A quick review of my closet reveals very little red but an absolute favorite item of clothing, both to have knit and to wear, is this Danish styled, boxy pull-over featuring cabled stars. Initially described in March 2022 after participating in a winter sweater workshop with Marie Greene, this comfy, cozy sweater is worthy of showcasing for #SimplyRed Squares with BeckyB.
A swift scroll through years of digital photos revealed a varied selection of pictures suitable for this month’s square challenge #SimplyRed! (Not to be confused with the former English soul and pop band of the same name.)
Becky B. hosts this quarterly themed challenge. While participants are encouraged to post daily, the only real requirement for this fun blogging exercise is that the themed photo must be square. Her previous themes ranged from BrightSquares to GeometricJanuary to TreeSquares. With five Tuesdays, I have set a weekly goal for #SimplyRed! and, as this is mostly a knitting journal, I will start by highlighting a sweater knit for a new great-great nephew.
Featuring my favorite design element – cables, the Waterfall pattern by Marie Greene, offers assorted sizes from newborn (0-6 months) to seven years. Knowing little ones grow quickly, I hope this size 2-4 might keep our new great-great nephew warm on future chilly Indiana days. Knit in his older brother’s favorite color, red, the yarn is a blend of cotton, bamboo, and silk which knits up nicely with the advantage of being machine washable for busy parents.
#SimplyRed!
My in-house “colorist” helped select the lovely hues for the Spring String mystery knit-along. I am so pleased with the result that I am keeping the Postcard from the Edge shawl for personal use. When making my initial yarn selection, I identified several pairings from among my stash that looked good but I was stumped when moving beyond two complimentary skeins. However, the pattern required a third selection – a main color, a contrasting color and an accent. I will admit I was hesitant when Richard chose Farmers Market (MC), Macrame (CC), and Pumpkin Spice, a variegated accent skein as I could not envision the outcome. (Note to self – Trust the artist in the house!)
Knitting began when the first of five mystery clues was revealed on April 1 and continued quickly with the release of a new clue each Tuesday; all while learning several new stitches. The hand-dyed organic Merino from Heather Best at Sew Happy Jane had a lovely feel, flowing through my fingers. The Knit Camp pattern from Marie Greene offered clear, tech-edited directions and even provided stitch counts as the shawl grew by four stitches every other row – from just five stitches at cast-on to 419 at bind-off. The end result a triangular shawl featuring lacy scallops and slipped stitches drawn into flowery bursts.
Happy knitting!
This year’s virtual Traveler’s Club: A Knitter’s Journey has moved from Switzerland to Germany. But before leaving the alpine meadows and glacial lakes of my grandparents, I finished two of the three Swiss inspired patterns. (The February knit-along project, Kleine Sweater, is still on my needles.)
Marie Greene developed these new designs after spending time in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss Alps.
Happy Knitting! Or, more appropriately, Viel Spaß beim Stricken!
…it is time for Knit Camp’s 2025 Spring String Mystery Knit-along (MKAL).
The first clue dropped today without any April Fools tomfoolery. The remainder of the pattern will be revealed over the next four weeks. Just like a well-written dust jacket blurb that offers story hints without giving away the plot, the pattern’s pre-release notes provided an overview sufficient to know this will be a triangular shawl, in three colors using fingering weight yarn.
The yarn for Postcard from the Edge is a lovely selection of hand-dyed, organic Merino from Heather Best at Sew Happy Jane. And, with a move to a new house always on the fringe of my consciousness, there will be three fewer skeins to pack and move as I did a “stash dive” for this project.
Happy knitting!
On a sunny March day, with meteorological Spring having just sprung, I have a Fall weekend booked for knitting. From September 18-20, I will join 100s of other knitters at the annual Knit Camp at the Coast virtual retreat. My registration is confirmed, complete with swag. The speakers’ roster is a who’s who of industry experts. As planned, workshop topics range from short rows to color saturation to changing gauge. With a sunny disposition, I will set aside my worries of potential scheduling conflicts – retreat vs. house move – and simply plan to defer packing and unpacking while acquiring new skills.
Happy knitting!
With my yarn caked, the pattern printed on cardstock, and the third swatch having met gauge using my new blue-and-gold interchangeable needles, I am ready to cast on Kleine Cardigan. Marie Greene’s new design pays homage to the Swiss flag although I opted for a silvery gray and maroon color combo rather than the traditional red and white. This sweater will be knit bottom-up in one piece using organic merino hand-dyed in Kansas.
Needles in hand I am ready to virtually explore Switzerland with hundreds of other Traveler’s Club participants.
Happy Knitting! Or, more appropriately, Viel Spaß beim Stricken!
Photo credit: Logo for Winter Workshop © Marie Greene, 2024
Mail arrived from Switzerland just as Knit Camp’s virtual Traveler’s Club begins its three-month (January – March) exploration of Swiss fiber arts. The beautiful, handcrafted card offered family news, as well as memories from the summer of 2023 and time spent with Kuster cousins. This holiday greeting will serve as inspiration when I stash dive for yarn to knit this month’s themed pattern, the Interlaken Headband which features interlocking two-color mosaic stitches, just like the lakes for which the design is named.
Plus, the hand painted Christmas imagery also qualifies for this month’s geometric squares with BeckyB!
Happy Knitting! Or, more appropriately, Viel Spaß beim Stricken!
Only the barest details were revealed before the start of the fall Knit Camp mystery knit-a-long (MKAL).
The Bubble Wand Shawl began with a five-stitch cast-on. A four-stitch increase on every right-side row – one stitch added at the beginning of the row, two along a central axis, one at the end of the row – provided the shape and size. From that simple cast-on, the stitch count grew through the final lacy edge and a bind-off of 389 stitches. The Stroll Fingering blend of 75% merino wool and 25% nylon, knit using a larger than recommended needle size resulted in an airy fabric with a lovely drape that wraps nicely around the neck and shoulders. Now, I just need a lucky recipient.
Happy knitting!
After hosting a Kuster cousin in July and Müller cousins in October, my knitting will vicariously take me to the land of my Swiss grandparents. In 2025, knitting maven Marie Greene will guide knitters on virtual travel tours to Switzerland, Germany, France, and British Columbia. Each quarter, she will share culturally specific patterns, history lessons, and recipes. As with her other workshops, there will be instructional videos to help participants learn new techniques, suggested books to read, and a music list, as well as random prizes, possible even in situ knitting notions. In January, along with my fellow travelers, I will begin this knitting journey at Kleine Scheidegg in the Canton of Bern. It is a magical place which I visited in 1982 and 1991 as the Jungfrau was my grandmother’s favorite mountain. While the sweater that will be the focus of the coming year’s annual Knit Camp sweater knit-a-long (KAL) is still being designed, a sneak peek at the top-down cardigan reveals slipped stitches in red and white, just like the Swiss flag.
Happy Knitting! Or, more appropriately, Viel Spaß beim Stricken!
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