Festivals both sides of the Pond
Yarn shows bring thousands of knitters into the same place at the same time, with amazing energy, excitement, and beautiful fibre products on display. This weekend’s Edinburgh Yarn Festival was my first show as an exhibitor, and it was fabulous to chat with knitters, meet other folks in the industry, and do a bit of shopping!
I signed books, talked about seamless sweater construction, made recommendations about lace (photosynthesis and sunflower work well for your first triangular shawl project), and twirled and posed to show off the new Lush cardigan!
I got a signed copy of Ysolda’s sweater book Little Red in the City, (very exciting as I am a big fan of her work), and picked out some beautiful yarns from Skein Queen and The Yarn Yard.
The Edinburgh Yarn Festival was the first experience that my kind and supportive husband John has had of the yarniverse (the unseen masses of knitters that come out of the woodwork for events like this). Prior to this, I don’t think he truly believed there are other people who are as obsessed as I am about yarn and knitting! Slightly out-of-his element he smiled, made change and just generally looked adorable!
John manning the booth
If you didn’t get your print copy at the Festival, order here.
Kits Kerchief, Thistle stole, Branching Out shawl, and Botany shawl (in Handmade in the UK)
While most of our knitted samples reside in Vancouver, here in Edinburgh I have a lot of lace and a small sampling of garment samples; several from our upcoming lace collection Handmade in the UK. The UK based trunk show is gradually growing!
This is Tin Can Knits : complete with last-minute hand-lettered sign! (I knew my architectural training would come in handy at some point…)
The LOOT: impulse buying is important sometimes!
One of the perks to working as a pattern designer is that dyers and yarn companies are usually happy to provide yarn support (free yarn to be used in published designs) because patterns sell yarn, so it is a good deal all around. Thus Alexa and I get to work in exotic and luxurious yarns by amazing hand-dyers. But requesting yarn support means planning ahead, making design proposals, and following through on designs… so it is not always the most satisfying method of yarn procurement! At the festival I allowed myself a generous yarn budget, left John to hold the fort, and zoomed around to impulse-buy some beautiful yarns, with blissfully little thought to project or design!
Loot: Skein Queen Entwist in lemon yellow and pale blue, The Yarn Yarn BFL and Merino Sock in 2 colours of green.
Upcoming Shows: Fibres West in Abbotsford (Alexa) and Fibre East in Bedford (Emily)
Alexa will be at Fibres West next Friday or Saturday March 22-23. She has the lions share of our knitted samples, so stop by the booth to try on or fondle the Low Tide cardigan or the Antler Cardigan (in ladies & babies sizes), the North Shore and Snowflake pullovers, the Rosebud Shawl, and many more accessories. She will be signing books, selling single patterns, and she will have some of her beautiful hand-dyed yarn too!
Emily will take the Tin Can Knits show on the road to Fibre East in Bedford on 27th and 28th July 2013. For more info on upcoming shows and other events, check our website.
What will you knit next? Join us for the Lush KAL on the Ravelry group, and be sure to sign up for our email updates if you don’t already receive them!
Popular Tin Can Knits patterns:
LUSH cardigan
Many of our friends, fans, and fellow knitters are excited about the Lush cardigan… So we are offering it as an early-release pattern to keep you busy while you await the official release of Handmade in the UK, our new lace book.
The Deal: Get Lush now, and when the book is launched we will send you a coupon for $6 off the price of the complete collection!
Lush is a special design with some unique features, so I want to let you know a bit more about the details of sizing, yarn, and construction and offer a few useful tips on how to achieve the perfect spring cardigan!
Lush Cardigan – Ladies size M (36″) shown on my 39″ bust = 3″ negative ease
SIZING ::: cute on tiny tots and vavavoom on voluptuous ladies
Like the best of Tin Can Knits’ patterns, Lush includes an impressive 16 sizes: 0-6 months to ladies 4XL. I think it is absolutely adorable on Alexa’s daughter Hunter, and love how it looks on me too! Complete sizing and yardage info is available here.
