Essentially Feminine

We have some pretty new things at the shop right now, many of which you may have seen on our Facebook page.  I'll fill you in on the Noro extravaganza soon, but first I wanted to show you this beautiful new book we just received.

Essentially Feminine Knits is full of just that.  The Ravelry page for the English translation is incomplete, but the Ravelry page for the Danish version is full of beautiful projects and all the details.

Here are some of my favorites from the book.  Fiona is knit with wool and mohair held together, and the gauge ends up being about a bulky weight.

Hella is a cute leafy beanie in two weights, worsted or bulky.  I think prefer the bulky one below.

Palma is a is a pretty wrap sweater with a cable detail on the back.  This one is knit with fingering weight, so a sock yarn or Scrumptious 4 Ply or Karabella Lace Merino Silk would be perfect.

Siri (not the iPhone lady) is very interesting.  The knitting is very simple, and a few seams complete this unique shape.  It's knit with a DK yarn, and Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK or Rialto DK would be so nice and cozy.

I love Lilly with her garter goodness and little leaf yoke detail.  This would be amazing in Berroco Ultra Alpaca or good ol' Cascade 220.

Wilma is a pretty little cabled vest.  I love it in the tweed they have here, and Tahki Donegal Tweed or Debbie Bliss Luxury Aran Tweed would be nice.

Viola is an interesting one.  The yarn used for this design is super fluffy and airy, but it's a bulky weight.  We have a yarn coming in the fall that would be perfect for this.  You could probably use Cascade Eco Cloud, but please swatch.

I love Nikita.  Lace, garter, cables, weird construction?  Yes, please.  Look at the pretty shoulder.

Cecilia is delicate and feminine, for sure.  Rowan Kidsilk Haze or Cascade Kid Seta would fit the bill here.

Finally, Coco.  Sophisticated and classic, especially in a fingering weight yarn.

Which ones inspire you?  Come by and take a look.  And stay tuned for the Noro color riot.

Sweatshirt Complete

My cozy grey sweatshirt is off the needles.  It's perfect.

I tried to resist casting on for this, but the allure of the cozy organic yarn, simple pattern, and pockets finally pushed me over the edge.  I'm so glad I gave in.

The pattern is Agnes by Melissa LaBarre from Quince & Co (available as a download).  It's a very simple raglan sweater with a nice swingy shape and side seam pockets.  The pattern was designed with a single ply wool, but I chose Classic Elite Sprout in the perfect shade of gray.  The color is called Summer Rain, which seems so very appropriate today.

I tried knitting the pockets with Sprout, but the effect was less than flattering.  I sewed up a few little squares out of fabric and hand stitched them in place.  In hindsight, I could have used Seedling, Sprout's little sister yarn, to create a knitted pocket with less bulk.

The boatneck-ish neckline on this is so comfortable for me.  I like to think that it adds a little bit of femininity to what is otherwise a boxy bulky pullover.  I knitted most of the sweater on a US10.5, but I switched to a US9 for the ribbing on the sleeves and the hem.

Back in April, I wrote about this lovely organic cotton yarn, and I stand by my review.  My hands did not get sore and cramped while knitting with this cotton, and the finished texture is casual and cozy.  I used every last bit five skeins of Sprout for the sweater, although I would have needed another for the pockets.  I made the 37.5", but I added a few more underarm increases and made the sleeves 3/4 length.

I have already washed this a few times, and it seems to do just fine.  I turned it inside-out, washed it on cold, air-fluffed it in the dryer, and laid it flat to dry the rest of the way.  As with any pure cotton garment, it shrunk up a tiny bit in length and the stitches tightened up again, which was just fine with me.  It stretched out a bit the last time I fell asleep wearing it.  Yup, it's that perfect.

Cascade Trunk Show - Get it While it's Hot!

We received a lovely trunk show from our Cascade Yarns representative last week.  Unfortunately, due to some scheduling conflicts, it will only be in the shop until Friday of this week.  There are some beautiful pieces just begging to be tried on and knit by you.  As an added bonus, all of these patterns are free through the Cascade Yarns website!

Here is the Aphoras Lace Pullover in 220 Sport or 220 Superwash Sport and the Kid Seta Lace Scarf in Kid Seta.

This is the Kid Seta Cardigan.  Several ladies of varying sizes have tried this, and it is quite flattering on many body types.

We also have this amazing Alpaca Lace Turtleneck in Alpaca Lace, which Jenni has styled so beautifully.

This is the Summer Waves Cardigan in Ultra Pima and the Eyelet Diamond Shawl in Alpaca Lace.

This pretty pink one is the Cluster Stitch Scarf in Alpaca Lace.

The Shaded Feather Openwork Scarf is knit with several shades of Alpaca Lace.

Finally, the Ribbed Lace Stole in Ultra Pima is silky soft and has a nice weight.

