Yet another new pattern! Introducing the Cloudy Day beret...

Before the warmer weather of spring and summer completely set in, I expect some cloudy days ahead. This beret is a lightweight yet warm accessory perfect for an 'overcast-yet-not-freezing-outside' sort of day.

For this pattern I chose to work with Classic Elite Fresco yarn in the Celestial Blue colorway. 

It's a beautiful hazy gray with a slight halo from the 10% angora fiber content.

I've always loved the way complicated stitches look in an angora yarn. It's such a soft and pretty effect.. but really any fingering weight or sport weight yarn will do for this project.

The body of the hat is composed of bobble and lace stitches that remind me of the way pavement or a body of water looks like with droplets of water hitting it on a rainy day.

I found this repeatable stitch pattern to be fairly intuitive and easy to memorize, and I've included both charted and written instructions for it in the pattern.

Here is the pattern information for those of you who would like to knit up a Cloudy Day beret of 

your very own:

SIZE

Women’s Medium–Large (fits 19–23” / 48–58cm head circumference)

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Brim Circumference: approx 18” / 46cm  unstretched.

MATERIALS

Classic Elite Yarns Fresco [60% Wool, 30% Baby Alpaca, 10% Angora; 164 yd / 150m per 1.75 oz / 50g skein]; color: Celestial Blue #5364; 2 skeins or approx 200 yd / 183m of a sport or fingering weight wool or wool blend.

Alternate Yarns: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light, Blue Sky Alpacas Sport or Melange

1 16” / 40cm US2 / 2.75mm circular needle for brim

1 16” / 40cm US5 / 3.75mm circular needle for body of hat

1 set of US5 / 3.75mm double pointed needles for top of hat and I-cord

Stitch marker

Tapestry needle

GAUGE

28 sts / 36 rows = 4” / 10cm worked in the round in St st on US5 / 3.75mm needles or size needed for accurate gauge

Happy rainy day knitting!

The pattern forecast for tomorrow looks Cloudy.

Yes, the "Cloudy Day" beret pattern will be here soon.

Grab your size 5 circulars and your umbrella...

Illustrations provided by JillZielinskiDesigns.com.

I just received my two Seedling hats back from the test knitters and just had to snap a quick photo of all of the hats together. These three are all knit in different shades of The Fibre Company Canopy Worsted; a truly decadent yarn with wonderful drape and excellent stitch definition.

Thank you to Sarah and Didi for your excellent knitting!

My new pattern, "Seedling" is now available for purchase.

This slouchy, beanie-style hat features fledgling plants sprouting up on one side. 

It's very reminiscent of the new springtime growth that I am seeing all around me in the garden.

I live in a part of the country where the weather is relatively mild... so it already feels like spring outside. I feel a little guilty sharing that since I know that many of you are buried in snow at the moment. Sorry about that...

It will be spring outside for all of us sooner or later and while you are waiting, you can enjoy this little 

springtime knit and be reminded that young new plants and warmer weather are right around the corner.

For this knit, I indulged once again in one of my favorite yarns, Becoming Art. This time in the Cielo Worsted with the colorway "Looking Out". What a lovely blend of vibrant greens. 

This yarn is crisp and offers excellent stitch definition.

I knit up a second sample of the Seedling hat in The Fibre Company Canopy yarn in the Conifer colorway. You can find this hat in the last picture. The color looks similar to the Becoming Art yarn due to lighting, but in real life the Conifer colorway is much lighter. This yarn has a softer hand and produces a fabric with more drape. Although the yarn texture differs from the Cielo Worsted, I think that it still showed off the Seedling pattern really nicely. 

Both yarns are a great option, and these green colorways are so gorgeous.

Here is the pattern information for those of you who are interested in making a Seedling hat of your very own:

SIZE 
Women’s Medium-Large 
(fits 19–23” / 48–58cm head circumference)

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS 
Brim Circumference approx 17” / 43cm unstretched.

