Naturalia (Also With Alpaca!)

Do you like big yarn? Especially when it smells at bit like a barn? Then this Naturalia is your stuff. It has a rustic odor, I can't lie. The shelves are fully stocked with the solid, marled, and alpaca blend versions of this awesome stuff. 

I would knit a 1966 Blanket if I were you...

Chunky Blankie

We all love the Loopy Mango Big Loop and all of its associated blanketness. Seriously, a blanket in two hours? When we heard Loopy Mango was rolling out a line of slightly less enormous but still very chunky yarn, we were intrigued.

The M5 Merino No. 5 is loopy and chunky, but knits up on a US15 or 19 instead of the US50 used for the Big Loop. It's a loosely-spun merino yarn with a stabilizing thread to keep the yarn from pulling apart. M5 comes in some really fun and bright colors, and Sally says it's easy to knit up.

She used three colors and a few short hours of her life to make this sweet and squishy garter stitch baby blanket. Just 36 stitches on a US19 and knit all the way. That's the pattern. I know those last-minute-gift ideas are usually not so last-minute, but this one really is. Throw on a long movie and you'll be done by bedtime.

It's great to see new stuff from one of our favorite yarn companies. Come check out the great colors and squish the blanket in person!

Need Another Reason?

As if you needed another reason to be excited about crochet, The Purl Bee just released a (free) pattern for this stunning thing. The Four Points Baby Blanket uses four ample skeins of sock yarn. It looks amazing, doesn't it? I think I would go for Bumblebirch Heartwood or those cool splotchy splatter ones from Plymouth. Or maybe a few of each?

Pic borrowed from Purl Bee.

I am just starting to think about honing my crochet skills, but I know many of you out there are quite the masters. What do you crochet gurus like to make? The Purl Bee has a growing collection of free crochet patterns including blankets, scarves, garments, pillows, rugs, and yarmulkes (of course).

If you want to dip your hooks into crochet, I'm pretty sure Melissa can get you started on this lovely piece on Sunday afternoon. Give a call or pop in to sign up for her class.

Eye Candy Monday

Neutral eye candy today. Play your cards right, and there might be a few free patterns in your immediate future...

Loopy Mango and My Current Blanket Obsession

I am apparently in a knit-all-the-things-that-are-blankets sort of mood. Maybe it's this weird cold weather combined with my drafty old house. Or perhaps it is because my brain is fried from two weeks of "break" (and now two additional snow days), and all I can do today is knit garter stitch back and forth. Who knows.

My Naturalia blanket it coming along quickly. I am loving the sheepiness of this wool and the gorgeous colors. This is some pretty speedy gratification, my friends.

For even faster payoff, the Loopy Mango Big Loop is in the shop in some really amazing shades. 

Every time we get a fresh batch, I have to restrain myself. But I know should save it for you all.

Loopy Mango has several free patterns for this amazing yarn. The classic Nantucket Throw is one of our favorites. It can be made big or super big with one or two balls of Big Loop and US50 needles.

The website has patterns for scarves, hats, vests, and rugs, too. But I need to make that blanket, right?

Holiday Hours and a Little (Big) Blanket

As we are all frantically finishing (or starting) gifts this week, I just wanted to give you a heads up on our holiday hours. And show you my fun new favorite project.

Here is what you need to know.
December 23: Open 10-6 (no Open Knit Night)
December 24: Open 10-3
December 25: Closed
December 30: Open 10-6 (no Open Knit Night)
December 31: Open 10-5
January 1: Closed

I don't know about you, but as the holiday whirlwind envelops me, I am thrilled to have a mindless project on the needles with nearly instant gratification.

I'm working on a big ol' blanket using Naturalia in five sheepy colors. On US19 needles, I'm able to knit up a skein each night, given a lot of movie watching and very little kitchen cleaning.

This blanket will be in the shop in January for you to oggle and enjoy, and the free pattern will be readily available with the purchase of the yarn. It's not a complicated pattern. The big yarn/chunky blanket trend is very in right now, and this will be a great way to make your own for just only $100.

Happy holidays to all of our Close Knitters!

Kureyon

Are you knitting a Noro blanket like everyone else in Portland? If so, now is the time to come get your next two (or four or six or eight) balls of Kureyon. We have a nice backstock of all these pretty colors. And if you haven't started yet, now is the time! You'll be addicted.

Loopy Mango

Do you like big yarn?  We have some.  Sally took the plunge and ordered the Big Loop from Loopy Mango!  (Their site is gorgeous.  Go have a look.)  We have taken to calling these yarn babies.

Sally whipped up a blanket in about two hours with one ball of Big Loop and some US50 needles.  We have some in stock, since most of us don't have those in our collection.  You could just use broomsticks, I suppose.

