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Catch Up with Season 4 of Knit and Crochet Now!

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knit crochet now 4The fourth season of “Knit and Crochet Now” is currently airing on public television stations across the United States (check here to see when it airs near you), so it’s a perfect time to check in with in-house knitting expert Kristin Nicholas.

Kristin is known for her love of color knitting (though she admits this season she’s not a fan of lace knitting!) and is able to explain knitting projects in ways that even newer knitters can understand.

I’ve watched a couple of episodes of this season so far and it looks like a great one. Check out an interview with Kristin Nicholas below and stay tuned next week for an excellent giveaway related to “Knit and Crochet Now.”

And if you want to learn more about Kristin check out the interview I did with her a couple years ago for About.

Sarah: How did you get involved in the program?

Kristin: I’ve been in the needlework business for almost 30 years. I was the Creative Director of Classic Elite Yarns for 16 years. One of the first people I met was Candi Jensen. She was the Creative Director of Crystal Palace Yarns. We hit it off and have been friends ever since. When Candi became the Producer of “Knit and Crochet Now,” she asked me if I wanted to be a “knitting expert.” I had never done much television but I decided to give it a go.

Sarah: What’s your favorite part of the show?

Kristin: No favorite part, but my favorite project from Season 4 is the wreath with the sunflowers. The flowers come from my latest book 50 Sunflowers to Knit, Crochet and Felt.

Sarah: Do you have a favorite project from the last season or a favorite technique to teach?

Kristin: I enjoy teaching colorwork. I find so many knitters are fearful of working with two colors at a time. It isn’t hard but there are some tips I share that make it more successful. I demoed a simple kid’s vest with a chevron Fair Isle Design.kristin nicholas

Sarah: Anything else crafty on the horizon for you?

Kristin: Right now I am working on a book called Crafting the Colorful Home (Roost Books, 2015). It has 20 DIY projects including knit, crochet, fabric painting, printing, interior decoration, felting, and embroidery. I am really looking forward to its release, once it gets finished!

Sarah: Anything else you’d like my readers to know?

Kristin: I live on a working sheep farm with my family. We have over 300 sheep and lambs. We also raise chickens and have 3 Border Collie dogs to help move the sheep around. I have my own line of yarn with Classic Elite Yarns which is sold by Annie’s.  I write a popular blog called Getting Stitched on the Farm where I chronicle our life on the farm and what I create.

 

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Comments

  1. I am looking for the free pattern for episode 410. Wreath with knit flowers and crochet flowers. If the free pattern is here I can’t find it.

Have you read?

Add a Little Lace to Your Knitting Patterns

If you’re new to lace knitting or just aren’t sure how to incorporate the technique into garments, check out these tops and sweaters that use lace as a decorative element.

The easiest lace out there is eyelets, and you can practice them plenty with this eyelet covered sweater from Knitcro Addict. It uses light/DK weight yarn and is worked in four pieces knit flat. It’s intended to be a little cropped and a little oversized, and includes sizes XS to XXL in the pattern.

If you’re in parts of the world where it’s getting colder as you read this, the Nora sweater from Bummbul might be a good choice. This is actually a great one for learning lace because it’s worked in super bulky yarn, which makes it easier to see what you’re doing and makes the lace super graphic. This one just comes in one size, with a 42 inch (106) cm bust, but that could fit a variety of people depending on how much ease you like.

Minimi Knit Design has a cute allover lace cardigan worked in one piece from the bottom up. It’s worked in lace weight mohair held double, which maybe isn’t the best for those new to lace (because it can be hard to rip out) but it sure is pretty. Sizes range to fit from 30 to 66 inches/76 to 168 cm bust measurements.

If you’d rather not have lace all over your sweater, you can knit the Lumi sweater from Originally Lovely, which has a chevron lace pattern on the yoke and is otherwise worked in reverse stockinette stitch. (It’s worked inside out so you don’t have to purl every stitch.) The pattern has 9 sizes from XS to 5XL and uses worsted weight yarn.

Or try the super romantic sookie blouse from Trust the mojo (available on Ravelry). This sweet top is started working flat from the bottom up and has a V-neck and I-cord edgings. The sleeves are worked separately in the round, and the pieces are all joined together to work in one piece to finish off the top. It comes in eight sizes and is available in English and French.

You can also pair lacy sleeves with an otherwise plain top, like on the Starflower Wrap from Annelise Driscoll Gingrow. This intermediate pattern makes a wrap sweater with generous lacy sleeves and a double wrap belt. The pattern has nine sizes, from XS to 5XL, and is available for free from Hobbi.