As per your request, I’ve reshuffled the Blanket of Joy kit to include both a worsted weight (4.5mm/US7 needle) and a chunky/bulky weight (6mm/US10 needle) option. I had to play around a bit with the colours for the Chunky weight, but getting the project done faster may have more value to you than having the colours ‘just-so’. Additionally, a few people found the pattern unclear in some places (myself included) so I made revisions to clarify everything and even drew up a chart for you to keep track row by row.
The Blanket of Joy is a simple knit, which is also important right now … Keep It Simple, am I right? Simple bands of colour are knit in offset segments of stocking and reverse stocking stitch to create an easy, graphic combination of colour and texture. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most brilliant! Need some help with weaving in the ends? Check out our Skills Page!
In the book Joyful, Ingrid Fetel Lee talks about the revitalization of the run-down, crime-ridden city of Tirana, Albania … which was initiated with the very easy and affordable approach of painting buildings bright colours. I’ll leave the details for you to read up on (the book was really good), but if painting a run-down building bright orange can initiate the transformation of a city, maybe it’s not too far a stretch to posit that a joyfully coloured blanket can initiate positive change in a life?
My client Leesa brought me The Blanket of Joy, and as soon as I saw it I knew it was marvellous and needed to be shared! The world is so full of uncertainty right now, it’s more important than ever to choose carefully how we focus our energy. Like attracts like and like begets like, so I think something bright, happy, and full of joy is a good place to put our attention.
The Blanket of Joy is a simple knit, which is also important right now … Keep It Simple, am I right? Simple bands of colour are knit in offset segments of stocking and reverse stocking stitch to create an easy, graphic combination of colour and texture. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most brilliant! The pattern looks like it’s suitable for novices and experienced knitters alike. Need some help with weaving in the ends? Check our our Skills Page!
Yarn
The project is a “lets see if we can find a way to use every colour in the crayon box” type of experiment.
Option 1. I think BERROCO VINTAGE fits the bill perfectly – it’s soft, comfortable, affordable, machine washable, and comes in a slew of colours. You’ll need 1 skein in each of 22 colours, and I suggest using 4.5mm/US7 needles. If you’re using Vintage your tension will be slightly different (it will knit a bit faster) and you’ll have about 25% more yardage than in the pattern, so you should be able to get away with making your blanket a smidge wider.
Option 2. If you wanted to make a blanket that is smaller in budget I recommend using BERROCO VINTAGE BABY (get 1 ball of each of the 22 colours) with 4mm/US6 needles. The colours aren’t the same as the original pattern, so you’ll have to get a little creative shuffling them around, but the palette available is beautiful and complimentary, all the colours work together. The yarn is super soft and easy to work with, it’s machine washable, and at $4.97 a ball it makes for an affordable project.
In the book Joyful, Ingrid Fetel Lee talks about the revitalization of the run-down, crime-ridden city of Tirana, Albania … which was initiated with the very easy and affordable approach of painting buildings bright colours. I’ll leave the details for you to read up on (the book was really good), but if painting a run-down building bright orange can initiate the transformation of a city, maybe it’s not too far a stretch to posit that a joyfully coloured blanket can initiate positive change in a life?
P.S.
Thank you for your support following our COVID Policy update yesterday. At last check, I’ve received at least 16 replies, all of them positive. I’m glad we’re on the same page … you made my heart grow two sizes this afternoon!
When it comes to gifting socks for the holidays, I have a few key elements that are on my must-have list:
They must be soft and comfortable – if nobody wants to wear them then what’s the point in making them?
They must be machine washable AND stand up to wear. Once they leave the wrapping paper these socks are in the wild, they must be able to defend themselves!
They need to be pretty, or interesting, or have something unique about them. Complicated is definitely not necessary, but some kind of design feature should be present to create a bit of a WOW factor.
It can’t take forever to make them …. the thinnest yarn I want is a DK weight. House socks are a perfectly legitimate holiday gift, especially for wearing around the house during the holidays.
Berroco’s Vintage line of yarns is ideal for just such a purpose. They’re all super soft, machine washable, made with nylon so your socks will wear well, come in a bunch of pretty colours, and come in DK, Worsted and Chunky/Bulky weights, and they’re all affordably priced, so you’ll still be able to afford to go discount hunting after the holidays.
When doing a K2P2 rib (also known as a 2×2 rib) always go down a full mm in size. 2×2 rib is looser that stocking stitch and you need the smaller needlet to get the proper tension.
