I hope you are having a great Thanksgiving weekend, or a great weekend in general if you don't celebrate. We are having so much relaxing family time together and that is always a good thing although there has been far too much eating. We'll get back on track today with that!
I have a little present for you today. I released my first free blog pattern on the Barrett Wool Co. Journal. That is my blog over on my new website if you don't know yet. I wanted to start with a free pattern that is a real go-to pattern that everyone needs at one time or another so I thought of the Chunky Harvest Hats. After knitting a couple of these hats you will have it memorized.
The pattern has 6 sizes, to fit from newborn all the way to adult sized heads. I held two strands of the Barrett Wool Co. Home Worsted Weight together throughout the hat to make the fabric extra-squishy and also so it would work up incredibly fast. These hats are addicting for sure. The hats are knit at 3 stitches per inch on US size 10.5 needles. I'm telling you in an hour or two you will have a finished hat.
These make the perfect gift! And it's a great way to try out my new yarn if you're interested.
The holiday season has really snuck up on me this year in a way like I can't remember before. Maybe it has to do with the extremely warm weather. Although, it is finally getting colder. I think we are getting our tree at some point this weekend. How about you?
Hi, Knitters,
I just finished filming five video tutorials for my new lamb pattern called, Baa. I am so excited to be able to provide pattern specific tutorials now. I think it will be super helpful and a good resource.
I am doing these videos in a bit of a different way. Since the tutorials are so pattern specific I will be providing a link for pattern purchasers to get access to the videos. The videos will be available through this link on my Barrett Wool Co. YouTube Channel. Please go subscribe! I'd love to see you over there. There will be lots of other videos available without a link, too.
If you already purchased the pattern, no worries, as soon as the videos are available I'll send out an update to you. For new purchasers, the link will be included in the pattern for you. All of the new patterns are available on both Barrett Wool Co. and on Ravelry. The link to Ravelry is always on the pattern page for easy access.
I just had to share this beautiful shawl being knit by Olivia of @thishandmadelife on Instagram. It is the first photo I've seen of Barrett Wool Co. being knit up in the wild and it made my heart stop.
Olivia's shawl is being worked in the Field colorway of the Barrett Wool Co. Home Fingering Weight.
This is one of my favorite colorways and it took quite a few dip dye tests before it came out exactly right. And here's what Olivia of @thishandmadelife had to say:
"I am absolutely loving your yarn @susanbanderson! This color, the squish, the way it knits.. everything! Knitting up my third half hansel a pattern by@gudrunjohnston "
Thank you so much, Olivia! What a thrill to see something so beautiful being knit with our new yarn and then to read such kind words..... it makes me happy.
Field was inspired by the prairie grasses at the end of the summer, in late August and early September. The shades of green turn more golden and subdued. There is also that golden hue in the air that is indescribable. That time when the wheat grass is so high that it hovers overhead when walking down hiking trails.
Field is this color exactly. It evokes feelings of fall, leaves, brisk temperatures, and cozy nights by the fire. It is warm and friendly and it mixes so well with other colors.
I really want a new pair of socks in this colorway.
Anyway, I just want to mention one more fun thing going on quickly.
I'm teaching a Vogue Knitting Live New York! Registration is open and I hope to see you in class.
Thank you so much for all of the love last week and now this week. Barrett Wool Co. had a fantastic start and we are thankful and happy to see the warm reception. Lots more in store!
xo ~ susan
p.s. Can you believe it's Thanksgiving week? I can't, but I'll be ready somehow.
Thank you for the huge response to my new yarn and pattern line over at Barrett Wool Co. We have had so much fun this week packing orders and hearing from knitters some I've known for many, many years and I've heard from many new friends, too. I really appreciate the support. We feel very excited. And when I say we I mean my oldest son and me. Evan Anderson is my business partner and co-founder of Barrett Wool Co. Some of you may remember Evan from Corcoa a couple of years ago. It was the coaster project to end all coaster projects. Ha! You were all so much fun. It still makes me smile.
If you want to find out more about our new family owned company click here! We have so much planned in the coming months. One thing I want to emphasize on the new website and new blog is that everyone is welcome, all knitting levels, shopping or no shopping, and it is a welcoming place for learning and exploring knitting.
First, let me quickly share some links. Please join me and subscribe on these new venues if you are so inclined! I'm going to share tons of tutorials and blog posts and knitting information in general. I'd love to see you there.
Let me introduce you to two my new patterns today. The first pattern is called, Skating hat. This is a fun to knit and versatile hat. The pattern offers instructions for both a fingering weight and a worsted weight version. The hat is sized to fit a head from 20 to 23-inches in circumference. This will fit an older child through an adult sized head.
The photo above is of Mrs. Molly and she is wearing the worsted weight version.
The top of the hat is fully-fashioned and carries on with the broken line motif that is in the body of the hat. I love the way it looks. The colorwork is very simple and charted. The motif is an 8 stitch repeat which works out well for hat numbers.
TC is wearing the fingering weight version of the Skating Hat. It is the exact same colorwork motif as in the worsted weight version only I added in stripes for the background colors. It gives the fabric a different dimension that I love. You could work the entire hat in two colors like the worsted weight version.
You can see that on both hats I added some French Knots in three lines of the motif. I have a new French knot tutorial coming up on our YouTube Channel. Once I mastered how to do a proper French knot I wanted to put them everywhere. You might feel the same way.
Here are the hats side by side, fingering weight on the left, worsted on the right. It is a fun, sweet and quick hat pattern and it's a great place to work on your simple colorwork skills. You are only using two colors at a time on each round.
And by the way, don't you love those poms? I have a color block pom-pom video tutorial coming soon if you are interested.
And quickly, so you don't miss out the Barrett Wool Co.wl is being offered as a free pattern for signing up to my new newsletter. When you sign up you get an email that includes a download link for the new pattern and a Ravelry free download code so you have the pattern stored in your pattern library.
The cowl is squishy and stretchy and can be worn multiple ways as you can see. Plus, the size is easily adjusted. It is a fast and fun project that is a great introduction to the new yarn and the fisherman's rib stitch. You need two skeins in contrasting colors of the Home Worsted Weight yarn.
If you are looking for color combination suggestions here are a few. There are many more that you choose from but these are some of my personal favorites. This project makes the perfect gift for the upcoming holidays.
Also, I am adding a new technique option to the Smooth Operator Socks pattern later today. I have figured out a new way to close the gap that occurs on both sides of the heel when you remove the waste yarn to work the afterthought heel. You don't have to pick up ANY stitches to close the gap with this technique! There is no guessing at all and no stitching up after you are done.
I'm calling it the No Pick Up Gap Closer. The new option will be added to the addendum of the pattern. I will be sending out a pattern update for all past pattern purchasers and it will be included for all new pattern purchasers.
The pattern in the photo is the Smooth Operator Socks with a stitch pattern twist. I am working on a little collection for ways to spice up your socks. This will include some stitch motif, lace, and cable options and more color work fun. This collection won't be out for awhile as this is only my second pair for the collection.
Well, that's a lot of information for today. I will be back with details on the other new patterns but in the meantime if you'd like to check the other two patterns out now....
Both of these pattern use fingering weight yarn and I'll share more details in the days ahead.
I'll be back soon with more. Much love to you all. I heard a rumor that it's supposed to start getting colder around here. I have blooming buds on my geranium plant from last summer that's sitting in the yard, in mid-November! So strange.
xo ~ susan
Hi, Knitters,
I'm ready to introduce my new adventure to you. It is called Barrett Wool Co. I'm so excited about my new yarn and pattern line. It has been a labor of love in the making for the past three years. If you are wondering about the name Barrett it comes from the B. in Susan B. Anderson. Barrett is my middle name.
First, all of the photos in this post are from Making Magazine and are photographed by Carrie Bostick Hoge. They are beautiful photos and thank you to Carrie for her lovely work.
I'm popping in briefly to let you know that my Flower Fairy & Leaf Sprite pattern is now up and available for purchase as an individual download. The original pattern debuted in the first issue of Making Magazine by Carrie Bostick Hoge. The first issue of the print magazine quickly sold out and I know lots of people have been waiting for the pdf pattern release so I'm excited to be able to make it available today.
I've set the price at the celebratory low price of $4.50, no code needed, from today, Nov. 8th, through Sunday, Nov. 13th, 2016. On November 14th the price will be set at $5.50.
The yarn is Quince & Co. Chickadee, which is a sport weight yarn.
Issue 2 of Making Magazine has a Fauna theme. Carrie asked me to design an insect or butterfly and the photo above shows what I came up with for the collection. I came up with the Butterfly & Cocoon pattern. It's such a sweet and fun project. This will be released as an individual pattern in about 6 months from now. Making Magazine Issue 2 information is right here!
I have some big news coming up in the next week or so (hopefully by the end of the week if all goes well). Please check back to find out what's been happening around here. I'd love to have you join me on a new adventure.
As I am getting ready to whisk off to Minneapolis, Minnesota this weekend for Vogue Knitting Live I realized that I didn't have a knit sample of Hedgie for a new workshop I am teaching on this coming Saturday afternoon.
So this morning I spent an hour or two knitting a new sample with some step-outs for the class and I quickly remembered how much I love this pattern that came out a year ago. The construction is so cool and it really works like magic. Hedgie is knit in one piece and it is a really fun and entertaining knit.
To celebrate the new workshop I placed the pattern for Hedgie on sale for 50% off! The pattern price is now set at $3.00, no code is needed. The sale lasts from today, Nov. 1st through Sunday, Nov. 6th.
In the new workshop we will be talking about all sorts of toy knitting tips and tricks in general while working on Hedgie. I will be having small group demonstrations, large group discussions and lots of individual attention. We will be going over specifics from this toy but also lots of other skills and techniques that can be applied to other projects as well.
I can't wait! I hope to see you there.
Hedgie is part of a Woodland Animals set of patterns that I developed for Alana Dakos' NNK Press line of printed patterns for yarn shops to carry. There is also a Squirrel with Acorns and a Woodland Fox amongst others in this series. These are the perfect set of seasonal knit toys.
And next week when I get back from Minneapolis, the Flower Fairy and Leaf Sprite pattern will become available for download in my Ravelry pattern shop. I've had lots of questions about that one, so thank you for the interest.
Take care.
xo ~ susan
