I’ve been working on an “Oh the Places You’ll Go” Blanket and I made up a simple hack to make the increases and rounds look beautiful and seamless! In the video I show you how to make the blanket from the start … and there’s a special treat at the end!
Yarn
I’m using 6 colours of Amano Yarns Chaski – the yarn is lovely but it’s fingering weight and taking FOREVER to finish. I highly suggest using a thicker yarn than I did, the pattern uses a Worsted weight yarn and I recommend Berroco Modern Cotton (for a baby blanket you’ll need 1 skein of each of 6 colours, for a throw you’ll need two skeins of each colour, for something even larger try three skeins of each colour, and you may want/need an extra skein of yellow, that’s the colour I used the most of/ran out of first):
Other Materials
Locking Stitch Markers (I used 12 in a main colour, one in a contrast colour, and another odd one to help me keep an eye on things)
You can find the details for this project, all our other videos, and other recommended video support on our website in the main menu under VIDEO. We’ve included project ideas, links for skills, and more!
Just to recap, I made the smallest size (which I talk about in the video), and I used Drops Air (colour 34) & Drops Kid-Silk (colour 41) on 6.5mm/US10.5 needles.
Since the last update, I knit the body and the sleeves. I followed the pattern instructions for the sleeves and did the grafted underarm, because I figured maybe I’d learn something new. What I learned was that I still prefer a picked-up underarm, and that I’m not into armpit grafting (that sounds gross, but ‘m sticking with it). Here’s a really good video from someone more proficient than me on how to pick up the underarm stitches when you’re ready to pick-up and knit your sleeves. (That said, I left a note on the Cocoknits youtube video and they very kindly got back to me saying that Julie’s Toni KAL playlist shows her cleaning up the outside edges. …. still, too many hoops for me to jump through).
I also knit the body a bit longer because the size was smaller than I expected, and I didn’t bother picking up for the neckline, when I tried it on it seemed to be just right, so I stuck with it. FYI I steam blocked it with a hand steamer… quick & easy!
Conclusions
Overall, it was a satisfying knit! I’m nearing the end of my first day wearing it and it’s cozy, comfortable, pretty, and it hasn’t been itching me. I learned a new technique, and I would definitely make another sweater from Cocoknits. I’m still nodling it aroun, but I think my next might be Emma Version A from the Cocoknits Sweater Workshop book (I think I figured out that I can get the right tension with Quince & Co Kestrel and 6.5mm/US10.5 needles, but I’m smacking my head because of course I didn’t make any notes for myself in my Ravelry account so I have to go back and double check that. And I need to order more of the yarn too!
P.S.
In the video I mention perfectionism and the Knitsana workshop
Mabel
Mabel is a loose-fitting, comfortable pullover that fits the bill. She is also infinitely adaptable … try knitting the neck ribbing into a cowl or extra long fold-over turtleneck. Add cables, split the hem, knit it knee length, add stripes … the sky’s the limit. It is written in 10 sizes from 36 to 72” bust, so you have options for fit, as well!
This sweater is worked using the Cocoknits Method, a commonsense system for knitting seamless, tailored sweaters from the top down. The Cocoknits Method is explained in detail in Cocoknits Sweater Workshop by Julie Weisenberger.
I think a free online knitting course for kids is an AWESOME thing! The internet is teeming with people who want to teach you how to knit for free, but the content is directed towards adults, and anyone who has a kid in their life knows that kids do not learn the same way as adults. Kids also organize and process information in different ways, so the way you approach a pattern needs to be different too.
Rowan’s free mini course teaches kids how to do a few main skill (cast on, knit, and cast off) and some minor skills (simple seaming, sewing buttons & beads & etc, alternating colours, weaving in ends). I also love that the course includes four small projects kids would actually want to make: a puppet, a rosette, a snake and a cowl. The first three projects are very small, which is great because kids have much shorter attention spans than adults and a little bit of instant gratification goes a long way. The course also includes written instructions for four projects; the cowl from the last video lesson and three more bonus little projects (a spider, a kitty cat, and a little purse). The written instructions are clear and easy to follow.
The materials simple, it just requires some thick yarn (my favourite for beginners of all ages is Drops Andes), appropriately sized needles (I like the Knitter’s Pride Basix 9mm/US13 – 10″ for kids and adults), and a large eye tapestry needles (my favourite thing about the Knitter’s Pride tapestry needles is they come in a pack of 4, so when one gets lost, you still have three left!). You’ll also need to source a few buttons, a sewing needle and thread, some large-ish beads, and strings & stuff from around the house. If you have a spare brooch pin kicking around you win a prize!
The only down-side is that the videos are hosted on Rowan’s own website (learnrowan.com) and you have to log in and register for them. I don’t like putting walls between kids and learning, and having to rely on an adult to go to the website and log them in is a barrier. For my niece and nephew I’d keep the login and super password easy for them to remember, and I’d add the site to their tablet’s ‘Home Screen’ so they can go directly to it.
Materials
Drops Andes: 1 ball to learn (the course uses about 3 different colours)
Many thanks to Rowan for creating this content for kids! If you want to get your kid a book and take their knitting to the next level I suggest Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick; it’s the best I’ve ever seen, and it doesn’t shy away from building up to projects like socks and even a sweater!
Check out this GREAT instructional video from Berroco, it is all about ends: how weave them in, how to attach them when you start a new ball of yarn, etc.
