Review: Self-Striping Yarn Studio

I love working with self-striping yarns, and actually have a whole chapter in my colorwork book on the subject (and my favorite sweater ever, which is in that book, is made with self-striping yarn). But I’ll admit it’s not always easy to work with self-striping yarn, or to know what to make with it.

Carol J. Sulcoski’s Self-Striping Yarn Studio is packed with information about how self-striping, self-patterning and gradient yarns work, how to use them in projects and how to deal with them when your project don’t turn out exactly the way you wanted. It also has 24 patterns from a variety of designers for sweaters, scarves, hats, shawls, mitts and more using self-striping yarn and lots of fun techniques that show off the colors in interesting ways. Check out a few of the projects on Ravelry.

The projects are arranged by yarn weight, which makes it easier if you have some self-striping yarns in your stash you’d like to use for a particular project.

Some of my favorites include the colorful, lacy Celebrate shawl by Barb Brown; Sulcoski’s Wyldhaven Yoke Sweater, a simple top-down, circular yoke sweater worked in sock yarn that makes the colorwork look more complex than it is (her Belrose Striped Tam is pretty great, too, and could be a stash-busting project); the Fairfax Baby Jacket, also by Sulcoski, which uses a great, bright colorway and pieces worked in different directions for a stripy coat with lots of swing; Erika Flory’s easy Tracks Scarf, which combines a solid and a self-striping yarn for high contrast; and Sulcoski’s Sugartown Sweater, which uses odd balls and a tweedy background for a super casual garment.

This book is a lot of fun whether you’ve worked with self-striping yarns before or are new to their wonders, and you’re sure to find a few colorful projects to try out.

About the book: 144 pages, paperback, 24 patterns (11 rated easy, 11 intermediate, 2 advanced). Published by Lark Crafts, August 2016, suggested retail $19.95.

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The felted slipper craze that began last year doesn’t seem like it’s fading away. The Sailor Slippers, often striped knit and felted slippers made with super bulky yarn, because the project of the moment late last year (check out more knit slipper options in this post all about sailor slippers) and they’re still consistently popular with knitters.

Which makes sense because they are fun and fast to knit, and seeing them go from this giant thing to something that actually fits a foot feels a little magical.

I have always loved felting (in fact my first book was about felting knitting) and it’s always fun for me to see people rediscover this technique.

If you’ve knit enough plain slippers to fit all the feet you know, maybe it’s time to stitch up some tabi style slippers instead.

Maymade Knits has designed these cute tabi ballerina slippers, made with bulky yarn and felted. They’re worked flat at first and then in rounds, and are available in 10 EU sizes (the Internet tells me add 31 to your American shoe size to get your EU size). The designer says the slippers are meant to have a close fit and you should choose a size a little smaller than your foot for the ideal fit.

The pattern includes a video tutorial along with the written pattern.

You can grab this pattern on Ravelry. The same designer has her own version of the striped felted slipper as well, called Sarah’s Striped Slippers. These are worked in super bulky yarn and have a contrasting foot and a striped body. These are knit flat and seamed and there are 7 size options available. Check that pattern out here if you’re looking for a more traditional slipper shape. They also look roomier so you can wear them with socks if you like.

[Photo: Maymade Knits]

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