HRYC

At the shop Christmas party last night, Amy finished her first hat. There was a round of applause, a great big hooray! and well done. She then proceeded to say 'Can you ladies look at this pattern and talk me out of it?'

Which of course is knitter-speak for 'I really want to do this and need you to cheerlead me into knowing I can knit it'.

Being a design of beauty, we all gushed 'Of course Amy, you CAN DO IT!'

Allegheny by Thea Colman

Our little corner then started discussing knit dresses, and how much we would all like to take on such a challenge. And thus, our 2012 KAL was born.

The rules: knit a dress. It can be any weight, it must reach past one's bottom, and it must be finished by the end of 2012. Easy?

Well, yes, unless you are Margaret Stove's Granddaughter and are rather partial to lace. So begins my hunt for a knit dress pattern in, of all things, lace weight yarn. I suspect I'll end up finding a base pattern to work from, and make lots of alterations. But, here's some ideas to start....

Shetland Shawl dress by Teva Durham

Mohair Lace dress by Laura Zukaite

While the two above are beautiful, I know I don't want a chemise style dress. Hrmmm.

Ballerina Dress by Shiri Mor

This is getting closer. The bodice section is about perfect for what I'm after, but the skirt - not so much. The skirt on this next one is pretty much just the ticket:

Style no 1469 by Corticelli

Tea for Two by Minerva Yarns

Throw the lace pattern and these sleeves into the mix and it's almost there. Now to draft the pattern for the frankendress together (ha, that makes it sound hideous!) and get to swatching. I'm going to use Fyberspates Scrumptious Lace in Midnight, so it's going to be silky and drapey and delicious. There's a thread on the Holland Road Yarn Co group on Ravelry if you're interested in joining us. I'll try to do a progress update here every month or so as well. I'm excited! There's nothing quite like a juicy knitty challenge.

With the arrival of many, many babies over the past few weeks, I've finally found the time to get a new pattern down on paper, and alive on the needles. It's a combination of my absolute favourite things - grey, yellow and chevrons. And I'm giving it to you for free!

Edited 23 December 2011 - the DK instructions have now been added - scroll down to see!

Yarn: 1 each: Cascade 220 in Goldenrod - G (7827), Pewter  - P (8509), Charcoal  - C (8400)

Needles: 5.5mm circular (about an 80cm cable will do)

Gauge: Not the biggest deal in the world

Abbreviations:

k: knit   p: purl    k2tog: knit 2 together    ssk: slip slip knit

m1l: Bring the tip of the left-hand needle under the strand between stitches, from front to back. Knit through the back of the loop.

m1r: Bring the tip of the left-hand needle under the strand between stitches, from back to front. Knit this loop.

Instructions:

Cast on 122 sts using long tail cast on using colour C

Row 1: purl all sts

Row 2: k1, *k2tog, k5, m1l, k1, m1r, k5, ssk repeat from * to last st, k1

Row 3: p all sts

Repeat rows 2 & 3 three more times, change to colour P, repeat rows 2 & 3 5 times, change to colour G, repeat rows 2 & 3 5 more times. Repeat these stripes four more times, or until blanket is desired length.

Finish on a purl row, cast off using Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn bind off. (A great tutorial for this can be found here)

Weave in ends and block.

Double knit version

Yarn: Prism DK by Skeinz 50g / 104m

1 ball each in Paint Blue B1, Jelly Bean B2, Lime Snakes G, Crayon Yellow Y, Pumpkin Patch O, Toy Red R, Jelly Baby P1, Purple M&Ms P2

Needles: 4mm circular (about an 80cm cable)

Gauge: 28 rows x 22 stitches in stocking stitch = 10cm approx

Finished size: 60cm x 102cm approx

Abbreviations: the same as for the worsted version

Instructions:
Cast on 152 sts using long tail cast on using colour B1
Row 1: purl all sts
Row 2: k1, *k2tog, k5, m1l, k1, m1r, k5, ssk repeat from * to last st, k1
Row 3: p all st

Repeat rows 2 & 3 three more times, change to colour B2, repeat rows 2 & 3 5 times.

Repeat rows 2 & 3 five times (10 rows of each colour) changing colours in this sequence: G, Y, O, R, P1, P2, B1, B2, ending with colour P2. There should be just enough yarn for 3 colour sequence repeats.

If you’d like to make a larger blanket, the pattern repeat is 15 stitches + 2 stitches (one at each end of the blanket).

Parlez vous le Francais? Non? Pas de probleme... Some French music for your Monday featuring a beautifully knit clip.

Enjoy xx

We've got Christmas on the brain. Oh, dear.

There's something that comes with being a crafter - we can't help but like Christmas as it's a great excuse to get out the glue guns, felt, glitter and Make Stuff.

Our first Christmas Craft session:

Making some conical-shaped felt covered tree things. There are a few variations in the works, so you should go home with 2 or 3 little Christmas trees to spark the festive cheer in your house.

Would you like to join us? We're having two sessions, as we reckon the kids will be into this too! It's only $12 a pop. (adult + kid = $20)

Session 1 (adults only)

Tuesday 6 December, 7pm - 9pm

Session 2 (kids accompanied by an adult)

Saturday 10 December, 10am - 12pm

All you need to bring is yourself -we'll provide everything you need, including cups of tea and Christmas baking to nibble. Glue will be involved, so don't wear your best clothes.

Spaces are strictly limited to email tash(at)knitschyarns(dot)co(dot)nz to sign up, or call the shop on 8910760.

Right, here it is - sign up for the Holland Road Yarn Club right here!