Everyone has a personal preference when it comes to sweater sizing, and I understand not everyone wears their sweaters as tight as I do! I am a 39″ bust, and I am wearing the size M (36″), which is 3″ negative ease. For a form-grazing but not so tight look, I suggest working a size that is 1.5-2 inches smaller than your actual bust measurement. For more info on how our patterns are sized, and how to adjust for a perfect fit, see this tutorial.
PERFECT FIT ::: top-down construction makes adjustments easy
This design is knit yoke first (then body and arms) so you can try it on as you go to check sizing. It is easy to adjust the total stitch count at the bust or upper arms (just increase or decreasing a few stitches) if it seems like the garment will be a bit too big or too small. You may choose to work waist shaping so the sweater hugs your curves, or simply knit straight to the hem; the pattern includes instructions for both options!
Baby & Adult versions of the Lush Cardigan made by test-knitters: carolbuz, vaninea, and dbbstitch. See more here.
YARN CHOICE ::: DK or light worsted weight yarn
The gauge for this design is 20 sts / 4″. For the ladies sample, I used Skein Queen Voluptuous in ‘persimmon’ [more about Skein Queen Yarns here]. Voluptuous is a fairly heavy DK weight, which knits quite naturally at 20 sts / 4″. Alexa knit the 2-4 year old size using Sweet Georgia Superwash DK in ‘silver’. You may choose to work in a DK weight or a lighter worsted weight (for example Cascade 220 would work well), as the pattern is quite flexible. For the lace panel to really ‘shine’ and hold its shape well, I recommend using a wool or wool blend yarn. Yardage requirements and suggested needle sizes are listed here.
CONSTRUCTION ::: knit seamlessly from the middle up and down
Lush has a unique construction, but it is not too complicated – and it’s fun! First you knit the lace yoke band. You start with a provisional cast-on – I suggest using the crochet chain provisional cast-on [see the tutorial here].
After completing the right-hand side of the band you unpick the provisional cast-on, place stitches back on needles, and work the left-hand side of the band in the same manner. Do not slip the first stitch of the row, as you will need the right number of rows to pick up in.
Wet block the completed band; if you have blocking wires I suggest you use them to even out the edges of the lace band. As you see, I didn’t have mine nearby… and so a lot of pins were required!
After blocking the lace yoke band, you will pick up stitches and work up to the collar. Ladies sizes have a fairly wide neck with some short-rows to shape the back of neck. Child sizes are similar, but omit short-row shaping at back of neck. If you prefer a higher neckline, work a few more stockinette stitch rows before the ribbing, or a few more short-rows.
Once you have completed the collar, pick up along the bottom edge of the lace band and work down the yoke to the point where body and sleeves separate. Then work the body in rows, and the arms in the round to cuffs. Ladies sizes XS – 4XL include optional waist shaping instructions.
FINAL ADJUSTMENTS ::: spend a bit of time looking at yourself in the mirror!
Before working the button bands you should confirm that you are happy with the fit. You may want to block the cardigan at this point. If you decide you would like to make the neckline higher you can work more rows of ribbing, or incorporate a few more short-rows to raise the back of the neck. For a tighter neckline, you can decrease further and work the ribbing on a smaller number of stitches, or simply try a smaller needle size or tighter bind-off method. This is purely a personal choice, and you may need to experiment to find out what works best for you!
Lastly, work the button bands by picking up stitches along the edges of the cardigan opening [tutorial here]. I suggest working the non-buttonhole side first so you can plan how many buttons you want to have, what size they should be, and what the spacing should be before working the buttonhole side. Finishing up, you will want to spend some time searching for the perfect button! I absolutely LOVE the little yellow buttons that Alexa put on Hunter’s cardigan!
KNIT-A-LONG WITH US :::
If you are thinking about knitting the Lush cardigan for yourself, or a little cutie you know, you should join us on the Tin Can Knits Ravelry group for a Lush KAL. It will be fun, you will probably to learn something (or teach us something new), and there will be prizes! We hope to see you there.
Want to know when the Handmade in the UK ebook & print book are available for purchase? Sign up for our email updates, and we’ll send you a note when it is ready!
Sweater patterns that are adorable on Baby and Momma:
What’s in a Button?
