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Echoes

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Kim Hargreaves latest book Echoes has arrived.
Let watery hues transport you to a place of calm, delightful relaxation. Influenced by a blend of diverse elements the collection plays with stripes, from subtle ticking to crisp cabled bands, while soft flounces and sheer knitted fabrics fit perfectly with a soft summer breeze letting you drift away to a state of bliss.

Wave is knit in double strand Kidsilk Haze. It would look great in Kidsilk Haze Stripe as well.
Spray is knit in Cotton Lustre - a new yarn for this summer.
Lagoon is also knit in Cotton Lustre.
Cotton Lustre is an interesting blend of cotton, linen and modal which gives it a wonderful drape with a soft handle. This yarn incorporates the essential summer shades and knits on 6mm needles making it perfect for a quick summer knits. The colour palette incorporates the essential summer shades.
Dune is knit in Original Denim. Thank you Kim for another fabulous pattern book.

Madelinetosh home has been calling my name. I love the colour dachshund. What to make?? I decided to do an afghan for the new house. An easy, take with me project is the Log Cabin Afghan. I'm following the pattern on 8mm needles. It will look totally different than my other Log Cabin - the first was knit in Noro so the squares stripe. These squares are all over colour. Because the skeins are hand dyed, the colours will change a bit throughout each square. And square to square could end up a bit different.

I'm early with today's post. I was afraid that if I don't finish now I will forget later. My after work job isn't going to be fun. Start filling boxes.

Packing

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The moving company was at our house at 8am this morning. There are boxes everywhere so we're at the new house to watch the hockey game. 

I don't have my laptop so I'm writing on my iPad. I had a whole post written and it won't publish so I'm trying a different app. 

Our appliances are hooked up and working. 




The new kettle makes a great cup of tea. 


We brought over some knitting bags. 


A basket of tosh home. 

Now it's time to knit. 

Heritage Days

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This weekend is Heritage Days in Ancaster. Wilson Street (the road in front of the store) will be closed from 9:30am-1pm for the annual parade. I will be here around 9:15 if you want to sneak in and shop before the road closes. After 1pm, I would suggest coming to the store by way of Rousseau Street.

78106 Kalahari Sunset
We have four new colours of Liberty Wool from Classic Elite.
Liberty Wool is a super-soft, washable wool available in solid and printed colors. This yarn's balanced twist will make all stitch combinations pop.
With all the great qualities of wool and the ease of machine washability, Liberty Wool knits at a gauge that suits many designs and is ideal for children's pieces as well as those for adults.
78107 Lavender Mist
78108 Blue Sienna
78109 Cherry Delight

And today is the perfect day to be blogging about Liberty Wool. Cathy just came in with the cutest baby blanket.

This pattern is free from Classic Elite and takes 5 balls of Liberty Wool.
Don't want to knit a blanket? How about a little cardigan?
A raglan cardigan for girls and boys with wide ¾ length sleeves that is worked from the top down. The pattern includes sizes for 6–12 months (18–24 months, 36 months) with a finished chest measurement of 18¾ (21½, 23½)”.
Purchase the pattern on Ravelry...
Quick and easy, this baby cardigan can be knit in a flash. I-cord edges keep finishing to a minimum.
Purchase the pattern on Ravelry...
A cardigan for babies with set-in sleeves, garter stitch cuffs and chevron hem and collar.
Purchase the pattern on Ravelry...

Now it's time for bed. 8am and the moving truck are going to be here before I want them to be.

We're Home

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I was getting coffee at Tim's when the truck arrived. 



In my mind there was no way everything was fitting in the truck. 


Everything fit and we were at the new house just after noon. 


It was full. 


The shades haven't arrived for my bathroom. I might cancel them and keep the Classic Elite box. Very classy. :)


The first new home gift from our friends John and Shelley. 


Ugh. There are a lot of boxes to unpack. 


Dishes (not the glasses or pots or pans or serving dishes or mugs) are put away. My bed is made. I've had a relaxing bath and now it's bed time. Moving is really tiring. I don't know how people do this more than once. 





New Book

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Since most of my yarn and needles and projects are in boxes, I started something new.

