FREE! KNITmuch Magazine Premiere Issue Now Available!

Here it is! The much anticipated Premiere issue of KNITmuch Magazine! We're extremely excited to launch this first issue featuring a full 52 pages of knitting projects, tips, techniques, and products.

In this issue, you'll find a review of the NEW Downton Abbey Yarn Collection and the irresistible Top This! yarn kit. See the Crawley Vest and Budding Romance Shawl patterns for great project ideas using the new Downton Abbey yarns. We also review a variety of project ideas to make with Red Heart's Cutie Pie and Sashay yarns. We go back to knitting basics to inspire new knitters to expand their knowledge of knitting and get to the bottom of key technical knitting terms and skills.

Enjoy exploring our very first issue. Save it in your favorites, share it with your knitting friends!

To download your own PDF copy of KNITmuch magazine, sign up for our free newsletter in the right column of this page.

When a bobble isn't a bobble...

Swatch Photo 1

When a bobble isn’t a bobble.

In this mini blog series, I’m excited to be exploring textures in knitting. We will look at a variety of ways to make the surface of your knitting have something that draws in the eye to a particular point or area of interest. We will start with bobbles and continue with mid-row bind off textures, twisted stitches, knots and bumps, and a few others.

Many knitters love to hate on bobbles but a few really do like them. In my 38 years of knitting I haven’t met many of the latter. People dislike bobbles because they’ve never really learned how to make them and they seem ‘hard’ to do. Or they dislike them because they’ve been forced to wear sweaters with bobbles with rather unfortunate placements in the design. Still, others dislike bobbles because they take so long to make, what with the stop and increase, and turn, and purl, and turn, and knit, and turn, and decrease. It really feels like your flow across the row is interrupted.

When I work on color work or cables, the next stripe or fairisle motif or cable crossing are a little like dangling carrots, the motivation to slog through the rows of stockinette or moss stitch. I want to get to them and work those design features to see how they make the piece I’m working on complete. But when it comes to bobbles, and it’s a bobble row, all of a sudden that sink full of dishes or that unwound hank of yarn beckons to set my knitting down and leave those bobbles for a later time. Do you ever feel like that? Like bobbles are an inconvenience?

I’ve found a very nice alternative to the knit bobble that makes knitting bobbles a pleasure instead of a headache. Purists would say that these happy little bumps aren’t bobbles at all, because, well, they’re not worked with your knitting needles. They are worked ingeniously with a crochet hook. So, technically speaking, they aren’t bobbles at all and if you look at the accompanying picture of my swatch (see swatch photo 1), they look a little less bulky, and slightly more subtle. So I’m naming them “rosettes” instead.

If you look at these rosettes, you don’t even have to squint or really stretch your imagination at all to see that they do resemble little roses. I’ve placed these inside diamonds made with twisted stitches to give them a little nest of their own, but they look equally lovely on a background of reverse stockinette.

To work the rosette in the indicated stitch, you place that stitch on your crochet hook (it should be the same diameter as your knitting needles or one size smaller). With the hook, you make a yarn over the hook counter-clockwise—in other words bringing the yarn from the back of the work up and over the hook and return it to the back of the work (see yarn over hook photo)—and draw that yarn over through the stitch on the hook. In crochet, that’s called a chain. You work 2 more of these chains (see 2 chains photo).

Yarn over hook

Two chains photo

Then you do the following set of moves twice: yarn over, insert hook in first stitch—the one at the base of the chains—yarn over and draw up a loop (see 5 strands photo).

5 strands on hook

Third, you do one more yarn over and draw through all the loops on the hook, chain one more and place the stitch back on the right needle (see right needle photo). Now you can proceed across the row. Writing it out, reading it, and trying it may seem like a long chore, but these will soon be very quick to make with a little practice, and easier than knitting bobbles like usual.

Returned to right needle

If the bobble seems to want to poke it’s way to the back of the fabric, you can simply push it through to the right side, pull on it a bit, fluff it up and it’ll stay. Blocking always helps too. For this swatch I used Bernat’s worsted weight Canadiana in Aran and I just dunked the swatch in a bowl of just-boiled water for a two-minute soak, and then I gently absorbed the extra moisture with a towel and pinned it out to dry.

Crocheting rosettes is a quick and simple solution when you want to have a slightly less pronounced version of the traditional knit bobble. I hope seeing a bobble coming up in the next row of your knitting will motivate you to press on and work it quickly with this technique.

Another day this week, we’ll look at this same swatch and discuss the twisted stitches and the ladder stitch you see here framing the bobbles.

