The Fiery Bolero by Debbie Bliss (from Interweave Knits summer 2005)

My sister got married this summer, and we hosted the reception in our back yard. It was a ton of work, but so worth it—what a wonderful evening.

Any of you who've done it know that there are a million details when planning a wedding reception (or any big party), not the least of which is what to wear!

My sister and I found the perfect dress for her, and I found a dress I loved for me, but I really wanted a pretty shrug. I couldn't find one that I liked, though, so I ended up with a tee-shirt-fabric jacket-type-thing with longer sleeves than I wanted. But it was fine and I got lots of compliments on the bright colors that I don't usually wear.

The searching process made me get shrug-on-the-brain, and I've been keeping my eyes open all summer looking for the perfect one.

In preparation for this newsletter I got to have fun looking through back issues of Interweave Knits on CD. I came upon this shrug in the summer 2005 Knits, and oh, how I wish I'd found it three months ago!

It's called the Fiery Bolero, and it's by Debbie Bliss. Inspired by her love of flamenco, Debbie created this short, fitted bolero that's reminiscent of the cropped jackets worn by Spanish dancers. The bolero is knitted in a single piece: Cast on at the lower back edge, worked up to the shoulder, and then each front is worked separately from the neck down. This shrug is going on my list!

This design calls for a DK yarn but I need to make it bigger than the largest size (38"), so I'll use a worsted-weight yarn, or maybe even a heavy worsted.

Or will I? Maybe I want a looser, more airy looking shrug.

Or, should I make the shrug in even smaller yarn, like a sport-weight, and use larger needles to get that open look? I think I'm leaning that way.

So what I'll need to do is make a gauge swatch and rework the pattern a little bit.

A gauge swatch is the most important thing to do if you're going to change a pattern even a little bit, or change yarn. You have to see how the yarn will work with the gauge that the pattern calls for, and you need to base any changes you make to the pattern on your gauge with your yarn and needles.

	My Maggi's Linen swatch; 4 sts to the inch

For example, I just swatched a cotton/linen yarn (photo at right) that's one of those yarns that you can knit with many sizes of needles and have it come out looking great (it's Maggiknits Maggi's Linen). I got  4.5 stitches to the inch on size 7 needles, and I wanted to get 4 stitches or fewer to the inch, so I went up to 8s and voila: 4 stitches to the inch. I think I can live with that!

I also have to decide what to do with the border. I might want to do something a bit softer than a 2/2 rib. Maybe a small ruffle? Or maybe I'll increase at that point and make a 2/2 rib ruffle! We'll see when I get that far.

Tips for Making a Gauge Swatch
Since I've talked so much about swatching in this newsletter, I thought I'd give you some tips for making a good, reliable swatch. These tips are from Sandi Wiseheart, swatcher extraordinaire!

• Always work the gauge swatch with the needles you intend to use for the final project. Even needles in the same size, if made from different materials or by different companies, can yield different gauges.
• The gauge in most published patterns is measured after blocking, so be sure to block your swatch (using the same method you will use to block the finished garment) before measuring.
• Use the exact same techniques in a swatch as you will use in the project. For example, if you are working a Fair Isle pattern, and always float the yarns across the back of your work, be sure to float the yarns in the swatch.
• For lace, cable, and color work patterns, try to work a gauge swatch that is at least two full repeats of the pattern both in width and in length. Doing so results in a more accurate measurement of the overall gauge: You will see beforehand how the pattern repeats fit together and whether one part of the pattern draws in (or spreads out) more than the rest.
• To measure gauge in the round: Cast on 30 to 40 stitches and divide them evenly between 3 or 4 needles. Join and proceed as for a flat gauge swatch, but work in rounds rather than rows.

Even the most carefully worked swatch can differ in gauge from a large piece of knitting. The cardinal rule is: The larger the swatch, the more accurate it is. Always check the measurements of a project after you've worked the first few inches to make sure the gauge of the project is consistent with the gauge of the swatch.

I was so happy to find this shrug pattern; I highly recommend Interweave Knits on CD. It's so fun to look through back issues and see the evolution of knitting design through the years, and how so many of the patterns are just as fashionable now as they were when they were brand new.

Cheers,

Kathleen Cubley
is the editor of
Knitting Daily.

Kathleen's Knit-Along
The winner for the next KAL is the Every Way Wrap from Fall 2009 Interweave Knits. Come join the KAL in the official forum.

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The Vacation Scarf

I spent last week camping in paradise, a.k.a. Yellowstone National Park. I went with a friend and we had so much fun seeing wildlife (bears, wolves, coyotes, moose, elk, pronghorn, and lots of bison!).

I brought along some knitting—a baby vest, a tee-shirt, and some random yarn just in case—but I hardly knit at all! There was just too much to see and do, and most days we got back to our campsite too late to sit around and knit; who wants to knit outside in 50-degree weather, let alone have your knitting smell like a campfire!

I did get some knitting done in the car, though, and a funny thing happened when I picked up the needles after several days of not knitting: I experienced an odd feeling, almost like an adrenaline rush, when I picked up the needles again. It was so weird!

