Year-end Pattern Sale

Greetings from a dark, blustery day here in western Massachusetts. If all this rain were snow, we’d really be buried in it!

As the year comes to a close, I want to take a moment to thank all of you for supporting my work as a designer. It’s always a joy to see new projects posted on Ravelry or on Instagram and witness your creativity. As a gesture of my appreciation, I’m having a big year-end sale—25% off all individual Blue Peninsula patterns on Ravelry and in my Etsy shop. Just use the code THANKS2023 to get the discount (ebook sets are not included). The sale ends at midnight EST on December 31.

A few of my favorite scarves and shawls, clockwise from bottom left: Streusel, Ischnura, Mayblossom, Wonderberry, Hop Brook

Mitts, hats, cowls, sweaters, socks, shawls, and scarves are all included in the sale. You can use the coupon code as many times as you like, so it’s a great time to stock up on patterns you’ve had your eye on!

Bottom row, left to right: Couplet, Shallows, Exit 4
Middle row, left to right: Notch, Golden Valley, On the Other Hand
Top row, left to right: Purlish, Singing Beach, Journeyer

Winter’s End Scarf

Downy Hat

Next in Line Wrap

The year-end pattern sale ends on December 31, and so will our 2023 Next in Line Blanket Instagram knitalong. I’m still working on mine (but getting very near the end). Quicker, more focused knitters have finished theirs, and it’s been great fun watching their blankets grow (use the Instagram hashtag #nextinlinekal or look at projects on Ravelry if you want to see them). We had three giveaways of yarn, project bags, and stitch markers, too—all in all, it was a fun and inspiring KAL. Thanks to everyone who participated!

My Next in Line Blanket in progress

I hope this month brings you joy and many happy moments spent with friends and family. Best wishes for a beautiful New Year!

Bonnie

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LINKS
Ravelry
Etsy

Update: Next in Line Blanket KAL

As summer draws to an end, I thought I’d pop in to give you an update on the yearlong Next in Line blanket knitalong. The KAL blankets are steadily growing in size! Knitters have kept knitting through the summer, though there have been days when heat and humidity have made knitting with a blanket on your lap unthinkable. I’m sure I’m not the only one who looks forward to the more knitter-friendly, cooler temperatures of autumn.

A second giveaway was held this week, and a lucky Next in Line knitter won the skein of Neighborhood Fiber Co. yarn and the hand-sewn journal pictured here. I had a lot of fun sewing the reusable notebook cover, which fits over a Moleskin journal (I sent the winner two, one with graph pages and one with blank pages). This one-of-a-kind upcycling project used scraps of Lotta Jansdotter fabrics, linen cut from an old pair of shorts, and a circle of red cotton from a jar of homemade jam that I got at a local market earlier this summer.

The Next in Line KAL continues throughout 2023. If you’d like to join, cast on anytime and post your progress photos on Instagram with the hashtag #nextinlinekal (or, post in the Ravelry thread). If you’ve posted at least one photo, you’ll be included when the final giveaway happens later this year.

There’s also an ongoing sale! Save 25% on the Next in Line Blanket pattern through December 31, 2023 at Ravelry, Etsy, and Payhip. The discount is automatic - no coupon code needed.

I hope your summer has been a good one. With wildfires, intense heat (the hottest July on record!), torrential rains, and flooding, it has been a difficult summer. If you are struggling in the aftermath of any of these terrible events, my heart goes out to you. Here in western Massachusetts, we had some flooding earlier in the summer that wiped out crops at some farms, but lately the weather has been milder and more pleasant (though it’s raining again as I type this).

In addition to Next in Line, I’ve been knitting steadily this summer on a new pair of Mill River Socks. I’m using yarn from New Hampshire dyer OlannGra, which I picked up last fall at a fiber popup at Green Mountain Spinnery, in Putney, Vermont. This is actually the third time I’ve knit the Mill River socks with Laura’s yarns—that’s how much I love them.

Summer wouldn’t be summer without the annual Tour de Fleece. This year I joined the Three Waters Farm team, with a spindle project (Soft and Sweet BFL/silk) and a wheel project (Hushed Stillness BFL/silk). The Hushed Stillness was the first full skein I’ve ever spun on a wheel (my new Electric Eel Wheel) and I’m pretty happy with how it came out. I’m planning to use it in a sweater, probably as contrast stripes paired with the brown Purl Soho Good Wool pictured here.