Make a hand knit gift bag

For those who have put off holiday knitting

With a season of gift giving upon us there are bound to be gift bags near and far, but the hand knit gift bag adds the hand-made touch to any gift. The pattern I'm going to give you is for smaller items, but you can always use the technique we talked about on Wednesday to fit it to larger gifts such as shoes, purses, clothes, toys or anything else you're in need of wrapping.

With a literal big red bow.

Materials
1 ball of Red Heart’s Cordial Yarn in color Sprout
1 set of double pointed needles US 5 [3.75mm]
1 tapestry needle

CO 28 stitches, join into the round and work in stockinette stitch for an inch. On the next round k2tog every nine stitches to evenly space a total of three decreases. Knit one round plain, on the next round every nine stitches kfb to increase three stitches evenly. Continue knitting in stockinette stitch until the bag is 5 inches long. Do the following decrease rows as follows.

Row 1: *K3, k2tog* Repeat till end
Row 2: *K2, k2tog* Repeat till end
Row 3: *K1, k2tog* Repeat till end
Row 4: *K2tog* Repeat till end

The decreases are every row to create a flatter bottom so the bag could be placed on a table and sit up on it's own.

Thread your yarn through the remaining stitches and pull tight. Weave in all your ends. For the draw string you can either use some festive ribbon or an i-cord made from two stitches of the Cordial yarn. Weave in the string under one stitch and over three stitches. This way you'll get the best closure.

This particular bag strikes me as the perfect accessory to store ornaments in. Since I was born, I’ve gotten an ornament for Christmas every year. I usually keep them in the boxes they came in, which are filled with foam to protect them. These little bags strike me as the perfect way to store these ornaments without the bulky boxes. It would also be perfect to give an ornament in as well. You could tighten the draw string around the ornament with the hook hanging out. This way it's still on the tree, but a secret until it's meant to be opened. That is, if you can trust that no one will be peaking.

The thick braided texture of this yarn gives it extra cushioning and will add protection to anything placed inside.

It also seems like an excellent way to make sure no small stocking stuffers are lost straight to the bottom of the stocking; things like chap stick, key chains, headphones, etc. Anything small that could get lost in wrapping paper and general holiday based enthusiasm. I'll also note that some jewelry boxes are white, which is easily marked, or covered in velvet, which is a lint magnet. Anything of this variety could be kept safe within these small bags.

I know there are gift card holders sold at stores now, but a hand knit gift bag says so much more, and you can knit one in a single night.

We decorate our homes and offices with tinsel and color and it's easier and easier to just buy a pre-made gift bag, but we are knitters, usually can’t resist the impulse to knit everyone something. There's ample time before the holiday season to knit up a few of these small bags, so you need not worry about getting a late start. Even if they're simply filled with gift cards, the hand knit accent adds a touch of love.

Knit faster. 5 full weeks until Christmas.

Hand knit teapot cover

The best way to keep your tea warm

Today we’re going to help dress an iconic symbol of holiday cheer, cold weather and children’s songs everywhere; you guessed it, a teapot! Hot drinks are something I have always associated with the weather turning and the holidays coming up. Not just tea, but cider, hot chocolate, coffee; coming in from playing in the snow and having a steaming cup of something waiting for me.

I can hear the wind whispering at the window already.

Materials
1 ball Red Heart’s Boutique Twilight in color Lapis
1 circular needle US 15 [10mm] 16 inch
1 set of double pointed needles US 15 [10mm]
1 tapestry needle

For this pattern you can use the technique we went over yesterday to get the gauge specific to your particular teapot. The model used is 16 inches around and 5 inches tall. Every teapot is going to have a slightly different handle and spout placement as well. Measure from the lowest point on either the handle or the spout, straight down to the table. You’re going to use this measurement as how many rows you need to knit plain at the very beginning.

Feeling cozier already with the casting on.

CO 30 stitches, join in the round, place marker at the beginning of the row and the middle of the row; close to 15 stitches in if you’re going by the measurements for the teapot I used. Knit three rounds plain. Now, you're essentially going to make something of a big button hole for the handle and the spout. From your beginning of round marker, turn your work, slip the first stitch purl-wise and purl back to the other marker, which should be placed directly opposite your first marker.

Measure the length of the handle on your teapot. Just where the top of the handle and the bottom of the handle are connected to the pot itself. If your handle flares out a little bit, the knitted fabric will stretch over it, the only place to have to worry about is where the handle is fused to the pot. Take this measurement, mine was 3.5 inches, and knit the 15 stitches we were just working on, in stockinette stitch for 3.5 inches (or your personal measurement). Always slip the first stitch purl-wise when you're starting a row. The other 15 stitches should be held on your circular needle cable.

