Tag Archives: fair isle

Kilim Pillow

Posted on June 9, 2018 by twostrands

My new “Kilim Pillow” design, a 20″ square cushion to be knit in four shades of super quick, super bulky yarn, so you can have a new pillow tying all your favorite colors together in no time at all. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Uncategorized | Tagged Dale, design, fair isle, hubro, Kilim, knit, knitting pattern, pillow, quick, super bulky, wool | Leave a comment

Cholla Blossom Fingerless Mittens

Posted on May 23, 2018 by twostrands

My latest:

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, shetland wool | Tagged Cholla Blossom, fair isle, fingerless, jamieson's, Mary Ann Stephens, mittens, shetland wool, spindrift | 2 Comments

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 and … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Uncategorized | Tagged Catalina Highway, fair isle, jamieson's, knitting kit, knitting pattern, pillow, shetland, spindrift | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in Christmas, Fair Isle Knitting, Free Knitting Patterns, Norwegian Knitting, Uncategorized | Tagged ball, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Dale, decoration, fair isle, free, Holly, Kilim, knit, knitted, Knitting, Marius, norwegian, ornament, pattern, Star of Bethlehem, two strands, yarn | 3 Comments

The Flourishing Scarf

Posted on November 4, 2016 by twostrands

“The Flourishing Scarf”, just released this week. I’m immensely pleased with the result of stranding with one color in Dale Alpakka, the other in magnificent, new, organic, ethical and pure Dale Eco Baby Wool. As I explain in the pattern: … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged alpaca, circular knitting, Dale, Dalegarn, design, ECO Baby Wool, fair isle, knit | 2 Comments

Baby’s 1st Fair Isle Cardi

Posted on April 12, 2016 by twostrands

It’s been an awfully long time since we’ve had a baby in the family. Right now, our “baby” is my youngest son, who’s 16 already! (Although he’d probably tell you the “baby” in our family is Gracie, below:) One of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs | Tagged baby, baby ull, cardigan, Dale, fair isle, infant, newborn, steek, sweater | 2 Comments

Dale Garn Book 319 Retro Baby

Posted on February 11, 2016 by twostrands

Dale’s new “Retro Baby” book is here! It has sixteen adorable Norwegian colorwork knitting designs for dressing up your little sweethearts, newborn to three years old. Everything in the book has been knit in Dale’s ever-popular Dale Baby Ull superwash … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, New From Dale of Norway, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged babies, baby, book 319, Dale, dress, fair isle, garn, hats, infant, jacket, knit, Knitting, norwegian, nursery, onesie, pants, Retro, sweater, toddler | 2 Comments

Another Shetland Spindrift Shipment

Posted on January 26, 2016 by twostrands

Yippee, another dearly-awaited Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift shipment just waltzed through my door last night! A couple of colors for some of my Fair Isle knitting kits have been missing in action the last few weeks. If you’ve been wondering when … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs | Tagged Allamanda Hat, amaryllis hat, fair isle, jamieson's, kits, Knitting, Polar Chullo, Sagebrush Chullo, Shamrock Mittens, shetland, spice route gloves, Tulip Mittens, wool, yarn | 2 Comments

Top 10 Tips for Machine-sewn Steeks

Posted on December 21, 2015 by twostrands

It’s that time of the year again! Knitters scramble to finish up gifts, they scurry to gather provisions for the wintertime queue and I get inundated with frantic calls and emails about steeking – a finishing technique that’s central to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Technique, Uncategorized | Tagged cut, cutting, fair isle, finishing, Knitting, machine, norwegian, reinforced, sewn, steek, steeked, steeking, steeks, tips | 5 Comments

Ivy Headband

Posted on December 14, 2015 by twostrands

My new, warm, soft, stranded, braided, purpled, ivy-covered headband: I used five different shades of Dale Garn Alpakka. You’ll want about 40g out of a 50g ball of the main, background color – Purple 4845, in this case – since … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged alpaca, alpakka, Dale, design, fair isle, headband, ivy, knit, Knitting, norwegian, pattern, pdf | 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 →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Uncategorized | Tagged colorful, earflap, fair isle, fingering weight, hat, jamieson's, kit, knit, Knitting, Mary Ann Stephens, pattern, pdf, shetland, spindrift, wool, yarn | 3 Comments

My notes for Dale’s Peace sweater knitting pattern

Posted on September 5, 2015 by twostrands

Last week, as soon as I saw it, I shared the Ravelry link to the new, free knitting pattern for Dale Garn’s lovely “Peace” sweater. When they issued it, they said it was for a “limited time”, so time was … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Free Charts, Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, New From Dale of Norway, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged baby ull, charts, Dale, errata, fair isle, free, knit, Knitting, knitting pattern, ladies sweater, nordic, norwegian, Peace sweater, yarn | 6 Comments

