Dubbed the Cushy Chroma Socks due to their warmth and thickness, these socks make for perfect winter knitting.  I don’t know about you, but as the hectic holidays wind down, I’m always in the mood for some easy, quick knits. The Cushy Chroma Socks fit the bill. No teeny needles or thin sock yarn here – Knit Pick’s Chroma Worsted works up quickly on US #5 and #6 needles. The end result? Soft, warm socks that are perfect for padding around the house on frigid winter days, wearing to bed  to keep tootsies toasty at night, or even to wear out in your roomier shoes or boots.

The Cushy Chroma Socks pattern is available for free from Knit Picks. Sizes are Women’s small (shoe size US 5-6), medium (7-8), and large (9-10), ranging in circumference from 6.5″ to 8″. Chroma Worsted comes in vibrant colors ranging from blended stripes to bold. I love wearing these cheerful colors when the weather is dreary!

I’ve been privileged to be part of the Knit Picks Independent Designer Program since April 2010. I thank Stacey and the rest of the Knit Picks team for the opportunity to include another pattern!

Just in time for holiday and cold weather knitting, I give you my Tonalita Socks pattern… for free! Made of Trendsetter’s lovely, soft Tonalita yarn, the socks are just right for lounging around the fire, giving as gifts, and even wearing to bed on those chilly nights when your feet just can’t get warm enough. Tonalita comes in lots of gorgeous colors. If you’re like me, you’ll end up making several pairs - they’re quick to knit, and its a pleasure to watch the colorways reveal themselves.

Here are the details:

Women’s’ sizes: S (shoe size US 5-6), M (shoe size US 7-8) and L (shoe size US 9-10)
Finished Measurements: 
Leg Length: 6 inches/15.25 cm for all sizes
Circumference:
6.5 (7.25,8) inches/16.5 (18.5, 20.3) cm
Foot Length, Approx.: 8.75 (9.5, 10.5) inches/22.25 (24.2, 26.7) cm
Yarn:
Trendsetter Tonalita (52% wool, 48% acrylic, 100 yds/50g/1.75 oz) (for substitution purposes:18 sts = 4” on US9 per ball band); 2*(2*, 3) balls
*Note: If you want a longer leg (such as 8”) you will need an additional ball of yarn
Needles: 1 set of 5 US#4/3.5mm double-pointed needles
1 set of 5 US#5/3.75mm double-pointed needles

You can download the pattern for free here: http://audknits.com/products/tonalita-sock/

Happy knitting!

To atone for my negligence, I offer you a cute little pattern: the Kellie Fingerless Gloves. It’s fun to make, and free! Using sock yarns, the finished gloves measure 8″ around.  If you’re like me, you have sock yarn galore in your stash; this pattern uses a printed yarn (sometimes called jacquard) and a solid. The pattern is shown in two colorways, but there are endless combinations you can come up with.

Here’s the skinny for the Kellie Fingerless Gloves:

Size:
M

Finished Measurements:
Hand circumference: 8″/20.5cm
Length: 7.5″/19cm

Yarn:
Turquoise and Yellow Version:
MC: Opal 4 Ply Wool (75% superwash new wool, 25% polyamide; 465yds/425m/100g); Color Petticoat #1297; 1 ball. Or use about 140yds/128m of any patterned sock yarn.
CC: Cascade Yarns Heritage (75% merino superwash, 25% nylon; 437yds/400m/100g); Color #5626; 1 ball. Or use approximately 95yds/87m of any solid sock yarn.

Blue & Red Version:
MC: Opal 4 Ply Wool (75% superwash new wool, 25% polyamide; 465yds/425m/100g); Color #750 (3206) Blind Venus; 1 ball. Or use about 140yds/128m of any patterned sock yarn.
CC: Regia 4-Ply (75% superwash new wool, 25% polyamide; 230yds/210m/50g); Color #2137; 1 ball. Or use approximately 95yds/87m of any solid sock yarn.

Needles:
US#1/2.25mm set of 5 dpns in 6″/15cm or 8″/20.5cm length for working body of gloves
Optional: US#1/2.25mm set of 5 dpns in 4″/10cm length for working fingers

You can download the pattern for free here:

Many thanks to John Kieger/www.KiegerPhoto.com for photography, and Khani Nguyen for modelling.

I used Lorna’s Lace’s Shepherd Sport for the pewter cowl above. It’s such an unusual, gorgeous neutral! Eleanor is a quick knit, and Lorna’s Laces’ colors are so abundant, I can see making several of these cowls for friends and also to accent various pieces of my own wardrobe.

I love the warm cashmere blend found in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. Purple is a popular color right now, so I made this version of the cowl too.

 Eleanor was inspired by a pattern I found in a Japanese stitch dictionary. I altered the pattern for the bottom section of the cowl so that it would take on a funnel shape – larger at the bottom to fit over a garment, and smaller at the top to stay closer to the neck.

I polled my knitting friends on Facebook about whether to design the cowl to be knit flat, which can make blocking the lace easier, or whether to design it in the round, which makes the knitting easier. The results were split so I wrote the pattern both ways!

Lots of knitters over on Ravelry have been making the cowl. I love to see the various yarns and beautiful array of colors that are being used.  If you want to check out their projects, click here:

As always, I send bouquets of gratitude to Susan Claudino for an awesome job knitting the pewter sample of the cowl.

The huge variety of colors available in worsted weight yarn makes this a good go-to pattern for gifts or to accessorize any outfit you might have in mind.

The simple cable, small amount of provisional cast-on and special knit/purl grafting technique make it a good project for trying methods that may be new to the less-experienced knitter. Line-by-line instructions make the grafting a breeze.

There are two easy ways to purchase this pattern for $1.99.

