Op Art also known as optical art is a style of visual art, a method of painting, that makes use of optical illusions.  These works usually made only in black and white give the viewer the impression of movement, hidden images, flashing and vibration, patterns, or alternatively, of swelling or warping.  In this baby blanket designed by Melissa Dominguez she was able to create this idea of an optical illusion in knitting.  By starting at the center and making increases every row in the same spot, the increases end up making a spiraling square.  Using thinner lines in the middle and making them thicker as you move toward the outside edge it makes the viewer believe the center is further away than the outside of the blanket.

This is a wonderful option for a more modern style baby blanket.  The pattern is available in a couple different sizes for free on Ravelry, just click here.  The one pictured is knitted out of Plymouth Encore in a solid blue and brown tweed, a beautiful washable combination.  I want to thank Mikki for knitting this blanket for my third baby, we love it! -B

One of my favorite techniques for adding textural pleates or ruffles in knitting is ruching.  Kay knitted Citron, by Hilary Smith Callis in Scrumptious Lace by Fyberspates.  This beautiful silk and merino blend that shimmers in the sunlight especially with the addition of beads.  The pattern is fun knit, and knowing that she was going to put beads on at the end to add to the glimmer helped her get to her final destination.

All you have to do to make this pattern is increase and decrease with a series of stockinette rows in between, a quick and simple knit!  The best part is for those of us who aren’t familiar with the technique, it appears to be quite complicated but is a great pattern even for a intermediate beginner.

You only need one hank of this lace weight yarn to knit this semi-circular shawl.  You can also add or remove the repeats to make the project smaller or larger.  Kay’s Citron has 2 extra repeats and possibly had enough to make another shawl with her leftovers.   Don’t be afraid to dress up your version with beads.  If you aren’t familiar with this very popular Ravelry pattern you can check it out by clicking here. -B

Published in the Mason-Dixon Knitting Blog the Mitered Crosses Blanket by Kay Gardiner was designed for all proceeds to go to Mercy Corps.  In 2011 these donations will be designated for the Japan earthquake/tsunami relief, and thereafter to support Mercy Corps’ relief work.  Not only will you be supporting a wonderful cause by purchasing this pattern but you end up with an absolutely breathtaking finished product.

Inspired by the Modern Crosses quilt featured in Modern Log Cabin Quilting: 25 Simple Quilts and Patchwork Projects, by Susan Beal,  This blanket combines two techniques-mitering and log cabin- to make a knitted interpretation of a log cabin quilt variation.  Knitted out of Noro Silk Garden each mitered cross is individual to the blanket which makes the project addictive because you can’t wait to see how the next square is going to look.  If you have a large silk garden stash this is a great way to put it to good use.

The main color (cream) is a discontinued silk garden colorway, but some other suggestions might be using Plymouth Yarn’s Mushishi, Cascade 220 or 220 Superwash, holding 2 together of Imperial Yarn Tracie, really the options are endless.  Each seamless block starts with 4 miters that are knitted onto each other to form a cross shape.  Ms. Marjie’s blanket that we have pictured is a little different from the original.  The original has 10 squares and is framed with 4 log cabin strips and Marjie’s has 20 squares without any log cabin strips.

I absolutely love the finishing on this particular project.  The blocks are joined together without sewing, using the 3-needle bind off method, and the blanket is finished with an applied i-cord edging that resembles the binding of a quilt.  Thanks Marjie for bringing in your work for us to photograph, the project is simply awesome! -B

This new yarn for fall is a super funky super quick crochet.  Expresso is 100% microfibre polyester that looks like a gigantic chenille tube.  It is soft and light weight and when I say it is quick, I mean you can make this up in less that 5 minutes, the perfect project for the “product” crocheter or knitter.  There is no hook involved all you need is the yarn and your hands, you simply crochet a large chain and thats it!

We have the yarn available now in 5 colors and it only takes 1 hank, unless you want it longer and you could use two by attaching them together with a similar color thread.  Check out the instructional video by clicking here.  Thanks to Christy and Cory for putting together the video for us to share. -B

Alice from Berroco fall booklet #312 is a feminine mock turtleneck pullover with puffed short sleeves and flirty ruching at the sleeve opening knitted out of the new yarn Boboli.  This booklet is full of beautiful knits including cardigans, gloves, raglan sleeve sweaters, vests, a one of a kind scarf, and even a stuffed bunny.

