Simple Knits | Awesome August

I've been having so much fun over the last few months finding the wee projects for our Simple Knits Knitalong and this month is no exception. I emailed this month's designer, Andrea Mowry, awhile back about another one of her designs for a class project (you'll see that project in the very near future) and I've been wanting to knit another since then. Last month, she released a new hat pattern and I knew as soon as I saw it that it would jump onto my needles. And, this month, it will! 

Our August Simple Knits project is Go! by Drea Renee Knits:

Image © Andrea Mowry

A quick, reversible hat to knit with fun textured arrows around the brim to push you forward! Perfect for pulling on and heading into the woods for a trail run under the leaves.

The inspiration for this hat came to me during a crisp, evening run. I wanted a lightweight, comfortable beanie to throw on when heading out for a run or hike. I chose the arrow motif as a friendly reminder to push on. With the perfect amount of slouch and unique texture this is a great little hat to throw on anytime and looks great on both men and women!

The instructions for the textured brim are both written and charted.

I love that Go! is reversible - two different looks from one knit is awesome in my book - and I love that she uses the German Twisted Cast On for a beautiful cast on edge. Never used the German Twisted Cast On? Don't worry and trust me... if you can do the Long Tail Cast On, just follow the link in Andrea's pattern for the tutorial and you'll do splendidly. 

As for yarn options... I'm torn between a few of my all time favorites from the shop (1 skein of any of these is enough for Go!): Tosh DK (Andrea knit her Go! with this), Julie Asselin Leizu DK, and The Fibre Company Acadia. Any of these would be gorgeous, but an order of Tosh DK just arrived at Firefly Fibers yesterday, so maybe this is a sign that I should use this for mine? We'll see... I can't wait to see what yarn you use for your Go!

If you want to try one of the yarns that's tempting me, they're all available at Firefly Fibers in person & online and you can get the Go! pattern is available here on Ravelry - psst... Andrea's offering a 32% discount on her patterns through tomorrow, August 2nd, just take a look at the pattern details for the code to enter. 

I hope you'll be knitting along this month! Ready. Set. Go!

Cheers!

PS - Mr. Yarnista and I have been planning our next podcast and we hope to have that for you soon. If you missed our first episode, you can find it on our PODCAST page and NOW also on iTunes. 

Simple Knits | July Simplicity

July is here and we're settling back into our routine after vacation (more to come on my vacation later this week - basically, it was really nice). Now that I'm mostly recovered, I'm excited to get back into the swing of things. To get started, how about the July Simple Knits project?

I've been drooling over cabinfour's designs for months and I pretty much want to knit each and every single one of them. I love Deneise's clean and simple aesthetic - not only are her designs gorgeous, but her patterns are relaxing to knit and classically styled so they'll be 'in style' for many years to come.  

Meet our July project from cabinfour, Wandering... 

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These mitts are so incredibly simple and quick that I knit a pair yesterday on the way to a family gathering - very easily a weekend project. They are also great for leftover yarn because they are cast on at the finger edge and worked up the arm from there - just divide your yarn in half and knit each mitt until you have enough to bind off... 

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But, Wandering isn't where I started or what I originally had planned for us... I frequently get questions on what the next Firefly Fibers or Simple Knits Knitalong project will be. If you've asked, you'll know that I'm pretty hush-hush about future projects and this is why - I know there's a fair chance that I'll change my mind (even when it's not in my best interest).

Before vacation I decided that I was going to knit something special for myself, so I cast on Pure | Aran by cabinfour and quite simply fell in love - just as I expected. Then, as I was knitting, I thought... "hey, I bet the Firefly knitters would love this project, too." So, I changed the Firefly Fibers Summer Knitalong plan (it had only been written on the calendar since before the New Year) and quickly cast on the shop sample of Pure | Aran. This is exactly why I'm so secretive about the KAL's - I can be fickle at times and this isn't the first time I've changed my mind with only a couple weeks to go. I guess I like to keep myself on my toes.

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Pure | Aran was so much fun to knit, and even more so with Blue Sky Alpacas Extra. As I was knitting and doing math in my head, the math told me I'd have 80-100 yards left and I thought, "hey, that's the perfect amount to use for a Simple Knits project." So - also at the last minute - I decided to change it up for our Simple Knits Knitalong. And... here we are.

My personal yarn recommendation, hands down, for both projects is Extra. Of course, you can use any heavier worsted weight yarn for Wandering (or the shawl, for that matter), but I can't recommend Extra enough. If you select a different yarn (or can't wear alpaca), look for a worsted weight with a lot of bounce and twist for good stitch definition. 

The shop Pure | Aran sample and the mitts I knit yesterday are drying on the blocking boards and I'll get photos soon. Since I used leftovers for my first pair of mitts, they are a wee bit shorter - I had about 80gr of Extra left (basically half a skein) and my finished mitts measure 8" in length, so they're a few inches shorter than the pattern calls for, but still a very wearable and nice length. If you're new to knitting in the round, Wandering is also perfect for you! They're cast on and knit flat until just past the thumb opening, so they're good for building your DPN or Magic Loop skills. 

Now that the shop sample is finished, I'm excited to pick up my own Pure | Aran again and use those leftovers for a matching Wandering. Many thanks to Deneise for permission to use her lovely cabinfour photos and for her enthusiasm for our knitalongs. 

I hope you like this month's project. You can find the free pattern for Wandering here on Ravelry and Extra at Firefly Fibers in our brick-and-mortar shop or our online shop, but I also can't wait to see what other yarns you decide to use! You're also welcome to double-dip if you want to join the Firefly Fibers Summer Knitalong. ;)

Cheers!

Simple Knits | June Success

We're away on vacation, but I didn't forget about the June Simple Knits project.  I cast on this morning at breakfast and picked it up again tonight while relaxing and watching a movie.  Here's my finished (and very much needed) Canning Jar Sweater:  

The July project will be announced next week when I'm back from vacation and will also be a little combo with the upcoming Firefly Fibers Summer Knitalong. 

Because of waiting to post the July project, we'll extend June's until Monday, July 6th. Sound good? 

Cheers!