For the last two weeks, I have exclusively been working on the Barnelopper (Baby Fleas) cardigan by Ann Myhre (Pinneguri) in Navia Duo as part of the Fringe and Friends Steekalong. I originally picked the design with the intent to use Navia Uno, but the range doesn’t come in the bright pink and mustard I…
Designer Feature: Bynx Hat by Hayley Geary
We have a soft spot in our hearts for our snuggly Scout yarn. The entire Kelbourne Woolens team can’t get enough of its heathered, saturated colors, and versatility. It’s one of those yarns that just works for most textures, including our favorite – cables! Hayley Geary’s Bynx Hat, made in Scout’s Moss Heather, shot to…
An Interview With: Dianna Walla of Paper Tiger
Dianna Walla, the designer behind Paper Tiger, recently published The Chalet Collection in conjunction with Montréal based yarn shop Espace Tricot. The 5-piece collection features two designs in Kelbourne Woolens Scout: Le Massif Scarf and Stoneham Poncho. In conjunction with the release of the collection and the knit along beginning January 1st, I thought it…
Introducing 5 New Colors of Scout!
Introducing five, fresh new colors in Scout! Meet strawberry heather, plum heather, teal heather, moss heather, and meadow heather. Our new colors add depth and dimension to our already rich color palette for even more appeal and colorwork options! Find the yarn specs, full color palette, and our list of of stockists here. We want…
Introducing the Year of Hats!
It’s a new year and about time for a new year-long-knit-a-long pattern series from Kelbourne Woolens! What’s better than a free hat pattern? Twelve free hat patterns, of course! This year we’re releasing a new, free hat design each month here on the blog made in Germantown. Germantown is the newest yarn to the Kelbourne…
Crafting a Responsibility
There has been a conversation happening this week, mostly on Instagram, regarding white supremacy in the craft industry, and we have been listening. We hope you have been, too. As business owners, Kate and I recognize the platform we have to amplify voices, the ability we have to shape and steer images and content we…
Fresh for 2019: Introducing Meghan Babin to the KW Team!
Meghan? Which Meghan? We’ll have to devise a system. Here at the Kelbourne Woolens office we suffer from name confusion issues. There’s Courtney Kelley and Meghan Kelly, and because we never do things the easy way we’re adding another Meghan to the mix. They’re both spelled with an “H,” and they both say that is…
Designer Feature: Meta’s Bonnet by Maura Kirk
Our dear friend Maura (another former Kelbourne Woolens employee!) stopped by yesterday with her darling wee babe, Meta, who was wearing her brand new Scout bonnet, now available as a free pattern! Yarn: Kelbourne Woolens Scout, Juniper Heather, 1 skein….
Navia Knitalong: Updates and Progress
whhhooooooossssh! Did you hear that? That was the sound of the last three weeks flying by! We’re still excitedly plugging away at the knit along, though, and wanted to share our progress with you. Kate: Real talk, you guys. Between illnesses that never seemed to end, deadline knitting that I just shipped off, and a…
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…
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…
Provisional Cast On
A provisional cast-on is a way to cast on stitches using waste yarn as a temporary cast on so that it can be easily unraveled after the knitting is complete, leaving you with live stitches which you can then place on your needle. I use the crochet provisional cast on often, most frequently when working…
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. 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…
Bobbles
There are many types of bobbles created using different techniques. The basic concept for all bobbles – regardless of their size – is that you are taking one stitch and increasing it multiple times, knitting on those stitches only for a few extra rows, then decreasing them back down to one. This particular bobble is the one…
Filet Crochet
While often very complex in appearance, filet crochet is a simple form of crochet that uses a open netting and filled spaces formed by a combination of chain stitches and double crochets. Anything that can be put onto graph paper can be crocheted using this technique, and your designs are limited only by your creativity….
Aslant Pullover + Andorra Yarn Giveaway!
The Aslant Pullover, designed by Lana Jois using Kelbourne Woolens Andorra and published in the latest knit.wear issue is the perfect combination of unique design features and classic styling, which together make an interesting yet elegant sweater. Andorra was our very first Kelbourne Woolens yarn, released on the Winter Solstice last year, so we find…
New Free Pattern: Llumeneres Hat!
When we received the new colors of Andorra this season, I saw the deep navy and immediately fell in love. I had always wanted to knit my Seathwaite hat in a smaller gauge with a slouchier fit, and with the release of the new colors and Small Business Saturday just around the corner, it seemed…
Bohéme Christmas Hat by Faroe Knit
Last night while relaxing with a cup of Sleepytime tea and some Instagram therapy, I happened upon the perfect Christmas-y knit to add to my holiday knitting basket—which I definitely do not have time for, but will absolutely cast on anyways! Designer Randi Hjelm Debes of Faroe Knit, designed this simple and adorable stocking cap…
Cables Across Repeats
Working cables in the round in all-over repeats requires working the cable at the end of the round differently than the others in the repeat. When people ask about this technique, we always assure them that it makes much more sense in application than if you were to just read the instructions. Hopefully this photo tutorial is also…
Navia Knitalong: Swatches and colors
Despite a bit of snow that surprised every meteorologist in the tri state area, we all managed to do a little bit of swatching in preparation for the Navia knitalong beginning today. Kate’s Swatch: I took the “quick and dirty” approach to my swatch, mainly using is as an opportunity to test my color selection….
