WOW - It's 2019 and another year of great knitting is behind us! Time to plan your knitting for 2019!

And for TWO WEEKS ONLY, enjoy a special Buy 3, Get 1 FREE discount! Add any 3 (or more) patterns to your cart and the least expensive one is FREE! No coupon code necessary on SweaterBabe.com; use coupon code BUY3GET1 on Ravelry*. 

Need project inspiration? Here is a list of the TOP patterns from 2018:

1. Kimberlie [top left in photo]. The tailored look of Moss stitch is artfully combined with a pretty diamond lace to make this cowl (which can also knit up as a scarf!) a must-knit. Shop on Ravelry.

2. Laguna Ribbed Scarf [bottom right in photo]. A ribbed scarf knit up in a precious yarn is an instant classic. This one steps it up a few notches by combining three eye-catching colors with a uniquely pleasing ribbed pattern. Shop on Ravelry.

3. Adaline Shawl [bottom left in photo]. Here's a timeless and lovely shawl design. Knit from the top down, it begins with a simple Garter stitch section, which showcases the beauty of your yarn. Increases along the center line and at each edge create pretty eyelet accents and a block of nice and easy knitting. Knit to size shown, it only takes one hank! Shop on Ravelry.

4. Gossamer One-Ball Scarf [top right in photo]. Knit this supremely soft scarf featuring an open lace panel with gentle peaks along one long edge, contrasted with a bit of garter stitch. Plus, it only takes one ball of yarn! Shop on Ravelry.

5. Leaf Me Be Coffee Sleeve. Knit up one of these useful and pretty little coffee sleeves in just a few hours with very little yarn. The leaf design is charted and written out and mostly consists of simple 2-stitch cable twists. Shop on Ravelry.

6. Noe Valley. Lots of delicious cable work to keep the knitting interesting and to add tons of textural interest to the front and back of this sweater. The sloped shoulders and poncho shaping give it a very urban feel add to its cozy chic quality. Shop on Ravelry.

7. Viveca Cardigan. A soft linen blend yarn is perfect for an easy-fitting cardigan that can be thrown over many outfits. Shop on Ravelry. 

8. Chalice One-Ball Scarf. Pure silky softness glides through your fingers as you knit this one-ball beauty! A very pretty lace pattern, using only basic decreases and yarn overs, evolves nicely as it runs the length of the scarf. The placement of the decreases and eyelets form curves that evoke the loveliness of an ornate chalice. Shop on Ravelry.

9. SweaterBabe's 3 Best Blankets eBook. 3 of SweaterBabe.com's best-selling blanket patterns, all collected in one great eBook AND with extended sizes!! Shop on Ravelry.

8. Wild Iris Blanket. I love this very special lace pattern for its complex-looking results. But, no worries, it's just worked with simple decreases and yarnovers. The end result is an incredibly lovely floral lace design that appears to morph into itself depending on how you look at it! It's a truly beautiful fabric that lends itself nicely to a blanket of any size. Shop on Ravelry.

Shop ALL Knitting Patterns

* Buy 3 or more, Get least expensive one free offer expires 1/25/19, midnight PST. On Ravelry, click on "use a coupon code" and enter BUY3GET1 to apply offer. Must enter and apply coupon code during checkout - discount cannot be applied once order is already placed. At SweaterBabe.com, offer will automatically be applied once 3 items have been added to cart. Does not apply to previous orders. Least expensive item will be free. Limit 1 FREE pattern per order.

If you follow any of the fashion blogs, you'll hear that a big trend in knitwear this season is TEXTURE!

Here is a selection of knitting patterns from SweaterBabe for you, so you can easily stay on trend with your knitting!

Whether you love cable knitting, cables combined with lace, or cables and some knit/purl textures, you're in luck with these options!

[Left, top to bottom:]

1) #178 Rose Cabled Circular Scarf. Lovely in this striking rose color, but would be very handsome in a sophisticated grey or blue.

