Knitting

Woolfolk FW16: LØS and KURV

September 8, 2016

How is it September already? It’s officially Fall here on the ranch, and on the turn of a dime. Last week we went from the 90s to the low 50s…leaves are turning and falling…the stove has been lit…all the animals are ready for hay…and my knits are out of the drawers. Mmm I love this time of year, and even more so when the seasons are so distinct and welcoming.

I’ve actually been dreaming about this time of year since January when I began designing two pieces for Woolfolk’s FW16 collection, which made its debut today. What an honor to be alongside inspirational folks such as Julie Hoover, Michele Wang, Norah Gaughan, Bristol Ivy, Melanie Berg, Laura Chau, Olga Buraya-Kefelian and Antonia Shankland.

But none of this would be possible without the dynamo that is Kristin Ford, creator of Woolfolk – a woman with impeccable taste, skilled designer, cattle rancher, arborist, and friend who’s always good for a laugh. You can listen to her story here.

So without further ado, I’m pleased to introduce LØS and KURV.

LØS is a simple pullover that incorporates sequence knitting principals, specifically a serpentine pattern. I was inspired to design this piece after getting to know Cecelia Campochiaro and her book, Sequence Knitting. Woolfolk yarn makes the perfect pairing. You can find LØS, here on Ravelry.

LOS_Woolfolk los-woolfolk wf-fw16-9070-1_lores

KURV is an oversized study in the relationship between Får and Hygge, worked in a low contrast diagonal weave pattern, creating a lofty all encompassing scarf. This design had been floating around in my head for nearly two years and when I received my first skein of Hygge, I knew this was the yarn to make it happen. You can find KURV, here on Ravelry.

kurv_woolfolk 04-wf-fw16-9999_lores

And here are a few of my favorites from the collection, though each are so lovely in their own way.

woolfolk_fw16 BIRK by Olga Buraya-Kefelian // DRYS by Melanie Berg

woolfolk_fw16_2

TORV by Antonia Shankland // REB by Norah Gaughan

And last but not least, here is a list of past Woolful podcast sponsors and friends who stock all these amazing Woolfolk yarns and patterns.

A Verb for Keeping Warm
Purl Soho
Fancy Tiger Crafts
Knitterly
My Sister Knits
Brooklyn General
River Colors Studio
Knit Purl
Blazing Needles
Tolt Yarn and Wool
Cream City Yarn
Sunspun
L’Oisivethe
Walnut
Loop London

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Knitting

Seamed vs. Seamless: A discussion on construction with Hannah Fettig

August 5, 2015

We’ve just begun our second month in the Home and Away Woolful Knit-a-long, and of course there’s still time to join, heck I am just swatching for mine now! There have been some wonderful shares on Instagram (via #woolfulkal) and shares on the Ravelry group so make sure to check those out. I’ve loved seeing so many different projects in both seamed and seamless construction, from both beginners and seasoned knitters. I’ll be knitting a seamed Georgetown for the very reasons Hannah talks about here…

The word is out: one of the awesome features of Home & Away is that you can choose to either knit your sweater in pieces and then seam them or knit it seamless in one big piece.

There is no wrong choice, as either way will yield the same result. If you’re wondering, there are advantages to both methods which you can consider.

A seamed sweater, knit in pieces, makes your project more portable. Also, the seams in your completed sweater will add structure and stability. Knit fabric by nature wants to stretch. Seams keep everything in place. When you have a floaty open cardigan such as Hancock you might not be as concerned about structure. It can still be important, especially if you are working with a fiber that stretches, such as alpaca, cotton or a superwash wool. Good shoulder seams can be important as the entire weight of the garment hangs from these points.

Seamless sweaters have their own advantages, too. Good seaming takes time, and with minimal finishing to work once the seamless sweater is complete, that’s time saved. Another advantage of a seamless sweater, particularly a sweater knit from the top down, is that you can try it on and adjust the fit as you go. For these reasons, a seamless sweater can be a great choice for a first time sweater knitter.

There is a thread in the Home & Away group dedicated to seamed vs. seamless construction. Do you have a preference? Join the conversation! -Hannah

Seaming can be a bit nerve-wracking, especially if you’re a new knitter. My first sweater was seamed and to be honest when I chose the pattern, seams hadn’t even occurred to me…I was a bit naive. As I approached the time to seam and finish, I remember being nervous, but confident that if I took my time and watched plenty of YouTube videos I’d be ok…and I was! Taking proper time to seam your garment is key and having insight into both the benefits and know-hows of seaming helps tremendously. While watching how-to videos is still a great resource, there’s an even better one (in my opinion). Karen Templer of Fringe Association has done several very helpful posts on seamed and seamless construction as a part of her #fringeandfriendsknitalong that took place last year when many folks knit the Amanda cardigan. I highly recommend checking out these posts if you’d like to go a bit deeper on this seamed vs. seamless discussion.

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Knitting

Styling your knits: An exercise with Hannah Fettig

July 8, 2015

The Home and Away Woolful Knit-a-long is off to a radiant start, and you can still join if you’ve been hoping to! It’s been so great to see all the beautiful images on Instagram (via #woolfulkal) and shares on the Ravelry group. I’ve been super anxious to cast on, but alas it will have to wait until this weekend when I have the yarn and a moment to swatch. In the meantime, Hannah has some great tips on styling and choosing the right yarn…

My wardrobe is pretty minimal. This is partly from necessity, as we’ve always lived in old New England homes with very small closets. But in reality even if I own 20 shirts, I only truly wear 4 of them in high rotation. Is this the case for you, too? Go to your closet and set these much loved and worn pieces aside. Arrange them into outfits, top to bottom. Do you notice any patterns? For instance, is there a lot of the same color showing up? Are they all the same fabric or cut? Now, with these outfits in mind, you can start making your pattern selection. Which design from Home & Away will best work with the outfits you’ve put together, the outfits your wear most often?

Once you’ve selected a design, it’s time to choose a yarn and a color. For myself, it really helps to make yarn selections in person. Hopefully you have a local yarn shop that you can go to. If you don’t and will be ordering online, Ravelry can be very helpful. You can look up a particular yarn and then choose to see all the projects that have been posted on Ravelry in that yarn. This gives you a chance to see what the yarn and various colors look like knit up into garments.

When substituting yarn for the ones used in the book, keep in mind the fiber content of the original yarn. It’s listed in each pattern. The majority of designs in Home & Away are knit in 100% wool. Quince & Co. yarns are quite light and airy, squishy, sproingy (if that’s a word, ha!) When considering a substitute yarn that includes a blend of other types of fiber, or is perhaps a denser wool yarn, think about what the finished knit fabric will be like as a result. If you’re not sure, you can ask your local yarn shop owner or ask the community in the Woolful KAL Ravelry group. Clara Parkes Book of Yarn is a very helpful resource on understanding fiber in yarn, too.

Every design in Home & Away is something I would personally wear. And I styled the outfits, so that’s how I would wear them! However, these garments could be styled in many ways. I look forward to seeing how you all incorporate them into your wardrobes. Get knitting!!

*Next up, some sneak peeks of the giveaways for the knit-a-long.