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Union Long Beanie

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What appealed to me about the Union Long Beanie pattern when I read it?

I loved the neutral colours and the combination of the wide rib stripe with the lace stripe. A very wearable hat that would be perfect for wearing on beach walks or while window shopping in the city.

Union Long Beanie designed by Connie Chang Chinchio was published in Weekend Hats by Cecily Glowik MacDonald and Melissa LaBarre. This is a wonderful book and since purchasing it I have knit several of the hat patterns.
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I used Kauni DK weight wool that has a very long gradual transition in colour from camel to oatmeal to soft grey tones. I liked the combination of the wide stripes of rib and lattice lace work.  I also love the shape of this beanie.[Read More]

Beachcomber Wristwarmers using Sock Yarn

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I loved the stylish look of the Beachcomber Wristwarmers when I saw them in The Knitter and decided it would be a great choice for reviewing on the blog. I tweaked the pattern so that I could use some of my 4-ply sock yarn for knitting these lovely fingerless mittens.

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The Beachcomber Wristwarmers designed by Amanda Crawford was featured in The Knitter Issue 3. They had been knit using DK-weight cotton yarn. She had designed a beautiful messenger bag and wristwarmers inspired by the colours and patterns found while wandering along beachcombing. She combined the sandy colours with a pale blue for the wristwarmers.[Read More]

How to Knit Your First Sock – Part 2

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The How to Knit Your Sock series covers knitting a sock in four step-by-step articles. In Part 1: you covered the anatomy of a sock, knitting the cuff and the leg section. It is aimed at knitters who are knitting their first sock. I have used Opal sock yarn in the lovely Fairies and Elves colour 5523 to knit this pair of socks.

Finished Step by Step Sock

In How to Knit Your First Sock – Part 2: you will learn how to knit a strengthened heel flap which gives comfort and helps lengthen the lifespan of your hand-knit socks.  Then you will turn your sock heel.[Read More]

How to Knit Your First Sock – Part 1

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The How to Knit Your First Sock series covers knitting a sock in 4 step-by-step articles.

  • How to Knit Your First Sock – Part 1: will cover the anatomy of a sock, knitting the cuff and the leg section.
  • Part 2: will explain knitting the heel flap and turning the heel
  • Part 3: shows how to set up for the gusset and gusset shaping.
  • Part 4: looks at knitting the foot, toe shaping and finishing.
How to Knit Your First Sock is aimed at someone who would love to knit socks but has never tried them before. However, I assumed that you are not knitting a sock as your very first knitting project and know how to increase, decrease, slip a stitch, knit and purl. There isn’t much else to knitting a sock, other than keeping track of the number of stitches on your needles.
Sock Fairies and Elves 5523
There are so many beautiful sock yarns available and the finished socks are so comfortable, once you have knit your first pair, you will be bitten by the sock knitting bug, just as I have been. I hope you have fun knitting your first pair of socks…

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Cable Hat using Cashmerino Aran

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I was looking for a warm cable hat to knit using Cashmerino Aran, for wearing on cooler days. Cecile by Katya Frankel seemed like a cute choice.

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The gorgeous Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran is the perfect choice for knitting this lovely cable pattern. Cashmerino Aran feels soft and is a lovely yarn knit. The yarn has enough body to give excellent definition to this lovely cable pattern.[Read More]

Knit Both Socks at the Same Time

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Knitting the first sock is fun… Knitting the second can be less so…

Watching the pattern unfold while knitting the first sock is fascinating. However, knitting the second sock can seem to take longer than knitting the first sock and feel like more of a chore.

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Hence ‘onesockitis’ or ‘second sock syndrome’ can strike even the keenest sock knitter, mainly because you can’t wait to see how the next sock pattern will look.  The answer is to Knit Both Socks at the Same Time.

If this is your first pair of socks or if you intend to try a new stitch pattern, heel or toe technique you will find this a particularly useful way of knitting a pair of socks, although, you’ll need two sets of double-pointed needles.[Read More]

Sock Blockers

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What are sock blockers and how useful are they?

Sock blockers are great for shaping a pair of socks that you have knit as a gift for someone. Or if you need your newly finished socks well shaped for photographing. But I honestly can’t say that I block the socks I wear and wash on a daily basis.

These sock blockers made by Whorl Drop Spindle are an excellent choice.[Read More]

Hot Waves Socks Become Cool

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Are you looking for a great striped sock pattern for using leftover sock yarn?

After finishing Mitt Envy I had plenty of the lovely clear blue silk sock yarn left and flicked through my sock pattern books looking for inspiration.

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I saw Hot Waves designed by Lynn Hershberger published in Joy of Sox by Linda Kopp and knew that it would be beautiful in a cool colourway instead of the warm colours in the book. The pattern is a lovely combination of stripes and fair isle.[Read More]