Navia Knitalong: Free Pattern and Plans
It is time to get excited for the Navia Knitalong! As I mentioned in the post last week, the design, Troyggja Við Mynstur (Sweater with Round Pattern) is a free pattern by Tóra Joensen from Navia Book 25. Originally only available in Danish, I translated the pattern into English and added additional sizing to cover…
Announcing the Navia knitalong!
As I mentioned in my previous post on Navia, we’re hosting a casual knitalong using the Troyggja Við Mynstur (Sweater with Round Pattern) from Navia Book 25! The knit along will officially begin next Friday, November 16th, and last for two months, ending on Courtney’s birthday, January 14th. I have translated the pattern into English…
Scout Collection: Powell
Throughout the process of creating and growing the Kelbourne Woolens line of yarns, it has been really fun to see how Meghan and I have responded to Courtney’s yarn, and then how Courtney and Meghan responded to my yarn. While I took a much more traditional approach to Scout, Meghan and Courtney designed sweaters with a little…
An Interview With: Óli Kristian á Torkilsheyggi of Navia Yarns
As mentioned in my last post, we spent some time with Óli Kristian á Torkilsheyggi (Kris), the owner of Navia Yarns, in the Faroe Islands this past March. One of the highlights of our time (besides the amazing fresh cod his wife, Paula, made) was finding out more about the history of the Faroe Islands…
Our Visit to The Faroe Islands
2018 was a pretty crazy year, and one of the absolute highlights (besides the birth of Courtney’s daughter, Gilda, and the release of four of our very own yarns) was the trip to the Faroe Islands we took with Jaime Jennings and Amber Corcoran in March. L / The Mulafossur Waterfall. R / Rainbows, sheep…
An Introduction to Navia Yarns
The fall issue of Knit.Wear includes a stunning article by Leslie Petrovski on the Faroe Islands and Navia Yarn, one of the new companies we are delighted to be distributing here in N. America. The publication of the article coincides so well with fall and winter – prime time for knitting and wearing Navia –…
A Brief History of Germantown Yarns
In our previous posts we’ve alluded to Germantown’s long history as a good quality American yarn. This post will go a bit more in depth about the history of how Germantown Yarn got its name, and how the little town of Germantown, PA launched a yarn with a history older than the United States itself….
Color Stories: Germantown Collection
The Building Blocks collection colors came from our love of classic styling and design, so we went for a palette of neutrals mixed in with some deep primary hues. We have seen gold and deep plum everywhere this season, so it was a no brainer to include honey and rhododendron. The deep dark (true) navy…
Germantown Collection: Building Blocks
As we mentioned in the introductory blog post for Germantown, the collection we designed in conjunction with the release of the yarn is a little different that our typical approach. For Germantown, we thought a lot about the “point” of the yarn – it is entirely N. American sourced, spun, and manufactured, but it isn’t…
Kelbourne Woolens at Vogue Knitting Live – Minneapolis!
I just returned from Vogue Knitting Live in San Francisco, which was my first teaching foray post-baby! It was a success, and I’m busily preparing for Vogue Knitting Live in Minneapolis. If you’ve never attended a VK Live, I highly recommend it. It is one of my favorite events to teach at, and the events…
Germantown: Redesigning a History
It’s not often in life that one gets to have a dream and follow it all the way to reality, and I feel extraordinarily lucky to have done just that. For many years I wanted to remake Germantown. Some of you will remember it from it’s previous life as a Brunswick yarn, or if you…
Mattress Stitch
I have wanted to update the images for the mattress stitch tips and tricks since…well, as long as I can remember! I finally got around to knitting up a few new swatches when we received our samples of Germantown from the mill and it seemed like a great time to finally buckle down and get…
Kelbourne Woolens, Celebrating Ten Years
If you had asked us last year at this time to look forward to right now, we would have probably burst into tears. Change is hard, and what feels like a life’s work – even when you’re still in your 30’s – is a hard thing to let go of, especially when it’s not your…
Introducing Kelbourne Woolens Germantown
2018 marks the ten year anniversary of Kelbourne Woolens and we are celebrating this milestone with something we have been dreaming about for a long, long time: Our own line of quality, affordable, classic yarns. We are proud to announce the fourth and final yarn celebrating our ten year anniversary: Germantown. An icon of American…
Designer(s) Feature: Vogue Knitting Fall 2018
Meghan and I just discussed our realistic-yet-still-ambitious Rhinebeck sweater goals, which can only mean one thing: Fall is almost here! We’re on the tail end of a completely insane eighteen months that included a lot of emotional ups and downs, a(nother) new baby for Courtney, and the design, marketing, and release of 4 new yarns….
