Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

Giveaway! Harmony Guides 101 Stitches To Knit Card Deck!

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harmonyOne of the greatest challenges a knitter can face is finding the perfect stitch pattern for a project. Whether you want to create a highly textured lace scarf or revamp a basic sweater silhouette with a new stitch pattern, 101 Stitches to Knit is the perfect portable one-stop source for stitch inspiration.

Each card features a stitch design on the front side and concise easy-to-follow instructions on the back. A color-coded system which divides the cards into themes – Knit & Purl, Lace & Eyelets, and Cables & Arans – makes organization a breeze. Forget about carrying a hefty book or crinkled photocopy of a stitch pattern! These sturdy cards can be slipped into a handbag or wallet as a quick reference, making knitting during your commute or lunch break easy as pie!

Furthermore, the cards and eight-page booklet on basic knitting techniques are packed in a sturdy box frame. Whether you’re a beginning knitter or an expert, these handy compact cards promise inspiration for any knitted project.

The Harmony Guides have been longstanding references for handcrafters for more than thirty years, offering clear, concise instructions and photographs for stitches. British designer Erika Knight, author of the Simple Knits series, lends her expertise in the series redesign, updating The Harmony Guides with new stitches and know-how.

Wanna win this card set? Simply leave a comment, letting me know some of your favorite knitting blogs and I’ll put you in the contest to win. March 31 will be the last date!

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Comments

  2. The blogs I check daily include The Yarn Harlot, Vickie Howell, The Rainey Sisters, Knitgrrl, And She Knits Too, The Heathen Housewife, and this blog, in addition to several others and some spinning blogs. Takes me forever to get through them all! LOL

  4. I’ve only recently begun to think seriously on designing complex knitwear, and have thus been more and more intrigued by stitch dictionaries in their various forms. I would love one to start playing with!

    I follow so many craft and knit blogs that it makes even my head spin, but here’s a few good ones:

    http://ysolda.com//wordpress/
    http://monstercrochet.blogspot.com/
    http://marniemaclean.com/words/index.html

    They happen to be the blogs of some of my favorite designers, and also the blogs that have really inspired me to start giving this “designing” thing a try.

  6. Not any specific blogs, I just like looking at the patterns and tutorials. Especially those on Knitty.

  14. I love stitch pattern guides and books. This year I fell in love with cowls and made several of them; the possibilities are endless with a good stitch reference. Thanks!

  17. Just the thing for when you have impulse yarn and a gift to make but no pattern — right where I am now! I answered on the other give away but more blogs I like are Knitters Anonymous and my daughter-in-law’s!

  20. Every morning starts with Yarn Harlot, Franklin Habit, Brooklyn Tweed and this site!

  21. I read a lot of knitting blogs, but a couple of my favourites are Cosmicpluto and The Plucky Knitter.

  23. Please enter me in this great giveaway – my favorite blogs are Vickie Howell, Yarn Harlot and Rachael’s Knitting Blogspot. Thanks!

  25. I am such a new beginner to knitting I haven’t really started to look up sites. I have used Lion Brand yarn site for many ideas and how-tos. I will be looking on many of the blogs that are mentioned. Thanks

  26. I’m an absolute newbie to knitting and haven’t looked up any knitting blogs yet…but that book looks like perfection and I’d still love a chance to win it!

    Kiki
    ParkingGoddessFTW at gmail dot com

  28. I am new to knitting. I am trying to knit on my own. This book will be very good to learn different things.

Have you read?

Knit a Great Button Down Shirt

Just about anything you can make in fabric you can make in knitting, but there are some styles that you just don’t see that often translated into knitting. 

For example, a button down collared shirt. This is a classic design, of course, and it looks great in a knit version, but it’s just not something you see much of. 

Noma Ndlovu’s Guglethu shirt is the pattern to try if you want to knit your own button down shirt. This one is inspired by cashmere tops (though the sample was made out of yak yarn, not cashmere, and uses two strands of lace weight yarn held together) and includes lots of high-fashion details like double-knit cuffs, collar and shoulder seams. 

It has a patch pocket on the front and 10 buttons including the button band and the cuffs. 

The designer says you can also use a DK weight yarn held singly if you’d rather, and that the shirt looks good in a variety of yarns. There is another version on Ravelry that uses Berroco Remix Light, which is a mix of nylon, cotton, acrylic, silk and cellulose fibers. It has a more relaxed look but it still really pretty. 

The pattern has 12 sizes, with a full bust measurement ranging from 32.35 to 72.25 inches, or 82 to 183.5 cm. The designer suggests 2 to 6 inches, or 5 to 15 cm, of positive ease when you pick your size. I could totally see knitting one that’s even bigger to wear more like a jacket, because I do that a lot with button down shirts I already own.

I love all the details on this shirt, which isn’t necessarily difficult to knit, but might introduce you to some things you’ve never knit before (like those cuffs with the plackets, or a shirt collar like this). 

To learn more about this shirt and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself, head to Ravelry. 

[Photo: Noma Ndlovu]

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