Archive for October, 2009

Monthly Archive

Thu 22 Oct 2009

If Maid Marian were cold, she'd be wearing one of these

Posted by knithappensva under Uncategorized
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With the holidays just around the corner (I know, talking about it doesn’t make them any easier to handle), everyone seems to be looking for the quick and easy knits. You know, those knits that take almost no outside thought and can be done within the span of a good movie? This cowl is definitely one of them.

Olga was browsing on Ravelry (our favorite site to find fab patterns, natch) for a great cowl pattern that wouldn’t take too much time or yarn and came across the Marian cowl by Jane Richmond. Originally written for one skein of Twinkle Soft Chunky, we’ve substituted two skeins of Teva Durham Tundra (one skein of Rowan Big Wool could be used as well), cast on 51 sts instead of the recommended number, and have gone down to US17s instead of the US19s recommended. Olga cast on immediately, an hour later, she had washed it and laid it out to dry. The Tundra, an already extremely soft wool, got even softer after a wash and dry – which is why I can wear it around my neck! :)
Where to find the pattern, you might ask? The pattern can be downloaded via Ravelry and stored in your library (if you have an account).
 

Wed 21 Oct 2009

Quick hats to knit!

Posted by knithappensva under holiday, ideas, projects
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Olga and I were looking at the calendar yesterday and realized that we’ve only got just over 2 months to Christmas! Eek! When did that happen? So, we started brainstorming quick gift ideas to stockpile for those last-minute gifts – or that last minute decision to make this a handknit holiday season. :)

Olga worked up a Wurm hat (rav link) in just a couple of days, using just 2 balls of the Classic Elite Wool Bamboo. Soft, drapey and delicious (according to the babies), it’s knit up on US4s and US6s and is reversible! Olga’s been wearing it daily since she finished it – it’s the perfect hat for weather like we’ve been having: warm for the chill in the morning and light enough for the warmth of mid-day. Slouchy and stylish, it’s the perfect addition to the Fall wardrobe. (Hey, if there’s a fashionista in your life, she’ll totally love it!)

I quickly worked up a Koolhaas hat (rav link) for a friend of mine in just 1 ball of the Classic Elite Kumara (an 85% Merino, 15% Camel blend) and a couple pairs of 24″ US8s (hey, it’s what I had available) over this past week
end. A quick and fun knit, it’s the perfect guy hat. (My friend is a cyclist and this will be perfect to keep his head and ears warm while biking!) An added bonus was that I got to try this on tons while making it – and I discovered that even with my sensitive skin, I can wear this directly on my forehead! (Why, yes, there will be a sweater for me knit out of this magical yarn…)

If the Kumara isn’t for you, or you want crisper cabling definition, any worsted/aran weight yarn will work nicely with this. Of course I tried it on before I sent it off… and now want to make one of my very own. Oops. (Okay, not the best picture, but you can see how defined the cables become once on the head – so nice for such a soft yarn!)

Have you made either of these or have any great gift ideas to share? Leave a comment here or on our Facebook page (post a photo there, even!) – we love seeing what the yarn we sell you grows up to be!
 

Tue 20 Oct 2009

It's time to bring the handknits out of the closet!

Posted by knithappensva under Uncategorized
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Yup, it’s that time of year again – it’s officially Fall, which means the handknits come out of the closet. Honestly, before I was a knitter, I wasn’t a huge fan of Fall, Summer was always my favorite season (hey, I like the heat, what can I say?). Once I learned how to knit and started to knit wearable things, I fell in love with Fall. (Winter and I are on speaking terms, at least, but only because it allows me to wear my handknits.)

Each Fall, as I pull out t
he handknits to wear, I take stock of what I’ve knit. Amazingly, I don’t have all that many sweaters to wear – I always seem to start them and then abandon them partway through the knitting for various reasons: life, boredom, patterns written in Ancient Sumerian Ferret, etc. However, I do have a ton of hats, shawls, and mitts… So this Fall, I am taking stock of all those unfinished sweaters and am determined to finish a few of them to free up the needles they live on and to increase the wardrobe! (Of course that doesn’t mean I won’t start new sweaters… I’m not crazy or anything. Heh.)

I finally finished my Baby Cables and Big Ones Too (Rav link) by Suvi Simola. Many of you might remember that Olga taught a class on this sweater last Winter, which would be when I started mine. (Granted, I started it towards the end of Winter and Spring warmed up quickly, so I put it down. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.) Last week when I was looking at my pile of handknits, I realized that I should finish a couple of the ones on the needles and this one was the closest to being done. I picked it up on Monday and by Friday had finished both sleeves, woven in ends and was able to wear it in the shop on Saturday! (That was even with a short stop on Sleeve Island – those sleeves never seemed to end… Oops, sorry about the horrid cell phone picture, it was better than all of the other ones I took with a real camera!) This sweater = LOVE. Knit in the Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk DK, it is soft and lovely with awesome stitch definition! Olga even wore hers in on Saturday so we could be twins. It was the unofficial Knit Happens uniform that day. :)
Tomorrow: a couple of quick hats to knit with 1-2 skeins of yarn!