Chances are we don’t need to introduce you to the Knitwhits Kits! For months our Gray Bramble Owlie has been getting lots of attention in the store. Liz finished up the Sakura Doll the other day, and now she keeps him company on the desk. Come by the store to see the two of them together.

This week we welcomes two adorable new kits. All the way from arctic is Stanley the penguin, ready to try out our warmer climate. Along with him are the cutest little baby owlets you’ve ever seen.

If you’ve been wanting to make one of these adorable critter’s but are nervous about the techniques required, we encourage you to try out one of our classes this month. With our help you’ll get on those double points and on your way towards filling your life with adorable stuffed critters.

· Sale is limited to what is in stock.
· 3rd Street Valet parking (look for the orange uniforms/umbrellas) is $3.50 to park all day on Saturday and Sunday.
· Metered and free neighborhood parking are also available.
· Sale merchandise is always final sale.
· No returns, exchanges or credit on sale items.
· Frequent shopper cards are not punched during the sale.
· We cannot hold items before or during the sale.
· We appreciate your patience — it does get busy.
· Online clients can contact us at 323~655-6487 or drop us an email at info@knitculture.com

Liz is knitting this sweet little sweater from Interweave Knits Winter 2009, in a yarn we are very excited to get back in stock soon: Road to China Worsted by The Fibre Company.

This yarn is a super-soft blend of 65% baby alpaca, 15% silk, 10% camel and 10% cashmere. Lovely!

Liz is raving about how fun this yarn is to knit with. Seriously, she’s in love!

The pattern is Bells of Ireland Cardigan by Courtney Kelley, which is a bottom-up raglan knit in one piece with very minimal finishing.

In the picture below you can see where Liz put her underarm stitches on a stitch holder, those will be grafted when she’s done knitting.

Here’s the issue of Interweave she found this pattern in.

Come by the store and see this beautiful work in progress!

Check out the wondrous Road to China yarn when we get it in–we’re hoping it will be here within the next couple weeks! We’ll have five lovely colors to chose from.

We just got a bunch of Lorna’s Laces variegated hand dyes, Shepherd Worsted and Shepherd Sock!

We’re also anticipating the following new items:  The Fibre Company’s Terra, Mirasol’s Miski, Mountain Colors sock yarn “Bearfoot”, new buttons, lots of new knitting bags and cases from Offhand, including their new interchangeable needle case called Switch.

We’ve been seeing this adorable, clever, and classic owl cable design everywhere lately — from baby hats to adult sweaters. Unable to resist, we came up with our own FREE PATTERNS in both a CHILD size and an ADULT size to fit any owl lover in your life!

This cabled hat is cleverly designed to look like there are adorable owls encircling it– you can add buttons for eyes if you wish, or omit them for a more subtle effect. The child’s hat pictured here is knit in the super soft Lobster Pot Cashmere and the adult size is done in Rowan Coccoon.

We are also offering a class to help the cable-nervous get started.

Wise Old Owl Hat – Child Version

Finished measurements: 19” unstretched

Materials:
Lobster Pot 8ply cashmere or any worsted weight yarn with a gauge of 4.5-5 sts per inch
Size 7 circular needle and dpns
stitch markers
4 small buttons for eyes (optional, you can use more, less, or none at all)
sewing needle and thread.

Gauge: 4.5 per inch in stockinette stitch. The cabled owl sections will tighten up your gauge.

Abbreviations:
C4F: slip two sts onto cable needle and hold in front, k2, k2 from cable needle
C4B: slip two sts onto cable needle and hold in back, k2, k2 from cable needle

Owl Cable pattern:
(multiple of 11 sts)
Rounds 1-3: *p3, k8, repeat from * to end
Round 4: *p3, C4B, C4f, repeat from * to end
Rounds 5-11: same as round 1
Round 12: same as round 4
Round 13: same as round 1
Rounds 14-15: *p3, k1, p2, k2, p2, k1. repeat from * to end
Round 16-17: same as round 1
Round 18: same as round 4
Round 19: same as round 1

Directions:
Cast on 100 sts, join in round and work in 2×2 ribbing for 1 inch.

Switch to stockinette and work for 5 rounds, decreasing 1 st evenly spaced in row 3.
99 sts.

Work 19 rows of owl cable pattern over all sts.
Knit 1 or more rows and increase 5 sts.- 104 sts.

Continue in stockinette stitch until work measures 5 inches including ribbing or to desired length.

