quick + purly: 5 tees

It's so beautifully Summer-y here in New York City that I have the urge to knit things with little or no sleeves, so here are five tees with special details for you.

1. The Perseids by Asami Kawa $5.50USD 

   

   This sweet top has been in my favorites for ages -
   love the touch of beads at the neckline

2. Mesh Panel Tee by Myrna Batten $5USD 

   

   Using laceweight doubled except for the mesh is a great idea

3. Crown Tee by Jenise Hope $7CAD 

   

   Lovely, feminine details

4. Camelia Tee by Playsweetmusic Design kr.30.00 SEK 

   

   Charming inspiration and execution

5. Hane by Kirsten Johnstone $8USD 

   

   Intriguing details and lots of options in the pattern

All images from patterns' Ravelry pages. No copyright infringement intended. I just want to share the love!

Have you knit any short-sleeved items? I tend to think of knits as long-sleeved Winter-y (and Spring- and Fall-y) things, but this year I'm jonesing to create Summer-y pieces. Tell me about your favorite summer knits in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy knitting!

xoxo,

Father's Day ideas: Knits for Men

Is there a fella in your life in need of a handknit? I put my patterns for men into a bundle on Ravelry, so you can find them all in one place:

• An Aran for Frederick This one is loaded with cables telling the story of our hero Frederick Wentworth from Persuasion
• A Vest for Charles* All in one piece, this vest has stitch patterns inspired by the sweater Charles II wore yet is quick to knit in worsted weight yarn (and no sleeves!)
• Captain Austen's Scarf The seaweed knit-purl pattern is handsome and reversible, while the fringe is optional (some guys dig it, others not so much)
• Dennis tie Time and again this fully-fashioned tie makes a great gift and can also be worked out of less than one skein of fingering weight yarn
• Kind Woodsman** This handsome pullover is simple enough for most men to wear but has an intriguing all-over cable pattern that makes it fun for you to knit
• Sailor's Valentine Another handsome cabled story-telling sweater; I recommend working double seed stitch rather than 2x2 ribbing at the sides for a more masculine silhouette

*Currently available from Jane Austen Knits/Interweave. Available in my Ravelry store this June!
**Currently available from Enchanted Knits/Interweave. Available in my Ravelry store this July!

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Thanks for stopping by, and happy knitting!
xoxo, Kathleen

FO-tastic: A Vest for Charles

Looking for a great knit for your fella but don't want to go to the trouble of making an entire sweater? A Vest for Charles fits the bill and is worked all in one piece with historical precedent and a Jane Austen connection. One knitter even added fantastic little pockets for her son's pocket watch! Here are some other favorite finished projects:

ArchaicDome's A Vest for Scott with lovely buttons and a yarn choice that really shows off the Diamond pattern

A Vest for Guillem by laracroft - Guillem looks so happy in his!

Doesn't Terry's vest from dayep look lovely in this color?

I would bet money that Scott is wearing his vest by simplyamy at Rhinebeck (I am now triply sad that I didn't make it to NYS&W in 2014)

And Emmett looks pretty happy with his vest from meredithn

All images from the projects' Ravelry pages. No copyright infringement intended. I just want to share the love!

In case you want to check out all the other fantastic A Vest for Charles projects:

Thanks for stopping by and happy knitting!
xoxo, Kathleen

quick + purly: 5 lace + beads

Have you tried knitting with beads? I've only done it once, but it was quite enjoyable (so long as the kids weren't nearby, and I wasn't on a plane - little containers of beads have the potential to go everywhere) and the results are stunning. Here are five that I loved this week...

1. Corryn Shawl by Abigail Phelps $6 USD 
   
2. Blackbird by Kieran Foley $4.75 USD 
   
3. Queen of the Night by Amy van de Laar $6 USD 
   
4. Southern Skies by Audry Nicklin $7 USD 
   
5. Tess by Camilla Lieske $5 USD 
   

All images from patterns' Ravelry pages. No copyright infringement intended. I just want to spread the love!

There are so many beautiful, lacy, beaded patterns to choose from. Here was my search. Which patterns strike your fancy? Let me know below in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy knitting!

xoxo, Kathleen

quick + purly: 5 linen cardigans

I'm sorry to be late publishing this for you - Saturday's trunk show took up all of my bandwidth, but it also inspired this q+p, since Jill has loads of wonderful summer-weight yarns (lots with linen) at Yarns in the Farms. Since it is beginning to feel a lot like summer, here are some lovely options for you...

This ended up being a more challenging search than I had expected. As a woman with an ample endowment, those waterfall cardigans don't often work for me, nor do all those little top-down things that only button at the top. V-necks and U-necks are more flattering for m, though I think they are a little more challenging to design.

1. Fine Sand by Heidi Kirrmaier $6.80 USD 

   

   Open-front but with enough fabric to flatter

2. Le Jardin Cardi by Hélène Rush $6.25 USD 

   

   Love the different stitch patterns

3. Kowloon Cardigan by Connie Chang Chinchio $7 USD 

   

   Great shape and special collar/buttonband

4. Morning Glory by Pam Allen $6 USD 

   

   Just enough little details to make this special

5. Silver Ghost by Annamária Ötvös $6.50 USD 

   

   This looks like one of those patterns you might make again and again

All images from patterns' Ravelry pages. No copyright infringement intended. I just want to spread the love!

What cardigan would you want to knit and wear this summer? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy knitting!
xoxo, Kathleen

Another great use for 2t-LTCO

This is a quickie post, as I'm busy getting ready for Saturday's Trunk Show (I keep thinking of "Dog Show!" from SNL when I type it):

A useful variant of the 2t-LTCO is for a provisional cast-on. Just tie your working yarn and waste yarn together as the two strands. Then place the waste yarn over your finger and working yarn over your thumb, working the long-tail cast-on from that position. The waste yarn should end up running along the bottom of your needle, while the working yarn goes over the needle top forming the first row of stitches. Remember not to count the slipknot as a stitch and pull it out when you work your way back to it on the first row/round of knitting. When it is time to put the stitches back on a needle and work in the opposite direction, just start pulling the waste yarn out of the stitches and popping those "live" babies onto the needle. If you have cast on a lot of stitches, I recommend cutting the waste yarn every once in a while, so you don't have to pull extreme lengths of waste yarn through the live stitches.

That's my advice for today. Hope to see some of you at Yarns in the Farms this Saturday :)

Thanks for stopping by, and happy knitting!
xoxo, Kathleen

Trunk Show! Yarns in the Farms on 5/16/15

Very excited that I will be visiting my first LYS (and truly one of my favorites - great yarns, charming owner, across the street from an ice cream shop - what more could you ask for?), Yarns in the Farms, this Saturday with a lovely selection of samples and printed patterns, including the Unicorn Tapestries, vol. one.

If you are in the area, I would love to see you! And talk knitting :) I'm almost finished with my Kellynch Cardigan, so who knows what I'll be working on by Saturday. Come find out!

And if you can't make it on Saturday, the pretties will be hanging out with Jill in the shop all week.

And if you live far from the area, perhaps I can come visit your LYS some time. Drop me a line or ask your LYSO to get in touch at kathleendames at gmail dot com. Or PM me on Ravelry, where I go by Purly.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy knitting!
xoxo, Kathleen