From June to August I was also knitting every day on the sample for a new design. Yesterday I mailed it off to the yarn company—watch for the pattern release in October! I can’t share photos or details yet, but expect a cozy textured accessory perfect for holiday knitting.

Now that I’ve finished the secret project, I’m itching to cast on that striped sweater and see how my handspun yarn knits up. I’m not totally ready for “sweater weather” just yet, though. I want to savor the summer’s warmth and enjoy for a little bit longer the cheerful sight of sunflowers that dot farm fields around here each August. There’s a big field of them down the road and they are a great excuse to go for a walk, just to see all the bright yellow flowers lifting their faces to the sun.

I hope your final days of summer bring you moments of joy. Thanks for reading, and—as always—happy knitting!

2023: Year of the Next in Line Blanket

The Next in Line Blanket KAL has launched on Instagram! For this yearlong KAL, we’re knitting up Next in Line throws or blankets at a leisurely pace. Worked entirely in garter stitch, Next in Line is a fun and easy project, perfect for cozy evenings catching up on your favorite movies or shows.

Along with the KAL, there’s a yearlong sale! Save 25% on Next in Line through December 31, 2023 at Ravelry, Etsy, and Payhip. The discount is automatic - no coupon code needed.

Next in Line uses four colors of worsted weight yarn. The pattern offers instructions for two sizes—a throw and a blanket. But you can choose to stop whenever your blanket is a size you like. (Of course, if you add logs, you’ll need more yarn.) It’s knit from the center outward, by picking up stitches for each new log along an edge of the previous log. This means there’s no seaming or joining at the end!

For my Next in Line, I’m using DK weight yarn and a US5 needle. The yarn is Purl Soho Good Wool in Winter Grass, Wild Mustard, Blue Moon, and Wild Heath. So far, so good—I’m on Log 5 and very happy with the color combinations. I’m using an interchangeable needle, so I can switch the tips to longer cords as the blanket grows.

I’ve been weaving in ends as I finish each log. Of course, you can leave them all to the end if you like! But I know I’d simply procrastinate about weaving in a gazillion ends, so for me it’s best to bite the bullet and weave in as I go.

If you’ve cast on—or plan to—be sure to share your yarn and/or progress pics over on Instagram. I plan to have some giveaways during the year, and will pick winners at random from photos posted with the hashtag #nextinlinekal.

I can’t believe January is nearly over, can you? I hope your 2023 knitting projects are off to a great start, and would love to see you in the KAL—join anytime!

Bonnie

LINKS

Next in Line - Ravelry
Next in Line - Payhip
Next in Line - Etsy
@bluepeninsula (Instagram)

Next in Line Sale and Knitalong

The start of a new year is a great time to think big—and cast on something big. Like a blanket! Join me in knitting a Next in Line blanket or throw during 2023. We’re having a yearlong KAL on Instagram.

Next in Line Blanket by Bonnie Sennott

We’re having a yearlong KAL on Instagram. Along with the KAL, there’s a yearlong sale! Save 25% on Next in Line through December 31, 2023 at Ravelry, Etsy, and Payhip. The discount is automatic - no coupon code needed.

A Next in Line KAL starts January 1. Cast on anytime during 2023 and post your photos on Instagram with the hashtags #nextinlineblanket and #nextinlinekal.

Next in Line WIPs are welcome, too! We’ll motivate each other to keep knitting - and celebrate as we finish. Every now and then there’ll be a giveaway, too. 

The first Next in Line I knit (the pattern sample in the photos) was a wedding gift. So I’m excited to knit another, in different colors, just for me. I plan to cast on my Next in Line on New Year’s Day. I’m just waiting for one more color of yarn to arrive. Fingers crossed it’s here in time!

Since the KAL lasts all year, there’s no rush to start or pressure to finish quickly. We can take our time and enjoy ourselves, knitting lots of soothing garter stitch through the seasons. Whether it’s a special gift (makes a great baby blanket!) or a colorful new addition for your home, Next in Line is a relaxing and easy knit. I hope you’ll join me in making a special blanket or throw during 2023.

Happy New Year—and happy knitting in 2023!

LINKS

Next in Line - Ravelry
Next in Line - Payhip
Next in Line - Etsy
@bluepeninsula (Instagram)