The pattern links I've provided will take you to all of the free patterns for each yarn.  There is no direct link to the individual patterns, but you'll be able to find the one you love and download it at home.

We love Cascade Yarns, and I know you do too.  Come on down before we have to box these pretties up and send them home!

What Would Jane Knit?

We have the Summer 2012 issue of Jane Austen Knits from Interweave.  This is the second Jane Austen issue, and I like this one is even better than the first.  There are some interesting historical articles in each issue, and the designs are all inspired by the novels and characters of Jane Austen.  I was never a huge fan of the Regency-era novels, but I have been known to stay up too late on a Sunday night watching a little Jane on Masterpiece Theater.  Here are some of my favorites from this most recent issue.

The sweet little lacy Summer Pelisse is knit with Classic Elite Wool Bam Boo, perfectly soft and shiny for the little miss in your life.

The Beloved Baby Bonnet is really something special, and the adorable infant doesn't hurt the look either.  We have several beautiful colors of Karabella Lace Merino Silk, so delicate and sophisticated.  This would be great in many laceweights, but the Lace Merino Silk is just a little bit thicker and very luxurious.

Emma's Chemise and Miss Bingley's Feathered Head Wrap and Lace Wrist Warmers really embody the whole Jane Austen feel.

 

My favorite from this issue is the Margaret Dashwood Shawl.  It was designed using a lovely tweedy lace yarn, similar to Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift.  This is on my list for summer knitting.  The pattern is really simple, but the results are so pretty.

We have a few issues of the original Jane Austen Knits on the shelves, too.

Here are some of my favorites from last year's issue.  The Fitz mitts are knit in Jamieson's, too.

Cameo mittens (!) and a beautiful little red riding hood.

A gorgeous capelet in Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool.

The Meryton Coat would be quite an accomplishment.

Looking back at last year's issue makes me want to go grab both issues and curl up with my knitting.  Since it can be difficult to knit and read at the same time, I'll have to stick with my PBS habit.

Firefly

When I first met the Classic Elite Firefly, I wasn't so sure that you guys would like it.  It's kind of fine and slinky with an unusual texture, and I had a hard time believing that it would get much love.  I was wrong.  So very wrong.

I took some home to play, which resulted in the perfect summer project, the Firefly Bias Scarf.

The scarf is all stockinette stitch (knit on the front and purl on the back), but the biased fabric prevents any major rolling.  The pattern is simple (and free), but not so mindless that you want to give up.  And the fabric that Firefly creates is really perfect for summer.  So many of our Close Knitters nabbed up three balls of this beautiful yarn to make their own, so Sally ordered even more colors for you this summer.  

The dark gray is still my favorite, but that gorgeous gold is starting to wink at me, and even the pink has been chatting me up, too.  Ann recently used the lighter grey to make the Fringed Scarf from the Picnic Book (#9109).

The newest Firefly booklet from Classic Elite, Peabody Path (#9174) has a few pretties, too.

I think the drapey open-front cardigan and net-like shawl are nice, but I loved Redbud from the moment I saw it.  The dolman sleeves, the boatneck, the understated lace.  True love.

One of my favorite designers is a fan of Firefly, too, and she has designed a few lovely pieces you might like.  Amy Christoffer's Robin Tank from the latest issue of Knitscene and her V-Yoke Cardigan from last spring's Interweave both play up the best qualities of Firefly: its flow and drape.

Look at the biasing!

Apparently you all are pretty good judges of yarn, and I'm glad you all fell for Firefly, too.  Come get yours at 15% off through Sunday!

KidLin

Louet also produces KidLin, a pretty linen and mohair blend.  While this yarn is 49% linen, the mohair definitely dominates the texture and the look of the knitted fabric.  KidLin lace weight, which we have in stock, knits up into a light fabric with the signature mohair halo.

Image from Louet

I know several of our knitters were quite taken with the sample of Cia that we had in the shop for a bit, and the lacey Monica stole was also quite popular.  We have a pattern for Myra at the shop, as well.

Image from Louet

Personally, I would stick to some simpler textures with this yarn.  A few clever Ravelers used KidLin to create some stunning versions of Amiga from last summer's Knitty (a free online pattern magazine).  The Ravelers who tried this used US7 needles and just three skeins of KidLin.

Photo from KnitSwiss, used with permission

I love the En Pointe Pullover from last spring's Interweave Knits, too.  The construction of this sweater is really unusual; the front is knit sideways, twisted, and attached to the back.  I'm pretty sure the sleeves are then picked up and knit down to the cuff, so the seaming is pretty minimal.

Image source

I think this sweater would be really flattering on a lot of body types, and it would be a great low-key knitting project, since it is all stockinette.

You could just keep it simple and knit a garter stitch scarf or a big ol' infinity scarf.  What will you make?