How To Monday: Judy's Magic Cast On

Shawl Flies Off My Needles

Last week, the dragon came to nest at AFY. Dragon's Rest, a lovely shawl by Abigail Phelps, is now blocked and ready for you to fall in love with it at the sample table. This shawl is pretty easy, but still has enough going on to keep it interesting as you shape it into existence. It is written to give you the choice of lace, fingering, or dk weight yarns. I pushed mine to worsted weight in using Juniper Moon's Moonshine. So far, there has been as much pleasure in being wrapped in these wings' luxury as there was in knitting the item. Last note - this project is surely a must knit for any fan of Game of Thrones or The Hobbit (just to name a couple of dragons). The Shawl Along begins tomorrow, Friday, September 27 @ 6pm.

Happy Needling,

Anne

Gender Neutral Baby Knits

There comes a time in every knitter or crocheter's life that they have to make a baby gift, but the parents have decided to wait and be surprised to see if it's a boy or a girl. This posses a few questions; what color do I knit? Is this pattern to girly? Can girls wear blue, too? How do you go about this?

My sister-in-law is pregnant (yay!) and her and my brother are planning on being surprised, but I just want to:

Baby knits are so fun! They are small and fast to knit, not to mention the cutest things to ever fall off your needles! Today I want to share with you a few patterns that I've found that I think are neutral enough that either a girl or boy could wear them, depending on the color.

Speaking of color, what color yarn do you use when the baby is a surprise? Here are my favorites:

All colors pictured are Spud and Chloe Sweater

Top Row: Splash, Beluga, Grass

Bottom Row: Toast, Pollen, Firefly

And now, onto the patterns!

Leaves or Not:

Classic little cardigans with a sweet little pocket, either shaped like leaves or not, and optional elbow patches. Could it get any cuter??

Little Baby Sweater:

Fun to knit in garter stitch and stripes, and perfect for babies in warmer climates because of the cute short sleeves/

Children's Duffle Coat:

This crocheted and lined coat is SO CUTE! Especially in gray, it's prefect for a boy or girl, so chic!

Ella Funt:

Look at the little elephants! If you want to change it up, the pattern comes with blank yoke charts so you can make whatever design you want!

I haven't even mentioned blankets, hats, or booties, all great ideas for surprise babies. Let me know how you go about knitting for a surprise baby? Any tips? Comment below and let me know!

Happy Baby Knitting!

-Kaity

Only 112 Knitting Days left until Christmas!

Hi everyone! As you may or may not know, our newest class schedule is up on our website, jam packed with great classes until the end of the year. As you can see by the title of this blog post, there are only 112 knitting (or crocheting) days left until Christmas! If you are like me, you wait until the last minute and then freak out trying to get as many gifts made as possible the last few weeks before they are due! Don't be that knitter this year, get started on your gifts early!

To help you plan, I want to highlight some awesome classes for great gift knits. First off, I (Kaity) am teaching a series of classes geared around gift knitting, something for everyone on your list.

For women, there are the Alisha Mitts:

Two Sessions-Fridays, September 20 and 27, 6 to 8 pm; $40, supplies not included. Skill Level: Sheep. Instructor: Kaity Fraker

Start early on your gift knitting this year! In September, we are knitting these quick, cute cabled fingerless mitts that would be perfect for your sister, niece, babysitter, or any other woman on your gift list!

For guys, we have the Fortnight Hat:

Two Sessions-Fridays, October 11 and 18, 6 to 8 pm; $40, supplies not included. Skill Level: Sheep. Instructor: Kaity Fraker

Start early on your gift knitting this year! In October, we are knitting a great hat for guys that features a deep garter stitch brim with short rows and a horseshoe cable pattern on the crown, perfect for your dad, brother, hubby, or any other guy on your gift list!

For Kids, there's Pookie!

Two Sessions-Fridays, November 1 and 8, 6 to 8 pm; $40, supplies not included. Skill Level: Sheep. Instructor: Kaity Fraker

Start early on your gift knitting this year! In early November, we are knitting the cutest little toys! You can make Pookie into a mouse, a bunny, a puppy, a kitty, or a bear. All the toys are knit with the same basic body shape, and they get their distinction from the ears you knit and the face you give them. They are the perfect little stocking stuffer!

And for the Home, we have a Dishcloth Set:

Two Sessions-Fridays, November 15 and 22, 6 to 8 pm; $40, supplies not included. Skill Level: Lamb. Instructor: Kaity Fraker

Start early on your gift knitting this year! In late November, we are knitting a fast, fun, and super useful gift! We’ll learn to knit a cute dishcloth set, including a two color dishcloth and matching pot scrubber! Dishcloths are a great gift, everyone loves them, and you can customize them to match anyone’s kitchen.

