Mary Jane

Congratulations to Rebecca! She was randomly chosen to win Gudrun Johnston’s latest book Knit With Me, a collection of gorgeous knits all made with Quince & Co yarns. Here’s a peek at my latest secret project…maybe it will help Rebecca choose the colors she’d like to use. We see egret, glacier, carrie’s yellow and leek…so pretty, so nice to knit with.

Thanks for all the great comments and stories! So many apple names, who knew? So many mom’s and daughters who knit, and quite a few who are the only ones bitten by the bug! Read the comments to truly understand what a wonderful community we Gudrun- lovers have!

You’ve still got one more chance to win Gudrun’s book. Visit the talented Kirsten Kapur of Through the Loops, on Wednesday, January 30th. Leave a comment and keep your fingers crossed!

And if you don’t want to leave it to chance, you can buy Knit With Me directly from Quince & Co.

It is no secret that I love Gudrun Johnston. In my opinion she’s the best handknitting designer out there. Her designs are creative, elegantly shaped without being fancy, deceptively simple by which I mean “knitterly” a term that means clever and fun to knit!

If you’ve been following along with the blog tour,
Susan B Anderson – January 2nd
Kristin Nicholas – January 9th
Laura Nelkin– January 16th
Kirsten Kapur-January 30th
you know that Knit with Me is a collection of patterns that both mom’s and daughters will want to wear. You can each make the same one…only different! A different color, or a just different way of wearing it, as simple as buttoning it differently as demonstrated by the mom and daughter wearing Empire!

My own daughter Sophie was quick to pick up the book when she came to visit. Funny enough she arrived with a big bag of clothes that she’d “borrowed” some that I’d totally forgotten about or thought that I had lost!

She’s a knitter too, so for Christmas I promised to get her the yarn for whichever project she’d like.

So hard to choose….look at the simple sleeve detail on Brock.

But in the end she chose McIntosh, the stripey one. It was the curved front that sold her.

She’s still undecided on colors…all of the designes feature Quince & Co  yarns. McIntosh uses Lark, a yarn I love and have been using in the newest book I’m working on. It has great stitch definition, and is wonderful for colorwork. I’m going to make myself a MacIntosh  too…

The patterns are written beautifully, with sensational schematics. Hello! I love a good schematic, and theses are the best I’ve ever seen.
I have to mention the styling of Knit with Me, so beautiful. Who doesn’t’ like gingham and chickens! That hat is called Rubens. Carrie Bostick Hoge is the photographer of all the garment images, she always brings things to clear and beautiful life. Thanks to her and Quince & Co for sharing the images.

So for you dear readers. Leave a message in the comments for a chance to win your very own copy of Knit With Me. You’ve got until midnight on Sunday January 27th … Tell a story…mom daughter, knitting or your thoughts on gingham and knits! Or chickens! Or Apples…each of the garments is named after an apple. I’ll contact the winner and get your mailing address on Monday.

The comments are closed. Thanks everyone!

When knitting content is missing it is usually because what I’m working on has to remain a secret. Today I unveil one such project – North Coast Fingerless Mitts! I was asked by editor extraordinaire Tanis Grey if I would design a quick knit for an alpaca yarn company – Our Back 40 – that debuts this weekend at Vogue Knitting Live New York. You’ve still got a little time to see them in person – the marketplace is open until 4pm Sunday – at the String Yarn booths 807, 809, 811, and 813.

The yarn Ne Plus Ultra worsted weight alpaca is sooooooo soft!
From the Our Back 40 website:

Made from alpaca fleece with microns of less than 18.0, this yarn will re-define your very idea of alpaca. You’ll find that the cabled-style spin creates a yarn that becomes softer and softer with work and wear, without losing its integrity over time.In other words, it’s perfect for the treasures you will create with it. This yarn will demonstrate more memory than traditional alpaca yarns made with coarser fiber…

I especially like that it is an all American product, the fiber is sourced from small growers all over the US ( see a list here ) and spun at a small artisanal mill.

The debut pattern collection for Our Back 40 includes designs by Tanis Gray, Susan B. Anderson, Elspeth Kursh, Jessica Dekker, Ann Weaver, and Angela Hahn. A gorgeous collection that really shows off the exquisite yarn.

The North Coast Fingerless Mitts are fun and quick to knit. An easy to memorize Scandinavian pattern motif,  knit from the fingers up to the wrists, making it easy to try on and stop when you’ve got enough of your arms covered. I loved the yarn so much I didn’t want to stop knitting, I may have gone a little overboard, so the mitts use just about all the yarn in the kit – no waste! I suggest starting both at the same time so you’ll be sure you have enough yarn. I think they’d be cute stopping just at the wristbone.

I knit them on size 5 needles at 6 stitches to the inch. They would be easy to size up or down by changing gauge by changing needle size, just keep an eye on yarn amounts. The color of the yarn is amazing in person – I used Earth and Bone. Nice stitch definition, soft to work with, I imagine the yarn will just get softer. I really want a pair for myself! I need a pair!

The North Coast Fingerless Mitts Kit is a worthwhile purchase, treat yourself or make an incredible gift!

More information is on the North Coast Fingerless Mitts Ravelry page.

Ok so I know I promised more travelogue….I lied….How about Flashback Friday instead? I think this is around 1984 on 9th Street in the East Village. NYC. The shop went out of business and I bought the sign, even brought it to Maine where it hung in our kitchen.I used to always have a loaf of that squishy white bread in the freezer. You can still get it in Virginia I think.