Sometimes the best inspiration is one's own past work. I had to get over the feeling that it's cheating, because a good idea is worth further exploration. It's really exciting for me when I think of different ways to use an idea. I'll explain what I mean with examples. I designed Flower Child (upper left) a few… Continue reading What Inspires: Variations on a Theme
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Norah’s Knits: More Ideas for Marmot
While we concentrated on smaller items in the Marmot booklet, this yarn is so soft and wonderful, I've been finding myself dreaming of knitting a cozy sweater to live in this winter. Cirrus and Voyage both have gauges similar to Marmot. Searching through the Berroco pattern library I found these 4 modern basic sweaters that… Continue reading Norah’s Knits: More Ideas for Marmot
Norah’s Knits: Vacation Knitting Pair Ups
It's time for another pretty photo/knitting pattern pair up. I had a great time on my vacation in Maine, where I had fun snapping up photos of geology, wild flowers and even a rusty ship wreck. Click on the photos to see these sweaters on our web site. Of course, I did some knitting on… Continue reading Norah’s Knits: Vacation Knitting Pair Ups
Norah’s Knits: Handknit Pillows
The other day, I was looking at all the beautiful handknit cabled pillows for sale on home decorating sites and yearning to have some in MY living room. I started out bemoaning the fact that we haven't really concentrated on home decor at Berroco, when it struck me – it would be easy to make… Continue reading Norah’s Knits: Handknit Pillows
Norah’s Knits: Knitting for Great Grandma
Occasionally, we receive a letter asking why we don't design more for woman of a certain age , implying (or just coming out and saying) that our patterns are only for the young. The letter might mention an age of 55 or 60. This question always makes me think of Mom. She's 80 something and looks… Continue reading Norah’s Knits: Knitting for Great Grandma
What Inspires: Retro Fashion
I've always loved perusing books about the history of clothing. Even if I've looked through the same book a hundred times, it seems like there's always something new to see. After all, I'm looking with a different context every time. Popular styles will have evolved from the last time I looked. Different movies are in… Continue reading What Inspires: Retro Fashion
Norah’s Knit’s: More ideas in Abode
We've designed 9 pieces in Abode so far – from smaller accessories, like the Lawson hand warmers in booklet #333, to Hume, the generous swing cardi from Norah Gaughan vol 13, Top Down. I love this yarn so much that I started thinking about which other Berroco patterns I might use to make something for myself. Ok,… Continue reading Norah’s Knit’s: More ideas in Abode
Norah’s Knits: What to Knit, Boboli Lace
Berroco Boboli Lace is amazingly versatile. While the gauge we suggest on the label is 6 sts per inch, we’ve knit it more firmly for gloves and much, much more loosely for lace scarves, using anything from a size 5 to a size 10 needle (US). When I’m knitting with Boboli Lace I find myself… Continue reading Norah’s Knits: What to Knit, Boboli Lace
Norah’s Knits: Top-Down Knitting (or Never Say Never)
Over the years I've designed a lot of sweaters with seams and I can still think of a slew of reasons to like pieced and seamed knitting, but that's not where this discussion is heading. As I've mentioned previously, I started out preferring to knit in the round. The first few sweaters I ever designed… Continue reading Norah’s Knits: Top-Down Knitting (or Never Say Never)
Norah’s Knits: Knitting for Men
I’m a very lucky woman. My husband wears sweaters. In fact he loves sweaters so much he doesn’t even wear a coat. Instead he’ll pile on two sweaters and walk out the door. John’s also an old fashion New Englander when it comes to understanding the virtues of wool – warmth being paramount. If that… Continue reading Norah’s Knits: Knitting for Men