Now that the holidays are over, I can finally show you the hats I made for my best friends two daughters! (Full disclosure, I made them pose for me in the middle of Christmas Day festivities, so we were having fun!) One of the frequent conversations we have in the office concerns the ability and,…
Author: Meghan Kelly
Yarn Shop Love!
At Kelbourne Woolens we are always trying to find new ways to support our stockists. Our local yarn shop owners are the lifeline of the knitting community. They are the community builders; churning out new knitters, fostering new designers, and helping people with problems from picking up dropped stitches to relationship advice! The online knitting…
Knitter Projects: Lucinda
You may remember in July and August I teamed up with Fancy Tiger Crafts owners Jaime and Amber and patternmaker Grainline Studio to host a Knitalong for Lucinda by Carrie Bostick Hoge. Cindy made this beautiful version of Lucinda as part of the knitalong using The Fibre Co. Acadia in Blue Heron. While fall is finally here…
Cumbria Collection Feature: Seascale by Courtney Kelley
To say I have a fondness for history is an understatement. My car is a 1987 Mercedes diesel wagon, my house is a gothic 1860s farmhouse, and my vintage knitting library is enviable (if you’re envious of an entire room of your house being devoted to knitting books!). When our design team got together to create…
New Colors of Canopy Worsted
This season we added four colors of Canopy Worsted to the line to round out the palette of rich, clear brights. Passionflower is a vibrant red for perfect for autumnal accessories. Blue Parrot is a rich, clear, royal blue that would look lovely in a garment. Lemur, a deep grey with purple tones that is a perfect…
An Interview With: Lori Versaci
Earlier this summer our friend and fellow designer, Lori Versaci, contacted us to let us know she was publishing a design in The Fibre Co. Canopy Worsted. Summertime and sweaters! A daring move, perhaps, but I begin to plan my fall knitting in July, and if I don’t have something underway on the needles by August…
#crochetsummer2015 Instagram Highlights
September 7th marked the final day of Crochet Summer 2015 and today scores of kids here in Philadelphia begin another year of school. We loved watching the progress of everyone’s summertime crochet projects on Instagram, as always, we look forward to next summer! Here are some of our favorite pics, and you can see more by…
Cumbria Collection Feature: Penrith by Leah McGlone
Last November we received the first samples of The Fibre Co. Cumbria, and to say I was smitten is an understatement. After our first design team meeting I kept thinking about my parents’ beloved Aran sweaters they obtained on a trip to Ireland years ago. I rode home on the train that night sketching various ideas I had for…
#CrochetSummer2015: Swink! interview with Miriam Felton & Amy O’Neill houck
First Fall Knitty was released recently and I immediately grabbed some Organik to make this crocheted sweater by Amy O’Neill Houck. The pattern is accompanied by a tutorial by Miriam Felton on a chainless single crochet foundation. Not being familiar with this technique, I was hooked immediately (pun 100% intended). Whenever I am crocheting in…
Introducing Cumbria
Inspired by England’s stunning northwest region with its deep blue lakes and sheep-grazed fells and valley, Cumbria is a lustrous blend of brown wool from the English masham sheep breed, fine S. American merino wool and Argentine mohair. The resulting light brown-grey shade is then over-dyed creating lovely deep saturated colours. Cumbria is a light worsted…
Knitter Projects: Valeriana Estonica
Tina knit this beautiful lace shawl by Kirstina Vilimaite. She used one skein of Road to China Lace in Blue Tourmaline and placed beads in the lace to add a little weight the edging. It’s a great little shawlette for keeping your shoulders covered and the leaf edging is amazing. It’s stunning! Great job, Tina! …
Crochet along with Kelbourne Woolens
When the Knitty.com newsletter arrived in our mailbox with two NEW Surprise patterns for the First Fall issue, I was delighted to see an adorable crochet top designed by Amy O’Neill Houck with a great foundation single crochet tutorial by Miriam Felton. As one who enjoys quick projects, and distractions from existing projects, my first though was, “I…
Interweave Knits Fall 2015: Agrotera Pullover + Giveaway!