1. I’m grateful to Knit Picks for adding the Braided Cable Hat to their Independent Designer Program. There are lots of good things to say about ordering from Knit Picks. I used their terrific Swish Worsted Yarn for the pattern. It’s knits nicely, offers good stitch definition that makes the cabled braid stand out, is made of 100% superwash merino for easy care, and comes in dozens of tempting colors. The yarn is affordable, too!

 Knit Picks makes it so easy to make this hat – you have the option of buying a kit, which means that in one simple press of the button you can buy the pattern download plus the yarn colors shown in my photos. They also make it easy to buy your own colors, or even substitute one of their other worsted weight yarns. It’s all listed right there on the pattern page.  Or you can buy the pattern download alone. I love the flexibility Knit Picks offers. Brilliant!

2. If you’re logged into Ravelry, you can purchase the pattern from my AudKnits Store.

 I want to thank Susan Claudino, of Ravelry NoKnitSherlock fame, for knitting the hat samples for me. She went way above the call of duty, knitting her little fingers off in time for the photo shoot.

I have a Japanese Maple that leafs out red in the spring. Doesn’t it look like fall?

I appreciate Knit Pick’s including me in their Independent Designers Program. You can read more about it and see other patterns here.

Many thanks to Susan Claudino for doing an awesome job knitting the sample for the Knit Picks Smock Top Sweater! She’s a talented knitter, and you can admire her work on her NoKnitSherlock Ravelry page.

For anybody who’d like a refresher on how to knit smocking, I’ll remind you I’ve posted a YouTube video that demonstrates the technique.

I, of course, had to choose the Designer Biathlon. I love the biathlon events in the real Olympics, and I love to design. But here was the challenge -  to cast on, design a project, write the pattern for it, photograph it, have it tech edited, and then publish it during the allotted time. Whew!

Here’s the result!

I chose Cascade 220 as the yarn, since it comes in so many great colors. The braided cable cuff is made first. I include instructions for grafting stitches together in pattern. When the hat is complete, the cuff is folded up. The circumference is about 20″, which will fit most women.

You may download the pattern for free here:

The traditional style lends itself well to dressing up (maybe with pretty black slacks?) or dressing down (paired with jeans for cozy fall and winter gatherings). Its versatility makes it useful in a time when we are all trying to get the most out of our garments.

The sweater features a form-flattering ribbed body topped by feminine smocking. The turtleneck is knit with ever-increasing sizes of needles to drape softly at the neck line.

Knit from the bottom up, the body’s 2×2 ribbing flows seamlessly into the smocking pattern that adorns the chest. At the top of the smocking, the ribs flow up to match at the shoulder, making for a pretty join.

And now for something really fun….

I know I was a little intimidated the first time I tried to knit smocking. Like a lot of seeming challenges, once I tried it, I nearly laughed at how easy it is. I’ve made a YouTube video demonstrating how to make the smocking, in case you’d like a little guidance.

The updated version of the Smock Top Sweater pattern includes corrections, clarifications, and the addition of metric measurements.

The Smock Top Sweaters that I knit for myself are made from the yarn called for in the pattern, Rowan Classic Yarns’ Cashsoft DK. I adore this yarn! It’s soft against my skin, and the bit of cashmere  content gives it warmth without excess weight.

I caught Stella (my dress form) wearing it early one morning, hanging out by the last of my dahlias.

I hope everyone’s New Year is off to a great start. Happy knitting!

First, the pattern for the Santa Fe Mitts is complete. You might remember that I originally came up with the idea from an ill-fated trip to Santa Fe. They were meant for my husband to wear when photographing in the cool New Mexico mornings. Instead he decided to break his elbow. Is that akin to the curse of the boyfriend sweater?

Here’s a re-creation of what might have been, had the photography workshop not gotten derailed:

The design is sized for a Mens’ Medium and Large. The hand is fair isle, and the pattern is charted in full color. The mitts feature a ribbed thumb. At the top, the stitch count decreases from the hand area so the ribbing stays snug around the fingers and the mitt doesn’t droop. And still speaking of ribbing, the cuff is meant to be long, so wrists stay warm even when bending.

Reflecting Southwest colors, I chose Lorna’s Laces Sock yarn for the oranges, blues and green. I wanted a rock and bark feel for the background, and elected to use some heather colors in Regia 4-Ply Wool. The sock yarn makes the mitts washable, a good idea for guys. My hubby does a wonderful job when he does the laundry; asking him to hand-wash delicate knits would be pushing it, though.

Here he is, recovering from a long day shooting pictures:

And showing he’s a tree hugger at heart:

The motifs I use in the design reflect, I hope, a Native American heritage, with hints of local mountains, water, and trees.

The design calls for small quanities of some colors. I’m going to make socks out of the unused portions of the skeins and balls. I’m thinking of using the Regia as a main color, since it wears so well on the foot, and then making a cool design for the leg out of the beautiful Lorna’s Laces.

In other news, I’m excited to have my Smock Top Sweater design included in the new issue of Knotions, the online magazine. There are more pictures of it along with the pattern itself on Knotions, but I wanted to post one I’m particularly fond of. I shot this very early one morning, and loved the way dawn’s light made the flower arrangement glow. It reminded me of old Dutch Masters still lifes – sort of a moody quality, but with colors that pop.

Thank you, Jody, for providing me with the opportunity to have my pattern published in your online magazine!

Regia 4-Ply provides the heathered background colors. I’m going for the look of rocks and tree bark.

After a few more adjustments, and my tech editor finding all the mistakes that I’m sure aren’t there when I read the pattern, and the Santa Fe Mitts pattern will be ready. It’ll be sized for men, in mens’ medium and large.