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Hokie Knitters Unite

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So starts the [tag]Mosaic Yarn Shop[/tag] blog detailing the creation of 2,100 hand-crafted squares to heal and help the families of the victims of the [tag]Virginia Tech[/tag] shooting by knitting each of them a patchwork blanket. [tag]Crocheted[/tag] squares are welcome also. The Hokie colors of maroon and orange, along with squares of white or black, are the desired colors to create the blankets. They’re asking for 8-inch squares in “the nicest, softest yarn you can afford” with any fiber, in any pattern and any gauge you like. The deadline for mailing squares to the shop is May 31.

More information and pictures of squares are at the Mosaic Yarn Blog.

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Comments

  1. Do you have a pattern for Hokie dishcloth? I look forward to visiting your store during footballvseason.
    Kathy

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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