2) #161 Chunky Cabled Cowl. An incredibly FAST knit on size 13 needles and in the round!

3) #174 Simpatico Alpaca Stole (or Scarf). Two patterns in one, both with gorgeous cables that wave and travel lengthwise with a leaf lace pattern in perfect harmony.

[Right, top to bottom]:

1) #164 Night and Day Eternity Scarf. Two modern textures combine beautifully to envelope your neck in warmth and style!

2) #125 Luxe Infinity Scarf. Curving, scalloped columns interspersed with garter stitch make for a fabulously interting knitting project and finished scarf.

3) #134 Slouchy Trellis Cabled Hat. Bold intertwining cables and bobbles combine for a very stunning hat. 

Like these? Want to see more?

SHOP all SweaterBabe.com Knitting Patterns.

Calling Namaste Farms a cool Yarn Company is accurate, but a complete understatement!

Not only do they produce one-of-a-kind yarns that I've never seen before, but the y hand create the yarns from the rare, award-winning sheep breeds they raise on the farm!

Natalie Redding is the fiber artist behind the Namaste Farms line of luxury fibers.  On her farm in Temucula, CA, she has: 

• Champion Wensleydale Longwools
• Gotlands and Bluefaced Leicesters
• Racka Sheep
• Old English Babydoll Southdowns
• Angora and Pygora goats

And that's only a partial list of the animals she raises at her farm!

As if running a farm with 85 to 100 animals isn't keeping her busy enough, Natalie hand spins and hand dyes all of the yarns with only a few others to help, so each hank is incredibly special and unique. (And if you are curious about the process of creating and handling fine fibers, spinning, etc., check out her YouTube videos!)

When she approached me to design something with her yarns, I just had to say yes!  Plus, she developed a special color, called "Babe" just for me!  "Babe" features a gorgeous blend of pinks and mango tones with hints of turquoise.  And it's the perfect backdrop for the Hello Kitty Charms that are part of the yarn (see the top hank below)!  I'm a sucker for Hello Kitty, so combining my love of yarn + knitting + Hello Kitty is like a dream come true!

"Babe" is also available as a color in her "Ohm Kid Mohair" yarn (see the bottom two hanks here, which I'll be giving away later in this post, BTW!)

To buy Namste Farms yarns, see the line exclusively at YarnMarket.com.

To learn more about this unique Yarn Company, visit their website at www.namastefarms.com, on YouTube (namastefarms), and on blogtalk radio at
blogtalk: Namaste Farms, where Natalie talks about farming, interviews designers, and much more!

And thank you, Natalie, for sponsoring my latest pattern, the #135 Babe Zip-Front Hello Kitty Cardigan (with matching Cowl!)   This top-down design features the Charmed-Hello Kitty yarn mentioned above that is completely one-of-a-kind! See it exclusively at YarnMarket.com.

The all-over cable design wth short-sleeves is in a coordinating color of Malabrigo Worsted.  The Charmed-Hello Kitty yarn worked perfectly with it as an accent on the knit-in pockets and along the bottom border.

See more photos and purchase info for the #135 Babe Zip-Front Hello Kitty Cardigan, now available in the Knitting Patterns shop!

AND lastly, I have 2 hanks of Namaste Farms Ohm Mohair yarn (sorry, NOT the one with the Hello Kitty charms!) in color "Babe" to give away!

To enter this contest:

1) Post a comment on this blog entry by 9pm PST, January 31, 2012 and tell us what you would do with a hank of this gorgeous yarn!  One comment per person, please.  And please also SHARE this post using the Twitter, Google+, and Facebook links below.

2) Post a comment on the Ravelry.com Forum post in the SweaterBabe.com Fans group announcing this giveaway by 9pm PST, January 31, 2012, telling us what you would do with a hank of this gorgeous yarn.  One comment per person, please.  Also, please "fave" this pattern on the SweaterBabe patterns page at Ravelry.com. 

