Knitter's Pride 2018-19 Collection Reveal

We are pleased to introduce our 2018-19 Collection, arriving at a Knitter's Pride retailer near you next month!

We have made some exciting additions to our knitting needle and crochet hook ranges and are also adding lots of notions, tools, and bags to our lineup to help you stay organized and craft smarter. We will be adding more information to our website in the days to come, and also sharing details on our social media channels soon. For now, we hope you enjoy feasting your eyes on this sneak peek!

Ginger Range

This stunning new range is available in single point, double point, fixed circular, interchangeable knitting needles and single ended and Tunisian crochet hooks. These wooden needles feature a unique tinted look and come in luxury knitting cases we know you'll love.

Zing Range

By popular demand, we are expanding our Zing range to include Single Ended Crochet Hooks and Crochet Hooks Sets, and we're also adding Size US 2.5 (3.00mm) and US 3 (3.25mm) in Normal, Special Interchangeable, and 9" & 12" Fixed Circular knitting needle options.

Bamboo Gift Set

10 pairs of Interchangeable Needle tips made featuring quality Bamboo coupled with copper metal connectors gives a unique feel to the whole set. The set includes US sizes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10.5, 11 and 4 cords to make needle lengths of 24, 32 (two count) & 40 inches and one set of cord connectors.

Row Counter Rings

Keep track of your knitting pattern in style! These rings are made from high quality stainless steel, and are available in 4 sizes.

Magnetic Knitter's Necklace Kit

Never lose another cable needle (or stitch marker!) again with this clever and stylish accessory. The magnetic wooden pendant can be used to keep the cable needles and stitch markers close for easy access. Choose from the two colors shown here; additional cable needle and stitch markers can also be purchased as a separate accessories kit as needed.

Nostepinne

This portable tool allows you to wind yarn into a ball virtually anywhere, allowing you to create a center-pull ball with ease.

Rainbow Knit Blockers

Our popular Knit Blockers now have a playful new look! Knitters can have more fun while blocking their favorite projects with this revolutionary blocking tool, which has been designed to speed up the blocking process for knitters & crocheters alike. Our new Rainbow Knit Blockers come in ten different colors in each set.

Zooni Stitch Markers

Six new super-cute variants have been added to our range of Zooni Stitch markers to add more fun to your project. Each pack of 12 comes in a mesh pouch for storage.

Knitting Charms

These multipurpose accessories each come with a repair hook & needle and can also double up as a key ring or bag charm. They make fabulous gifts for your crafty friends and are sure to draw attention and smiles!

Flora Shawl Pins

We've added 8 new shawl pin designs to our curated collection inspired by nature and the works of our designers. Each pin lends meaning to the garment you wear it with and enhances its unique beauty. They can also be used as hair pins!

Vibrance Pouches

Organize your stuff with these bright mesh pouches, available in button or zipper closures. Three assorted sizes (small, medium and large) and colors mean you have a size for just about anything.

Our 2018-19 collection will be arriving in shops beginning July 2018 - click here to find your nearest Knitter's Pride retailer, or ask for them at your Local Yarn Store (LYS). 

Sock Knitting: The Perfect Toe

This month, we’re delighted to host the Leanna Lace Spring Socks KAL with our friends at Heart of the Mitten. It’s not too late to join this KAL! Click here for all the details, including the pattern link, coupons to purchase yarn, and details about how to participate and win prizes.

Previously, we shared tips for knitting the heel of your sock. From there, once you have decreased the gusset stitches back down to the original stitch count, you will continue to knit in the round, much as you knit the leg, but with one change: the stitches on the top of your foot will continue in the established lace stitch pattern, and the stitches on the bottom of the food will be worked in stockinette stitch (knit all stitches). 

Now it is time to turn your attention to the finishing of your socks: the toe and beyond!

Knitting the Toe

The Leanna Lace Socks pattern is written for a rounded toe. In knitting terms, this means that you're going to decrease slowly at first, and then more quickly until you get to the tip of the toe, where you'll finish our sock. 

First, make sure you've knit the foot of your sock to the length listed in the pattern, or where you feel you’re ready to start to knit the toe. You should have finished after completing Row 4 or Row 8 of the Leanna Lace pattern.