When I finish a cardigan or buttony cowl (or anything that needs a button really) I can’t wait to head downtown and pick out my buttons. Will I choose something simple and make the knitting the star? Or maybe something that boldly stands out to have the knitting showcase a fabulous button. A button can change the whole feel of a sweater or scarf, transforming it into something new! Vancouver Knitters are just so lucky to have a cute little shop just for their buttony needs. Button Button is the place to be for buttons in Vancouver.
Having recently finished a few items in need of buttons I sent Hunter out with Grandpa and Jones and I headed down to Button Button. Toddlers, babies, and scores of buttons don’t mix well so it had been a while since I had the pleasure of visiting Button Button. It was just as I remembered, but with even more buttons!Looking around the room at all the tubes, bowls, drawers, divided trays, and buckets full to the brim with buttons I was so excited to find the perfect ones for my sweaters….and probably a few more for the button stash.
I laid out the 2 cardigans I was picking buttons for and started my search. Soon I had Colleen, owner and expert button curator, making suggestions and searching for the right number of buttons. I don’t know if she ever takes a day off but she has been in the shop every time I’ve been there, always eager to pull that perfect button from way in the back or hidden in a drawer, or really right out in the open. It’s amazing how a button can transform a knit!
Take the Antler Cardigan for example. Knit in a neutral ecru with matching antler buttons it’s an earthy and timeless sweater. Choose a bold orangey red and some bright white buttons and you’ve got something a little less sophisticated but a lot more fun. Lastly I knit the tiny little Antler sweater below for Jones and the mismatching buttons add a touch of whimsy to an otherwise simple cardigan. What’s in a button you ask? Sometimes it’s everything!
I also increased the button stash by a few while I was there. A few fabric covered buttons, some wood, and a magnificent little $2 bag of colorful buttons, just the sort of thing for a rainy button day. Do you have a button stash? Tell us all about it!
More Buttony Knits:
Crochet Chain Provisional Cast On
What is a Provisional Cast On? A provisional cast-on is a blanket term for any sort of cast-on which leaves live stitches, which can later be knit from in the opposite direction. Provisional cast-ons are often used in seamless knitting patterns, and at Tin Can Knits we design mostly-seamless patterns for your knitting pleasure!
This versatile cast-on technique is used in the Lush cardigan, the Low Tide cardigan and the Gramps cardigan.
HOW TO CAST ON PROVISIONALLY USING THE CROCHET CHAIN METHOD
- First use a contrast colour yarn to crochet a chain of more chain stitches than you need to cast on.
- Then use the working yarn and needle to knit into the back of this crochet chain, pulling up your cast-on stitches.
You can see this method in even more detail here (it is used as part of the garter-tab cast on, the method used in many triangular shawl patterns).
Later, when you want to knit in the opposite direction, you will have unpick the provisional cast on to free up those live stitches so you can place them back on your needles.
HOW TO UNPICK A PROVISIONAL CAST-ON
- First, find the end of the crochet chain that has a little knot tied in it. You tied this knot when you created the chain, to indicate the end from which the chain would easily unravel. Loosen the final loop, pushing the yarn tail back through the loop.
- Now you can pull on the end of the yarn, and the crochet chain will ‘unzip’ naturally, leaving live loops that you will put onto your needle, one at a time. Once you have all the stitches on the needle, you can attach yarn, and simply work them following the pattern!
Did this help? Is there a provisional cast-on method that you prefer? Leave us a comment to let us know! If you like our designs and tutorials, you should sign up for our great email updates to receive notification of new patterns, techniques, events, and subscriber-only special offers.
Tin Can Knits patterns that use a provisional cast-on:
The Uncommon Thread : bold and modern
Every hand-dyer is different, and each creates and curates colour in different ways. Today I am exploring the colours of The Uncommon Thread, an exciting hand-dyer working in Brighton, England.
Ce Persiano of The Uncommon Thread creates bold, punchy, and thoroughly modern colourways. Her rock candy brights and rich and deep neutrals inspire high-contrast colour combinations.
This feature is the third in a series of posts featuring the dyers and yarn companies who have contributed to Handmade in the UK. A full list of features can be found below.