Decrease as follows:
*K 11 k2tog, repeat from * to end.
K1 round plain.
K 10 k2tog.
K1 plain.

Continue decreasing in this manner until 56 sts remain.
Then decrease every round until 8 sts remain.
Cut yarn and pass through remaining sts to fasten off.

Weave in all ends and block.

Sew buttons over the purl sections within the cable pattern that form the owl’s eyes

Wise Old Owl Hat – Adult Version

Finished measurements: 20” unstretched

Materials:
1 ball Rowan Cocoon or any chunky weight yarn you can get 3.5 sts per inch gauge with
size 10 circular needle and dpns, stitch marker
4 small buttons for eyes (optional, you can use more, less, or none at all)
sewing needle and thread

Gauge: 3.5 sts per inch

Abbreviations:
C4F: slip two sts onto cable needle and hold in front, k2, k2 from cable neeedle
C4B: slip two sts onto cable needle and hold in back, k2, k2 from cable needle

Owl Cable pattern:
(multiple of 11 sts)
Rounds 1-3: *p3, k8, repeat from * to end
Round 4: *p3, C4B, C4f, repeat from * to end
Rounds 5-11: same as round 1
Round 12: same as round 4
Round 13: same as round 1
Rounds 14-15: *p3, k1, p2, k2, p2, k1. repeat from * to end
Round 16-17: same as round 1
Round 18: same as round 4
Round 19: same as round 1

Directions:
Cast on 88, join in round and work in 2×2 ribbing for 1 inch.
Switch to stockinette and work for 5 rounds.

Work 19 rows of owl cable pattern over all sts.
Knit 1 or more rows and increase 2 sts.- 90sts.

Continue in stockinette stitch until work measures 6 inches including ribbing or to desired length.

Decrease as follows:

*K9, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round.

K1 round plain.

*K8, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round.

K1 round plain.

*K7, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round.

K1 round plain.

Continue decreasing in this manner until 40 sts remain.
Then decrease every round (no plain rounds) until 8 sts remain. Cut yarn and pass through remaining sts to fasten off.

Weave in all ends and block.

Sew buttons over the purl sections within the cable pattern that form the owl’s eyes.

Sign up for the Seamless Sweater Workshop here

Sign up for the Beaumont hat Workshop here

Sign up for the Girasole Shawl Crashcourse here

Scarves make great holiday gifts, but endless garter stitch can get old before you’ve taken care of all your relatives. We’re constantly hearing from people who want to do something interesting, but not too complicated.

The Reversible Cabled pattern is the perfect answer. Interesting, but not so difficult that it becomes frustrating. People will think it takes a lot more work than it actually does. Or, if you’re feeling nervous about all those cables, join us for one of the Cable Classes we’re holding this November.

And since we just got in a shipment of Baby Alpaca Grande, there are plenty of colors to choose from.

Suggested Materials:
2 Skeins Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande (or Baby Alpaca Grande Paint or Baby Alpaca Grande Tweed)
One pair of size 11 needles
One cable needle

Gauge (but it doesn’t matter as the scarf will just be thinner or thicker): cable pattern, 14 stitches = 4”

Scarf:
CO 32 stitches.

K4 P4 for two rows.

Begin Reversible Cable Pattern:
Row 1: (RS) *Slip 2 sts onto cn (cable needle) and hold in back; K2,
K2 from cn., P4. Repeat from * across row
Row 2 –3 : K4, P4 across row
Row 4: *Slip 2 sts onto cn and hold in back: K2, K2 from cable
needle, P4. * across row
Row 5-6: K4, P4 across row
Row 7: (RS) *Slip 2 sts onto cn (cable needle) and hold in back; K2,
K2 from cn., P4. Repeat from * across row
Row 8-9: K4, P4 across row
Row 10: * Slip 2 sts onto cn and hold in back: K2, K2 from cable
needle, P4. * across row
Row 8-9: K4, P4 across row
Row 13: (RS) *Slip 2 sts onto cn (cable needle) and hold in back; K2,
K2 from cn., P4. Repeat from * across row
Row 8-9: K4, P4 across row
Row 16: * Slip 2 sts onto cn and hold in back: K2, K2 from cable
needle, P4. * across row
Row 17-22: K4, P4 across row

Cont. even in Reversible Cable Patt until piece measures approx. 65-66″ from the beginning, or desired length.

BO (bind off) in rib.

Block

Download a pdf version of this pattern here.