To knit the toe, you will need:

• A copy of the Leanna Lace Socks pattern
• US Size 1 ½ (2.5mm) needle(s), circular or DPNs, or size to get gauge
• One skein of Dale Garn Alpakka Forte or Hakkespett yarn

(Note: for the purposes of this tutorial we used US Size 1 (2.25mm) Knitter’s Pride Zing Double Pointed Needles and Dale Garn Hakkespett yarn)

Now let’s knit the toe!

Step 1: Arrange your stitches such that you are knitting the instep stitches as one set and the sole stitches as another set. You may need to switch stitches around on the needle if you working in Magic Loop. Remember at the end of the heel, the beginning of the row started at the middle of the bottom of the foot. Now, your beginning of round will be at the start of your instep stitches.

Step 2: Knit 1 round even. On the next round, beginning with the instep stitches, K1, sl1-k1-psso, then knit across the instep stitches until the last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1.  Repeat once for the sole stitches. You have now decreases 4 stitches, 2 on the top of the foot and two on the bottom.  Repeat Step 2 twice more (for a total of three times, 6 rows, 12 stitches decreased).

Step 3: Continue repeating your decrease round, bolded above, on every round until only 8-10 stitches remain.

Step 4: Cut yarn, leaving an 8” tail, and thread end through tapestry needle.  Use the tapestry need to run through the remaining live stitches, then pull taut to close the toe.

That’s it! You’re done knitting your sock.

Finishing Your Socks

Once you have finished the knitting you still have a bit of finishing work to do. Using the tapestry needle, weave in any ends that remain (specifically one at the toe and one at the cuff).

Now you should finish the sock by washing it and blocking it. In case you haven’t washed or blocked anything before, here are a few simple steps to follow:

Step 1: Fill a clean sink (or bucket, or basin) with lukewarm water. We like to add just a smidge of heat to the water to loosen any oils or dirt that might be lurking in a knit, but prefer not to go too much beyond lukewarm.  

Step 2: Add some of your favorite wool wash. We like to use either Eucalan or Allure, but there are many wool washes out there to choose from.  

Step 3: Gently add your socks to the water. We like to press the socks into the water softly and make sure they are entirely submerged. Don’t add too much agitation, just enough to get your socks good and wet. Let your sock soak for about 20 minutes in the water/wool wash solution.

Step 4: Check the label of your wool wash. Some suggest a cool water rinse to remove remaining wool wash; others such as Eucalan and Allure don’t require a rinse. No-rinse detergents can not only be time-savers, they also remove an extra opportunity to accidentally felt your socks during the rinsing process if you haven't used machine washable yarn.

Step 5: Remove your socks from the water and squeeze gently to remove excess water. The key here is being gentle; don’t wring or twist your socks. If you have a clean towel nearby, you can roll your socks into the towel and squeeze gently again to remove more excess water.

Step 6: Lay your socks out to dry. If you would like, you can purchase sock blockers and put your socks on the blockers to dry to give them a nice shape!

Additional Notes About Toes

As we mentioned earlier in this post, the toe as written in the Leanna Lace sock pattern is a rounded toe. Similar to the many varieties of heels, there are many other kinds of toes you can knit if you prefer something different. You can achieve different toes by varying the rate and frequency of your decreases; we’ve included a few examples below.

The Wedge Toe

For a rounded toe, you knit your decreases every other round at first, and then knit them every round to create a rounded shape. To knit a wedge toe, simply keep decreasing at the slower rate - every other round. This creates a toe that looks a little bit more like a pie wedge. In the case of many wedge toes, you don’t decrease down to quite as few stitches as in the Leanna Lace sock, and when you finish you don’t pull your working yarn through the remaining stitches to cinch it closed, but rather graft the top and bottom stitches together using Kitchener Stitch.

The Star Toe

The Star Toe is a mixture of elements from the round toe and from the wedge toe. In a star toe, you are decreasing at multiple points around the toe down to a very small number before you close the toe almost in a point. The decreases make a sort of a swirling pattern around the sock to the point, hence the star name. You can vary the frequency of decreases to create either a longer or shorter toe as you wish.

To check out these toes and more you can refer to this Knitty article by Kate Atherly or this Interweave post entitled “5 Ways to Work a Sock Toe.”

Also Read: 5 Tips For Better Knit Socks

We'd love to see your sock projects on Instagram - be sure to share your photos with #knitterpride and #KPHOMsocks in your post!

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