Five Quick Gift Knits, a KAL & a Giveaway!

With Christmas coming up and the hubbub of the holiday season, sometimes all you’re looking for is a short yet satisfying project either for yourself or for a quick gift.

Here are our top 5 free one-skein-or-less patterns to knit that will keep you warm from head to toe.

The Barley Hat by Tin Can Knits is a classic, and fits just about everyone! With infant and adult sizes, you could whip these up for the whole family.

The Handbrake Cowl and Scarf pattern by Dan and Kay Jones, is an easy textured knit that can be easily adjusted for whatever yarn you choose.

The Pedestrian Crossing Cowl by Keegan Lane Designs is a fun buttoned cowl that would look great in a solid color or variegated yarn.

Warmest Mitts by Knitting Pretty would look good on anyone, and they knit up in a flash - they’re also great for knitting through your stash!

Who doesn’t need a pair of house slippers or ankle socks? Footies by Quirky Bird Knits is the ideal pattern to use up some stash yarn while getting a little gift off the needles at the same time.

It's a Woolly Wormhead KAL!

We're pleased to sponsor a KAL for Woolly Wormhead's final hat design of 2016, Muratura! This hat is knit sideways and uses a variation of the brioche stitch. Moreover, it knits up quickly, making it a great last-minute gift project for the holidays.

Click here for details on how to join the Muratura KAL for your chance to win 2 great prizes from Knitter's Pride - there is also a coupon code towards your pattern purchase!

Giveaway

While you’re knitting up these last minute gifts, why not treat yourself to a little luxury with Knitter’s Pride Royale needles?

Our Royale needles have colored wooden shafts (unique to each size) and sharp metal tips, perfect for all types of knitting. Choose from single point, double point and fixed circular needle, as well as Interchangeable and DPN set. Each set comes in a Parisian-themed zipper case, so you can daydream about being on a cafe patio in Paris with a hot cappuccino and your favorite knitting

project.

Comment on this blog post to enter our giveaway for a Knitter’s Pride Royale Single Pointed Needle Set - be sure to also include your Ravelry ID or email address so that we can contact you if you are our lucky winner. Come back to the blog on Friday, December 23 to see who won!

Winner + Free Crochet Mitts Pattern

Congratulations to Raveler mmmgood304, who won this month's giveaway for a Chunky Mesh Wrist Warmers kit! We'll be in touch with you shortly to arrange for the delivery of your prize.

Our previous blog post featured a free pattern to knit a quick pair of mitts using our Jumbo Birch needles and two skeins of Briggs & Little Super Yarn, and we promised a freebie for our fans who crochet in this week's blog post. These simple mitts are very easy to customize for a variety of hand sizes and stitch up ultra-quickly using just 1 skein of Briggs & Little Super Yarn and a Jumbo Birch crochet hook.

Enjoy!

Quick Crochet Wrist Warmers

by Stefanie Goodwin-Ritter

Supplies:

• 1 skein Briggs & Little Super yarn in Jade
• 1 20.00mm Jumbo Birch Crochet Hook
• 1 set Knitter's Pride Knit Blockers
• Knitter's Pride Blocking Mats 
• Knitter's Pride Wool Needles
• Your favorite wool wash

Gauge: 5 sts and 4 rows = 4 inches in single crochet, blocked

Finished Dimensions: 7" circumference, 7" length (allow approx. 1" negative ease; see instructions below for how to customize your fit)

About this pattern: A bulky weight yarn is worked with a larger hook size to product a mesh-like single crochet fabric. What makes this yarn special is the story: Bricggs & Little is Canada's oldest woolen mill and produces premium yarns spun from 100% domestic wool, and is milled, carded, dyed, and spun at their factory in York Mills, New Brunswick, Canada.

The finished mitts will be very stretchy, so be sure to knit the size that is approximately an inch smaller than your desired hand circumference. Don't be alarmed by the size and shape of your project while it is being knit - the magic is in the blocking!