The Prospectives Cowl (pattern purchased on Ravelry)
This lovely textured cowl features a slip stitch pattern and utilizes the gradient mini skeins in the Mountain Colors perspectives kit to create stripes and subtle color changes for a fun to knit cowl! The pattern is quite easy but enough to keep you interested and changes every few rounds. 
The size of the cowl can easily be adjusted, too--so feel free to make yours bigger or smaller depending on what works for you!
The yarn is a kit from Mountain Colors. Mini skeins of Twizzle. 
85% merino
15% silk

There are 5 mini skeins in the kit - each are 45yards.

The great thing about mini skeins is that you get to knit with lots of colours. And you are finished with a colour before you get bored with it.

Lace Knits from Ann Kingston has arrived.
Though at first sight it appears incredibly complicated, you can soon learn to knit stunning lace with the help of this beautiful book. Ann's step-by-step illustrated tutorials and friendly text make mastering lace knitting skills simple, satisfying and fun. For speedy results the pattern collection includes some basic items that make ideal first lace projects.
 The patterns in the book are amazing!

It's later in the day and I did a few more rows on my cowl.

I took some kits outside to show the pictures. Sorry. I should have taken them out of the plastic bags but it looks like rain and I was trying to hurry. I will get better pictures tomorrow.
It's almost time to head home but first there is a stop at the chiropractor. My back will be very happy after I see her. Then dinner out because we haven't unpacked enough to cook yet and then bed. They are framing the house beside us and the hammers start very early in the morning.

Therapy

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Laura Aylor has a new pattern called Therapy. And I need to make it. I saw it on Ravelry this morning and messaged Laura right away to ask if I could use her pictures.

From Laura
In the midst of several demanding knits, I craved garter stripes, simple eyelets, and picots. It had to be almost mindless, easy to put down and pick up so that I could squeeze it in among other things, and be appropriate for using a variegated yarn with a couple of supporting solids. All these things make this shawl great vacation knitting! 
If you want a really mindless knit, this pattern includes a separate pdf with row-by-row instructions which includes stitch counts for every row. You can simply check off each row as you knit it. The row numbers are consistent between the two formats, so you can switch from one to the other at any point.
The shawl is knit in fingering weight yarn. Laura's sample was knit in tosh merino light.
Yardage details:  
C1 (pale grey) – 50-70 yards  
C2 (yellow-green) – 330-400 yards (this is the best spot for a variegated yarn - see last 2 photos)  
C3 (blue-grey) – 160-175 yards  
The ranges reflect the different amounts used in the test knit plus a bit of a cushion on the upper end.
A Unicorn Tail would work great for C1 if you don't want to leftovers from a full skein.

Purchase the pattern on Ravelry… 





Laura did another sample using a multi-coloured hand dyed yarn. This version looks great too.

The pattern is only $2 until June 15. Hurry over to Ravelry to purchase it…

Don't forget that this weekend is Heritage Days in Ancaster. Wilson Street in front of the store is closed from 9:30am-1pm. I will be in the store at 9:30 so you can sneak in before the road closes. Getting out will be no problem.

It's Parade Day

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It's Heritage Days weekend in Ancaster and the highlight of the weekend is the parade. I watched the start from the end of our driveway.
Unfortunately that means Wilson Street is closed and I'm sitting in the store by myself. That has given me time to work on today's post.

Yesterday I wrote about Therapy, a new pattern from Laura Aylor.

Someone asked me about colour combinations. Here are some that I put together.
Mrs. Crosby Satchel
Above - Squid Ink, Winter Wheat and Greystone
Below - Submarine, Boston Fern, French Chambray

Mrs. Crosby Train Case - Squid Ink, Boston Fern, African Grey
Tosh Merino Light - Whiskey Barrel, Fir Wreath, Antique Lace
 Astrid Grey, Begonia Leaf, Leopard
Odyssey, Saffron, Fallen Cloud
Tosh Sock - El Greco, Woodstock, Astrid Grey

Want a bigger shawl? Take a look at Mrs. Crosby Hat Box or tosh pashmina.

