Is it too late to wish you a happy new year of stitching? I don’t think so! It’s two weeks into January, and (so far) I’m actually keeping my three New Year’s knitting resolutions:

• spend more time each day knitting
• finish more of my UFO’s
• knit more wearable, well-fitting sweaters

Luckily for my resolution #3, new colors of Malabrigo Rios and Madelinetosh DK Twist just arrived!

Just look at those classic Madtosh colors. Our palette of DK Twist has “sweater” written all over it.

A few sweater patterns have already caught my eye (see below), including Strange Brew*, the Tin Can Knits stranded yoke pullover “recipe.” Then Gina wore her Strange Brew into the shop the other day…

This sweater comes in 3 gauges, can be made bottom-up or top-down, and comes with nearly 100 ready-to-use charts for different Fair Isle yoke motifs. It also has instructions for making your own original designs, as Gina did with her gold stars. That sounds like such fun! I’m giving it a gold star and moving it to the top of the must-make-now list.

More pretty stranded knitting appears in Joanne’s original design in warm, chunky Cascade 128 Superwash.

I loved working with Berroco Ultra Alpaca (plus some of my handspun) for this On Off Shawl* by Larissa Brown. After washing, it’s as soft as cashmere.

Laurie wore her gorgeous Braidsmaid* to Thursday Night Sit & Stitch recently. Her yarn is Malabrigo Rios. Braidsmaid comes from designer Martina Behm. 

I made good on my resolution #2 by finishing an Oaken Shawl* that should have been on my 2019 FO list. It’s another Tin Can Knits pattern. I used Berroco Vintage, and I’m beyond thrilled this shawl can go in the washing machine and dryer.

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Here are some of the other sweaters I’m considering:

Bedrock* from Lori Versaci

Anker’s Cardigan – My Size* from PetiteKnit

BiRTHDAY* from ANKESTRiCK

Sweaters may seem like the Mt. Everest of knitting to some folks, but they’re so worth it. Everyone has a few oopses along the way, and I’ll be combining resolutions #2 and #3 when I un-knit and re-knit my Weekender* from Andrea Mowry. Unfortunately, I chose a size that turned out to be too big for me. Getting gauge doesn’t help when you pick the wrong size in the first place! Here’s the “before” picture, and after some washing and re-skeining, I hope to get my “after” underway soon.

Note: Patterns marked with an asterisk (*) are available at Gosh Yarn It!

Looking for gift ideas for stitching friends (or yourself)? We have more than just the handy Baggu tote bags in stock right now. Check out Baggu’s nifty zippered pouches and dopp kits. They all make great project bags.

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And Chiao Goo’s Yarn Butler should be on every yarn lover’s wish list. It puts an end to yarn balls bouncing across the floor forever!

Wondering what’s been on some folks’ needles recently? I have finished projects to share! Jill finished her Drift* from Tin Can Knits in Malabrigo Rios, the Frank Ochre colorway.

She immediately cast on for Laura Aylor’s Bittersweet* in our spanking new Cascade 128 Superwash chunky weight, and, quick as a wink, she was done.

We have 20 colors in stock. With 2 weeks until the holidays, easy-care 128 Superwash and our other “wool-endowed” bulky yarns (Lyonel, Coco, Topas) are ready to help you finish up the last of your gift stitching.

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One more finished project from Jill: she used Urth Uneek Worsted for this cute Puddleduck* by Melissa Schaschwary.

More cute? Coming up! Bonnie chose Malabrigo Rios for this Winter Sunset* from Gabrielle Danskknit for her granddaughter. Those buttons are a great finishing touch.

Below, Bonnie’s moppet models her Bitty Birchbark*, designed by Alicia Plummer, in Kelbourne Woolens Scout.

A few views of Bitty Birchbark‘s sweet details…

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Rebecca’s crocheted mushroom wreath is spectacular! It was inspired by Kate Eastwood’s free pattern Autumn Wreath, but she created many of the highly detailed fungi all on her own.

