Fun
Knit to This: A Talk with Peggy Orenstein
Grab some knitting and click on the video above for our visit this week with the brilliant, funny Peggy Orenstein.
Kay and I really enjoyed our conversation that explores Peggy’s resonant new book, Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater.
There’s a robust discussion of very specific stuff about sheep shearing, the history of knitting, and the question of whether the sweater she made was in fact the world’s ugliest sweater.
At the same time, Peggy gets us thinking about the precious value of knitting through sadness, the joy of being new at something, and the value of knitting being recognized as an important part of culture.
Peggy Orenstein is a lot of fun to talk with—she’s a journalist with many books to her credit, but this memoir marks a different mood for her: introspective, personal. She taps into a lot of the themes that we knitters think about all the time. We feel like we have a new friend.
A good time was had by all.
A Giveaway!
Thanks to Peggy’s publisher, Harper, we have a copy of Unraveling to send to a lucky reader.
How to enter?
Two steps:
Step 1: Sign up for MDK emails, right here. If you’re already signed up, you’re all set. We have a new option for texting, so when you sign up for those, you’ll get a coupon code good for 10% off your next MDK order.
Step 2: Tell us about your all-time favorite knitted project. Why do you love it? Is it perfect, or imperfect?
Deadline for entries: Sunday, March 19, 11:59 PM Central time. We’ll draw a random winner from the entries. Winner will be notified by email.
My first ever sweater, top down, cables, purple yarn. I didn’t know how to make a well fitted sweater and it was huge. But that’s okay because it was accidentally tossed into the dryer and felted partially. Still use for working outside in the fall. Very cozy.
It’s hard to pick just one…I have really enjoyed knitting colorwork sweaters by both Jenn Steingass (KnitLoveWool) and Kristin Drysdale (Scandiwork).
Two projects are tied as my all-time favorites. The first, a cabled cardigan sweater I knit for myself, was the first sweater I ever knit. It wasn’t perfect, but I did manage to figure out how to alternate left-twist and right-twist cables and successfully handled the set-in pockets. The other favorite was much fancier and more well-done: I made a white cotton lacy cardigan with scallops on the border for my 5-year-old goddaughter. Had a problem with the scallop pattern, but a visit to a little yarn shop and a chat with a knowledgeable saleswoman helped me figure it out. My goddaughter wore it until it barely fit her.
I made a camel colored wool sweater for my husband to wear while fishing on his boat we live in the Pacific Northwest… so it needed to be warm.The ribbing was twisted cables.. it was beautiful.. except it was two backs.. he was a good sport and wore it anyway. It went over the side one day …. ( a rogue wave? A snarky thieving seagull?)somewhere there is a very happy octopus : all warm and toasty!
Kate
Right now it’s the iconic Maltese Fisherman’s Hat! Knit with size 11 needles, it’s a quick and interesting project, and it’s fun to give away in the cold winter months to people who have character enough to wear them.
I knitted a fisherman’s knit afghan 40 years ago. It took many seasons to finish. My daughter used it outside for a picnic and got stickers all over it. We’re still picking those out every time we use it
Lucky octopus!
My favourite has to be my first fair isle jumper. I love the story behind it. The wool comes from exmoor horn sheep’s wool and the colours capture the spring landscape where they live. It keeps me so warm!
My Folklore cardigan. Full of cables and texture. I loved knitting it in pieces, seaming it together; not so much. It’s a little big but it sure is warm and cozy!
My favorite project was one of the first shawls I ever knit. I made the Harmonize shawl by Romi Hill. It was a fun knit. I learned a lot, and I wear my shawl pretty often.
Impressive!
I loved every stitch of the Cat Bordhi Sea Turtle tilde I knit from my own hand spun and dyed in a sea green. I once camped on a beach and swam with sea turtles at dawn in Long Island Sound. Now I can wear them!
A double knit blanket based on Arms and Carlos’ quarrantine squares. A couple of reversed stitches here and there make it wabi sabi.
A wispy froth of a shawl knit with mohair lace-weight with a sprinkling of beads
My favorite is a color work sweater, it is so warm and cozy and all my favorite colors. Is is perfect? No, the sleeves are too long and the body too short but I love it anyways!
My Destination pullover! I’m fairly new to garment knitting and this was the first sweater that fit perfectly and is toasty warm for morning walks in the winter.
A blanket based on Elizabeth Zimmermann’s modular mitered blanket, made from a Shetland fleece, the only spinning I’ve ever done. It sat in storage for 40 years after crossing the Atlantic with me when I moved home, and finally found its destiny.
It has to be the Fisherman’s knit afghan I made 35 years ago. It is extra long, full of cables and popcorns, and looks as new as the day I finished it. Wrapped up in it every winter evening, I continue to knit in front of the fireplace, thankful for the joys knitting has given me throughout my 72 years.
A ribbed lace bulky long sweater, double strand of gorgeous Italian mohair (strips of different colors knotted together- I have more of this stunning yarn) and acrylic mauve — first I finished completely myself. The crochet edging is bunched up and sweater is heavily felted after decades of wear. Very warm even with the lace. Made a second one different yarn for my sister. Years later, I never could find the pattern again— however after several years with help of another knitter I finally figured out the stitch pattern again, now use it for scarves, dog neck warmers, and I may make another long sweater (maybe linen for summer).
An Irish knit sweater I made years ago. We were skiing and had stopped to have a bite to eat. I was sitting across from my husband and said how much I loved the sweater he was wearing and asked where we had gotten that. He started to laugh hysterically and told me it was the one I had made him years ago! Now my son who is in his 30s wears is it proudly!
My favorite knit was a vest I still haven’t finished. It tested all my limited knowledge of setting color dyes before they ran all over my work. I learned not to wind the yarn onto a ball before I set the dye. My real issue & why my vest isn’t finished was I kept knitting & knitting & still couldn’t finished the back section. My friends sped along & I was stuck. I learned a lot & I’m sure I’ll go back to finish but for now I’ll be knitting small things I can finish.
I spun and knitted a sweater- but mine definitely wins the ugliest sweater prize! Thin and o thick, overspun in places and large enough to fit a gorilla.
My “Bright” sweater by junko okamoto. I spent a year reading notes of finished projects on ravelry. Finally bought some yarn because it was on sale, beautiful cashmere/merino blend, but only one color was on sale. Wasn’t my first choice, a soft grayish lilac, but the price was too good to resist. Decided to make some alterations to the pattern fit (one size fits all and I’m a size 0-2) based on the pattern notes I had read. Ended up ripping out both sleeves (my alteration made them too wide) and the front of the sweater to extend the length. I’ve never spent so much time on a sweater, the yarn was too soft and was pilling, the stitch pattern was fussy and the yarn halo blurred the stitch definition. I thought I’d probably never wear it, it was so voluminous. But it’s my favorite sweater! It’s like wearing a blanket and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
So hard to choose just one? My cheery yellow lace skirt? The sweater made with yarn I spun from my flock? But I keep coming back to my current WIP: a small honeycombs shawl (Stephen West pattern) made with an infinity gradient from Fiber Optic Yarns. I’m changing colors with each honeycomb, and while it’s a lot of ends to weave in, the incredible rainbow effect is so worth it. The fabric is knitting up to be super squishy, too, so it feels as good as it looks.
A rug from a MDK kit. I had to felt the big tube and than cut it. Exciting for me and a beautiful rug.
It’s imperfect. I ripped out a shrug done in fisherman’s rib and redid it in brioche stitch thanks to MDK showcasing brioche stitch.
I’m currently kinda obsessed with patterns by Linnea Ornstein. They are so graphic in nature. For the background white I use Catskill Merino yarn which I just adore and then have fun with the petal part. Lovely interview.
My favorite was one I did recently it was Andrea by Andrea Mowrey it had cables and baubles and I loved the color kind of a pink
Hands down – my nephew’s “ba.” Otherwise known as – a baby blanket. I actually made this particular blanket for Nic’s baby sister – but the moment it came out of the box 14-month-old Nic adopted it. It was love at first sight for Nic and his ba. They have been together ever since – and Nic and his ba have been everywhere together. I have repaired it until it can no longer be repaired. I have made duplicate blankets (which he likes) – but his first love will always be the original ba. 15 years later the ba is sacred in our family. Nic’s favorite part was/is the odd blue corner the blanket had that I didn’t like and almost ripped out and re-knit!
My first colourwork, a far isle waist coat from a Rowan pattern when I was so new to knitting and knitting patterns I didn’t know how to do fair isle or that patterns are read from right to left then left to right. The sides and front don’t match, I didn’t know they should, looked at objectively it’s a mess, looked at with affection it’s a masterpiece of ambition and self belief. The recipient wore it for years and we still have it tucked away in the wardrobe.
How do you pick a “favorite” when you just love knitting. Socks probably but I’ve knitted probably 75 pairs so it is the one I’m wearing today !!! Love my shawls and oh those Kaffe Fassett throws !! Love them all
My favorite project is the Moving Forward wrap. I worked on it while I worked on me and what I was moving forward with in my life, and will always hold it precious.
My favorite knitted project is my Kiki Mariko rug. The colors are beautiful. It was fun to knit except for the mohair content of the yarn irritating my eyes.
It’s the imperfection in my favorite project, a cable and lace cardigan. Surprisingly pricey yarn (turned out to be half cotton, half cashmere, looks new almost 20 years later) at half price, grabbed quickly in Webs warehouse to have a new project to commemorate the youngest child going to college.
I missed a cable on the underside of one sleeve. People say
“You didn’t make that, did you?” and I can show them the mistake.
My favourite knit is the jumper I knit for my husband which I re-knit because it was too big, then re-knit again because it was still too big, then re-knit a third time because it was STILL too big, and then it was definitely too small. But it is such beautiful beautiful alpaca and wool yarn and I’d put such time and effort and love into it and it’s so toasty warm and snuggly, that I’ve kept it for myself and I wear it and adore it. I’ve since knit him another jumper in a different yarn which he loves. (Although he does cast envious glances at mine every now and then!)
My entrelac shawl knit with Rythym by Jojoland. All those little squares … made me feel like I accomplished something every time I sat down and the morphing color of Rythym was very exciting
My favorite project is always the one I’m working on. Then I usually end up giving away. I am still very proud of my first lace wedding shawl. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ledas-dream—mystery-stole-1
I learned a lot on that project. It’s not perfect but it is beautiful.
