The Kelly Cardigan that I knit last year in Alchemy’s Haiku yarn remains one of my favorite finished projects. The design is so simple and the yarn so lovely that I never tire of having it in the store.

This week Kathy P. brought in a Kelly Cardigan that she knit for herself in Noro’s Silk Garden Sock yarn.

The colorful tweedy look of Silk Garden’s blend of lambswool, silk, and mohair gives the Kelly Cardigan a completely new look. And yet, the strong simple design is not overwhelmed by the color and texture.

Kathy used 4 balls of Silk Garden Sock yarn for her size 38 Kelly Cardigan. The pattern can be found in the book Classic Knits by Erika Knight.

I’m a big fan of knit and crochet designer Teva Durham. In her books, Loop-d-Loop and Loop-d-Loop Crochet, she translated her distinctive style into wearable garments. Yes, there were some that may have pushed the envelope, but on the whole, you could see them being worn.

When her yarns arrived last month, I couldn’t wait to use them. I chose to make the Crochet Scarf with Flower from Loop-d-Loop by Teva Durham, Volume 3 using Shale yarn. Shale is a combination of matte brushed mohair and a shiny viscose wrap in a coordinating shade. It’s a very new look for Loop, which I was excited to try.

The scarf is crocheted on a large hook and worked lengthwise. The flower is attached at one end and serves as a button that you push through any of the open spaces. The scarf can be worn short with a long tail, as a big circle, or anywhere in between.

I was so pleased with the results that I made a second one. This is a great project for newer crocheters because you use a variety of stitches. For experienced crocheters, you’ll be done in a night and have a beautiful scarf to wear the next day.

Shirley sent us these pictures of her just-finished cardigan in Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted yarn in the color pewter. It’s one of Lorna’s Laces nearly-solid yarns, which you can see really adds depth to the knitted fabric.

Shepherd Worsted’s crisp stitch definition makes the cables pop.

The cardigan design is called October Frost. You can find it in Lisa Lloyd’s book, A Fine Fleece.

Your sweater is beautiful, Shirley! Thanks for sending us the pictures.

Fall is the perfect time to pick up new knitting techniques–especially with the holidays just over the horizon. At Loop, we’ve got some great classes planned to help you wow your family and friends!

Our Toe-Up Sock Class is a great way to kick off your fall knitting. The class is suitable for a relatively new knitter, but advanced knitters can pick up a few new tricks as well. Our class sock is knit with worsted weight yarn, and a 40 inch US6 needle for the magic loop technique. It’s perfect for all of that holiday knitting we have ahead of us (you could make a pair for yourself to keep your toes warm)!

Toe Up Socks is a two week class, which runs on September 8 and 15, from 6 to 8 pm. Space is limited, give us a call today to reserve your place!

Chic Knits designs are perfect for the modern knitter. Fresh, stylish and filled with options. Sleeves or no sleeveless, shaped or unshaped, cropped or long - the patterns are written to be customized by you to suit your aim. This also makes them a great value because you’ll return to again and again.

One of our favorites is the ChicKami. This versatile top is knit in the round. You can knit the body straight or shape at the waist, and the straps can be narrow or wide.

The pattern gauge is 20 stitches to 4 inches. We chose Blue Sky Alpaca’s Skinny Cotton yarn in french blue.

For winter, you could make a warmer version in Zara or go colorful and use Koigu’s Kersti yarn. It’s really a fun garment for any time of year!

Since I wrote about the Wave Blanket last month, we’ve had lots of knitters come in to pick out their colors. One of the first we saw finished was Ann’s, who chose sweet sherbert colors -

Here’s a few of the other combinations that have really caught our eye. All of the yarns are Blue Sky Alpaca’s Dyed Cotton, except for the ones in italics, which are Blue Sky Alpaca’s Organic Cotton.

aloe, sky, honeydew, lemonade, circus peanut, and bone

periwinkle, bone, azul, mediterranean, sand, and sky

sand, ladybug, mediterranean, pumpkin, fern, and pickle

sky, honeydew, pumpkin, ladybug, lemonade, and aloe

These are just a few of the wonderful combinations you can create. Please send us a photograph of yours when you finish!