Once you have completed the length desired, cut your working yarn, leave a 8 inch tail. Join the working yarn to the stitches that were being held and work back and forth in the same manner for the same length on this side.

The left side has all the held stitches and the right side stitches are completely finished! Just need to get the other side up to the same length and join in the round again.

When both sides are the same length, it's time to join them back into the round. On your last knit row, stop one stitch before the end of the row and k2tog with the last stitch of this row and the first stitch on the other side of the slit.

Continue knitting along the row and do the same decrease when you come to the other slit. What happens after this is completely dependent on your teapot, mine ends rather quickly, but you may need to do another row if yours is slightly taller. Here are the instructions for the decreases.

The opening around the spout.

Row 1: *K4, k2tog* Repeat until the end of the row.
Row 2: K all stitches.
Row 3: *K3, k2tog* Repeat until the end of the row.
Row 4: K all stitches.
Row 5: *K2, k2tog* Repeat until the end of the row.
Row 6: *K1, k2tog* Repeat until the end of the row.
Row 7: *k2tog* Repeat until the end of the row.

Using your tapestry needle, thread your working yarn through the live stitches and pull tight. Weave in all your ends securely.

How the stitches fall around the handle

The Boutique Twilight yarn has a slight sparkle to it adding some subtle holiday cheer that would always be appropriate year-round. Next to the glitter of most holiday decorations this teapot cover will look right at home keeping your beverages hot and helping to fortify you against the cold weather just around the corner.

Easy charge electronics case and the Turkish cast on

Knitting for your Electronics

I know, it used to be sugarplums dancing in people’s heads, but now we have dreams of smart phones and tablets for Christmas. One of the best accessories for these gifts is the gift of protection and we can make charging more convenient while we’re at it. A case that makes transport easy and it can be hung out of the way while charging. We'll use the Turkish cast on to make this knitted easy charge electronics case. This case makes a great stocking stuffer or hostess gift.

Charger in action! You can hang it from it's own plug, your headboard, night stand, chair. Just tuck the extra cord in behind your phone within the case.

This pattern is going to be written for an iPhone 6 Plus size. I'm going to go over the math so you are able to plug in your own numbers depending on if you want to make it much smaller, for an mp3 player, or much larger, for a tablet.

First thing you need to do in order to get the right size is make a swatch. Usually, you aim for your swatch to be around 4 inches. The ball band for Red Heart's Cutie Pie yarn says 20 stitches should equal 4 inches with a US 5 [3.75mm] needle. We're going to go down a needle size because we want the fabric to be sturdier. This case will have a handy strap to hang it out of the way while it's charging and the firmer the fabric, the less stretching will occur.

Since our gauge will be different because of the smaller needle size, cast on approximately 25-30 stitches. It isn’t important to hit a 4 inch swatch exactly because we are going to take an average measurement.

Knit in stockinette stitch until your swatch reaches 4 inches and bind off.

Place a ruler on your swatch, without stretching or altering it, just place it on top. Try to place the ruler in the middle of the swatch because that's where your gauge is going to be the most consistent. Count how many stitches are in 4 inches. Take that number and divide it by 4, this is your stitches per inch.

See how the phone with it's case is just over 3 inches? Try to keep the most exact number you can. Use decimal points!

Next measure the width of your phone, mp3 player, or tablet.

Holiday hint! If you're making this for someone and you’re not able to inconspicuously measure their phone, you can find the specifications on the manufacturers website.

Once you have your width, don’t round it up or down, take the most accurate measurement you can, if that's 3.2 inches then use that number. Double the width; this case is going to have to go completely around the phone. If my phone width is 3.2 inches, I would double it to 6.4 inches. Now is when that 'stitches per inch' comes in, multiply your doubled width by your stitches per inch and that will be the amount of stitches you cast on.

Example, if my doubled width is 6.4 inches and my stitches per inch is 5, I would cast on 31 stitches. Now you can take your own number and plug it into the pattern to make any size case you like!

This is the size for iPhone 6 Plus. There is a little bit of room around it for differing case sizes, the ability to tuck charging cord in and the guarantee of full coverage.

materials
1 circular needle US 3 [3.25mm] 24 inch cord length
1 ball of Red Heart’s Cutie Pie Yarn in color Tulip
1 ball of Red Heart’s Cutie Pie Yarn in color Cotton
1 tapestry needle

CO 42 stitches with the Turkish Cast On using the magic loop method. I’ll go over that now, just in case this is an unfamiliar technique.

