This week, the staff at WEBS is buzzing about gifts! Amy designed the Love Monsters, a perfect Valentine’s Day knit; while Lise and Mary have been busy knitting for babies!
Every February I am inspired to knit in pinks and reds to counteract the gray gloom of New England winters. Luckily, Valentine’s Day gives me the perfect opportunity! This year I couldn’t find anything that was inspiring me so I decided to make something myself. These Love Monsters were the result. By the time I got the pattern worked out I had my whole family represented. I used some yarns from my stash, Cascade 220 and Valley Yarns Berkshire and Berkshire Bulky, but they have been so popular around my house that I had to stock up on the Berkshire yarns again. They don’t take long to knit, so I’m going to whip a couple more up for Valentine’s gifts. You can find the pattern for the Love Monsters here on Ravelry. > Amy S.
My cousin is expecting a baby in March and I wanted a blanket that would be cozy for our new family member and fun for me to knit. The Cuddly Monster Blanket from Rebecca Danger’s Knit a Monster Nursery fit the bill. It is an adorable project and it was a fun knit. I used Spud & Chloë Sweater, which isn’t the least expensive yarn, but I have used it for baby blankets before and I love the way it feels and washes (it’s already gone through the washer and dryer and looks great). It’s so soft and squishy if I could keep it for myself I would! > Mary K.
I’m finally getting back to a WIP that was started over a year ago, my
Plymouth Encore granny square blanket. It’s really fun to mix and match the colors as I go, I’m trying to come up with a unique combination each time. I have started to join some of the squares using the brown heather, it’s creating an interesting stained-glass effect. Also, when I’m switching and binding off so many colors, it’s great to have scissors handy. My favorites are the
Slip and Snip folding scissors, which are really convenient to use when going back and forth between skeins. > Deb S.
(Left) Having missed the births of my friend’s first two children, I thought it would not be fair to make the last two blankets. When I saw this free
Fiber Company Alfalfa Hat pattern I could not resist making it. The first one I made for my grandson Luke, looked great on him so I decided to make them all matching hats. Three of the hats were made with
Cascade Yarns Ecological Wool and the smallest one with a wool from my stash. I followed the pattern exactly for each size and only changed the yarn and needle size to make the size adjustments. This is stash busting year for me and I am on prayer shawl and 5 hats down! > Lise G.
(Right) My Dad requested a a special cashmere scarf for Christmas, and I couldn’t wait to knit it. I had never had the chance to knit with fine cashmere before, and now I’m spoiled. I don’t ever want to go back to knitting with rough wool again. I used
Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere 4-ply . I tried out a lot of different patterns to use for the scarf, but everything I tried took away from the softness of the cashmere. The best way to show off just how soft this fiber is, was to use plain stockinette stitch. It’s my dad’s favorite scarf, and it looks wonderful with his black winter coat. If you’ve never treated yourself to knitting with cashmere, you should try it at least once! > Grace H.
