Knitting

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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.

 

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?

Knits for the Table for Thanksgiving and Beyond

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long. 

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders. 

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well. 

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn. 

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions. 

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table. 

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter. 

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.