Dear fiber fanatics,


Today as I prepare for Thanksgiving, I am thinking ahead to Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. That’s the day when the stores are best stocked and prepared for that pre-holiday shopping frenzy. Many of us will be searching for the materials to create the special gifts that our friends have come to expect from us. I hope your first stop will be your local yarn shop. Today and in the next 2 issues of KnitBits, I will show you lots of ideas for quick projects to make with Berroco yarns. Since you still have plenty of knitting and crocheting time, in this KnitBits we are featuring free patterns for a knitted scarf and a crocheted hat as well as for a knitted poncho.

We used many of our Berroco yarns including Zap, Crystal FX, Chinchilla, Sizzle Bright, Metallic FX, Softy, Suede, Softwist Bulky and Quest. Our Ann Scarf is yet another take on the Pastiche pattern stitch using elegant tonal and textural neutrals for a very sophisticated look. The hat shown with it is called Zhivago. It’s is a fab-faux-fur cap that is crocheted with 2 strands of black Zap and 1 strand of brown Zoom all worked together on a monster hook. This one takes less than an hour to make and it is so chic and warm. All you knitters need to know is a simple sc, single crochet stitch. Some items such as hats are often better crocheted while others simply must be knitted. Why not master both crafts so that you can have a choice?

This week’s free Poncho pattern Panache is also knit in the feather and fan stitch, this time using shades of purple and wine. The deep jewel “tone on tone” and “texture on texture” effects are absolutely gorgeous. This is my favorite poncho yet. I know you will love knitting and wearing it.

If you are searching for a great gift idea for a sophisticated knitter friend, you might want to look for the newest book by Jil Eaton, After Dark. It features elegant, dressy eveningwear and accessories. On the cover is an elegant Obi knit in our silver Quest.

Here’s another gift suggestion if you haven’t got much time. Do you have knitters on your gift list who aren’t hip to the internet? Why not put together a knitting kit for them? Simply download a free pattern from our website. Go to your yarn shop and purchase the required yarn and needles. Put together a gift basket of a wonderful scarf, hat or poncho project. This is a unique and thoughtful gift of knitting that will bring them many hours of pleasure.



Sharda from Brookline, MA wrote: “I just learned to knit and I am knitting scarves. I know how to knit and how to purl now, so I want to knit something other than garter stitch and stockinette stitch. The garter stitch is very clunky and the stockinette stitch curls and becomes very narrow. Do you have any suggestions for knitting a flat scarf?”

Sharda, you are now ready to learn to knit “seed stitch.” That is, you knit one stitch, purl one stitch and repeat these two stitches across the row. On the next row, you knit the purl stitch and purl the knit stitch as they face you across that row. Then you simply repeat these two rows for a wonderful seed stitch pattern. Your scarf will lay flat and will not curl like stockinette stitch does. Also, the fabric will not be as dense as garter stitch. I remember when I discovered Barbara Walker’s famous Treasuries of Knitting Patterns. That was the moment when I started my career in knitting.

In the following two KnitBits, I will post ideas that even non-knitters and non-crocheters will like, things that will be so simple that even little kids can make them. Many of our yarns are so decorative and festive that they are inspiring me to create holiday festoons.

With Berroco, there is simply no end to the possibilities!

All the best and Happy Thanksgiving,


Margery Winter
Creative Director

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