Getting Creative with Keppi

Have you seen Lion Brand Yarn’s latest creation, Keppi? I haven’t gotten a look at it in person yet, but it looks like a lot of fun.

This yarn is like a whole bunch of yarns of different textures and coordinating colors all collected in one ball, which makes designing an interesting project really easy. What’s more, the ball is topped off with a pompom, which you can use to decorate the top of a hat (there’s enough yarn in a package to fit a baby up to adult size small).

And if you need a bit of inspiration on how to make a hat with this funky yarn, there are already some great looking patterns available on the website.

I’m really intrigued by this funky novelty yarn. You don’t have to know any fancy stitches to make a project look really fun, and it would be great for kids learning to knit who want to have a funky, personalized accessory without a lot of work.

What do you think of this yarn? I’d love to hear your thoughts, and I’ll let you know if I get to try it out!

[Photo via Lion Brand Yarn.]

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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