Fair Isle Vest by Yoko Hatta in VK Early Fall 2015 in Dale yarns

Posted on July 25, 2015 by twostrands

There’s a truly lovely Fair Isle vest by Yoko Hatta in the new Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2015 edition. It uses mostly Dale Alpakka (regulars here know that’s a personal favorite of mine), with some gorgeous Dale Erle accents, all … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alpakka, circular knitting, Dale, erle, fair isle, Fair Isle Vest, Knitting, steeks, vogue knitting | 3 Comments

Après Ski Wine Cozy

Posted on July 5, 2015 by twostrands

So, now I take requests. Well, at least I took this one. A particularly nice person who just so happens to be an absolutely wonderful knitter (funny how those two pop up together so often) asked me to design a … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged apres, cozy, Dale, fair isle, Heilo, knit, Knitting, norwegian, pattern, Ski, wine | Leave a comment

TBT – What’s old is new again! Dale 13801 ladies’ cardigan

Posted on June 18, 2015 by twostrands

Turns out plenty of us traditional knitters are quite the forward thinkers! The topic of the week around here: “What can I knit this summer that I’ll just love to wear this fall and winter… and every fall and winter … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged 13801, cardigan, color, cotinga, Dale, design, fair isle, freestyle, knit, Knitting, ladies, norwegian, worsted weight | 1 Comment

NY Nordic Hat

Posted on June 9, 2015 by twostrands

It’s not easy for an old knitter to capture the interest of a frenetic teenage boy. But, when a few bags of Dale Garn Freestyle came through my door, sporting unmistakably neon colors, my youngest son, Mikey, practically pounced on … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged beanie, Dale, design, fair isle, freestyle, hat, knit, Knitting, neon, new york city, nordic, norwegian, NY, pattern, ski hat, worsted weight | 2 Comments

Ladies’ “Spice Route Gloves” knitting kits

Posted on June 8, 2015 by twostrands

My ladies’ Spice Route Gloves Fair Isle knitting design, already available in PDF format through Ravelry, is now available as a knitting kit, too, through my online yarn shop, Kidsknits.com. And yes, as always, feel free to request custom colors. … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs | Tagged fair isle, gloves, kit, knit, Knitting, ladies, pattern, shetland, wool | 2 Comments

The Littlest Fisherman’s Hat

Posted on May 12, 2015 by twostrands

The inspiration for this hat is eighteen years old. Back in March ’97, my now-hulking son Alex was a newborn. Waaaaay too much of that spring was spent in a frustrating search for a sunhat for my bald-as-a-cueball little fellow. … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged baby, cotton, Dale, DIY, fair isle, fish, fisherman, fishies, hat, infant, knit, Knitting, newborn, norwegian, pattern, sunhat, yarn | 2 Comments

Alpakka “Lilac” #4435 is back…for now

Posted on April 16, 2015 by twostrands

Dale Garn’s lovely “Lilac 4435” Alpakka 100% alpaca yarn is back in stock at Kidsknits…for now. It’s been a tremendously popular color, and it’s a key shade in a recent design of mine. It took me quite a while to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs | Tagged alpaca, alpakka, Dale, fair isle, garn, hat, lilac, yarn | Leave a comment

I Spy a Crocus

Posted on March 31, 2015 by twostrands

After the brutal winter we’ve endured, I got up out of bed this past Saturday morning – our last weekend in March – hoping that maybe, finally, we’d have a decent, spring-like weekend. I had this silly notion that, “Oh, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged alpaca, crocus, fair isle, flower, hat, knit, Knitting, ladies, merino, norwegian, pretty, soft, yarn | Leave a comment

Val’s Tiger Lily Jacket

Posted on March 26, 2015 by twostrands

Yesterday, I received a delightful email from another one of my immensely talented customers, Val. It’s always a big thrill for me, to see the face behind the emails and phone calls. Turns out, not only is Val bright, funny … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged cardigan, Dale, Dale Garn, design, fair isle, jacket, kit, knit, Knitting, ladies, norway, norwegian, pattern, sport weight, stranded, tiger lily | Leave a comment

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!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged baby ull, colorwork, decoration, Easter, egg, fair isle, free, knit, Knitting, norwegian, pattern, pdf, toy | Leave a comment

Nordic Easter Egg, a free PDF with yarn purchase

Posted on March 7, 2015 by twostrands

It sure has been one long, hard winter! But, if you can believe it, we’re just two weeks away from spring. While Mother Nature is apparently still enthralled with winter, someone else has been busily focusing on the colorful, lively … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Special Sales | Tagged decoration, Easter, egg, fair isle, fingering, free, Knitting, nordic, Norwegian knitting, pattern, pdf, stranded, toy, weight | 1 Comment