With temperatures in the 90s this past week all I can think about is the cool, crisp air of fall. So, when the Fall issue of Interweave Knits went live yesterday my dreams about fall seemed validated. Plus, this issue features the Agrotera Pullover from Amanda Bell with a sneak preview of our new yarn for…
Knitscene Fall 2015: Argentan Pullover by Leah McGlone
The latest issue of Knitscene just arrived on our doorstep and it features my first editorial design, the Argentan Pullover! I’ve always been drawn to simple yet effective, design elements and Argentan is one of my favorite designs thus far! The lines of brioche and baby cables create a vertical stripe to emphasize the split hem…
Free Pattern: Hewson by Leah McGlone
Someone recently asked me if I knit in the summer months and my immediate internal response was, “I’m sorry, have we met?” However, after thinking about it, I realized that I keep two projects in rotation at all times. The first being a moderate to experienced project to keep my knitting brain active and the second being a…
New Colors of Road to China Light
This season, we added two new colors to The Fibre Co. Road to China Light line that really embody all of The Fibre Co. yarns: Red Jasper is a rich, saturated jeweltone with incredible depth of color and tone. Ametrine is an amazing duotone with bright blue, lilac purple, and hints of mint. Both new colors,…
Knitter Projects: Maritime Cowl
Although it’s summer here in the northern hemisphere it’s winter for our friends down under. Melissa, from Tasmania, Australia, recently finished this wonderful chevron cowl in the season-spanning The Fibre Co. Savannah. We love Melissa’s mods to the Maritime Cowl pattern by Nice and Knit, the extra grey stripes break up the chevrons and add another level…
Fancy Tiger / Kelbourne Woolens / Grainline Studio KAL
A few friends, a beautiful yarn, a gorgeous pattern, dreams of fall, a wonderful idea: a KAL is born! In partnership with Jaime from Fancy Tiger Crafts and Jen from Grainline Studio, our summer knitalong will be the Lucinda Sweater by Carrie Bostick Hoge featuring The Fibre Co. Acadia. I’m incredibly excited about this one, as Jaime and Amber are great friends/crafty…
New Colors of Meadow
A large order (oh, so MANY boxes!) recently arrived at our warehouse, and besides restocking some of your favorite Fibre Co. yarns, we also received some new colors for fall. The Fibre Co. Meadow continues to be a fan favorite, so we wanted to add a little pizzaz to the palette and bring in some saturated…
Norah Gaughan for The Fibre Co.
Knitwear designer Norah Gaughan recently collaborated with Daphne Marinopoulos of The Fibre Co. to create a 12 piece collection featuring the Fibre Co. yarns. The end result is a modern collection with interesting construction and texture. Akita | Atomium | Crosstown District | Gotham | Intrepid Metropolis | Oporto | Parkview Skyscraper | Tallinn |…
See You at TNNA!
Tomorrow we’re headed to sunny, ice cream filled Columbus for TNNA! We’ll be in Booth 837 with a brand-spankin’-new yarn that we’re crazy about, new Kelbourne Woolens patterns, and a collection designed in collaboration with Norah Gaughan and The Fibre Co. European distribution. We’ll also have samples of the popular Road to China Lace collections, Pathways, and…
Featured Projects: Meadow
I case you missed it, we’re hosting our 3rd annual MKAL featuring The Fibre Co Meadow beginning June 1st. In celebration, I thought it would be nice to feature some finished projects knitters have made using Meadow to show just how lovely and versatile the yarn is! 1) NURSING SHAWL by Ginny Sheller This stunning…
make. wear. love. retreat 2015
We’re delighted (thrilled, honored, excited) to share that Courtney and I will be teaching at the 3rd annual make. wear. love. retreat organized by Amy Herzog in the stunningly gorgeous Sebasco Harbor Resort in Maine on October 1-4th. (Check out that harborside saltwater pool!) Amy was kind enough to let us design our classes around two of our…
Introducing: Kelbourne Woolens Hydrangea MKAL 2015
It is that time of year again! We’re delighted to announce our third annual spring MKAL featuring The Fibre Co Meadow! The MKAL will begin on Monday June 1st, and last six weeks. Our 2013 MKAL Meadowsweet, was a classic triangle, and our 2014 MKAL, Beltane, a half circle, and the Hydrangea MKAL Shawl is a third unique construction and shape….
