Meet Brewster. She's entirely seamless, knitted from the top-down, striped, fair isle'd--an all around modern beauty (in my humble opinion). The PDF pattern with integrated video content is now available in my shop for sizes 31"-52". More details here...

I was inspired to design this immediately after I finished writing the manuscript for my forthcoming book. Why didn't I want to take a break, you ask? Well, because I'm a little crazy I guess. Actually, I've been thinking about this design for almost a year. Brewster has a very unusual seamless-top-down-set-in sleeve/shoulder construction (worked kind of like a yoke) that I developed for one of the patterns in my book. I loved it so much, that I couldn't wait to try it out again.

I've seen a few similar yoke-esque seamless-top-down-set-in sleeve designs, but they all seemed to have a sort of faux seam on the top of the shoulder that I didn't like. If you know my design work, you know that I am a big fan of a particular type of shoulder construction where the seam falls slightly over the back of the shoulder. So I took that style of shoulder and figured out how to work it from the top down and also include the sleeve caps–all at the same time. The result is not only a really beautiful silhouette, but also a very entertaining thing to knit. And since there are no seams to sew, the set-in sleeve is pretty much fail proof.

Another thing I'm excited about is the integrated video content that I have included in the pattern PDF. I've been creating tons of new video tutorials so I found a way to link to my videos inside my patterns. The videos cover some of the skills that most patterns gloss over–things like blocking or how to pick up stitches. My goal with this is to make my patterns more accessible to knitters who aren't confident that they have the necessary skills. I'm really excited to offer this kind of content in my patterns, and I'd love to hear what you think about it.

I'd also love to hear what you think about the overall design in the comments below. What colors would you choose for your Brewster?

Just a quick note today about my Caring Cowl fundraiser for ARC's Disaster Relief Fund: With everyone's help, I was able to raise almost $400 from sales of my Caring Cowl pattern!

Thanks to everyone for helping me get the word out about my little fundraiser. I will keep my Caring Cowl pattern up for sale and continue to donate all profits to The American Red Cross. 

As many of you know, philanthropy is very important to me. As a proud member (and cofounder!) of the charitable giving site CharitySub.org, I am able to help a huge variety of causes with just $5 a month. If you haven't checked it out yet, please take a minute to see if CharitySub is a good fit for you too.

Are you wondering what to give that special knitter in your life? For the outsider, it can seem impossible to pick the perfect gift for someone who knits, but don't worry! I'm here to help.

In my last gift guide, I shared some really great ideas for knitting gifts, and all of those things are still relevant, but this year I want to take my guide to another level. These gifts will inspire, motivate, and excite the knitter who receives them.

EXPERIENCES

If your recipient is like me, they've got just about every knitting do-dad they need. So what knitting related gift would I love to get?

1. Workshop at a Local Yarn Shop- Most yarn shops offer classes and workshops for all skill levels. You can call your local yarn shop to see what's available, or if you're unsure, you can get a gift certificate that covers the cost of a class. The recipient can also use the gift certificate for yarn, so it's impossible to go wrong with this one! Click the link to find a yarn shop in your area.

2. A Craftsy.com Class- Craftsy.com is a website that offers online classes and products for all sorts of different crafts. This link will lead you to a page where you can purchase a class for your recipient that they can choose later. It's great because you can select a date in the future (like Christmas) for your gift to arrive in their inbox.

3. Tickets To a Knitting Event- This is a gift idea that can be simple, or elaborate. There are all kinds of events that knitters love to attend, from local fiber festivals to national sock knitting conferences. There are even knitting cruises that sail to exotic tropical locations! An amazing gift (in my opinion), would be to arrange a trip to a Vogue Knitting Live event. The gift could include a 2-day pass to the event, a plane ticket to the city it's being held in, and a hotel near the event. I would squeal if I got this gift.

SUPPLIES

The ideas above are very thoughtful, but maybe you're looking for something more tangible than an emailed gift certificate or a trip itinerary. Knitting is a wonderful hobby because you really need very little equipment to get started. But once initiated, there are endless gadgets and supplies that make it so much more fun.

1. A Pattern Book- There are always new books coming out, and I love filling my library with new sources of inspiration. MY book isn't coming out until September, so in the meantime here are some of my favorites that have been recently published:
• Scarf Style 2 by Ann Budd: This is a great book for gifting because it has projects for every skill level and style. Full disclosure, my design is the one on the cover!
• Metropolitan Knits by Melissa Wehrle: This book is full of contemporary, sophisticated knitwear. The author, Melissa Wehrle is also one of my favorite designers.
• Knitting Architecture by Tanis Gray: This book has a little bit of everything. The styles are all interesting and wearable.
Also, if your recipient has a favorite knitwear designer, try to find their latest book and arrange to get a signed copy.

