I finished the flax pull over sweater this winter, and loved how easy the pattern was and the results. I highly recommend this project for anyone making their first sweater. It was a free pattern from Tin Can Knits, in their Simple Collection.The yarn used was Wool of the Andes Tweed, worsted weight, from Knit Picks. I made the 4 year old size, for my nephew (who is a big 2 year old ;) ).
~Leena
I recently saw a ‘learn to knit’ collection of knit patterns – The Simple Collection – designed by Tin Can Knits. It includes 8 patterns and free tutorials designed to teach you to knit. What a fantastic idea! (And these knitted items look great too). I’ve been knitting for a few years now, and am a bit beyond learning the basics, but I love the style of the pullover pattern that is due to be released this September so I think I might knit one up for my nephew.
What I love most about knitting is the relaxing rhythm that you get into with the needles, the feel of the soft yarn in your fingers, and the satisfaction of time spent creating something to be used. Knitting also is very flexible with such a variety of projects from small to large, simple to complex, and an endless selection of fibers and colours to work with.
Oddly enough, when I learned the basics of knitting as I child, it didn’t make a lot of sense to me. After learning to crochet in my early 20’s I went back to knitting and suddenly understood what was happening with the various stitches and the yarn to make the fabric! If you have never understood knitting but would like to, perhaps learning the basic single or double chain in crochet might actually help!
If you’re starting to knit and have the basics learned, I have another suggestion: I’d recommend trying to knitting “continental style” instead of (or perhaps after learning) “British”. My mom taught me British, which is a great and easy way to learn but my tension was always off, resulting in unevenly knitted pieces. I also found I could knit a lot faster with continental style. It feels a bit awkward at first but the transition is well worth it! (in my opinion anyway ;)
~ Leena
We may 
still have a few hot days of summer yet, but Fall is around the corner – I can feel it in the air – and with that returns my fervent desire to create warm clothing! It must be a survival instinct :)
At the same time, I don’t have a lot of free time. I’m trying to finish my Masters in the next 2-3 months, which will be a challenge to say the least. So, small projects it is. I decided to make a sweet baby sweater for the 5 month old daughter of my good friends. It was an extremely easy pattern to follow, and well worth the few dollars I paid to the designer (the pattern link is here on the Ravelry.com website). Continue reading
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