THE UNCOMMON THREAD : bold, punchy, and strong
Ce Persiano, despite being born under the scorching heat of the Brazilian sun (not literally, thankfully!), took to knitting like a duck to water. After discovering Ravelry and hand dyed yarns, having a go at dyeing was the next natural step. She was soon producing more than she could knit and thought she would list a few skeins on Etsy. They soon sold and this encouraged her to keep experimenting and offering these experiments up for sale. Two and a half years on, The Uncommon Thread has a distinctive style and has grown into a well-recognised brand.
Ce Persiano wearing the ‘As Simple As That’ cowl, a free pattern of her own design!
A passion for colour and texture is what keeps Ce going: she is always in search of just the right shade. Sometimes days are spent at the studio, just in search of the precise blend of pigments in order to achieve the desired effect. Most of The Uncommon Thread colourways are repeatable and are precision measured so the batches, although small, are quite consistent.
Colours are created with the knitter in mind, in order to bring pleasure with every stitch and a treasured finished object. Ce’s strength lies in her subtle semi-solids and complex over-dyes.
The Uncommon Thread colours typically go one of two ways. First there are the dramatic, vivid and saturated brights. In my opinion these colours are more beautiful more than they are pretty; they emanate strength rather than being soft and delicate.
While Ce loves to dye brights, she also creates an exquisitely wide range of neutrals, a rainbow of greys and browns and taupes which vary from pale and quiet to intensely dark and saturated.
The Uncommon Thread offers many yarn bases, ranging from cobweb to bulky weight. The fibres go from from indulgent cashmere to soft merino, not forgetting the best of British: BFL and Shetland. The range is always expanding and has recently welcomed the arrival of the first custom yarn: Merino Fingering, a super soft loosely spun singles yarn that has incredible drape and a subtle shine. Despite its softness, it is also quite hardwearing.
The Uncommon Thread Merino Fingering in ‘Azurite’
These bold and beautiful yarns can be bought online, directly from Ce, or from a range of retailers worldwide.
Sumptuous DK in ‘breath’
While I ADORE The Uncommon Thread’s stronger colours, to fit with the more delicate colour palette featured in Handmade in the UK, I restrained myself and decided to work in a colourway called ‘breath’, a graceful and subtle silver.
Sumptuous DK is single ply; 40% Merino wool, 40% Superfine Alpaca, 20% Silk, with 230m (250yds) per 100g skein. It gives amazing stitch definition, while at the same time having a wonderful softness and halo. The yarn and colour were a great match for the Rosebud Beret – a slouchy beret-style hat. This design (and the rest of the knits in Handmade in the UK) will be available mid April – get our email updates and we will let you know when it is available!
The lace pattern used for this hat is one that I initially designed for the Rosebud Shawl, a design from our Fall 2012 book Pacific Knits. The Rosebud shawl would look great in a bold red or hot pink!
get your Uncommon Thread yarn ASAP!
The next Uncommon Thread shop update will be on Friday 15 March at 4pm GMT – for your local time, click here. Yarns can disappear from the shop pretty quickly, but they are also available on pre-order: choose from the available colours and they will be dyed specially for you and posted in approximately 4-6 weeks of ordering.
To keep up-to-date with all the happenings at the TUT HQ, sign up for the newsletter and join the Ravelry group!
What other yarns were used in Handmade in the UK?
I was very fortunate to have the support of several UK dyers and yarn producers on this project. In the process of writing the book, I am speaking with and blogging about each of these great businesses – click the links to learn more!
Skein Queen ::: Juno Fibre Arts ::: The Uncommon Thread :::
Orkney Angora ::: Old Maiden Aunt ::: Shilasdair Yarns :::
Jamieson and Smith :::
Would you like to be notified when Handmade in the UK is available for purchase? Get our email updates to hear about our patterns and tutorials as they are launched.
Great designs for bold colours:
Something Sweet
While Emily has been working tirelessly over in Edinburgh to finish Handmade in the UK, I’ve been up to no good in Vancouver working on new slouchy hat designs in gorgeous yarns for Sweet Fiber!