Knitter Projects: Maeve
Today’s knitter project is a perfect little sweater for transitioning into warmer days. Whether you need to keep the chill off your shoulders on a cool evening or in an over air conditioned office, we love Maeve by Carrie Bostick Hodge. Jen used The Fibre Co Savannah in Crepe Myrtle instead of the Canopy Worsted originally…
Wet Blocking
There are two common ways to finish your knits: steaming and wet blocking. 99 times out of 100, we wet-block our knits, the other 1% we steam, and we never do nothing. This holds true for something as simple as a pair of garter stitch fingerless mitts, to a more complicated stranded colorwork sweater. WHY WET BLOCK? • Immersing…
Fringe Hatalong #2: My Finished L’arbre!
A couple of weeks ago our friend Karen Templer of Fringe Association announced the second Hatalong in her series, L’Arbre by Cirilia Rose featuring The Fibre Co. Road to China. I immediately put all of my other WIPs aside and started planning my own. Featuring the “Little Tree” stitch pattern, L’Arbre is a perfect hat for early spring nights. I used…
KW Me Made May 2015!
It is that time of year, again, Me Made May! We decided it would be fun as an office to officially participate in order to encourage one another to wear the countless items we have knit, crocheted, and sewn. We, Leah, Courtney, Kate, and Meghan, are signing up for Me Made May 2015 with the goal of…
Head’s Up:
Just a quick note to let you all know that as of May 1st, all of our For Sale PDF pattern downloads will be $7.00 each*. Honey Hollow | Clearview | HidalgoMaeve | Allium | VesaMaude | Gillam | Topeka As some of you may have noticed, we’ve been slowly working towards this pricepoint in the…
Twist Collective Spring 2015: Carajillo by Monique Boonstra
The spring 2015 issue of Twist Collective is up, and we’re delighted to share the design in the collection that features The Fibre Co Road to China Lace, Carajillo by Monique Boonstra. Featured in the Morse Code collection, Carajillo is worked from side to side with patterning on both RS and WS rows. • Yarn: The…
Knitter Projects: Summer Dawn
With summer right around the corner (yes, really!), we’re gearing up for Crochet Summer 2015. Today, we’re featuring a finished Summer Dawn cowl, designed for Crochet Summer 2014 by Courtney. The pattern uses one skein of The Fibre Co Savannah and a partial skein of The Fibre Co Meadow. This version of Summer Dawn was crocheted by…
Fringe Hatalong Series: Join Us!
It’s no secret that we’re slightly obsessed with the Fringe Association blog and shop and Karen as an all-around great person. After Kate’s participation in the #fringeandfriendsknitalong, we were ecstatic when Karen asked us to join in with her in the Fringe Hatalong Series. This morning Karen announced Hatalong No.2 featuring one of the most luxurious Fibre Co…
Perfectly Picked Up Stitches
Many knitting patterns have you pick up a specific number of stitches for button bands or other edges/facings. This is both a generous gift from the designer – they’ve done all of those pesky calculations for you! – but also leaves the potential for a wonky button band if you did not get both the exact…
Knitter Projects: Beatrix
We can’t get enough of adorable kids in handknits, and we hope you feel the same!Today’s knitter project is from Sue, who has knit Beatrix from the Kelbourne Woolens: Baby Collection for each of her grandsons. Sue knit Beatrix in sand and summersweet, and we think it looks great on this adorable little guy.
Knit.Purl Spring/Summer 2015: Meandering Top by Quenna Lee
The latest issue of knit.purl (fka knit.wear) hits newsstands next week. As you have come to expect from the magazine, it is filled with classic pieces with simple silhouettes and unique details. The “Making Waves” collection showcases 6 designs that utilize the feather and fan pattern in unique ways. In the Meandering Top by Quenna Lee featuring…
Independent Designer Feature: Avana by Annie Rowden
Yesterday was glorious. As soon as I got home from the office, I ran around the house and opened every window I could. Of course, this also required I wrestle with the storm windows and make sure all the screens were down as not to loose our sweet but not-very-bright cat, Peggy. It was well worth it,…
Finished Knit: Courtney’s Burren Pullover
Graphic Knits by Aexis Winslow is a collection of 20 garments that feature modern colorwork – stranded, stripes, color blocking, and slipped stitches – in bold motifs and geometric patterning. When pouring through the book, I was immediately intrigued by Burren, a yoke pullover with short rows that creates an asymmetrically striped yoke. The short row striped are really…
KW Style It: Fable Cardigan
The Fable Cardigan is a true wardrobe staple of mine. I find it to be pretty versatile in terms of styling options and it is perfect for seasonal transitions, so when I wore it to the office for the 70th time this winter, I knew it would be perfect for a style post. STYLE ONE: WEEKEND ERRANDS The…
Handwoven for the Home
As some of you may know, both Courtney and I have educational backgrounds in weaving – she went to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and I attended Skidmore College for my B.S. (Studio Art), and Philadelphia College of Textiles + Sciences for my M.S. in Textile Design with a Weaving Concentration. Although our…
Independent Designer Feature: Scorpion Bowl by Thea Colman
Last summer, while we were at Squam, we had the opportunity to hang out a bit with Thea Colman, the hilarious designer behind Baby Cocktails. At the marketplace she picked up a skein of Canopy Worsted in tanager, a bright, tropical blue. After some brainstorming with Courtney (We’re always up to talk shop, especially when…
Weekenders: Individual Patterns now available!