I could have put together many more but then I would be spending the rest of the day putting yarn away. :) Come in and I'll give you a hand picking out a combination for you.

The road is still closed for the Soap Box Derby. That is going to give me time to knit. There hasn't been any knitting time at home. The kitchen boxes are unpacked and all the dishes have been rewashed. Next on the list is the sewing room/office.

Fall Rowan - Hemp Tweed

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Here is a sneak peek of a new yarn coming from Rowan for fall.


Hemp Tweed
75% wool
25% hemp

95m on a 50gram ball

19 stitches = 4" on 4.5mm needles
$8.95 a ball


There is a great magazine to go with the yarn with designs for men and women.



We are expecting the yarn and books in the store around August 1. I can't wait for this one.

Here are some projects (scarves, cowls and shawls) from Ravelry that will work great in the yarn
Cordwood Cowl
Lonely Tree Shawl
Elder Tree Shawl
Dryad
Brighton Cowl



Zen Yarn Garden Coming Soon

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New colours of Zen Yarn Garden Serenity Glitter Sock should be arriving next week. Here are a few of the 16 great new shades.






There are semi solids coming as well so we can put together great combinations for Castalia (above) and Caliadne (below).
They are building our neighbour's house so there isn't any sleeping in happening here right now. I was out the door early running errands today. A huge grocery shopping trip. A visit to the townhouse to make sure it was okay. Then a stop at the store. This afternoon dad and I took a drive to Cayuga. We are looking at having our dining room table made for this house - the table from the townhouse is staying there because it was custom made for that house. For some reason I have it in my head that I want a concrete table top.

Something like this
The legs will be a grey/beige colour and the concrete top will be dark grey/blue.

The dogs are loving the new house.
The soccer field is fun to play on.

Now it's time to watch the hockey game. There still hasn't been much knitting. We have a rule that we each must unpack at least one box a day. Somehow I missed a few kitchen boxes on the weekend so I've been washing dishes this evening. I'm declaring the kitchen done!

Getting Ready for Fall

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I need to apologize to Janis. She dropped off her amazing jacket for me to see and I haven't blogged about it yet.
Roan
Knit this women's fairisle cardigan from Rowan Knitting and Crochet Magazine 56, a design by Martin Storey using a beautiful combination of Colourspun (Wool and Mohair) and Rowan Tweed (Wool). With drop shoulder and edge to edge fastening, this knitting pattern is for the experienced knitter.
Now I want to close the store and go home and find mine. It is so stunning.


Autumn Accessories - a new pattern magazine introducing Big Wool Silk.
The patterns and yarn should be in the store at the beginning of August.



Adding a little bit more luxury to Rowan’s Big Wool, this is yarn is 70% wool and 30% silk, giving a beautiful sheen to the knitted fibre. Soft to touch and luxurious to wear this is a little bit extra for all lovers Big Wool.

80m on a 100 gram ball

Big Wool Silk is interchangeable with Big Wool.

Saturday morning dad and Beth took a trip to Terra for flowers. I was so jealous. I love going to Terra.
I'm a bit tired today. I stayed up to watch the whole hockey game last night. I haven't missed a Cup presentation in 15 years and wasn't going to miss it this year.

It feels like fall

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I have a busy day ahead of me. Boxes came this morning from Rowan, Blue Sky Alpacas, Zen Yarn Garden and Knitter's Pride needles. Normally we don't see this many boxes in a day until closer to fall. It's an exciting day. And there are more to come. Mrs. Crosby arrives late this afternoon.


Cote D'Azur
Strawberries
Rejoice
Bright semi-solids
The Royal Petite Babies Series are treasures to create and collect. There are 6 beautifully packaged kits that contain all of the yarn and notions necessary to knit your royal court.
These kits are in the store and should be on the website soon. The retail price per kit is $50.
Mr. Canada Post is picking up a parcel going to Wannietta so that she can knit a store sample. 





Mr. UPS just left after delivering a huge shipment from Mrs. Crosby.

I have a huge dilemma. Do I take new yarn home? If I do, which one? What colour?