Lately I always have a baby gift on the needles with all the babies my friends and family are having. It’s nice to have a few patterns that I know and can knit quickly and easily.

These Baby Socks from the Fall 2008 Knit Simple are just one of those gifts. Designed by sock knitting master Wendy Johnson, these cute little socks are a snap to knit and are a big hit with new moms and dads.

I knit 2 pair from 1 hank of Koigu KPPPM yarn. It’s a great pattern for using leftover bits of fingering weight yarn.

Knit Simple also includes a women’s version of the sock, so you can make yourself a pair too!

Superwash Me from J. Knits is a beautiful 2-ply fingering weight yarn. We have it in twelve beautiful semi-solids, each named after a US city or state. It’s buttery soft and each skein has a whopping 550 yards! That’s more than enough for a pair of socks–with cables!

I know that a few of you still haven’t been bitten by the sock bug, but there are a million things this yarn could become. Superwash Me is a little lighter than some sock yarns, which makes it perfect for lace. One skein would make a beautiful Flower Basket Shawl. One skein would also make a beautiful, scarf-sized Landscape Shawl–two would make the largest size.

I’m trying my hand at colorwork with a pair of Eunny Jang’s Anemoi Mittens. The pattern calls for 50 grams of each color, which is only half of a skein of Superwash Me; I’m planning to make matching fingerless gloves with the leftovers.

When both of my sisters-in-law announced they were pregnant within months of each other, my Mom and I knew there’d be lots of knitting to do! Mom brought each of them to the store to pick colors for our Wave Blanket.

After finishing both blankets, Mom realized she liked the blanket so much that she wanted to do it again. So here’s number 3 -

I love the bright rainbow colors!

Mom says it’s the combination of the easy-to-memorize feather and fan pattern and the softness of Blue Sky Alpaca’s Dyed Cotton yarn that makes this blanket so much fun to knit. We stock all of the colors, so you can make dozens of color combinations.

Here’s the pattern if you’d like to knit one yourself!

WAVE BLANKET (download pdf file)

SIZE
approximately 33” by 39”

MATERIALS
6 hanks of Blue Sky Alpaca’s Organic Cotton or Dyed Cotton
40 inch US 9 circular needle

GAUGE
16 sts = 4 inches in stockinette stitch, but gauge is not critical for this project

ABBREVIATIONS
K - knit
P - purl
K2tog - knit the next 2 stitches together as one stitch.

STITCH PATTERN
Row 1 (right side) – knit
Row 2 – purl
Row 3 – *(K2tog) 3 times, (yo, k1) 6 times, (k2tog) 3 times; repeat from * to end.
Row 4 – knit.
Repeat Rows 1 to 4.

BLANKET PATTERN
CO 144 stitches. Repeat pattern. Change to new color after finishing Row 4 of pattern.

Bind off loosely and weave in ends.

Enjoy!

Lately, I have Holiday knitting on my mind. I know it’s August, but there’s no harm in getting a head start, right?

This striped Silk Garden Scarf is a great go-to gift for any occasion. The pattern is unbelievably simple: Grab 4 skeins of Noro Silk Garden yarn in two different colorways, cast on 39 stitches, and work a k1, p1 rib. Alternate colorways every two rows (don’t cut the yarn that’s not in use, just carry it up the side). Work until the scarf is your desired length, or until you run out of yarn!

I can’t say enough good things about Noro Silk Garden yarn. Of course the colors are beautiful, and the yarn feels soft against the skin. The silk adds a rustic look to the yarn, which looks great with any winter coat, or even a pair of jeans! Each ball offers a large range of colors so you don’t have to worry about matching them up to your hat and gloves. Or you could just make a hat and pair of gloves to match!

Scarves like this are sure to be a crowd pleaser. I plan on knitting up two or three before the Holiday season is upon us. And now that Silk Garden Sock yarn is available, I can make a lighter version of the scarf. It’s not just for socks, you know!