Mitts (Make 2):

Ch 9 and work single crochet in 8 sts, beginning with second ch from hook.

Single crochet all rows until piece measures 6 inches from start. For your final row worked once you have achieved your intended length, slip stitch in final stitch, snip your yarn end leaving several inches for seaming, and pull through to secure yarn end.

How to get a custom fit: If you would like to create mitts with a larger or smaller circumference, you can add or subtract rows here - just be sure to take into account the notes above regarding negative ease and gauge when blocked.


With wool needle or tapestry needle, seam five inches of cast on and bound off edge together; leave the next 1.5 inches unseamed for thumb; tack the opposite edge together for top of mitt.

Wash your mitts in your favorite wool wash and lay flat to dry on Knitter's Pride Blocking Mats. To achieve stated dimensions and neat edges, use Knitter's Pride Knit Blockers as directed in our previous blog post, found here.

Wear & enjoy!

Giveaway + Free Pattern: Chunky Mesh Wrist Warmers

The holiday countdown has begun! We don't want to scare you, but if there are still a lot of names on your "knitworthy" list this year, consider this: there are only 6 Fridays until Christmas and Hanukkah. Now is the time for chunky quick knits!

Today, we share a simple pattern to make with our Jumbo Birch needles and two skeins of Briggs & Little Super Yarn. You can whip these up in just one evening of knitting, and the pattern is very easy to customize for a variety of hand sizes. For our friends to crochet, we will be sharing a free crochet pattern later this month right here on our blog.

Enjoy!

Chunky Mesh Wrist Warmers

by Stefanie Goodwin-Ritter

Supplies:

• 1 skein Briggs & Little Super yarn in Jade
• 1 skein Briggs & Little Super yarn in Light Green
• 1 pair Knitter's Pride US 50/25.00mm Jumbo Birch Needles
• 1 set Knitter's Pride Knit Blockers
• Knitter's Pride Blocking Mats 
• Knitter's Pride Wool Needles
• Your favorite wool wash

Gauge: 3.5 sts and 8 rows = 4 inches in pattern stitch, blocked

Finished Dimensions: 7" circumference, 7" length

(allow approx. 1" negative ease; see instructions below for how to customize your fit)

About this pattern: Yarn is held doubled throughout. What makes this yarn special is the story: Briggs & Little is Canada's oldest woolen mill and produces premium yarns spun from 100% domestic wool, and is milled, carded, dyed, and spun at their factory in York Mills, New Brunswick, Canada.

The finished mitts will be very stretchy, so be sure to knit the size that is approximately an inch smaller than your desired hand circumference. Don't be alarmed by the size and shape of your project while it is being knit - the magic is in the blocking!

Mitts (Make 2):

With yarn held double, cast on 6 stitches.

Begin knitting flat in seed stitch as follows:

Row 1 (RS): *k1, p1, rep from * to end.
Row 2 (WS): *p1, k1, rep from * to end.

Repeat these two rows of seed stitch til piece measures 7 inches from cast on.

How to get a custom fit: for a smaller hand circumference, work fewer rows here; for a larger hand circumference, work more rows. If you are achieving the stated gauge, each two-row repeat will add or subtract and inch from your intended circumference.

Once you have achieved your intended length, bind off all stitches in pattern.

With wool needle or tapestry needle, seam five inches of cast on and bound off edge together; leave the next 1.5 inches unseamed for thumb; tack the opposite edge together for top of mitt.

Wash your mitts in your favorite wool wash and lay flat to dry on Knitter's Pride Blocking Mats . To achieve stated dimensions (you will need to stretch your mitts lengthwise a bit to get the 7" length) and neat edges, use Knitter's Pride Knit Blockers like so:

Wear & enjoy!

Giveaway

We're giving one lucky reader a chance to win the Chunky Mesh Wrist Warmers Project Kit pictured below! To enter, leave a comment on this post telling us about your holiday gift knitting (or other crafting) plans! Be sure to also mention your Ravelry ID or email address so that we can contact you if you win.