Searching for Spring

Posted on February 20, 2015 by twostrands

The thermometer outside my kitchen window reported a bone-chilling two, count ’em, two sorry degrees this morning. So, I checked the weekend forecast, hoping for a sunny reprieve. Snow and ice starting on Saturday afternoon, lasting into Sunday. Not exactly … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs | Tagged fair isle, kit, knit, Knitting, ladies, mittens, pattern, shamrock, shetland, spindrift, st patricks day, wool, yarn | 3 Comments

Chevron Fingerless Mittens – knitting kits, colorway ideas

Posted on February 13, 2015 by twostrands

We’ve just added a new kit page for my Chevron Fingerless Mittens. You can select your three favorite Dale Alpakka colors from the three little pull-downs, right there on the kit page. But, how do you choose three favorites shades? … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs | Tagged alpaca, alpakka, color combinations, Dale, fair isle, fingerless, fitted, kit, knit, Knitting, ladies, Mary Ann Stephens, mittens | 3 Comments

Fair Isle “Gentle Hat” kits now online

Posted on January 29, 2015 by twostrands

Ladies’ Fair Isle “Gentle Hat” kits are now available through my Kidsknits.com store site. The kits come with my pattern (printed or emailed PDF, your choice) and seven different shades of delightful Dale Garn “Alpakka” (aka “Royal Alpakka”) 100% … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs | Tagged alpaca, alpakka, Dale Garn, fair isle, gentle, hat, kit, Knitting, yarn | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Uncategorized | Tagged design, fair isle, fingering weight, gloves, knit, Knitting, Mary Ann Stephens, pattern, shetland wool, spice route gloves, spindrift | 4 Comments

Polar Chullo Shetland Spindrift Back in Stock

Posted on January 2, 2015 by twostrands

It’s baaaa-aaaack! Yippee, we just received yet another big shipment of wonderful Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift. In addition to several colors for some new designs that are “in the works” (stay tuned) I ordered a large amount of the five popular-but-elusive … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, On Twist Collective | Tagged earflap, fair isle, hat, Knitting, polar bears, Polar Chullo, shetland, ski hat, spindrift, wool, yarn | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Uncategorized | Tagged alpaca, alpakka, Dale Garn, design, fair isle, gentle, gift, hat, knit, Knitting, pretty, soft, warm, yarn | 5 Comments

On Flat Charts for Round Shapes

Posted on December 2, 2014 by twostrands

It’s gratifying to see so many knitters stopping by to check out my patterns. Many of you are new to charted knitting and, as you’ve gotten your feet wet with some of my Christmas Ball patterns, a few of you … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Free Charts, Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Technique | Tagged ball, chart, Christmas, design, fair isle, free, Knitting, norwegian, ornament, pattern, shapes, stranded, yarn | 8 Comments

Dale Garn Book 294 – Kids

Posted on November 29, 2014 by twostrands

Dale Garn Book 294, with knitting patterns for children’s wear in sizes 2 to 12 years, is now up on the Kidsknits.com Dale Book page. I’m happy to report that Book 294 has quite a few designs for us stranded … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, New From Dale of Norway, Norwegian Knitting, Uncategorized | Tagged Book 294, children, colorwork, Dale, Dalegarn, fair isle, kids, Knitting, norwegian, stranded knitting, sweaters, yarn | Leave a comment

Supernova Hat

Posted on October 13, 2014 by twostrands

Thirty, count ’em, thirty quick rounds of short repeat, short float bliss, then *poof*, you’re done. Should fit most of the adults on your holiday list. It seems a shame to knit just one, no? Knit yours in any two … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged circular knitting, Dale, Dalegarn, fair isle, hat, hubro, Knitting, knitting pattern, Mary Ann Stephens, Norwegian knitting, ski hat, stranded knitting, wool, yarn | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Uncategorized | Tagged Dale, Dale of Norway, Dalegarn, fair isle, Heilo, knit, Knitting, Mary Ann Stephens, norwegian, pattern, pdf, steeks, sweater, wintergarden, wool, yarn | 3 Comments

Shepherdess Cloche

Posted on September 24, 2014 by twostrands

My “Shepherdess Cloche” hat design, sized for adult females, knit in Dale Garn Monjita, Hegre and Heilo or Falk, now available as a knitting pattern, PDF or kit: Dale Garn’s new, wonderfully soft, Persian-lamb-lookalike, Monjita, is held together with … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged beanie, beginner, cloche, Dale, Dale Garn, Dale of Norway, easy, fair isle, hat, knit, Knitting, ladies, monjita, norwegian, pattern, simple | Leave a comment

