I am so blown away, all I can do is tell you to go there NOW and read the entire thing. It’s the Fit to Flatter series, by Amy Herzog on Stash Knit Repeat.

After you read the whole series (and take pictures of yourself…and measure yourself), check out her Fit to Flatter review of the new Twist. It’s a fabulous explanation of how to take the principles of picking-the-right-pattern and to apply it to the patterns you already love.

If you want to chat about knitting sweaters that fit, check out the Ravelry group (I’ll be there!). And if you’re looking for some sweater patterns that will look great in handspun yarn, check out this list of handspun sweater patterns.

But let’s get personal…

According to some incriminating photos of my in my yoga pants + tank top, I have a slightly bottom-heavy (but just slightly, the line is like, 1 cm bigger on bottom), so I need sweaters that have more interest near my face. Because I appreciate anything slimming, I should look for sweaters that create vertical lines (like, an open cardigan that hangs straight).

Have I been choosing the right sweaters?

Let’s have a look:

My very favorite sweater is my own pattern and I call it Cabled Satisfaction. It’s based on Elizabeth Zimmerman’s bottom-up sweaters. Knit in the round, with big cables up the fronts and little cables at the raglan decreases that join in the cabled top border. I think it fits all the requirements!

Right now, I’m working on the Apothecary Sweater, which has an entrelac panel at the neck and down the front. The bottom hem is plain, as are the sleeves. I actually only have one sleeve left and now that I’ve read the series, I’m going to make sure that the hem of the sweater and the sleeves end at different points (and that it’s not my widest point!)

The unfinished sweater I’m most excited about is Amelia. Her front panels of vertical lines and the fact that I’m going to wear her open (not buttoned at the top like the pattern shows), are flattering. I’ve lengthened the waist band (to hit my natural waist and highlight it). If I had read the series first, I may have skipped the strong horizontal border of garter stitch. (I’m way past the point shown in the photo..I need to take some more pictures!)

What are you knitting? Is it flattering?

Tell me in the comments!

If you missed it then, you can still get a (free) shawl pattern, by purchasing a skein of banana yarn from the Boutique, in the next week. (Offer ends 8/1)

The pattern is mostly the wrap-stitch (did I make this up? I don’t know!) and it’s a little hard to explain verbally, although it’s super-simple to perform.

Here’s how you do it!

And the bind-off is basically a crochet bind-off…but with your knitting needles. Here’s what I mean:

(behind the scenes note: I am wearing the same skirt in the photoshoot for the patterns and in the tutorials. Different days, same skirt.)

If you have any questions or comments (would you like to see more videos?), leave them in the comments!

I want something with charts, with paired increases and decreases, and plenty of challenge.

You can see my current picks here.

Which one do you prefer? Should I pick one from this list or would you start with something else?

(let me know in the comments of right here and not on A Novel Yarn, because I don’t want us to skew the voting over there!)

Hemp Laceweight is easily the most popular yarn I dye.

As soon as I list it in the shop, it sells out.
As soon as I bring it to A Novel Yarn, it sells out.

Because of it’s fly-off-the-shelf qualities, I’ve been dyeing the same 5 colors:

Grape

Azalea

Pumpkin

Leaf

Fog

And now I have a big cone of unddyed hemp and I’m ready to try something new!

Is one of the above your favorites or would you like a different color?

Leave your suggestion in the comments below and NEXT Friday I’ll choose 1 response (randomly).

The winner will win a free skein of hemp in the color they suggest and that color will be available in the next hemp update (whether it’s a new color or current color doesn’t matter, just tell me what you like!)

It’s in her 2nd post in a super helpful series on knitting hats.

approximate hat heights

0-6 mo. – 5 in. (12.7 cm)
6-18 mo. – 6.25 in. (15.9 cm)
18 mo.-4 yr. – 7.25 in. (18.4 cm)
4 yr.-adult s – 8.25 in. (21 cm)
adult m-l – 9 in. (22.9 cm)

Read her whole post here.

If you’ve wanted to start teaching your craft, listen to the conversation here.

Diane mentions that my Learn to Knit kit taught her to knit (squee!), you can find the kits here. Even if you know how to knit, these kits are a great way to teach a family member and avoid frustration that comes from not knowing how to describe when-the-loop-does-this-you-do-this.

Have you taught your craft?
Anything you’d add to our conversation?

The following knitters each made a fantastic hat-ness from a single skein of handspun.

Hat + Scarf by the darling Marian Firke

Drew’s Hat by AtomKitty

Game Hat by the wonderfully silly Kim Werker.

It is time, future-knitters, to step forward and claim your Learn to Knit Kit!

Not to get too sappy, but when I announce a new thing to the world, it feels like releasing a baby bird. Where’s it going to go? Is it going to find love? A comfy nest?

I like to imagine that these cute little balls of yarn are going somewhere my other yarn has never gone.  They are climbing into the hands (and hearts!) of people who’ve never picked up needles or yarn.

They are the ambassadors of knitting, the first impression you will have of this thing I love so much (my passion). They will settle into your lap  and convince you that this knitting-thing is pretty cool.

Bright, handdyed colors. Soft, squeezable texture.
Will it convince Maybe Knitter to become Proper Knitter? Will it bridge the gap between Future Knitter and Current  Knitter?

I can not wait to see!
To get these sweet little ambassadors into your hands, buy a Kit here.

Oh, I almost forgot – for this week ONLY, the Premium Kit (videos! printed book!) is the same price as the Basic. So yeah, video downloads and a printed book for FREE until Friday!