“Knitcation” Planned in Nuevo Vallarta

We all know about staycations, but have you ever heard of a knitcation? I don’t know if the folks putting on this giveaway made up that word or if other people have used it in the past, but it’s a wonderful term for a knitting-related vacation.

And this trip to Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, slated for September 14-20, certainly sounds like an amazing experience. It would be awesome enough to gather with other knitters for this seven day, six night trip to a fabulous resort (attendees will have private rooms in a shared villa with kitchen and wifi) with three pools, a spa and beach access. Add to that the amazing swag bags, which will include yarn, books and other goodies (they’re sponsored by the likes of Bijou Basin Ranch, Quince & Co., Three Irish Girls and Never Not Knitting, among others), and three workshops from designer Stephen West, and you’ve got a great opportunity for learning as well as meeting new friends who are as passionate about yarn as you are.

The classes will include a top-down shawl workshop, a lesson in different ways to play with color and how color choices affect the look of a design and a tips and tricks session with West and his design partner Malia Mather.

No word on how much this extravaganza will cost, but there’s an e-mail contact on the site if you want more information.

[Photo of the resort via Knitcation.]

It feels like it’s too early to be thinking about back to school, but as I write this my daughter has just a couple of weeks of summer left! So let’s get in that school and fall knitting spirit by looking at some apple knitting projects.

If you have a 22 needle circular knitting machine, knitting an apple is one of the easiest things you can do. I have an apple pattern over at Our Daily Craft that will take you just a few minutes to knit and they’re a great addition to your fall decor.

Apple hats are a classic, and whether you want to knit a hat that looks like an apple or one with apples on it, we’ve got you covered. For hats that look like apples check out the rolled brim version from Emma Crochet Design 4 U, which uses worsted weight yarn and comes in sizes for kids of all ages; and the ribbed brim version from Hand Knit Hugs. This one also calls for worsted weight yarn and comes in four kids sizes. Both include a stem and leaf.

If you’d rather have apples on your hat, try the Red Apple Hat from Little Red Window. This one is sized from newborn to 2T and calls for four colors of worsted weight yarn.

How about apple socks? You’ll find Ariel Chang’s Apple Picnic Socks as a free download on Ravelry. These use three colors of sock yarn and come in three sizes. Stone Knits also a pair of stripey apple socks that show the inside of the apple. These also have three sizes but they use six colors total, with the main color being a self-striping yarn.

If you want a little apple accessory for the house, the apple potholder from Nifty Knitter Designs is cute and a great way to practice double knitting. It uses two colors and you’ll find the colors in the reverse on the other side. The pattern only uses about 50 yards of each color of worsted weight yarn, so it’s a great use for odd balls, too.

Once you’ve got your double knitting skills sorted you can also try the double knit apple scarf from Crow and Chai Shop. The Winter Apples scarf is shown in red and gold, but you can use whatever colors you like. There are apples, stars and random stitches in the design, which calls for DK weight yarn. There’s also a matching fingerless glove pattern.

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