Newsletter 899
Easy Like Sunday Morning
Our Patty recently brought this gorgeous pattern to our attention. Easy Like Sunday Morning is a roomy, raglan-style sweater with a portrait neckline, bracelet length sleeves, and a modern silhouette. Worked from the top-down, the neckband is folded in half toward the inside and the cast-on edge is stitched down to finish.
Patty made two of these! She's modeling it above in a mix of Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool Aran (in Viridian) and Knitting for Olive's Soft Silk Merino (in Dusty Aqua) - you hold them together throughout - but we really love it in her gorgeous winter white version. That one is worked up in Remix (Birch) and KFO's Soft Silk Merino (Cream). We've got both samples in the store for a while...until it gets chilly enough to wear one, at which time we fully expect Patty to skedaddle with them both.
The pattern for this sweater is free, but you gotta go get it! You can find it at Ravelry RIGHT HERE. Sizing/yardage info is at that same link; do take a gander before you pop yarn into your cart.
Handy-dandy link roundup for this one:
The (free) Easy Like Sunday Morning pattern
KFO Soft Silk Mohair
Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool Aran
Remix Birch
P.S. Don't forget that Patty is our favorite knitting help expert! She can be yours too: she's here every Tuesday for drop-ins (10:00-11:30; $15 cash) and advance-booking private hourly knitting help (Noon-2; $30 cash per hour). Drop-ins are just that - just show up between 10 and 11:30 on a Tuesday. Tuesday afternoon booking with Patty is done by emailing her via this link.
The Ashlar Scarf in Laine x Novita DK
Ever since we got the gorgeous Laine x Novita yarns in (see last week's newsletter!), we've had our eyes open for just the right patterns for it. We shared some sweaters last week (again, check last week's newsletter!) but we've been on the hunt for a Laine-perfect accessory. We do love Catherine Salter Bayar's Ashlar Scarf. It's a simple mix of rib and garter stitches and can be worn in a multitude of ways. It's quick and it's a one-skeiner! Just choose your color, grab a US6 needle...and if you get on it, it'll get on you in no time.
You can find the Ashlar Scarf pattern RIGHT HERE. Laine x Novita DK is RIGHT HERE. You only need a single skein.
FO Photos: Catherine Salter Bayar/Urth
Novita x Laine also released a fantastic cropped cable sweater pattern that has Meg frothing at the mouth to make: Vietto.
This cabled beauty is worked seamlessly from the hem to the armholes and then worked flat for the front and back pieces separately. The sleeves are worked seamlessly from the bottom up and are sewn to the armholes at the end. The end result is a true classic - and check out the eye-popping cable definition Laine x Novita DK offers!
A printed pattern for Vietto is free with sweater-quantities (7-9 skeins) of Laine x Novita DK. Refer to the chart above for yardage recommendations; the sample in the photo uses the color called Weathered Driftwood. You can find that RIGHT HERE.
No project could be simpler than a single cake of sport weight Rainbow Cake that self-stripes into a vibrant blanket - perfect for babies or laps (or baby laps!). If you've mastered knits and purls (hint: you have), just sit back and let the yarn do all the work while you take all the credit!
We've just restocked the two most popular colorways! Rainbow Cake is made from 100% organic cotton; it's super-soft and lightweight and comes in a whopping 875-yard cake. Our sample is made in Eggshell, but it would be fantastic in the brighter-striped Ivory as well You only need one cake to make our blanket; it's a Haus pattern, but we'll include a free printed copy when you buy a single cake of Rainbow Cake!
You can find all four colorways of Rainbow Cake RIGHT HERE.
Mmmm hmmm, yes, we did run this story six months ago...but we just absolutely love Koigu for accessories, so we're running it again! Think of it like a "Golden Girls" rerun: it's even better the second (or fiftieth) time!
We're longtime devotees (and stockists; we have a wall of it to prove it!) of Koigu’s KPPPM (Painter's Palette Premium Merino), which is practically the OG when it comes to hand-painted variegated yarn. Thanks to the profusion of these yarns these days (but really: no one does it like Koigu), the days of being stumped by what to use it for are long gone...and we've got three gorgeous samples on-hand that really show it off.
The Koigu Linen Stitch Scarf requires three skeins of Koigu to achieve the effect shown here; choose skeins that when combined utilize as many different colors as possible. Our sample uses a skein that is mostly pinks, a skein that has loads of blues and another skein that's primarily yellow and green. The magic of the linen stitch is that it'll blend all of those varying colors harmoniously. End result: a true heirloom.
Barb's Koigu Ruffle Scarf uses two skeins of Koigu worked lengthwise and has always been one of our favorite shop models. It's effortless to style, and TRUST US when we tell you that you'll receive zillions of compliments. Verdict: Beyond adorable.
These Stay-On Baby Booties require one skein and the ribbed cuff and tie help them stay on even the most active of little feet. Little ties slipped through a row of eyelets keep these booties on, even during a good kick! We like the simplicity of twisted cord or crocheted chain ties, but you can embellish them with beautiful ribbons to bump up the “awwww” factor at baby showers.
Shop Koigu KPPPM HERE!
The new issue of Noro Magazine is in-store and you are, uh, in store for thirty new patterns! There's a wide range of projects this time around: sweaters, scarves, and a whole swath of hoods - the trend we did not see coming but is definitely here!
You can find Issue 27 of Noro RIGHT HERE.
New Things You Didn't Know You Needed: Yarn Cozies!
Designed to help keep a wound ball of yarn's act together while you work from it, Yarn Cozies are ideal for center-pullers! Just slip your wound cake or ball inside the little fabric cozy and everything will be held tight and won't bounce around as you work. These keep your yarn clean and tangle-free, as well as safe from curious pets.
They come in packs of three; we've got six different motifs. You can find them RIGHT HERE. If you're stockpiling ideas for end-of-year knitting group gift exchanges, this is a great candidate!
A Gift from the National Park Service
One last thing! The ongoing government shutdown just might be keeping you from rolling into one of our glorious National Parks. But did you know that some of the NPS sites offer free park-inspired crochet patterns? There are handful of them, but we particularly like these three: the Glacier Bay goat, the Voyageurs walleye and the Great Falls beaver.
The patterns are free; just click those highlighted links to get one. These are great for using up odds and ends of cotton yarn you might have in your stash. Also...we sell some!