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Joanne’s go-to patterns for both her toe-up and top-down socks come from the always-reliable Churchmouse Yarns & Teas. Here is her Simple Toe-up Sock* in some Done Roving Frolicking Feet and Cascade Heritage and her Basic Sock* (top-down) in Austermann Step 6 and Frog Tree Pediboo. Way to rock the sock stash, Joanne!

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Joanne has this stunning Derecho* from designer Alison Green ready and waiting for spring. Her yarn is Berroco Remix Light.

Until the warmer weather arrives, perhaps Gina could loan her the Winter Concept Shawl she made from designer Elizabeth Finn? Joanne’s sweater and this shawl would be beautiful together. Gina’s yarn is a mix of stashed alpaca yarn and Fibre Company Luma.

Note: Patterns marked with an asterisk (*) are available at Gosh Yarn It!

For this Friday’s free hat pattern, we present a GYI-exclusive: the Lazy Cable Hat. I designed it for our Berroco Coco, a super-bulky merino wool yarn that’s incredibly light, soft, and fun to knit. What makes it “lazy”? It has only 3 cable crossings, so it’s a simple and quick one-skein project. We hope you’ll enjoy it!

It’s particularly nice timing that tomorrow is Small Business Saturday. In addition to our Storewide Sale (you’ll save 15% on everything in the store on Saturday, November 30) offering the Lazy Cable Hat as a free pattern is another way we can thank you for your support throughout the year. The creative community that has grown up around GYI enlivens and inspires us every day. Or, as we say in hashtags, #shopsmall #shoplocal #shopyourlys #makewhatyoulove #lovewhatyoumake

Another new arrival this week: Baggu bags in a variety of designs and sizes. The new Baby Baggus and the Standard Baggus are perfect for project totes. Stash a few in your car as reusable shopping bags, and don’t forget to give them as gifts.

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We are delighted to announce we now carry yarn from local indie dyer Jason Klus’ Dizzywig Fibers. And when I say local, I mean really local – Jason hails from right here in Kingston!

We’d like to thank our customer Gina for bringing Jason to our attention. Gina wrote a great business profile for the Times Leader newspaper on his Dizzywig Fibers. Skeins from our first order of his amazing Sock Base (75% superwash merino/25% nylon, 463 yards/100g) are going fast. Come in soon to see them (and score some) for yourself.

On the subject of new yarn in the shop, we’ve received restocks of Berroco Coco, Malabrigo Rios, and the latest monthly club color from Dream in Color Sock-It! Club. Below, all shades of super bulky Coco now in stock.

Here’s a skein of Camaleon, one of several new kettle dyed Rios colors, just waiting to check a few items off your gift knitting list:

The new “Cardinals in the Snow” colorway from Dream in Color arrived just in time for our recent blast of arctic weather. Dyer Veronica Van even shared the photo that inspired it. Each skin of Smooshy, in all its 85% merino superwash/15% nylon fingering weight glory, comes with matching mini-skein for heels and toes.

What’s been on our and our customers’ needles? Here are the finished projects that have visited the store recently.

Above, Paula’s favorite go-to cap pattern, knit with worsted weight 100% alpaca Espiral from The Alpaca Yarn Company. Below, Wanda’s graceful Alp Natural Tamara Round Top in Gomitolo Merino from Lana Grossa. The designer is Simona Merchant-Dest.

Meg came in this afternoon for yarn to make a second Butterfly/Papillon*. Around her shoulders was the gorgeous first one she’d made with Urth Yarns Uneek and Harvest. I couldn’t let her leave without my taking a photo of her modeling it, could I?

Staff needles have also been busy. Today Catherine wore her Afmæli – 20-Year Anniversary Sweater from Védís Jónsdódottir. She finished it in the spring, using Berroco Ultra Wool, but it took until now for it to get cold enough to enjoy wearing it!

Kathy knit her very own beautiful Ballard* hat in Navy Heather Scout after making our shop sample in the colorway Orchid Heather. Kate Gagnon Osborn’s design is truly a classic.

And aren’t these mittens of Kathy’s spectacular? The pattern is Evja* from Skeindeer Knits. The yarn is Trendsetter New York.

I used Uneek Worsted from Urth Yarns for these socks for my granddaughter. I followed my favorite 4-stitch ribbing pattern from Charlene Schurch’s book Sensational Knitted Socks.