Camissonia Mittens

Posted on September 22, 2014 by twostrands

My new “Camissonia Mittens“, sized to fit the average adult female hand. Knit in standard Fair Isle knitting technique, then (optionally) embroidered, using Dale Garn Alpakka throughout: The knitting kit is available through my on-line yarn shop, Kidsknits.com. It includes … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged alpaca, alpakka, Dale Garn, Dale Garn Alpakka, design, embroidery, fair isle, fair isle knitting, floral, knit, knitting pattern, ladies, Mary Ann Stephens, mittens, norwegian, stranded, yarn | Leave a comment

Fair Isle Cowl in 60 Quick Luxury Knits

Posted on July 17, 2014 by twostrands

“60 Quick Luxury Knits” has just been released and it includes my reversible fair isle cowl, below: The publishers had me use Cascade’s “Venezia Sport” 70% merino wool, 30% mulberry silk sport weight yarn. (In fact, all of the designs … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged 60 quick luxury knits, Cascade Venezia Sport, cascade venezia yarn, Cascade yarns, cowl, Dalegarn Royal Alpakka, fair isle, knit, knitting pattern, riverside cowl, stranded knitting, tribal motif | 6 Comments

Chevron Fingerless Mittens

Posted on May 23, 2014 by twostrands

My “Chevron Fingerless Mittens”, sized for the average adult female hand, with fitted cuffs and gusseted thumbs. Knit in luxurious Dale of Norway Royal Alpakka. Use any three shades your heart desires. I used 19g of Slate 0007, 32g of … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged alpaca, colorwork, Dale of Norway, Dalegarn, design, fair isle, fingerless, Knitting, knitting pattern, mittens, norwegian, stranded, yarn | Leave a comment

Blendoku – a great game for Fair Isle fanatics

Posted on April 21, 2014 by twostrands

What’s Blendoku? It’s an intriguing free app that sharpens your color management skills. Should disaster strike and you find yourself without your knitting (gasp!) it’s a fun way to sharpen your skills for setting up smooth color gradients for your … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Miscellaneous, Technique | Tagged Blendoku, color, color gradient, colorwork, fair isle, fair isle knitting, free, game, Knitting, Norwegian knitting, stranded knitting | 1 Comment

Steek stitches – how many???

Posted on February 25, 2014 by twostrands

Someone just posted an interesting question in my Two Strands group on Ravelry. It’s one I’m often asked regarding Norwegian steeks, so I’ll share it with you folks here, too. She’s thinking about knitting the Dale Sirdal design from their … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Technique | Tagged cut you knitting, cutting stitches, Dale, fair isle, knit, Knitting, machine-sewn, norwegian, steek, steeks, stranded knitting | Leave a comment

Free Chart – Happy Valentine’s Day!

Posted on February 11, 2014 by twostrands

A “little something” to show my love for my dear customers. Use this free chart in the next few days, to brighten up your Valentine’s gift wrap, or use it in your stranded knitting, down the road. Either way, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Charts, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged bird, card, chart, cross stitch, embroidery, fair isle, folk, free, gift, giftwrap, heart, Knitting, love birds, needlepoint, norwegian, traditional, valentine, valentine's day, wrapping paper | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Uncategorized | Tagged chullo, earflap hat, fair isle, fingering weight, hat, jamieson's, jumper weight, knit, Knitting, polar bear, shetland, shetland wool, spindrift, traditional, wool, yarn | Leave a comment

Free Knitting Pattern – Two Strands Christmas Ball

Posted on October 17, 2013 by twostrands

An early Christmas present, to say “Thank You!” to all of my dear Kidsknits.com customers. I hope it brings cheer to your home, year after year. This “Two Strands Christmas Ball” was knit using worsted weight Dale of Norway Freestyle … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged ball, Christmas, christmas tree, Dale of Norway, decoration, fair isle, folk, free knitting pattern, holiday, knit, Knitting, nordic, norwegian, ornament, pattern, pdf, stranded knitting, wool, yarn | 3 Comments

White, Off-White or Natural?

Posted on October 15, 2013 by twostrands

Here’s the #1 hemming and hawing point for knitters picking out yarns for a Norwegian knitting project: “Which ‘White’ will it be?” Today, we had a nice (?) overcast morning – good for photography, anyway. So, I set up some … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged baby ull, color, colorwork, Dale, Dale of Norway, design, fair isle, fair isle knitting, falk, Heilo, knit, Knitting, knitting design, nordic knitting, norwegian, Norwegian knitting, shetland wool, stranded knitting, sweater, wool, yarn | Leave a comment