After the end of the month, I'll choose 2 random commenters to each be sent a hank of the Namaste Yarns Ohm yarn in "Babe" color. 

Good luck to all! Sorry, but winning hanks can only be sent to U.S. and Canada addresses.

*** Winners Announcement ***

Congrats to go CoriInKansas on Ravelry, who commented on Ravelry January 24th and to Ann, who commented on the SweaterBabe.com Blog for this giveaway on January 24th.

You'll each be receiving one hank of the Ohm yarn in Babe (Each hank retails for $44.85!)  Woohoo!

Storing knitting stuff is always a challenge.  I've got my many WIPs (works in progress), a huge yarn stash, plenty of accessories and notions, and so much more stuff! 

Bags and Ikea sure do come in handy.  As do these great solutions from a company called Great Useful Stuff that really lives up to its company name!

Thanks to Sarah, from www.greatusefulstuff.com, for sending us these sweet Cupcake Storage Bags and Organizer Totes for review and to giveaway! 

Who doesn't smile when they think of cupcakes? No one I know!

When I first opened the Cupcake Storage Bag, I let out a delighted squeal when I found the smaller bag nested in the bigger one.  Too cute.  My DH had a good laugh at me over that!  YES - the bags nest and make a really cute set.

Each bag has a bottom compartment that zips and a top compartment that has the string pull.  When closed, the top looks like it's got a cherry on it!  The bottom is a nice, sturdy canvas material. The top is like a soft, brushed cotton material (the better to resemble icing, me thinks!). 

Each Cupcake Bag actually fits a decent amount of finished knit projects and/or yarn.  You can see the scale of them since my 2 1/2 year old decided she needed to be in the photo too!  A sweater's worth of yarn can definitely fit into a cupcake!

Sarah also sent a cute organizing tote - with more pockets than I've ever seen on a tote!  This purple tote has nice, deep, open pockets all around and a great big center pouch.  It's also made in a sturdy, high quality canvas with pretty contrast trim piping. It comes in a lot of other great color combos as well.  Love it!  It's the perfect size for a project.  You can keep all the accessories, like post it notes, pens, calculators, gauge ruler, stitch holders, etc. all handy and separate in the outer pockets.  The tote is great for any kind of crafting.

NOW, for the Giveaway Details!

I'll be giving away:
ONE Cupcake Storage Bag set and ONE Purple Organizing Tote.  Two lucky random winners will be chosen from among all giveaway entries.

To enter, please do ANY or ALL of the following:
1) Post your comment here on how you store your knitting and crochet stuff and what you think about the Cupcake Bags and Pocket Tote!  ONE comment on the blog per person, please.  Comments must be entered by 9pm PST, June 15th, 2011.

2) Post your comment on Ravelry.com in the SweaterBabe.com Fans Group discussion announcing this contest by 9pm PST, June 15th, 2011.  Here's the link: http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/sweaterbabecom-fans/1665033/1-25.  One comment on Ravelry per person, please.

3) Make any pattern purchase at SweaterBabe.com from now until 9pm PST, June 15th, 2011.  Each purchase counts as an entry, so multiple purchases are ok!

Good luck to everyone and be sure to check out all the other "great stuff" at http://www.greatusefulstuff.com!

*** June 18th, 2011 Winner Announcement!  ***
And the randomly chosen winner are. . .
Mary (made a pattern purchase on 5/19/11) who wins the Cupcake Storage Bags and
Janie Holley (commented on the blog 5/18/11) who wins the Purple Kangaroo Tote.  Congrats!!!

This super-cute pixie hat pattern is coming very soon!

See the lovely, unique lace stitch pattern?  This is one you'll have to pay attention to as you knit, but the resulting fabric is very pretty.

Plus, this hat looks super cute on (more photos coming when my 11-month old is up for it!) and knits up quick.  The smaller sizes only require 1 ball of Debbie Bliss' Cashmerino Aran yarn.