My reaction is similar – mine is always the one I’m planning while knitting on my current WIP
Love Notes sweater….It was a knitalong on ZOOM during the first pandemic year. My granddaughter loves the sweater!
My Nature’s Palette Blanket by Purl Soho. It’s on the back of my sofa and it’s beautiful.
My Persephone Mittens and mohair silk mitten liners, both patterns by Emily Foden from Knits About Winter, using her beautiful hand-dyed yarns. These took a long time, knit on tiny needles and the mitten pattern was a bit fussy…but ooh la LA definitely my favorite thing I’ve ever knitted! Looking forward to watching the Peggy Orenstein videos! ❤️
All of my projects are my favorite until I’m about halfway thru. Then I get the urge to start something else. My latest favorite, tho is a Garter Squish wrap made from a prize basket i won in 2021. That was the year I retired, so I had time to focus. There were 14 skeins of Universal wool, but only 1 skein of each color. I marled it with a confetti speckled tan acrylic that I had in stash. It’s not perfect, but I learned so much while finishing that wrap. Mainly I learned that a few rows a day results in a finished project!!
I enjoyed making the Lila Cowl using a cashmere kit and leftovers from stash. It allowed for a lot of creativity. I delayed finishing because the last step was Kitchener in the round. Wearing that cozy cowl is a joy.
My first sweater out of my own hand spun. It must be 10 years old now, slightly felted, wind proof, waterproof, perfect (although not unflawed…). I’m wearing it this morning!
My favorite project was a blanket that was Tunisian crochet with cross stitch in a Native American pattern. I made it for my mother/in-law. It was lost when she passed
When my nephew got married, I made him and his wife an Aran afghan. It was huge, complicated and took months to finish, with more than my share of frogging. When it was finished, it was magnificent. After I gave it to them, it actually felt like I had suffered a loss, as it had consumed so much of my life.
All time favorite? An afghan that I made on a cross country trip in 1975, gave to my parents, now my youngest sister (59yrs) has it. Memories!
It’s cliche, but’s it’s always what I made last.
My favorite is a chevron baby blanket. It is not perfect (has a fudged part or two), but I love it because of the colors. I was adventurous and picked something outside oh my usual. I did red bands at either end, and alternated between bright aquamarine and navy for the rest.
Road Less Traveled scarf knit as a gift for my son. Wonderful pattern for a wonderful man.
My first lace scarf made approx 20 yrs ago. After a long pause from knitting Lopi sweater in university, I took up knitting again in my 40s. My first project was a lace scarf which I was so proud of , never having tried lace before. I remember how excited I was as the pattern unfolded before me with each 8 row repeat completed. There was much tinking at the beginning but when it was finished, I was never so proud of my accomplishment. I haven’t stopped knitting since completing that scarf!
A bottom up color work yoke sweater. I choose the colors myself (not from a lot) and the fit is just what I wanted. Writing this, I think I’ll wear it today
My favorite, as far as a finished project, is the wedding shawl I made for my daughter which used three patterned squares of entrelac in cobweb sized yarn. It is absolutely exquisite, if I do say so myself. The making maybe not so much – it was so detailed that I couldn’t even have the TV on in the background. And it’s a good thing that COVID delayed her wedding, or it wouldn’t have been finished in time!
My favorite knitted project is the Rowan Cliona Beret made with Rowan Fazed Tweed yarn in blue.
My all time favorite project was a log cabin blanket, using Noro Kueryon, for my son and his new bride.
My all time fav was the very first pair of socks I learned to knit. When I turned that heel I literally jumped out of my chair with joy and excitement. It was a miracle. It was decades ago. Although I knit all the things I am an addicted sock knitter all because of that one miraculous heel.
Rockefeller, my first Stephen West shawl, was so much fun to knit. Made in beautiful cuddly yarn bought while on vacation from a Maine dyer who is now out of business. Always brings back memories of the thrill of discovering Stephen West and this beautiful yarn on a magical Maine vacation.
Can’t decide whether its the Briochevron shawl by Stephen West or the Cistella Cowl by Jessie Ksanznak. I’ve made multiples of both of them. First of all I love brioche and garter stitch and it’s repetiveness and they are both so squishy and are lovely designs.
First sock, no question. Perfect? No. Precious? Absolutely. For SO many reasons.
My favorites have to be the baby blankets and tiny outfits I made for each of my grandkids. And the two pink dresses I knit for two of the girls because they were only six months apart in age and more like sisters than cousins. Then both daughters both promptly washed them in the machine turning them into perfect teddy bear sweaters! Now they are ready for college and still have the bears dressed in them.
My favorite piece of knitting is my Habitation Throw by Helen Stewart. It’s perfectly sized for my lap and since it’s a square and can be folded into a triangle shawl, it’s even more versatile. I’ve taken it everywhere. It’s my go to car blanket. It fits rolled up in my carry on so it’s been to Europe and Hawaii. Mine is made out of leftover Rowan Felted Tweed from a Kaffe Fassett project. I love it!!!
My favorite knit is my most recent. A mosaic merino cowl with I-cord on both edges. I love the fabric and this is the first knit I’ve made that came out as envisioned.
I made Susan Anderson’s “Baby Doll Set” for my granddaughter. It was my first attempt at a stuffed toy. The set is just so darn cute. And while I was knitting it, I was anticipating the joy it would bring her. Well, I gave it to her on her second birthday, and although she liked “Baby Girl”, I think she was a little young to appreciate and fall in love with this stuffy. But, whenever I travel to visit her, we dig Baby Girl out of her vast pile of stuffies to play with. My granddaughter is 9 now and I have taught her to knit using MDK Skill Set Beginning Knitting!
I think maybe my favorite was a tiny sweater for my daughter when she was a toddler. It was quick and easy and perfect because she would grow into it.
My first sweater, a Klaralund. Because of the joyous Noro yarn and because it has become like a chameleon. Looks good whether I am thin (when it’s swingy) and when I have put on a few pounds (when it skims over the body in just the right amount), How often does that happen?
A pair of knitted socks I made for my Daddy. They were made to fit using a Cat Bordhi formula, with a princess sole. He loved them and wore them every time they were clean. I don’t remember the yarn outside of it having a blue, black, white and orange color way, not self patterning. They were buried with him in 2015.
How incredibly touching. Daddy… I’m sorry for your loss.
All time favorite? Wow that is a tough question. I’m not sure this is my all time favorite, but is probably my current favorite — I took three years, give or take a month or two, to knit a modular squares blanket with fingering weight yarn leftovers from various projects on size 2 (2.75mm) needles. The dimensions of which is 45” x 66”. The squares are about 3.5” and it has a beautiful icord edge. This blanket has traveled from Tortuga (the boat in Florence, Alabama) to home in Illinois to Wisconsin and Texas and also Florida during construction. It was started before the Covid Pandemic and completed before Thanksgiving 2022. Then it became more difficult to travel with and work on; and so, it finally had to stay home in Illinois only getting some love and attention when we were home and leftover yarn was available. The bigger it became the more shared love and warmth were provided on laps sitting next to each other during the process of adding squares and the final icord edging. It is amazing how heavy and warm this blanket of fingering weight yarn knit on size 2 needles is. It is truly a patchwork of many years of projects and memories from socks to scarves to shawls to cowls and a baby project or two. Surprisingly the mishmash of colors are beautiful.
A huge triangle shawl, one of the first things I knitted. It’s warm and cozy, and reminds me of my dad since I made it while caring for him in his final weeks of life.
It has to be my very cheerful, bright, striped MYPZ mohair cardigan. It is light but warm and I have yet to wear it when I don’t receive several compliments. It makes me smile every time I put it on!
I have a red sweater I knit from yarn I bought on a trip to Germany. Finding the store with good friends was an adventure. I love the color, the yarn, and the happiness I feel when I wear it.
I’ll never forget being so excited to find the log cabin method in the 1st MDK book. Like I remember where I was when I read about it. That led to a LARGE blanket, knit mostly on the sidelines of my son’s soccer games. It brings back those memories every time I see it hanging over the chair.
The first sweater I ever made while in high school, (I graduated 50 years ago), of old Red Heart wool, it has cables down the sleeves. Believe it or not, I still have it and the magazine that contained the pattern. I still love it.
Can’t think of an all-time favourite project but my current favourite is my Alive and Kicking sweater. I made it long sleeved and knit it in a strand of silver mohair-silk and a strand of silk in Jacobean blue (love the name!). It feels great and I always get compliments when I wear it.
My favorite knit project is a Maine Squeeze blanket. I’ve made nine of them and have given them to my children and grandchildren. While knitting them I add love and prayers to the intended recipient. I have the tenth on the needles now, intended to be the second in a household of two, so no one has to argue for it’s use.
My fave is the Hitofude that I made in royal blue. We were in the middle of a major life change as we put everything in storage for a year and moved to Hawaii. I really had to think about it so it took my mind off the craziness that life had become. Now when I wear it and get compliments I love when they pause and say, “Wait. You made that?”
Right now, my all time favorite knitting project is the sweater that I’m knitting for my husband. It has some complicated cables and some advanced knitting techniques. Already it’s not perfect, but it is making me a better knitter!!
It’s a toss-up: a lush colorwork vest by Alice Starmore for myself, or a wonderful colorwork jumper by Wilma Malcolmson for my partner.
My first sweater. Too big, bulky, HEAVY. I only wear it when it gets super cold. I have learned a lot about yarn choice since then.
My favorite sweater followed a pattern by Sally Melville, from her book on the Knit Stitch. Cropped, with “magic lace” around the upper bodice–made with one regular sized needle and one much larger. I loved it and of course wore it out. How could something so simple be so magical?
