Knitted, Embroidered Sunflower Pillow - Notes from Kristin

Happy February everyone! It's been a slow slog back to making but I'm back. I finally finished a sunflower pillow that has been languishing in my knitting bag for years. Here it is......

It is an adaption from my Inspired Interiors PDF Download. I knit the square version in the round with a steek. Here is the chart I used. You can purchase the pattern on my website here or on Ravelry here. 

After I finished the knitting and steeking, I decorated each flower with a Spider Web center outlined in French Knots. You can watch a 51 minute video on Creativebug on how to do these stitches on your own knits. Here is that link.  

Here are some close-ups of my embroidered centers. I love this technique because it gives me the chance to add more color and texture to my knits. Give it a try - it isn't difficult. 

You can purchase the pattern on my website here or on Ravelry here. 

Paul's Moroccan Fedora

Melissa is a longtime friend of mine from New Jersey. She now lives in Maine with her husband Paul. They are both musicians. Melissa's Mom Peggy (now in her late 80's) is a dear friend of mine. For years, she knit many samples for the different leaflets and books. Here's a photo of Julia, Mom and Peggy taken here at our farm back in 2006 when this blog was rather newish.  

Not many years ago, Paul taught himself to knit and he is really killing it these days. He is a pianist and I'm thinking those talented fingers were just itching to learn to knit. He sent me photos of his granddaughter wearing one of the hats he made from my Moroccan Fedora pattern. He kindly has let me share them here on the blog. 

Isn't she the cutest? The yarn Paul used is Malabrigo and he said it was the worsted weight. Here is the top of the hat. 

Now he is working on another project from the World Knits Collection. Can't wait to see how that turns out. Well done Paul! 

If you have made any projects from the World Knits Collection, I would love to see what you have done. You can send them to me via email or facebook. 

You can purchase the Moroccan Fedora Pattern here on Ravelry or on my website here. Thanks so much Paul for sharing. 

Knitted Farm Progress

Last week, I shared the progress on my knitted Farmer and then told you about how he disappeared. After then re-knitting another farmer, the first knitted Farmer miraculously reappeared this week. So now there are two knitted Farmers. 

I've been knitting the animals for the Knitted Farm from the Ethnic Gift Collection PDF Pattern. Here are some process shots. In each photo, you can see all the pieces that need to be knit. The projects are done on double pointed needles. Once you get the hang of them, they are actually quite fun to work with. 

I used a worsted weight yarn but it doesn't matter what weight you use. The heavier the yarn, the bigger your Farm.

Here is the pig. 



Here is the sheep. It is the same as the pig but it is turned inside out part way through so the purl bumps simulate the texture of wool. 



Here is the cow. It is about twice as big as the sheep and pig. 



I spent an evening stuffing and sewing them together. Here's how the whole set looks right now. 



If you want to give these a try, you can purchase the pattern on my website HERE or on Ravelry HERE. It also includes a Christmas Stocking, Teddy Bear Sweater and a dog sweater. 

I've Made Some Moroccan Fedoras

I'm back again. I hope I can be of some distraction to you all in this time of uncertainty. Perhaps I can inspire you to pick up your knitting needles again, sit down in a cozy chair, turn off the news, put on a good movie or two and experiment with some colorful knitting.

Today, I want to share my newest Moroccan Fedora from the new World Knits PDF Collection available on my website here or on Ravelry here. 

This hat is one of the four different featured designs from this creative and colorful pattern. It is called the "Pillbox Cap" and it is a rather quick knit. Here is my reticent model Julia wearing it.

Here's another view.

And a closeup of the embroidery I added. 

You can see a short video of me steaming it here. 

I have been going through some of my textile books recently looking for inspiration for some new tea towel fabric designs. One of my most favorite books is called Silk and Cotton Textiles from the Central Asia That Was by Susan Meller (2013, Abrams). It is available on Amazon now for a very good price if this kind of book is your jazz. 

Susan Meller is an amazingly accomplished textile collector and author. I have all three of her inspiring books in my library and turn to them constantly for inspiration. You can check out her website here. The riches of Silk and Cotton Textiles is astounding. There are essays by collectors, beautiful photos of embroidered, handwoven fabrics including ikats, a large selection of period photos from the early 1900's and so much more. I purchased this book when it was first published at $60. Now, as with all "old" books, the price has diminished into paperback pricing. If you are inspired by these kinds of fabrics and books and color ranges, I highly suggest you add it to your library. 

In my last pass through this tome, I stumbled upon pages of incredible handmade, embroidered hats worn by tribes in Central Asia. I couldn't believe the similarity in shape of many of these children's hats to my Pillbox Hat design. The intricacy of the embroidery on the hats was amazing and many could be used as your own inspiration for a Fedora or two using my Moroccan Fedora PDF Pattern as a base for your own design. 

