Twist Collective Winter 2014

While I was away from my computer over Thanksgiving break the latest issue of Twist Collective went live, and if you haven’t seen it yet you’re going to want to head over there and look at the pretties.

Three knitting stories present more than 30 patterns full of woodsy warmth, shapes of gray and classic country styles. Articles include a drinking game for watching Elizabeth Zimmermann DVDs from Franklin Habit, a lesson on swatching brioche with Clara Parkes and a defense of mosaic knitting from Barbara Gregory. There’s also a profile of glass knitting artist Carol Milne by Lela Nargi and an update on raising goats from Amy King.

There are lots of great patterns here, but some of my favorites include Paramo by Wendy Neal, a pretty three-quarter sleeved pullover with triangular sections worked in a contrasting color; the delicate cable and lace V-neck Hyssop by Renee Callahan; Helene Rush’s Mad Dash, a jacket that uses multicolored brick stitch worked in different directions to set off the design; Radius by Julie Blauw, a close-fitting pullover with curvy, colored accents and a great little pocket; Kate Gilbert’s pretty two-color Masonry socks; Ashley Rao’s gorgeous two-color brioche cowl neck pullover, Epicenter; and the relatively simple but pretty cardigan Skyscraper by Nancy Vandivert.

Check out all the patterns on Ravelry. Individual patterns run $6 or $7 and you can buy them on Ravelry or direct from the Twist Collective site.

See anything you like? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo via Twist Collective.]

Looking for more Thanksgiving patterns check these out on Etsy.

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

It feels like it’s too early to be thinking about back to school, but as I write this my daughter has just a couple of weeks of summer left! So let’s get in that school and fall knitting spirit by looking at some apple knitting projects.

If you have a 22 needle circular knitting machine, knitting an apple is one of the easiest things you can do. I have an apple pattern over at Our Daily Craft that will take you just a few minutes to knit and they’re a great addition to your fall decor.

Apple hats are a classic, and whether you want to knit a hat that looks like an apple or one with apples on it, we’ve got you covered. For hats that look like apples check out the rolled brim version from Emma Crochet Design 4 U, which uses worsted weight yarn and comes in sizes for kids of all ages; and the ribbed brim version from Hand Knit Hugs. This one also calls for worsted weight yarn and comes in four kids sizes. Both include a stem and leaf.

If you’d rather have apples on your hat, try the Red Apple Hat from Little Red Window. This one is sized from newborn to 2T and calls for four colors of worsted weight yarn.

How about apple socks? You’ll find Ariel Chang’s Apple Picnic Socks as a free download on Ravelry. These use three colors of sock yarn and come in three sizes. Stone Knits also a pair of stripey apple socks that show the inside of the apple. These also have three sizes but they use six colors total, with the main color being a self-striping yarn.

If you want a little apple accessory for the house, the apple potholder from Nifty Knitter Designs is cute and a great way to practice double knitting. It uses two colors and you’ll find the colors in the reverse on the other side. The pattern only uses about 50 yards of each color of worsted weight yarn, so it’s a great use for odd balls, too.

Once you’ve got your double knitting skills sorted you can also try the double knit apple scarf from Crow and Chai Shop. The Winter Apples scarf is shown in red and gold, but you can use whatever colors you like. There are apples, stars and random stitches in the design, which calls for DK weight yarn. There’s also a matching fingerless glove pattern.

Have you read?