Category Archives: Uncategorized

2 new designs: Wild Rose Vest & Doggy Loves Kitty

Posted on February 9, 2022 by twostrands

“Wild Rose Vest” is a traditional Shetland wool vest / slipover with an updated bit of femininity. It’s knit in 12 colors of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift. “Doggy Loves Kitty” is a baby blanket knit in Fair Isle technique with some … Continue reading →

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Cosmos Chullo

Posted on October 28, 2020 by twostrands

My new “Cosmos Chullo” earflap hat knitting pattern pdf gives you a choice of two motifs for a super warm, quick-to-knit hat. The new MadTosh Triple Twist TML chunky / Aran weight superwash merino I used worked beautifully! You can … Continue reading →

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Gazania Hat

Posted on September 26, 2020 by twostrands

My new “Gazania Hat” design, knit in 5 shades of Shetland Spindrift. Knitting pattern PDF and yarn packs are available on my online knitting shop, MaryAnnStephens.com. The PDF is also available through Ravelry.

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Polar Pizazz + Sonoran Christmas

Posted on November 17, 2019 by twostrands

Here are a couple of particularly popular, recent highlights from my Instagram page:

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Timbers Hat, updated

Posted on October 5, 2019 by twostrands

My Timbers Hat design, first released in 2006, has always been a favorite. The worsted weight Dale yarn I used for it originally was discontinued years ago, so I’ve upped my game, updated the pattern to my now-usual format and reworked it in some wonderful Jamieson’s Shetland Heather Aran for a slightly denser, warmer, more durable hat.  Continue reading →

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Rose Arbor Hat

Posted on September 28, 2019 by twostrands

This hat was inspired by the upcoming “Rose City Yarn Crawl” in Portland, OR. The last couple of years,  Jamieson’s US distributor, Simply Shetland, a sponsor of the yarn crawl, asked me to donate some of my patterns to go … Continue reading →

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More on downloading my newly-free Hedgerow pattern

Posted on August 9, 2019 by twostrands

This morning, a message was left for me in the Ravelry comments for my newly-free Hedgerow design, making it clear that the author of the message did not like my solution of directing folks to my regular, for-sale pattern page … Continue reading →

Posted in copyright, Fair Isle Knitting, Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Canyon Wall Vest

Posted on May 11, 2019 by twostrands

My new “Canyon Wall Vest”, in four adult sizes, using nine colors of Spindrift, seventeen 25g balls in all.  Circularly knit in traditional Fair Isle style without any type of steek reinforcement.  Pattern includes not only the usual text and … Continue reading →

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Baby Elephant Blanket

Posted on November 3, 2018 by twostrands

I’m not too big on marketing.  I’d much rather be designing or knitting.  So, in case you just follow me here, through TwoStrands.com, and missed my lone post over the summer about moving my home, business and website… Here’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, shetland wool, Special Sales, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New site, new home, same old TwoStrands

Posted on September 16, 2018 by twostrands

Hi Knitters! It’s been a while! We moved over the summer – all the way from New York to Arizona! We knew it would take a while, not only to get to AZ, but to get settled in, too. Knowing … Continue reading →

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Kilim Pillow

Posted on June 9, 2018 by twostrands

Information on the Kilim Pillow design is now available through Mary Ann’s new website, MaryAnnStephens.com.  You can also find this pattern on Ravelry here. Unfortunately, Hubro was recently discontinued. The suggested gauge on Hubro’s ball band was 10 stitches to … Continue reading →

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Free Knitting Pattern: Mittens in a Blink

Posted on January 19, 2018 by twostrands

UPDATE, September 2018:  This free pattern has been moved to my new knitting website, MaryAnnStephens.com.  Here’s the link to my new free knitting patterns page.  Below, you’ll see more of my designs using super-bulky yarns: Supernova Hat in Hubro  

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Calling Scotland

Posted on January 5, 2018 by twostrands

“Calling Scotland” is my new Fair Isle style ladies’ hat and fingerless mittens set knitting design, knit in Jamieson’s of Shetland “Shetland Spindrift” jumper / fingering weight 100% Shetland wool yarn.  The PDF for the set is available from me, … Continue reading →