K1P1 rib (1×1 rib) is naturally nighter than the 2×2, and you don’t need to go down as much to get the right tension (half a mm is fine).
AYLA uses Berroco Vintage Chunky to quickly whip up a fast, super pretty pair of house socks. These socks are knit from the top down with a simple cable repeat worked on the front and top of the foot, as well as the back above the heel flap. The instructions are for two circular needles (see tuturial working in the round on 2 circular needles), but you can use any sock knititng technique you prefer. with a simple cable repeat worked on the front and top of the foot, as well as the back above the heel flap.
Skill Level
Advanced Beginner to Intermediate
Cable knitting is super simple, don’t let it intimidate you, you’ll love it!
Size
Approximately 8″ around leg and foot x 10″ from top edge to top of heel
KEEL are classic boot socks for men that work up quickly in Berroco Vintage DK. They feature contrast stripes on the toes and cuff. They’re made with a traditional top-down construction with a heel flap.
Skill Level
Advanced Beginner to Intermediate
Size
Approximately 10″ around x 8″ to top of heel flap
Materials
Berroco Vintage DK: 2 skeins, 1 in each of 2 colours (shown in 2107 Cracked Pepper and 2134 Sour Cherry )
Tin Can Knits make great patterns that are clear, easy to follow, and always come in a range of sizes for the whole family. These simple boot socks are sure to please everyone!
These socks are super cute and show how a simple, vanilla sock can come to life with a few extra colours thrown in. Berroco Vintage Baby in smaller 50g skeins, which are super convenient when you want to introduce extra colour to your project. It also comes in a palette of bright, pretty colours, perfect for happy colour blocked socks!
Skill Level
Advanced Beginner
Size
22.5 (24, 25) cm long (Or whatever length you like)!
These unisex socks make a great gift – in darker colours they’re handsome, in brighter colours they’re pretty! They’re a classic top-down heelp-flap construction with a simple and sweet fair isle design.
Skill Level
Advanced Beginner to Intermediate
Size
Small (Medium, Large)
Materials
Berroco Vintage: 2 skeins in main colour, 1 skein in each of 2 contrast colours
So it’s time to come clean … I’ve always wanted a pair of candy cane socks. Barber-pole stripes are my favourite christmas aesthetic. The pattern is designed as tube socks, but it’s easy to add an afterthought heel.
Skill Level
Advanced Beginner to Intermediate
Size
Women’s sizes Small (Medium, Large)
7 (8.25, 9.5) inches in circumference, unstretched
8 .5 (10, 11.5) inches in circumference, comfortably stretched
14 (15, 16) inches long
When you’re deciding which size to make, consider getting the sock over your heel. That is the widest part of the journey, and these socks are not super stretchy! The size shown in these pictures is a Small.
Cold feet? These bulky slipper socks are just the ticket to keep your feet warm all winter. They also knit up quickly, and therefore make good holiday gifts. Even if you’ve never knit socks before, the bulky yarn makes these toe-up socks easy, and will teach you the skills necessary to knit other toe-up socks patterns. The pattern includes links to a four-part video tutorial.
Our local knitting guild, The Needlework Guild of Canada, very graciously invited me to attend their first Knit in the Park, so I whipped up a little kit for them, a Pumpkin Beanie. I figured it’s timely, what with harvest season approaching. Plus, there is no child ever who isn’t ADORABLE in a pumpkin hat. Since our guild knits for charity I wanted it to be something that was gender neutral, and makes a great gift for anyone. I sized the hat from preemie to kids of all ages, and you should be able to get 2 pumpkin hats out of one kit (and probably a third green hat too). The yarn is the ever soft and Berroco Vintage, but if you want to upgrade go for the combo I assembled with Malabrigo Rios.
We wanted the skill level to be accessible to knitters in the beginner spectrum, so there isn’t any colourwork or charts, you just need the following skills:
Read a knitting pattern
Cast on & Bind off
Knit & Purl in the same row
Work in the round on circular & double pointed needles
Last week was baby week, and this week is brought to you by kids. When my niece and nephew were babies they were so cute and loveable that I thought I never wanted them to grow up. What I didn’t realizes was that the best thing about babies was that they grow up to be kids; interesting, cool, funny, silly, beautiful little people. Kids love a hand knit, as long as it’s soft, and in a colour they like. It doesn’t matter how obnoxious the colour is, just go with it – they’ll wear it until they can’t squeeze themselves into it anymore. Kids LOVE colour.
By the way, all of these knits are also available for adults, so you & the kid in your life kid can match. If you love the idea of a family of matching knits, check out the patterns by Tin Can Knits, they often designed with a FULL range of sizes, from newborn baby to adult 6XL.
Amari
Amariis a seamless tee that begins at the neck and is worked down. Easy eyelet stitches shape the yoke and add decoration to the neckline at the same time. Derecho is worked in one piece from the neck down. Neck and lower edges are shaped using short rows. For an adult version of this top see Derecho.
Berroco Remix Light is a multi-seasonal yarn that’s so comfortable you’ll find the garments made with it become some of your favourites (you know, the one you wear over and over and over again, until you get tired of the colour so you make another in a new colour … etc). It’s super soft, light, breathable, machine washable, and it’s made in France from an eco-friendly blend of 100% recycled fibres.
Lawrence is a simple pullover with garter stitch texture, that’s cute for boys and girls. It is knit in a conventional way in 4 pieces and seamed together (a great option for beginners if working in the round is a bit daunting). The drop-shoulder construction makes it super easy to seam the sleeves, which is usually the scariest part of finishing. For an adult version of this pullover see Larry.
For the yarn, we’ve substituted the ultra wearable and very affordable Berroco Vintage – a soft, worsted weight machine washable wool/synthetic blend. A knitting store staple, it features a wide color range, an incredibly soft feel and yardage that goes on and on. Its unique fiber blend makes laundering a breeze and perfectly suited for easy-care garments for both children and adults.
Skill Level: Advanced-Beginner to Intermediate
Size
2(4, 6, 8, 10, 12)
To fit Chest Size: 23(24-25-26-27-28)˝
Finished Chest: 25(26-27-28-29-30)˝
Finished Length: 16(16½-17½-18-19-20)˝
This garment was designed with approximately 2˝ of ease. Please take this into consideration when selecting your size.
Jemison is an adorable vintage-inspired cardigan. It’s perfect for layering on a chilly day, and has cute pockets for kids to hold all the little treasures they pick up in their adventures. This sweater is worked flat in pieces and seamed. We’re pairing Jemison with Berroco Vintage, our go-to yarn for sweaters kids love to wear. For a grown-up version of this sweater check-out Headland.
I personally have an eye for the wild, weird & whimsical, but I also appreciate the balance and calm of the classics. The following are some worsted weight baby projects for the most discriminating eye (unless you make them in hellacious colours, in which case all bets are off). The suggested yarn, Berroco Vintage , is soft, washable, affordable, and comes in a broad selection of classic and adventurous colours. As always, we can substitute any of our baby-friendly worsted weight yarns. If you’re looking for some projects made with thinner yarn those will be up at bat next, but you can browse HERE.
Pre-Order
These kits are a special-order and we aren’t stocking them in the store on a regular basis, but you have the option to order them any time (they will be available to purchase as long as the manufacturer makes it available to us). That said, we keep Berroco Vintage in stock all year and are always reordering, so if the yarn is in stock your kit will be available very quickly. Your kit will ship or be available for pick-up once it arrives, and we will contact you. If you need your kit for a specific date please let us know and we can find out if it’s feasible.
Ivy
Simple and sweet, Ivy is a rectangular lace blanket that’s just the right size to become your little one’s favorite. The stitch pattern is both charted and written out, and is only 4 rows, making it a great choice for knitters who are new to lace.
The Battenberg Baby Blanketis a classicly styled blanket, with a simple, elegant aesthetic. The stitch used has the appearance of complicated waves, but it’s really just an easy ribbing that starts one stitch to the right every few rows. For an unusual touch, the edging is worked along the sides but doesn’t meet in the corners.
With extra-long ears and a large pom-pom for a tail, Rabbit will fit right in with the rest of your little one’s menagerie of toys. This toy is knit in the round, mostly in one piece. Ears are sewn on, as is the pom-pom tail.
Most of these projects are made with Berroco Vintage, a soft, worsted weight machine washable wool/synthetic blend. A knitting store staple, it features a wide color range, an incredibly soft feel and yardage that goes on and on. Its unique fiber blend makes laundering a breeze and perfectly suited for easy care garments for both children and adults. 52% Acrylic, 40% Wool, 8% Nylon, 100g/199m (218 yds). Made in Peru, machine wash inside out in cold water, gentle cycle, lay flat to dry.
Pre-Order
These kits are a special-order and we aren’t stocking them in the store on a regular basis, but you have the option to order them any time (they will be available to purchase as long as the manufacturer makes it available to us). That said, we Berroco Vintage in stock all year and are always reordering, so if the yarn is in stock your kit will be available very quickly. Your kit will ship or be available for pick-up once it arrives, and we will contact you. If you need your kit for a specific date please let us know and we can find out if it’s feasible.
High Fidoodlity Crochet Blanket Kit
This colourful depiction of sound waves makes a cheerful blanket (and a great tent). If you’d like to make a grown-up sized throw you should purchase two kits. This piece is worked in blocks and sewn together. If you don’t have it in you to do that you can try using the instructions from the wavy blanket. I’ve played around and worked out some colour palettes that are harmonious with the design, but you can also choose your own colours if your inspiration leads elsewhere.
Skill Level: Intermediate
Size: 38″ wide x 46″ long
Gauge: 16 sts & 20 rows = 4″ (10cm) in single crochet stitch
Kit Includes:
Berroco Vintage: 2 skeins each of 4 colors, 1 skein in one colour of (total
of 9 skeins). Shown in colourway 01: 5104, 5121, 5125, 51180, 5107.
The Vintage Baby Blanket is a retro-inspired sampler of color, texture, and cable stitches. The design is closely tied to the mustardy yellows and browns popular in the 1970s. We’ve sat down with the yarns and come up with a the colour combinations that match just right and will make your project pop. You can also choose your own colours if your inspiration takes you in another colour direction (I love seeing what other eyes come up with!).
1/4 yard fabric (optional, you can also knit an I-Cord)
Moderne Baby Blanket
This blanket is inspired by the colours and geometric construction of mid-twentieth-century artwork. It’s made of twenty garter stitch blocks – some blocks are knit in a solid colour and others are worked in multiple colours. It’s an easy project to tackle, one square at a time. The small squares also make it easier to work on in warmer weather, and make it easy to pop in your bag. I’ve worked out some additional colour combinations, but like always you are welcome to choose your own colour adventure!
The Glamping Blanketwas extremely popular when it was first came on the scene, so much so that the company ran out of the suggested yarn colours and had a hard time getting more because of COVID. Now that the company is starting to catch up, I think it’s a viable option again, especially for a fun baby blanket.
The Glamping Blanket is a graphic combination of colours and textures. The yarn, Berroco Vintage Chunky, is the PERFECT blanket yarn – it’s soft and cozy, it knits up quickly, and it’s easy to wash – ideal for comfy snuggling for all ages. I went to town, working on new colour combinations that will work in balance with the design, in including (but not exclusive to) grown-up palettes, and I even came up with a few Christmas colourways (for those of you who go all-out at the the holidays). Like all our other kits, please feel free to choose your own colours!
Skill Level: Intermediate (trying different stitch patterns)
Sizes
Cat Blanket: 18″ X 22”
Baby Blanket/Small Dog/Portly Cat: 24″ X 36”
Dog/Lap Blanket (or a larger baby blanket): 35″ X 44”
Sofa Blanket: 46″ X 58”
Kit Includes
Berroco Vintage Chunky: colour A. 1 (2, 3, 5)hanks, colour B. 1 (2, 2, 4) hanks, colour C. 1, (2, 2, 4) hanks, colour D. 1, (1, 2, 3) hanks.
It seems like you guys have been very busy bees, knitting up squares for the COVID Memorial Blanket … I made one too, and I plan on getting my niece, brother and sister-in-law to make one each. It’s a very easy pattern, suitable for beginners – you only need to know how to knit and purl.
If you aren’t already familiar with it, the COVID Memorial Blanket is a country wide project to honour and remember Canadians lost to COVID. Knitters from all over the country are knitting squares (with Berroco Vintage), which will be joined together to make a MASSIVE blanket … you can read more about it HERE.
This week CBC news did a story on it, it was also on TV. Since then we’ve sold out of colour 5125 Aquae (the colour designated to represent healthcare workers), the distributor is also out of stock, and we don’t expect to have it again until mid-September. That said, there are lots and lots of other colours available in Berroco Vintage, and the only limitation is what makes you happy! There aren’t really any front-runners for popularity, but I can tell you that when given the opportunity, people are going for COLOUR!
Yarn Availability & COVID
As an aside, I’ve been told by a few sales reps that availability is going to be a little spotty this fall on any products coming out of Peru – they’ve been hit pretty hard by COVID and the mills are only working at 30% capacity. Going forward, if you were thinking of making a large project and you want specific colours in Berroco Vintage, Berroco Vintage DK or Berroco Vintage Chunky, you should order your yarn now because I may not be able to get the inventory later. I think this especially applies to the neutral colours like white, off-white, ecru, all of the heathered greys, black, oatmeal, etc.
MINI-HACK! The Baggy Bind-Off Stitch
Yesterday Erica and I were looking at swatches and the subject of that last bind-off stitch came up. Somehow it’s always stretched out … and while I never really cared about it, it got me thinking that someone, somewhere on the interweb, must have found a solution. It turns out lots of someones have resolved the issue, the video below is the first one that popped up in my Google search, and I liked it a lot.
Safe at Homeis my “it grew on me” pattern this week. When I first looked at it my negativity bias kicked in immediately, I came up with a bunch of reasons why it was a terrible project to recommend. I thought; “It’s too hard, it’s too much work, there’s too much seaming, the yarn is something objectionable …” etc, etc. But it’s really pretty so I looked closer and told my dumb mammalian brain to take a break and let my frontal lobe carry some of the load … as I slowed down and took it all in I realized it’s a project with a lot of potential!
First off, its knit with worsted weight yarn, which everybody has in their stash. To supplement (’cause lets not kid ourselves, you’re going to need more yarn, a project like this always requires more yarn) there are really affordable options with great colour choices, like Berroco Vintageand Cascade 220 Superwash. Because the design is already so patchworky, I love the idea of mixing different yarns of the same tension and creating slight textural variances. I think it would be so cool for different parts of the houses to have different textures. The pattern calls for 12 colours, but you can use as many as you like.
The skill level is advanced beginner to intermediate, but I think that’s ok, it’s good to push ourselves to grow and try new things (or revisit old things we haven’t done in. a while). Plus, if not now, then when? There also isn’t as much seaming as I expected, the little houses are knit in rows, and it’s all worked in garter stitch which is easy to seam.
Finally, the theme has grown on me. It’s a lovely metaphor that EVERYTHING is connected. When my mammalian brain does what it was designed to do and wanders off into selfness, I think it would be nice to have a happy reminder to help bring me back into balance.
Does anything say Canada to Canadians more than the iconic Hudson Bay Blanket? It’s simple design is timeless and a hand-knit version would make for a super-special baby gift. The pattern is beginner friendly (it’s just straight knitting), and makes a great low-brain activity, summer project. And it’s FREE, so that’s a bonus too!
Yarn Options
The Hudson Bay Inspired Baby Blanket is made with worsted weight yarn, so you’ve got several great options to choose from! I’ve colour combined and art-directed the colours, so you don’t have to worry about which shades match and balance together – I’ve got you covered! Working with the palates available from each yarn line, I tired to create as many combinations that looked good as possible. I also tried to go for different aesthetics, the classics are closest to the iconic blankets sold by the Hudson Bay Company, and feature clearer, brighter colours. The subdued combos are a more modern, grown-up take on the hues, and are darker.
Cascade 220 Superwash is an affordably priced, machine washable Peruvian wool yarn. It’s soft enough for baby garments and blankets, knits easily, and has been a staple around here for a LONG time. If you aren’t into synthetics this is a great choice!
classic colours: six skeins of 817 Aran, and one skein each of 251 Evergreen, 809 Really Red, 877 Golden, 1924 Midnight Heather
slightly darker colours: six skeins of 817 Aran, and one skein each of 1950 Hunter Green, 893 Ruby, 877 Golden, 854 Navy.
Berroco Vintage is a super soft, machine washable blend of wool, acrylic and nylon. It’s easy on the hands and the pocketbook, and is another very popular choice for babies and kids. This yarn is also a longstanding resident around here.
classic colours: six skeins of 5101 Mochi, and one skein each of 5152 Mistletoe, 5151 Cardinal, 5121 Sunny, 51182 Indigo Heather.
somewhat subdued colours: six skeins of 5101 Mochi, and one skein each of 5193 Yukon Green, 51181 Ruby Heather, 5127 Butternut, 51182 Indigo Heather.
grown-up heathered colours: six skeins of 5101 Mochi, and one skein each of 5177 Douglas Fir Heather, 5181 Black Currant Heather, 5192 Chana Dal Heather, 51182 Indigo Heather.
Malabrigo Rios is one of my favourite yarns. It’s a hand dyed, machine washable, 100% merino wool that’s made in Uruguay. The colours are darker than the classic blanket combo, but no less beautiful.
subdued colours: six skeins of 063 Natural, and one skein each of 138 Ivy, 33 Cereza, 35 Frank Ochre, 150 Azul Profundo.
