Katie just finished the Skinny Cardigan — look how beautiful! The pattern is a design from Blue Sky Alpacas and it uses their new DK weight cotton, Skinny Cotton yarn.

This cardigan is a wonderful transition garment. It’s a classic shape knit in a light cotton, which makes it great for spring, summer, and fall. The stripes are also classic, I think a blue and cream version would be –very- Ralph Lauren. We’ve got Skinny Cotton in 10 great colors, so there are many possibilities!

What I like most about this pattern is the 5×1 rib that runs down the body of the cardigan. Not only does it break up the horizontal stripes, but it allows the garment to follow the shape of your body.

If you’re already looking ahead to next winter, the you could also knit this in Blue Sky Alpacas’ Sport Weight or Melange yarns.

Emily sent us pictures of her latest creation: a striped kids sweater knit with Blue Sky Alpaca’s Dyed Cotton yarn. She knit it for her friend Tara’s soon-to-arrive niece.

I love that she chose to put her own twist on a simple pattern by using uneven stripes.

We don’t have the pattern Emily used, but you could make your own by using Lillie’s Little Sweater from Cottage Creations or the Baby Hoodie from Blue Sky Alpacas. Knitting Pure and Simple also has some great top-down, one-piece sweaters for children.

Thanks for sharing your sweater, Emily!

Since I made the switch over to our new shop Spool, my knitting time has definitely been taken over by sewing. That does not stop me, however, from planning new projects! For the past week or so, this beauty has been catching my eye as I pass by the Loop window on my way Spool. It’s the Passionflower Tank, knit by Katie, in Sublime’s new Soya Cotton DK. I stole it away and had a little photo session with my current quilt project - which doesn’t know that it may be taking a back seat to this sweet sweater!

This pretty top is from The Luxuriously Exotic Soya Cotton Hand Knit Book. I love the names of Sublime’s pattern collections! The directions are clear and thourough, as we have come to expect from Sublime’s pattern writers. You have a choice of making this a tank or adding cap sleeves. Simple reverse stockinette details at the waist and the flirty keyhole neckline make this tank stand out. This is definitely a project that you could be wearing not long after you cast on!

A 50/50 blend of cotton and soy, this yarn is strong and soft. The stitch definition is beautiful, and the soy fiber keeps the garment in place. The color palette, though, is my favorite part. You can decide between warm summery tones, like the tart tangerine that Katie chose, or cool ocean blues and greens. Either way they will be sure to spice up your summer wardrobe!

Thanks, Katie, for the inspiration! Now which color should I choose?

Since his arrival just over 2 years ago, my baby knitting is reserved almost exclusively for my nephew Asher. I really don’t give him anything but knitted gifts at this point, because he doesn’t yet ask me for anything. I guess as he gets older he’ll get something he’s asked for and something I’ve knit him. But until then, the gift choices are mine.

So for his recent 2nd birthday, I knit Asher a pullover for spring.

I followed Knitting Pure & Simple’s Children’s Neckdown Pullover pattern and used Mission Falls’ 1824 Cotton yarn.

I love the kink of the 1824 Cotton yarn and the beautiful colors, especially the good boy colors.

Asher put on his sweater as soon as he opened it and said thank you before returning to his toys. It’s a little big, so he’ll hopefully get a few months use out of it before I make him another.

Before Julie signed up for our Top Down Baby Sweater Class she asked if she’d be able to knit a larger size for her toddler. Since we use Knitting Pure & Simple’s patterns, which come in every size from newborn to men’s, the answer was yes!

As you can see, Julie finished. This is Emmett, obviously very happy to be wearing a hand knit sweater!

Julie knit with Mission Falls 1824 Wool yarn. It’s machine washable and comes in dozens of beautiful colors.

Machine washable yarn was a good choice, as Emmett went right for the sandbox!

This is the perfect everyday sweater for Emmett. It’s warm and durable - just what today’s active toddler needs! As he grows, Julie can knit this sweater again in different yarns and different colors, so it’s never the same sweater twice.

Thanks for sharing the photos with us, Julie! Good job!

For her nephews’ Christmas sweaters, Molly chose Knitting Pure & Simple’s Children’s Tunic. Like most of their patterns, the Tunic is knit from the top down so there’s minimal finishing. And it’s easy to make the patterns your own with your yarn choice and design details.

Here’s Molly and her nephew Hudson. Molly chose Blue Sky Alpaca’s Dyed Cotton Yarn, a great option for kids because it’s machine washable. The main color is Pickle, and she added a stripe in Indigo.

For Brooks’ sweater, Molly replaced the Pickle with Sky.

The boys will get plenty of use from these comfortable sweaters. Thanks for sending us pictures, Molly! The sweaters look great!

Missy lives in Mississippi and found us when she found herself without a local yarn shop. As a result, she knit these sweaters for her sons JW and Stone out of Malabrigo’s Worsted Merino yarn.

The sweaters look fantastic and fit the boys perfectly. Missy says they love them.

Missy has a new local yarn shop now, which is great. We’re just glad to have been there when she needed us!

Thanks for sending us the photograph, Missy! Good job!

Susan continues to knit up a storm for her family. For little Sylvie Pearl, a shrug made of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Baby from one of Ms. Bliss’s many wonderful baby pattern books.

As you can see, the shrug is perfect for playing in puddles!

For her daughter-in-law (actually as a gift from her son to her daughter-in-law) Susan made the Jacket Knit in Rounds from Rebecca No. 32 magazine. Instead of the suggested Aspen yarn, Susan held Soft Kid and Bel Air together, both in shades of brown.

This photo was taken with the camera in Susan’s phone and still you can see how beautiful the coat and its recipient are!

Your brown handknits are beautiful, Susan. Thanks for sending us the pictures!

Another Sweater Class graduate has completed her first sweater! This is Sue’s Hooded Tunic -

The pattern comes from Debbie Bliss’s book, Cotton Denim Aran. As the name suggests, the book features that yarn. However, the patterns are all written for a gauge of 4.5 stitches to the inch, so it was easy for Sue to substitute Blue Sky Alpaca’s Organic Cotton in Willow.

Sue did a beautiful job knitting her sweater. And yes, this is her first sweater! So when we tell you that cables may be challenging, but they’re also fun and approachable, remember Sue and her sweater. Here’s a look at the hood where the cables meet at the seam -

Fantastic!

I took another look through the Cotton Denim Aran book this morning and rediscovered some great designs.

I’m always on the lookout for sweaters to knit for my 15 month old nephew. This is the St Ives Smock, which would be great in Dyed Cotton or Shepherd Worsted.

I also liked the Lace Edged Cardigan. The shape is flattering and it’s a little dressier than the other patterns in the book.

So Sue, thanks for sharing your finished sweater with us - and for getting us thinking about Debbie Bliss’s great patterns again!

Claire stopped by this weekend to show us her new cardigan, knit in two weeks flat! Doesn’t she look happy?!

This was Claire’s first top down sweater, which she highly recommends. She chose Knitting Pure & Simple’s Summer Cardigan pattern along with Sheep Shop Yarns Sheep Number 3, color G123. Sheep Number 3 is a lovely blend of 70% wool and 30% silk in a DK weight. Claire could not resist the pretty oranges and golds running through this colorway.

Kathy also fell in love with Sheep Number 3’s color G130 and knit this shell for the shop. It’s Knitting at Knoon’s Essential Shell and Tank, which provides two different neck and length variations. She enjoyed the yarn and the pattern’s versatility and is now making one for herself!

As you can see, they both chose well and did a great job!