On Commercial Drive there is a wonderful little coffee shop. Ok… there are actually more like 30 coffee shops but I’m thinking of just one! It’s a hippy kind of place, like almost everything on The Drive, and they make a beverage that I just adore with honey, vanilla, espresso, milk, and there must be some secret ingredient because it is somehow more delicious than just the sum of its parts. The name of this tasty bevvie? Stovetop.
So when I designed this classic, cozy, cabled number I knew what the name would be immediately!
Stovetop (the hat) is knit in Sweet Fiber’s lovely Merino Twist Worsted (the color is Paper Birch). The yarn is squishy and soft with the added bonus of being washable. I wanted to design something that would fit in many walks of life and with many types of wardrobes. I can picture a fashionable lady strolling down cobblestone streets (see the influence of my European adventure here) or a dishevelled looking hipster keeping their hair under wraps in the Pacific Northwest. Of course, in true Tin Can Knits style, it is sized for the whole family: so your equally fashionable child can share in the trendy fun!
STOVETOP ::: Pattern info
Sizing: Baby (Toddler, Child, Adult Small, Medium, Large)
Yarn: 90 (120, 140, 175, 185, 200) yds worsted/aran weight yarn
Sample knit in Sweet Fiber Merino Twist Worsted in ‘Paper Birch‘
Needles: US #6 / 4 mm 16 inch circular and US #8 / 5 mm 16 inch circular and double pointed needles (or as required to meet gauge)
Gauge: 18 sts / 4” in stockinette stitch using larger needles
The other confection I have been working on is the Caramel Slouch. I knit this one for Sweet Fiber in the lovely Cashmerino Worsted, color: Pumpkin Spice. Although the yarn comes ready with a delicious colour name, I decided it really warranted the very sweetest name: Caramel. This hat is also sized for all the pretty babes in your life. The pattern will be available exclusively at the Sweet Fiber booth at Stitches West this weekend. If you aren’t in Santa Clara that weekend, the pattern will be available for download on April 1st.
Caramel Slouch is knit band first, a construction I’m enjoying these days. Stitches are picked up along the top of the band, and the rest is smooth sailing in stockinette. I really can’t say enough good things about the yarn I used for this hat. Sweet Fiber Cashmerino is so very soft and sumptuous with beautiful and subtle shifts in color that give the finished product great depth. A hint of cashmere goes a long way in this yarn. Sweet Fiber carries a full line of Cashmerinos: sock, sport, and worsted, perfect for many projects in your queue!
CARAMEL SLOUCH ::: Pattern info
Sizing: Baby (Toddler, Child, Adult Small, Medium, Large)
Yarn: 90 (100, 120, 150, 170) yds aran/worsted weight yarn
Sample knit in Sweet Fiber Cashmerino Worsted in ‘Pumpkin Spice‘
Needles: US #7 / 4.5 mm (any type) and US #9 / 5.5 mm 16 inch circular and double pointed needles (or as required to meet gauge)
Gauge: 18 sts / 4” in stockinette stitch using larger needles
Purchase: Sweet Fiber booth at Stitches West – and will be available for download April 01 2013 – RAVELRY
The last (but not least) little knit we have for you today is a snuggly 2-tone lace cowl: Sweetness. This free pattern is a perfect project for trying out intarsia for the first time. We have a tutorial to illustrate how simple intarsia is – try it out for yourself!
SWEETNESS ::: Pattern info
Sizing: one size: 12” wide by 46” around. Cowl fits nicely when wrapped twice around the neck. Finished size will depend on gauge and how aggressively you block the piece.
Yarn: 150 yds in MC, 150 yds in CC; aran weight yarn
(sample shown in Malabrigo Twist in ‘Terron’ and ‘Zinc’)
Needles: US #9 / 5.5 mm (or as required to meet gauge)
Gauge: 16 sts / 4” in stockinette stitch, OR 14 sts / 4” in lace pattern after blocking
FREE PATTERN! Check it out on the Loop London blog, or on RAVELRY
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Other projects that would be great in Sweet Fiber Yarns?
Juno Fibre Arts : subtle and nostalgic
Juno Fibre Arts is one of the small businesses that have contributed beautiful locally-made yarn for our upcoming collection Handmade in the UK.
