This yarn has been spun and dyed to my requirements. The colors are from a palette I have developed from my experience designing and knitting, and which are inspired by my collection of ethnic and historic textiles, and by colors I find irresistable in nature. Over the years, I have worked to fine-tune the selection of colors. You will find that they all go together well and can be mixed and matched to make your own exotic, heirloom-quality knitwear. Julia information
I am very proud to have Julia distributed to
yarn stores by Nashua Handknits, a division of Westminster Fibers. For all those knitters
who wanted to see it before purchasing, here is your chance to touch and feel Julia at
your local yarn store. You can also mail order Julia from:
For wholesale inquiries only, please contact Nashua Handknits at 800-445-9278
For a printable color card, click
here. Julia Gallery Here are some of Kristin's favorite designs featuring Julia.
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Farmgirls' Stocking Cap
Buy the pattern in the Online Store. I knit the Farmgirls’ Stocking Cap for my eleven-year-old daughter Julia. As I was snapping the photographs for this cap, we stopped by our neighbors’ farm to chat and visit Kayla’s cows. Kayla grew up as a farmgirl here on our hill. I asked her if she might like to try on Julia’s cap for some photos. She said okay, and I started taking pictures. Then Kayla asked me if I wanted a photo of her riding her steer Ferdinand. “Wow – that would be great,” I said. And up she climbed. She rubbed Ferdinand’s head and he was in heaven. Then Kayla asked me if I wanted a photo of her standing on Ferdinand. “You can do that?” I asked. Kayla said she would try. Up she went and away I snapped. Farmgirls are such fun, aren’t they? Make
your farmgirl, farmboy, city girl or city boy a stocking cap of their own. They will thank
you for it!
Cozy Pullover and Cap with Crocheted Flowers
Buy the pattern in the Online Store. Twenty-five years ago, my husband Mark and I visited the Yorkshire Dales in the United Kingdom. We had just begun our adventures in raising sheep and were anxious to see the sheep farming practices in Great Britain. While there, we visited every little yarn and sweater shop we could find. They were usually little holes in the wall overstuffed with tweedy cabled hats, cardigans, scarves, and socks. They all smelled overwhelmingly of lanolin. I stumbled upon a simple garter stitch pullover made in scratchy natural sheep-colored stripes of gray and white. I couldn't believe how beautiful the little garter stitch stripes looked. Simplicity sometimes is best. Over the years, I've reworked this classic many times. Here is the newest rendition knit for my daughter Julia. This version is done in three colors and decorated with crocheted and embroidered flowers. I have also included a cute little pom pom trimmed cap. The project is worked back and forth in rows and is a perfect choice for a beginning knitter. Skill Level: For beginning knitters, includes instructions
for crocheted flowers and French knot embroidery. Finished Cap Sizes: Notions: Straight needles in US sizes 9 and 7 (5.5 and 4.5 mm) and circular needle (16"/40 cm) in US size 7 (4.5 mm) for pullover; straight needles in US size 8 (5 mm) for cap; crochet hook in size H/8 (5 mm) for flowers; tapestry needle.
Felted Farmer's Market Bag
Buy the pattern in the Online Store. The Farmer’s Market Bag is worked in two sections. The bottom section is worked back and forth in rows in seven garter stitch, short-rowed wedges that resemble the pieces of a pie. When complete, the cast-on and bound-off edges of the bottom are seamed together to create a bowl shape, then stitches for the top section are picked up around the outer edge of the bowl and worked in garter stitch stripes in the round to the top. My family and I have a business which sells pasture raised lamb to the public. During the summer, we set up at various local farmer’s markets. Because some of the markets aren’t very busy, I always have my knitting with me. While passing the time at the market, I thought it would be fun to make up my own knitted bag. It has a fun and festive look to it - similar to the feeling that many farmer’s markets have. Skill Level: For beginning knitters, includes tips for
working short rows and mattress stitch sewing diagram.
Sunflower Pillow with Embroidery
Buy the pattern in the Online Store. The front of the Sunflower Pillow is knit in the round as a tube with steek stitches. During finishing, the tube is cut to form a flat pillow front, the mitered trim is added around the edges, and then the pillow is embellished with a variety of embroidery stitches. A purchased fabric backing completes the project. Several years ago, my husband Mark wanted to buy a piece of farmland three miles from our house. I agreed to the scheme with one condition: that he grow some sunflowers on it. Since then, the sunflowers have grown and grown, and people have come to admire them and buy flowers for their churches, mothers, girlfriends, and themselves. I decided to celebrate the sunflowers by knitting them into one of my designs, which became this pillow. Skill Level: For intermediate knitters or adventurous
beginners, includes charted colorwork pattern, instructions for cutting and securing
steeks, and a detailed embroidery tutorial.
