Yarn Test Kitchen – Knit in One by Marie Greene
Keeley Richardson
Founder and Chief Fiber Officer
Welcome back to The Woolpack Yarn Test Kitchen!
This month’s Yarn Test Kitchen feature looks a little different – I am super excited to bring you our first ever YTK book review. Our featured book couldn’t be more perfect for the yarn test kitchen – a delightful collection of patterns from one of our favorite designers, Marie Greene. This book is bursting with wonderful designs that can be knit up in no time at all using a single skein of yarn. How perfect is that for a tie-in?
Also, a quick note on our yarns – some of this month’s indie yarn dyers and producers will be familiar names from our YTK past. I raided my stash to bring back some of our favorite yarns that we have featured in previous Yarn Test Kitchen features.
Before heading to this month’s show and share I’d like to say a huge “Thank you” to Marie for supporting what we do in the yarn test kitchen by generously sending four copies of “Knit in One” for us to review. We had the best time planning and creating our own versions of her beautiful new designs.
Here’s what we knitted….
Our November Yarns: “Knit in One” is organized by yarn weight, taking the knitter from fingering weight designs in the first section through to worsted weight in section four. Four differnt weights of yarn are featured in this month’s YTK to test a range of patterns from the book.
This month’s yarns from top to bottom:
- Superwash Worsted Weight Merino from Willow on the Water
- Sport weight 100% wool from Fat Sheep Fiber (Carnation Farms)
- Fingering weight sock yarn from Jadawoo Designs
- DK superwash Merino from Juni & Si
Our Seasonal Baked Treat : Gingerbread Cupcakes frommygorgeousrecipes.com
When I began knitting with my skein of yarn from Willow on The Water for this month’s YTK, I began to get serious festive gingerbread vibes. The background color in Willow’s hand dyed yarn shouted ginger and the speckles of green and red reminded me of seasonal icing/frosting. Thoughts of gingerbread danced through my head as I knitted, so it felt only natural that I should offer a bake to my guests that continued the theme.
A quick online search delivered this fabulous recipe from the My Gorgeous Recipes blog which I think may be foolproof. Sugar, butter, molasses and golden syrup are melted in a pan and then the eggs and flour are beaten in. The cupcakes rose perfectly and I chose to top them with homemade vanilla butter icing. A few jolly sprinkles were added, and they were ready to serve. They tasted as festive as they looked!
Tester: Keeley – Yarn: Willow on the Water, SW Aran Worsted – Pattern: Granite Mittens
Leafing through all of the beautiful designs in Marie’s book was such a treat. There are 30 enticing patterns to choose from, however, this was an easy pattern choice for me – I love knitting small projects on double pointed needles, and since I had recently made a couple of pairs of socks, mittens were the obvious project to satisfy my “knitting with sticks”, craving. Note; if you are not a fellow DPN fan, the pattern instructions can be easily adapted to use the magic loop method.
Marie’s pattern was easy to follow with great step-by-step instructions on how to achieve the granite stitch texture. It’s an easy to memorize seven row repeat that begins immediately on the mitten cuff meaning there is no need for rib stitch. The shaping at the top edge of the mitten and the entire thumb section is in plain stockinette making the mittens simple to complete. This is such a fun and relaxing knit resulting in a super cozy pair of mittens. I am looking forward to wearing them throughout the Holiday season!
One of the many things I love about “Knit in One”, is how you hear Marie’s voice coming through in her written instructions. It feels like you have a helpful friend guiding you through the process.
Yarn Tester: Janell – Jadawoo Sock Yarn – Pattern: Diamond Stitch Tuck Scarf
Janell in her own words: “I’m doing my first mystery KAL….perhaps resulting in an “Ugly Christmas Cowl!” I’ve got four clues left for the project to work it’s way to good. It’s tricky to pick colors for a colorwork project when what you’re making is unknown!”
