Where to Find Great (and Mostly FREE) Knitting Patterns

There are probably thousands of cowl patterns on the Internet, so I was surprised yesterday when  we had two customers come in working on the same cowl. One customer had finished knitting the cowl and just needed a little help with finishing. I had not seen this cowl. This knitter had done an amazing job and I was really impressed. As soon as she left, I went on Ravelry to find the pattern. It is called Honey Stitch Cowl from Canadian Living Magazine

 



 



You can find this pattern at the following link - http://www.canadianliving.com/crafts/knitting/honey_stitch_cowl_pattern.php

One of the recommended yarns is Berroco Vintage Chunky, one of our most popular yarns which we stock in several colours.

 

To find the pattern, Ravelry linked me to the Canadian Living Website where I was surprised and delighted to find a large selection of FREE knitting patterns. Check them out at the link below.

http://www.canadianliving.com/crafts/knitting/

There are many knitting websites offering wonderful (and frequently FREE) patterns. And new ones keep appearing. Over  the next few blogs, I will fill you in on some of my favourites. I certainly do not claim to know them all, so if you have a favourite you think other knitters might enjoy, please e-mail (  info@sernityknits.ca  ) a link and I will check it out and pass it on in a blog.

For now, my two  top favs many knitters already know -

Ravelry     http://www.ravelry.com/invitations

If you are not on Ravelry, click on the above link to sign up. You need to register your e-mail address, a user name and a password. You can purchase patterns through Ravelry, but thousands of patterns are available FREE. You are not required to provide personal financial information to Ravelry to access patterns unless you choose to purchase. You can then purchase via credit card or Paypal. I personally have used Paypal several times and have experienced no problems. Serenity Knits is an authorized Ravelry Retailer which allows you to purchase many Ravelry patterns through us.

Knitty       http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEw14/index.php

Knitty is an on-line magazine which publishes pattern and articles several times a year. If you Google Kntty, you will be linked to the current issue. Each issue has several FREE patterns and articles. You can view the pattern and just go ahead and print it if you like it. There is no need to sign up or provide any personal information. When you access the current issue of Knitty, there is a link at the top to their pattern library which is an archive of all previously offered patterns or articles. Many Knitty patterns go absolutely viral. One of my favourite shawl/scarfs is CLAPOTIS from Knitty.
http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall04/PATTclapotis.html

 

 

On of the fabulous aspects of Ravelry is that knitters post pictures of their finished projects with information about yarns used etc. It is a very helpful resource to give you ideas for knitting projects. The last time I checked Clapotis on Ravelry, there were over 21,000 posted Clapotis projects. Many of the most popular designs on Ravelry were originally published on Knitty.

 

 And put a maple leaf beside it, Knitty is Canadian.

 

Over the next few posts, I will let you know about some other great pattern resources.

 

Beth

 



The Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet Volume III

Yesterday was a very lazy day for me. Took a nap in the sun, did a bit of reading, worked on some class notes and then knit a bit while I watched the movie Julie & Julia. If you have never seen this movie, I do recommend it. Amy Adams & Meryl Streep play Julie and Julia Child. Julie (Amy Adams) decides to cook her way through the famous "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Childs (Meryl Streep) and blog about her experiences. It got me to thinking. Maybe I should try that. Last night I went to bed with 2 books - The Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet Volume III" & Cat Bordhi's "New Pathways Book 1". I have already knit several socks from Cat's book so I decided it might almost be cheating to select that one. So I have decided on Curiosity Cabinet. This book is the third in a series of absolutely fabulous books. I love my knitting books and am usually happy if I see 3 or 4 patterns in a particular book that I like well enough to consider knitting. This book has 18 original patterns - 9 socks and 9 accessories (hats, shawls, fingerless gloves) and I love all of them.



 

 

I am going to start on the first pattern in the book, Conferva villosa Sock shown below.

Ravelry Link

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/conferva-villosa-sock

 

 

 

 

 

I am going to use some delicious red Misti Alpaca Tonos Carnaval Sock yarn that has been sitting in my stash waiting for the perfect pattern

 

 

 

 

I will force myself to finally figure out how to download photos from my camera to my new laptop and let you know how I am doing. I am a slow knitter but I don't think 18 small projects should take me that long.

If you are interested in seeing all the designs for this book, they can be viewed on Ravelry at

 

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/the-knitters-curiosity-cabinet-volume-iii/patterns

 

 

Beth

 

 

Adorable Patterns for Little Girls

Yesterday we were visited by Dennis, the sales rep for Skacel Yarns. Dennis' wife runs a yarn shop, Wool & Wicker in Richmond B.C., so he always has beautiful samples for many of his yarns. One of his samples was the cutest little skirt knit from CoBSi sock yarn. CoBaSi is a blend of cotton, bamboo, silk and elastic. We have it in a variety of solids.