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Roko doesn't really like the new house :) He loves the tile floor. It is cool to lie on.
Melo loves the new TV. We were watching Disaster Decks and he loved it. I know that they say dogs can't see the TV but Melo definitely can. 
Wannietta just finished a cardigan in Classic Elite Liberty Wool
The body of this open front cardigan is worked in garter stitch, entirely on the diagonal, There is no finishing — the sleeves are picked up from the body and worked in the round to the cuff in Stockinette stitch.
The pattern is free in the store if you purchase Liberty Wool or you can purchase it on Ravelry.

I think I picked my new project. The pattern is the Greyhound Shawl by Thea Colman.

The pattern calls for sportweight yarn and I'm going to use Hat Box from Mrs. Crosby. The debate was the new purple multi or this bright multi. I think it's time to try knitting with a new colour. :)

From Thea
My latest foray into shawl design is asymmetric, and I’m hooked!

I wanted an easygoing wear-everywhere project for summer and this shawl was just the thing. The pattern is rhythmic and soothing and perfect for knitting in the car, at the beach, or sipping a cocktail poolside.

Knit in A Verb For Keeping Warm’s gorgeous Annapurna, it’s warm and soft and lightweight - the exact thing you want to throw over your shoulders when the sun goes down. And I know I’ll still be wearing this with a light jacket after Summer has passed and we go into Fall.

You can easily alter the pattern for more or less stripes, add a different lace or play with size as your stash and taste dictates. You can knit this in one color, or two, or even a whole bunch of different ones (gradient?).
Now I need someone to tell me which box has my ball winder.

It's painting day

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The Perspective Cowl is growing. With the golf on yesterday and today I sat to watch and knit.

The painters arrived early this morning to paint our kitchen. While they are there they are going to paint the walls going upstairs and downstairs that got marked in the move.
The dogs were happy to see new people.
The kitchen is going to be a dark blue/green. Our cabinets are grey but with the current wall colours and lighting in the kitchen they look beige. Our hope is that the new wall colour will help. Beth is afraid that the colour will be too dark. I told her not to worry. We can always paint it again :)
We picked the greyest colour from the builders paint colours. We could have upgraded to a real grey but knew that the house would be repainted in a year so we took what we could get. There will now be accent walls in real grey. I tried to get the whole house painted this colour now but was reminded that we will have nail pops happening during the next year. Why paint twice? I know they are right but grey walls would be awesome.

I'm home now and loving the colour of the kitchen. The painting looks great.

Unfortunately I can't find my ball winder and swift so I'm going to sign off and roll a ball of yarn the old fashion way. I'm hoping Beth will be sisterly and decide to help.

Hummingbird

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I try to blog everyday and wrote this post on Saturday. I thought that I hit publish but obviously didn't. If I get enough knitting done today there will be more pictures later. Otherwise, I'll take today off and write tomorrow.
Last night I wound a ball of Mrs. Crosby Hat Box in the new colour Hummingbird and started on the Greyhound Shawl. No ball winder? Take two chairs and put them back to back. Place the skein around the chairs and start rolling.
I love how the colour is coming out. The garter stitch section (grey on the pattern) is the multi and then I will be using Icebox Watermelon for the lace sections. I left that skein on the kitchen counter this morning and am hoping dreaming that it will be in a ball when I get home. It's not hard to wind yarn but it cuts into my knitting time.

Thea Colman (you might know her as babycocktails on Ravelry) writes a great pattern. It is easy to follow and I highly recommend knitting anything that she designs.

Very Bright!

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Today I'm working at home. So far four boxes have been unpacked, a load of laundry done, organized the guest bathroom and bills paid. And it's just after 12:30.

With the golf on yesterday there was a lot of knitting accomplished. This shawl is going to be bright :)

My empty closet. It is being completed today by California Closets. I can't wait to have a proper walk in closet. Lots of room for shoes and sweaters.


It's later in the day and the closet is finished. Even my dad was impressed by it. The designer asked me if I wanted a drawer for jewelry. I don't have a lot of jewelry but then she mentioned glasses. 
Of course I started with shoes.

We are taking my dad out for dinner tonight. Boston Pizza and he is very happy. He wasn't leaving his TV last night. He watched the golf from start to finish.