Janell doesn’t knit scarves very often, but the interesting construction of Marie’s Diamond Stich Tuck Scarf drew her in. Knit in One offers many opportunities for texture exploration, and this beautiful design is a great example of an easy-to-follow lacy texture that is super effective. The construction includes three keyholes to draw the end of the scarf through to give a beautiful one-sided drape. Janell loved knitting this design, seeing the construction take shape and the result is stunning.
The Jadawoo sock yarn was a good choice for the Diamond Stitch Tuck Scarf – the right amount of drape with this lovely fingering weight, and the nylon content will help to retain the scarf’s shape. Janell enjoyed the variety of colors in this special hand dye – so many festive greens! It’s a great color way for the Holidays and beyond!
Yarn Tester: Cindy – Yarn: Fat Sheep Fiber Sport Weight – Pattern: Dotted Mittens
Cindy in her own words: “My mother taught me how to knit when I was a child, little did I know that it would become my lifelong passion! I’ve knit through times of happiness and times of loss; it reminds me to be mindful and careful with resources. My wish is to connect with people around me with fiber arts and crafts.”
There is a lot of twist to this beautiful deep dyed skein of yarn from Carnation Farms and Cindy knew it would be perfect for showcasing the delightful texture in this pair of mittens. The Dotted Mittens are a traditional design with extras: a twisted rib for the cuff adds interest and the nubby “dots” on the back panel reminded us all of winter berries. Fun! Again, this is a well written, accessible pattern that smoothly guides you through the process – a great next step for someone who has recently knitted their first pair of simple mittens looking for a new challenge.
Cindy loves “Knit in One”, and thinks it is a perfect book for stash busting – so many ideas for using those single skeins that we all have just waiting for the right pattern. She is already planning her next knits from the book!
Yarn Tester: Kristen – Yarn: Juni & Si Superwash Merino DK – Pattern: Woven Brim Hat
Kristen in her own words: “I knit to relax, recharge and occasionally procrastinate on doing laundry. Whether teaching or designing, crocheting or spinning, I love turning fiber into something that makes people smile.”
Swapping out traditional K1, P1 rib edging for a more interesting texture is a design feature you will find in many of the patterns in “Knit in One.” The Woven Brim Hat is a fabulous example of how to add a cute twist to a traditional beanie, and Kristen immediately fell in love with this design! Marie Greene elevates the average hat brim with this interesting cable pattern engaging the knitter with a basket weave type texture before the stockinette section. Kristen loved the slouchy fit that she achieved (by choosing to not go down a needle size for the stockinette as the pattern suggests), as it gives her options for styling. This adorable pattern got us all re-thinking our approach to beanie knitting – such a great idea to play around with brim design.
Can we also take a moment to appreciate the beautiful Juni & Si hand dyed yarn? Kristen told us that when her family saw her knitting with the beautiful skein they all commented that the color “is so Kristen.” We couldn’t agree more!
We are so happy to have featured this fabulous book in the yarn test kitchen. It is simply bursting with great ideas for quick but engaging knits that are a great way to try new textures, designs and construction – a great way to build your skills. We highly recommend adding it to your Holiday Wishlist. “Knit in One” also makes a great gift idea for your knitting friends, or if you are quick, there is still time to get hold of a copy and finish a few Holiday gifts for knitworthy loved ones before the big day.
Huge thanks once again to Marie Green for her generosity and support of The Woolpack Yarn test Kitchen.
“Knit in One” is available in all good book stores – be sure to check your local yarn store too!
Yarn Test Kitchen
Your Monthly Yarn Review
One of my all time favorite knitting activities is a “show and share”, with friends – it’s a perfect way to seek ideas, gain inspiration and get helpful advice. This is the idea behind the yarn test kitchen – I hope our projects will have you reaching for your needles as we bring you our ideas on how to turn those neglected single skeins of yarn in to “One Skein Wonders”, and inspire you to try new yarns that are produced and sold across the Puget Sound Region.
Oh, and I’ll also be sharing monthly baking recommendations as we go. After all, who doesn’t love a slice of cake or baked good? Yum!
Happy reading!
Keeley