And finally, another view of last week’s featured hat, the first of our five Free Hat Friday hats for November. We wrote our own version of the Churchmouse Minimalist Hat for Lang Lyonel, a yarn slightly bigger than any called for in the original pattern. For your own copy of our upsized adaptation, just flip back to the last post.

Tomorrow is another Free Hat Friday. No spoilers here! Hat #2 will be revealed in our next email. If you aren’t already on our mailing list, we hope you’ll join here.

Note: All patterns marked with an asterisk (*) are available at Gosh Yarn It!

‘Tis the season for hat knitting, whether for yourself (it snowed last night!) or for gifts. And who doesn’t love finding patterns that are fun to make, fun to wear, and free? We’ve enjoyed pairing our yarns with some great hat designs that we hope you’ll love. We’ll be sharing a new one with you each Friday, and all are free!

As originally written, this one-size pattern can be used with multiple weights of yarn. Minimalist is based on an old, traditional formula for shaping a hat crown with four lines of decreases that form a “+” at the top, starting with a multiple of 8 stitches. The key to getting a hat that fits is knowing your yarn’s gauge. Yes, I said it: g-a-u-g-e.

If you have neither time nor inclination to knit and wash a gauge swatch for your hat, your yarn’s ball band can at least point you in the right direction (although it can’t guarantee the same success a swatch would). Here’s an example:

This is a yarn that knits to a gauge of 17 stitches and 23 rows over a 4×4″ square of stockinette on US 8/5mm needles, or 4.25 stitches per inch. The finished size of Minimalist is 19″ to fit a 20-23″ head. Multiply 4.25 sts/inch x 19, and you’d need to cast on 80 stitches, the closest multiple of 8. However, Lyonel has a gauge of 10 sts/inch on US 13/9mm, or 2.5 sts/inch. Multiply that by 19, and the number to cast on drops to 48. Easy peasy!

Below, you can download a printable PDF for our Lyonel Minimalist Hat. Copies will also be available at the shop.

For more information on the original Minimalist Hat pattern, visit the pattern page on Ravelry. If you’d like to start designing your own hats, Interweave has some good advice, here.

Note: In the last post, I had promised this post would list our Early Winter Class Schedule. At this time it is still under construction. Look for it here very soon!

Scout, our newest yarn, arrived with a trunk show of six lovely knit pieces you can see and try on yourself through Saturday, October 26th. Kelbourne Woolens, the makers of DK weight Scout, describe it as a “classic, strong, versatile, heathered wool yarn… designed with classic knitting and crochet in mind… it is unfussy, beautiful, high-quality, and comes in a gorgeous color palette.” Couldn’t have said it better myself!

With the arrival of Scout, the shop is now delightfully full of yarn at all weights, just in time for sweater weather and gift knitting season. (Tip: don’t leave that to the last minute!) I’ve mentioned before that we’ve restocked our Berroco Ultra Wool and Vintage, including this season’s newest colors, yummy candy-color brights (above).

All this wonderful yarn has inspired us to offer a new round of fall classes and events. The complete schedule will appear in the next post and will include:

• Simple Garter Stitch Slippers, a great stash busting gift,
• a customizable easy on/off dog sweater,
• the Apple Cheeks Hat for keeping little ones warm,
• the Raven Fall Cardigan, also for wee ones (knit seamlessly from the bottom up),
• a newbie’s guide to Ravelry.com,
• plus a month-long celebration of knitted hats during November – the hats we’re knitting, wearing, and gifting this season, with…
• pop-up classes on Saturdays for any hat-knitting skills that may be new to you,
• and something completely new: a “Make & Take Night”…

Aren’t these just the cutest? They’re perfect for Thanksgiving centerpieces and wreaths or place card holders on your holiday table… however you use them, they knit up quickly using the Magic Loop technique. If you aren’t already a Magic Looper, Kathy will get you started, and you’ll have an entire pumpkin patch in no time! Along with your kit, you’ll need a 32″ or longer circular needle, size US 6-8. Seasonal potables & cider doughnuts will be served.

