Designer Feature: Grayson by Leah McGlone

The Winter 2018 Knitty is live, and in it is a stunning wrap, Grayson, by our dear friend Leah McGlone! Leah was an intern for us waaaay back in 2012, and after graduating from Philadelphia University where she studied textiles, she worked for us as an all around designer/marketer/copy-writer/general do-er. She is now a program manager at Witty Gritty, a Philadelphia-based marketing company, and has recently begun designing knits again!

I have been really into exploring knit/purl textures lately, and Greyson is such a beautiful example of this simple-yet-effective patterning method. The end result is my idea of a perfect scarf, as the ample size is just right for wrapping and staying cosy, and the stitch pattern is unique enough to keep you interested as you knit but not so over the top to make for an impractical accessory.

Greyson is designed using two Kelbourne Woolens yarns, Scout and Andorra. The Scout version is designed for ample length, while the Andorra version is a little shorter and wider - it all depends on what you’re looking for in a scarf!

SPECIFICATIONS
Version A
Yarn: Kelbourne Woolens Andorra, Kelly Green, 4 skeins.
Gauge: 28 sts/32 rows = 4 inches/10 cm in Stockinette Stitch, after blocking.
Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm).
Size: 65” (165 cm) length, 14” (35.5 cm) width.

Version B
Yarn: Kelbourne Woolens Scout, Blue Heather, 4 skeins.
Gauge: 24 sts/28 rows = 4 inches/10 cm in Stockinette Stitch, after blocking.
Needles: US 6 (4 mm).
Size: 81” (205.74 cm) length, 12’ (30.5 cm) width.

Check out the free pattern on Ravelry here!

A Giveaway for the Bohéme Christmas Hat!

Just in time for the holidays, we have teamed up with Randi Hjelm Debes of Faroe Knit to offer a giveaway for her Bohéme Christmas Hat featuring Navia Duo yarn.

Last week I happened upon the Bohéme Christmas Hat on Instagram, and immediately set about writing a blog post about the design, and Randi’s other traditional Faroese knitting patterns (and gorgeous hand knit ready-to-wear!).

This adorable stocking cap using Navia Duo in classic red and white. Duo yarn is a 2-ply unique blend of Faroese, Shetland, and Australian lambswool in a DK weight. It’s a practical yarn with a soft touch, perfect for the little elf in your life! The pattern is designed for 1-2 year (baby/toddler), 4-5 year (child small), 7-8 year (child medium), and 10-12 year (child large), and adult small.

The pattern is available as a PDF download from Faroe Knit in English and Danish. If you don’t like to play the odds, just click here to purchase a PDF of the pattern! You can also find Navia Duo yarn from Webs in Northampton, MA; Elegant Ewe in Concord, NH; and Handknit Yarn Studio in Hamilton, Ontario. Interested in becoming a North American Navia stockist? Visit our inquiry page.

The kits we’re offering as a giveaway features two skeins of red and one skein of white Navia Duo, courtesy of Kelbourne Woolens, as well as an English language copy of the Bohéme Christmas Hat pattern in pdf form, courtesy of Faroe Knit. You will have enough yarn to knit the 1-2 year old size, or the 4-5 year old size.

Visit Kelbourne Woolens on Instagram to enter! To enter, like us on Instagram, like our giveaway post, and tag a friend before 5 pm EST on Saturday December 8th. We will contact the three winners via Instagram direct message.

Good luck, and keep knitting! Winter is coming!

Courtney's Carbeth Cardigan

Every now and then a pattern hits you like a ton of bricks, and you stop everything you’re doing to cast on.

Image: Kate Davies Designs

Years ago I knit what became my favorite sweater - Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Hurry Up Last Minute Sweater in Tahki’s Donegal Tweed. The offset raglan shaping of Carbeth is so reminiscent of that super simple shaping, but with the added bonus of having the numbers figured out for me, and with really excellent details like the folded collar and i-cord buttonholes.

Last March, when I was about seven month pregnant, we went on a trip to visit the Navia headquarters in the Faroe Islands. There were many things about that trip that made wardrobe choices a challenge for me, and in the weeks leading up to the trip I went on a knitting rampage with a mission to “bang out a Carbeth!” Call it love at first knitting pattern sight, or call it a knitter’s version of “nesting,” but whatever you call it, I call it my favorite sweater of 2018.

While I will be the first to admit that photographing a sweater after days of traveling-while-pregnant is no one’s favorite, don’t let that grimace fool you. I am in love with this sweater. I recently wore it all through our trip to Ireland, and this time I carried the baby on the outside!

I used our Andorra yarn to knit Carbeth, holding it doubled on a US 9 needle (5.5mm). I got gauge handily, no fussing around with multiple swatches, and cast on for the third size, a 44” bust. I figured that size would give me plenty of wear in the rest of my pregnancy and in the bustier post-partum nursing days to come in the fall. Held double, I used seven skeins of Andorra - with plenty to spare.

Now that Gilda is almost six months old - she was a TNNA baby! - I think it’s time to think about making another Carbeth, this time one size smaller and marled in ink black and snow white. A new classic for my wardrobe, which will patiently wait until after the holiday knitting frenzy is over.

Did you #bangoutacarbeth in 2018? What was your most memorable knit of the year? Tell us in the comments!