Circular knitting intro for use with Christmas Balls PDF

Posted on October 1, 2013 by twostrands

When I wrote my “Christmas Balls” free knitting patterns last year (and my free “Star of Bethlehem” pattern this year) I had my “typical” knitting customer in mind. Not that any of you are typical – you’re all special and … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Technique | Tagged chart, Christmas, christmas balls, christmas ornaments, circular knitting, colorwork, fair isle, fair isle knitting, free, free knitting pattern, how to read a knitting chart, knit, Knitting, knitting chart, knitting design, knitting pattern, knitting pattern pdf, nordic knitting, norwegian, Norwegian knitting, pattern, pdf, stranded, stranded knitting, wool, yarn | 1 Comment

Spice Route Gloves

Posted on September 12, 2013 by twostrands

…or, “What I Did Over My Summer Vacation”: My “Spice Route Gloves” design, knit in 4 shades of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift. Finished palm circumference of 8″, so they’re sized to fit average adult female hand. Five 25g balls of Jamieson’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs | Tagged color work, colorful, fair isle, fingering weight, gloves, jamieson's, jumper weight, knit, Knitting, knitting pattern, Mary Ann Stephens, shetland, spindrift, wool | 4 Comments

Free knitting pattern: Christmas Ball – “Star of Bethlehem”

Posted on July 23, 2013 by twostrands

I love knitting Christmas things during heatwaves – at least my thoughts are cool! Last year’s heatwave inspired three Nordic Christmas balls. This year, most of my heatwave knitting time was spent on some gloves I’ll be showing you shortly. … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged ball, balls, child safe, Christmas, christmas tree, circular knitting, colorwork, Dale, Dale of Norway, Dalegarn, DIY, fair isle, falk, free, holiday, Kidsknits, Knitting, knitting pattern, nordic knitting, norwegian, ornament, ornaments, pdf, stranded knitting, wool, yarn | 4 Comments

Tiger Lily, in the pink

Posted on June 5, 2013 by twostrands

Reason #352 why I love knitting: Merely by changing the shades of yarn we’re using, we can give an entirely new look to beloved, old designs. It’s true, I do lament when an “old favorite” shade is discontinued by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, New From Dale of Norway, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged circular knitting, color, colorwork, Dale, Dale of Norway, Dalegarn, design, DIY, fair isle, fair isle knitting, falk, floral, Heilo, knit, Knitting, knitting design, knitting kit, knitting pattern, knitting pattern pdf, lilies, lily, Mary Ann Stephens, nordic, nordic knitting, norwegian, Norwegian knitting, pattern, pdf, steeks, stranded, stranded knitting, sweater, wool, yarn | Leave a comment

Stranded Knitting Presentation at LI Knitting Guild

Posted on April 23, 2013 by twostrands

I’d like to send out a big, warm “Thank You!” to everyone at the Long Island Knitting Guild. This past Friday, I presented my talk to them, “Stranded on Long Island – Tips and Tricks for Developing Your Very Own … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Knitting Classes, Mary Ann's Designs, Technique | Tagged class, craft, DIY, fair isle, guild, Knitting, knitting instruction, long island, Mary Ann Stephens, norwegian, presentation, stranded knitting | 1 Comment

“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 →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Uncategorized | Tagged baby, baby ull, boy, chart, circular knitting, color, colorwork, craft, Dale, Dale of Norway, Dalegarn, design, DIY, fair isle, fair isle knitting, girl, hat, knit, Knitting, knitting design, knitting kit, knitting pattern, layette, Mary Ann Stephens, merino, new baby, newborn, Norwegian knitting, stranded, stranded knitting, superwash, yarn | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Uncategorized | Tagged design, fair isle, fingering weight, irish, kit, knit, Knitting, knitting kit, latvian, Mary Ann Stephens, mittens, norwegian, pattern, shamrock, shetland, spindrift, st patricks day, stranded, wool, yarn | 1 Comment

More Riverside Cowl Colorways

Posted on January 22, 2013 by twostrands

Some alternate colorway ideas for my Riverside Cowl design: Got a favorite? Get the customizable kit here.

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged alpaca, alpakka, colorwork, cowl, Dale, Dale of Norway, fair isle, fairisle, knit, Knitting, knitting design, knitting kit, knitting pattern, Mary Ann Stephens, royal alpakka, stranded knitting, yarn | 2 Comments

Tiger Lily Jacket Color Substitutions

Posted on December 4, 2012 by twostrands

I think putting together new colorways can be a lot of fun. But, it takes a lot of time, too – something I’m finding in short supply these days. In an effort to stop wasting time on duplicated effort (okay, … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, New From Dale of Norway, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged choosing yarn colors, colors, fair isle, knit, Knitting, norwegian, stranded, yarn, yarn colors | Leave a comment

