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Regent Street Poncho

Regent Street Poncho for vp

A modern, luxurious poncho – and flattering to all body types. A fun project to “sink your teeth into” as we finally venture into cooler weather.

Sizes: Two sizes – Petite and Average. Ponchos in photos are Average size, 48” wide, 26” long.
Needles: Size US 7 (4.5mm), 24” or 32” circulars, 16” circulars for collar (or you can use magic loop with a longer cord), DPNs (or magic loop) for sleeve cuffs
Yarn: 17 50 gram balls of Knit Picks Gloss DK, or 1968 yards of another DK weight yarn
Additional Materials: tapestry needle for seaming and weaving in ends
Gauge: 19 stitches and 26 rows = 4”, (or 4.75 sts per inch, 6.5 rows per inch)

Pattern + links to three-part video tutorial, $6 via PayPal.addtocart

collar for VP

Note on Sizing: The sizing on the pattern is based on your height and arm length, and nothing to do with your bust size (which is how most garments are measured). The design is appropriate for any size, from XS to XXL (or larger).

Note on Substituting Yarn: This pattern will “work” with any yarn you choose, as long as you’re able to get the correct gauge (stitches per inch). The weight of the yarn I used is DK weight, also called “8 ply” outside the US. When choosing a yarn, I encourage you to stick with an animal fiber or animal fiber blend, so that your finished poncho will block out nicely. Other fibers that will look great in this pattern are wool – especially merino wool, alpaca, or a silk/wool blend.

Information on things you’ll see in this video:

The yarn I used in my gray poncho is Knit Picks Gloss DK.
The blue poncho in the collar close-up photo is made with Knit Picks Capra.

The nail polish I’m wearing is by Julep, color “Amanda”.

My silver ring is actually a knitting needle gauge, and can be found here.

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Giveaway! Knitter’s Pride 16″ Platina Needle Set

My 16″ interchangeable needle set changed my knitting life – I think every knitter should have one. I’m really happy to give this set away to a lucky winner!

You are welcome to comment here, but to enter the contest, you must leave your comment on the YouTube watch page.

Since not everyone can win, you can find these needles for sale here.

Please watch the entire video for instructions on how to enter the giveaway. This contest is open to US and international viewers (customs charges may apply outside the US). The contest is open until 12:01 am (US Central Time), October 14, 2015; and the winner will be announced in video on October 15, 2015. The winning email address will be chosen by random number generator.

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Giveaway Signup!

Sign up to win one of three exclusive colorway subscription kits from my friends at A Good Yarn Sarasota, and their new subscription box called Purl Diver. Each winner will receive a three-month subscription to Purl Diver!

Each stunning color kit is inspired by marine sea animals and comes with a hank of luxury yarn from dyers like Lorna’s Laces, Fibre Seed, Mountain Colors, Dream in Color, (to name a few); a pattern and a little goodie.

purl diver sm

Purl Diver subscriptions are open only between Oct 1-Oct 31. Every month is a new surprise and subscriptions are three or six months. To learn more about A Good Yarn Sarasota’s Exclusive Purl Diver subscription kits, visit the Purl Diver page.

Filling out the form below will enter you in the giveaway contest, and the A Good Yarn Sarasota mailing list. You can opt out at any time.

Winners will be chosen by a random number generator and announced on Facebook and via email on October 13, 2015. Good luck!

Purl Diver Giveaway Signup

* indicates required




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SKEINO Miss Grace Shawl

Miss Grace mannequin vp

Tapestry Knitting is the exciting new technique used in the SKEINO Miss Grace Shawl, and I’m so excited to bring you this video tutorial explaining how to work the free Miss Grace pattern.

Skeino has removed this pattern from their website, but the Ravelry link to the free pattern is still active.

Time-coded Video Links:
Intro
Working Chart A
Working Chart B
Working the Border

Details and more photos of my Miss Grace can be found on my Ravelry project page. The colorway I chose for my shawl is “Sherri”, and the colorway of the yarn in the video is “Barb”.

I’ve done two other tutorials for SKEINO which can be found here:
Arabella
Scarf-in-a-Scarf

This blog post explains more about Tapestry Knitting, the technique used in this shawl.

To learn more about SKEINO and how they are collaborating with organizations that employ people with special needs in Germany and the US, visit this blog post.

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Crochet for Knitters – Modern Tunisian Quilt

Modern Tunisian Quilt for vp

This is a free pattern, sponsored by Knitter’s Pride. No Tunisian Crochet experience necessary! To find a shop that carries Knitter’s Pride Products near you, visit their Shop Finder page.

Size: 40 inches (102 cm) square, baby blanket or throw size, size can be easily modified
Tunisian Hook: Size K (6.5mm)
Yarn: Twelve 100 gram hanks of worsted weight yarn; 6 in main color, 3 in border color, and one hank each of three accent colors (please see exact breakdown of what I used below)
Additional Materials: tapestry needle for seaming and cross stitch
Gauge: 4 stitches per inch

Pattern + links to three-part video tutorial is a FREE RAVELRY DOWNLOAD.

kitties for vp

Detail on the yarn I used: I used Berroco Vintage, a worsted weight machine-washable yarn. Each hank is 100 grams and has 217 yards. Here is a breakdown of what I used:
Main Color, Snow Day, 6 hanks
Border Color, Dove, 3 hanks
Accent Color 1, Gingham, 1 hank
Accent Color 2, Tang, 1 hank
Accent Color 3, Sunny, 1 hank

Information on things you’ll see in the video:
The Knit Blockers can be found here on Amazon.

The Knitter’s Pride Tunisian Crochet hook set can be found here.

The nail polish I’m wearing is by Julep, color “Amanda”.

My silver ring is actually a knitting needle gauge, and can be found here.

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Giveaway! Knitter’s Pride Dreams Needle Set

You are welcome to comment here, but to enter the giveaway, you must leave your comment on the YouTube page for this video. CLICK HERE to visit the YouTube page to leave your comment.

Since not everyone can win, you can find these needles for sale here.

Please watch the entire video for instructions on how to enter the giveaway. This contest is open to US and international viewers (customs charges may apply outside the US). The contest is open until 12:01 am (US Central Time), September 16, 2015; and the winner will be announced in video on September 17, 2015. The winning email address will be chosen by random number generator.

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Tinking Increases and Decreases

Whoops – you’ve made a mistake several stitches back, and “tinking” (unraveling one stitch at-a-time) is your best option for correcting the mistake – but the row you’ve knit is full of increases and/or decreases. In this video, I show you how to tink back through common increases and decreases.

Other videos available on tinking:
Basic Tinking
Advanced Tinking

Information on things you’ll see in this video:
The bulky yarn I used for demonstration is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky.

The needles I’m using are Knitter’s Pride Bamboo Double-Pointed Needles.

The nail polish I’m wearing is by Julep, color “Amanda”.

My silver ring is actually a knitting needle gauge, and can be found here.

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Fancy Stitch Combo – Smocked Rib

In this video I show you how to work the Smocked Rib stitch, an interesting add-on to 2×2 rib. Important note – this stitch can be substituted in a pattern that calls for 2×2 rib, but because the smocking stitch stabilizes the stretch of the rib, I don’t recommend it for areas that require a lot of stretch (like the cuffs of socks or the brim of a cap).

If you would like to see this stitch in a project (that isn’t a dishcloth), my friend Steven used this stitch in a bolster pillow cover, and also gives instructions on how he made the knit-covered buttons.

smocked pillow for vp 2

Instructions for working this stitch:
CO multiple of 8, plus 10
Smocking technique – slip next 6 stitches to DPN or cable needle and hold in front of work, wrap working yarn twice around these isolated stitches, then k2, P2, K2 stitches from DPN.
Row 1 (WS) and all odd-numbered rows: *K2, P2*, repeat between *s to last two stitches, K2
Rows 2 & 4: *P2, K2*, repeat between *s to last two stitches, P2
Row 6: *P2, work smocking around next six stitches (see notes above)* repeat between *s to last two stitches, P2
Rows 8 & 10: *P2, K2*, repeat between *s to last two stitches, P2
Row 12: P2, work smocking around next two K stitches, *P2, work smocking around next six stitches (see notes above)* repeat between *s to last six stitches, P2, work smocking around next two K stitches, P2
Repeat Rows 1-12 to desired length, BO in pattern after working Row 9.

Working this stitch in-the-round: Because the smocking is over six stitches and alternates columns of rib, this stitch really doesn’t work very well in-the-round. You can alter the pattern and work the smocking technique around fewer stitches at the beginning/end of the round, but you will be left with a very marked difference in appearance between the beginning/end of the round and the rest of the work.

The yarn I used in my dishcloths is Knit Picks Comfy Worsted. I cast on 42 stitches using size US 6 needles, and each dishcloth required about 20 grams of yarn.

Information on things you’ll see in this video:

The needles I used are Knitter’s Pride bamboo double-pointed needles.

The nail polish I’m wearing is by Julep, color “Amanda”.

My silver ring is actually a knitting needle gauge, and can be found here.

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