2. A Stocking Full of Knitting Supplies- This is a fun idea that I would love to get. You could fill a stocking with all kinds of little things. Here's some ideas that you can get online or at a local yarn shop:
• A little bottle of Eucalan Wool Wash- I tear through this stuff!
• Some yarn (usually 2 balls is safe for a small project)
• $20 gift certificate to a local yarn shop
• Stitch Markers- I don't know where they all go (I'm looking at you, vacuum cleaner...)
• A Cute Measuring Tape
• A Yarn Cutter Pendant- This is great for knitters that travel.
• A Netflix subscription- I love to watch movies and knit.
• A Knitting Periodical- They sell knitting magazines at most major bookstores. You can attach a note saying that you also got her a subscription. My favorites are KnitScene and Interweave Knits.

3. Subscription to HollaKnits- I wasn't sure where to put this in my post, but it's definitely worth including. HollaKnits is like a knitting magazine subscription, but it's all in a digital format. The patterns are all created by indie knitwear designers and have a very hip aesthetic. The creator of HollaKnits, Allyson Dykhuizen, is doing some really cool things with this new format.

Do you have some of your own ideas that other readers would find helpful? Please share in the comment section below!

Once again, I'm dedicating all the sales from my Caring Cowl pattern to the Red Cross to benefit victims of the devastating Typhoon in the Philippines. In addition, if you help me spread the word, I will send you a free pattern of your choice (any from my Rav Store). *details at the end.

The Caring Cowl ($3.00) is a quick fun knit that makes a great holiday gift. The pattern is easy enough for beginners, but still manages to be entertaining, not to mention ultra hip!

Check back here to see updates about the progress of the fundraiser. The last Caring Cowl fundraiser was so successful; I know we can do it again!

** Please help me spread the word about my fundraiser! If you tweet, post on Facebook, or include a link to Caring Cowl or this post on your blog, I would love to send you a free pattern from my Ravelry Store. All you have to do is comment below with a link to your mention and don't forget to mention your pattern choice. Thanks again!

After my last post, I received a number of emails requesting the pattern for my 2-Hour Newborn Chipmunk Hat project, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to debut a new style of PDF pattern I've been working out. The pattern is free to download, so I would love your feedback on this new thing I'm trying.

I'm so excited to share what I've been doing, but first let me explain where it's all coming from. When I wrote my book last year, I included a ton of extra content that explains some of the special knitting techniques I use. I really loved sharing some of the little tricks I've picked up along the way. I decided that when I finished the book, I wanted to incorporate this kind of content into my independent patterns too.  It occurred to me that the best way to do this would be to produce short videos and embed them inside my PDF patterns.

So now, I'm working on a new format where I embed video links in the page layouts of my knitting patterns. These links appear in handy locations throughout the patterns which make the videos super easy to access.

Over the past few weeks I've had a lot of fun producing these instructional knitting videos and posting them on YouTube and Knit Darling. My goal is to help my fans take their knitting skills to the the next level. So far, the videos cover a number of topics that a lot of you have asked for advice about. Mostly they explain techniques that knitting patterns tell you to do, but don't explain very well. These are things like attaching buttons, weaving in ends, and how to use short-rows. I have a ton more in the pipeline already, but I'd also love to hear if you have any videos you'd like me to do.

Here's a recent video I did about blocking:

http://youtu.be/GPeD0ksXZWI

I'm planning to update a some of my old patterns with video content, but moving forward I plan to incorporate videos into all my new Knit Darling patterns. The Chipmunk hat only has 2 videos,  but my more complicated patterns will certainly have more. I should also note that the videos are just an extra supplement to the patterns, and are not essential for completing the instructions.  I'm really curious to hear what you think about this new pattern design idea, so please let me know in the comments below.

There's a bit of a baby boom going on amongst my friends lately, so I've been busy knitting, sewing, and designing for the little ones. With 3 new arrivals and 4 more on the way, there's not a moment to spare!

I just got back from a wonderful trip to Austin, TX, where I met my adorable baby nephew for the first time. The climate isn't well suited for hand knits, so I made my very first pieced quilt: 

Right now, it's still pretty warm in Austin, so Baby Tucker gets to enjoy his quilt during his daily "tummy time" sessions. He seems to like the rich red-orange colors in the prints, which makes me so happy!

I needed a quick gift for a double baby shower so I whipped up these matching chipmunk new-born hats. The babies are due right before Halloween, so the timing seemed pretty great for a gift like this.

They were so easy and worked up quickly. If anyone is interested in the pattern, let me know in the comments below.