Each shade of Boboli is composed of an enchanting mix of shifting colors. A glimmering wool blend boasting a subtle shine and soft hand, this yarn lends cool-weather projects an air of sophisticated originality.  We are very excited about this stunning new yarn along with the rest of our fall shipment from Berroco.

Come by to check out new colors of Peruvia Quick, Ultra Alpaca, and Borealis.  We have also just unpacked some of the other wonderful new yarns from Berroco:  Link, Flicker, and Souffle. -B

This bright and colorful rainbow scarf was designed by Huan-Hua Chye and is a free ravelry download.  Like most of us who have a yarn stash this is a great project to use up two skeins of Noro Yarn or any other self striping yarns, either way you should get stunning results.  We chose to use two different colorways of Noro Aya a marvelous mix of cotton & silk plus a touch of wool gives this yarn a softness and subtle sheen.

Just remember the more different the two colors are, the more contrast and wow you will get with your final project.  We are also offering a class on the Pegasus Scarf the 9th of July that will teach you to knit on the bias as well as how to carry the yarn up the side of your project without have to cut.

Growing up in the 80’s I love that in the designers notes she mentions that the design is a tribute to her neon 1980’s Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper.  For those of you who have seen the Trapper Keeper I know you will see the color resemblance. -B

This retro wide neck pullover is perfect for beginners because it’s basic with some special accent stitching that appears to be more complex than it actually is.  You can find the pattern in Wendy Bernard’s book Custom Knits.  The one pictured has a few minor adjustments to the original pattern, mostly having to do with the yarn and needle size.

The original pattern calls for a worsted weight yarn on a size 8 needle and this one was knitted out of a dk weight yarn on a size 4 needle.  There was also an adjustment from 3/4 length sleeves to  short sleeves making it a little cooler for the heat of the summer.

The top down raglan construction with the body and sleeves knitted in the round makes this a relatively quick knit and if you haven’t tried this yarn yet it is a must.  Ruca from the mother/daughter team of Araucania Yarns has created this beautifully crafted 100% sugar cane yarn hand-dyed in Chile.

This dk/sport-weight fiber has lustrous elegance and comes in a generous 263 yard hank of solid and multi yarns.  Thanks so much to Whitney for bringing her beautiful creation by the shop for us to photograph. -B

A couple of posts back we talked about the Melted Crayon Shawl by Allison Jakus.  This is just another beautiful version of that pattern in a lighter weight yarn.  We had lots of questions about the class and where the pattern could be found.  Now that the class is over I wanted to give you a link to the pattern.

You can see from these pictures that you truly can’t go wrong with color.  The original was knit out of Noro Silk Garden and Manos Wool Classica, this lighter weight version was knit out of Noro Silk Garden and Scarlet Fleece Ewe Silky Thing.  Click here for the link to the pattern and Allison’s blog, and if you have other questions please let us know.

A big thank you to Allison for her wonderful pattern, and to Elizabeth for the lighter weight version of the shawl. -B

One of my favorite techniques for adding textural pleates or ruffles in knitting is ruching.  I think that is the reason I loved knitting Citron, by Hilary Smith Callis so much.  I literally couldn’t put it down, which for those of you who know me is not something that happens with my projects very often.

All you have to do to make this beautiful pattern is increase and decrease with a series of stockinette rows in between, a quick and simple knit!  The best part is for those of us who aren’t familiar with the technique it appears to be quite complicated.

After eyeing the pattern on knitty for several months I finally decided to knit a summer version of this semi-circular shawl using Araucania’s Chaiten a hand dyed, machine washable 100% raw silk yarn, in an array of variegated muted hues.  You only need two hanks which makes the shawl very affordable at $40, a great price for a hand dyed silk.  I knitted the one pictured exactly as the pattern directed, but you can easily add repeats to make it larger.  If you aren’t familiar with the pattern you can check it out by clicking here. -B