What’s on our needles? Laurie wore her On Off Shawl* into the shop recently. She made it a year ago, using Berroco Remix worsted weight, and she even customized Larissa Brown’s design with a contrasting eyelet lace panel. On Off checks all my boxes for a fall shawl: it sits squarely and securely on your shoulders with little or no “styling” needed. It keeps your entire top half warm with no long triangle point hanging down in back or elongated “wings” that need to be tied, tucked, or twisted,

Seeing Laurie’s On Off again, I realized what was wrong with the shop sample I’d made using lightweight linen Solo Lino. Even though my version showed how well On Off could be a summer weight cover-up, the single row stripes I’d knitted (because I only had one ball of each color) completely obscured the simple but elegant pattern of contrasting sections of stockinette and garter stitch:

See what I mean? That you can’t really see what’s going on, pattern-wise?

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Can you see the difference between Laurie’s and mine? I knew I needed to cast on for another right away, this time using a solid color of a woolier yarn. I’ve chosen a not-quite-green shade of Berroco Ultra Alpaca (below), and I think I’m finally doing the pattern justice.

This On Off will be my second “shawl for fall.” I’m switching back and forth between it and my blue Berroco Vintage Oaken*, which has reached the charted lace section. I ripped it back and restarted it with a new cast-on that I hoped would better match the K1, P1 edging. (To see how the original garter tab cast-on looked, check the last post.) Meanwhile, Jill continues to happily cable away on her bright yellow Drift* in Malabrigo Rios.

Only one customer project this time around, but what a beautiful FO it is! Charlotte used her favorite red, white, and black (charcoal grey, actually) in Ewe So Sporty from Ewe Ewe Yarns for her The Shift* by Andrea Mowry. Wow! She says she gets compliments everywhere she wears it, and I’m not the least bit surprised.

So be sure to keep an eye out for our next post in a couple of days for the new class schedule AND pictures of new yarn arriving soon from Dizzy Wig Fibers, a.k.a. our first “truly local” dyer, Jason Klus of Kingston, PA!

Note: All patterns marked with an asterisk (*) are available at Gosh Yarn It!

Did you know our upcoming classes cover all 6 of our customers’ all-time, most-requested knitting techniques? We check all the boxes: socks, sweaters, stranded and brioche knitting, seaming, and fixing mistakes. There’s even a class in mosaic knitting, just for the fun of it.

• Make your first sweater an Iba* cardigan, Monday, October 14 & 28, 6-8 pm.

• Learn stranded knitting with the Ballard* hat in Kelbourne Woolens Scout, Saturday, October 19, 11 am-1 pm.

Our shipment of Scout arrives next week, and it’s coming with a trunk show!

• Master reversible 2-color brioche stitch in the Brioche Cowl class, Monday, October 21, 6-8 pm.

• Knit Oxford Socks* from the toe up with easy German short rows, Saturday, October 26, 9 am-12 pm.

• Grab a spot in Oops!, our #1 most requested class, October 26, 1:30-3:30 pm.

• Play with mosaic knitting making the Incise Hat*, Saturday, November 9, 9-11:30 am.

• Seam like a pro, thanks to our Seams So Easy class, Saturday, November 16, 1:30-3:30 pm.

Find more details on these classes over on our Classes page. Please call the shop soon to register, 570-287-9999.

Now, about those shawls for fall… Jill and I have cast on for our Drift* and Oaken* shawls, respectively. Care to join us in making a cozy, warm shawl now that frost is in the forecast?

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Above, Jill’s Malabrigo Rios Drift and, below, my Berroco Vintage Oaken on their needles. Yep, Jill got a slight headstart on me, but I’m catching up quickly with all that easy garter stitch.

In my own defense, I did just finish making the sample and writing up a free shop pattern for our new Berroco Coco, a super bulky superwash merino. It’s called the Coco Twist Cowl. It’s a one skein, one night project. Gift knitting, anyone?

Time for your FOs: Here is Joan’s sumptuous Comfort Fade Cardi* from designer Andrea Mowry. Her beautifully blended colors are 3 shades of Dream in Color BFL Silk DK.