 

 And it also comes in 5 variegated colours.

 

 

CoBaSi makes beautiful socks, appreciated by all sock knitters, especially when knitting for folks that can't wear or don't like wool.

 

The little skirt Dennis showed us was Kowhai, from the collection of Rachel Evans patterns. You can view them on Ravelry at the link below

http://www.ravelry.com/designers/rachel-evans


The pattern for Kowhai can be knit from sport, DK or worsted yarn in sizes from 6 months to 12 years. The pattern for Kowhai is $5 US and is a pattern which can be purchased through Serenity Knits

 

Another of Rachel's patterns is Moana. a sun dress version

 

 

Another skirt, a full frill skirt called Pirouette Twirls

 

 

Another dress Nina

 

 

Kaia Babydoll

 

 

 

Paige Babydoll

 

 

All these dresses and skirts are knit top-down, one piece, minimal or no seaming required. All patterns have several size options and many can be knit in multiple weights of yarn.

Rachel has other designs for sweaters, hats and jackets. And they are all adorable. Check out the entire collection on Ravelry at

http://www.ravelry.com/designers/rachel-evans

 

All of these designs and suitable yarns can be purchased at Serenity Knits and if you give me a bit of time, I am knitting samples.

 

Beth

 

Cooking School Knitting Night with Chef Heather Goodman

One of our customers is a chef and Coordinator of the PC Cooking School at the Superstore on Bayview Ave just south of Serenity Knits. Heather is offering a class which beautifully combines her love of knitting and great food. I will be attending. Hope you will join us.

Cooking School Knitting Night with Chef Heather Goodman 

Try Agai

• Real Canadian Superstore -
• Aurora Superstore,  
• 15900 Bayview Ave, Aurora 
•  $35.00 * per person
• Tuesday, January 27, 7 - 9:30pm
• register on line through the link at the bottom of the page      

 

Previous Location Next Location

If you’re a knitter, we invite you to bring your WIP to class tonight, then eat, tink and be merry! As you sit and knit, Chef Heather Goodman we’ll cook up a delicious feast for you that’s the culinary equivalent of a warm, woolen sweater, featuring Chicken & Dumplings; Simple Green Salad; and Apple Crumble with Crème Anglaise. After dinner, we’ll discuss the projects we’re working on and share our knitting wisdom! Wine tasting included in this class 

Please be advised that our Cooking Schools are not allergy-free zones. 

 

Instructor - Heather Goodman

Heather Goodman is the Coordinator of the PC Cooking School in Aurora, Ontario. She has been in the food industry for a number of years, and used to own Scrumptious Fine Foods in Newmarket, Ontario.

For full details on this class and others offered at our local Superstore, visit the link below.    

http://www.pccookingschool.ca/LCLOnline/cookingSchool.jsp?catId=cat180013&type=details&productId=csaprod15110244&
                                                     

An Unusual Post for Serenity Knits

This is not the usual  post you expect when you visit Serenity Knits blog. I received this notice from a friend on FaceBook who lives  in New Brunswick. As someone who routinely closes a store and walks to a car in an empty, secluded parking lot, it struck a rather strong chord with me. A worthwhile warning and good advice I thought I would pass on. Be safe.
Beth

Sock Club KAL, Monday, January 12,2015

Class	Sock Club – Beyond the Basic Sock, FREE KNIT-A-LONG   (Beth)
Date & Time	Monday Afternoons in January starting January 12    1:00pm – 3:00pm
Description	Once you have mastered a basic sock, it is fun to try out some new patterns. Each Friday I will post on our blog the description of the sock we will be knitting. I will recommend a specific yarn and let you know where to find the pattern. A call to let us know if you are coming would be appreciated. Yarns used must be purchased from Serenity Knits. We will start with one of my favourites - Jaywalker
Prerequisites	Intermediate. Good basic knitting skills. Must already know how to knit socks.

Sock Club Knit-a-long starts Monday, January 12th with one of my favourites, Jaywalker. The pattern is FREE on Ravelry at the following link. Jaywalker is fun and interesting in just about any yarn but I like it best in something a bit stripey which shows of the angles of the pattern stitch beautifully.
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jaywalker

Remember, the class is Free, but please, only yarns purchased at Serenity Knits. A call or e-mail to let me know you plan to attend would be appreciated.

Beth
January 9