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