Summerlong KAL

Ready for an informal summer knit-along? I know I should be thinking about cooler-weather knits (and I am), but seriously, all I want to knit with right now are plant fibers. Cool cotton and drapey linen are the perfect thing for garments that can be worn well into Fall—and I’m feeling the urge for a new linen top. If you feel the same, come join the Summerlong KAL starting today in the Blue Bee Knits Ravelry Group!

The KAL will run from July 1 through September 6. Here’s how to participate:

• Knit any of my linen-specific designs: Donner, Helvetica, Lina, or Colina. You can knit it in any yarn you like, but you’ll get an extra entry into the prize drawing for using a yarn that has at least 50% linen, cotton, or hemp.

• Knit any of my other designs, but use a yarn that has at least 50% linen, cotton, or hemp. Some patterns that would work amazingly well in plant fibers are Woodfords, Meris, Rose Gold, Meditate, Millrace Shawl, and Eddy.

• If you are new to working with linen, and want to give the Warm Springs Bath Mitt a try, you’ll need to make two mitts to be eligible for a prize.

• Works in progress (WIPs) are fine, but to be eligible for a prize, they should be no more than 50% complete.

• Post your photos of your finished objectss in the Summerlong FO thread by September 6 for a chance to win prizes. Multiple projects are fine.

Please tag your projects with SummerlongKAL on Ravelry, and use #SummerlongKAL on social media.

Now through July Fourth get 20% off any of my self-published patterns when you enter the code SUMMERLONG in the Ravelry shopping cart.

Making sweaters that fit

Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to knit a set-in sleeve sweater that really fits well? The answer lies in our anatomy. Human beings are very forward-oriented, and almost everything we do brings our arms toward the front of our bodies. For this reason, most people have a shorter measurement across the front of their shoulders than they do across the back. For me, this is 2¼" (about 5.5 cm), which although it sounds like a lot, is really a pretty normal difference.

For set-in sleeve garment to fit well, it first has to fit the shoulders. But knitting patterns generally give a single cross-shoulder measurement on their schematic—the cross-back. If I choose a sweater size to knit based on my cross-back width, I’ll wind up in a sweater that has several inches of extra fabric across the front. Not only will it look sloppy, but it won’t stay on my shoulders very well, especially if it is an open-front design.

It’s easy to see that to make a sweater that really fits in the shoulders, the armholes need to be shaped so that you get the exact width of fabric you need across the front, and the width you need across the back of the garment. This asymmetric armhole shaping is the starting point for The Muslin Sweater, a brand-new class I’m teaching at A Verb for Keeping Warm this Spring.

I’m incredibly excited about this class: Over the course of six weeks, each participant will learn to adapt the basic Muslin Sweater pattern and knit a sweater that is perfectly tailored to fit themselves. The class will meet for three sessions—May 13, May 27, and June 17—and in between times we’ll share progress and continue the discussion online using a dedicated site.
 

The Muslin Sweater

In sewing, a test garment known as a muslin is used for perfecting the fit of a pattern. Our Muslin Sweater will be a completely wearable test garment, and the techniques you'll learn in the process are ones you'll be able to apply to future knits.  
 

Getting started

The first session will focus on customizing the Muslin Sweater pattern. Using body measurements taken in class and the info from your gauge swatch, you'll learn to modify a set-in sleeve pattern to fit the way you want it to—then we'll cast on and begin to work the upper shoulders.

Over the next two weeks, you'll complete the upper bodice of the sweater at home, checking in online with questions or to share photos of your work in progress.

In-depth sleeve cap shaping

Shoulder and upper arm shapes can vary a lot from person to person, and a knitter with very square shoulders will need a sleeve cap that is shaped a bit differently from someone with sloping shoulders. In this session, we'll begin working the top down set-in sleeve cap, and learn how to tweak its shape to fit your particular anatomy.

Over the next three weeks, you'll work the sweater body and sleeves, minus hem and cuffs.
 

Finishing touches

In the final session we'll evaluate the fit of our sweaters and see if there are further adjustments that you might try in future knits. We'll also take a look at techniques and stitches for bands, cuffs and hems—the finishing details that can make your sweaters outstanding.

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The Muslin Sweater workshop will give you the knowledge and confidence to adjust sweater patterns, and to make garments that fit you beautifully. It's going to be a grand adventure. Hope you can join us!
 

The Muslin Sweater Workshop will be held at
A Verb for Keeping Warm in Oakland, California
May 13, May 27, and June 17

The Hat Trick

Could you make me a hat? It's a question I get asked a lot, especially by the guys in my family. They know I love to knit them, and as many hats as I make, they are always eager for more. 

Hats tend to be my take-along project of choice, and while there are times that I like an intricate pattern, for knitting on the go and social knitting, I prefer simple designs. A stitch pattern that's a little more interesting than stockinette—but still easily memorizable—is perfect. And it works out nicely that simple motifs are what guys often prefer. 

Meet Hat Trick, a collection of three unisex designs that have become my go-to patterns for family hats. All three use simple slip-stitch patterns to create textural interest (and keep me from nodding off), and are designed to be knit at a virtually any gauge. 

Each pattern provides cast-on and decrease round stitch counts for hat sizes ranging from child's to men's extra-large, in yarn weights from fingering to bulky, and has instructions for working both slouchy and beanie-style versions. Advice on how to use every bit of your available yarn is also included—super helpful when working with handspun or using up the odd ball in your stash.

The patterns are available individually, and as an ebook collection. The ebook is a great deal at $12, and now through Friday, January 20 if you purchase the individual patterns, Breakaway, Crosscheck and Deke, you'll get them at  20% off the regular price.