Mallory finished our Chevron Baby Blanket made with Urth Uneek Worsted and it’s just a beautiful as I thought it would be. Our turned out a bit smaller than expected, but we only used 2 skeins of yarn. I’ve done the math and adjusted the number for larger sizes for you, including suggestions for the yarn required. Urth Uneek Worsted is a really special yarn – it’s a gorgeous, hand-painted, self-striping, machine washable super-soft merino wool, and their colourways absolutely GLOW with life.
Notes
The pattern is straightforward (and free), and the yarn is soft and stunning, so I don’t think you can go wrong with this project.
If you are looking for a similar look but can’t handle the price-tag, try using Berroco Comfort Print. It’s soft, machine washable, self-striping, costs a third of the price, and the yardage is the same as the Urth Uneek Worsted. If you go with this option be sure to choose the colours that are labelled ‘stripes’ – it also comes in variegated colours.
I highly suggest you use stitch markers to demark the pattern repeats, it will make so much easier and hep you keep track of where you are in the row.
I also suggest putting in a life-line every now and again, just in case you make a mistake and have to rip a few rows back.
We blocked out blanket using the Knitter’s Pride Knit Blockers and I AM IN LOVE with them! They made blocking a million times easier and faster!
As noted above, our project came out small, so I’ve laid-out the numbers for larger sizes. I also thought it would make a gorgeous and easy wrap, so I included the numbers for that, as well as for a larger throw blanket.
Size
Our blanket came out 24”(61cm) wide by 28.5″(72cm) long after blocking. The pattern is written for one size, but based on our tension I’ve drafted some suggestions for larger sizes, a wrap and a throw blanket.
Baby Blanket – 24”(61cm) wide by 28.5″(72cm) long: cast on 121 sts
Baby Blanket – 28.5”(72cm) wide x 34”(86cm) long: cast on 145 sts
Baby Blanket – 33”(84cm) wide x 39”(99cm) long: cast on 169 sts
Baby Blanket – 37.5”(95cm) wide x 45”(114cm) long: cast on 193 sts
Wrap/Shawl – 19.5”(49.5cm) wide x 60”(152cm) long (or longer): cast on 97 sts
Throw Blanket – 51″(129cm) wide x 60″(152cm) long: cast on 265 sts
Materials
Urth Uneek Worsted: 2(3, 4, 5, 4, 9) skeins (see sizes above, shown in colour 4014)
I just finished a third Nuvem and it was a total win! It’s light and airy as a cloud and cozy as hell. It’ll be an awesome spring/fall wrap, I just want to cocoon in it. I used Drops Brushed Alpaca and Silk and 4.5mm/US7 needles, so it also didn’t take a super long time (I took about a month, but I totally dawdled because I wasn’t into any tv shows or audiobooks). Anyway, everyone who picks it up says they they feel compelled to make one – especially after I tell them the yarn only cost $36 (total).
Notes
The pattern isn’t very complicated, but it does involve a cast-on that some may not be familiar with: Judy’s Magic Cast-on. It’s isn’t hard, and I don’t think you should let it stop you from making this project. Judy’s Magic Cast-on is a very popular technique for making toe-up socks, and there are tons of videos and tutorials for it online, so if you have a hard time with one just skip to the next.
Nuvem Needle Hacks
The last time I made a Nuvem I came up with an easy Knit Hack to help keep track of my needles on this project!
This pattern is worked on two identical circular needles, which can get unwieldy. After I had been working for a while and my Nuvem had grown sufficiently I found that I was able to transfer all of my stitches to a single 60″ circular needle. My preferred type of needles for this project are interchangeables (I have a set of Addis, but Knitter’s Pride are also a great option, their extra cords and tips are affordable), because if I’m going to buy two identical needles of the same size, they might as well be interchangeable tips.