We will announce our lucky winner on our next blog post on Friday, November 25. Good luck!

Winner + Creative Sock Construction Round-Up

First off, we'd like to announce the winner for this month's blog giveaway - congratulations to Kathryn M., you have won this month's prize! We will get in touch with you to coordinate the delivery of your prize. Thanks to everyone who entered this month's contest.

Socktober may almost be over, but of course you can knit socks year-round. We've spotted some really interesting ways of constructing socks over on Ravelry, and wanted to share some of these exciting techniques with our blog readers this month. If you have tried any of them, we'd love to hear what you think of the results in the comments!

#1: Sideways Socks
While socks knit sideways have been around for quite some time, we are seeing some interesting new patterns which use this technique! Variegated and self-striping yarns look especially great with this approach. Here are some interesting patterns to try: Skew by Lana Holden, Verizontal by General Hogbuffer, Vanishing Point by Jeny Staiman, or the Alamogordo Socks by Lisa Jacobs (shown below).

#2: Start-in-the-Middle Socks
This intriguing pattern by Carissa Brown begins at the heel and is worked outward for there - another great option for hand-dyed and variegated yarns.

#3: Fish Lips Kiss Heel
This popular method simplifies short row shaping and can used for both toe-up and top-down socks. We've heard many knitters rave about how easy it is to memorize.

#4:  OMG Heel & OMG Spacious Heel
This clever construction from podcaster Megan Williams includes instructions for using this heel in both toe-up and top-down socks. OMG stands for One-needle Mock Gusset for toe-up and One-needle Mini Guesset for top down!

#5: Pyramid Heel
This paid-for pattern from Interweave combines a Pyramid heel construction in toe-up socks with a striking stranded colorwork design & includes a video tutorial with the pattern.

#6: Toe-Up Tab
This free tutorial by Mary Spanos uses a similar approach to the garter tab cast-on which is used for many shawl patterns.

We're also pleased to give knitters one more option when choosing needles for their next sock project: in addition to DPNs and circular needles for magic looping, we now offer small circumference 9" needles in our Dreamz and Nova Platina lines! 

Is there a new sock knitting technique you use that isn't listed here? Let us know in the comments!

2016 Gift Set Reveal: Melodies of Life

We're pleased to introduce this year's limited edition gift set, which is arriving at a Knitter's Pride retailer near you this month! Melodies of Life celebrates the festive season with a theme that will be music to your ears!

The Melodies of Life Gift Set

Each limited edition set includes:

• Nine pairs of vibrant color-coded Zing needles in US 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10.5, and 11 (3.5, 3.75, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5 & 8.0mm) that carry laser-marked sizes. 
•  Four color coded cables: one 24"(60cm - green), two 32" (80cm - orange), and one 40" (100cm - red). 
•  An assortment of knitting accessories: set of cord connectors, wool needles, and stitch holders, all packed in a coordinated monogrammed fabric pouch. 
•  Two pair french wire earrings made from our famous colored wood (more on that below!).

Everything is beautifully packaged in a box that is perfect for gifting. The Melodies of Life gift set is sure to top every knitter's wish list this holiday season! 

Here's a closer look at the accessories contained in the set: 

We're also offering our fans a sneak peek into a new endeavor we'll be launching in 2017: Knitter's Pride will be expanding into the field of fashion jewelry that is designed with the enchanting colors of our wood under a new brand name called TEEKRI. Each gift set contains two pairs of earrings that have been crafted at our factory and made from our famous colored wood! This special bonus is our way of saying "thank you" to our awesome band of knitters who have always supported and encouraged Knitter's Pride to continue developing our products.

October Giveaway

This month, we're offering our readers a chance to win one of our new hand-printed fabric bags, perfect for keeping your projects organized this fall! This Radiance full-fabric double-zipper bag features two separate compartments, keeping for everything organized while on-the-go. You can use it for accessories, crafting tools, small projects, or even for storing non-yarn items if you wish!

