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FeaturedAntelope Canyon Poncho Knit-A-Long Sneak Peak
If you are interested in helping me work through the pattern, test knit, or joining in as a KAL, let me know in the comments. I’ll be running the test knit through this site.
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FeaturedIdyll
One of our many recent life changes has been a move to rural Iowa. We’ve been anticipating this change for a few years now and so far, I am loving it! We are renting a home temporarily while our new home is being built. We can see our build site from the back patio of… Read more
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FeaturedProject Notes for the United Colors Shawlette
Purchase This Pattern: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/united-colors NOTE: If you purchased this pattern before 6/16/2022, there is a BO6 missing from the beginning of Row 313. The pattern has now been updated through Ravelry. Purchase this Yarn: Overview: This small, asymmetric, crescent-shaped shawl is reversible due to the alternating sections of stockinette and reverse stockinette stitches. The overall… Read more
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FeaturedChocolate Key 2021
Dark Chocolates Milk Chocolates White Chocolates
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FeaturedKaibab Hat and Mitts
This hat pattern is now available through my Ravelry design site. I wanted to design a pattern that incorporated some visible floats as part of the design. The photo below shows the swatch design I finally ended up with. It reminds me of southwestern woven blankets, so I named it Kaibab, after the Kaibab National… Read more
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FeaturedFree Style Knitting–The Pahoehoe Wrap
This wrap has lots of short rows, forming its shapes and angles, and giving it an asymmetry, with few straight edges. The alternating rows of stockinette and reverse stockinette stitches give an undulating texture to the overlapping shapes.
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FeaturedReversible Brioche Wrap
And Other Brioche Objects I have another class coming up at the community college – Brioche Knitting. The next post will be the password protected materials for that class. In the meantime, here is a brief introduction to brioche knitting. Brioche knitting is a slipped-stitch technique that results in a stretchy knitted fabric where the… Read more
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FeaturedCaramelized Sugar Hat
I have a new pattern ready to be test knitted and for use as a blog tutorial. If you are interested in test knitting this pattern, providing feedback on the pattern, and providing feedback on the blog tutorial, let me know in the comments below. The hat is beaded and cabled, and constructed with two… Read more
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FeaturedWorking in the Round
Small Diameter Tubes Sleeve Cuffs, Socks, Mittens, and Hat Crowns There are at least three methods for working small circumference tubes. They are: Using one circular needle with a long connecting cord, known as the “Magic Loop”. Using two circular needles. Using a set of 4 or 5 double pointed needles. For all types of… Read more
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FeaturedHeartland Community College Classes
Hi all, I’m teaching four (!) knitting classes at Heartland Community College this fall. They are: Learn to Knit Sweater Class Chart Reading Basic Brioche Each course will have its own password protected post. The posts will be available only to registered students. I’ve had to assure the HCC Continuing Education Office that I won’t… Read more
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FeaturedPick Up and Knit
Pick Up and Knit (PUK) is an important skill to have in your skill project bag. I have used PUK innumerable times over the years. It is most commonly required for the button bands of cardigans and at the neckline for the collar. A PUK is used when you want to begin working perpendicularly to… Read more
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FeaturedMobile Stitching
In April and May, I was fully expecting my plans for June and July to completely disappear, and I was mentally preparing myself for that disappointment. I purchased yarn and made project lists to last me well into 2021, as I anticipated hanging out on my patio, in my home office, and in the family… Read more
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FeaturedMeasuring your Swatch and Calculating Your Gauge
Hi Friends! Once you have knit your swatch and it is blocked and dry, you can measure it to calculate your gauge. First, let’s look at the anatomy of a knit stitch to make sure we know what to look for on the stockinette stitch swatch. In the cartoon figure below, there are three stitches… Read more
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FeaturedEmbracing The Gauge Swatch
I wasn’t always a fan of the gauge swatch, but by necessity, when I began designing stuff, I had to swatch. At first I used my swatches for the obvious reasons (determining how many stitches to cast on, increase, decrease, etc.), but after a few designs, I realized the additional value of my swatches. Not… Read more
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Featured
Dear Readers
Hi Readers! You may have noticed a password protected post yesterday. I was poking around on WordPress and found this feature, which was quickly followed by a nugget of an idea, followed by an experiment. My idea is that I would like to include “how-to” posts along with my patterns for sale through Ravelry. A… Read more
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FeaturedAnd Suddenly It’s April
I didn’t intend to wait this long to write, but here we are, mid-April and I’m finally getting back to this blog experiment. I was planning to take January off from writing, since I needed a break after the end-of-semester craziness, all the chocolate mayhem, and our holiday activities. Since I began knitting for other… Read more
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FeaturedChocolate Key 2019
The complete list of flavors for the 2019 season of chocolates is shown below. New Flavors Fruity Spicy Nutty Winter Flavors Boozy Balsamics Caramels
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FeaturedDark Chocolate Flavors 2019
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FeaturedWhite Chocolate Flavors 2019
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FeaturedMilk Chocolate Flavors 2019
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FeaturedChocolates in Progress
I’ve been hard at work making chocolates, knitting Christmas gifts, and working on end of semester activities. I will be back soon to debut the 2019 flavors list and photos.
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FeaturedChocolate Cascade Cowl: Charts
Since I learn best by visuals, I like to use charts when I knit. Charts help me identify patterns quickly and that allows me to knit without referencing the pattern as often. Another advantage to using charts is that I can identify mistakes more quickly, because I have a visual reference for how the stitches… Read more
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FeaturedProvisional Cast On
Provisional Cast On The Chocolate Cascade Cowl pattern begins with a provisional cast on, which is also known as a crochet cast on. For the provisional cast on you will need: contrasting color waste yarn, preferably a light color to make it easy to see. knitting needle similarly-sized crochet hook (similar in size to the… Read more
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Featured
Chocolate Cascade Cowl Pattern Test
I’m looking for test knitters for this new chocolate-inspired pattern. If you are interested in helping me fine tune and proof-read the pattern and charts, I will send you the final version of the pattern (free), a coupon code for another free pattern (from my self-published patterns), and chocolate truffles (if you want them). My… Read more
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FeaturedGerman Short Rows
My preferred method for short rows in stockinette stitch, is known as the German-style short row. I like to refer to it as the up-and-over method, because you pull the working yarn of the turned stitch up and over the needle before you begin working the next row. Like wrap-and-turn short rows, there are two… Read more
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FeaturedChocolate Covered Caramel Apples
Caramel apples are delicious. Chocolate covered caramel apples are divine. The first time I tried to make caramel apples I got frustrated. And burned. Nothing burns like sticky, hot caramel. I now have an aversion to and a healthy fear of working with hot caramel, so I figured out how to make caramel apples without… Read more
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Antelope Canyon Hints and Tips
Introduction This poncho is modular–it is knit in one piece, with each section connected to another section. There are no seams, but many, many short rows. My original poncho was a free style, work-as-you-go wrap that began with a crude plan which was modified many times as I worked to complete the poncho. I hope… Read more
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Yarn and Chocolate 
Hi Melinda, This is Michelle V who will be taking your sweater class this week. I have been loving my Babble hat!! I’m wondering if we need to bring our yarn this week to start our sweaters. I have a pattern.
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You can bring it if you have it 🙂
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