Also coming soon is another great cowl!  This one in a cloud-soft mohair and very current shade of purple.

Cowls are really popular this season and this one is so wonderful to wear and knit!  It's actually a long piece that is seamed to become a mobius strip.  Wear it double looped as shown in the first photo, or as a single twisted circular scarf.

It makes for a fabulous gift project.  Sample shown is knit in the soft super kid mohair from GGH.

Watch for BOTH of these patterns to be released next month!

*** Want to WIN fr*e copies of BOTH of these patterns when they are released in October? ***

Just enter a comment below by 9 pm, PST, October 18th.  One comment per person, please.  Three random commenters will be chosen to win a copy of BOTH patterns. 

Good luck!

[Hey - Knitting Club Members - no need to enter this giveaway!  You'll be receiving these as the free monthly downloads for October.  Want to become a Member so you will automatically get these two patterns first?  Join now for just $7.99/month!]

*** November 12 Update ***
And the winners are: Marilyn,Vicki Morgan-Bogart, and Linda Robinson!  Congratulations!  Each winner has been emailed these 2 pattern pdfs.  Enjoy!

Here is the Flutter-Sleeved Bloused Cardigan - coming soon to the pattern shop!

It's knit in Knit Picks Andean Silk (my current fave), so it has a beautiful drape and super-soft feel.

Lots of details make this one very unique with a nod to vintage style, but still very up-to-date and wearable!  Oh - and yes, it's also top-down (after the cabled, lace neckband it knit).

I'll announce the pattern soon through the SweaterBabe.com newsletters!

Here's another view:

I've been busy knitting! Will soon need to chain myself to the computer to write up all of these patterns and more! Enjoy the preview photos. These patterns will be up in the weeks to come. . .

Curious what other knitters and crocheters are making?  Here are the current top selling knitting and crochet patterns on SweaterBabe:

TOP 5 Knitting Patterns:
1) #77 Vine Lace Top Down Cardigan

This is one of my personal FAVES.  I wear it all the time.  So cozy!  And I always seem to need pockets to carry tissues, keys, random toys, etc.!  This is a popular one on Ravelry too!  92 projects for you to peruse and faved 1339 times! (See the SweaterBabe.com's Designer page at: http://www.ravelry.com/designers/sweaterbabe)


2) #70 Lush and Lacy Cardigan
One of my more feminine designs!  Have seen many versions in different yarns that bring out the stitch definition.  Looks great on many different figures!  Also a winner on Ravelry!


3) #90 Chic Cables and Lace Cowl Neck Sweater

I get compliments from guys a lot on this one!  They often say, "I don't usually like cowl necks. . . but I like that design a lot."  Guess guys like to see our necks?


4) #73 Women's Top-Down Short- Sleeved Cardigan

A very versatile top-down design!  Do the sleeve length as you wish, as well as the body!  Knit in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky yarn, which comes in so many vibrant, fun, or classic colors.

5) #72 Child's Top-Down Short-Sleeved Cardigan

The kid's version of #4.  A really popular one as well.  One of my customers made 12 of these!!!

TOP 5 Crochet Patterns:
1) #76 Vintage Top-Down Crochet Cardigan

A top-down crochet cardigan!  Fairly quick to make with bulky yarn.  Gets lots of compliments for it's unique look. 

2) #80 Lacy Striped Crochet Scarf

I'm not a big fan of straight stripes (a little too J. Crew for me!), so the wavy striping created by this stitch pattern was so appealing to me. . .

3) #86 Fancy Crocheted Booties

Made these on a whim in anticipation of my 3rd child.  Organic cotton too!!

4) #50 Kimono Wrap Lace Top

This was a quick fix to glam up the summery dress I was wearing to a wedding.  I love the kimono sleeves.  You feel covered up, but the airiness is very sexy and pretty.

5) #22 Easy Crocheted Beanie

This was a design I did to encourage my crochet students to try out hats!  It's been a bestseller always.