Step it Up Knits Winner

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the Step it Up Knits giveaway! There were a whopping 118 entries, and it was a lot of fun for me to see what level of knitting you all are at and what you might be struggling with. Sometime after the holidays I’m sure I’ll reread these responses and share some resources to help those of you who aren’t winning the book to take your skills to the next level.

As for the lucky knitter who is going to get her skills stepped up, it’s number 82, who goes by the name BabeRuth, and says she avoids knitting socks because she doesn’t know how to graft. I’m happy to report there are a couple of sock patterns in here so I hope you try them!

It feels a bit redundant to say it, but I’m running a bit behind today so our next giveaway will start tomorrow. You won’t want to miss it if you’re a fan of geekcraft.

Next Pattern:

Many times when I write these posts I will say something like “you can use any yarn you want” or “this would be a great stash-busting project.” That’s just how my mind works. And my stash, too, since I probably have sweater quantity of two or three yarns at most, but tons of singles and odd balls and leftovers.

Blankets are generally a really good way to use up those bits, but in this case, I think you’re going to want to plan it out a bit better.

Looking at photos of the Color Study Blanket from Purl Soho, it looks like it’s made with two yarns held together, and that block in the center is worked with one of each color from the adjoining sides to make a mixed up color.

But that’s not actually how it’s done. This is three separate colors (four, really, with the neutrals in the corners) chosen form a yarn with an expansive palette so they play off each other. The project calls for a worsted weight superwash wool, which is a great choice for a blanket that’s both warm and washable.

This pattern was originally designed by Laura Ferguson and was updated by Hiromi Glover. It is worked in one piece in garter stitch intarsia, which is a great way to learn the intarsia technique if you don’t already know it. It comes in crib or throw sizes.

Despite the introduction to this post, I am going to go ahead and say that, yes, of course you could do this blanket with scraps or odd balls or even just choose five colors that don’t blend together so easily. But I really do love the look of the color play, and I think it would be worth your time to find colors that play well together to get a similar effect.

This pattern is available for free from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

Next Pattern:

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