Rowan Yarns has teamed up with Martin Storey for another incredible Blanket Knit-a-Long.
The fun kicks off when the first square is released on January 28th. For this year’s blanket Martin looked to Northern European knitting traditions for inspiration, drawing patterns and textures from the Shetland Isles; the Faeroe Isles; Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland. 8 squares will be released every two weeks over the course of the project, each knit 6 times, culminating in a stunning design made up of 48 squares in total. The final, and ninth release, May 12th features the edging design.
And don’t worry if you’re new to knitting! this KAL has been designed with the beginner knitter in mind. In this blanket you’ll create motifs in one color and two color squares. Delicate motifs in simple texture, lace and a further option that introduces the beginner knitter to a simple bead technique, patterns and different stitches.
The final accessories of your bear use all the skills you’ve used in previous weeks of the KAL. We would love for you to share your bears with us on Facebook, Ravelry, Instagram, or Twitter. We can’t wait to see how you’ve accessorized yours!
We’re continuing our KAL this week and it involves finishing up our bears. Next week we’ll finish them up completely with their accessories. After completing the body of the bear, you move on to the legs. When separating for the legs, you’ll bind off the middle and work each leg separately. Leave the dpns, or use the waste yarn trick from last week.
After you finish the legs, you’ll want to seam the bound off stitches so the only hole remaining is at the top of the head. Before stuffing, use a simple running stitch to close off the ears. We’ve shown it here in a contrasting color.
Give your bear some personality with a face. You can really have fun here! Use safety eyes or yarn. Give your bear a big nose, or small one. Make it a happy bear or a mischievous bear.
How’d the first part of your bears go? This week, we’re moving on to the yoke and arms. If you’re observant, you’ll see that the yoke area is reminiscent of a sweater, so it makes for good top-down sweater practice.
You’ll be using a lot of the same techniques as last week, so you may want to hop back and review the videos. This week, you’ll also be dividing for the arms.
This can get a little cumbersome with all of the dpns hanging off. I found that transferring some of the stitches to waste yarn was super helpful. It makes it easier to handle without getting poked, or the other needles getting in the way. You don’t have to replace them all, just one or two, and they’re super easy to slide back on. You’ll notice, I still have two dpns in the body section. The rest of the stitches are on waste yarn.
What has been the trickiest part of the bear so far for you?
Welcome to week 1 of our Valley Yarns 670 Holiday Bears KAL! Did you have a chance to gather all of your materials? If not, there’s still plenty of time to join and catch up. This is a fairly fast project that we’ve broken down into 4 weeks, but if you’re ambitious, you could even finish a bear in a day!
For this first week, we’ll be working up until the neck. There are a few skills you’ll need, so we’re including some pictures and videos to help you out. The first thing you’ll have to do is cast on to your dpns and join without twisting. This can be a little tricky. I like to cast all my stitches onto one dpn then transfer the stitches to each separate needle. Then, I lay my needles flat on the table and check every needle to make sure all my stitches are facing the same direction. You don’t want to twist them!
For the head and neck, you’ll need some to know an increase and some decreases. The increase you’ll need to know is kfb (knit into the front and back of the stitch). For this increase, you knit the stitch just like you normally do, but don’t drop it off the needle. Instead, you go back into the back of the stitch and knit it. Here’s a handy video to help:
You’ll also need to do some decreases. The pattern includes k2tog (knit two stitches together) and ssk (slip, slip, knit). Here are two videos of those two decreases if you don’t know how to do them:
Have you started your bear? Do you have any questions we can help you with?
If you’ve seen the cover of our holiday catalog, you know we’ve featured some adorable bears this year. They make the perfect gift for a favorite little one. Knit in either Valley Yarns Valley Superwash, or Valley Yarns Valley Superwash Bulky, they use the same pattern, but end up in two different sizes. The pattern also features accessories for your new bear friends; a hat and sweater. We’ll be starting the bears next week. In the meantime, you can collect your supplies. Skills You Will Need (or Learn):
knitting in the round on dpns
knit in front and back of stitch (kfb)
knit 2 together (k2tog)
slip slip knit (ssk)
seaming
Things You Will Need: Valley Yarns 670 Holiday Bears pattern (PDF or physical copy)
For 9″ bear: Valley Yarns Valley Superwash – 1 skein for bear, 1 skein for hat or sweater
For 12″ bear: Valley Yarns Superwash Bulky – 1 skein for bear, 1 skein for hat or sweater. (We’ll be knitting ours with Valley Superwash Bulky in 02 tan, with accessories in 23 grape.)
For both: Scraps of dark brown or black for face, and natural for the optional pom pom on the hat
2 sets of US 5 (for 9″ bear) or US 8 (for 12″ bear) DPNS, or size needed to get gauge
Polyfill or Superwash Merino Wool Top for stuffing (Note: if using wool top for stuffing, remove stuffing before machine washing to avoid clumping or pilling.)
Gauge:
For 9″ bear: 6 sts = 1″ (stockinette worked in the round)
For 12″ bear: 4 sts = 1″ (stockinette worked in the round)
We hope you’ll join us for this KAL. We’ve broken it up into four weeks, but you can finish much faster than that, making these bears a great gift idea.
If you’ve been keeping up then you’ll have 36 finished squares, 4 squares in each of 9 colors. If you’re setting a slower pace for yourself or joined us in mid MKAL/MCAL NO problem, the patterns will remain free and at these links! If you’re just joining in you can find all the square patterns here(MKAL), or here(MCAL)
You may want to take some time and lay all your squares out in a couple different configurations to see which one really clicks for you. Here we have 3 different options for you but they’re not the ONLY ones! Play with the texture and color layout for a day or two before you decide to make sure you’re really happy with it. You’ll note that the last option we show has only 35 squares – you can use that extra one as an accent pillow.
Knitters: We’re offering you two option for both the joining and the edging! For both joining options you’ll need to start by picking up stitches, you then have the option of a three needle bind-off or an I-cord join. Once all your squares are together you can add a tidy attached I-cord edge or be little more fancy and add the Fan lace edge. We’re showing the Fan lace with each row worked in one color from your blanket.
Picking up stitches
JOINS
Three Needle Bind-Off
I-Cord Join
EDGES
Attached I-Cord
Fan Lace Edge – no video for this one as there’s no new techniques, just a combination of one’s you already know!
Don’t forget, we have a playlist for the Knit-A-Long blanket on Youtube to make it all easier (Please note that our techniques videos are NOT the patterns! These videos are here to help you understand the featured techniques, but you’ll need to refer to your pattern for specifics.) All the squares and join/edge pattern instructions can be found here.
Crocheters: You also have two option for both joining and edging your blanket! As with the knitters options, having a nice clean edge to work on before you start your joins really helps to bring the blanket together, so you’ll want to add a row of single crochet to each square edge before you begin your joins. Joining single crochet is a skill you got to practice earlier in the blanket, as well as a more open lattice double crochet join. For edging you can choose rounds of single crochet or a neat looped chain edge, both are shown with a row worked in each color of your blanket.
Adding a single crochet edge
JOINS
Joining Single Crochet – this one will be familiar from your Tunisian square from March.
Lattice Double Crochet
EDGES
Single Crochet
Looped Chains
The square patterns as well as the join/edge instructions can be downloaded here (FREE). Did you know there’s a playlist for the full Crochet-A-Long and all the techniques on Youtube? (Keep in mind that our techniques videos are NOT the pattern! These videos are here to help you understand the techniques featured in our patterns, please refer to your pattern for specifics.)
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and tell us about your progress! You can do that here, on Facebook,on Twitter, on Ravelry, or post pictures of your progress on Instagram and tag them with #WEBSMKAL or #WEBSMCAL
Do you have 27 finished squares from February, March, and April? No need to stress if you don’t! Take this project at your own pace and pull all the pieces together on a timeline that works for you.
Crocheters: Crocodile Stitch is the name of the game for this square! With a square that is worked on the bias from one corner to the next, we’ll work half the square in crocodile stitch and finish off with alternating double and single crochet.
Knitters: This square is all about texture! We’re creating an undulating chevron with knits and purls, broken by embossed sections created with simple increases and decreases. There are no new stitches in this square (yay!), but here a few tutorial to remind you of the less common techniques.
Make 1 Purl stitches
And Make 1 Knit stitches.
Purling multiple stitches together
Don’t forget, we have a playlist for the Knit-A-Long blanket on Youtube to make it all easier (Please note that our techniques videos are NOT the patterns! These videos are here to help you understand the featured techniques, but you’ll need to refer to your pattern for specifics.), and all the squares can be found here.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and tell us about your progress! You can do that here, on Facebook,on Twitter, on Ravelry, or post pictures of your progress on Instagram and tag them with #WEBSMKAL or #WEBSMCAL
Later this week we’ll reveal the final squares for our Mystery Knit-a-Long and Crochet-a-Long! We’ve had a great time sharing new techniques and stitches with you and it’s time to cruise to the finish line. No extra needles or tools are needles for this one!
Are you keeping up? Do you have 18 finished squares from February and March? No worries if you don’t! There are no deadlines but there is lots more to come, and we’re almost halfway done.
Knitters: For this square we’re working from the center out and creating a counterpane design, you’ll need double points and a crochet hook for this one!
You’ll start out with Emily Ocker’s Circular Cast on – use the shortest double points you have, no longer than 6″! ( 4″ are ideal) and go for a crochet hook that is one size smaller than your needles. If you typically knit on two circular needles or using magic loop you can jump right in with eitehr technique rather than using the dpns.
You’ll need to know Make 1 Purl stitches (you’ll remember those from Square one).
And Make 1 Knit stitches.
And knitting 5 stitches together through the back loop! While that may sound daunting we’ve got a super easy solution for you that uses a crochet hook.
That’s a big decrease to have in the middle of your work so you’re going to need to add all those stitches back in by working multiple stitches into the same stitch.
If you’ve never worked on double pointed needles before we have some tips for you.
And you’re likely going to finish your first skein during this square, if you’re using Valley Yarns Northampton then you can just wetsplice the end of skein one to the start of skein two and keep going with no ends to weave in!
Remember, we have a playlist for the Knit-A-Long blanket on Youtube to make it all easier (Please note that our techniques videos are NOT the patterns! These videos are here to help you understand the featured techniques, but you’ll need to refer to your pattern for specifics.), and all the squares can be found here.
Crocheters: It’s cable time! Watch as front and back post stitches stack up and cross over each other to form gorgeous cables and create a solid background fabric with linked double crochet!
This square starts with a modified double crochet stitch called a linked double crochet. You get the same height with this stitch but the fabric you create is much more solid!
Then you’ll move onto cables.
And bobbles!
The pattern can be downloaded here (FREE) and to help you with those new stitches we’ve put together some video tutorials, there’s even a playlist for the full Crochet-A-Long and all the techniques on Youtube. (Keep in mind that our techniques videos are NOT the pattern! These videos are here to help you understand the techniques featured in our patterns, please refer to your pattern for specifics.)
As always, please don’t be afraid to ask questions and tell us about your progress! You can do that here, on Facebook,on Twitter, on Ravelry, or post pictures of your progress on Instagram and tag them with #WEBSMKAL or #WEBSMCAL
Also new this year, you can choose from four suggested palettes in Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted, chosen to fit in with most popular, interior colour schemes. A very soft and natural palette: a calming, blue palette; a fresh green and a zingy, and a warm spice palette.
