Newest Knitscene

Knitscene Winter 2014 is looking pretty good if you ask me. Let's take a look.

Emma Welford is the featured designer in this issue, and she has created some lovely things for us. The Haubergeon Sweater is a classic. Knit up in a worsted weight, too, so it will be done in a flash.

Oh, the leg warmers. The Ornate Greaves are kind of epic, aren't they? We have a few skeins of Vivacious Handpaint DK from Fyberspates left on the shelves, or you could go solid with Plymouth DK Merino Superwash.

The Gothic Gloves would be amazing in Rowan Fine Tweed, and we have so many colors in stock.

The Mixed Media section is all about the marled yarns. Which I am loving. (Remember this sweater? I wear it all the time.) The Purbeck Pullover looks cozy, and it's done up in Cascade Eco Duo, a very popular yarn at the shop.

The Tongshan Sweater is absolutely on my list for this winter. Sally just ordered a whole bunch of the Classic Elite Crestone, too, so we will have our choice of lovely marled shades. Love the shirttail hem and the contrasting yoke. Love it.

The Carrara Shawl is worked up with a whole bunch of Shibui Cima held doubled. If you haven't worked with this yarn yet, do yourself a favor and give it a try. It's like butter.

These Siena Mittens are stinkin' adorable. They use doubled-up sock yarn in a range of shades to get the cool stripe effect.

I also love this. So much. The Kolmarden Jacket is designed using two strands of Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift. We have lots in stock for you. I love the shape and the fabric so much, but choosing colors is going to be a bear.

There is an interesting section on mosaic knitting. If that's your thing, take a look a the Tessellating Leaves scarf, knit up in Plymouth Homestead. We have a nice deep stock of this lovely yarn, too.

There are some nice classics with interesting details, too. The Hanne Sweater has a nice garter stitch section on the side.

I like the Orla Keily vibe of the Isla Cardigan and the Lisa Hat and Armwarmers. The sweater is knit up in Rowan Pure Wool Worsted, and I would use Cascade 220 Sport or Superwash Sport for the colorful accessories.

The stripes and colorblocking of the Sanna Shawl are calmly appealing to me, and I love the graphic yoke of the Meko Pullover. So many color opportunities.

Knitscene does it again with another great issue! Which one will you make?

Brrr!

It's knitting weather folks, and we have the big stuff in the shop to keep you cozy.

Our shelves are well-stocked with Cascade Magnum and Lana Grande.  

What to knit with these yarns?  I love Nancy's Charly Infinity Scarf with the Lana Grande.  We have a sample of this at the shop in one of the marled colorways.  If you can knit and purl, you can make this.  And you could probably be wearing it by tomorrow if you knit quickly.

I also love Laura Irwin's Textured Marbled Beret, knit with just one ball of Lana Grande. Laura has several amazing magnum projects, too, including the Softwaves Cowl and the Snail Twist Cowl.  These cowls are very architectural and unusual.  If you are craving simple, just cast on 12-15 stitches on a US 17 and knit every row until your yarn is gone.  Bam, big impact scarf.

Speaking of simple and big impact, do you all remember our Seed Stitch Cowl from awhile back?  It is very nice in Magnum, and it's the perfect thing to whip up to fight the chill. I am reposting the pattern here for you all. Come get your yarn and warm up!

Close Knit Seed Stitch Cowl
By Sally Palin
Yarn: 1 skein Cascade Magnum
Needles: US17 24" circular
Finished Size: 10" high by about 32" around  
Gauge: about 8 stitches over 4" in seed stitch
 
Seed stitch in the round:
Round 1: *K1, P1* until 1 stitch remains. K1.
Round 2: *P1, K1* until 1 stitch remains. P1.
Basically, after round 1, you will simply knit your purls and purl your knits, so it's not crucial to know what row you are on.
 
Instructions: Cast on 65 stitches.
Twist once, place marker, and join for knitting in the round. (This twist is what you usually try to avoid when joining to knit in the round. You could also join normally to create a non-twisted cowl if you prefer, but the drape is not as nice.)
Seed stitch your heart out for about 10".
Bind off and enjoy!

Freia Lace and Sport

Quite a few of you have been asking (and calling and emailing and Facebooking) about the Freia yarns.  We are happy to announce a fresh batch of Ombre Lace and Ombre Sport.  

We currently have eight colorways of the Sport, and each is as lovely as the next.  I am still partial to Lichen (bottom left) and Vertigo (bottom right), but I can appreciate them all.

Our girl Lisa used one ball of the Lichen to knit up this adorable slouchy hat.  She was even generous enough of offer it up as a shop pattern, free with the purchase of the Ombre Sport yarn.

The hat features a sweet picot hemmed edge (which is not at all difficult to create), an easy peasy stockinette body, and a slouchy crown.  I love the way it shows off the nice range on color that occurs throughout the ball.  Nice work, Lisa.

We also have the Ombre Lace, which Adrienne used to make a Bateaux Mouches scarf.  Again, the full color range gets to come out and play in a project like this.  And that's really the point of this kind of yarn, isn't it?  So, it's on the shelves for you.  Come and get yours.

Tosh Merino DK, Limited Quantities

 

The Tosh Merino DK is currently in the shop.  We only have four skeins of each color, though.  Man, this stuff is hard to get our hands on these days, but it's totally worth the effort.

The Merino DK is the buttery soft single ply with a lovely silky sheen, essentially the thicker version of the Tosh Merino Light Ann used for the Ombre hat.  I have a few skeins hanging out in my stash waiting to become the perfect thing.  I was poking around on Ravelry, and I came up with a few ideas for you all.  It's time to start knitting gifts, right?

Puck from Lioness Arts

Rikke from Sarah Young

Mara from Madelinetosh

I would absolutely try another A Little Ruffle from Jennifer Lang.  Remember that shawl that everyone made a few years back?  I think it's time for a fresh one in some new colors, don't you?

With such limited amounts in our grasp, what will you make with this coveted stuff?