Tag Archives: new favorites

New Favorites: Camp wear

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perfect campsite knits

I have got camping fever, people. West Texas road trip fever. Live in a van fever, even. I’m way past due for an outdoor adventure, and editing a book of camping recipes (with corresponding drool-inducing images of savory foods in cast-iron skillets over open fires) is not helping. Then along comes the preview for the new issue of Pom Pom Quarterly. Look! Oddly, I wasn’t factoring knitwear into any daydreams I may have been having, but I am now!

LEFT: These adorably slouchy Camp and Trail socks by Pom Pom’s Lydia Gluck would be a dream after a long hike into the backcountry or around a campground fire.

RIGHT: And this Flying Squirrel wrap by Michiyo (from the new Brooklyn Tweed Wool People 5 collection) would be equally perfect around camp. It’s a big rectangle shawl with anchoring armholes on two corners, which you wouldn’t always have to use. It cracks me up that the pattern is called Flying Squirrel (get it?), and that it’s defined as a “textured stole garment.”

Have I ever told you my friends Meg and Jo (mother and daughter), who taught me to knit, take camping trips together where they just camp and knit? I need to get in on that.

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New Favorites: Simple little stockinette wraps

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knitting patterns for simple stockinette wraps

We all know how important it is to have a simple little stockinette project on the needles, for those times when you want something mindless to knit. Or when you’ve screwed up a row of your slightly lacy cardigan and aren’t ready to face fixing it …

LEFT: Cabinfour’s Nordic Wind is a super simple little triangle shawl with wide stripes — shown in four shades of grey, from dark to light, for a little bit of ombré effect.

RIGHT: The Purl Bee’s Beautiful Spring Scarf is nothing but a stockinette rectangle with fringe. But ooh la la, how curious am I about that cashmere-linen blend yarn it’s designed for. And the idea of nylon cord for the fringe is pretty genius.

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Bonus Favorite: Speaking of cables …

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honeymaker aran sweater knitting pattern by leah thibault

You guys know how much I love a good aran sweater. Quince and Co posted a teaser about this new sweater pattern on Pinterest the other day and it finally materialized this morning. It’s Honeymaker by Leah B. Thibault. Mine won’t be pink, and I might tamper with the neckline a tiny bit, but I will be knitting this. All that honeycomb and cables? Gorgeous.

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New Favorites: Vaguely ’70s sweater vests

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vaguely '70s cable vest knitting patterns

My perpetual low-grade ’70s addiction was fueled over the weekend by a partial viewing of “Love Story” while waiting out an unfortunate hangover. (Such a terrible movie, but I will never tire of looking at Ali MacGraw’s clothes.) On top of which, that Acer cardigan is fueling my cable-sweater-knitting fixation. So with the weather getting (somewhat) warmer, that leads me to … yep.

LEFT: Splitstone by Alicia Plummer

RIGHT: Macallan by Thea Colman

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New Favorites: Starter socks

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starter socks - great knitting patterns

While I have a general and persistent wish for warmer feet, I rarely have even a flicker of a wish to knit socks. I mean, they take forever to knit and they’re generally hidden inside your shoes. And it’s not like decent socks are hard to come by. AND! I’m hard on socks! Regardless, I really should try it sometime, right?

These things give me the urge:

1. Rililie’s ridiculously cute First-Time Socks (the pattern for which is Hermione’s Everyday Socks by Erica Lueder) (thx, Rililie)

2. Clara Parkes’ charming Stepping Stones socks (free download; also found in The Knitter’s Book of Socks)

3. Purl Soho’s luscious Homespun Boot Socks

4. And most compelling of all: Pablo Neruda’s Ode to My Socks

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This week’s ICYMI post is Transformative Mods: A modern spin on Flukra.

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New Favorites: Sleeveless turtlenecks

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best sleeveless turtleneck sweater knitting patterns

Under my bed are a few bins of clothes that I don’t wear but can’t part with. Some because they have sentimental value and some because I just loved them so much that when it was time to stop wearing them I couldn’t let them go. And that includes multiple decades-old sleeveless turtlenecks. What is it about them? I have no idea. But I’d like to knit all of these:

1. Amber by Lisa Richardson

2. Frontenac by Julie Hoover

3. Siri by Caroline Lang

4. Danforth by Pam Allen

(And I don’t mean to put them under the bed.)

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Note to Nashville readers: There are “High-fiber” tote bags on their way to the shimmering Haus of Yarn. Ask for them in a few days!

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New Favorites: Floral and fern mitts

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fingerless mitts knitting patterns by alicia plummer and clara parkes

Do you know it’s been more than a month since I’ve knitted a pair of fingerless mitts? Pretty sure that’s unprecedented. Right now, these floral- and fern-patterned beauties are calling my name:

LEFT: Antiquity fingerless gloves pattern by Alicia Plummer

RIGHT: Sweet Fern Mitts pattern by Clara Parkes (from The Knitter’s Book of Wool, which everyone should own!)

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