Outside of my Gift Knits Series, Karin is teaching the Plicate Slouch Hat:

One Session-Tuesday, September 17, 6 to 9 pm; $30, supplies not included. Skill Level: Sheep. Instructor: Karin Wilmoth

Plicate ˈplī-ˌkāt-adjective - having the surface thrown up into or marked with parallel ridges. This lovely lightweight hat is marvelously adjustable. It works up quickly in almost any heavy fingering, sport, or light dk yarn and is especially well suited for fuzzy yarns like mohair or alpaca. The degree of crumple in the back can be altered to fit your taste, and the pattern includes detailed finishing instructions to make it easy to do.

Her Kanagawa Cowl:

Two Sessions-Sundays, October 13 and 27, 4:30 to 6:30 pm; $40, supplies not included. Skill Level: Alpaca. Instructor: Karin Wilmoth

This cowl is inspired by the Great Wave off Kanagawa woodblock print by Hokusai. It begins as a scarf (using a crochet cast-on), and is worked flat with a slipped stitch edge. Once the proper circumference is reached, it is attached on one side as you knit. The reversible wavy texture is seen when the upper corner is folded down. While a cable needle is used, it is for picking up stitches, not for cables. We will learn how to use a vertical cable technique and how to use a crochet hook to create a cast-on that is symmetrical to our bind-off.

And a Top-Down Newsboy Cap:

Two Sessions-Sundays, November 10 and 24, 4:30 to 7:30 pm; $50, supplies not included. Skill Level: Sheep. Instructor: Karin Wilmoth

This stylish cap is made to grab and go. It is worked from the top down on two circular needles, with a sewn-in brim, and hem; and finished with two button tabs on the side. 

Anne is doing some great accessories, perfect for gift knitting, including her I-Cord Gloves:

Three Sessions-Mondays, October 14, 28 and November 11, 6 to 8 pm; $50, supplies not included. Skill Level: Lamb. Instructor: Anne Lecrivain-Cozzoli

I-cord is such a nifty trick and always surprises me when I learn a new application for it. I recently had the pleasure of using i-cord to make the fingers of gloves, allowing me to work these little tubes in the round on two needles rather than on four. This approach to glove making makes the process both delightful and swift. We will be doing something new with i-cord to make both closed and open ended fingers and using Jenny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off to ensure a great fitting cuff. 

And the classic, Reversible Cables Scarf:

One Session-Wednesday, November 13, 6 to 9 pm; $30, supplies not included. Skill Level: Lamb. Instructor: Anne Lecrivain-Cozzoli

Want a reversible scarf that isn't garter stitch or ribbed? Learn how reversible stitches combine to make the classic cable a reversible scarf style. Choose from two cable designs to explore reversible cabling.

You can find all these great classes and a TON more on our website! We hope to see you soon, Happy Knitting!
<3: Kaity

Lil' Peanut Family

Hi, All.

We have some cuteness that you may have noticed frolicking next to the register all summer - the Lil' Peanut Family. They are little dolls whose shapes are blank slates for your imagination or the imagination of a child you love.

You can make a whole family of them in different shades and sizes. All of my kids from 12 to 2 love playing with them. If you can make it to class, I have one of my favorite tales to share about the first time that my 5 year old played with one as an infant.

This toy class is starting tomorrow, Tuesday, August 6...so, much fun in store. (2 session class, Aug. 6 and 20, 6-8pm)

Happy Needling and playtime,
Anne

Barndom (Shawl) Raised!

I just put up my sample of Steven West's Barndom.
Are you enjoying a staycation this summer? Are you looking for an engaging retreat? Then, knit this shawl. Join us starting this Friday, July 26 @ 6:00pm (and Aug. 9, 23, & Sept. 6). Two or three colors of fingering weight yarn and the company of other great knitters; sounds like a perfect series of evenings.

Traveling Knitter Works Out the Clues

I did miss posting last week as I was in the midst of a 15 hour drive to the Oregon coast when I would have normally been composing my paragraphs. (This story is a true cover for the fact that I still had 2 repeats of Clue 4's chart C when we departed.)

I was very happy, after the 48 rows included in clue 4, to enjoy the simplicity of the 12 rows in clue 5's chart D.

As for Clue 6, be sure that you have the most updated version of chart E (emailed on Monday morning). Are you having any trouble deciding if you should do E and F or just F? Later in the week I will update you on how to figure the percent of yarn that you have to the percentage of shawl completed or left to do. Basically, you add up the total stitches of the completed rows and the completed shawl and compare what percentage of the whole total of stitches in the shawl. I have 39g of yarn left before choosing an edging. If I wanted to do both charts, then I would have to have completed 61% of the total stitches and have 39% (or less) of that total ahead of me.

Here we are at the very cloudy shore line of Lincoln City, Oregon. The children squished Kevin's sand castles 

This beach is the sunny offering from the Coos Bay area. I still had 3 rows of the last repeat of chart C to do.

Finally, finished with all of the repeats of chart C and the easy work of chart D.

Above and below, I am still celebrating having caught up on all of the published clues to that point.

Happy Needling,

Anne