In all of The World Knits Collection PDF Downloads, I include empty charts so that you can design your own project. There are also extra charts to try out which are not featured on any of the sample projects. 

My goal has always been to inspire knitters to create their very own designs. I really enjoy seeing what others have done using my patterns as "jumping off" points for their own color combinations, motifs, charts and designs. That is one of the most rewarding parts of being an author and teacher. For me, there is no right or wrong way to do things and I love to see how folks turn an idea into their own. 

So, here's what I challenge you to do during this crazy time in history... step out of your comfort zone and try a new pattern. Draw your own chart. Combine new and different colors. And send me photos of your successes or failures! As I see it, there are NO FAILURES - ONLY LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR A FUTURE SUCCESS.  

Thank you Susan Meller for all the work you have put into your books and collections. They are priceless. 

The Moroccan Fedora PDF Pattern is available 
on my website here or 
on Ravelry here. 
Stay safe and well everyone and as Elizabeth said.... Knit On!

BTW, Meg Swansen emailed me recently to let me know that she has gotten her hands on 10 copies of Anatolian Knitting that I recently blogged about HERE. You can purchase on the Schoolhouse Press Website. 

What to do in this time of uncertainty? OMG - Knit a Farmer...

Hello all you fine folks! What a few weeks it has been and more to come. I don't have any sound advice to give you all in the wake of the coronavirus hitting our shores. No one knows how it will affect their families and friends and communities. It's all a bit crazy and out of the ordinary. I wish you and yours all the best as we struggle our way through the unknown. 

When all else fails, I say knit! I have been knitting a lot this winter. A few weeks ago, I wrote this hilarious post and then followed it up with this post. If you haven't read this blog in a while there is a lot to catch up on. I've been introducing the 15 patterns from World Knits Collection. I've been giving back-story to the different patterns and designs. All of the patterns are available by PDF Download on my website or over on Ravelry. 

These designs were all made almost 25 years ago over the span of 4 years. Unfortunately I have very few of the original designs. I've been going over the patterns and knitting some up. I'll post a few this week. Right now, I'm knitting a Farmer from The Ethnic Gift Collection. I found the original Farmwoman but could not find her mate. Here she is.....

She was a bit moth ravaged but I patched her up. Her apron lifts up to reveal a pocket and she can be used as a small purse or carrying bag. 

I looked high and low for her mate and could not find him anywhere. Here he is in progress. Sorry about some of the poorly lit photos. 

Two legs ready to be joined

Legs joined and hips knit

Belt knit

Chest begun

Neck shaped and head and hat begun. He has to be stuffed as you go because the knitting closes in on the pieces. I added some French knot buttons before doing the neck. 

The head is finished here and has been stuffed

The purl ridge is picked up and a brim is knitted for the hat

The arms are finished and ready to attach. A few ends to weave in. 

Here is my Farmer with facial features, laces, hair that needs to be trimmed. 

I took him down into my studio to my steamer to give him a little plump up and a hair trim. Guess what! He has disappeared. I cannot find him anywhere! Once again - I have looked high and low and he is in the miss. I'm wondering if one of the cats took him away. That is all I can think of. 

And so I began again. I knit another farmer. Here's what I have so far.......

The second one went much quicker than the first. I'm in a groove now. I'm going to keep knitting the Farm. 

To Be Continued........

Purchase the Eclectic Gift Collection on my website here or on Ravelry here. 

More tomorrow! 

Ethnic Gift Collection from The World Knits Collection with Progress Shots

Available on my website here

or on Ravelry here

Here it is - the last PDF Download in the World Knits Collection. Introducing The Ethnic Gift Collection. Pattern includes:

• Dog Sweater in several sizes

• Fair Isle Christmas Stocking

• Teddy Bear Sweater

• Knitted Toys including Farmer, sheep, cow, pig, and chicken

• Farm Woman Purse or Monedero

I just discovered the Farm Woman stashed in a book case. She had a bit of moth damage so I've patched her up. 

Her apron lifts up to reveal a slit and her skirt becomes a purse.  

Her Farmer is missing in action so I am working on a new one to help her with the chores. You can see my progress in the photos below. The projects are worked in the round. If you have very short dpns they would be helpful because the normal length are a bit unwieldly. Please excuse the awful photos taken at night while knitting in a dark room. 

Two legs - ready to be joined

Legs joined and hips knitted

Adding a belt

Shirt partly knitted and ready for shoulder shaping. He will be stuffed before shaping the shoulders because the stitches decrease way down for the neck and there will be no way to get the pieces stuffed when that happens. 

I will also be knitting up some animals for them to take care of. I will try to take process photos for you all in case you want to embark on knitting your own farm. 

Inspired Interiors from The World Knits Collection

Available on my website here 

and on Ravelry here

Inspired Interiors is Number 14 of the World Knits Collection. 