A close-up of a perfect fade…

This is Joan’s jaunty Paper Bag Cap, a free pattern on Ravelry from Lisa Myers. She had fun knitting it in Maxima from Manos del Uruguay.

Knit sideways with a crown shaped with short rows, it’s a great choice for variegated and kettle-dyed worsted weight yarns, too, such as Malabrigo Rios or Lana Grossa Gomitolo Merino.

I’ll close with a second hat in Manos Maxima, Steven’s classic ribbed beanie, Two by Two by Anne Gagnon, another free Ravelry pattern. Keep both these hats in mind as we move into gift knitting season!

*Note: All patterns marked with an asterisk(*) are available at Gosh Yarn It!

We’re celebrating our yarn-iversary this Saturday, September 28: nine years as the Wyoming Valley’s local yarn store!

There will be cupcakes, door prize drawings every half hour, a surprise discount at checkout for savings on your entire purchase that day, and our shelves have just been loaded with recent restocks of our beloved Berroco Vintage and Ultra Wool. A dozen full cubbies of each!

Plus over two dozen gorgeous new colors of Dream in Color Smooshy fingering/sock weight…

…and new shades of Lang Super Soxx from 3 new collections, City Runner, Mountain Soxx, and Street Soxx. What’s the difference?

Each ball will make a pair of identical socks, but you can choose from 3 different patterns, either striped, Fair Isle, or gradient. How cool is that?

Fall has officially arrived, and we’re knitting up quick, warm shawls with some of our worsted weight yarns: all those new colors of Vintage, Ultra Wool, and Rios, 365 Cashmere, Woolstok, and Simplinatural. Jill is casting on for Drift, and I’m just deciding on a color for Oaken, both from Tin Can Knits.

Both Oaken and Drift begin with a garter tab cast on. Their cable and lace stitches are fully charted. If you’d like some tips on working with charts and/or making that special cast on, I’ll be giving some free pop-up demonstrations in October. Times will be announced here.

If you’d like more ideas for shawl designs, check out a bundle we’ve made here on Ravelry, or make your own pattern search: try selecting “shawl” then Category>accessories>neck/torso>shawl/wrap; and Attributes>shapes>triangle and Weight>DK and worsted. Finally, try sorting for either “Most favorites” or “Most projects.” That narrows down choices to just under 4000!

We’re here to help you take on any project you want to make. Who hasn’t passed over a pattern because it involved an unfamiliar technique? If you’re ready to learn something new, our fall classes have been posted. There’s a first top-down sweater, an ingenious new sock technique, stranded colorwork, a seamless toy, mosaic knitting and brioche stitch (shown below), and a workshop for seaming and grafting. Our most popular course returns, too: Oops! Fixing Mistakes in Knitting. (And you can always design your own class.)

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Have you seen the first two colorways from the Dream in Color Sock-It! Club yet? This is a limited-time-only club, with monthly shipments in limited quantities. You get 420 yards of Smooshy, a blend of 85% superwash wool/15% nylon, each with its own coordinating 100yd mini-skein for heels and toes. Stop in soon — they’re going fast.

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Lyonel from Lang Yarns was one of the first fall yarns we received, and Steven has had time to make this outstanding Jonathan hat with it. The pattern comes from Taiga Hilliard Designs, and it’s free on Ravelry. Great yarn + simple pattern to show it off = win/win!

Steven also brought in a Columnar Jointing hat by Nick Davis that he’d made in Malabrigo Rios. He loves the yarn, but not the hat. In his Ravelry project notes, Steven says it’s an “interesting pattern with an odd construction, odd shape, and an even odder fit.” In fact, he told me it’s probably on the way to the frog pond, even though he altered the crown decreases significantly to try to get a more pleasing shape.

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Shown with Jonathan, for shape comparison. Here’s a last look at a hat that may, as of this writing, be no more.

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We, however, are feeling totally groovy about our new shop model of Berroco Providence, Feeling Groovy* from JumperCables. Jill used a simple backstitch seam to finish it in about 5 minutes. Bring on the chilly breezes, we’re ready.

