HRYC

February 22, 2013

Dream Mitts - Free pattern!

Dream Mitts

I dreamed this mitt. Seriously. And when I started knitting it, I was all concerned that I wouldn't do the stripes justice. (I still feel that I haven't, really). Also, Blue Sky Alpaca Sport is a dream yarn - 100% baby alpaca is beyond words. 

Feel free to freestyle the stripes: starting them after the thumbhole will make life easier, and allow for nice big chunks of the two colours at opposite ends.  

The mitts are designed so you can either hide your thumb inside the mitt on super cold days, pulling the mitt up and scrunching it around your wrist, or wear them the usual way, so you have full dexterity for important things such as carrying your coffee on a brisk morning walk to work. 

Thanks ever so much to Shelley for being our model, and Barbara for the use of her Zealana 4ply version in the photos. If you'd like a pdf copy of this pattern, you can hop over to the project page on Ravelry

Yarn:

Blue Sky Alpaca Sport 100% baby alpaca

100m / 50g

1 skein nat light grey

1 skein citron 

or

Zealana Kiwi Fingering

124m / 40g

1 ball Majesty colour 14/4

1 ball Papura colour 06/4

 

Needle: 2.75mm 80cm fixed circular (for magic loop)

 

Gauge: 25 sts x 36 rows = 10cm

Abbreviations:

K – knit

P – purl

Kfb – knit into the stitch as normal, without taking the stitch off the left hand needle. Knit into the back of the same stitch, slide stitch off needle


Pattern:

CO 52 sts

Join in round, being careful not to twist. Place marker at beginning of round. Work using the magic loop method.

Next row: *k2 p2 repeat from * to end

Work in rib pattern for 2.5cm

 

Next row: knit for 3.5 cm

Next 2 rows: p2, k 46, p2

 

From here you will be working the mitt as if it were flat - turning your work when you reach the end of the row. When the thumbhole is completed, you will join your work in the round again.

 

Work back and forth for the next 12 rows

row 1: k2, p 46 to last 2 sts, k2

row 2: k all sts

repeat rows 1 & 2 four times more (12 rows)

next row: knit to last 2 sts, p2

 

re-join in round, p2, k to end

next row: k to last 2 sts, p2

next row: p2, k to end

 

Knit 14cm in stripe pattern (carry ends to you don’t have to weave lots in).

 

Continue stripe pattern, and:

k1, kfb, k to last st, kfb, k1 (54sts)

repeat increase row every 4th row four more times (62 sts)

 

Knit until the arm is as long as you'd like (the mitt I knit is 21cm from the last row of the thumb hole to the beginning of the ribbing)

 

Next row: *k2, p2 repeat from * to end

Continue in rib pattern for 2.5cm

 

Cast off using a stretchy bind off - I like Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn bind off.

 

Here are the stripe patterns we used, however feel free to have fun with them J

First stripe pattern:

second stripe pattern:

after thumbhole

1 row grey

1 row citron, 5 rows grey x 2

2 rows citron, 4 rows grey x 2

3 rows citron, 3 rows grey x 2

4 rows citron, 2 rows grey x 2

5 rows citron, 1 x grey x 2

continue in citron

after thumbhole

4 rows grey

1 row citron, 1 row grey x 4

1 row citron

2 rows grey, 2 rows citron x 3

2 rows grey

3 rows citron, 2 rows grey x 3

4 rows citron, 2 rows grey x 2

5 rows citron, 2 rows grey

continue in citron




Thanks to all our pattern testers as well! xx

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February 21, 2013

Happy birthday to us!

 It's our birthday times two!

Saturday marks two years of Holland Road Yarn Company. It's such a joy for us to share the love of great yarn with you. 

This week is also the third birthday of Knitsch Yarns - the little hand dyed sock yarn company I decided to start while sitting in a gorgeous yarn shop in London. It's pretty amazing to think that 3.5 years after that moment, both dreams are now part of my everyday life. 

How are we celebrating?

Well! It's Knit Night tonight and there shall be cake! 

 

Frozen Peanut Butter Cheesecake, to be precise. 

There will also be a few specials and other treats in store. See you tonight from 7!

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February 07, 2013

Crochet Blanket Addicts (anonymous)

 

The badge says it all! Join our brand shiny new club!

Crochet Blanket Addicts (Anonymous) is a monthly meet up for those addicted to, struggling with, or desirous of creating a crochet blanket. An oftentimes tedious, yet rewarding task, this is an occupation that needs regular support. 

Our resident crochet teacher Sofia will be present for technical, and the group is free to attend. We'll provide tea, coffee and sugary treats to keep your crochet-rate up. 

The dates:

Saturday 23 February, 11am - 1pm

Saturday 23 March, 11am - 1pm

Saturday 13 April, 11am - 1pm

Saturday 18 May, 11am - pm

More dates to be confirmed soon.

To secure your spot, you can book in online (I find it's a great way to commit yourself to going. Like booking myself into 6am hot yoga class in advance, it removes the element of choice!), or just turn up on the day.

We'll set up a thread on the Holland Road Yarn Co group forum for cheerleading and moral support, with the odd giveaway and prize for effort, diligence and completed projects. Hooray!

If you can't yet crochet, we recommend you book in for our Beginner Crochet classes, and join the club after you're happily hooking. 

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February 05, 2013

Crochet Workshops: all lined up!

 It's a real pleasure to have Sofia back to teach crochet! Here's our class line up for the first half of this year:


Amigurumi

Saturday 23 February 2013

1pm - 3.30pm

$30 - includes tea, coffee and treats

Learn the skills to make all the cute (and scary!) Amigurumi creatures you've seen online. You will need to know how to crochet at a beginner level for this class. 

All you need to bring to the class is:
  • a 3 or 3.5mm crochet hook
  • and DK / 8ply yarn in two colours
Book for Amigurumi online or in store.

Beginner Crochet

Saturday 6 and 13 April 

1pm - 3.30pm


Learn the basics of crochet during the first session, moving onto tips for working in rounds and reading patterns – you’ll be hooking in no time.

All you need to bring to the class is:
  • a 4 or 4.5mm crochet hook
  • and DK / 8ply yarn in a light colour.
Book for Beginner Crochet online or in store.

Next Steps Crochet

Saturday 18 May 

1pm - 3.30pm


For those that know how to hold their hook and yarn but would like to move beyond simply edging their knitting. Covering reading patterns and charts, invisible decreases, foundation single crochet and joining squares.


 Book for Next Steps Crochet online or in store.

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February 04, 2013

First Dibs! A Yarn Club

 Goodness, what's this?! Another yarn club? Am I mad?

Yes, quite possibly.

This one is a little different from the others, though. 


Yarn Club on sale 10am Friday 8 February 

The details:

Strictly limited to 20 places

Purchasing a place will cost NZ $54 plus shipping ($4 NZ, $7 Australia, $10 ROW)

What you get:

4 x Knitsch Sock 100% merino 4ply

One week prior to shipping, you will receive an email containing images of brand new Knitsch Sock colourways. From these, you can select as many or as few skeins of each colour as you wish. 

If your yarn selection total is more than 4 x 50g skeins, we will email your final cost for payment prior to dispatch.

Yarn will be shipped all in one parcel on 4 March, 2013

 

As usual, your parcel will contain sweet treats!


Lucky place-getters will not only see the brand colours before anyone else, you will touch them too! New colours will be launched at Unwind Retreat in Dunedin on 8 March, and won't be online until the week following. 

Simple, simple, easy peasy! 


Yarn Club on sale 10am Friday 8 February

We'd love to have you join us! The new colours are pretty gosh-darn exciting!

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