MATERIALS 
Dark Green Version: Becoming Art Cielo Worsted 100% Superwash Merino Wool; 200 yd / 183m per 4 oz / 114g skein; color: Looking Out; 1 skein or approx 180 yd / 165m of a worsted weight wool or wool blend.

Medium Green Version: The Fibre Company Canopy Worsted50% Baby Alpaca, 30% Merino, 20% Viscose Bamboo; 100 yd / 91m per 1.75 oz / 50g skein; color: Conifer; 2 skeins or approx 180 yd / 165m of a worsted weight wool or wool blend.

Alternate Yarns: Madelinetosh Vintage, Cascade 220

1 16” / 40cm US6 / 4mm circular needle 
1 set of US6 / 4mm double pointed needles 
Stitch markers in 2 different colors 
Tapestry needle

It's a fun quick knit that I'm sure you will enjoy! 

Happy knitting!

On Episode 49 I had the privilege of sharing a knitting story provided by designer, Gudrun Johnston and reviewing the beautiful yarns from the company Yarn Love.

Both Gudrun and Yarn Love have contributed this amazing prize for you to enter to win.

This prize includes a copy of Gudrun's new book The Shetland Trader Book 1,

 and 7 skeins of Yarn Love yarn!

I think that this skein of Amy March yarn would make a lovely Norie hat from the book...

And the Elizabeth Bennet yarn would be so nice for the Hömin Shawl.

All of the Yarn Love yarns are wonderful, but I found myself particularly enamored by the Elizabeth Bennet yarn in the colorway Allure. It's just.. alluring. I'm really into this hazy gray/blue color lately.. and this yarn is incredible. It has a beautiful sheen and texture. This would make the loveliest shawl. 

It's almost too good to use for socks..

So there you have it. 1 beautiful publication, 7 amazing skeins of yarn, 1 very fortunate winner.

To enter to win, please leave a comment including contact information under this drawing post. 

Only one comment per person please.

In your comment I would love to hear what your favorite Yarn Love colorway is! 

You can check out all of the color options HERE.

A winner will be randomly chosen and announced on February 15, 2011. 

Please check back then to see if you've won!

Spring is right around the corner and all over my garden I see new fledgling plants starting to sprout.

The wonderful new growth of Spring inspired my next pattern design.
"Seedling" hats are coming soon!

Illustration provided by JillZielinksiDesigns.com

The Spring Issue of Knitcircus magazine is out!

Inside you will find 2 little surprises from me.

One is this little pattern I contributed...

The Roses Are Red headband for little girls.

This little headband is so fun and quick to knit up! It's a perfect way to use up all of those little extra balls of leftover sock yarn that we all have laying around. 

I used Louet Gems Fingering Weight yarn for this sample and I really enjoyed how it worked up. 

There is also a significant color range available, so you have many options for creating a unique, creative piece.

I've been knitting up headbands for my daughter for years now, its only recently that I decided to write up some patterns. They are such a fun, cute little accessory and my little one has always received many compliments when she wears them.

This pattern is available in the Knitcircus Spring Issue pattern collection which is available for purchase HERE.

I really enjoyed this issue, there are so many cute patterns! I know you will too.

Besides the headband pattern.. you will also find this 6 page spread about Never Not Knitting!

I had the awesome privilege of being interviewed by Jaala for this issue. 

So much fun! I hope you enjoy reading it! 

I'm sure all of you long time readers will recognize some of these photos. :)

You will find the interview HERE.

Jaala, the Knitcircus editor, has kindly provided me with 3 copies of the Spring Issue pattern collection to give away to 3 of my readers!

If you would like to enter to win, please leave a comment under this drawing post telling me what you thought of the current Knitcircus Issue! 

Ill be choosing 3 commenters at random and will announce the winners on February 10th.

Enjoy! :)

Drawing Now Closed! 

Congratulations to ikkinlala, norabrown,  and Debbie!

Please contact me at nevernotknitting@gmail.com 

to claim your prize!