Catching long floats on the Polar Chullo

Posted on November 29, 2012 by twostrands

I know quite a few of you are working on your Polar Chullos, hoping to get them done in time for the holidays. I’m reposting a response I just sent to a knitter in Ravelry who is working on her … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Technique | Tagged catching floats, chullo, earflap, fair isle, fair isle knitting, hat, jamieson's spindrift, Knitting, knitting kit, knitting pattern, long floats, Polar Chullo, shetland wool, stranded knitting, weaving in | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, New From Dale of Norway, Norwegian Knitting, Uncategorized | Tagged alpaca, alpakka, cowl, Dale of Norway, dale of norway knitting, dale of norway royal alpakka, design, fair isle, fashion, gift, knit, Knitting, knitting design, knitting kit, knitting pattern, Mary Ann Stephens, neckwear, norwegian, Norwegian knitting, paisley, riverside, riverside cowl, unisex, yarn | Leave a comment

Sirdal

Posted on October 6, 2012 by twostrands

I’m very fortunate to have some tremendously talented customers. This past week, a charming coincidence arose: two of my wonderful customers showed me their very special renditions of Dale of Norway’s beloved “Sirdal” design, a traditional Norwegian knitting classic (which, … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, New From Dale of Norway, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged baby, baby ull, circular knitting, colorwork, Dale, Dale of Norway, Dalegarn, design, fair isle, fair isle knitting, free knitting pattern, free pattern, Heilo, Kidsknits, knit, Knitting, knitting design, knitting pattern, knitting pattern pdf, nordic, nordic knitting, norwegian, Norwegian knitting, pattern, pdf, Sirdal, ski sweater, sport weight, steeks, stranded knitting, sweater, traditional, yarn | 7 Comments

Allamanda Hat

Posted on September 20, 2012 by twostrands

My new Allamanda Hat design. It’s easier than it looks. It’s first knit in typical Fair Isle style (no more than two colors at once.) When the knitting is done, you have the option to get carried away with some … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged beret, color, design, embroidered, embroidery, fair isle, fair isle design, fair isle hat, fair isle knitting, floral, hat, knit, Knitting, knitting design, knitting pattern, Mary Ann Stephens, norwegian, norwegian design, Norwegian knitting, shetland, slouched, slouched beret, slouched tam, stranded, tam, wool, yarn | 1 Comment

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 arne & carlos, balls, Christmas, christmas balls, christmas ornaments, fair isle, free, free knitting pattern, gift, julekuler, knit, Knitting, Mary Ann Stephens, norwegian, norwegian christmas, Norwegian knitting, ornaments, pattern, pdf, scandinavian, stranded | 23 Comments

Monkey Hat

Posted on August 1, 2012 by twostrands

My new Monkey Hat design. Knit in Dale of Norway Baby Ull yarn for newborn and infant sizes. Knit in Dale of Norway Falk yarn for youth and teen / adult sizes. Kits with printed patterns available through Kidsknits.com. Personal-use … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged adult, baby, baby hat, baby ull, child, Dale of Norway, design, fair isle, fair isle hat, falk yarn, hat, infant, kit, knit, Knitting, knitting pattern, monkey, monkey hat, newborn, nordic, norwegian, pattern, pdf, superwash, teen, yarn, youth | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, New From Dale of Norway, Norwegian Knitting, Uncategorized | Tagged Dale of Norway, fair isle, hat, hegre, knit, Knitting, norwegian, ski hats, yarn | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Uncategorized | Tagged Dale of Norway, fair isle, fair isle hat, funny hat, hat, horns, knit, Norwegian knitting, ski hat, stranded knitting, Viking, viking hat | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Uncategorized | Tagged Dale, design, fair isle, falk, fingerless, fingerless mittens, Heilo, knit, Knitting, knitting pattern, Mary Ann Stephens, mittens, mitts, norwegian, pattern, pdf, stranded knitting, yarn | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Technique, Uncategorized | Tagged baby, baby shoes, baby ull, baby yarn, bootie, booties, booty, cute, cuteness, Dale of Norway, DIY, fair isle, fingering, garter stitch, home, knit, Knitting, merino, newborn, nordic knitting, Norwegian knitting, pattern, pdf, sock yarn, stranded, stranded knitting, yarn scraps | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Uncategorized | Tagged chullo, chunky knit, Dale of Norway, design, earflap hat, fair isle, hat, hubro, knitting pattern, knitwear, Mary Ann Stephens, Norwegian knitting, pdf | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Knitting Classes, Mary Ann's Designs, Uncategorized | Tagged booties, circular, circular knitting, class, dpns, fair isle, i-cord, knitted braids, Knitting, knitting class, lace, mittens, norwegian, stranded | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, On Twist Collective, Uncategorized | Tagged baby ull, chart, circular knitting, color, colorwork, Dale, Dale of Norway, Dalegarn, design, fair isle, fair isle knitting, knit, Knitting, knitting design, knitting pattern, knitting pattern pdf, Mary Ann Stephens, mittens, nordic, nordic knitting, norwegian, Norwegian knitting, pdf, shetland wool, stranded, stranded knitting, twist collective, wool, yarn, zinnia | Leave a comment