To be entered in our giveaway, leave a comment on this post telling us which product from our new 2016 collection you would most want to try - click here to see them all! Don't forget to also tell us your ravelry ID or email address so that we can contact you if you win.

We will randomly select a winner to announce on our next blog blog on Friday, October 28. Good luck!

Winner + Think Small

First off, congratulations to emilygum, this month’s blog winner! We will contact you via Ravelry to arrange for the delivery of your prize, your choice of Jumbo Birch knitting needles or crochet hook.

We’ve had a lot of customers ask us when 9” fixed circular needles would be added to the Knitter’s Pride lineup - if this is something that you’ve been anxiously awaiting, you are in luck! We’ve added 9” circumference needles to our Dreamz and Nova Platina lines in a variety of sizes, and they should be arriving at an LYS near you this fall (click here to see what else is new for this fall!). 

Many knitters prefer to use 9” fixed circular needles to knit projects such as sleeves, socks, preemie hats and doll clothes, but did you know that they are also excellent for swatching in the round?

If you’re a fan of knitting seamless projects in the round, it’s best to also knit your initial swatch in the round as well, instead of knitting a swatch flat as many of us do. This is because purling on the wrong side can affect your flat swatch gauge differently than if you were to knit your stockinette swatch in the round, because you would only be working a knit stitch on the right side.

The above swatch project uses our 9” Nova Platina fixed circular needles and a skein of Kraemer Jane yarn. 

Everything fits neatly in our new Amber fabric and vinyl zipper pouch, which is perfect for small projects such as this. The Amber bag shown here is part of our new line of hand-printed fabric bags for fall. This zipper pouch keeps your project safe while on-the-go, and it’s easy to see what’s inside because of the clear vinyl side! 

Click here to see the variety of shapes, sizes, styles and prints which will be arriving at an LYS near you this fall. 

Giveaway + Think Big!

September is here, and with cool temperatures just around the corner, it's time to plan your next project. Not only are chunky knits and crochet projects in style this season, they're also fast and fun to make - and easier than ever with our new Jumbo Birch needles and crochet hooks.

New to our line this season, our Jumbo Birch needles are available in:

• 14" Single Pointed Needles in US 36 (20.0 mm), US 50 (25.0 mm), 30.0 mm and 35.0 mm sizes.
• 8" Double Pointed Needles in US 36 (20.0 mm) and US 50 (25.0 mm) sizes.
• 32", 40" and 47" Fixed Circular Needles in US 36 (20.0 mm), US 50 (25.0 mm), 30.0 mm and 35.0 mm sizes.

Also new this season are Jumbo Birch single ended crochet hooks in 20.0 mm, 25.0 mm, 30.0 mm and 35.0 mm sizes! 

Jumbo Birch Crochet Hook with one of our new hand printed fabric canvas project bags.

We've picked out some great free knit & crochet patterns from Ravelry to inspire you to start - and maybe even finish! - something new this weekend.

Knitting Pattern Inspiration

From L-R: The Gathering by Kalurah Hudson, Eleventh Hour Scarf from Purl Soho, and Dark Woods by Caitlin ffrench.

From L-R: Endless Cables Chunky Knit Throw by Jessica Reeves Potasz, Billowy Ocean Wave Rug by Stacy Tavassoli, and Chunky Garter Blanket by Mari Chiba.

Crochet Pattern Inspiration

From L-R: Instant Decor Pillows by Janette Higgins, Chunky Yarn Outdoor Rug by Stacey Williams, and Le Pouffe by Julie Philip.

From L-R: Jumbo Triple Luxe Cowl by Stephanie Jessica Lau, Cobweb Scarf by Jennifer Hansen, and The Crocheted Canadian by Karen Clements.

Giveaway Time! 
Leave a comment telling us your favorite big stitch knit or crochet pattern for your chance to win your choice of Jumbo Birch knitting needles or crochet hook! Be sure to also mention your Ravelry ID or email address so that we can contact you if you win and provide a list of items to choose from.

We'll randomly select a winning comment to announce on our next blog post on Friday, September 23. Good luck!