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Catalina Highway Pillow

Posted on December 20, 2017 by twostrands

  The inspiration for my Catalina Highway Pillow: Down in America’s Southwest, up in the northeast corner of Tucson, AZ, you’ll find the Catalina Highway. At its base in the Sonoran Desert, the landscape is punctuated by the lively reds … Continue reading →

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Christmas Ball FAQs

Posted on November 23, 2016 by twostrands

Here’s a compendium of info and links for all of the Christmas balls I’ve designed over the years: These are my five, free Christmas Ball knitting patterns, below… …and here is my Christmas Eve Collection, which is available for purchase … Continue reading →

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Knitting’s many health benefits

Posted on January 27, 2016 by twostrands

Don’t miss Jane Brody’s article on the health benefits of knitting in yesterday’s New York Times: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/25/the-health-benefits-of-knitting/

Posted in Knitting, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Top 10 Tips for Machine-sewn Steeks

Posted on December 21, 2015 by twostrands

UPDATE:  My post on steeking has been updated, formatted as a free, downloadable PDF and moved to the Technique page on my new website, MaryAnnStephens.com.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on November 26, 2015 by twostrands
Posted in Mary Ann's Designs, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Sagebrush Chullo

Posted on November 22, 2015 by twostrands

That’s my new Sagebrush Chullo, knit in seven shades of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift fingering / jumper weight wool.  As I did with my old Polar Chullo design, I knit Sagebrush  at an extra warm and highly detailed gauge of 9 … Continue reading →

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Nordic Easter Egg – reminder

Posted on March 16, 2015 by twostrands

UPDATE, March 2017 My “Nordic Easter Egg” pattern is still available through Ravelry. Here’s the link to the $5 PDF. Happy Easter and Happy Knitting!

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Andrea’s Spice Route Gloves

Posted on January 20, 2015 by twostrands

I thought you’d like to see the lovely result, above, that my customer, Andrea, shared on Ravelry.  She knit my “Spice Route Gloves” design to a “T”, but in her own choice of colors.  As a designer, I think it’s … Continue reading →

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Knitted Hem Fine Points

Posted on January 6, 2015 by twostrands

Happy 2015!  I hope you all had a wonderful 2014 and are ready for an even-better 2015.  Now, it’s time to get to work on those resolutions! One promise that I made myself for 2015 was that I’d stop letting … Continue reading →

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Gentle Hat

Posted on December 23, 2014 by twostrands

At 85 years old, most every day for almost three years now, my mother has driven nearly an hour each way over rough, winding, often-icy, upstate roads.  Her mission?  To spend as much precious time as possible trying to eek … Continue reading →

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Ethereal Diamonds – a free lace scarf pattern, introducing “Erle”

Posted on November 18, 2014 by twostrands

I had lost count of all the projects on my needles.  Sanity warned “Don’t you dare cast on one more stitch until 2015!” But, if you could just hold one soft, little cloud of Dale Garn’s new “Erle” in your … Continue reading →

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Ode to Heilo

Posted on September 25, 2014 by twostrands

Going through some of my files this morning, it dawned on me that, oh my gosh, my Wintergarden Pullover is ten years old!  It’s been a hectic decade of adventures for Wintergarden – skiing, hiking, knitting, scrambling, chasing, knitting, lounging, … Continue reading →

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Free Knitting Pattern – Twist and Sprout Hat

Posted on January 18, 2014 by twostrands

The middle of January…yuck!  Here in the Northeast, you wouldn’t want to face January without a cozy hat nearby.  Not a dreary hat, mind you – there’s more than enough of that dreariness in the skies these days. So, here’s … Continue reading →

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Shetland Spindrift Naturals are back in stock!

Posted on December 24, 2013 by twostrands

Yippee!  I just received a big box of long-awaited Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in the natural shades I use in my Polar Chullo design (among others.)  Normally, they’re a mainstay of my selection – foundation shades that I can’t bear to … Continue reading →

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Happy Thanksgiving – a free chart

Posted on November 26, 2013 by twostrands

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!! Click on the image to see a larger, clearer version. (Originally published here on Two Strands for Thanksgiving 2010.)

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“More monkeys, please!”