Size
I always wonder why shawls and wraps don’t come in sizes – people comes in different shapes and sizes, and a person with larger shoulders, back and/or bust will need a larger garment, right? Luckily, this pattern is extremely flexible, so it’s very easy to make this wrap smaller or larger. I cast on 143 stitches, which measured 37”/94cm in length after blocking (the end sections each measure about 17″/42cm). I feel like my wrap would fit up to a size large, but if I was an XL or larger I’d make it longer. If you want yours longer you can cast on more stitches (based on my tension, that’s about 3.85 stitches per inch, so if you wanted your wrap to be 4″/10cm longer I’d cast on an extra 15 stitches). If you want it wider you just have to knit extra rounds (or block it width-wise – I blocked mine length-wise).
Width (after blocking length-wise): 23”/58cm
Length (after blocking length-wise): 71”/180cm
Weight: 150g
You can get an idea about the finished size in the picture below. The mannequin is a size 6 and on the small size at that (no booty whatsoever), so I’d say that this is what it would look like on a small person.
It’s the last day of our winter sale so don’t wait to take advantage!
Spring must be on the way, because I just caught myself going through my stash and letting go of things that have been hanging around for far too long! It’s a bit early to publicize the yarn swap (it’s still a month and a half away), but I figured you might be in the same boat and also get a hankering to do some spring cleaning ….
NEXT SWAP: SUNDAY April 28, 1-3 pm
$5 – Proceeds go to the Red Door Women’s Shelter
It’s that time of year again … time to tidy up your yarn stash and purge the stuff you’re never going to use. That’s right, you can bring us your shame and leave your guilt in our yarn swap bins with the assurance that the yarn that didn’t work out for you will have a second (or third, or fourth) life in a new home. What do you do at a swap? Bring in the yarn and needles you don’t want and take home whatever you like from our swap bins. The leftovers are donated to charities, and don’t be embarrassed by the quality of the yarn you bring, whatever is left over is donated to charities like Street Knit, the Mitzvah Knitters, Sistering’s Spun Studio, and Gilda’s Club, most of whom prefer acrylic! If you want to donate but can’t make the date please feel free to drop it by when we are open, sealed up in a plastic bag. The only yarn we can’t accept is anything that is strongly scented (cigarette smoke or perfume). We are also a drop-off point for Street Knit and Knitted Knockers of Canada.
$5 to participate in the swap (proceeds go to the Red Door Women’s Shelter)
Drop-in, no need to sign up
Everyone is welcome, all skill levels
Location: 1382 Bathurst St, Toronto ON
In-Store only, NOT ONLINE
By the way, our last swap in January was one of our best ever! We raised $100 for the Red Door Family Shelter and the company was excellent, so a big THANK YOU to everyone who donated and attended!
Rosie finished her Adrift cardigan last week and I wanted to show you how gorgeous it is! The yarn, Urth Uneek Fingering (ON SALE NOW!) is absolutely gorgeous, the striping turned out beautifully for both the arms and the body.
The pattern isn’t specifically intended to be worn oversized, but you know how mannequins are – one size fits all. The pattern is written from the top down, so it’s easy to make it as large or small as you like, and the sleeves can be short, 3/4, or long, it’s super simple to make adjustments.
If stripes aren’t your thing you can also make it in a solid, semi-solid, or variegated colourway, so you can substitute any fingering weight yarn (the number of skeins required would be the same as in the materials below).
Cascade Heritage Solid is a great, soft, economical option for a solid or heathered colour.
Some yarns have so much potential, but people have a hard time visualizing what they can be … that’s ok, I’ve got the vision, it’s my job to show you which caterpillars will become the prettiest butterflies! When I first came across Urth’s line of self-striping yarns my brain said SO MUCH YES, and a year down the line and my virtue is still easy when it comes to them. The only problem is that you can’t see the stripes in the skeins, so the magic is kind of hidden until they’re knitted. Enter store samples ….. the Urth Uneek Worsted is especially suitable for babies and kids – it’s machine washable, crazy soft, colourful, and just the right thickness. That said, we’ve been experimenting with baby blankets ….
Chevron Baby Blanket
I knew the marvellous striping in the Urth Uneek Worsted would be perfect for a chevron pattern – it’s so evocative of Missoni chevron stripe patterns, but without all the work of constantly changing colours or weaving in yucky ends. This pattern is worked in stocking stitch, so the yarn is actually going pretty far and I think it will only need 3 skeins (less knitting, less money, it’s all good).
The pattern is free (rarely a bad thing), and I think the chevrons are suitable for an intermediate-beginner to advanced-beginner skill level. Definitely, use stitch markers to mark out to your pattern repeats, it will make your life SO MUCH EASIER!
This isn’t actually our project, it belongs to my good friend Jo, but I wanted to show you how pretty it is (plus I played cupid pairing up the pattern and yarn, so I figure I get some credit). The stitch pattern is dead easy, but it creates a super impressive prismatic effect. I know Jo’s niece will love anything Jo makes for her, but I doubt she has any idea of the gorgeous baby shower-gift that’s coming her way! In fact, I liked it so much that we’re making one for the store in colour 4010 (that’s the same colourway Rosie was using the make her Adrift Cardigan and we used for our Stripe It Cowl).
The free pattern is worked in garter stitch, which uses up more yarn than stocking stitch, and Jo’s tension tends to run tight, so I think her blanket will require 4 skeins. Liane is making our sample, and her tension tends to be loose so we might be able to get away with 3 skeins. It’s a very simple knit, and definitely beginner friendly (you only need to know how to knit and purl in the same row). If you have a hard time ‘reading’ your stitches you’ll want to use Stitch Markers to separate your knits from your purls.
I want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH! to the many people who send me compliments and thank me. Sometimes I don’t get a chance to reply because the note comes in when I’m babysitting my niece & nephew or re-ordering needles or helping someone with dropped stitches, and then a week has gone by and the nice feeling is still there but my sieve of a mind has lost the memory. Anyway, It’s nice to sell things and pay my bills ‘n stuff, but it means a lot to know that I help people. The validation that my unique view is valued doesn’t hurt, but my own ego and insecurities aside, it’s helping you that makes what I do really, really satisfying and keeps me in this industry. When I grow, you grow … and when you grow, I grow. All relationships run both ways – we’re in it together.
Our Intro to Brioche Knitting Class was so popular and filled up so fast that we’ve scheduled a second session!For those who missed out!
Date: Saturday March 23 & 30: 11am to 1 pm
Skill Level: intermediate-beginner (after mitts or sweaters)
In this class you will make a beautiful bi-colour brioche scowl while adding tons of new techniques to your knitting repertoire: a two colour cast on, hooded stitches (aka barks and burps), slide knitting, and a two colour bind-off. Don’t worry if that sounds daunting, our gentle instructor has got you covered!
I was looking for a nice little intro level fair-isle pattern and came across this little beanie. Using 2 colours keeps things simple, and the pattern is straightforward and doesn’t require carrying many long floats in the back, so it’s easier to learn how to keep your tension consistent. Plus it’s pretty.
We used about 51g of the Main Colour (blue) for size large (23″ circumference head) and it fits like a beanie, so if you want to make your hat larger or taller I recommend getting a second ball. We only used half of the white, so you’re probably good there.
Skill Level: intermediate (after mitts or sweaters), Instructor: Liane, 2 session class (4 hours total).
In this class, you will make a beautiful two colour fair isle hat while learning the basics of this popular colourwork technique. You’ll learn how to read a charted pattern, hold your yarn, change colours, carry the yarn, moderate your tension, and a few more ticks along the way! Don’t worry if that sounds daunting, our gentle instructor has got you covered!
Materials
Materials are not included in the price of our classes, but we sell everything you need and you receive 10% off all materials during your group class (if you register online you will receive a discount code by email with your class information).
2 balls of DK or Sport weight yarn in contrasting colours. We suggest Cascade 220 Superwash Sport (for a size large (23″ head) get 2 skeins for the main/background colour and 1 skein for the contrasting colour)
3mm/US2.5-16″ circular needles (the Knitter’s Pride interchangeable needles in the 3.5″ length are very handy for projects like this, as you won’t need to keep buying more needles every time you need a different size, which is especially helpful for sizes you don’t frequently use. Get a 16″ cable for this class.)
