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Bulky Sleep Socks Tutorial

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Cold feet? These bulky slipper socks, made of wool, are just the ticket to keep your feet warm all winter. They also knit up quickly, and therefore make good holiday gifts. Even if you’ve never knit socks before, the bulky yarn makes these toe-up socks easy, and will teach you the skills necessary to knit other toe-up socks patterns.

3 sm
Sizes: Kids, Women, Men – any shoe size
Needles: Size 9 US double-pointed needles (5.5mm)
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky, one hank each in two colors (smallest size won’t use all of the yarn). Wind the main color (MC) into two equally-sized balls.
Additional Materials: size K crochet hook, tapestry needle for weaving in ends.
Gauge: 4 stitches per inch

Yarn Note: Worsted-weight yarn, (also called “4”, “Medium”, or “10-ply”) held double-stranded, can be used instead of bulky yarn. Just be sure to check your gauge.

Pattern + links to four-part video tutorial $8 US via PayPal. addtocart

Information on things you’ll see in this video:
The yarn in my finished socks is the same yarn I use for demonstration, which is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky. The colors you see in the video are:
Crush (pink)
Silver (gray)
Yonder (blue)
Avocado (green)

The sweater I’m wearing is a free pattern and tutorial.

The needles I use for demonstration are Knitter’s Pride Bamboo.

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

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Sweater Progress, Day 21

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If you follow me on Facebook, you may have seen the photos I’ve been posting of the progress of my “recreational” knitting project. The sweater is finished, so I’m giving a rundown of all of the photos, showing the progress.

Here is some info about the sweater (and no, I don’t have any plans to do a tutorial on this pattern)…the pattern is Cold Breath, knit with Malabrigo Rios in color Pearl Ten. The needles I used are Knitter’s Pride Nova Cubics interchangeables. I have some pattern notes at the bottom of the post, after the photos.

Day 1 sm

Day 2 sm

Day 3 sm

Day 4 sm

Day 7 sm

Day 8 sm

day 9 sm

Day 11 sm

Day 12 sm

Day 14 sm

Day 19 sm

Notes on my experience with knitting this sweater:
– If you ever want to take photos of a sweater progress, don’t choose eggplant purple! This color was difficult to photograph.

– The pattern was well-written, and easy to understand. I’d put the knitting skill level at intermediate, meaning probably not a good first sweater for a newer knitter.

– The yarn was a dream to work with.

– The sweater ended up fitting me well, without any alterations. That never happens to me, as I’m nearly 6′ tall…petite women might want to shorten the length and sleeves.

– The sleeves, especially at the top of the arms, are pretty snug (as you can see in the Day 9 photo). They fit me, but my arms are kind of spindly – I can see them being uncomfortably snug for many women.

– I’m really happy with the sweater except for one thing – the cables along the shoulder didn’t flatten out much, and it kind of looks like I’m wearing shoulder pads. I think it’s probably due to the “loftiness” of the yarn I chose. I’m going to try steam blocking the cables to see if I can get them to flatten out a bit.

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Cropped Raglan Cardi Tutorial

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In this tutorial sponsored by Lion Brand Yarns, I walk you though knitting this versatile raglan cardigan. Get your free copy of the pattern here on the Lion Brand website. Important note – the pattern uses Lion Brand Organic Cotton Yarn, which has been discontinued. In my sweater, I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease.

Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, 1X, 2X
Actual Sweater Bust Measurement: 35 (38, 41, 44, 48) in. [89 (96.5, 104, 112, 122) cm]
Finished Length: 14 (15½, 17½, 19, 20½) in. [35.5 (39.5, 44.5, 48.5, 52) cm]
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease, 3 (3, 4, 5, 6) skeins
Needles: Size 7 and 8 US (4.5mm and 5mm) circular needles, 24″ or 32″ long
Gauge: 18 sts + 24 rows = 4″ (10cm) using larger needle size and stockinette stitch (knit a row, purl a row)
Additional Materials: 4 stitch markers, tapestry needle for weaving ends
Note: Pattern is written for smallest size with changes for larger sizes in parentheses. When only one number is given, it applies to all sizes. To follow pattern more easily, circle all numbers pertaining to your size before beginning.

To find a Lion Brand retailer near you, visit their website here.

Instructions for knitting the gauge swatch I show in the video:
Using the larger needle size, cast-on 28 stitches, work 5 ridges of garter stitch (9 knit rows).
Row 1: K across all stitches
Row 2: K 5, P to last 5 stitches, K 5
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until stockinette part measures 4″.
Work 5 garter stitch ridges (knit all rows), and bind-off.

Information on things you’ll see in the video:
The yarn I used for my sweater is Lion Brand Wool-Ease in color Oxford Grey.

The yarn I use for demonstration in the tiny sweater is Lion Brand Wool-Ease in color Mushroom.

The circular needles I use for demonstration are Knitter’s Pride Nova Interchangeable circulars.

The stitch markers are made by this seller on etsy.

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

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Math for Knitters – Substituting Yarns

Knowing what the “put up” of a yarn is will help you when you’re substituting one yarn for another in any given pattern. In this video, I explain “put up”, and demonstrate how to do the yardage math for yarn substitution.

The screenshots shown in the video are from Ravelry, an excellent resource for knitters and crocheters. You can get an account for free here.

Information on things you’ll see in this video:
The sweater I’m wearing is a tutorial coming next week, October 22!

The needle I used as a pointer is Knitter’s Pride Bamboo.

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

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Matterhorn Cabled Cowl Tutorial

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This tutorial is sponsored by Louet North America, and uses Gems Worsted yarn. This pattern is free with yarn purchase. Just add the yarn to your cart, and the pattern will be automatically added.

This pattern is designed by Mari Chiba.

Finished Sizes: Cowl – 15″ wide (folded) x 10.5″ tall; Scarf – 9″ wide x 70″ long
Needles: size US 6 (4mm) 24″ circular for cowl, straight or circular for scarf
Yarn: Louet Gems Worsted, 100% Merino Wool; 2 hanks for cowl, 4 hanks for scarf
Additional Materials: cable needle, stitch markers, tapestry needle
Gauge: 18 stitches and 28 rows = 4 inches in garter stitch


Information on things you’ll see in this video:
The yarn I used in my finished cowl is Gems Worsted, in color Cream.

The sweater I’m wearing is an upcoming tutorial – coming soon!

The bulky yarn I used for demonstration is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky, in color Yonder.

The needles I use for demonstration are Knitter’s Pride Bamboo.

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

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Giveaway! Knitters Pride Nova Cubics Double Pointed Sock Needle Set

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 8, 2014; and the winner will be announced in video on October 9, 2014. The winning comment will be chosen by random number generator.

You are welcome to comment here, but you must click through to the video on YouTube to enter the contest.

Since not everyone can win, you can get your own set of these hooks here on Amazon.

Information on things you’ll see in this video:
The pattern for the sweater I’m wearing (not my design, knit in a discontinued cotton yarn), can be found here.

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

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Math for Knitters – Changing Gauge in a Pattern

There is a pattern you’d like to knit, but you’d like to substitute a thinner or thicker yarn, and/or a different needle size. Can you do it? Here’s how to determine if it’s possible, and how to do the math when it is.

Information on things you’ll see in this video:
The pattern for the sweater I’m wearing (not my design, in a discontinued cotton yarn) can be found here.

The poncho on the mannequin behind me is my Rodeo Drive Poncho, pattern + video tutorial.

My Barber Pole Cowl, free tutorial and pattern, can be found here.

The blue hat pattern (not my design) can be found here, knit with Shalimar Breathless in color Neptune.

The bamboo pins I use to check gauge can be found here.

The pink yarn I used in my bulky swatch is Cascade 128 Wool.

The double-pointed bamboo needle I use as a pointer is Knitter’s Pride Bamboo.

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

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Saving a Dropped Stitch with Scrap Yarn

Nooo! You’re knitting along, and you realize you dropped a stitch AGES ago. You can rip back to fix it, but it’s worth a try securing that stitch with a stitch of scrap yarn, and seeing if it looks good enough to forget the mistake ever happened. In this video, I demonstrate securing a dropped edge stitch.

Information on things you’ll see in this video:
The lace in the video thumbnail is Ishbel (not my design), knit with Malabrigo Lace.

The project I’m fixing in the video is one that I can’t share (at least not yet), and the yarn used is Infinite Twist Helix and Halo.

The bent-tip tapestry needle I use for demonstration can be found here.

The sweater I’m wearing (not my design) is this pattern, knit in a discontinued cotton yarn.

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

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Align Fingerless Mitts Tutorial

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You can get the pattern here.
Sorry folks, since the release of this video the designer is no longer offering this pattern for free.

Information on things you’ll see in this video:
The yarn I used on my finished blue mitts is Alpha B, Single Silk B, in color Crater Lake.
The yarn I used on my finished dark purple mitts is Alpha B, Single B, in color Marionberry Coulis.
Alpha B yarn is available at Knit Purl.

The double-pointed needles I’m using are Knitter’s Pride Bamboo.

The ball-chain stitch markers I use are from RyCrafty on Etsy.

The green yarn I used for demonstration is Cascade 200 – color name unknown!

The sweater I’m wearing (not my design) is this pattern, knit in a discontinued cotton yarn.

The nail polish I’m wearing is Julep, color Sushmita.

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