The pattern is a freebie on the Loopy Mango site.  It starts out "cast on 18 stitches..."

I have to admit, I was not expecting to like this stuff as much as I do.  It is very snuggly.  We also have a few balls of the Big Loop Mini (13 oz balls) in stock.  Look at that pink.  Wowza.

Jenni used one to make the Eternity Cowl.  Cast on 4 stitches.  It's wrapped around three times here.

One of the Big Balls will make three of these, according to the pattern.  These patterns and several more are available for free on the Loopy Mango site.  I am loving the New Yorker Scarf.  There are a few crochet patterns, too...a super simple scarf and really nice round rug.

Photo borrowed from Loopy Mango.

We have more of this crazy cool stuff on the way.  Sally has ordered more of the naturals, some grey, and more Dirty Dirty Pink, and we are happy to special order.  I'll let you know when it arrives so you can come choose your own yarn baby.

Noromania

There's a little bit of Noromania running its course through the Close Knit staff these days, and this blanket is to blame.

It all started with Adrienne and her (ahem) sizable stash of Kureyon.  She wasn't entirely sure how to clean all of these mismatched balls out of her stash, but a blanket seemed like the most obvious choice.  There are plenty of patterns out there for Noro blankets, but Adrienne prefers to knit gloriously mindless projects, so she improvised a basic garter stitch design.  The knitting is simple, but the results speak for themselves, don't you think?

I know several of you have already been bitten by the Noro bug, so you might be interested to know that we just received a nice fresh batch of Kureyon.

The beauty of this design is that you can mix and match different colorways and dye lots without too much concern.  I assumed that all of the blankets would look pretty much the same, but I was incorrect.  Sally's has a deep green theme, and it reminds me of a field of wildflowers. 

Ann is using more of the bright colors, so hers has a more neon look.  They are both beautiful.  Since you alternate colors as you work, this is a great time to mix and match vibrant colors and calmer colors with a really nice blended result.

The pattern is below, although we aren't positive about the total yardage.  Our estimates might be a bit off, so feel free to let us know how many balls you have used for yours.

We have also started carrying Cyochin, a pretty wool/mohair/silk blend.  This classy cowl/headband set called Crushers uses just two skeins.  What a nice gift idea, right?

Between the newest Noro publications on the shelves and Adrienne's blanket, there are lots of reasons to love Noro these days.  Come by and see for yourselves!

Noromania Blanket

by Adrienne Torrey

Yarn: Lots of Noro Kureyon (20-25 for a twin/full size)
Needles: US8 40" or larger (Ann suggests metal needles)
Finished Size: 55" x however long you want to knit

Cast on 260 stitches onto the US8 40" needle.
Choose two colors of Kureyon.
Knit two rows with color 1.
Knit two rows with color 2.
Make sure you are consistently wrapping the colors up the side to avoid any long bits hanging off the edges.  When you run out of a color, try spit splicing the new one together.  The Kureyon works really well for this.

Continue on this way until your blanket is as large as you like it.

Blue Sky Worsted Cotton

We have a fresh supply of Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Cotton in the best colors.

I recently used this yarn for the Chevron Baby Blanket, and the final product is squishy and spectacular.  (I skipped the bright white in the center and went with six stripes rather than seven.)

photo by Emily (aka Mama-to-be)

The blanket is knit on US11s with the yarn held doubled, so it knits up quickly.  Come put together your favorite color combo!

Noro Taiyo

We are carrying Noro Yarns again.  We took a little break, but Sally has decided to jump back on the bandwagon and stock some of our favorites.  Right now we have lots of Taiyo and Taiyo Sock, but there is more coming for fall.  Let me tell you about the Aran to chunky Taiyo first.

Taiyo is a really pretty cotton, silk, and wool blend (40%/30%/15%) with a little nylon added to strengthen the singly ply.  The colorways that Sally chose are beautiful, of course.

Want some project ideas?  I knew you would.  There are a few blankets that I have been ogling that just beg for Noro.  

Photo by Kay Gardiner.

The Mitered Crosses Blanket (above) and the Pop Blanket (below) work for me, because the solid background really highlights the Noro without letting it go too crazy.  You could use Cascade Eco Wool or Eco +, Cascade 220, Berroco Ultra Alpaca, or even Berroco Vintage for the background with much success.  (I have it on good authority that the natural Noro colorway seen above will be back on the shelves this fall.  I know several of you were pining away for it...I promise to keep you posted.)

Photo from Tin Can Knits.

If you'd like to embrace the full Noro color riot, Lizard Ridge from Knitty 2006 is a great design, too.  Each square is knit from opposite sides of the ball to create the more distinct stripes, and fun little short row sections create the bubbles.