Posted on March 21, 2013 by twostrands

A common request around here lately: “More monkeys, please!” Today’s answer: “Coming right up!” You’re just one click away from one dozen new colorway ideas for my Monkey Hat using Dale of Norway Baby Ull yarn, our hands-down favorite for … Continue reading →

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Shamrock Mittens

Posted on February 14, 2013 by twostrands

My new Shamrock Mittens, knit in Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift.  Sized to fit an 8″ adult female palm circumference.  The  PDF is available for purchase and download through Ravelry.  The Spindrift yarn (in natural white and…you guessed it…”leprechaun”) is available through … Continue reading →

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Free Crochet Pattern – The Quickest, Easiest Hat

Posted on February 12, 2013 by twostrands

The “Blizzard of 2013” (the first one, at least) swept in this past Friday, bringing 30+ inches of snow to our area, along with frantic cries of “Ahhhh, what’s your quickest, easiest hat?!?!?”  I was tempted to pull out some … Continue reading →

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Hubro Mittens – free knitting pattern with yarn purchase

Posted on November 16, 2012 by twostrands

I’m happy to report that my “Mittens in a Blink” ladies’ super bulky mitten pattern, introduced to you a few weeks ago in Malabrigo Rasta 100% merino, works beautifully with Dale of Norway Hubro 100% wool, too. (See above, in … Continue reading →

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Hurricane Sandy Report

Posted on October 31, 2012 by twostrands

We’re all here, post-Sandy, and I’m very thankful to report that we came through essentially unscathed. We’re up on a hill, a mile or two from the Long Island Sound and several miles from the ocean, so fortunately, no flooding. … Continue reading →

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Riverside Cowl

Posted on October 29, 2012 by twostrands

My “Riverside Cowl” – knit in Dale of Norway Royal Alpakka yarn.  Fair Isle and garter stitch on the outside, solid stockinette stitch on the lining, luxurious warmth all over.  The kit is available through my on-line store, Kidsknits.com.  It … Continue reading →

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Mittens in a Blink

Posted on October 23, 2012 by twostrands

“And now, for something completely different…” I’ll always love fussing over fine-gauge, stranded designs. But, I gotta tell you, being able to make these cushy, comfy, colorful babies in a blink definitely has its own rewards.  Knit a complete pair … Continue reading →

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Christmas Balls – a free knitting pattern PDF

Posted on August 27, 2012 by twostrands

It’s Christmas at Kidsknits!  Oh, okay…it’s still August.  But, I’ve been busy making Christmas presents, and the first one is for…YOU! Around this time last year, the red and white Heilo was flying off the shelves, as fast as we … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Two new hat designs in Hegre

Posted on July 7, 2012 by twostrands

Recently, a knitter wrote to me, saying “Mary Ann, I’m thrilled with my Two Strands Headband- thanks! You’ve turned me into a real stranded knitting nut! What can I knit next that won’t be too challenging, but will help to … Continue reading →

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Return of the Vikings

Posted on May 25, 2012 by twostrands

Waaaaay back in ’06, I made these Viking Hats for my dear son #2, Alex. Back then, to the casual observer, Alex was a mild-mannered, studious sort; hence the relatively tame, blue version.  But even in those early years, those … Continue reading →

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Hedgerow Fingerless Mittens

Posted on April 24, 2012 by twostrands

My Hedgerow Fingerless Mittens require only two 50-g balls – 1 light, 1 dark – in your favorite shades of either Heilo or Falk. The instructions offer sizing for average adult & extra large adult. The PDF is available for … Continue reading →

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Fishy Booty

Posted on March 28, 2012 by twostrands

…Or, how to get maximum cuteness from one tiny pile of sock yarn scraps… The Fishy Booty design is knit circularly and seamlessly, using mainly garter stitch, with a few priceless little rounds of stranded garter stitch (which is explained … Continue reading →

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The Nomad Earflap Hat

Posted on February 21, 2012 by twostrands

Knit in Dale of Norway Hubro yarn at a super speedy, yet oh-so-cozy  3 sts/inch.  Choose any 3 contrasting shades of Hubro; you’ll need 1 ball of each.  (If you have some Hubro on hand, you’ll want an entire 100g … Continue reading →

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Two New Knitting Classes – Stranded Mittens and Circular Booties

Posted on December 30, 2011 by twostrands

Please note: These classes took place in 2011; they are not offered currently. I had a wonderful time teaching the Fair Isle Hat class at Keep Me In Stitches a few weeks ago.  In fact, I think everybody had a … Continue reading →

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Zinnia Mittens, Twist Collective Winter 2011

Posted on November 15, 2011 by twostrands

Yippee, the new Twist Collective is out!  There are so many beautiful designs in this issue! I’m honored to have my Zinnia mittens among them: The links: Zinnia on Twist Collective, main pattern page Zinnia on Twist Collective, detail page … Continue reading →

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Snowbird Hat

Posted on November 7, 2011 by twostrands

My Snowbird Hat, knit in Dale of Norway’s Hubro, a tremendously soft, chunky 100% wool yarn which knits up in a blink.  The PDF for this design is sold through Ravelry.