My best friend gave birth to an adorable baby girl right before the manuscript for my book was due.  I was so excited for her and wanted to make something really special as soon as I had the opportunity. The very same day I finished working on my book, I cast on for this little cardigan:

I've knitted this design before, and it's always a hit. I'm thinking about releasing the pattern sometime, so I'd love to hear what you think about the design. It's currently sized for 3-6 months, so I might add a 6-12 month size too, if that's something people want.

I love giving hand made gifts. Sometimes it's difficult to express the love I have for my friends and family, but when I spend the time to make something special, I think they get it. What's your favorite kind of thing to make for a new baby? If you're a mom, what's the best handmade gift you received for your little one? Tell me everything (because I'm running out of original ideas!) in the comments below.

One year ago I had a deadline and some serious doubts. Between working a full time job, running Charitysub.org, and maintaining a happy marriage, I was already busy. Fitting even one more thing into my life seemed impossible. But when I was offered the opportunity to author my very own book, I just had to figure it out. This was an opportunity of a lifetime after all!

One very difficult year later, I am glad to report that I'm still standing. I just packed up all my samples and sent my completed manuscript to my editor. I feel light as a feather! I couldn't be more excited about the collection, and can hardly wait for its release. If you want updates about the release of the book and my upcoming appearances, please sign up for my newsletter.

Over the past year I had a lot of time to think about the direction I want to take KnitDarling. Now that I have all this free time, I feel energized and ready for my next big project. I already have some big changes in the works. I'm taking a little break from pattern design to focus on a shiny new website design. I am also creating a ton of new video content which I am incorporating into my existing patterns. The videos will be mostly technique tutorials as well as some demonstrations of my designs so you can see how they really look on a person. I'm curious if you have any opinions about knitting videos, or maybe is there something that you haven't seen that you'd like me to cover?

In addition to that, I'm taking some time for a few personal craft projects. I love doing hand embroidery, and finally have a little time to devote to it. When I finish this little green piece I'm going to sew it into a small zippered pouch purse. If that turns out well, I'm going to give it to a friend as a thank-you gift.

I'm also working on my first ever pieced quilt. I was at The City Quilter in Manhattan shopping for work, and saw some super cute lion and cub coordinating quilt prints that I just couldn't resist. It's going to be a gift for my adorable 3 month old nephew. I purchased some light blue flannel for the backing, and some thin cotton batting for the fill. I haven't decided if I'm going to hand quilt it, or just do try to do it on my machine. Do any of you quilters out there have any tips for a novice?

I literally squealed when I opened up a package last night that contained Ann Budd's new book Scarf Style 2, because they chose my design to feature on the cover. I was so surprised! I've contributed a number of designs to a few major publications, but this is my very first cover.

This was the second squealing event that has taken place due to this publication, the first of which occurred embarrassingly on the street outside of a subway station. The squeal was in reaction to an email I received from the Author Ann Budd.

You see, I can't shake the feeling that my success as a hand knitting pattern designer is some kind of silly fantasy that I'm imagining in my head. When I received an email from THE Ann Budd asking me to contribute a design to her new book, it seemed like maybe a mistake, or perhaps I was dreaming, or maybe it wasn't actually THE Ann Budd, just some ordinary NON-knitting-all-star Ann Budd.

In any case, my vocal cords are quite reactionary, and as it turns out so are my legs, because on both occations I jumped up and down and squealed like silly little girl. I was so excited last night that I couldn't even be bothered to pull out a chair. I plopped down on the ground right where I stood to examine the book cover to cover.

I actually have two cowl designs in the book, Cross Timbers and Eufaula.
Eufaula, the cowl pictured on the cover, is one of those long
luxurious loops that can be wrapped around in a number of ways. I
chose a delicious alpaca yarn for the design to give the cowl just the
right amount of fluffy drape to go with the textured chevron welted
stitch pattern.

The other design, the cross timbers cowl, is a color work gator type
cowl. The geometric fair Isle pattern was so much fun to knit. In fact, I had so much fun knitting it, that I couldn't stop myself from knitting the whole thing up in one day!

Having already scoured the book, i can tell you that its chock full of
really great patterns.  My friend Melissa Wehrle also contributed
a pattern, the Shadow Play Scarf. She's a very talented designer, and I
strongly encourage you to check out her new book Metropolitan Knits
and her blog at Neoknits.com.

[caption id="attachment_2049" align="alignnone" width="580"] Shadow Play by Melissa Wehrle (sorry for the terrible picture of a picture!)[/caption]

I'd love to hear what you think of the book and my new designs. Please
leave a comment below to tell me what you think.

pinterest-62378

I've been working so hard writing my own book that I neglected to announce some really exciting news: the release of my Cimarron Shawl pattern in the book Free Spirit Shawls (Interweave Press 2013). The pattern is also included in the new Knitscene Accessories 2013 magazine, which just hit the newsstands a few weeks ago. This is so exciting because I've never been in a full length pattern book before. I was extra delighted to see they put a detail of my design on the spine of the book.Lisa Shroyer, includes 20 patterns that run the gamut of shawl design. Apart from the super cool patterns, the book also has some great extra sections that explain the various types of shawl constructions, teach useful techniques, and demonstrate shawl styling tips.

Cimarron is a multicolor triangular design that uses chevron shaping to create a zig-zagging pattern. The stripes of color are accentuated by the use of garter stitch ridges throughout. I love stripes but hate all the weaving-in of ends they require, so I eliminated all that extra work by incorporating the ends into the shawl's fringed tassel edging. I really felt like I was getting away with something when I finished this sample and there were no ends to weave in.

This shawl is really fun to wear, and even more fun to knit. It begins at the lower tip, and expands outward with the addition of each color section. I think it would also look really cool if the contrasting stripes where done in all different colors. This could also be a great stash-busting project, if you had bits of multiple colors from similar yarn weights laying around.

What colors would you use? If I made another, I think I would use a charcoal gray background color, with contrasting stripes in minty green and light silvery gray, or maybe something with a little sparkle.

 

Below are 5 tips for weaving in ends on your hand knits that are beyond a simple "how-to"  (here's my "how-to" video, if you're looking for that). Everyone does it a little differently, and there are probably 100 different techniques. My favorite way is to thread the end onto a yarn needle and use the duplicate stitch on the wrong-side, but obviously there are many variables that effect the way I do this and contribute to the success of the outcome.

 

1. Do a little planning. With garments that involve seaming, you can easily hide ends in the selvage, stitching up along the edge then backstitching a little to secure the end. For this reason, it's best to join new yarn at the beginning of a row. Try to pay attention to the amount of yarn that is left as you begin each new row. Also, if you will be sewing a seam, you can strategically place a very long end and use it for seaming, which eliminates two extra ends, and leads to the next tip.

2. Leave long tails. whether it's at the beginning middle or end of a row, you always want to leave enough of a tail to thread one of those giant yarn needles, plus a few extra inches. 8 inches is usually enough. Use your long tails to attach embellishments, sew seams or for closing the top of a hat.

3. Block your knits after weaving to smooth everything out.  It's not always easy to weave ends into smooth fabric textures. Some of your stitches might end up looking a bit distorted but a little blocking can work wonders. Wet-blocking will yield the best results. I cannot stress the importance of blocking enough.

4. Split plies for bulky yarn. This is one of my favorite tips. If you are using a bulky weight yarn, it can be difficult to hide your ends. If your yarn is plied, you can split the plies apart and weave them in separately. Similarly, you can grade, or taper the yarn as you weave it, trimming the plies as you go.

5. Fake the duplicate stitch by doubling your yarn when you join a new
ball. This is a great time saving technique for finer yarns, and especially useful when working in the round. When you have about 10" left on your ball of yarn, join the new ball leaving about a 6" tail. Work 8 stitches holding the old and new yarn together, then drop the old yarn and continue the round (drop the ends on the backside). On the next row, work the doubled stitches normally. When it comes time to weave in these ends, all you need to do is trim them close. For extra security, I usually run the tail through a few purl bumps to keep the ends from creeping out on the right side.

BONUS TIP: SPLICING
Sometimes it is possible to avoid weaving in ends by splicing the ends of two strands together. This works best with especially fuzzy yarns that are able to felt.

 

TO KNOT, OR NOT TO KNOT
Someone recently asked me why they shouldn't just tie a knot, trim the ends, and call it a day.

Knots aren't terrible, but they don't always stay tied and can be uncomfortable to the wearer. Also, they have a tendency to float to the right side. Knitted fabric can be very fluid, especially if you're using slippery yarn.  Over time, the knot can pull and distort the stitches around it. If you weave in your ends, a knot is totally unnecessary.

SPECIAL CASES
Cotton yarn- It's especially difficult to hide the ends of cotton yarn, but you can almost always split the plies as in tip #4 and get a nice looking result.
Chunky Single ply yarn- You might still be able to divide the ply in two, but if not, you can weave the end in tightly, trim the end at a long angle to taper it, and then stretch the fabric to pull the end into the stitches. Some people actually secure the ends of very chunky yarn with sewing thread and a sharp needle. I've never had cause to try this, but it's worth mentioning.

Do you have any little tricks you’ve picked up along the way? I’d love to hear them in the comments below.

This is part of my ongoing “5 tips” series. Future topics will be swatches, and substituting yarn, and reading a pattern. Please let me if there is another topic you would like to see me write about.