1. Hold both ends of your needles together side-by-side with your right hand. Secure the yarn to the needle with one finger and simply wrap the yarn around both needles 21 times (half of the required co stitches).
2. Rotate needles 180 degrees (upside down) so you're holding your needles in your left hand.
3. Pull the bottom needle out of the stitches and knit across the top stitches on the other needles.
4. Rotate needles again 180 degrees, and push the needle back into the stitches. Pull the bottom needle out and knit across the top stitches.
5. One round completed. It's best to repeat the round in the same fashion before starting the case.

Since the yarn is simply wrapped around the needles, you'll have to hold onto both ends before you start knitting with it. Otherwise it will unravel!

If you need a visual reference for the magic loop, check out the video below.

Magic Loop by Red Heart with Kathleen Sams - YouTube

Learn how to use a circular needle to knit small projects often made with double pointed needles.

via: www.youtube.com

Knit in the round like this until your phone case is an inch shorter than your phone itself. Change colors over to white. Knit your last inch. On your last round bind off all but your last 6 stitches.

If you're doing a larger case, leave 8-10 stitches for the extra security of a thicker strap. Now work in an i-cord for 6 inches. My phone case was approximately 3 inches so the strap was twice the width of my case. If you're doing a smaller version, you'll want to shorten the cord, and lengthen for a larger case. Keep in mind that this strap will stretch a bit with the weight of your tech inside. Bind off your i-cord and sew the strap into the opposite side of the case.

Secure the strap to the inside edge of the case. If you place your stitches just underneath the bind off edge, they're all but invisible!

This might be the perfect stocking stuffer to accompany any new technology going out this holiday season. The Cutie Pie yarn is soft protecting it from scrapes and scratches. The plushness of the yarn will offer some shock absorption and the strap will make charging a breeze leaving shelves and counter space clear!

6 essentials when knitting a holiday stocking with fur trim

You're not going to want to hang this on the mantle!

With the holiday season soon approaching it’s time for decorating! Today, we explore the 6 essentials when knitting a holiday stocking with fur trim from what looks like a simple sock using Red Heart's Boutique Fur trim! The yarn used for the sock is Red Heart’s With Love, which comes in every color imaginable, and Boutique Fur for the trim. The ultimate custom-made stocking.

The perfect holiday knitting to get you into the swing of the season!

materials

1 set of double pointed needles 5US [3.75mm]
1 ball of Red Heart’s With Love in color Lilac
1 ball of Red Heart’s Boutique Fur in color Smoke
1 tapestry needle

Make sure not to twist your cast on!

Knitting in the round

CO 32 stitches, 16 on needle one, 8 on needle two and 8 on needle three. Join into the round and work in stockinette stitch for 2 inches. Start the heel flap. Knit along needle one, the one with 16 stitches and when you get to the end of your row, turn your work and purl back along those 16 stitches. You'll be at the beginning of your row of 16 stitches again. Repeat knitting along this row and purling back until the heel flap is one inch, now we can start to turn the heel.

Turning the heel

On the purl row, knit until you're 5 stitches from the end of the row, p2tog, p1 and turn your work. Yes, turn it! Right there in the middle of the row. Slip the first stitch (the one you just purled) onto your right needle purl-wise. Then knit until there are 5 stitches left on your left needle; ssk, k1. Turn your work again; yes again, right there.

This is a swatch I knit up just to demonstrate the small gap you would see. Notice how it's four stitches in from the right side? Those would be the two you knit together.

Look at your work and you'll notice there's a small gap in-between two stitches, where you did your previous decrease, on the purl side. Slip your first stitch again and purl back until you're one stitch before this small gap. Purl the stitches on either side of it together; think of it like you are closing this small space. Repeat the decreases on these two rows until there are no more stitches that need to be worked; ending right after you’ve finished a knit row.

Picking up stitches

Pick up stitches along the edge of the heel flap, one stitch for each row (this will be your new needle one). Use one needle to knit across the stitches being held on needles two and three. This will now be needle two. Pick up stitches along the other side of the heel flap (this will be needle three). Count your stitches on needles one and three, divide by two and make sure you have the same amount of stitches on both needles.

Your stocking will look kind of funny while you're picking up stitches, but it all works out in the end!

Knit one round plain. If you end up with an odd number of stitches, do one decrease on this round, either k2tog at the end of needle one or ssk at the beginning of needle three, depending on where you have placed this extra stitch. Repeat row one and two below until you have 8 stitches on needle one and 8 stitches on needle three again.