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I’ll be teaching a class for my Vogue Knitting hat

Posted on October 30, 2011 by twostrands

Please note: This class was offered in 2011; it is not offered currently. I’ll be teaching a class for my Vogue Knitting Fair Isle Hat #08 this November / December with the wonderful folks at Keep Me In Stitches, here … Continue reading →

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How to make a tassel

Posted on August 22, 2011 by twostrands

A few folks have asked me how I made the tassel on my Fair Isle Hat that’s in the Fall 2011 edition of Vogue Knitting.  Not too surprisingly, to save space and to fit more designs into their biggest issue … Continue reading →

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Ruth’s Tiger Lily

Posted on August 21, 2011 by twostrands

I want to share with you a wonderful photo I recently received from a very talented customer: That’s Ruth modeling her green version of my old Tiger Lily Jacket design.  Isn’t her knitting just beautiful?!  And I love those Falk … Continue reading →

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Fair Isle Hat in Vogue Knitting Fall 2011 – chart errata

Posted on August 14, 2011 by twostrands

There are few things I enjoy more than bumming around bookstores, so I generally prefer to pick and choose my knitting magazines from my favorite stores, rather than to receive them all via subscription.  Recent events might force me to … Continue reading →

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A few Heilo shades added to the Yarn on Sale page

Posted on July 11, 2011 by twostrands

Check out the updated Yarn on Sale page – I’ve added 4 discontinued shades of Heilo – yep, H-E-I-L-O –  to the clearance page!

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Dale’s Ladybug design in my Girlybug colorway

Posted on June 30, 2011 by twostrands

Dale of Norway has an extraordinary number of beloved designs for children, but I guess the most beloved of all would have to be their “Marihone”, or “Ladybug”, sweater. I have more than a few customers whose first reaction, upon … Continue reading →

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Wintergarden now available as PDF through Ravelry

Posted on May 14, 2011 by twostrands

I have two quick bits of news for you.  First, I’ve finally gotten around to formatting my ladies’ Wintergarden Pullover as a PDF and it’s now available through Ravelry. Secondly, it turns out Gracie is a knitter!  (I guess that … Continue reading →

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Tulip Mittens, a Fair Isle / Norwegian / Turkish stranded knitting design

Posted on February 4, 2011 by twostrands

I knit my ladies’ Tulip Mittens in 3 shades of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift jumper weight wool –  two 25g balls for the medium blue, “Merlin”, one ball of the light “Natural White” and one ball of the dark “Prussian Blue”.  … Continue reading →

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Happy Thanksgiving – a free chart

Posted on November 24, 2010 by twostrands

Click on the image to see a larger, clearer version.

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Rosalia Encore: the longer version

Posted on November 22, 2010 by twostrands

I used Dale of Norway Falk for my original Rosalia, mainly because of the great range of colors available in that line.  But there are plenty of other sport weight yarn options you could use, like Dale of Norway Heilo … Continue reading →

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Rosalia: a Fair Isle / Norwegian / Asian design

Posted on November 16, 2010 by twostrands

My “Rosalia” is now out in the Winter 2010 edition of Twist Collective. For those of you asking “What was she thinking?!?!?!?!”, I offer the following excuses: When I was a child, unless it was Christmas or Easter, we simply … Continue reading →

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The dearest beast is dead, long live the dearest beast!

