For our Ultra Alpaca MKAL, we each designed colorful, modular garter stitch squares inspired by Housetop quilts. Knitting this kind of block is really simple and fun! For my block, you begin knitting in the center, alternating between lavender and white. Then, leaving those stitches on holder, you pick up and knit with the white yarn along… Continue reading Emily Explains: Picking Up Stitches Along a Garter Stitch Edge
Ultra Alpaca MKAL: Yarn Quantities
If your interest is piqued to participate in our Ultra Alpaca MKAL, you're probably wondering how much yarn you need for the project! Here is some information to help you. Please note: all of these are only rough estimates. Your mileage (yardage) may vary! To make the whole blanket - comprised of 5 of each… Continue reading Ultra Alpaca MKAL: Yarn Quantities
Amy’s Thread: Portfolio
Berroco's new collaborative collection Portfolio is finally out and I am so excited to share it with all of you!! Berroco Portfolio is a collaboration between the Berroco Design Team and some of our favorite independent designers. To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Berroco’s Ultra Alpaca yarn line. A project like this has been a dream of… Continue reading Amy’s Thread: Portfolio
Emily Explains: Modifying Mums
To join the summer home knit along I am knitting one of my designs from the collection, Mums! I am so excited because the home book was my favorite of the whole collection. Mums begins at the center and is worked in the round making a large flower with repeating petals. It is cast off… Continue reading Emily Explains: Modifying Mums
Amy’s Thread: Anna Zilboorg Giveaway Winner
Congratulations to Eileen, the winner of our Splendid Apparel by Anna Zilboorg (XRX, 2015) giveaway! Thank you so much to everyone who commented! There were so many great recommendations that I thought I'd recap the recurring themes from the comments for you - 3 authors in particular that came up over and over again. Several of… Continue reading Amy’s Thread: Anna Zilboorg Giveaway Winner
Designer Spotlight: Free Bird by Margeau Soboti
After several years working for Gucci and Vogue Knitting, among others, Margeau Soboti decided to focus on independent knitwear design. Her first book, Margeau Chapeau, comes out soon and she’s already working on a second! Margeau’s latest design, Free Bird, is a beautiful, oversized top knit in Berroco Folio. Knit in flat pieces, the front… Continue reading Designer Spotlight: Free Bird by Margeau Soboti
What Inspires: Thoughts of Home
Growing up, I moved a lot. With each new place we would unpack the boxes, hang the quilts and paintings on the wall, and make the beds with lots of blankets and pillows. Textiles that my mom made and collected were a huge part of what made a new strange place a home. I love how handmade blankets,… Continue reading What Inspires: Thoughts of Home
Amy’s Thread: Anna Zilboorg Giveaway
When I taught myself to knit (from a library copy of Montse Stanley's Knitter's Hanbook* and Leslie Stanfield's The New Knitting Stitch Library) there wasn't this amazing online community of knitters and blogs. There was no Ravelry, and most of the yarn shops were very different than they are today. I wasn't really inspired by… Continue reading Amy’s Thread: Anna Zilboorg Giveaway
Designer Spotlight: Modern Stripes Baby Blanket by Kelly Komejan
Kelly Komejan is living the dream… or at least working it. As an employee at her LYS, Country Needleworks, Kelly not only spends her days surrounded by yarn, she also gets to teach classes on knitting, crochet and beading. It’s a great way to fund her habit! Kelly’s Modern Stripes Baby Blanket is a reversible,… Continue reading Designer Spotlight: Modern Stripes Baby Blanket by Kelly Komejan
Emily Explains: Beginning a Project with an I-cord
I love simple edges to garments and am always curious about ribbing or garter stitch alternatives. In the Spring/Summer '15 collection, we designed Lobelias, Mojave Aster and North Shore to begin with an i-cord for a perfectly simple aesthetic. Want some help getting started? First, cast on the required number of stitches and knit an i-cord:… Continue reading Emily Explains: Beginning a Project with an I-cord
