Knitting

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Knit Picks “Swish” and “Wool of the Andes” In New Tonal Colors!

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So I tried out one of Knit Picks newest yarns, Swish Tonals in the Deep Water’s colorway. It’s a Superwash Merino, worsted weight so I invented myself a project. See, I had a problem. Had a water bottle that I loved, with no sweat cover. Too small to fit in the cup holder of my bike (why yes, my motorcycle has a cup holder, doesn’t yours?) and it would fall out occasionally, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and knit myself a water bottle cozy. Not too hard, eh? Well, let’s just say it’s not so much a cozy as it is a scrunchie, and it may turn into a leg warmer if I get a chance to knit another one to match.

Anyway, on to the Swish. This yarn knitted up beautifully, no splits, unbelievably soft and luscious, and the colors are gorgeous. Now I haven’t washed it yet, and it would be awesome if it shrank a whole bunch, but like I said it’s Superwash, so that’s not likely.

15 different colors with 7 different tones in each skein, it’s lovely. And being a worsted weight, knits up quick. The ribbing I did really stood out, and the stockinette was soft and even, unlike a lot of the nicer high end yarns I’ve tried. This one’s a keeper!

I also scored a skein of Wool of the Andes in the Nevermore Tonal colorway.  Again, 15 different colors with 7 different tones in each of the hand painted colors, worsted weight and felts beautifully. For this yarn I chose a pair of Croc Socks from Tahki Stacy Charles. The pattern is over at Knitting Warehouse. I haven’t gotten very far on these yet, except to say that I’m using a bit bigger needle, and making them a bit bigger so I can felt them down a bit.

More on this later….

Next Pattern:

Comments

  2. Would you have 1 skein of this yarn that I could purchase from you to finish a project??? The place I bought them from says it is discontinued…..
    thanks
    Paula

Have you read?

Book Review: Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four. 

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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