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Inca Knits

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 The Incas, a culture and a people, have roots in small provincial towns, each with a unique language and history that is fascinating to outsiders. They were a democratic people who never allowed their Indian culture to be destroyed by conquerors. Their social and work cultures are as strong today as when they built astounding stone structures that cannot be replicated with today’s advanced technology. Llamas, cats, birds and many other animals as well as labyrinth motifs are often found in Latin American textiles and pottery.

This is the basis of Inca Knits. All of these geometrics and colors are combined to give this style a very unique signature.

But this isn’t just a project book. Techniques include stranded two-color knitting, double knitting, intarsia knitting and short row shaping. You will also learn new and innnovative uses of color and patterns, interesting construction and texture techniques and discover how to find inspiration in various landscapes, wildlife, textiles and even the pottery of the high Andes. Evey project in Inca Knits has a striking feature, be it an interesting combination of yarn and pattern, a clever use of stitch pattern, or an unusual form of construction. All patterns are knitter-friendly and contain detailed instructions.

This book is available from Interweave, here.

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Stitch Your Favorite Fruit on a Sweater

The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.” 

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them. 

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits. 

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves. 

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit. 

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy. 

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]