So I'll be honest with you all. This is probably my favorite pattern from The World Knits Collection. I have been interested in interior decoration for my entire adult life and I was always trying to figure out a way I could add knitting to my interiors. Finally in the early 90's I thought about mimicking needlepoint pillows with knitted Fair Isle patterning. If I knit the fabric tight enough and designed the right Fair Isle Chart, the resulting fabric could then be embellished with duplicate stitch to look like needlepoint. 

Once I started thinking about pillows, I couldn't stop dreaming up shapes that could be knit. There are 5 different styles of pillows in this collection. First of all, and most simple, is a square pillow in two sizes -- 14 and 20". The instructions are given for in the round knitting with a steek. Once you are done with the tube, you will cut the steek stitches down the middle. Using a very long circular needle (or perhaps 2), stitches are picked up all the way around the pillow and a mitered border is added.

The second square pillow is shown all the way to the left (red, black, gold and purple). This pillow is worked in the round and shaping is done with double decreases at four corners. The stitches are reduced and at the same time, a pattern forms. I knit this pillow and I still have it on my couch as you can see in the photo at the end of this post (second from the left). 

The next pillow design is a round pillow. It is a very large piece of circular knitting. To design this pillow, I thought about a traditional Fair Isle Tam and developed charts that had motifs that would look like they came out of a middle eastern bazaar. Four of my sample knitters made this design and you can see how Prabha - who grew up in India - added a traditional elephant motif to her pillow. 

The last pillow design is a bolster. Swanky interior magazines often feature bolsters on couches so why not a knit one? To design this one, I looked to my Moroccan Fedora pattern. I lengthened the body and then worked the decrease like on the Fedora pattern. To close the bolster, a second circular hat top is made. The bolster is stuffed and the round piece is sewed to finish it. You can see the bolster in the photo above on the right.  

For all the pillows, you will only need to knit the pillow front. Directions are given to use a piece of fabric as the backing. The fabric is hemmed and then hand sewn to the edge of the pillow. 

I've gone on to make lots of knitted pillows that I use in my house. Below you can see my sofa in our library full of knitted pillows made over the years. Maybe you will try to knit one or more for your home too? What do you think?

Available on my website here 

and on Ravelry here

Wild Wooly Headgear from The World Knits Collection

Available on my website here 

on Ravelry here

Number 13 in the World Knits Collection - Wild Wooly Headgear

The Wild Wooly Headgear PDF Pattern features five different hat designs in varying degrees of difficulty. They are sized for kids and adults. Hats are a great knitting project because they are relatively quick to make. I have always found them a good vehicle to experiment with different motifs and color combinations. All of these hats are made on circular needles.

This collection features (from easiest to most difficult)

• Flat cap with pom poms and no shaping (shown at far right) -- 3 sizes

• Four pointed cap made by seaming at top bind off (shown at far left) -- 4 sizes

• A classic stocking cap a la Dr. Seuss. This version has a fun pleated edge made with ribs. (bottom right) -- 3 sizes

• Wide border skull cap with two color stripes and spiral crown shaping (shown at top) -- 3 sizes

• Peruvian inspired four cornered hat (shown at bottom left) -- 2 sizes

The pattern includes a bunch of different rib/edge treatments to experiment with. There are lots of extra charts so that you can combine your favorites. 

The Peruvian Four Cornered Hat was inspired by hats that were made between the 7th and 9th centuries in the Andes. I had seen these hats in museums. In 1990 there was show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art which featured almost 100 Four Cornered Andean hats from the collection of Arthur Bullowa (catalog available here). You can see more photos on The Met's website here.  Here are some photos from The Met's website. 

Aren't these hats gorgeous and fun at the same time? These antique Andean hats were not knit but were knotted or looped. Some had pile. They featured geometric shapes and many animals. It's amazing that they survived to be collected. Many were buried in tombs. You can learn more about them on The Met's website here and see over 80 other photos of hats like these. 

My Peruvian Four Corned Hat was knit in the round in two colors in a round. The extra colors were added in duplicate stitch after knitting was completed. The 4 corner pieces are worked directly off the live stitches at each corner - almost like a thumb on a glove. After all the corners are knit, the stitches are put back on double pointed needles and a decrease chart is followed to make the stitches disappear. 

This whole collection offers five different hat styles and endless ideas for combining the charts and different stitches together. I can't wait to see what you do with it. 

Available on my website here 

on Ravelry here

Vivaciously Vibrant Vests from The World Knits Collection

Available on my website here

and on Ravelry here

Number 12 in The World Knits Collection are the Vivaciously Vibrant Vests.

The cut of the vest is simple - with squared armholes and very little shaping - except for the v-neckline. There are several different colorful textural stitches that can be combined in stripes with Fair Isle Charts.  