Announcing the Winners of Crochet Summer Crochet Something 2018!
The mission of our Crochet Something Contest was simple: “This non-competitive contest is a great opportunity to spend the summer trying something new, or finally challenging yourself to make that thing you’ve always wanted to make. This feel-good contest is meant to be a fun way to gather more people to the craft of crochet.”…
Crochet Summer Crochet Something Contest Round-Up
Our Crochet Summer has come to an end, and this coming Friday we’ll be announcing the winners of our Crochet Something Contest. There were so many fantastic entries it will be hard for us to choose! We want to thank everyone who participated in Crochet Summer again this year. You guys are awesome. You can view…
Crochet Summer: Why I Am a Crochet Teacher
We are joined on the blog today by a special Crochet Summer guest, Liz Kaplan. If you are a Mason Dixon Knitting fan (and if you’re not, you should be!) you may already be familiar with Liz and her crochet skills. She is a contributor to MDK, as well as a crochet instructor in Oakland, CA. I’ve been…
Yarnporium 2018 (AKA Finally a Trip to The V&A!)
As long as I can remember, I have wanted to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum, specifically their Textiles Collection. I have been lucky to have traveled quite a bit in the last ten years, and spent a semester in Florence in college, but somehow London has never been on that list. That is all going…
Crochet Something Contest: Best Art or Sculptural Crochet
In case you missed it, here is a brief recap of our Crochet Summer Crochet Something Contest (CSCSC): THE CROCHET SUMMER CROCHET SOMETHING CONTEST! This non-competitive contest is a great opportunity to spend the summer trying something new, or finally challenging yourself to make that thing you’ve always wanted to make. This feel-good contest is…
Ninth Annual Pro-Verbial Yarn Club
I have something a little bit different for you today – an announcement of the opening of the Verb for Keeping Warm Pro-Verbial Shawl Club! Courtney and I are excited to be on the team of designers featured in the club this year. And quite the lineup it is: Courtney and I are designing along with Amy…
Knitter Projects: Melanie’s Shine Mittens
I know it is hard to fathom ever being cold again, with summer being what it is and all, but winter is coming, and you will be cold again. Promise. So cold, you might even need to wear mittens lest your little fingers freeze, and what better way to prepare for winter than to knit yourself a…
Designer Feature: Yoked Pullover by Norah Gaughan / Vogue Early Fall 2018
When Lori from Vogue came into our booth at TNNA and said “come with me! I have to show you something!”, I had no idea what to expect. We went over to their booth and – blammo! – she excitedly presented me with the Early Fall issue of Vogue Knitting with this spectacular design, the Yoked Pullover by Norah Gaughan,…
As Seen on Instagram: Mojave Edition!
Shops, knitters, and crocheters are loving our new yarn, Mojave, and we are so thrilled to see images popping up all over social media. I thought it would be fun to showcase some of the awesome ways we’re seeing Mojave shared on Instagram! ROW 1 / • Webs shared this really lovely image of Mojave skeins last…
Designer Feature: Casablanca by Nancy Vandivert
There is something incredibly satisfying and thrilling about design a yarn and pattern support to go along with it, but it is a whole other thing to see others be inspired by and create patterns in the yarn! The July 2018 Twist Collective was published recently, and the issue includes lovely mosaic shawl designed by Nancy Vandivert using two…
Crochet Summer 2018: Plans and Progress
I found myself packing for vacation two weeks ago and somehow over the course of a very short period of time increased my in-progress crochet projects from one to three. A bit of startitis after a big deadline (specifically a sweater for publication at the same time as the release of a new yarn and…
Crochet Something Contest: Best First Crochet
In case you missed it, here is a brief recap of our Crochet Summer Crochet Something Contest (CSCSC): THE CROCHET SUMMER CROCHET SOMETHING CONTEST! This non-competitive contest is a great opportunity to spend the summer trying something new, or finally challenging yourself to make that thing you’ve always wanted to make. This feel-good contest is…
BC Garn Lino: The Sleeper Hit of Summer 2018!
If you are a shop owner, perhaps you can relate to this: Sometimes there is a yarn, and you think to yourself, “This is a fine yarn”. You don’t think much more about it. The yarn is ordered, it arrives, you put it on the shelves and you wait for people to order it and…
An Interview With: Meghan Kelly
It has been a while since we interviewed anyone on the blog, and I thought it would be fun to dive back in with our very own Meghan! Meghan came to Kelbourne as a part-time intern in 2012 soon after moving to Philadelphia to obtain a masters degree in textile design. She fit seamlessly into…
Mojave Collection: The Designs
Simple, straightforward silhouettes for summer. Our third Kelbourne Woolens yarn collection, The Mojave Collection, has arrived for summer. Available as individual PDF downloads, The Mojave Collection is all about optimizing summer knitting for hot-weather wearing. Featuring six garments designed in Kelbourne Woolens Mojave perfect for warm days, this collection celebrates the long days of summer. From the boardwalk to the…