Public Service Announcement - do not download AlphaBetty on your phone or iPad. I did that this afternoon and can't stop.

Cote d'Azure

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Zen Yarn Garden is taking preorders for their next Art Walk Series but you don't have to wait. We have this colour in Serenity 20, Serenity Silk Single and Serenity Glitter Sock.
The nineteenth offering in our new ART WALK Series features a painting by Pablo Picasso entitled "Cote d'Azure". From one medium to the next, artists express their use of colour. Inspired by Picasso, our dyer has successfully captured the excitement and complexity of the painting.
Not sure what you can knit with this? Take a look on Ravelry at Reyna. The pattern is free and takes one skein of fingering weight yarn.

Wow was that a storm last night. It wasn't a good night at our house. The back fields were lighting up with the crazy lightening. Melo was upset and we finally got him settled down around 5am. Even his jacket couldn't console him.

A sneak peak from Rowan #58.
Hurry and finish your current projects because Rowan has many amazing garments and yarns this fall. They should be in the store on August 1.

I'm declaring it knitting time. I haven't progressed on my Greyhound Shawl. I'm heading to Myrtle for a few days in July. Maybe I can have it finished by then. It is super hot there now - heat warnings - 109 during the day with the humidity. When it's this hot they make the restaurants so cold. You need something to throw over your shoulders.

Unicorn Stripes

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The latest Wool People patterns from Brooklyn Tweed came out today. Check them out on Ravelry. I've already packed up a box to go to Lynda.
Pattern: Gyre (purchased on Ravelry)
Yarn: 3 skeins of Mrs. Crosby Satchel in the colour Wild Huckleberry
Inspired by a line of poetry from William Butler Yeats, this modern honeycomb lace stole is distinguished by rays of stockinette bursting from one corner.

Bristol Ivy is known for garments and accessories with innovative, geometric forms, such as Thorn (Wool People 4), Svalbard (Wool People 6), and Keel (Wool People 8). Now she gives us an inversion of the positive and negative space relationships often found in asymmetric shawls.

Gyre is worked entirely from charts in three skeins of Loft; choose a bright, fresh hue for the perfect summer accessory. The pattern includes a photo tutorial on the Russian Join, a technique that joins a new ball of yarn with no weaving of ends and without the thickening and stiffness of a spit splice.
And it is perfect timing because a box just arrived from Lynda. Unicorn Stripes (pattern purchased on Ravelry) is done.
You can knit the pattern as a scarf or you can join the ends to make a cowl. It takes 30 skeins (one each of every colour) of Unicorn Tails.
I'm kind of jealous of Lynda - she got to play with all the fun colours. If you don't like a colour or two, you can take them out and double up on ones that you really like.
Beth just walked in from golf with subs and then it's TV time. Master Chef and Big Brother. Happy knitting time.

Absolutely Fabulous

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We just received a shipment of Ab Fab kits from Colinette.
These kits contain 11 skeins of yarn that are hand dyed in Wales. Cotton. Mohair. Ribbon. Great fibers and the colours will make you drool. The finished throws are awesome! We have three on display in the store.

For all the available colourways...

We found the ball winder and swift tonight so that Beth could wind a ball of yarn. Unfortunately the ball winder doesn't want to work - it's electric and must have been knocked around in the move. Beth had to wind the ball by hand and I will have to play electrician/mechanic tomorrow to try and fix it. 

tosh merino in shire. I'll show you tomorrow what she is making. It's been a long day and I'm not sure that I can write anything that makes sense.

Tomorrow I'll have some knitting to show. From both of us. :)

Magmatic Boom

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This fall we are going to be doing a lot in the store with mini skeins of sock yarn. They are coming from a few different companies in different fibers and colours.
These are pictures from SweetGeorgia's booth at TNNA. The kits will be here in time for the Knitters Fair in September.
This shawl lends beautifully to mini skeins and I asked Felicia at SweetGeorgia the name of the pattern. It is called Magmatic Boom by Laura Nelkin. You can purchase it on Ravelry...
This pattern was designed to use either a skein of gradient yarn or a self-made magic ball and make the most of it by using almost the entire skein.
Here are some pictures from the designer.