Wow… how to define “favourite”? My favourite handknit that I own was knit for me by my Mom when I was around 14. It’s an acrylic fisherman’s knit that “we” modified from a pullover pattern to make a cardi. It’s still my most worn, go-to and, other than some fraying at the cuffs, it’s in great condition, amazing for a 50 year old sweater! Favourite FOP that I have knit was my “Knit Stars” project that I knit for my sister-in-law to gift to her 1st grandbaby, so I wanted it to be an heirloom knit, both in potential longevity and quality, but it had to be easy care machine washable. I happened to have heard in a Knit Stars workshop… oh which star(s) was it… about a soon-to-be discontinued yarn called Rowan Original Denim and had immediately gone on a quest to add some to my stash while I could still access some/any. I managed to scrounge sweater quantities of all 3 colours (ssshh don’t tell because I LOVE IT now & I’m NOT sharing!!). My s-i-l gave me ample direction on what she envisioned. I modified Martin Story’s Wham into a cardi (hmmm… seems to be a theme!) and sized it down a bit, aiming for around an 18 mo size. Biggest trick though, was that s-i-l wanted some red & white stripes too… that meant mixing different yarns into a sweater that was going to be shrinking AND colour bleeding and I had to plan for all of this in advance! I had all the tricks and tools I needed to at least know which questions to ask and make the proper plans (and swatch swatch swatch!). The sweater came out GREAT and I’m so thrilled! So… THANK YOU Ann & Kay for cluing me in to a great great yarn (Rowan, PLEASE bring back Original Denim PLEEEEEASE!). Without your KS workshop, and many others too, that sweater would never have been possible! <3
Hard to choose, but I think I’d say my all-time favorite is my Patty Lyons’ Gramercy sweater. It’s an allover lace pattern with scalloped hems and bracelet length sleeves. I made it in a super-soft merino yarn that’s a perfect shade of green. It took me forever to finish and is full of mistakes, but because it’s a dark green you can’t see them!
My Irish knit sweater knitted 52 years ago and still in great condition! I learned I could create a complicated pattern!
My favorite knitting project is almost always my next one. I love the anticipation!
My favorite? The most recent knitted item off the needles, right? Socks, a shawl, a blanket, a sweater… Although I am quite partial to the colorful knitted giraffe I made years ago for our daughter. The delight in her eyes!! And your frequent contributor Franklin Habit even got to meet her “Raffie the Giraffie.”
An Elizabeth Zimmerman Tomten, knit from our rescue poodle’s groomings (spun with half sheep’s wool). It’s about people and an animal I love, and it always makes me smile.
My favorite knitting project was a vest for my husband, made of scraps of Bartlett Yarns. He wore it until it had many holes. At that point, I counted and measured, and started a new, color stranded vest. It also was my first vest following the method of Elizabeth Zimmerman.
I just cast off on a Stopover pullover & I love it so. The colors are gorgeous, it’s the right size, & it even looks like a real sweater! Now it’s too warm to wear it….
My very favorite knitting includes something where I have to learn something new and a beautiful yarn such as the shawl I knitted during the pandemic from pattern in the piecework magazine What fun some plain garter stitch and a Lacey border
Is it even possible to choose toy favorite hand knit? Isn’t that a little like picking your favorite child? But if I have to, it’s my scrappy leggings from Stephen West. You use leftover scraps of fingering weight yarn.
The.Celtic Knot shawl I knitted for my daughter’s wedding. It was a lovely shade of blue and the weather that day was cool enough that she needed it!
My Learn to Knit Afghan from Barbara Walker. It is a treasured possession of my niece and it taught me that with patience I can figure most things out in knitting.
My favorite is the corrugated wrap from MDK field guide number 5.
My EZ Surprise Jacket in James Brett bulky. Reds, black and all shades in between. First and favorite hug sweater.
A February sweater in a variegated blue. I loved knitting it and wearing it.
My favorite project is a sweater knit with yarn bought on a magical trip to Shetland in the company of best friends. The sweater is pretty, and the memories it evokes are priceless.
My first sweater with cables, which I knit for a boyfriend. I didn’t finish the sweater until two boyfriends later, but I married him so he wore it until it fell apart.
My first sweater with sleeves! It’s not perfect but I love it because to me, it’s perfect. Best feeling ever to create your own item!
My all time favorite knitted project is a cabled Aran sweater. This was my first sweater project, and I learned so much from it! It is big, warm and cozy!
my all time favorite knitted item is a blanket i knit for my nephew when he was born. i was a brand new knitter at the time (i had only been knitting for a year) and the pattern was such a challenge for me. it had multiple different cable and textured stitch sections, which you were supposed to knit all at once, and each section had its own repeat. so i created my own chart (which i didn’t know how to do) with graph paper. it took me months to complete, and i was so proud when it turned out as lovely as it did. the pattern is Seaside Throw from the book Home by Debbie Bliss.
My all time favorite project was my first stranded project using stranded knitting. It was a tam that used a solid black yarn combined with Noro silk garden. Because of the nature of the project it seemed like I was using multiple colors of yarn. It was a blessedly small project that covered a multiple of mistakes without needing a lot of tinking. It’s been 20 years and I still get lots of positive comments when I wear this tam. Still makes me feel good.
My favorite knit are the socks I make for my sons because they love them.
At the age of 50’I had just picked up knitting again after a decades-long lapse and really didn’t know what I was doing. But my dad was sick, dying really, and I wanted to make him something. I bought fat yarn in red, green and yellow and big needles. I didn’t even know about patterns because all my previous childhood knits were taught to me by my grandma. So I knit red, then yellow, then green until I ran out of yarn and called it a lap blanket. It was pretty ugly but it was the best thing I could do then. When I gave it to my dad for Christmas, he cried and said it was the most beautiful blanket he had ever seen. No knit could be more of a favorite than that ugly blanket which became a special blanket.
My black sheep wool sweater, so big ( unintentional ) fits over two more sweater layers, and sheds water like the sheep who gave the wool. Second sweater I ever made. 45 years old, no moth holes, no ragged edges, a working uniform for me.
The knitting project I’m most proud of is a baby sweater for my great grandson which had intarsia sheep and little sheep buttons with matching cap. Unfortunately it was accidently machine washed & dried by a family member who was trying to help the new mom. It shrunk and he never got to wear it. I have to admit, I cried.
I had the fun of finding and hiring an enthusiastic young pattern designer from Stone House Knits to design a hat using yarn made at Junction Fiber Mill from my Cormo and Fine Wool Shetlands !
Then I had the fun of test knitting the first hat for my mission driven hat kit business, WereWoolVt.net
My designer suffered an incredibly tragic accident so send her ❤️
My all time favorite is the Icelandic sweater my Mom knit for me back in the 70’s. she knit them for all of us kids (and spouses/significant others) plus herself and my Dad, her best friend and probably others. Mine is more than a little tight now, but I can’t give it up. Colin wears one of them which has multiple holes…but I still have some of the original yarn my Mom bought to make the sweaters. If it’s my own knitting, then one of the sweaters I knit for Colin when he was a toddler – 30 years ago!
Favorite of all time is such a difficult decision! I really love Ski by Debbie Bliss. It was in my queue for so long and I finally knitted it and I love it.
Stephen West’s Penguono! It was the most fun to knit. Plus it’s just the right sweater to throw on, looks good, fits comfortably and the colors are gorgeous.
Tin Cat Hat bonnet for my granddaughter where I learned to do German short rows ! I was very excited. Definitely NOT perfect but she loved it.
Two years ago I knitted scarves for all adults in my family. They were a surprise and everyone loved them. Or so they said!
When I retired I purchased the mist expensive pure, hand died wool I had ever and will ever buy to make a jacket. I bought all the shop had to finish my garment! In the end I ran out just before the final part. That same shop told me where to get more wool and they even managed to find a hank with the same lot Number, miracle. 13 years later my jacket still gives me delight and many compliments, .
A cabled sweater out of Wollmeise. It has never pulled, the color hasn’t faded & it always gets compliments
Googly-Eyed Gator throw is my all-time favorite project. It was my first-ever venture with intarsia. It was fun and I was more than pleased with the final outcome. This friendly gator is very welcome in our winter home in Florida!
My favorite knitting item is the Burchett sweater which is so so cozy and perfect for around the house or going out. Love love love it!
I love my Glenbarrow sweater by Carol Feller. It was one of my first sweaters. I was knitting it alongside a Love Note, so don’t know which really qualifies as first. I love the cable details and the details at hem and sleeve. It’s not perfect but I don’t think it’s obvious.
My first finished project! A cowl with super bulky yarn. I knew then that the sky was the limit. I could knit!
My favorite project is my first colorwork project, a sweater designed by Jennifer Steingass. It took me a year to finish but I love it. In addition, I made a matching hat for my cat. My husband shows a photo of me in the sweater, and Eddie in his hat, to everyone he meets.
All of them? But maybe the Blanket for Seriously Cold People? It took me 2 1/2 years (couldn’t knit it during summer), but it keeps me warm on cold Wisconsin nights!
So many complicated things years ago with Fair Isle that I wouldn’t even think of tackling these days, don’t know why my skills eroded over the years, but I think the marlogram must be my current fav. I now have completed three since that field guide dropped and 2 more balls of Freia await. It is such a relaxing knit and exciting to see the colors emerge. It is the perfect project for in between ( or during) more intense projects.
Years ago I seemed to have lots of partly used skeins of DK wool and a sweater’s worth of beige. I knit a beige rib and made rows of fairisle triangles all the way up the fronts in the various entrancing colours. Loved this project.
Been knitting for 25 years non-stop, so I had to think of what project I liked the most, and it’s the sweater I’m wearing. It’s a Kate Davies cardigan Carbeth. It was the first successful sweater I’ve made. The construction is very interesting. I have others, but there something not right in the others – weird collar, wrong yarn, etc… Was thinking yesterday that I should make another Carbeth.
A riff on Kaffe’s Persian Poppies but making it up as I went—shoulders too narrow so i made sleeves giant at the top and pleated them— very 1980s still love wearing it even as it is starting to be more holes than sweater
A red cardigan of cables and twisted stitches I knit from a Japanese pattern (Am Kamin), twice. I love the color, the fit (knitting twice helps this) and the fact that I succeeded at a hard challenge. It’s nearly perfect. (Unlike the one that was felted using the wool setting of my washer — that one was a lesson in dealing with my own mistakes.)
My first ever sweater, which ended up a perfect fit. Cherry red and way too warm for me to wear anymore, but still love it so much.
My first sweater,which I loved for many years, was knit from a kit I purchased during a visit to family when I was in college. The yarn was a lovely blue and white wool. I knitted the sweater during study breaks for final exams my first semester. I loved the knitting and how it helped me manage the stress of college. It turned out great. I was so proud of it I did not mind one sleeve was longer than the other.
