Stash Enhancement Alert

I am always searching for wool yarns in the DK and sport weight so I can knit my Dale of Norway patterns. By the way, I finally managed to catalog all of my 31 Dale pattern booklets in my Ravelry library HERE along with some others.

I like Heilo but I want brighter colors and I admit I wouldn't mind a lower price. I bought enough of the now-discontinued Elann Highland sport weight to make the Dale Whistler sweater but my row gauge was off significantly. Most of the Dale colorwork patterns are in DK weight but previous to the Highland Sport disaster I've had success making lighter weight sweaters using Nature Spun sport weight (which is becoming harder to find).

Here are some old photos of the Bullwinkle sweater (aka Dale #10006) I made years ago in Nature Spun sport weight. It was such a lucky accident because I actually had enough random yarn in my stash to make an entire colorwork sweater. (Also probably a sign my stash was too big!!)


I was just looking at Webs and they are now offering a Cascade 220 sport weight in about 30 lovely colors. The price is $3.75 per 164 yd. skein and the yarn is discountable. I'm going to get a few skeins to sample. Also, they do currently have a sale on their Valley Northampton 100% wool worsted weight for $3.69 for a large 247 yd. skein and they offer over 40 colors. It is on sale so it isn't discountable but I'm buying a few of the heathers to see what I think. I want to knit more thick worsted weight socks for padding around the house so this might just be the ticket.

Carlisle Hat & Cowl

First off, you have to go see this knitted skeleton! It is just amazing! The teeth!!

Here's the hat and cowl pattern I mentioned previously. The Carlisle Hat pattern is available HERE at Knit Picks and is knit in 4 colors of Wool of the Andes. There's no shaping so it can also be made as a cowl as seen below.

To make it into a hat, just sew together the top edges and attach each corner together as seen below.

I hope to have some completed socks to show you soon!

Colorwork Book Review: Around the World in Knitted Socks

Around the World in Knitted Socks by German knitwear designer Stephanie Van Der Linden isn't exclusively colorwork but the book has enough colorwork designs (16 out of 26 total patterns ) that it is still worth buying just for the stranded patterns. And the non-stranded designs are beautiful as well.

This book has actually been out a while but silly me pre-ordered it from Amazon which took longer than just ordering it the minute it was available. The book includes sock designs from the usual places like Norway and Scotland famous for their knitting designs but also more unusual places like Italy and Switzerland. I think Stephanie has a distinctive design style though and it shows through even in her more traditional designs.

The patterns in the book include several different heels and some fun techniques like argyle socks done in short rows instead of intarsia, travelling stitches, embroidery, sideways construction, braids and beading. I think most of the socks are knit cuff down. In the end of the book she briefly discusses two color knitting and even has a photo that shows what too short floats will look like while knitting. Really though the book is all about the designs and you should buy it if like me you love the designs - you can go HERE to see all the socks in the book.

If I had a quibble I'd say I wish there were some socks knit in a thicker weight than fingering weight but that is just me. I prefer thicker socks when padding around this house with the cold  brick floors. Still I adore this book and am absolutely thrilled to see a new book out that is full of great stranded designs. I think I'm going to start with her Colors of the Andes socks.

ETA: Oops - it looks like at least one of the sock patterns is knit toe up (the first socks in this blog post) so I'll change it to most of the socks are knit cuff down.

Sock Hall of Shame

I tell myself that I'm a product person, not a process person. I love to finish projects and I keep my works in progress to a bare minimum. So why do I have FIVE pairs of socks in progress? (Sorry about the photo but I'm feeling lazy today.)

Today I started the Nemesis socks (in green) from the current issue of Knitty. These are going fast so I hope to finish at least one pair of socks this week.

A Few September Links for Color Knitters

I'm still terribly behind on work - I'm already a week behind on my hat for Knit Picks. I am not able to attend Taos Wool Festival this weekend so I hope those of you attending will have extra fun for me.

I do have a few links for you and I hope to be back to normal soon. I have a ton of stuff I want to post about dealing with floats in stranded color knitting. Plus I have several new books to review.

LINKS FOR COLOR KNITTERS

I absolutely love Lorraine Condotta's  Scare Isle tam in the new Knitty with ghosts and spiders.

Some charts and German instructions for a beautiful sweater - the design reminds me a bit of Dale of Norway's Kashmir sweater.

Here's another blank mitten chart you can print out for making your own color design. This one comes in three sizes and is for fingering weight yarns.

Has anyone ordered Colorwork Creations: 30+ Patterns to Knit Gorgeous Hats, Mittens and Gloves by Susan Anderson-Freed? I think I am going to wait for the Kindle version. (The photos won't be in color on the Kindle but they should be if I transfer the book to my PC using the Kindle for PC software.)

Another new stranded book I'm going to order is Kathleen Taylor's Fearless Fair Isle Knitting. Amazon doesn't give a date though.

I did two quick surveys on Ravelry that are proving interesting. How do you hold the yarns in stranded color knitting? and How do you deal with floats in stranded color knitting? Be sure to read the comments in the floats survey - there is some interesting stuff there.

Knit Picks has a new kit, the Falling Stars kit, for a Bohus inspired sweater and hat, and it is under $35.


Well back to the grindstone!