Photo from Knitty, Fall 2006.

I made Rubble for my older daughter in the winter, and I am thinking the littlest daughter needs one in some crazy colors to match her personality.  The unusual construction of the sweater would really play up the striping since the whole thing is knit is one piece from the front hem to the back hem, with stitches cast on for the sleeves as you knit.  The horizontal stripes would continue uninterrupted from the front to the back.

Since Taiyo, Silk Garden, and Kureyon are all of similar gauge, you can interchange them in a lot of patterns without much trouble.  Taiyo would be great for something like the Striped Noro Scarf or the Turn a Square Hat.

Noro is also a natural choice for entrelac, since the color changes highlight the little squares so nicely.  Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style was an extremely popular design several years ago, and I can see this being just stunning in Taiyo.

The new Noro Knitting Magazine has a few great entrelac designs, as well, including these fun little pillows.  These would be a nice introduction to the technique if you are interested.

Okay, next time we'll talk about the Taiyo Sock.  I have lots of ideas for you, and very few of them are socks.

Give it Away Now

I know quite a few of you knit a few rows here and there on the Albers Stash Blanket Project that was hanging around the shop several months back, and I thought you might like to see what became of your stitches.  

Photo by Beth Conyers, sourced from Melanie Falick Books

Our friend (and local knitwear designer) Leigh Radford spearheaded a community-wide knit-a-long to create these beautiful blankets for donation to charitable organizations in the Portland area.

Lantern Moon donated needles and local knitters donated their scraps and stitches.  Our very own Ann contributed a pretty large chunk of her stash and time to this project.  I love how the colors look so cozy and right-at-home together in these blankets, even though most of us would never think up combinations like these on our own.

Photo by Beth Conyers, sourced from Melanie Falick Books

The Albers Stash Blanket is from Leigh's book One More Skein, and she has more information on this project and many more photos on her Facebook page.

We love being part of these movements, so thank you to Leigh for organizing this and making our shop a part of it.  Do you all have any ideas for our next charity knitting project?  Let us know if you have any thoughts.  We'd love to get involved!

Blankets

I know summer seems like a silly time to be thinking about blankets. For me, though, summer is kind of the perfect time for knitting blankets. Okay, maybe not at the park on a muggy August afternoon, but how about in the evenings, enjoying your beautiful garden, watching a movie with the kids, or sipping a cocktail on the porch?

Blanket knitting tends to be repetitive and a little mindless, which I love in the summer. In my mind, the ladies from Mason-Dixon Knitting are the queens of blankets. They have designed some of my favorite blanket projects, which you can find on their blog, Mason-Dixon Knitting, and in their books, Mason-Dixon Knitting and Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines.

Many of their blankets employ the log cabin technique, a method borrowed from quilting. The thing I like about log cabining is that you don't have to seam up a bunch of pieces at the end. You pick up stitches along the side of each block as you finish and just keep going with another color.

Check out this pretty rainbow blanket, Joseph's Blankie of Many Colors.

This classy little denim number, The Courthouse Steps Denim Blanket, uses just a few colors to great effect.

I made the Moderne Baby Blanket for my little one a few years back. This style is a half log cabin technique, so the final product is asymmetrical and fabulous.

The Purl Bee recently published the Half Log Cabin Ombre Blanket in beautiful alpaca earth tones. I'm planning to make this as a wedding gift for a dear friend using Cascade Eco Alpaca.

Photo from the Purl Bee. Thanks!

The Purl Bee has published several blanket patterns that are high impact but easy to make. Check out these simple color-blocked examples of the Super Easy Baby Blanket.

Photo from the Purl Bee. Thanks!

The Cuddly Cotton Baby Blanket is a simple garter square with a lacy edging. This would be fun in Classic Elite Sprout. Organic and machine washable, perfect for a baby shower gift.

Photo from the Purl Bee. Thanks!

The Granny Stripe Blanket might just turn me into a crocheter.

Photo from the Purl Bee. Thanks!

If you feel like a little bit of seaming and finishing, the Mason-Dixon gals have a few other great options. Here's the Mitered Square Blanket from the Mason-Dixon Knitting book.

I told you about the Mitered Crosses Blanket back in March. A little mitering, a little log cabining, a little seaming, a lot of fabulous.

Photo from Mason-Dixon Knitting. Thanks!

If you really want to challenge yourself, they even have fair isle blankets, finished with steeking and edging. These guys stray a bit from the mindless summer knitting criteria, but they are pretty amazing. Baby Dotty and Liberty.

Get started this summer, spend those cool summer evenings knitting, and by the time fall rolls around, you'll be glad to have a nice big blanket project almost done.