Treat Yourself KAL Ideas: Hands and Feet

The Treat Yourself KAL is meant to be relaxing — but sometimes working on a deadline feels stressful, and we don’t want that! So if you’d like to join the knitalong but aren’t sure you’ll have time to finish a large project like a sweater or shawl, consider choosing something smaller. Mitts, mittens, and socks are not major time commitments, and they’re also portable, easy to bring with you wherever you go.

You can make any of my designs for this KAL, which starts Monday, January 14. Here are just a few ideas for hands and feet - see more in my socks, mitts, and hats Ravelry bundle (hats are quick small projects, too, and I’ll talk about them in another post).

Treat Yourself Knitalong Ideas: Hands and Feet

Pattern: Indikon
Yarn: Sportweight

I have a soft spot for the squishy texture of these mitts. They’re incredibly warm! I’ve worn them so much they’re beginning to wear thin in places, so I might cast on a new pair for the Treat Yourself KAL. The pattern provides instructions for two sizes; you’ll need 190-225 yards/174-206 m.

Pattern: On the Other Hand
Yarn: Skeinny Dipping Merino Single (fingering weight)

This pattern gives you two design options for the cuffs - make one of each, or make both mitts the same. They’re nice and long, great for keeping cold air out of your coat sleeves while leaving your fingers free.

Pattern: Leaf in the Wind
Yarn: Cascade 220 Fingering

For winter’s coldest days, you’ll want your fingers well covered — and that calls for mittens. Inspired by the art of Agnes Martin (and named after one of her paintings), the Leaf in the Wind mittens pair striped garter stitch cuffs with geometric stranded-color patterning.

Pattern: Couplet
Yarn: Periwinkle Sheep Watercolors

I love when I hit on a design idea that gives knitters options. Like the On the Other Hand mitts, Couplet gives you two options for the cuffs — one with lace (shown here) and one without. Choose whichever strikes your fancy!

Pattern: Rowhouse Socks
Yarn: Fingering weight - three colors

Here’s a project for those odds and ends of sock yarns in your stash. The colorwork is not complicated, and once you’re past it, the solid-color part of the sock is really perfect for knitting while on the bus or in line or at meetings (or hanging out at home with your knitting inspector/kitty).

I hope some of these patterns appeal to you for the Treat Yourself KAL! If you’re joining in, what will you make?

Coming up next time: garment ideas.

LINKS

Treat Yourself KAL

Bonnie Sennott: Ravelry Designer Page

Bonnie’s Socks, Mitts, and Hats Bundle

New Pattern: Tutti Wrap

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the coldest months of the year are just ahead, and that means it's time to wrap yourself in warm, woolly knits. I've got a new design that will help you do just that: the Tutti Wrap.

Tutti Wrap by Bonnie Sennott

Tutti Wrap by Bonnie Sennott

Tutti is a big rectangular wrap that epitomizes hygge — the Danish quality of comfort and coziness. It's on sale for 20% off in my Ravelry pattern store with the coupon code TUTTI20.

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Tutti is one of six designs in a new Stitch Sprouts collection featuring their Crater Lake yarn, a soft bulky weight merino with great stitch definition. The collection also includes a shawlette by Barbara Benson, a cowl by Mindy Wilkes, a hat and mitts by Heather Zoppetti, and a pullover by Jennifer Dassau.

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When the call for submissions went out early this year, I was struck by the architectural details in the photos of barns in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania: metal bands encircling a silo, diamond-shaped hinges on barn doors, weathered windows. I pulled out my graph paper and began playing around with geometric motifs and knit-purl textures. I landed on a sequence that brought all of these elements into play, and the result was Tutti.

The Ravelry Tutti sale continues through December 31. The pattern is also available in my Etsy shop and from Loveknitting.

Thanks very much for reading!

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Indie Design Gift-a-Long 2018

It’s that time of year! Time for the Indie Design Gift-a-Long, an annual KAL/CAL where knitters and crocheters join together on Ravelry to make their holiday gifts. It’s a big virtual party with lots of good cheer, games, and great prizes (yarns, patterns, stitch markers, project bags, and more).

There’s also an amazing sale on patterns by more than 300 independent knit and crochet designers. Thousands of patterns are discounted 25% with the coupon code giftalong2018. You can use this same coupon code for each participating designer’s sale patterns, and you use it as many times as you wish now through midnight EST, November 29.

This year, I’ve got 20 patterns in the sale, including quick gift ideas, like the Fee-bee Mitts or Erste Cowl, as well as larger projects you might want to make for yourself after the GAL ends, like the Mount Pollux Pullover or the Notch Shawl.

Whether you’re participating for the first time, or returning for your sixth year, the Indie Design Gift-a-Long is a fun way to get inspired to cast on and finish your holiday gift making (and maybe try a tasty recipe or two!). Here are links to help you jump right in:

Indie Design Gift-a-Long

Bonnie Sennott: GAL Sale Patterns

GAL 2018 Participating Designers

Rhinebeck Preview in Black and White

With only a couple of weeks left until Rhinebeck, my mind is occupied with almost nothing else. Today it’s sunny and in the 60s — really perfect weather for a day wandering around the beautiful Dutchess County fairgrounds. I hope we have exactly the same weather for Rhinebeck. Last year, it was far too hot for wearing wool sweaters, so fingers crossed we don’t have a repeat of that.

Secret Rhinebeck Shawl

Secret Rhinebeck Shawl

This year Rhinebeck is even more exciting because I’ve created a new design just for the fair. It’s knit in the exclusive Rhinebeck 2018 colorway dyed by an indie dyer who will be there. Since I don’t want to spoil the surprise of the color, my photos are all black and white for now. But trust me, it’s lovely — really, really lovely — a soothing and calming color that goes with just about everything.

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The yarn will be revealed and the pattern released during the days leading up to Rhinebeck. For now, I can share that it’s a garter stitch and lace crescent shawl, in two sizes. After working the lace, you transition to easy garter stitch short rows (very easy — you don’t even have to pick up the wraps, because they are hidden within the garter stitch). After the lace — which does require being attentive to a chart or the row-by-row written instructions — the project is refreshingly simple, perfect for taking along to a cafe or knit night.

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The dyer and I both wanted this design to be a one-skein project. After knitting lots of swatches and trying out different lace ideas, I made my best calculations about yardage and cast on. And at the end, when I cast off, there were only a few yards remaining. Not ideal! So I wrote up the pattern for two sizes, one 60 inches long and the other about 66 inches. The smaller size definitely requires just one skein (or about 425 yards of fingering weight); the larger one calls for two skeins (475 yards). I did manage to squeeze the larger size out of just one skein, but it was a very close call and it’s possible the skein had a little extra yardage in it. I don’t want anyone to lose at “yarn chicken” when they’re nearly finished, so I’m recommending two skeins for the larger/longer size.

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Will you be at Rhinebeck (or another fiber festival) this year? I’m getting more and more excited every day about seeing so much beautiful and inspiring knitwear all in one place, plus petting sheep, and goats, and alpacas, and bunnies. I can’t wait!

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