Quarters Cap for the Entire Family
Buy the pattern in the Online Store. The Quarters Cap is knit back and forth on straight needles so the garter ridges run vertically from the lower edge of the cap to the top. The shaping is accomplished by working a series of graduated short rows. It’s hard to find a handknit pattern that teenage boys will wear, but this one is it. My teenage nephews Francisco and Nicholas are modeling the caps. When they came to New England for Christmas one year (they live in Brazil) they didn’t have any warm hats with them. I spent the Christmas holiday knitting one for each of them. They didn’t leave the house that winter without them. Skill Level: For beginning knitters, includes tips for
working short rows and mattress stitch sewing diagram.
Winter Wonderland Hat and Mittens
Buy the pattern in the Online Store. This easy project uses one strand of Julia held together with two strands of standard wool/nylon sock yarn for quick knitting. The idea began as a challenge from the folks at Knitters Magazine. I was asked to present three ideas of what to make out of sock yarn as long as it wasn’t socks. I didn’t have gobs of time to work on this because I was in the middle of a book deadline. Whatever I designed, I was going to have to be able to make the finished project quickly so I could present it to the knitting audience on at Stitches East in November of 2008.Skill Level: For beginning knitters, includes French knot
embroidery tutorial.
Field of Diamonds Pillow
Buy the pattern in the Online Store. The Field of Diamonds pillow originally appeared in the January 2003 issue of House & Garden magazine. It is knit in vibrant leaf green and rich henna with embroidered accent colors. The main motif features different-sized diamonds scattered across a green field. The pillow front is knit in Fair Isle technique from a simple two-color chart that works up quickly. The border is knit using circular needles and features a clever mitering technique. After the knitting is completed, a tapestry needle is used to embroider the accent colors in duplicate stitch (directions included). The full-color embroidery chart is easy to follow, and working it is similar to following a needlepoint or cross-stitch chart. Field of Diamonds is the easier of the two featured pillow designs. Skill Level: For intermediate knitters with some experience
in knitting with more than one color.
Turkish Motifs Pillow
The Turkish Motifs pillow also originally appeared in the January 2003 issue of House & Garden magazine. It combines many different knitting techniques to create a true masterpiece of color and texture. Presented in a full-color chart, this pillow includes the following knitting techniques: two-color Fair Isle, intarsia, duplicate stitch, bobbles, mitered corners, and other decorative embroidery. This pillow is a fabulous vehicle to increase your knitting skills and mastery of new techniques. You will be rewarded with an heirloom-quality piece of decorative needlework for your home. Skill Level: A skill stretcher for
adventurous intermediate knitters.
Kristin's comments:
Kristin's comments:
Kristin's comments:
Kristin's comments
Kristin's comments:
Kristin's comments: The body of the pullover is knit with easy cables and ladders. The yoke and sleeves are done in a simple Fair Isle circle-within-a-circle motif that uses only two colors at a time. Then, when it's all sewed together, chain stitch embroidery in three different colors surrounds the circles to give the sweater that extra bit of decoration and "wow" appeal.The borders are all worked in a favorite stitch of mine, reverse garter stitch ridges. If you knit it extra-large for a favorite child of yours, he or she may also be able to wear it for a couple of years.
Kristin's comments: When I designed this pullover for Vogue Knitting last winter, I called it the "Our Family" pullover. The three cables represent my family - husband Mark, daughter Julia, and myself - and how our lives intertwine with each other and are also separate. Kind of a heavy description for a cabled sweater, isn't it? The resulting pullover is modern, casual and
classic all wrapped into one. This is a challenging sweater, requiring concentration, but
it sure is pretty. The cozy, oversized fit appeals to everyone, and your teenage daughter
might just steal from you when she gets older. |
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About Duplicate Stitchery
The process of duplicate stitching is not hard. After the first few motifs are completed, it becomes automatic and almost therapeutic in its motions. It is a great way to use up odd bits of yarn and bring exciting surface interest to a simple two-color knit fabric. This technique can also be used as a substitute for intarsia knitting, eliminating the need to weave in dozens of ends - a distinct advantage! See a detailed duplicate stitch tutorial on my blog by clicking here. |
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