I guess I shouldn't have extended amounts of time away from knitting—it might be bad for my health.

Even though the projects I brought were fairly easy knits, I ended up not wanting to work on anything the least bit complicated—I still needed to be able to look out the window to see geysers and bison and wolves (oh, my!). So, I decided to make one of my easy go-to items: the eyelet scarf.

	A Scarf of Your Very Own by Ann Budd

I started thinking about this scarf after looking through our new eBook, Best of 2010 Patterns for Knitted Accessories. There's a pattern in there called A Scarf of Your Very Own, by Ann Budd. Ann took three lace patterns and did the math to make three different scarves out of laceweight yarn. While I was deciding what to work on in the car, I thought about this project and remembered my simple eyelet pattern.

This is one of my favorite quickie scarves, and I've made several for gifts. You can use any weight yarn and any size needles. What I'm using for my current scarf is a fingering weight, handspun seacell/merino blend from Three Irish Girls.

I got this yarn at the Sock Summit, and I've been admiring it for almost a year! I'm so glad I threw it in my backpack at the last minute. I had size 7 needles on hand, so I cast on 24 stitches, thinking I'd get about a 5 inch-wide scarf, which I did. (No real swatching on this one; I figured if I didn't like the width I'd just start over.)

Here's my pattern, now named The Vacation Scarf.

CO 24 stitches.
Row 1: K1, *YO, K2tog; rep from * to last st, K1.
Row 2: K1, *YO, P2tog; rep from * to last st, K1.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until scarf is the desired length (or until you run out of yarn!).

Pretty easy, huh?

This pattern gives you a lot of bang for your knitting buck. The lace pattern looks really fancy and it shows off variegated yarn really well, and it's a great stash-buster for those special one or two skeins of yarn you bought on vacation. (Yes, I did visit a yarn shop in Jackson, WY—Knit on Pearl is just darling!)

Kathleen and Mimi at Yellowstone Falls

If you're like me and you love a good accessory to take on the road with you, check out Best of 2010 Patterns for Knitted Accessories! Since it's an eBook, you can print out just the pattern you want to work on and slip it into your vacation knitting bag (mine was a plastic baggie!)

Cheers,

Kathleen Cubley
is the editor of
Knitting Daily.

Kathleen's Knit-Along
The winner for the next KAL is the Every Way Wrap from Fall 2009 Interweave Knits. Yay! And come join the KAL in the official forum.

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8 Free Knitting Patterns for Kids

I absolutely love knitting for children. I don't have any of my own, so I knit like mad for my friends' kiddos, and for my almost 5-year-old nephew, Henry.

It's time for me to knit Henry a back-to-school sweater and I thought you might like to knit something for a little one in your life, too. So here are eight free kids' knitting patterns to get you—and your little buddy—going!

The five designs in Petite Feet are based on a "choose-your-own-adventure" sock pattern. You can choose to make socks from the patterns given or you can make up your own pattern with the guidelines provided!

Back to School by Norah Gaughan, a unique cotton pullover sized from small child to extra-large adult, features a flattering asymmetrical textural pattern worked in a combination of stockinette, seed, and garter stitches.

The lime green color of the super simple School-Girl Pullover by Ann Budd—plus the rolled edges and cropped length—give it a fresh look, just right for the schoolgirl with a modern sense of style. Whatever color you choose to knit this sweater in, it's sure to delight your school girl.

The yoke of Stop-Traffic Circles by Kristin Nicholas is decorated with cheerful concentric circles. Simple chain-stitch embroidery around the knitted-in circle motifs gives them added dimension and a smooth outline. The body of the sweater is worked in knit-and-purl ladder-stitch patterns interspersed with simple cable panels. The finished sweater is machine-washed gently to even out any irregularities in the embroidery and to give the sweater a soft, semifelted surface.

The Shadowy Vest by Marilyn Murphy is made in a clever, easy colorwork pattern. The yarn combination is what makes the magic; the combination of a solid and a multicolored yarn and strategically placed knits and purls makes the shadow stripe pattern. Sized for a 2-year-old to a 10-year-old, you'll want to make one for each of your special little people.

Amy Clarke Moore designed the Unspun Roving Mittens to keep her children's hands warm in the winter. They're knitted with unspun roving and then fulled slightly for added warmth. These are great for adults as well; the pattern includes instructions for child's size and woman's size mittens.

Laura Rintala's You Kiss a Hundred Frogs Purse is the perfect little back-to-school backpack. Your little one will love packing it with a pencil box and a sack lunch!

Earflap Hats by the Knitscene Design Team includes three patterns—one for men, one for women, and one for children—with optional pom-poms. An earflap hat is guaranteed to make you and your little person as happy as your ears are warm!

Don't let your friends miss out on these free children's knitting patterns! Send them this link http://www.knittingdaily.com/Childrens-Knitting-Patterns/ so they can light up some little eyes as well.

Cheers,

Kathleen Cubley
is the editor of
Knitting Daily.