Seamless Knitting in the Round

Hiya all! Well, the weather here is just DIVINE. Perfect Spring weather with dappled sunlight, flowers, singing birds .. the works. It's inspired me to sit in my sun-drenched studio most mornings with an iced mocha and good music and write up patterns for some of the designs I've been working on this winter.

One thing I really wanted was an easy, quick coffee cozy pattern. I wanted something I could whip up for last-minute gifts (the coffee cup itself stuffed with tea/chocolate espresso beans/candy), but that was plain enough to work for men as well as women, without losing that handcrafted touch or being too boring. I worked on a crochet one for a while, but crochet just can't achieve the same reliable stretch as ribbing in knitting. I'm writing up what I think is the perfect pattern for my needs now, but how I did hate that gap/bump on the cast-on row (from joining your yarn when working in the round). I went searching for a simple seamless join. And I found this one! "Joining in the round" by Nancy Wynn.

Great tutorial, clear instructions, and nice big needles so you can see what's going on! I didn't want to embed the video, so you'll need to follow the link, but if you struggle with getting a nice-looking edge on your cast-on row, I recommend you give this a look. She's got a bunch of other great videos on her site .. all the knitty basics for learning and expanding your knitting skills!

 

 
I've also been busy planting flowers, mulching, and getting the garden in order. The photo is of my new violas .... so pretty all in a row. I do wish they weren't so popular with the slugs though!

Coffee cozy pattern (it's a free one) coming soon!!