It may seem strange, with spring (finally!) right around the corner, to release a grouping of winter accessories as individual patterns, but cold mornings that transition into sunny days that end with cool, windy nights are perfect for layering with the 5 accessories designed using Canopy Worsted for our Weekenders Collection. ADAMSTOWN is a classic reversible unisex hat with a…
Independent Designer Feature: Lydell by Carrie Bostick Hoge
A followup to her Madder Anthology 2 – Simple Pleasures, Carrie Hoge just released Simple Pleasures spring/summer, a collection of lighter garments in the same simple and clasic style as the 2nd anthology. Her design in the collection featuring Canopy Fingering is Lydell, a lovely t-shirt with a short-row shirt tail hem, short-row shaping at the…
Vermont Designers Retreat at Seyon Lodge
Last weekend, Courtney and I had the amazing opportunity to travel to rural Groton, VT, to the Seyon Lodge State Park to attend a weekend designers retreat. Since it was on our way (and really, I would have insisted we visit, even if it wasn’t), we started the weekend visiting Green Mountain Spinnery, an amazing…
Knitter Projects: Lilac Wine
We all need a good easy knitting project for taking with you on the go. Simpler patterns are perfect for knitting when you’re multitasking–and today we’re featuring a project that’s an easy pattern with a stunning result! Dianna knit this simple cowl using Road to China Light in Dark Amethyst. The pattern is Amy Christoffer’s Lilac Wine,…
Winners (and THANK YOU!!)
First, thank you so much for all of your thoughtful, well written, constructive, positive comments! I know it was no small feat to take the time to provide the quality feedback that you all did, so it is much appreciated! There were also a few new-to-us blogs mentioned, so I am really excited to add them…
Let us know what you think – and win!
We have some really big plans for 2015 – more Tips + Tricks, another awesome Crochet Summer, but since, ultimately, this blog is for you, we want to know what you think! My request is two-fold:1) Tell me your favorite blog, and why! It doesn’t have to be a knitting blog – heck, it doesn’t…
Introducing: The Effortless Collection
This week, we’re happy to announce the release of our second collection supporting Road to China Lace, the Effortless Collection. A different direction than Pathways (no pun intended), when Leah and I designed the Effortless Collection, we wanted to feature garter stitch in three different shapes, with three different uses of color. CLEARVIEW COWL: Designed by…
Happy Valentines Day…SALE!
Last year we had the honor of teaching our own class on Craftsy, New Directions in Lace: Hats, which we were urged to do by our friend and Pathways Collection designer Laura Nelkin. (Laura has taught several classes on knitting lace and beaded lace, and we encourage you to check them out!) We couldn’t agree more…
Pathways Collection Feature: Vesa
As promised, this week we will be focusing in on each individual pattern in the Pathways Collection by Laura Nelkin. For an overview of the collection, you can see the official introductory post here. Today, we bring you Vesa, a beautiful elongated half-circular shawl that features a unique construction, gorgeous lace pattern, and edging. Laura was kind enough to answer…
Pathways Collection Feature: Prospect
As promised, this week we will be focusing in on each individual pattern in the Pathways Collection by Laura Nelkin. For an overview of the collection, you can see the official introductory post here. Today, we bring you Prospect, a lace shrug knit in one piece with a geometric lace pattern featured prominently on the back. Laura was kind enough…