Row 1: K until 3 stitches before the end of needle one, k2tog, k1 | k all stitches on needle two | k1, ssk, knit the rest of the stitches from needle 3.

Row 2: K all stitches.

After you're back to a total of 32 stitches (8, 16, 8) knit plain for an inch and a half before you begin toe decreases.

This is how your toe decreases will look when you're done!

Toe decreases

Row 1: K until 3 stitches before the end of needle one, k2tog, k1 | k1, ssk, k until 3 stitches before the end of needle two, k2tog, k1  | k1, ssk, knit the rest of the stitches from needle 3.

Row 2: K all stitches.

Repeat these two rows until there are 16 stitches left in total (4, 8, 4). After you finish your last row on needle three continue knitting with that needle so needle one stitches are now on needle three and your yarn comes to the end between the two needles. Now you’re going to Kitchener stitch the toe shut!

This is what it should look like before you start your kitchener.

The Kitchener stitch

The Kitchener stitch isn't as scary as it seems and will be like a mantra when you memorize it. Here's a link to the pin cushion made from Red Heart’s cordial yarn where we first talked about the Kitchener stitch. The instructions are at the end of the pattern if you're still in the process of mastering it and need a little extra help.

Don't pull the fur too tight or you won't be able to get your needle into the stitches on the second row!

Adding the fur trim

The main body of the stocking is now complete! Now all we need to do is add a little festive pizzazz.

Take your Boutique Fur and use it to pick up stitches around your CO edge of the stocking. Pick up one stitch with the Fur for every two stitches of With Love; the Fur is much bulkier. You can use the same size double pointed needles, but keep your gauge loose. If you pull the stitches very tight you won't be able to find them in the fluffiness of this yarn. Pick up your stitches in the round, knit one row plain and BO on the next row. This creates a lovely Fur cuff around the top of your stocking.

Finished product!

So many elements wrapped up in this simple little holiday stocking!

1. It's a great project to learn how to knit socks, learning the 6 essentials including a trim for the holidays.
2. For those of you who already know how to knit socks, it offers a chance to play and deviate from your standard holiday colors while still keeping it festive. The Boutique Fur yarn adds oomph to the plain stocking.
3. This little stocking is ideal to tie to a present and stuff it with chocolates.
4. It's an outstanding stash-busting project to make room for incoming holiday yarn from your wish list! 

Get cracking - 4 and half weeks to Christmas!

A new spin on garlands with Red Heart's Sashay Fringe yarn

Decorating your home with yarn!

Holiday garlands have been an essential part of seasonal decorating for a very long time. They were originally fashioned out of flowers and leaves, so why wouldn’t we try fur? This garland is made out of Red Heart’s Boutique Sashay Fringe yarn.

When we talked about Sashay Fringe last month, there was a video to make sure everyone knew how to knit with it. Since we’re making a garland I am linking back to this video again. There are fewer stitches in this pattern so it is going to go really fast.

Here's a close up of our finished product!

materials
1 ball of Boutique Sashay Fringe in color Indigo
1 set of needles in US 9 [5.5mm]

CO 3 stitches in the manner shown in the video. Using the very edge of the webbing (furthest from the Fringe edge) knit those three stitches. Turn your work and knit back. This garland is worked entirely in garter stitch from start to finish, so it makes excellent TV knitting!

This would be the place to put your needles when casting on.

The counterpart to Boutique Sashay Fringe yarn is the Boutique Sashay Collection. These yarns have a similar effect when they’re knit up. You still get the voluminous ruffle, but there are different edgings; metallic, sparkle and sequins. All these other sections of the Sashay collection also come in a plethora of colors as well. If you’re trying to match a particular color scheme you're sure to find the complementing or contrasting color you’re looking for. I'm particularly drawn to the Cabernet color of Boutique Sashay Sequins yarn, it looks very festive to me.

Looking lovely draped across a Christmas tree

This yarn is so versatile that you really don’t have to stop at garlands! On the Red Heart website, they have links to hundreds of patterns with these yarns. The Hang With Pride Wreath pattern can definitely be adjusted to the correct season with a quick color change. It is technically a pattern for crochet, but if you wanted to adapt it for knitting you can simply follow the instructions for the garland found in this post and leave the stars out. The rest isn't crochet specific so the instructions work either way!

These garlands not only add that pop of color, but texture as well.

Don’t settle for the store bought decor this year, dress up your home with fur, sparkles and yarn. Isn’t that every knitters dream? To have the walls, ceiling, shelves and basically every available surface covered with yarn. Join me tomorrow for more knitting fun.

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