Episode 49

Shownotes:

Yarn Love

Stitches West

Becoming Art

Cream and Sugar Cowl

Knitcircus Spring Issue

Yarn Love Yarn Types

Elizabeth Bennet- My favorite!

Yarn Love Colorways

Yarn Love Retailers

Yarn Love Patterns

Yarn Love Overstock Etsy Shop

Gundrun's Blog

Gudrun on Ravelry

The Shetland Trader Book 1

Norie Hat

Join the Never Not Knitting Ravelry Group!

The winner of Episode 48's 

Ida's Kitchen Drawing Giveaway

 is "

Lyeng11

"! Congratulations!

*Please check back soon to enter the drawing for Episode 49!

Get 25% off the entire selection of 

Yarn love yarns

and

patterns

until February 28th!

Enter code "nnk25" in the checkout process on either

Etsy

or

Ravelry

to receive your discount.

This offer is exclusive to the Never Not Knitting podcast listeners and blog readers.

Click

HERE

to download the Episode 49 MP3 file.

I have a sweet little springtime pattern (along with another surprise)
coming out in the next issue of Knitcircus magazine! 

The spring issue will be released on Wednesday, February 2. So be sure to check it out!

I've just received back these 3 Cream and Sugar Cowl samples from my lovely test knitters.

It's a wonderful thing having my patterns knit up by others because not only does it help me get the pattern in tip top shape before releasing, but it also allows me to see what the pattern looks like knitted up in different yarns.

These above samples are all knit in fingering weight yarns, but each yarn is very different from the other and produces varied results.

The gold cowl was knit by Eliana and is out of Malabrigo Sock. A very straightforward and nice fabric. 

Malabrigo is such a classic wool yarn, I'm glad to find another great application for it.

The brown cowl, knit by Preeti, is out of The Fibre Company Road to China Light. This cowl is the epitome of soft and squishy. This yarn also gives the fabric a slight fuzz which is lovely and adds warmth.

The third cowl, the pink one, was knit for me by Sarah. This was knit from Madelinetosh Prairie which is a light fingering weight yarn. This yarn created a delicate, ethereal looking cowl. I really like the resulting effect. Its very beautiful and different.

Thank you to all of my fabulous test knitters for creating these samples for me!

I'm happy to introduce you to the newest addition to the Never Not Knitting pattern collection.

The Cream and Sugar Cowl is now available for purchase.

This is a cozy and lightweight cowl ideal for transitional seasons such as spring and autumn. 

This cowl is made up of big, fat cables knit out of fingering weight yarn, 

so the resulting fabric is quite squishy and stretchy. 

I think it's a great application for that special sock-weight yarn that we all have in our stash. So many of us collect skein after skein of sock yarn while lacking the desire to knit the accompanying number of socks. Well.. maybe that is just me. :)

Cowls are such a nice "no-fuss" accessory. I just love that quality in cowls. Not a big unruly scarf to deal with, just a nice simple piece to slip over your head for that extra layer of warmth and style.

The yarn I used for this cowl was Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in the Ginger colorway. 

This color is so cozy and inviting with its rich caramely color and subtle variations. 

It reminds me of the color of coffee or tea when you add cream.. and sugar.

If this yarn was a food. I would eat it. 

I have to say that I really enjoyed knitting this cowl. The pattern is simple and easy enough to knit that it went very quickly. Also, I think that this cowl is very flattering. I've designed it so that the bottom is slightly wider than the top. That way it lays well on your shoulders and frames the face nicely.

Here is the pattern information for those of you who are interested in knitting up a Cream and Sugar Cowl of your very own:

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS 

Width: approx 15”/ 38cm around on the top, approx 20”/ 51cm around on the bottom unstretched. 

Length: approx 9”/ 23 cm.

MATERIALS 

Madelinetosh Tosh Sock 100% Superwash Merino Wool; 395 yd/361m per 114 gram skein; color: Ginger; 1 skein or approx 350 yd/ 320m of a fingering weight wool or wool blend.

