Knitting is fun, isn’t it?!
I am having one of those joyful periods where all of my projects are so exciting that I can barely put them down long enough to eat, let alone to clean the bathroom or go to work!
Read morePostcards from Rhinebeck: Part 1
Not yet strictly Rhinebeck, but bear with me…
I’m trying out the app on my phone in the hope that I can write a few short blog posts while I am on the road. Fingers crossed I’m about to have the most knitting-filled week that I’ve had in a long time, so there should be plenty to talk about!
Tuesday
I’m starting my journey by train to London, and I have just the crown shaping remaining on my Marangoni Hat – this month’s Boost Your Knitting pattern. All things being equal, it will be finished before I catch my flight tomorrow.
wednesday
Boom! Hat is all done, save for the last couple of ends, with two minutes to spare before it’s time to leave for Heathrow.
This is the obligatory plane knitting shot. I cast on for the smallest size of Antler Cardigan by Tin Can Knits using our Something to Knit With Aran and knitted both sleeves and a good chunk of body during my flight from Heathrow to JFK in New York. It’s so satisfying to rattle through the pieces of a garment like that, especially when my last couple of garments have been 4ply epics. Note to self: Next adult garment should be in aran weight…
thursday
On Thursday, together with Kay and Ann of Mason-Dixon Knitting, we headed upstate to Red Hook, which is just a little way from Rhinebeck. I could write a whole blog post about what a joy it has been to spend time with these two! Ann is wearing her fabulous aran weight Dionne Shawl by Jeanette Sloan and I’ve borrowed Ann’s Parallelogram Scarf, which I need to immediately cast on when I get home. It is one of the designs in the Sequences MDK Field Guide, and unbelievably squishy and warm! This was just the start of a parade of incredible hand knits – many of them from MDK Field Guides…
Knitting has been almost non-stop – in the car, on the subway, on the plane, at restaurants and at home. I was really inspired by Kay’s gorgeous basketweave socks on her needles (in their Wanderlust Field Guide), as well as Ann’s Petula Sweater (Downtown) and the Corrugated Shawl (Sequences) that Ann was working on. Spending time enjoying the process of stitches and wool against a background of friendship is such a powerfully recharging thing.
My Antler Cardigan started to take shape!
Friday
Tivoli Bays was the perfect backdrop for some fresh air and a walk, and we were joined by MDK team member, Christina…
…for a photo shoot for our new album cover: Knitters on Tour.
And what do knitters do when they are on tour? Why, they head to the nearest town with a yarn shop of course! We went to Fabulous Yarn in Tivoli, NY which was PACKED with stunning yarns and notions. It took all my willpower not to dive in and buy everything.
I was very taken with this aptly named Oooh! cashmere chunky yarn. I held strong though, safe in the knowledge that the weekend would bring plenty to tempt me.
To be continued…
A chat with Tori Seierstad about her passion for colourwork
Tori Seierstad is a knitwear designer based in Lillehammer, Norway who can’t get enough of colourwork knitting. Her patterns feature bold motifs with lots of colour changes — perfect for practising this month’s featured technique, joining in new yarns. The Marangoni Hat, Tori’s contribution to Boost Your Knitting, features both stripes and bubble-like circles, making it ideal for learning multiple joining techniques. Tori was kind enough to have a chat with me a few weeks ago about her fab hat design, her lifelong love of knitting, and even share some of her colour inspiration!
Read moreJoining in New Yarns, Method 1: How to Splice (A video tutorial)
Do you love colourwork knitting, but dread all the ends you have weave in? This month’s Boost Your Knitting technique is focused on two different ways to join in yarns in your projects … and as an added bonus, these methods eliminate the need to weave in ends! While this month’s featured pattern is the stunning colourwork Marangoni Hat, these techniques can be used any time you need to add in a new yarn, whether it’s a colour change or just time to add the next ball in a single colour project.
Read moreThe Marangoni Hat and Joining In Yarns
It’s a new month, so time to welcome the next Boost Your Knitting pattern, designer, and technique! Meet the Marangoni Hat, designed by colourwork aficionado Tori Seierstad! Are you ready to learn some really handy techniques for managing yarns this month?
Read moreMore Patterns for Experimenting with Colour
The Skystone Armwarmers, designed by Felicity (Felix) Ford as August’s featured Boost Your Knitting pattern, are the perfect canvas for practicing this month’s technique, choosing colours for stranded colourwork. The pattern calls for three background and five foreground shades of Jamieson & Smith 2ply Jumperweight, giving you lots of room to capture the subtleties of your inspiration source — be it a bouquet of flowers, a mossy headstone, or a towering mountain! But if you’re casting around for more patterns to bring your newfound confidence in choosing colours too, here are a few ideas!
Read moreAn Abundance of Inspiration ... August's Boost Your Knitting KAL, so far!
This month, we’ve been having a ball over in the Ravelry group with August’s Boost Your Knitting technique, choosing colours for stranded colourwork knitting! Several knitters have already finishing their Skystone Armwarmers, this month’s featured pattern by Felicity (Felix) Ford, and many more have stunning ones in progress! It’s been so fun to see people’s inspiration sources and the ways they interpret them …
Read moreFinding joy in the everyday : An Interview with Felicity (Felix) Ford
Last week, I was lucky enough to catch up with Felicity (Felix) Ford ahead of the release of the Skystone Armwarmers, this month’s Boost Your Knitting pattern! Felix is a knitter and sound artist who translates the joy and beauty of the everyday into amazing stranded colourwork knitting. Her books, the Knitsonik Stranded Colourwork Sourcebook and the Knitsonik Stranded Colourwork Playbook, empower knitters to unlock their own creativity by observing the world around her. We’re so lucky to have her beautiful design and expertise for this month’s knitalong — and I think you’ll agree Felix’s enthusiasm for colourwork really come through in our chat! I hope you enjoy it!
Read moreChoosing Colours for Stranded Colourwork + the Skystone Armwarmers
Ready for something a little different? August’s Boost Your Knitting technique is here, and I couldn’t be more excited about it! This month, we’ll be developing our skills in choosing colours for stranded colourwork with help from absolute colourwork whiz Felicity (Felix) Ford and knitting her stunning design, the Skystone Armwarmers!
Read moreBoost Your Knitting: The Techniques
Have I mentioned recently how much I absolutely love enabling knitters to learn new techniques? That feeling of breaking it down into achievable chunks, leading people through the process, and watching them achieve more than they thought possible is almost as intoxicating as the thrill of learning something new. I can’t wait to help you to Boost Your Knitting!
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