In This Edition: Jenn helps us save time by giving cable needles the boot New yarn! New magazines! New notions! Helen shares ideas for handcrafted gifts for your Valentine Connie reviews Cascade 220

Cabling Without a Cable Needle, or “You Want Me to do What?!?” By Jenn I absolutely love knitting cables. What I don’t love is fussing around with a cable needle. I’ve tried metal and wood, gull wing and fish hook shapes; I’ve even used a spare double-pointed needle. They are all effective, but I consider all of them to be kind of a pain. In 2007, when I knit “A Cardigan for Arwen,” I quickly decided that if I had to use a cable needle over and over on every row (the pattern features a reversible cable!), plus constantly refer to the pattern key, it was going to take forever to knit. Unacceptable! I figured out how to knit cables without a cable needle and now I’ll be happy to show you how, too. This technique is the most effective if you use knitting needles with sharp tips and wool yarn or another yarn with some “grip” to it. I knit a swatch of the back cable panel of the Central Park Hoodie that Anna and Helen are knitting for our Cables Galore KAL. Here is the swatch; I’m ready to knit a cable row: Let’s start with a right twist. The directions say “Slip 3 stitches onto a cable needle, hold in back, knit 3, knit 3 from cable needle.” Instead of using a cable needle to rearrange the stitches, you can simply insert your right knitting needle into the front of the first 3 stitches that you would knit if you were using a cable needle, just like this: Once your right knitting needle is holding these stitches, carefully pull your left knitting needle out of all six stitches. Remember to breathe. You don’t want to pass out. Put the first three stitches back on your left hand knitting needle. Bring the stitches on the right knitting needle in front of the stitches on your left knitting needle. Slip all the stitches back to the left knitting needle. Knit the 6 stitches. Ta-da! And now, it’s time for the left cable twist. The directions read “Slip 3 on cable needle, hold in front, knit 3, knit 3 from cable needle.” First, put the right knitting needle tip into the back of the 3 stitches that would be held on your cable needle, like this: Pull your left needle tip out of all six stitches and pick up the first three stitches that are loose. Bring the stitches on the left needle in front of the stitches on the right needle. Put all the stitches back on the left needle. Knit! Hooray, you’re done! Don’t you feel smart? It will feel awkward at first, but with practice, you will find yourself flying through cables!

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What’s New We have received some gorgeous new yarns in the last week! If you like Eco Cloud, you'll love Cloud from Cascade Yarns! It has the same fiber content as Eco Cloud, but in a variety of lovely, saturated colors! If you're anxious for spring and want to get a jump start on your warm weather knitting, give Egypto Cotton a try. It's a fingering weight Egyptian cotton and is so, so soft! The Spring 2012 issue of KnitScene arrived this week and it includes articles about duplicate stitch and using multicolor yarns, plus 23 patterns to get you ready for spring. If you're looking for something fun for your notions bag, we have new stitch markers from Lantern Moon, including sheep, bluebird and cardinal stitch markers. Plus, we have four words for you: sock monkey tape measures!

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Handcraft a Gift for Your Valentine! By Helen There is a holiday approaching that is perfect for handmade gifts: Valentine’s Day! What could be a better way to tell someone you care than to give them a handcrafted gift? I can’t think of one! Once I had the realization that I didn’t need to buy chocolate or flowers for my loved ones for the holiday, I decided to search for some cute, fun, or just silly things to craft! Some of the following patterns are “quick” knits or crochet items, and some require a little more commitment (how appropriate for Valentine’s Day!). This list isn’t everything Ravelry has to offer, but some suggestions to get the creative juices flowing! For the person in your life that loves to read, why not craft a bookmark? Knit and crochet bookmarks are fast, require very little yarn, and can be made over and over again! Try the Valentine, Heart Bookmark by Linda Dawkins (knit) or the I Gave You My Heart bookmark by Ginny Blankenship (crochet). What goes better with a book than a cup of coffee or tea? And, of course, the Valentine Mug Cozy by Kristen TenDyke (knit). There are many different patterns for little heart decorations. I liked Valentine Heart Decorations by Louise Watling (knit), Little Hearts by Teresa Fox (knit), Love Hearts by June Gilbank (crochet), and Free Heart Crochet pattern for Valentine by Sayjai Thawornsupacharoen. Nothing says fast knitting like a dishcloth! The Be Mine Dishcloth by Kris Knits is cute and free! For the little loves in your life, there are many cute things to knit or crochet. Some of my favorites include Love Bunnies by Erika Hughes (crochet), Hugs + Squoze by Anna Hrachovec (knit), and Valentine Monster by Emma Varnam (crochet). Hats are a wonderful gift any time, not just for Valentine’s Day. But why not have a Valentine’s Day themed hat to wear during February? I really like I Carry Your Heart by Lindsay Ingram, and this pattern is for child through adult sizes! For that special super little one, try the Baby Valentine’s Hat by Kate Lafferty. I know there are others like myself that enjoy taking on more challenging or time-consuming projects than I have time for. I might just have to make one of these! The La-La-Love-You Cowl by Sandra Park probably wouldn’t take too much time, or yarn! Knit in a worsted weight yarn and only 216 yards, this project could go very quickly! Why not show your feet some love, too? The LoveSocks by Davon Clement are super adorable! Do you want to wrap your loved one in hearts? Sylvie Beez can help with her pattern Little Valentine. This triangular shawl has a beautiful heart motif and could be made in many different colors of fingering weight yarn! Whether you choose to knit or crochet a pattern I've found, or if you make one up on your own, I hope all of you have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Yarn Review: Cascade 220 By Connie Anyone who has haunted their local yarn store has heard of Cascade 220. It is the go-to yarn for many knit items; however, sometimes we can get captivated by all of the exotic fibers and invitingly hand-painted yarns we see when we enter the shop. We forget all of the great items that can be made with Cascade 220, a true workhorse fiber. Do you have your eye on an intricate cable-patterned sweater? Cascade 220 will show off your cables better than almost anything else. Knitting a sweater with a knit/purl texture pattern? Again, Cascade 220 will show this off to the best effect. What about a sweater than can withstand hard wear? Once more, Cascade 220 fits the bill. Are you making something for a child that you want to be able to throw into the washing machine? Cascade 220 even makes a superwash for this purpose. See a felted bag pattern you want to attempt? Cascade 220 will work for that (but don’t get the superwash here!). Are you planning to make an afghan but you're tired of all of the “ordinary” patterns? Why not find an awesome vintage doily pattern and knit it up on 10.5 or 11 needles? You will have an afghan that will be the envy of all. Natural Stitches has a “wall of Cascade." They carry every color of the solids and heathers; the number of colors available is mind-boggling, plus you can find marls and handpaints. Cascade 220 is a high-quality, affordable 100% Peruvian wool. Its worsted weight (#4) is ideal for so many different things. Do you want to know the yardage? It’s in the name – 220 yards! If you haven’t considered Cascade 220 in a while, I invite you to take the time to contemplate it the next time you visit.

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