Snow Day Hat…

Posted on October 5, 2011 by twostrands

…or “How I Survived A Sweltering September With One Easy Project”: And all it took was 2 balls of Dale of Norway Freestyle yarn (plus a lot of wishful thinking.) Are you starting to “Think Snow”, too? Here’s the PDF, … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs | Tagged beanie, cap, colorwork, design, fair isle, fair isle knitting, hat, knit, Knitting, knitting pattern, nordic, nordic knitting, norwegian, Norwegian knitting, outerwear, pdf, ski hat, snow, snow day hat, snowflake, snowflake hat, snowflakes, stranded, stranded knitting, winter, yarn | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged circular knitting, colorwork, fair isle, fair isle knitting, hat, how to, knit, Knitting, knitting design, knitting pattern, Mary Ann Stephens, nordic knitting, Norwegian knitting, stranded knitting, tassel, wool, yarn | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged color, colorway, Dale, Dale of Norway, design, fair isle, falk, Heilo, jacket, knit, Knitting, knitwear, Mary Ann Stephens, norwegian, pattern, pdf, stranded, sweater, tiger lily, yarn | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged errata, fair isle, fair isle knitting, hat, norwegian kniiting, stranded, voge knitting | Leave a comment

Fair Isle Hat, Vogue Knitting Fall 2011

Posted on August 4, 2011 by twostrands

ETA: Link to PDF available through Vogue Knitting. That’s my “#08 Fair Isle Hat” that just came out in Vogue Knitting Fall 2011. While I was waiting for the black and white Cascade 220 Sport to arrive from Vogue Knitting … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Vogue Knitting | Tagged circular knitting, color, colorwork, Dale, Dale of Norway, Dalegarn, design, fair isle, fair isle knitting, hat, Heilo, Kidsknits, knit, Knitting, knitting design, knitting magazine, knitting pattern, knitting pattern pdf, Mary Ann Stephens, nordic, nordic knitting, norwegian, Norwegian knitting, pdf, stranded, stranded knitting, vogue, vogue knitting, wool, yarn | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Uncategorized | Tagged baby, baby ull, baby yarn, color, color chart, colorway, colorwork, Dale, Dale of Norway, design, fair isle, girly, Kidsknits, knit, Knitting, lady bug, ladybug, layette, marihone, Mary Ann Stephens, norwegian, pastel, stranded, sweater, yarn | 11 Comments

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Uncategorized | Tagged dog, fair isle, golden retriever, humor, knit, Knitting, knitting pattern, noro, norwegian, pdf, stranded, wintergarden, yarn | 4 Comments

Yarn on Sale

Posted on April 7, 2011 by twostrands

I’ve just made a bunch of updates to the “Yarn on Sale” page. (See also top right of menu.) Definitely check it out – there are some beautiful deals here! Since they’re predominantly discontinued yarns, email me at mas “AT” … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Miscellaneous, Special Sales | Tagged ara, carry along, cheap, clearance, close out, closeout, cotton, Dale, discontinued, discount, discounted, fair isle, flamingo, harlequin, knit, Knitting, nordic, norway, norwegian, on sale, popcorn, reduced, sale, silk, stranded, svale, wool, yarn | Leave a comment

New Dale Books: Oslo 2011 NR 228, Baby NR 209 and Kids NR 230

Posted on March 17, 2011 by twostrands

We’ve just received a shipment of three brand new Dale books, with instructions in English. Hopefully, they’ll be up on the website before long. But, in the meantime, click on the links below to see gorgeous full screen PDF photos … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged baby blanket, circular knitting, Dale, Dale books, Dale of Norway, Dalegarn, daletta, design, fair isle, falk, free knitting pattern, hat, Heilo, Kidsknits, Knitting, knitting books, knitting design, knitting pattern, mittens, nordic, nordic knitting, norwegian, Norwegian knitting, norwegian ski team, oslo, oslo 2011, pdf, ski sweater, skiwear, steeks, stranded, stranded knitting, sweater, wool, yarn | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Special Sales, Uncategorized | Tagged circular knitting, design, fair isle, fair isle knitting, jamieson's, jamieson's spindrift, Knitting, knitting kit, knitting pattern, knitting pattern pdf, latvian mittens, mittens, mitts, Norwegian knitting, pattern pdf, shetland spindrift, shetland wool, spindrift, stranded knitting, wool, wool yarn, yarn | 3 Comments

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 →

Posted in Blogroll, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, On Twist Collective, Uncategorized | Tagged cardigan, Dale of Norway, fair isle, falk, Heilo, kimono, knit, Knitting, Mary Ann Stephens, norwegian, Rosalia, stranded, sweater, twist collective, winter 2010, yarn | 7 Comments

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Uncategorized | Tagged amaryllis, amaryllis hat, baby ull, beret, circular knitting, Dale of Norway, fair isle, fair isle knitting, hat, jamieson's shetland spindrift, knit, Knitting, knitting kit, knitting pattern, knitting pdf, norwegian, pdf, shetland wool, stranded, tam, wool, wool yarn, yarn | 1 Comment

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.

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Uncategorized | Tagged amaryllis, amaryllis hat, beret, circular knitting, design, fair isle, fair isle knitting, hat, knit, Knitting, knitting kit, knitting pattern, knitting pattern pdf, Mary Ann Stephens, norwegian, Norwegian knitting, pdf, tam | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in Mary Ann's Designs, On Twist Collective, Uncategorized | Tagged cap, chullo, circular knitting, design, earflap, earflap hat, fair isle, fair isle knitting, hat, jamieson's, jamieson's shetland spindrift, knit, Knitting, knitting pattern, knitting pattern pdf, Mary Ann Stephens, nordic, pdf, polar bear hat, polar bears, Polar Chullo, shetland wool, shetland yarn, spindrift yarn, twist collective, yarn | 11 Comments

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Uncategorized | Tagged binghamton, charity knitting, fair isle, felted bag, Knitting, stranded knitting | 3 Comments

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 →

Posted in Knitting, New From Dale of Norway, Technique, Uncategorized | Tagged colorways, designing with color, fair isle, Knitting, norwegian, stranded | 21 Comments

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 beginner knitting, beginner pattern, circular knitting, color, colorways, colorwork, Dale of Norway, Dalegarn, fair isle, falk, floats, free, free chart, free knitting pattern, free pattern, headband, Knitting, Mary Ann Stephens, nordic knitting, Norwegian knitting, star, star chart, stranded, stranded knitting, two strands, two strands headband, yarn | 22 Comments

Like the blog? Join the group!

Posted on June 6, 2009 by twostrands

I’ve just started my own Ravelry group, “Two Strands”. I’m hoping it will grow into a fun place to discuss stranded knitting in general and my work in particular. You’re all welcome to join in the fun, talk about whatever … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogroll, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, New From Dale of Norway, Technique | Tagged fair isle, fair isle knitting, Knitting, Norwegian knitting, ravelry, ravelry group, stranded knitting, two strands | 2 Comments

Sleepy Monkey Blanket, a reversible stranded baby blanket knitting design

Posted on March 1, 2009 by twostrands

Monkster has something he’d like to show you: That’s my Sleepy Monkey Blanket which I designed for the Spring 2009 edition of Twist Collective. No, that’s not a second blanket – it’s reversible! Nifty, huh? My 3 boys aren’t babies … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogroll, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, On Twist Collective | Tagged baby, baby blanket, baby knitting, Dale of Norway Freestyle yarn, fair isle, knit, Knitting, knitting pattern, lovey, mary ann, Mary Ann Stephens, merino, monkey, monkey blanket, nordic, norwegian, play mat, reversible blanket, sleepy monkey, steek, steeked, steeks, stephens, stranded knitting, stroller blanket, superwash, twist collective, valley yarn, washable merino, washable wool, wool, worsted weight yarn | 5 Comments

Steeks

Posted on September 11, 2008 by twostrands

A number of knitters have been looking around this blog, wondering where the heck I’ve hidden my steeks article. Actually, it’s on my Kidsknits store site, right where it’s always been. You can get to it through the menu bar … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Technique | Tagged cutting stitches, fair isle, fair isle knitting, Knitting, Norwegian knitting, steeks, stranded knitting | 1 Comment

Chrysanthemum Mittens – a free knitting pattern for ladies’ Norwegian mittens

Posted on September 11, 2008 by twostrands

You are welcome to copy this free knitting pattern for your personal use. You are warmly encouraged to use this pattern for charitable purposes. Knitting instructors may use this pattern for classes. However, this pattern is not to be sold … Continue reading →

Posted in Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged charity knitting, colorwork, Dale of Norway, fair isle, falk, free chart, free knitting pattern, free pattern, Heilo, Knitting, knitting pattern, mitten, mitten pattern, Norwegian knitting, stranded, stranded knitting, yarn | 18 Comments

Fair Isle Repeat Offenders – managing motif layouts in Fair Isle knitting

Posted on April 2, 2008 by twostrands

We all learned at a very young age that even numbers split nicely and odd numbers create those troublesome leftovers, remainders. For some, that thought alone is the only seed needed to sprout an appreciation for optimal knitting design layout. … Continue reading →