Getting Sunstruck

Sometimes my job is really awesome. OK, a lot of times my job is awesome, but some days I get really great mail without even asking. Thanks to the wonderful folks at Knit Picks (thanks, Jenny!) I received a sample set of their new Sunstruck interchangeable knitting needles over the weekend.

Almost immediately I cast on an knit a little swatch (that’s in the luscious Berroco Vintage, if you want to know) and I have to say I really enjoyed working with them. That’s no surprise, because the Knit Picks Harmony needles, which have the same birchwood base, have been some of my favorites for a long time. The Sunstruck needles are blond instead of multicolored, which makes them even nicer for knitting with dark yarn because it’s easier to see the stitches than it might be on the darker Harmony base.

These needles are lightweight, nice and smooth, easy to work with and pretty, too. I zipped through my swatch on these size 7 US needles (4.5 mm) and am eager to take them for another spin soon.

I think I’m going to be wanting this whole set really soon! If you’re not an interchangeable fan, these needles are also available as straights and fixed circulars. Tips start at $6.99, straights at $5.99 and fixed circs at $7.49. Go getcha some!

Next Pattern:

Using your yarn stash is important to me throughout the year, but as I start to feel the end of the year coming on I get more excited about using things I already have in the house. Maybe that’s because I don’t want to go to a store in the thick of holiday shopping times, or I like the idea of having a little space in my stash when the new year rolls around.

It’s super satisfying to use up all the little odd balls you’ve made over the year (or years), and I have several stash busting blankets I work on when it’s cold and will maybe finish someday.

If you’d like to start a stash busting project that’s perfect for using up odd balls, check out the Soukish pattern from Neisha Abdulla. This pattern is made for fingering weight/sock yarn, and it’s worked in a tube with allover color work.

This is great for a couple of reasons. You don’t really have to weave in your ends when you can hide them in a tube (this is one time you might even get by just tying a knot when you change colors!) and you can change colors whenever you run out of yarn and it will look good.

Of course the pattern is made with blocks where the designer changed colors, but you can change yours more or less often as you need to make it work for your stash. You can use blank charts to design your own color combinations, or even your own stitch patterns if you like. You can also adjust the length of the scarf as needed or turn it into a cowl based on the amount of yarn you have.

This project looks like a lot of fun and would be a great thing to have on hand to stitch up and then to wear during the cold, gloomy months.

You can get a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Neisha Abdulla]

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Next Pattern:

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