Posted on October 1, 2010 by twostrands

Ah, autumn, at last!  I hope you all had wonderful times this summer.  We did, too, although the summer began with great sadness: we lost our dearest beast, Bubba.  He was 14 1/2 years old – downright ancient for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“Norwegian Sweater Techniques for Today’s Knitter” by Therese Chynoweth

Posted on August 28, 2010 by twostrands

I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on “Norwegian Sweater Techniques for Today’s Knitter” by the wonderful Therese Chynoweth. At last, it made its merry way to my desk last week.  What a treat!  I’m so delighted by this … Continue reading →

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Amaryllis Hat knitting pattern PDF added to Ravelry

Posted on June 24, 2010 by twostrands

Okay, okay, I give up! I’ve just added the PDF for my ladies’ Amaryllis Hat to my Ravelry store. It just kills me to say “No!” to knitters! When the Amaryllis Hat debuted on my Kidsknits.com site a few months … Continue reading →

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Amaryllis Hat, a Fair Isle / Norwegian knitting design for a ladies’ hat

Posted on May 10, 2010 by twostrands

My new ladies’ Amaryllis Hat coordinates with my old Amaryllis Mittens.  Kits for the hat and/or mittens are now available through my Kidsknits site.

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Vancouver – Back at it!

Posted on January 26, 2010 by twostrands

I had a little time this weekend to finally get back to my Vancouver v-neck.  The solid portions make for great spectator knitting but, boy, am I ever happy to be back into colorwork!

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Vancouver V-neck 21302 – errata

Posted on November 20, 2009 by twostrands

I’m plugging along happily on my Dale of Norway Vancouver V-neck. However, I have stumbled across a couple of minor errors in their Vancouver V-neck #21302 pattern that I thought I’d mention, since I know many of you are just … Continue reading →

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Polar Chullo on Winter ’09 Twist Collective – a Fair Isle earflap hat design

Posted on November 15, 2009 by twostrands

Polar Chullo, sized for adults, knit in Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift That’s my Polar Chullo design which you can now find in the Winter 2009 Edition of Twist Collective.  The pattern, either printed or as an emailed PDF,  yarn packs and kits (pattern … Continue reading →

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A dpn bag with a pedigree

Posted on November 15, 2009 by twostrands

Remember “Home Ec” class?  If yours was anything like mine, maybe we shouldn’t even dredge those dreary memories up.  Fast forward to 2009 and I bet you’ll be impressed with some of the ideas that are swirling around the “Family … Continue reading →

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Vancouver Progress Report #2

Posted on November 15, 2009 by twostrands

I’m just past the base of the neckline now.  I think it really helps to put a marker on either side of those steek stitches so that you know exactly where to make your decreases:

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Transatlantic Name Calling

Posted on October 16, 2009 by twostrands

Last week, all eleven new Heilo colors arrived.  What fun! Delving into that colorful pile of woolly goodness brought back memories of leaping into piles of freshly-raked leaves and revelling in nature’s colors or filling goodie bags from the candy … Continue reading →

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Vancouver V-neck progress report #1

Posted on October 8, 2009 by twostrands

All three of my sons play football,  so I’m a very busy spectator, this time of the year.  Vancouver is the perfect project for my purpose – simple enough that I can blast through the stockinette portions without missing any … Continue reading →

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Boggled by Toggles

Posted on October 8, 2009 by twostrands

Have any of you seen the ready-to-wear version of the Dale of Norway Vancouver sweater? You can see a great photo of it here.  Now compare that one to the handknit version shown in DofN’s Vancouver 2010 Book 213 here.  … Continue reading →

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Birds of All Feathers – a stranded and felted knitting design

Posted on September 29, 2009 by twostrands

The “Birds of All Feathers Bag” pattern is for sale as a downloadable, personal-use PDF through Ravelry. The first time I was out in the world on my own, I encountered one particular problem: Apparently, I was too friendly.  I … Continue reading →

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Decisions, decisions…Fun with choosing yarn colors

Posted on August 5, 2009 by twostrands

I really want to make the new Vancouver v-neck, but I’m not the copying type. As much as I like the light blue model… I feel the need for a different colorway. So… I’ve been playing around with some possibilities. … Continue reading →

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Vancouver 2010 is in!

Posted on August 5, 2009 by twostrands

Just a quick post to let you know it’s here; I’ll post links as soon as Phil gets a chance to add it to the site. (BTW, it’s $13.95 + s/h) Update:  here’s the link to the Vancouver book on … Continue reading →

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Two Strands Headband, a free knitting pattern

Posted on July 13, 2009 by twostrands

Some folks in my Two Strands Ravelry group recently asked me to recommend a great project for a first try at stranded knitting.  I could point out a few  fine places to start but, to tell you the truth, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogroll, Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments