This week we're taking a look at Berroco Gusto®, a thick-and-thin yarn that can suit a variety of knitting needs. This bulky weight yarn comes in bold variegated tones as well as soft, sophisticated neutrals, perfect for any project. Gusto is a blend of 45% wool, 45% acrylic, and 10% rayon. The synthetic fibers help the yarn… Continue reading Knitting with Gusto… Berroco Gusto!
Shaping Shoulders with Short Rows
As I shared in last week's KnitBits, I sometimes like to shape the shoulders of a sweater using short rows, rather than binding off the shoulders over several rows. This prevents the "steps" that you might see when doing the traditional bind off method, creating a cleaner line and also making seaming the shoulder a… Continue reading Shaping Shoulders with Short Rows
Knots! And what to do when you find them.
Knots can be the bane of a crafter's project. During the industrial spinning process, the yarn is pulled with a fairly high tension through the machinery. As the machinery pulls on the fiber, occasionally breaks happen and the machine operator, rather than lose all the work, will tie a small knot to rejoin the yarn. It… Continue reading Knots! And what to do when you find them.
Lightweight Luxury: Berroco Briza
This is the time of year that I want to knit sweaters and accessories that are warm but not heavy. Heavy sweaters are for snowy days and we're not there just yet. Enter a yarn such as Berroco Briza®, a super lofty yarn that's light and airy. Berroco Briza is a 51% mohair, 43% nylon, and 6% wool yarn… Continue reading Lightweight Luxury: Berroco Briza
Cabling without a cable needle
Berroco Tuscan Tweed™ is my favorite of our new fall yarns, and I especially love it in cables, which is why I used cables on all three of the designs I created in this yarn, Adelaide (a free cardigan pattern from Berroco), Ravenna (a tam I designed for Creative Knitting magazine), and Wickford (a cardigan… Continue reading Cabling without a cable needle
Crochet Sweaters from the Top-Down with Dora Ohrenstein
Dora Ohrenstein's new book is all about top-down sweater construction in crochet—seems pretty straightforward, right? But as any sweater maker will know, choosing the right yarn is an integral part to a successful sweater project (this applies to knitting, as well). Read on for more from Dora about yarn choice and crochet! One of the… Continue reading Crochet Sweaters from the Top-Down with Dora Ohrenstein
A Closer Look at Berroco Tuscan Tweed
Are you getting ready for our Berroco Tuscan Tweed Knit- or Crochet-along? Let's take a closer look at the yarn we're using. I'm going to be knitting Bearberry for this activity. I've been in love with this pattern since I first saw the sample we photographed and wanted my very own. But I put off knitting one… Continue reading A Closer Look at Berroco Tuscan Tweed
Teddy Girls, The Rolling Stones and Tuscan Tweed
For the Tuscan Tweed collection, I was inspired by the yarn, the colors and textures of this wool, viscose, and a tiny-amount-of-mohair blend. I started out thinking about tweedy traditional British knitwear and wandered into the rock and roll culture of the UK in the 1950s and 60s. 'Ted' or Teddy fashion evolved as a… Continue reading Teddy Girls, The Rolling Stones and Tuscan Tweed
Our Next Berroco Knit-along!
We just wrapped up our Greenwood Shawl KAL on Friday, but we're already looking ahead to the next KAL! Since the end of the year is a busy time for many of us, we wanted to be sure we got in another chance to knit together before everything goes a little crazy. This time we're… Continue reading Our Next Berroco Knit-along!
Take a Closer Look at Berroco Vintage Chunky
Berroco Vintage® is one of my go-to yarns—I love that it's soft, comes in tons of colors, and can be thrown in the washing machine with no fear. I've knit garments for myself with it and more than one baby blanket using this yarn, but lately I've been loving the near-instant gratification that comes with… Continue reading Take a Closer Look at Berroco Vintage Chunky
Design Team Blog 