I don’t know if it’s my favorite, but I knitted a huge five-pointed shawl out of yarn that I spun myself. My knitter friends nicknamed it the butterfly shawl because it was so big and sweeping.
my first pair of socks, that feeling of making something one self which one always had been buying! Same feeling one gets while baking your own bread.
My 6 year old grand daughter asked me to knit her a pair of socks. i made Kitty Ankle Socks by Inorgaknit. I wanted something that combined her need with her love of cats and color. Having never made socks for someone else, let alone knitting them in secret, I was excited that they fit. She was excited that she could show them off as she slid across her living room floor.
My FLAK has to be the one because I learned so much by making it—first time for top down, saddle shoulder, laddering down miscrossed cables, sleeve decreases in the purl ditches at the outside (thanks, Joan Schrouder!). It was a totallt empowering experience.
A favorite is the purple stranded pullover I made from Ann Feitelson, The Art of Fair Isle, on the back cover. Even though I made the sleeves too long and it’s nearly too warm for me to wear, it was one of my first big stranded projects and I love it.
For five years, in the summer, my husband and I lived aboard our sailing vessel, DreamWeaver. A lot of time was spent moving from one anchorage to another. That’s when I would knit. But alas, I ran out of patterned projects but had a big bag of leftover yarn. I was relatively new at knitting and was not confident knitting without a pattern. However, my itchy fingers got the better of me so I dug into that bag of leftovers and began making a lap blanket. Beautiful? Well I wouldn’t call it beautiful exactly but it certainly was original. It did serve as a lap blanket. Love reading your blog every morning with my coffee.
My only FO, the baby blanket I knit for a friend. It was a beautiful blue, stretchy, soft and warm. Too short, though I made it bigger than the pattern required. They must have been thinking of a very tiny baby. But I loved it anyway.
The first (and only) adult sweater I made 30 or more years ago. It’s big, heavy and full of cables and bobbles. I learned alot knitting it and still wear it during very cold winter days.
I made a Dale of Norway sweater for my son who is 6’5″ with a very long torso so I used an entire extra skein of yarn in the body; he loves it still!
A pink cardigan with crocheted scalloped edging and crocheted white bows that I reverse engineered from a picture my daughter-in-law sent me. The cardigan is worn frequently by my granddaughter. I’m hoping her younger sister will eventually wear it too.
The crocheted top for my daughter’s wedding dress. I had to
unravel it several times and customize the fit but she was beautiful when she wore it on her special day
I was knitting felted bags and baskets for a while, snd I decided to play around with rapid increases and decreases to see what happened with the shape. I had a huge bin of wool yarn and made a big basket that, when felted, looked like a flattish pumpkin. It’s about a foot tall and almost 3 feet across. It looks like it dropped out of a fairy tale!
How I wish I had kept the dress I knit in a lovely golden color with cables down the front. I’m sure I couldn’t fit into it, but it would be nice to reminisce when looking at it.
I would say that my favorite was a yellow pullover I made shortly after learning to knit (40+ years ago). The pattern was a free pattern in Family Circle magazine and was a sampler. I didn’t know much about gauge at that time so of course what was supposed to be a woman’s sweater turned out to be child-size. I entered that pullover into the county fair and won a blue ribbon. I was definitely proud and learned a lot.
A silly little pink crochet rabbit made for my granddaughter. I love how she loves it.
I knit a v-neck dusty rose sweater in high school that matched a plaid skirt I also made. I was so proud of it! I had joined the seams at the shoulders so they looked seamless and they really did.
I couldn’t wait to win and just bought Peggy’s book. Such an interesting topic! Years ago as an artist, I developed a technique I call Painted Text Weavings which uses layers of cursive text (handbrushed) to make a sort of abstract, but trying to evoke the feeling that comes from the text painted (a Rumi poem, the Constitution, etc). You can see a few on my art web site http://www.nancycoleman.com. I love etymology and was intrigued that the word “text” comes from the Latin “texere”, which means to create a body of text such as a paragraph AND means to creat a textile. How cool is that!
The mustard and burgundy scarf I knitted for my Dad. Even though it pilled and stretched to twice its length with wear, he wore it faithfully.
The Amanda Cardigan was my first cardigan. It was a bit crazy to start with this one, but I fell in love when it was introduced as a Fringe knit along. I learned a ton knitting this sweater, and even though the sleeves are too long and some of the cables are not exactly right, it is still my favorite. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/amanda-11
It seems that my favorite, is most often the last one finished. I just finished Double Split Color-Blocked Cowl. I chose a shade of red and chartreuse as my palette . I love the way it lays and the second color peaks out from beneath. What fun we knitters have.
Yesterday I realized I still live my first big lace shawl … still warm and cozy; even though it was the first of many.
Still love.
Auto-incorrect.
My favorite project was my most challenging to date, the Seacross sweater by the Fibre Co. I doubted that I had all of the knitting skills needed to make it. It took me several months to complete the project. I am happy with the outcome. The real icing on the cake was receiving compliments from Kay and Ann at the Wool and Folk Festival last fall!
My favorite has to be my first Lizard Ridge blanket. I guess I must have finished it around 15 years ago. But it was my first “big” project, and one that I still like to look at, though I have to keep it away from the dog.
I say first, because I’m literally sitting here right now with a ball of Noro, getting ready to cast on my second Lizard Ridge…need to bust through some stash, and that stash includes a LOT of Kureyon…
I saw MDK video of Jen using the Helical method to make one-row stripes. I successfully experimented with applying the Helical method to alternate two skeins of the same color of kettle dye to avoid color pooling and also to work the cuffs of 4” of garter stitch in the round to avoid the edge you’d normally get at the beginning of the round when switching from a knit round to a purl round. I thought I was thinking outside the box in utilizing the Helical method for applications other than stripes back in February 2017.
My first sweater, Oceanside by Kaffe Fassette. The lessons I’ve learned about how to use yarn colors work and working colors in the right order while shaping in that “at the same time” situation that presents “opportunities” to re-knit on the occasion.
Not perfect because blocking now with seaming to finish. But I do love it.
Also, if you haven’t sampled “Clarkson’s Farm,” it’s 2 seasons and I could “Knit to This.” There are sheep.
I agree. Having Peggy read me a story helped me move through sleeve island.
You all do such great work. Thank you.
A vest I knit in 1980, adapted from a pattern in Good Housekeeping Needlecraft, which I still wear. It’s Aran style in an off-white yarn, and goes with everything.
My favorite knitted project is my qiviut cowl. I bought the yarn in Alaska on a wonderful trip and that beautiful, cushy, cloud-like, so-warm neck warmer brings back good memories. I’m usually thrifty when buying yarn and qiviut yarn is definitely not a thrifty purchase so I view it as having acquired a rare gem.
I adapted a washcloth pattern into a varied sized squares of doybleknit hugging bears for my bear loving granddaughter My favorite project because she lives it so much she’s asked for more squares in different colours to make it a larger blanket. It’s the love giving and recorhat keeps me coming back.
Giving and receiving love.
I made a very large, allover-cabled blanket. Even taught hubby to knit so the gift could be from “us”. Messed up so many times , but am very proficient now at “dropping down” to change a stitch from knit to purl. Many memories and a happy godson.
I tried and failed to make a sweater for myself over the years, always dropping the project when I realized it was just not going to fit right and not understanding how to fix the problem. A little over a year ago, I took a class at my lys in beginning sweater design. The teacher gave us a basic pattern she had created for herself, and taught us how to measure ourselves, swatch and, each person using their own gauge and design elements (stitch patterns, cables–we all chose something different), design our own sweater. I am sure this wonderful woman did not anticipate my fit problems when she committed to teaching this class, but she walked me through the math of horizontal bust darts (something she knew of but had never attempted herself). My sweater fits me perfectly, and I wear it all the time!
An Irish knit cable sweater for my first son that has gone to the second son and 5 grandchildren. Wool is wonderful.
I made Cat Bordhi’s Anemone Hat for my granddaughter. She looks adorable in it, and the tendrils were a blast to make.
I love the first sweater I made for myself after years of knitting for others. It is a perfect blue in Echoview Fiber Mills yarn and was completed in six weeks as it also was my first test knit
My very favorite knit project I the Leftover City cowl by @kaceyknits
About 18 years ago my church started a Prayer Shawl Group. I played around with yarn until I found an easy knitting pattern that looked great in a shawl. Every shawl I make in this pattern is so very special and is given with the hope of healing. I feel joy in every one I finish.
I have many favorites, but the one project that always comes to mind is the Shh! Shawl by Jennifer Weissman. It’s my go-to accessory for chilly weather. I love the pattern, the yarn color, and the comfort. Feels like an old familiar friend.
My favorite has to be Freeze Frame by Calle Monster. I knit it up in black and white Cloudborn merino. The black and white contrast spoke to me and it is still soft and cuddly. Still a go-to in my wardrobe.
My favorite knitting project after a 40 year break in my knitting was when my adult daughter saw a long multi colored scarf in a knit store window. “Can you knit that for me?” was all it took for me to buy the yarn and the pattern on the spot. I figured out the long long rows of reverse stockinette and she was thrilled when I gave it to her a few months later. Though I had not seen the Candy Stripe Scarf for quite a few years, I was happily surprised when I found it in the bottom of the grandchildren’s dress up box, good as new, waiting to be rediscovered again. That scarf started me knitting “again”, 30 years ago.
A recent favorite project was that I knitted a Reyna shawl a year or so ago and gifted it to a friend at Christmas time. I had gone through my stash of FOs and found the Reyna waiting for someone. My friend is a knitter also and so appreciated the gift. She put it on immediately. I had knitted it in a colorway that she loves, so it was a win-win for me and for her.
A lopi light sweater I knit for my mother which had cute little ponies prancing around the yolk which she loved and wore for many years. And now my sister is wearing it..
My fav knitted project is the whale baby sweater I made for a friend’s grandson. Now his younger brother is wearing it and that makes me super happy, he’s adorable!
My all time favorite sweater was the one I knit for my husband in the early days of our marriage. I had never knit an intarsia or stranded sweater but fearlessly jumped in to knitting the Blue Diamond pullover as that was the design chosen by my husband from Kaffee’s Classics. FOUR YEARS later it was done. My husband still wears it proudly and it invariably draws comments and admiration whenever he sports it in public.
It’s hard to pick a favorite. I get si much joy when the knit I give away is really loved by someone. However, I made a Melanie Berg shawl, the Whiteout, took forever to finish because of the lace work. But I love it.
It’s very hard to single out one project, but I really love the Koto sweater I made for my daughter. And the fact that she loves it, too, make it extra special.
Capelet made with Malabrigo Rasta. I love frank ochre! Imperfect. Would love the to read book but I’m number 30 on my library hold list.
I made a Foolish Virgins (Kaffe Fassett) cardigan from the book given to me by my father as one of my first knitting adventures. I still have it, it still fits, but I haven’t worn it in years. The yarn wasn’t available to me so I drove around for a couple years with the book and a tote bag in the trunk of my car, collecting the yarns and colors I would eventually use.
My first color work sweater! I used yarns from my stash that I never thought would work together. Soft and comfortable!
My favorite knitted project was a small shawl in dragonfly color. I wandered into a knitting store and Wendy, the owner, said of course you can knit. The pattern is hers and was for the class. It is mostly garter but has a lovely ruffled edge. And the color is to die for. I had no idea how much I loved color until I started knitting. and she was right I can knit.
My all time favorite knitted project is the one I finished this week and wore to church today – a pullover sweater following the pattern Flower Buds Sweater by Lyudmila Aksenik. I made it from an upcycled silk/cashmere yarn purchased on Etsy. It fits perfectly, is lightweight but warm. Yumm. It was fun to make and is fun to wear.
My favourite knit was a jumper for my first child. It got me back into knitting after several years. That was 27 years ago!
I have so many favorites but my most recent one was a pink sweater with yellow hearts that I knit for my 2 year old granddaughter who was born on Valentine’s Day.
My favorite project is always the one I’m working on! Then when it is finished, I think about all the things I could/should have done differently…
The first thing I knitted after about 38 years of not knitting (I learned as a child from my English mother). The last thing I made 38 years ago was a cabled pullover for my then boyfriend/now husband of almost 48 years which fit him perfectly. When our first grandchild was born, I decided to take up knitting again and made a little pullover for our grandson. Definitely imperfect – the sleeves were waaaayyy too long. Now I’m passionate about knitting – and I swatch.
My favorite project is the one I am currently working on. None of my projects have been perfect.
My all-time favorite knitted project would probably be one of my many versions of Kieran Foley’s Shetland Ruffles – maybe the one where I incorporated a third stripe of a lovely chartreuse mohair from France! The beautiful complexity of this fantastic shawl/scarf soothes and amazes me every time, and each one is a new experience. Just writing about it makes me want to start another.
After a coworker claimed that I had never made anything for her 2nd child (which wasn’t true; she just really liked hand knits for her kids), I made him an Irish knit vest.
It was so beautiful, and I so enjoyed making that little vest, that I didn’t really want to part with it. So, the night before I was to gift it, I put it in a place where I would see it first thing when I woke up.That little boy is now in his early 30’s.To this day I remember the joy and the fun of making and giving that vest.
One of my most favorite knitting projects was getting to be a part of the Ravelry collective that knit a non-itchy sweater for Mo Rocca. This happened when he dissed hand-knit sweaters for always being itchy on Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me back in 2009. I felt a huge weight of awe and responsibility when I received the yarn and instructions to knit the front of the sweater, and then joy watching his delight in receiving the finished project. Here’s the story he did about the experience for CBS Sunday Morning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XTcjIcvVE4
Fussy Cuts Blanket in Noro yarn is a very favorite project from a while ago
Leftie shawl scarf in black beaded cashmere and white angora. I made it for myself in 2014 and still wear it. It is perfect and I love the colors and how it feels.
My favorite wearing sweater is my first Birkin. When I finished the yoke,it was so tight I had to rip it back and start over. I regraphed the pattern so there were no 3 color rows and it turned out perfect.
Most of the time it feels like my favorite project is the one I just finished, even though I often already have plans for a new love/cast on. But I am quite partial to my Nightshift shawl by Andrea Mowry. I made it with wool from various sheep farms that I visited, so I actually got to pet and feed and smell most of the wooly friends who contributed to my yarn. Most of them were from Wing and a Prayer Farm in Vermont, a very favorite place of mine.
I knit a Snow Angel shawl from a Boo Knits pattern in almost white 100% silk from a bargain bin at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival. I started it as a possible wedding shawl for my daughter. When her future spouse turned out to be an abuser, I put the shawl aside. I picked it up again a few years later after the court cases were done. I finished it for her and her alone. It reminds me how strong she is.
A chemo cap for a friend with prayers offered up in every stitch.
My first pair of socks that I was so anxious to wear they were a little short but I wore them for 35 years. Every pair of socks since. I love giving them away and hearing that they fit and are frequently favorites to the recipient.
My favourite is often whatever I’m knitting, or about to knit! No kidding. However, that said, I’m wearing the heck out of my “McStrippit” cardigans this winter and I am so happy I knit them. They took a lot of commitment to finish but they are very useful garments.
Favorite knit? I have several but would choose the Magic Cake Shawl by Paula Emons-Fuessle. I won the cake of yarn at one of Paula’s retreat and such a fun knit. I wear it often.
Once upon a time I knitted a *very* large fine wool cardigan for a giant of a man. My teenage daughter inherited the sweater…and washed it. The cardigan that nearly came to her knees immediately became “just her size” (like Goldilocks). This cardigan carries so many stories. The cardigan that started out as tent-size is now normal size and still covers any body that needs to be warmed.
Not sure if anyone has mentioned The Secret Lives of Color. A book by Kassia St. Clair. Short histories of colors. A fun and interesting reference.
One of my favourites is my “Easter Egg” toque. Using fleece the neighbours gave me (they throw it out when they shear), I figured our how to spin with a drop spindle during Covid. I dyed some of the fleece with leftover Easter egg dye after the first Covid Easter, then had great fun spinning up different coloured batches. One of my favourites was a blue and green mix that I spun just how it came, and ended up with a fun blue and green yarn that I made a simple toque with. It’s very bight and springy (both physically and mentally!), and it makes me happy every time I put it on 🙂
A very wide wrap that I designed myself using silk and mohair from ArtYarns. I realized it wasn’t going to be wide enough so I added rows of eyelets in a laceweight linen. In pinks, golds and oranges, it became my mother’s throw for her last years – so now it is extra special.
It’s hard to pick just one, but I think my favorite wasn’t really my project. My son was home from college and wanted to make his girlfriend Juliana a pair of knitted slippers for Christmas, the kind he’d loved that his Grandmother had made him. I taught him to knit and helped by knitting the second slipper he needed for the pair. Now, years later, Juliana and my son are happily married and I have 2 grandchildren.
The very first color work sweater I made was perfect. My best knitting bud and I took a trip to Philly to Rosie’s and got the most glorious colors of Manos in goldenrod and magenta. It turned out just the way I envisioned it. But I washed it, wrapped it in a towel, forgot about it and my husband threw it in the wash. Alas…..!
Linda Fischer…
The baby sweater, Lucinda, is my favorite project. I had only been knitting a year in 2020 when my daughter sent me the pattern for her new daughter. Top down yoke with yo‘s and total lace body and sleeves. It is not perfect. As I knit the lace, I would start off well, make a mistake, fix it under the arms and ended with two perfect fronts. I used a Lion Brand alpaca for the lace and one of those yarns that would knit a hat that looked like perfect color work for the yoke. It fit a whole year!
Typo. 2010… not 2020.
Honey moss by Andrea mowry. Went by quickly and loved the result. Gave it away and made someone Very happy, which made me so happy!
My favorite was a recent project – stranded knit sweater Goldwing by Jennifer Steingass. It was my first long sleeve sweater. I love it because I wear it. It fits and looks good.
My first knitted blanket means the most to me. When we had seconds to grab anything before a fire evacuation, it was what I took. Luckily, we dodged the fire!
I knit a heavily cabled cardigan from Amy Herzog’s book. I love it because it was the first sweater I wear ALL THE TIME and also learned tons along the way. It is the project that made me feel like I could knit anything if I wanted.
Hitufida. That’s probably not spelled right but I loved the fact that there was no cutting or seaming or piecing
My favorite sweater that I made was a traditional gansey for my step father. It fit great except the arms were too long- they looked like elephant trunks hanging down He would put it on and swing the arms to make us laugh
My favorite knit that I made is the Free Cardigan by Vibe Ulrik. I had made another sweater with the yarn but never wore it because I had chosen the wrong size to make. So I pulled out the whole sweater and reknit it, making the Free Cardigan. Now it’s the first sweater I reach for now.
My favorite was a knitting pure and simple raglan cardigan pattern. It was my first knit sweater, and so doable! I’ve knit it four times. The first one is about 15 years old and I still wear it.
I just knit the Rikke hat & it was simple, fun & used up stash! Also I decided (along with a few other knitters online) to knit it flat & seam up, so I gained several new skills.
My Kiki Mariko rug, as everyone is totally amazed that I made it!
It may sound silly, but my favorite all-time project would probably be knitting the Grandma’s dish rag pattern! It was quick and easy and was a great way to build up my confidence when I first started knitting. My next favorite project would probably be the Albers Cowl which is basically a cowl made with 3 log cabin sections which are then seamed together. There’s something very satisfying to me about knitting log cabin squares!
As a young girl I would sit next to my grandmother and my Aunt Mary while they knitted beautiful things. I was very young and didn’t knit anything just holding the needles and playing with the yarn. But they were so encouraging and I loved spending time with them. So fast forward I’m an adult with grown children and a friend encouraged me to take a knitting class. While in class I was so discouraged and thought I will never get this! For god sake it’s a wash cloth! So, I sat the needles down walked around and said okay I can do this. And something wonderful happened I picked up the needles and started to knit and said out loud, “I got this”! My hands remember what my grandmother taught me so many years ago. And the instructor said no no no that’s continental knitting! That’s how Europeans knit we teach English knitting here. So, you better learn it this way or you’ll never knit. I did learn and completed that wash cloth.
I was curious and wanted to see what are some favorite patterns from other knitters. I am glad that you returned to knitting and a friend encouraged you. But I was disappointed that an instructor would insist that you knit English style when you had learned Continental! That seemed narrow-minded.
I am in the middle of the book and it is fascinating. I need to take back my comment about yarn being too expensive for common folk like me. If I went through all of that to get a skein of yarn I would charge even more for it!!
A poppy orange triangle shawl made with this gorgeous corm-camel-silk blend from a yarn csa I belonged to that year. The color was out of my comfort zone but it may be my best yarn/pattern pairing ever and is the knit item I get the most compliments on. And is soft and squishy a decade or more later.
Is it OK to enter if I don’t have a favorite? I can definitely define the sweaters/shawls/socks I don’t like(can you say the alpaca blend sweater that hangs to my knees or the shawl that I bound off too tightly and curls in an odd manner). All of my sweaters that fit well are favorites.
My favorite are some mitts that I test knit and gave to a friend. They are not perfect as I am not perfect but she thinks they are and they make her feel loved every time she wears them.
Finishing my Rhinebeck sweater the night before wearing it at the event.
I honestly can’t say because I have knit so many things over the last 50 years that I can’t remember them all. I made so many things for so many others, but I think the blankets and sweaters that I have knit for my 6 and 9 year old grandsons that they love and wear all the time have to be the ones that are my favorite.
I tell each of my ‘sheep to sweaters’ that they are my favorite, “but don’t tell the others I said that!”…just like I tell each of my sheep ;-). If I had to grab one sweater from a burning house, I’d probably grab Maisie’s. It’s maybe not my favorite sweater, but she’s a sheep that has brought me unmeasurable delight over the years. Wait, maybe B. Willard’s. No, Jared’s. Oh wait, no, Muffin’s……..
My favorite pattern is the Urchin Hat by Diane Serviss. It is knit in a bulky yarn and it’s really warm! I knit it for a friend (she asked for it) and I liked it so much that I knitted another for myself.
will you be posting the next 3 parts of A Talk With Peggy O?
I LOVE listening to this talk you had with Peggy! Absolutely wonderful! Will now go get her audiobook. Thanks so much for hosting this event.
Though I’ve knitted hundreds of projects, my favorite is a tunisian crochet blanket my late mother made. She died when I was young, 35 years ago this week. My father used it for another 26 more years. I inherited it, it is beautiful wool and is still in decent shape. My mother embroidered the blue willow pattern on it. It is my treasure.
Mine was a Baby Blanket that I knit for my Baby Boy and it was a small little uneven rectangle with a Blue multicolored Red heart yarn.I still have it and sometimes it makes me sad ( he was a little baby and now a Teenager) and happy that i could create something special for him.
My all time favorite kniited project so far has been my first top down pullover. The yoke has colorwork and the yoke was shaped with short rows. To tell you the truth, it was pretty intimidating but it came out well and fits nicely.
My favourite project is always the one I want to move on to, while only part way through the current project!
It’s a toss up…Greta-A-line, by Jane Slicer-Smith, with one cable crossing the wrong way, and a sweet split collar that could have been done a slight bit better. I love wearing it! OR Celtic Journey Stornoway afghan which I cannot recall having any mistakes in the cables. I gave one to my son and one to my husband. OR Levi’s Baby Blanket with a million cables and three sets of intertwining hearts columns. I needed to fine tune the first and last rows of cables to prevent them from flaring. I’ve given all three as baby gifts. OR Drew Sweater Vest that has a shawl collar and wonderful texture, made for my husband. I would makeany or all of them again in a heartbeat! But really, I’ve been known to frog something I wasn’t happy with and make something else.
My first pair of socks… turning the heal was so cool!
So many projects are favs. I love my joji 3 colour cowl. So fun to wear.
I knitted a 16-foot scarf while running a marathon, laughing the whole time and raising $1000 for Alzheimer’s research.
That’s a tough one! But I’m going to go with Frankie Brown’s Ten-Stitch Blanket that I knitted with sock yarn remnants. I enjoy randomness, using up leftover yarn, motoring through projects like blankets, and the final product, a sockweight lap blanket, is a super nice size and weight when you don’t need a shoulder-to-toe worsted-weight bundler.
Oh to pick a favorite is very difficult. Perhaps I should go with my most worn piece. I designed a sock yarn robe about 10 years ago. I wear it every day when it is cold. It is made up of lots of little garter stitch squares worked on 2.25 mm needles. I also love my new Aurora Cabin Shawl, my Calyx and my Birkin. Not every project works in the end, but I always enjoy the process of making it.
My favorite project is a hat I made holding a strand of mohair with the main yarn, it’s so cozy
My favorite knit project is my Plumose Yoke Jumper, it was my first “real” sweater project done in sport weight and with color work. It took over a year to finally finish, but it turned out perfectly and I learned so much!
My all time favorite knitting project so far has been my Camp Along Blanket. It is a blanket made of blocks of different campers in each one. I expected it to be harder than it was and I enjoyed changing all the different colors and making each block.
My favorite is my first fairisle project, a hat. Fell in love with colorwork!
All time favorite? Wow. Difficult to decide. I think Stephen West’s Shawlography is my fave.
My favorite project was a stranded oversized color work sweater for my daughter. It was fun to knit and she loves it, wearing it often. Certainly a labor of love.
My first completed sweater, a top-down raglan pullover, has to be my favorite. It fits me well, the color is great and I gained a real feeling of accomplishment by completing it. I could make my own clothes using sticks and string! Holy superpower, Batman! I was walking on clouds for days and still marvel every time I wear it.
I just finished my first sweater and it was a labor of love! I never thought I’d work up the courage to do one, and it’s a reminder that I can do hard things 🙂
My all time favorite project is the afghan my sisters, daughter, and niece knitted for our father/grandfather. Mom taught us all to knit – when she passed away this helped us show Dad how much we valued her lessons. He can be wrapped in her gift.
My favorite knit project….. probably (collectively) the 12 -14 pairs of socks I’ve knitted for my very appreciative (though big footed) husband!
I adore my Niamh v-neck sweater by Isabell Kraemer. It fits beautifully and is just the right winter weight. Plus it was knit on a cross country camping trip and there are bits of Yellowstone, the Badlands and Boundary Waters in the stitches!
Back in the 70s, I ordered a kit to knit a pink cabled waist length sweater. It may have been a Mary Maxim kit as we were stationed way out past Fort Hood and LYSs weren’t a thing. It had a lush fluffy yarn. I kept it for years but eventually gave it to a young friend. Now that I have a granddaughter, I wish I’d have kept it …
My first ever pair of socks is by far my favorite knitting project. My grandma taught all kids in the family to knit (and with dpns, too) when we were barely 5. I still have that pair, over 30 years later 🙂
A recently finished brioche scarf which is a shining testament to “Yes, I can!”
Last summer I knit the Slip Stitch Party shawl. I am a newer knitter and the project was a stretch for me. My knitting mentor guided me through the trials, tribulations, and never ending frogging, and I couldn’t be happier with it. It was a great learning experience, and I use it all the time. It’s not perfect, but I love it anyway!!
Three years ago I knit my first finished object, before I even knew what an FO was or heard the term. I knit a scarf from yarn and a little how-to book I bought at Walmart. I still wear that scarf with all of it’s imperfections. I taught myself, persevered through it alone, and then discovered the community of knitters and now I’ll never have to knit alone again.
I’ve been knitting for about 15 years and I recently made a sweater for myself that fits well and feels good. Sport-weight fuzzy yarn, oversized fit. It took a while but it was worth it!
My favorite project I’ve made is a simple triangular shawl in reddish pink, purple and white. It’s my most worn knitted item!
My favorite project was my first color work hat – Shetland Wool Week, Da Crofter’s Kep.
My favorite is the lightweight pullover by Hannah Fettig. It was one of the first sweaters I knit that fit me. The others were all sort of weird looking. I still wear this one, 10 years later and 15 pounds heavier! It’s made from a mystery yarn purchased at my first trip to Maryland sheep and wool from the bargain table of a booth. Two giant skeins, tied together of the softest yarn I had ever felt, and my knowledgeable knitting friends all said “buy it”. I think it must be made of alpaca and some magic.
This is a really difficult prompt! I have all sorts of projects that are favorites for a whole host of different reasons, many having to do with whom they were knit for. So perhaps one of those favorites is a bulky Rowan long cardigan jacket with a hood and pockets. I knit it for my mom to wear on her daily walks, and now that she is gone I wear it as my “winter coat”. It makes me think of her every time I put it on❤️
My favorite hand knit is my perfect red cardigan. I picked yarn I was in love with, swatched for a gauge that felt just right, then designed it to my own specs with custom fit, and topped it off with glorious handmade buttons. That sweater is in heavy rotation!
When my mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness, I designed and made her a cardigan with aran stitches. Cables for strength, butterfly stitches on the back do she’d have wings, seed stitch because it was one of her mother’s favorite stitches, and she’d taught us both how to knit. Celtic knot buttons to reflect her Celtic heritage. In a beautiful blue. Washable. She loved it and wore it till she died. I have it now and love it even more.
Dashing, a pair of cabled fingerless mitts, designed by Cheryl Namath. They stick in mind as my first project. I know I made others before then but this was the design that really inspired me to dive in to all that knitting has to offer. I made a pair in a tweedy brown Alpaca for my husband, then later made myself a pair in “orchestra pit” black (great for performing in cold spaces).
I knit a round blanket for my nephew when he was born (1986?). The pattern had been typed out by a woman at church who had shown me the one she knit. It’s knit in long triangles into a big circle with a crocheted edge. It was knit with acrylic yarn and I sent it off (they lived out-of-state). When we did visit in person, he was two and I was asked to repair his blanket. He loved it so much, he had been carrying it around since he could walk. It had obviously been washed a lot and was wearing thin in places. Since I was a relatively new knitter, I was touched that this had become a favorite treasure.
My favorite knitting project is usually the one on my needles. But I just finished a cowl, a scarf and a hat made holding two strands of Kid Silk Haze by Rowan I bought in the Knitopia tour at MDK, and I LOVED knitting with that! I have a lot of yarn left to knit from that trip.
My favorite is almost always my most recent. Right now it’s the long sleeved Shall We Dance sweater. It’s just so pretty.
My all time favorite knitted project is always the last one off my needles! Then I start another and the fun begins again
My favorite is usually the last one off of my needles! In this case, it’s the Seve sweater (Isabell Kraemer) in a beautiful pearly gray. The most fun was the moose pattern by Susan B Anderson, made for my two daughters’ families one year for Christmas. They each have a place of honor on their mantles during the holidays!
In college I made a lopi pullover for my dad that he still wears almost 40 years later. I love it and him so much!
A few years back I made a vest by Isabel Kraemer called Emsworth. It has the perfect fit and I would wear it more, but it’s not a summer piece. I used Farmer’s Daughter Recollect and it was a great weight and feel.
My 4th sweater: the Weekender sweater by Andrea Mowry was the first time I really loved a sweater I had knit. The yarn was from Junction Fiber Mill in VT and the color is a range of pastels that won’t be seen anywhere else. I conquered short rows and knitting a gauge in the round, both techniques I had dreaded.
My Noctuidae pullover. So many firsts: three colors in a round, using my first handspun, secret message on the hem. And I made fantastic friends through Ravelry and Instagram. We are tightly knit!
It’s too hard to choose just one. It could be my Fanø Beach Bird Shawl (Christel Seyfarth pattern), a very detailed colorwork shawl which required steeks; Sven and Solveig, adorable stuffies; my Haro Hap, which used my handspun yarn in undyed shades; or maybe my Sinister Catdigan just because it makes me smile even though my colorwork in it isn’t very good.
I have so many projects that have brought me joy–while knitting, while wearing or when gifting. Patterns that teach me an amazing technique or two that I can use in future projects or feature a striking design detail are my favourites. Almost a decade ago, I splurged (my first yarn splurge) on yarn from Catherine Lowe and knit her Bodywrap 1, a square shawl where “the grain of the knitted fabric [is knit] on the bias in order to create unusual drape.” Catherine’s couture knitting techniques elevate her designs and started me down the path of striving to learn and master a wide repertoire of techniques to apply to everything I knit and design. The Bodywrap is a wonderful piece to wear–sweeping and dramatic in amazing yarn. I wear it with pride and always happily remember what I learned while knitting it and the journey it started me on.
A huge knit kimona, my afghan with sleeves (especially since two neighborhood kids claimed my two afghans as theirs and when I asked where mine was, sassy Julie jutted out her hip, placed one hand on it and said “Better start knitting!!). It was knit was Manos de Uraguay wool, black with a narrow vibrant jewel tone collar from hem to hem. Now we all sat, warm and lovely, as we giggled and spoke of all things that came our way.
My all-time favorite project is a sweater made with pink mohair from a 1990s edition of Vogue Knitting. It has cables and swirls and a hairy warmth that makes me smile every time I put it on.
Favorite knitted project is the DNA sweater. Why? Because I am a biologist and knitting the DNA molecule blew my mind!
I love all the sweaters I have knitted but the one that gets worn the most is my Sammal by Joji Locatelli. Now I am into colorwork and am finishing Mary Tudor by Alice Starmore.
I think it’s whatever is on my needles right now. From the yarn slipping through my fingers, experiencing the color and watching the WIP grow (usually with some lace or beads incorporated), the act of making is what draws me in! I love wearing or gifting my projects, but that thrill of casting on the next one is what keeps me coming back.
My Moderne Log Cabin Blanket. It’s not perfect, but it’s lovely to curl up with on the sofa on a cold evening.
My mood cardigan in grey and the moebius hat I made in the same yarn are pretty good.
Socks for Christmas presents. I do them on circular needles, and start each sock on its own needle, do toe on each and change every 10 rows so they get done at the same time and I don’t get only 1 sock done.
My favorite knitted project was Ingenue by Wendy Bernard knit out of Madeline Tosh Vintage. It was the first sweater I knit that when finished I absolutely loved the look and fit. I felt so much more confident after completing it, that I could attempt anything! I haven’t stopped yet!
The first sweater I ever made and I completed. It was a cardigan for a little girl with some simple lace. It seems very simple compared to other people’s project but I know my work was good.
It’s hard to pick just one! I will say most of my favorite projects are Romi Hill MKAL shawls. I always enjoy seeing and figuring out the next section and knitting along with a group.
I knit Samphrey by Marie Wallin. I bought the yarn in Shetland so it’s extra special. It fits well too.
My favorite piece is the Shaldon poncho I made out of a fingering fade set. I wear it all the time, it is so easy to wear and takes away the chill. The other piece is “til the Cowl s Come Home” pattern from Lyrical Knits, it’s made from leftover scrapes, goes with everything.
My all time favorite is the Elfin Hat from Purl Soho! I used their Linen Quill Worsted in Golden Green and Pickle, and added an accent row on the edge and tassel on both sides ( it’s reversible!) in bright red. Also learned a new skill-twined knitting-which creates a dense beautifully patterned fabric. I receive multiple compliments from total strangers every time I wear it! And it’s whimsical and fu n to wear!
My current favorite was the toddler sweater I knit for my daughter’s goddaughter. It was the second sweater I have ever knit (the first was in high school and that was almost 60 years ago.) I have always been nervous about knitting something where the fit is so important and it increased my knitting confidence although I haven’t tackled another sweater since. So many patterns, so little time. Time to try again.
I made an intarsia sweater with sheep grazing on a hillside. It cost a bundle because I was a new knitter and bought many many balls of yarn to get the picture. Knew nothing about intarsia when I started but my skill did sort of improve. Total mess but I loved that sweater and wore it proudly
My favorite project was one that I did a couple of years ago. A cardigan that I modified quite a bit to suit my style and used 22 colors of Spin Cycle Dyed in the Wool. It is so cool and super colorful using a slightly modified Andrea Mowry’s Nightshift technique. I get a LOT of looks and compliments when I wear it.
It was actually 16 colors and 22 skeins…just to be clear.
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/abeadcounter/craftsy-modifications-class-sweater
My first pair of mittens! I had never tackled DPNs before so it felt like magic.
I am still learning so much that every new FO amazes and thrills me. If I had to pick just one, however, I would choose my first sweater knit out of self stripping muted rainbow colors. It was a knit along for the amber pullover. It is massively oversized and so soft and I get compliments every time I wear it.
I think my favorite project is always the one I finished most recently! Of recent projects, one that I’ve super enjoyed wearing is a long sleeveless vest where I spun the yarn and designed my own pattern for it.
My current project might end up taking the top spot for me— I’m making convertible mittens, but wanted to use a thicker yarn with a very different gauge from the pattern and I wanted to do a brioche variation instead of stockinette, so I completely rewrote the pattern. It’s rewarding to see it come together in my customized version!
My favorite knitting project is Kaffe’s Houses vest from Rowan 6. I’d been wanting to make this forever and I finally knit it for my husband during the Summer of Covid—also known as the Summer of Getting Laid Off. The little houses made me so happy.
So many favorites but I think my top two are my Journey Home cardigan by Afifa and my Soph best by Lesley Ann Robinson. The first is a fade, and I love how each color melts into the next. The second is wonderfully squishy two-color brioche – probably my favorite stitch.
My favorite all time knitting project is the sweater I am currently working on. I love it because it is Fair Isle, a bit of a challenge and a dress sweater for my husband! All great things in my book!
I’m currently knitting a light green concho (cowl + poncho = concho) with some stashed DK weight yarn. It’s become my favorite project due to its easy and methodical pattern, yet it’s rhythmic in its simplicity as I sit vigil beside my dying mother. Every now and again, she rouses and caresses the stitches, a tactile reminder of a craft she no longer can create, but brings her comfort none the less. Somewhere along the rows, it’s also bringing me healing and comfort.
I love the first Lettlopi sweater I knit, my Riddari. It keeps me warm on the coldest days, is great to wear skiing, and I get loads of compliments on it. It is my most worn knitted item. It has one flaw, I messed up one of the colorwork motifs, I always notice it but I am sure no one else does! ♡
My favorite project was the Winters Beach Cardi. I really challenged myself with that knit.
My favorite knitted project is a brioche cardigan I made in navy and gray. It is oversized and I wish I had made it a little smaller. I feel like it turned out beautiful.
The most recent ones tend to be the favourites! I’m particularly proud of a Norah Gaughan long cabled cardi in rust-coloured yarn that I made during autumn and winter 2020-21. I’d admired the pattern from afar since buying (over a decade ago) the issue of Vogue Knitting where it was featured. I’d thought it would be too expensive or too difficult, or that the seaming would drive me to distraction, but time had increased my confidence, funds and possible yarn sources to the point where I was happy to make it. I love its movement and style. It makes a swish as I turn.
Marie Wallin’s Fairisle club 6 Tapestry Wrap
I think my fav is the my Inspira cowl. Fun to knit, comfy to wear, always gets compliments!
Shifty cowl, because I wear it all the time. Practical and easy to put on. Designed by Andrea Mowry
My “Love Note” by Tin Can Knits. I knit this with KSH held with handspun silk that I spun eons before the pattern was released. It’s not perfect, no. If I knit this pattern again I’d change a few things for me. That said, it is the only garment that I have made with elderly, or any, handspun that I wear on a regular basis. Plus, I’ve had compliments, which never fails to please.
My favorite knitting project is a gray Wool Peddler’s Shawl from the book Folk Shawls. I knit it while researching and writing a history of my great grandmother. In my story, I imagined her wearing a gray wool shawl so I had to knit one. Great conversation with the author.
My favorite project is loved-and-lost. A lacy purple wool beret; I’m pretty sure it was from a Wooly Wormhead pattern, and the yarn was MadTosh. It fit perfectly and was the perfect color for me. I believe it may have fallen out of my coat pocket in a parking lot. One day, I will remake it!
I have to say my favorite knit project was the Christmas Stocking I knit from Arne & Carlos–Hjem Til Jul. My first stocking and first colorwork. It’s lovely. Of course, my next favorite will be the stocking I knit for my baby granddaughter!
My favorite knitted project is the swift by Andrea Mowry. I have made it multiple times for gifts and each time the dyed in the wool yarn is magical. Also love my log cabin blanket. It is a keeper and my dog loves it too!
Listened to Peggy’s audio book and loved it. Would love to have a print version.
I don’t have an all-time fave. Nothing stands out for me. I loved knitting the Round Trip Jacket, and love knitting shawls. They’re all my faves!
My favorite knit piece is a beautiful leaf patterned scarf that I made for a friend. It took a really long time, but was worth it..
My all time favorite knitted project is the Lanesplitter skirt. I love the way it fits and have worn it for many years.
All time favorite? Well, I knit a lot of samples back when we were selling Peace Fleece yarn at the MD Sheep & Wool festival, and the first time I knit the Global sweater aka Map of the World sweater, I had young children (interrupters) and it was a slog. After several colors in that first version were discontinued, I reknit this pattern not once but twice! It was a delight.
I loved knitting my temperature blanket. It turned out huge. But the simple start to my day knitting one garter ridge was so calming.
I made a Flax sweater that fits me so well, and I wear it all the time. I used a speckled yarn for it, and the simple shape lets the yarn look nice. While it was a very easy knit, I just love the fit, so that’s why it’s my favorite.
I think my favorite is a sweater I made my granddaughter that used an out of print book to make a fairly complicated colorful “Tom Kitten.” I’m only sorry it was a size 2T because it was outgrown all too quickly.
I think I’m working on it right now…an Aran sweater, knit with yarn I bought from the Aran Market in Ireland…I think of the gorgeous sheep and the country itself with every stitch and I am so excited to wear it for the first time!
My first socks. They seemed so fiddly and impossible. But they turned out just as close to perfect as I get.
My favorite knit is the Welcome Back Old Friend by Kathy Zimmerman that I knit with Inca Alpaca. Wearing it is like getting a fuzzy warm hug
My first pair of socks. I loved the pattern it was just one more row every time I picked it up. Flew off the needles because of that. Turning a heel blew my mind and taught me to trust the process. I was so pleased and proud of them. They werent perfect but gave me such a knitting boost! If I could make socks that fit I could knit anything!
My first pair of socks and my first sweater! My first pair of socks as they are the first thing I ever knit in the round. They’re a little loose and I started the toe a smidge early but I’m so proud of having knit them (even if I debate ripping them out and remaking them so I wear them on occasion). And my first sweater. I took a class, followed the pattern, and actually having a wearable item that fits.
My favorite might be a knitted, felted bag that got me back into knitting after about 10 years. It was big, but simple and the felting was magical in it’s transformation of the piece. And the colors reminded me of sunsets at the beach. And the felting hid the imperfections so that it is still a bag that I carry today.
I made a blue beanie for myself – the first hat ever that will actually stay on my head 90% of the time.
My first ever sweater for a friend. SO not perfect! But it looked great on her and FIT! Short waist and short sleeve, roll collar. I don’t even remember the pattern name.
I made the “Forever in Bluejeans” scarf, and it’s so fun to wear. People often comment on it, and I love both the look and the “snuggle factor”!
A very favorite project was a sweater I made in the 90’s after seeing it at a Stitches convention in King of Prussia PA. After buying the kit, I made the three color sweater and wore it a lot. Some time later I made the sweater again and again and again. In all I made that pattern five times, one for each of my daughters, sold one, and kept two for myself. I still wear the original sweater and get complements on it and I am thinking of making it again. Really a winner.
My all time fav knitted project? That’s like picking your favorite kid! Well…hmmm…I’m going to say the Leaf Wrap by Churchmouse Yarns & Teas done in Plucky Knitter yarn in the Kelp Wanted color way…it was my first project with “nice yarn from a yarn store” and when I was blocking it I told my husband “I think this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever made!” That was probably 6-7 years ago…and I just wore it yesterday!
Last summer while camping in Maine I made up a hat pattern on the fly! My motivation was wanting to use up two partial skeins from other projects that I had finished. I just cast on and started playing with alternating the colors in different ways. It was a no-pressure exploration of hey-what-happens-if-I-do-it-like-this? An utter joy!
Tough question but the most fun project was a entrelac bag made a long time ago. It was addicting, had to keep going to see what the next color would look like.
My first sweater that I knit and I actually wear is Spin raglan by Andrea Mowry . It’s a great fuschia color!
Blue and white ski sweater. Didn’t know how to sew seams properly at the time so should go back and fix but it is very cozy
My first afghan (now over 45 years young) remains a go to piece for me. This is still my favorite afghan despite having knit several others over the years, it remains my favorite.
Frankie’s Blanket — a year long project with four slip stitch pattern squares per month from the amazing designer Frankie Brown. A connection was formed with all the people knitting this project during the 2018 calendar year.
I knit Colburn pullover a few years ago. I. LOVE. IT. SO. MUCH! The pattern/yarn/needle perfecta!
My favorite knitting project was a modified version of the Daytripper Cardigan. It’s a slightly longer wrap cardigan with a belted waist. It was my first foray into color work in a sweater and yes, I kind of love it!
My all-time fave? The sweater that I knit for my boyfriend for a Christmas gift, the boyfriend with whom I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary later this year. It is a gorgeous Gansey sweater, and I knit all the parts, without knowing how to seam a sweater–my sister did that for me, in exchange for hemming three skirts for her. We lost my sister last year, so it’s that much dearer a sweater for me now. And thank you for helping me remember that.
My favourite project is a pair of stranded colourwork socks. The floats were long, blocking did not even out stitches, and they did not fit at all- but I finished them! And kinda love ( hate) them
That’s a hard one but I would have to go with an owl sweater that I made for my niece. It was the first time I knitted a project from a magazine, first time I knitted in colour and first sweater I attempted and finished. It was almost perfect, the bind off was too tight but otherwise it was perfect! And so cute!
Hard to pick a favorite! My first color work sweater, my first sweater! is more tunic length….. Kinda grew with blocking. That whole swatch thing got me big time. But the sweater is pretty! And it looks great with leggings.
My favorite project is my Comfort Fade Cardi, my first multicolor sweater. Successfully tackling the project and seeing the gorgeous fade of purple throughout the project makes me happy. An added plus is how soft and comfy the yarn feels.
I have made a Shetland Hap for each of my grandchildren, 2 girls and 1 boy. I just finished my 4th since another little girl is due in a couple weeks and am almost done with a fifth. The fifth is for the new baby’s big sister to replace the one I made her 3 years ago. That Hap has been her security blanket and is now in rags. I knew she would probably steal the new baby’s blanket if I didn’t make a new one for her. Seeing her so attached to something her Grammy made her has made all my knitting dreams come true.
Stephen West’s “The Doodler” has to be my favorite knitted piece. The colors were so magical and enhanced the specific areas of pattern work. The shawl was a new type of composition for me because up until that time as I’d kept things pretty simple. The Doodler allowed me to adventure and that has not stopped! I gave the completed shawl to a friend that was retiring from the directorship of an arts guild.
Last year I knitted my second vest ever. I recently moved to a colder area of the country, I wear a vest all the time , and thought, I might as well make my own. It is warm and cozy, not so pretty, and I’ve moved again and I can’t find it 🙁 Time to make another one 🙂
I think I knit with the hopes of finding that ‘greatest of all’ gig projects. That’s what keeps me going – knowing that I haven’t knitted ‘the best one’ yet.
My first project from an MDK Field guide. I bought the full set of guides a few years back I sat down one evening and opened up Guide No.1 Stripes. I didnt get any further than the 1st pattern and dove right in … I already had the exact yarn for a cowl pattern that didn’t work out. Breton by Antonio Shankland came out beautifully and I wear it all the time
Right now my favorite project is what I am currently working on. I am knitting Stephen West’s Fantastitch Blanket for my daughter. She has been asking for years for me to knit her a blanket. For the record, I have knit her a lap blanket. I have been working on this (top secret) blanket for about 10 months and I have about 20 hours left. The pattern uses seven colors and each section has fun designs so I am never bored. I can’t wait to gift it to her!
I made a lovely crescent shawl with Noro yarn, which I had never used before, and it was perfect – I could wrap the ends around my waist and tie it, like a sontag. But then my labrador puppy found it, and when I realized he had it, it was too late… he chewed up the edging and part of the body at one end, so now it is very imperfect! I have threaded the open stitches on a piece of string, with plans to repair it somehow. Hopefully I will be able to make it perfect again.
My favorite piece is a Wonderberry shawl, made with Holst supersoft yarn and silver beads. It’s romantic and big, and I wear it on a white summer linen dress. I’m so in love with it that I dream to make another one soon.
favorite kniting project was with the wonderful o-wool local, half alpaca, half wool. I had the most magical green color, and made a very basic turtleneck, a Purl Soho pattern. The color was great on me, the style worked well, and I loved that thing. It got softer each time I washed it. I must have shrunk it though,along the way— ok, maybe I “outgrew” it to some extent. I was heartbroken, and couldn’t leave it. I opened out the sides and the sleeves from the shoulders down, and cobbled a kind of moss stitch infill for 2 about inches. I could wear it a bit, but it isn’t the same. And it still looks too snug –did I “outgrow” again??? Even the neck is too small. I love that yorn, can’t get the color anymore. Everything seems to pass, but I can’t let go of the sweater, still my favorite knit.
A gorgeous brioche shawl I made as a gift to a friend who had helped me through a rough time. I don’t think she realized how much her friendship meant to me, and this project — my second-ever brioche knit — was a joy from start to finish.
In high school
I knit a brightly colored and striped sweater with tropical fruit all over it. It was way beyond my skill set but I learned so much. Still a favorite sweater!
My first adult sweater and it was for me! Looks like sweatshirt sweater, top down with raglan sleeves. Queensland Collection Kathmandu fingering.
I just finished Bonfire and I’m loving it, but my favorite is probably a sweater I knit for my mother back in the 80s. It was the cover knit on Vogue Knitting and was a cotton sweater in a lace pattern with a polo collar. I made it with 3/4 sleeves. She loved it and wore it a lot. A nice payback for the many things she sewed for me over the years.
Black sheep wool sweater, way too big. Incredibly comfy, a giant, water-shedding hug from my favorite beau. Love it, miss him.
I love my Travelers socks pattern by Nancy Bush knit in apple green alpaca (paca-peds) yarn . They felted when first washed, so I got them wet again and put them on. I used my actual feet to block them back to size.
My favorite project is a sweater designed by Isabel Kramer. I finally found a shoulder shape that works with my small shoulders. An amazing fit is everything.