Alternate Yarns: Malabrigo Sock, Becoming Art Dulche Light Fingering, Madelinetosh Prairie, The Fibre Company Road to China Light

1 16” US5/ 3.75mm circular needle 

1 stitch marker 

Cable needle 

Tapestry needle

GAUGE

24 sts/ 28 rows = 4" / 10cm in Stockinette st on US5 / 3.75mm needles or size needed for accurate gauge.

Thank you to Julie Crawford of www.knittedbliss.com for being such a beautiful model and to her husband for the excellent photography.

I hope that all of you enjoy the pattern! Happy knitting!

This pattern is now available in French. Please click here to purchase the French translation. 

Illustration by Jillzielinskidesigns.com

The "Cream and Sugar Cowl" pattern is coming soon!

In Episode 48, I was pleased to share a knitting story contributed by Kirsten Kapur. I have long admired Kirsten's designs, and this Ida's Kitchen hat pattern is no exception. It looks like such a fun, exciting little knit. If only I had more knitting time available right now.. I would totally make this.

Dancing Ewe Yarns has kindly contributed 3 skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Melange in colors #802, #806, and #807 to get one fortunate knitter started on an Ida's Kitchen hat of their very own. Additionally, Kirsten Kapur has donated a copy of her hat pattern along with her new sweater pattern, the Washington Square cardigan to this drawing prize.

To enter to win, please leave a comment (with contact information) under this post telling me what you thought of Episode 48. Remember, only one comment per person, please.

A winner will be randomly chosen and announced on February 1, 2011. 

Please check back then to see if you have won!

Drawing Now Closed! 

Winner is "Lyeng11"! Congratulations!

Episode 48

Shownotes:

Dancing Ewe Yarns

Kate Oates

Jill Zielinski

Karat Stix Etsy Shop

Emily Repnyek

Tuck

TNNA

Blue Sky Alpacas Sport

Blue Sky Alpacas Melange

My Alpaca Playful Stripes Sweater

Men's Striped Vest

Ida's Kitchen Hat

Kirsten Kapur on Ravelry

Kirsten's Blog

Join the Never Not Knitting Ravelry Group!

The winner of Episode 47's 

Gigantic Knitbot Drawing Giveaway

 is 

Rachel

! Congratulations!

*Please check back soon to enter the drawing for Episode 48!

Get 15% the entire selection of 

Blue Sky Alpacas yarn

 through the 

Dancing Ewe Yarns

 online shop

until February 15th!

Enter code "NNK" in the checkout process to receive your discount.

This offer is exclusive to the Never Not Knitting podcast listeners and blog readers.

Click

HERE

to download the Episode 48 MP3 file.

Here is my new winter ensemble of leafy handknits in all of my favorite colors.

Although they are all different, I think that they compliment each other nicely, don't you?

From Left to Right: Autumn Vines Beret, Cedar Leaf Shawlette, and Oak Grove

I just recently received these Oak Grove mitts back from my test knitters. 

Thank you to Ve, Andrea, and CeRae.

As you can see, I had them knit up in the same colors of my Autumn Vines Beret samples, 

and these will be included with next month's trunk show displays.

These are also knit out of the Madelinetosh Pashmina yarn.. 

and I have a little surprise for you Madelinetosh fans.

You can squeeze an Autumn Vines Beret AND a pair of the Oak Grove mitts out of only 1 skein of Pashmina!

I'm happy to say that my Oak Grove pattern is now available for purchase.

In the area I live, I am surrounded by oak trees at every turn. In fact, the house I grew up in has an oak tree grove in the front and back of it. I spent many hours of my childhood collecting acorns, leaves and moss while playing outside. 

The above picture was taken against the very old oak right in front of my parents house. 

Considering my history with oak trees, and my obvious love for knitted leaves, this seemed like a perfect pairing. I love the texture of these mitts. How the leaf is embossed looking, as though it is sitting on top of the knitted fabric. Its very simple yet striking.

