the foot. The heels are worked with a heel flap, and I don't mind how the stripes look with this construction. I started the heel flap at the beginning of a stripe. After I completed the heel turn, I broke the yarn and advanced it so the stripes continue in pattern on the top of the foot. Thanks to Susan B Anderson for this nifty idea.
Tuesday of Sock Week
Tuesday's sock is worked in Madelinetosh's new sock yarn, Twist Light.
This is a merino/nylon blend in a 3-ply that is silky soft and a joy to knit with. With so much going on in the yarn, I chose to knit a simple stockinette sock. Although I don't usually go for variegated yarns, I do like how color, called Care, pools. It looks like a watercolor painting. And of course, it has just enough purple to suit me.
For added durability, I knit the heel and toe with Meilenweit from Lana Grossa, a more traditional (not merino) wool sock yarn, which I assume will hold up in the places that need it most. I chose a pale heather gray that will work as an accent with many colors. I expect it will make an appearance on several of my socks in the future (Yes, I'm looking at you, Malabrigo Sock).
Sock Week
It's sock week here at handmaineknits. In the bits of free time I have found between the design projects I worked on this past winter, I have been knitting socks. Apparently, only purple socks.
Today's spotlight is on a pair of vanilla(ish) socks knit with my new favorite sock yarn, the amazing Poste Yarn Striping Sock from Simply Socks Yarn Company.
The color is called Danxia Landform. Aren't those little colorful stripes wonderful (only one of the six colors is purple). The heels are knit in a coordinating solid turquoise color also from SSYC. It almost matches the blue stripes in the sock. The leg is knit in a 3x1 ribbing, and the heel is from a Lara Neel pattern, Fork in the Road Socks. I'm still unsure about the heel construction, I will need to wear them a few times before I decide if it works for me. I have been be looking for an alternative to the afterthought heel, which has never fit me quite right.
I already have plans for the leftovers, this yarn is too good to not use up every bit. It is a superwash Corriedale/nylon blend. Not quite as soft as merino, but it feels great, and definitely seems sturdier than merino.
More tomorrow....
Brick Lane
The Interweave Knits Spring 2014 preview is up, and I am excited to have my latest sweater design included in the issue. Brick Lane is a straightforward, bottom-up raglan with lace patterning on the sleeves and a unique ribbing at the cuffs and hem.
It is knitted with Relikt, a new wool/nylon blend yarn from Schoppel Wolle. This may look like a standard tweed, but it gains its depth of color from the recycled fiber scraps of the Zauberball production process. It knits up with a bit of a rustic hand, but it really blooms and softens after a good wash.
Radiant Orchid Roundup
1. Shalimar Yarns Breathless in Fairy Dust
2. Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Pink Berry Mix
3. Fiber Company Terra in Beet
4. Quince and Co. Lark in Sorbet
5. Imperial Yarns Columbia 2-ply in Dusty Rose
6. Neighborhood Fiber Company Studio Sock in Truxton Circle
Pairings: Acadia/Wabi Mitts
I have been searching for the perfect pattern for two skeins of The Fiber Company’s Acadia (in the granite colorway) that I have been holding on to for quite a while. I tried a few options, hats with lace and cable and various textures, none were right.
Acadia Yarn (left), Wabi Mitts by Karen Templer (right)
I think I have finally found the perfect pattern to pair with this yarn, Wabi Mitts by Karen Templer. They are a simple knitted mitt, with a contrasting purled thumb gusset. This simplicity will let this yarn’s rustic charm shine. The gauge is a little off, so I will have to add few stitches to make up for it. As long as I am modifying, I think I’ll add a little length to the cuff.