A magic ball of yarn? Take left over bits of sock yarn and make your own skein of gradient yarn. Think about having a 'Magic Ball' party. Invite your knitting friends, bring your left over sock (fingering weight) yarn and share.

This will also work great with
-Freia Fingering. The yarn does all the colour changing for you

-tosh unicorn tails. These are in stock so you can start right away. I checked on Ravelry and there is a great Boom knit with five colours of unicorn tails - take a look. The knitter even gave the order that she used the colours.
-Mountain Colors Crazyfoot Perspective Kits (in stock now)
These kits have 5 mini skeins of Crazyfoot sock yarn that are 90yards each. You have a total of 450 yards.

-FiberStory Gradient Kits (coming in September)


I think there might be more than one Magmatic Boom in our booth in Kitchener in September.


More information on the Knitters' Fair will be coming closer to the date but get Saturday, September 12 marked on your calendar.

The Learn-To-Knit Companion

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We just received a new collection of patterns from Churchmouse Yarns. These are perfect for the new knitter but they are also great for those of us who have knit for a long time and have some bad habits.
The Learn-To-Knit Companion is a 16-page booklet that uses more than 120 instructional photos that will turn you into an accomplished knitter. Just follow the steps! With The Companion by your side, you can even begin one of the First Projects patterns in the Churchmouse Classroom collection.

PHOTO TUTORIALS IN THIS PATTERN: • Choosing and preparing your yarn. • Two ways to cast on • The knit stitch and purl stitch for both  'pickers' and 'throwers'• Changing from knit to purl within the same row • Getting a dropped stitch back on the needle • Binding off • Blocking • Weaving in tails

Garter Stitch Scarf and Sideways Handwarmers
This Churchmouse Classroom First Projects pattern is about as simple as it gets—just knit, knit, knit. When you turn garter stitch on its side, the little ridges create a ribbed effect that is nice and stretchy, making the handwarmers easy to fit, with just a wee bit of seaming around the thumbs. Handsome on men and women alike, these easy pieces make great gifts. From you, the knitter!

PHOTO TUTORIALS IN THIS PATTERN: • The anatomy of garter stitch. • Mattress-stitch seaming in garter stitch, end-to-end.

Stockinette Stitch Cowl and Handwarmers
This Churchmouse Classroom First Projects pattern will teach you how to knit soft and elegant stockinette stitch. You'll work stockinette back and forth (knit a row, purl a row) for the handwarmers. For the cowl, you'll be delighted when you knit in the round: the knit side is always facing you, so you just knit, knit, knit. Once you’ve tried it both ways, it’ll make sense—you’ll see!

PHOTO TUTORIALS IN THIS PATTERN: • Joining in the round. • Make-one increases. • Slipped bind-off for thumb opening. • Mattress-stitch seaming in stockinette stitch, side-to-side.

Stitch-Sampler Handwarmers and Ribbed Scarf
This Churchmouse Classroom First Projects pattern will teach you three essential stitch patterns. For the scarf, you’ll simply alternate two knits and two purls to create handsome vertical ribs. In the handwarmers you'll knit a ridged garter-stitch cuff, a smooth stockinette-stitch hand, and a bit of springy K2/P2 ribbing at the finger edge to echo the scarf. It's easy! The pattern shows you how.

PHOTO TUTORIALS IN THIS PATTERN: • Changing balls in ribbing. • Mattress-stitch seaming in garter stitch and stockinette stitch.

Ribbed Beanie and Handwarmers
This Churchmouse Classroom First Projects pattern will teach you to work in the round using two different methods. For the beanie, you’ll begin with a short circular needle. As you begin to decrease for the crown, you will need to change to double-point needles—great practice for the stylish handwarmers! Ribbing is very stretchy, so sizing your beanie is quite forgiving.

PHOTO TUTORIALS IN THIS PATTERN: • Decreasing a stitch. • Joining in the round. • ‘Buttonhole’ thumb opening.
The patterns are for beginners and include great tutorials but they are also stylish. You don't have to be a beginner to knit them.
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