If you aren't afraid of steeking, there are directions as to how to work the pattern in the round. 

Sizing is written for 8 sizes from 22" (baby) to 50". I made a couple of these vests for my nieces when they were little. It's a perfect choice for kids who don't like to be encumbered with bulky clothing. 

Here's a photo we took of a woman in one of the vests. I love the Frieda Kahlo vibe. I wish it was in color to really show the patternwork but this is what I've got. 

Available on my website here

and on Ravelry here

Whimsical Tea Cozies from The World Knits Collection

Available on my website here

and on Ravelry here

It's the weekend! Here we are at Number 11 of the World Knits Collection. It's my pattern for Tea Cozies, French Press Coffee Cozies, and more. 

Old fashioned as they may be knitted tea cozies can be a real conversation starter. Bring a pot of tea to a table dressed in a knitted cozy and see what your guests say. This tea cozy pattern comes in many sizes to fit many teapots.

Also included in the pattern is a French Press Coffee Cozy in the three common sizes of Bodum pots. 

There is also a knitted trivet that can be used as a pot holder or a trivet to protect your table from the heat of the teapot. 

And because I was dressing up kitchen objects, there is also a pattern to cover a square tea tin. 

As with all the World Knits Collection patterns, there are lots of charts so that you can customize your project to fit your own decor. My favorite chart is the Sunflower Tea Cozy shown on the right. The top of the cozy is a flower with leaves on the main part of the cozy. Bobbles decorate the ridges. 

Available on my website here

and on Ravelry here

Warm Wooly Wraps from The World Knits Collection

We are up to Number 10 in the World Knits Collection. Introducing Warm Wooly Wraps. Also available on Ravelry here. 

I love this pattern. It features scarves knit in the round which back in the 1990's was totally not a thing. I was and have always been a circular knitter. I have never been afraid to cut my knitting into pieces and sew it back together. I come from a sewing background so probably that is why I have no fear. 

Back then in the 90's, not many knitters cut their knitting. Today, I'm seeing it all over the place - including Kaffe Fassett's Coin Scarf and Stranded Blanket over on Mason-Dixon Knitting. Oh yay - Kaffe has finally got into knitting in the round Fair Isle patterning (or Stranded Knitting as it seems to be called these days). And there are lots of knitters steeking and cutting. Hallelujah. 

I have always thought about MY knitting as making fabric. Sometimes it has texture and cables, sometimes it is ripply garter stitch and sometimes it is flat and colorful. When I went to University for textiles, I learned about counting stitches and rows (courses and wales in textile speak) in t-shirt fabric and counting threads both vertically and horizontally (warp and weft) in a woven fabric while looking under a microscope. 

When I began at the yarn company, I was shocked that knitters generally knit back and forth and sewed their sweaters together. Back then, many yarn stores offered finishing services and a large number of knitters didn't even sew their sweaters together - they paid the yarn store to do it for them. Most knitters didn't want to cut their knitting. They were plain terrified. I had to stay away from developing any kind of pattern that did that because no one would make it and we wouldn't sell any yarn or patterns. After all, we had to stay in business. 

Knitters got a little more adventuresome while making projects from the World Knits Collection. I could see that some were ready to cut their knitting. 

This pattern features scarves and wraps or afghans knit in the round (or back and forth if you must). Some are made in a tube and then cut to lay flat (see four pieces laying on chairs). Some are turned on their side and knit in a very large circle either in the round or back and forth. Fair Isle patterning can be added or not. There are textural stitches included too. 

On a leap of faith, the Warm Wooly Knits pattern introduced a technique for cutting the steek stitches and after unknitting the steek stitches. This creates a fringe at both ends of the scarf, wrap or afghan. The steek yarn is then tied in an overhand knot to create a fringe. That was really revolutionary back then. I have gone on to use that technique in many scarves and afghans. 

This afghan is from my book Kristin Knits published by Storey in 2006.

This scarf is also from Kristin Knits.

This cardigan is in Color By Kristin (Soho, 2009). The body is knit in the round with a steek for the bottom edge. The front opening is made like a giant "afterthought thumb" where half of the stitches are worked on scrap yarn. After the steek is cut and fringed back to make the bottom fringed edge of the cardigan, the scrap "afterthought thumb" yarn is ripped out and live stitches are worked in garter stitch to finish the opening. The sleeves get sewn into the cast on and cast off edge. Clever, huh? 

When you begin to think of your knitting as a piece of fabric, it begins to form a different kind of art. The scarves and wraps in the Warm Wooly Knits PDF Pattern offer an opportunity for the knitter to introduce beautiful patterns to a flat surface. And then wrap themselves up in the color and pattern. 

You can order Warm Wooly Wraps on my website here.

Also available on Ravelry here.