“Knitcation” Planned in Nuevo Vallarta

We all know about staycations, but have you ever heard of a knitcation? I don’t know if the folks putting on this giveaway made up that word or if other people have used it in the past, but it’s a wonderful term for a knitting-related vacation.

And this trip to Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, slated for September 14-20, certainly sounds like an amazing experience. It would be awesome enough to gather with other knitters for this seven day, six night trip to a fabulous resort (attendees will have private rooms in a shared villa with kitchen and wifi) with three pools, a spa and beach access. Add to that the amazing swag bags, which will include yarn, books and other goodies (they’re sponsored by the likes of Bijou Basin Ranch, Quince & Co., Three Irish Girls and Never Not Knitting, among others), and three workshops from designer Stephen West, and you’ve got a great opportunity for learning as well as meeting new friends who are as passionate about yarn as you are.

The classes will include a top-down shawl workshop, a lesson in different ways to play with color and how color choices affect the look of a design and a tips and tricks session with West and his design partner Malia Mather.

No word on how much this extravaganza will cost, but there’s an e-mail contact on the site if you want more information.

[Photo of the resort via Knitcation.]

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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