As you can see, the pattern is shown in 2 different yarns and versions. There is the brown fingerless mitt version knit up in Becoming Art Cielo Sport in the Sunlit Amber colorway. 

Its such a rich cozy color. I just love it. 

If you love it too, you can order kits for Oak Grove through the Becoming Art website here.

The green fingerless glove version is knit from The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! yarn in the color Gladiator Katydid. What a spectacularly soft yarn this was to work with. And this color is also divine. 

It is hard to pick a favorite for sure. 

The fingerless glove version is not hard to knit, but definitely takes more concentration. Beginners would probably enjoy knitting up the fingerless mitt version the best. Its quicker and easier.

Here is the pattern information for those of you who are interested in knitting up some Oak Grove mitts of your very own:

SIZE 

Women’s Medium 

(Note: For smaller hands and wrists go down a needle size for a tighter fit.)

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS Width: 7”/ 18 cm around 

Length: 7”/ 18 cm (fingerless mitt version) 6.5”/ 16.5 cm (fingerless glove version)

MATERIALS 

Brown Mitt Version: Becoming Art Cielo Sport 100% Superwash Merino Wool; 256 yd/234m per 4oz skein; color: Sunlit Amber; 1 skein or approx 150 yds/137 m of a sport weight wool or wool blend.

Green Glove Version: The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! 70% Superwash Merino Wool, 20% Cashmere, 10% nylon; 412 yd/376m per 4oz skein; color: Gladiator Katydid; 1 skein or approx 150 yds/137 m of a sport weight wool or wool blend.

Alternate Yarns: Madelinetosh Pashmina, Classic Elite Fresco, Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light

1# set of US3/3.25mm double pointed needles 

Stitch marker 

2 Stitch holders 

Cable needle 

Tapestry needle

Pattern now available in French! Click here for the French translation.

Enjoy! :)

On episode 47 I had the privilege of featuring the work of designer, Hannah Fettig and sharing one of her personal knitting stories.

Hannah has kindly offered this huge assortment of Knitbot products for a drawing giveaway. 

There were so many items, I could barely fit them in one picture. :)

The winner chosen will be receiving the following:

Patterns

Featherweight Cardigan

Zip-up Cardigan

Lightweight Pullover

Mediumweight Pullover

Effortless Cardigan

Yoked Cardigan

Kits

Wispy Cardi kit (pictured below)

Climbing Cables kit

AND

A printed copy of Hannah's new Jackets E-book!

Phew... that was a lot to list.

To enter to win, please leave a comment (including contact information) under this post. Please tell me in your comment whether you have knit any of Hannah's patterns before and which ones you like the most. 

Remember, only one comment per person please.

I will randomly choose a winner on January 15, 2011. Please check back then to see if you have won!

Drawing Now Closed! Congratulations to Rachel, the winner!

Episode 47

Shownotes:

Knitbot

Stitches West 2011

Oak Grove Preview

The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga!

Becoming Art Cielo Sport

Oak Grove Kits-coming soon!

Hannah's Design Page on Ravelry

Whisper Cardigan

Knitbot Store

Jackets E-book

Join the Never Not Knitting Ravelry Group!

The winner of Episode 46's

Cascade 220 Drawing Giveaway

 is "

w e n t i n g

"! Congratulations!

*Please check back soon to enter the drawing for Episode 47!

Get 25% everything in the Knitbot store on Etsy and on all Knitbot pattern pdfs on Ravelry 

until January 15th!

Enter code "NNK2011" in the checkout process on either

Etsy

 or

Ravelry

.

This offer is exclusive to the Never Not Knitting podcast listeners and blog readers.

Click 

HERE

 to download the Episode 47 MP3 file.

Illustrations by Jill Zielinski Designs. I have a new pattern coming out soon! It's a pair of fingerless mitts called Oak Grove and I am very excited about them! I will be posting all of the pattern information within the week. For now.. here is a sneak peek!