With exquisite subtlety, dyer Asti Johnson creates nostalgic hues that tug at your heart strings. Her colours are simultaneously bright and joyous and calm and sweet, and she dyes onto a range of yarns that is perfect for lace.
This feature is the second in a series of posts featuring the dyers and yarn companies who have contributed to Handmade in the UK. A full list of features can be found below.
JUNO FIBRE ARTS : delicate and achingly pretty colours
Asti Johnson was inspired to begin hand-dyeing a few years ago with the birth of her second child, when elegant hand-dyes were less readily available. She lives on a farm in a beautiful rural part of Devon, where the original farmhouse (parts of which date from the 1300′s) is both home and studio. With her husband, children and many farmyard friends, Asti loves getting out and enjoying her beautiful pastoral surroundings.
Asti, with lamb and son in tow, in the Devon countryside
Juno Fibre Arts at Knit Nation
Asti’s strength as a dyer is her subtlety. Her colours are quiet but luminous. They have a carefully considered and delicate quality, with just the right balance of coolness and warmth.
Juno Fibre Arts has a wide range of sock and 4-ply yarns, several laceweights, and a few DK weights. While Asti prefers the serendipity of dyeing by eye, she also carries an expanding line of repeatable colourways. You can browse the yarns and her colourways on her website. There is also hand-dyed roving and fleece, for the spinning enthusiasts among us!
Some of Juno Fibre Arts most popular yarns are the ‘Alice’ line, a luxurious blend of 70% Baby Alpaca, 20% Silk, 10% Cashmere in 4 different weights: Alice Fine (1312 yds / 100g), Alice Lace (875yds / 100g), Alice Sock (437yds / 100g) and Alice DK (225m / 100g).
You can order Juno Fibre Arts yarns directly via her Etsy shop, or see them in person at Loop in London.
Belle in ‘golden’ and Alice Lace in ‘duck egg’
After swatching with several Juno Fibre Arts yarns, I decided to use two for this collection; Belle and Alice Lace.
Sample yarns provided for swatching
Belle is a special yarn for a few reasons. It is 100% British: 70% UK alpaca, and 30% BFL, custom-spun by John Arbon in Devon, just a few miles away from the Juno Fibre Arts studio. A 2-ply light fingering with a gentle twist, Belle has surprising body and softness – I found it an absolute joy to work with. Try it – you won’t be disappointed!
Belle paired perfectly with Thistle – a simple but elegant lace stole that begins with a more complex lace pattern, but transitions into a simple 1-row pattern for 2/3 of its length. Belle has a halo which works very well with the earthiness I wanted to bring to this design.
Where Belle is sweet, soft, honest and a bit earthy, Alice Lace is a more delicate, light and luxurious yarn. Duck Egg is a fresh and sophisticated colourway.
Alice lace is 70% Baby Alpaca, 20% Silk, and 10% Cashmere, and is a fairly standard two-ply lace weight at 800m (875yds) / 100g. It doesn’t feel too light or thin, the way some lace-weight yarns do.
The frothy little garment I have designed in Alice lace is not quite ready for your eyes yet, but here is a little teaser, to show you the great stitch definition, and little lace pattern that I am working with… More details soon!
Juno Fibre Arts at Unravel and Wonder Wool
Juno Fibre Arts will be exhibiting at Unravel at Farnham Maltings on 23rd and 24th February and at Wonderwool Wales on the 27th and 28th of April. Be sure to say hello, stroke the alpaca and silk, and sigh in pleasure over her exquisite colours!
What other yarns were used in Handmade in the UK?
I was very fortunate to have the support of several UK dyers and yarn producers on this project. In the process of writing the book, I am speaking with and blogging about each of these great businesses – click the links to learn more!
Skein Queen ::: Juno Fibre Arts ::: The Uncommon Thread :::
Orkney Angora ::: Old Maiden Aunt ::: Shilasdair Yarns :::
Jamieson and Smith :::
Would you like to be notified when Handmade in the UK is available for purchase? Get our email updates to hear about our patterns and tutorials as they are launched.
Great Designs for Juno Fibre Arts Colours:
