Tag Archives: yarn

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 →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, shetland wool, Uncategorized | Tagged DK, double knitting, fair isle, Fair Isle knit hat, hat, jamieson's, Jamieson's of Shetland DK, Knitting, pattern, pdf, rose, Rose Arbor Hat, shetland, wool, yarn | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Special Sales, Uncategorized | Tagged clearance, Dale, Dale Garn, Dale of Norway, easy, free, free knitting pattern, hegre, Heilo, hubro, mittens, quick, sale, wool, yarn | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Uncategorized | Tagged Calling Scotland, design, fair isle knitting, hat, jamieson's, knitting kit, knitting pattern, ladies, mittens, pdf, shetland wool, spindrift, yarn | Leave a comment

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

On Swatching for Gauge

Posted on November 4, 2016 by twostrands

A knitter wrote to me this morning, wondering if she had misinterpreted something or done something wrong because she could not get the 32 x 38 stitches per 4″ gauge for a Dale Baby Ull pattern (Peace Sweater). Her stitches, … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Technique | Tagged fit, gauge, Knitting, needle size, size, swatch, yarn | Leave a comment

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

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 | 4 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

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

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

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

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

Christmas Balls – A Brilliant Blocking Idea

Posted on December 17, 2014 by twostrands

I’m so lucky – I have the coolest, most talented customers! Here’s a nifty blocking idea that one of my brilliant customers shared recently on Ravelry: She’s been using my free Christmas Balls patterns. Before she stuffs and closes up … Continue reading →

Posted in Fair Isle Knitting, Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, Norwegian Knitting, Technique | Tagged balls, Christmas, decorations, free, holiday, Knitting, norway, norwegian, ornaments, pattern, pdf, yarn | 1 Comment

On Flat Charts for Round Shapes

Posted on December 2, 2014 by twostrands

This popular post on using flat charts to knit rounds shapes has been moved to the “Technique” section of Mary Ann’s new website, MaryAnnStephens.com.

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

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 →

Posted in Free Charts, Free Knitting Patterns, Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, New From Dale of Norway, Uncategorized | Tagged chart, Dale, Dale Garn, Dale of Norway, erle, free knitting pattern, Knitting, lace, mohair, scarf, silk, wool, yarn | 5 Comments

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

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

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 | 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 customers. I hope it brings cheer to your home, year after year. UPDATE: This free pattern has been moved to my new website, MaryAnnStephens.com. Here’s a link … 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

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

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

Posted on July 23, 2013 by twostrands

UPDATE: This free knitting pattern for Mary Ann’s “Star of Bethlehem” Christmas ball has been moved to the free knitting pattern page on her new website, MaryAnnStephens.com.

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

“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

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 | 9 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

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

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 | 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, 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

Booties for a Special Day

Posted on June 4, 2011 by twostrands

OMG, these were so much fun to make! I’ve done so many adult-sized things lately that I had nearly forgotten the thrill that comes from the quick turnaround of knitting little babies’ things. Of course, I wasn’t looking for lightening … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs | Tagged babies, baby, baby ull, booties, circular knitting, cuff, Dale of Norway, Kidsknits, knit, Knitting, lace, layette, Mary Ann Stephens, newborn, pdf, slippers, socks, yarn | 2 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

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

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 →

Posted in Knitting, Mary Ann's Designs, On Twist Collective, Uncategorized | Tagged asian, cardigan, Dale of Norway, Dalegarn, danish, falk yarn, happi, kimono, knit, Knitting, knitting design, knitting pattern, knitting pattern pdf, Mary Ann Stephens, norwegian, pdf, Rosalia, steeks, stranded, sweater, twist collective, washable wool, wool, yarn | 5 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

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!

Posted in Knitting, New From Dale of Norway, Uncategorized | Tagged circular knitting, Dale, Dale of Norway, Dalegarn, daletta, knit, Knitting, Olympic, sweater, v-neck, Vancouver, Vancouver 2010, yarn | 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

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 →

Posted in Knitting, New From Dale of Norway, Uncategorized | Tagged color, color names, Dale of Norway, design, Heilo, Knitting, nordic knitting, Norwegian knitting, yarn | 2 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

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

Posted on September 11, 2008 by twostrands

UPDATE: This pattern has been moved to my new knitting website, MaryAnnStephens.com. Here’s a link directly to the free Chrysanthemum Mittens page.

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

How to knit a hem

Posted on December 16, 2007 by twostrands

A few knitters have asked me lately how I finish a knitted hem. I just came across the above old photo and thought it might be useful in answering that question. This photo shows how I slipstitch the hem inside … Continue reading →