Berroco’s Linen Stonewash was Stephanie’s choice for Rebecca McKenzie’s The Mermaid Top*, and it’s absolutely fabulous! It was also very nice to read in her project notes: “The yarn is slinky and elegant and machine washed and dried like a dream.”

Kudos to Paula, who completed all three (!) of her Camp GYI projects this summer. Her August project was knit in Berroco Modern Cotton and elegantly beaded. The pattern comes from Jeannie Chin, published in a Knit Simple magazine, Tangerine Dream Lace-Yoke Top. And dreamy it is.

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Joanne’s been busy making some great hats. She used Berroco Ultra Wool for her Thoreau Hat from Terri Kruse. This pattern appeared in Interweave Knits, Accessories 2011.

Here is Joanne’s Hurricane Hat, a free pattern on Ravelry from designer Andrea Guldin. Again, her yarn is Ultra Wool.

Once Lara mastered the collar’s wrap-and-turn short rows, finishing her Zasio Sweater Coat* was a breeze. Zasio is a Staci Perry design. Although Lara didn’t get her yarn from us (and maybe one of the hand-dyed skeins wasn’t the best possible match), this is such an inspiring piece of knitting, I wanted to share it.

Catherine finished her adorbs children’s socks using Schachenmayr Regia Pairfect Kids Color Design Line by Arne & Carlos (say that three times fast). She cast on with 44 stitches on 2.5mm needles and worked a heel flap and gusset.

Compare Catherine’s 44 stitch socks to Kathy’s 52 stitch sock done on 2.0mm needles with a short row heel — cute comes in all sizes.

Above, two pairs of Kathy’s finished Pairfect Kids Color socks, both worked over 52 stitches. Yup, Pairfect can be pretty addictive! Below, and rounding out the FO gallery this post, is Alyson’s sweet little Baby + Toddler Tiered Coat and Jacket* knit in Berroco Vintage. Pattern was created by Lisa Chemery.

Note: Patterns marked with an asterisk (*) are available at Gosh Yarn It!

Jill, Catherine, Brigid, and I are delighted to announce that Team GYI has a new 5th member: Kathy has joined us behind the register! You may recognize Kathy’s smiling face from the other side of the counter. She’s been a GYI customer almost as long as our doors have been open, and you may already know what an awesome knitter she is. If you haven’t met Kathy yet, stop in soon to say hello. One day last week, 4 of us were actually in the same place at the same time (and thanks to Joan for this awesome shot)…

But where’s Catherine? Here she is!

But about our other new arrivals… Jill chose the Fear of Commitment Cowl from Julie Weisenberger to be our shop model of colorful, wearable bulky weight Lyonel from Lang Yarns. Fear not, it’s a super easy pattern, and changing your mind about how to wear it is encouraged.

Wear it as a shawlette with a shawl pin or Jūl post button…

As a cowl with Jūl leather snaps…

Closed in front with a shawl stick…

Tied…

Or left au naturel…

It knits up quickly on US 13s, and it can also be a longer classic unisex scarf when knit with 3 or more balls of Lyonel instead of 2. Can’t wait to see how you style yours.

I already know your Turning Triangles Scarf* will not look the same as mine. The undyed, natural colorways of Alpaca Yarn Company’s Espiral, a heavenly 100% alpaca worsted weight, have “Random Marl” written right on their labels. Some skeins are much more random than others. But however your colors land in this fun modular knit, you’ll love Espiral’s over-the-top buttery softness. Pattern free with yarn purchase.

Providence is Berroco’s new DK weight tweed, a blend of merino wool, alpaca, and silk. With that combo you get a soft hand plus great stitch definition plus everything else there is to love about tweed. You’ll be seeing our model of Providence shortly, a very groovy pattern* from JumperCables.

Just in: we’re so happy to be debuting Rowan Baby Cashsoft Merino, a washable merino wool/acrylic/cashmere sport weight blend that’s baby-ready and mom-friendly. I’m leaning toward making the Norwegian Fir Top Down Cardigan* from OGE Knitwear Designs as a snuggly sample. It’s not just for children’s things, of course, so you may see it knit up as a hat or a pair of stranded mitts. Stay tuned…

Note: Patterns marked with an asterisk (*) are available at Gosh Yarn It!