Newsletter 934
Breezy Sleeveless Swing
Our summertime march through cotton tees and tanks continues! Our friend (and fellow yarn store owner) Mary Stowe worked up a spectacular sample of the Breezy Sleeveless Swing that Meg could not wait to put on!
This flattering tank features A-line shaping, a handkerchief front hem, and a V-neck. The front “handkerchief” point is formed by pairing increases at the side edges with decreases on both sides of the center ribs. The center-front ribs are crossed into a single cable that defines the V-neck opening; the ribs then extend to the shoulder and across the back neck. With no armhole or front-neck finishing, this tank is a breeze to knit. Made out of soft cotton yarn, it's a super summer throw-on!
Mary's sample (modeled here by Meg) is worked up in shop workhorse Modern Cotton from Berocco. Just refer to the yardage chart above, pick out your color, and get started!
You can grab the pattern RIGHT HERE. Modern Cotton (209 yds per skein) is HERE. We love it in the summery, vaguely Jordan-Almond-ish shades from Modern Cotton's color palette...but you cannot go wrong here; it's a gorgeous little tank in any color.
Sliding is Fun Blanket
Vicki worked up an adorable version of the Sliding is Fun blanket, which is an interesting alternative to the usual baby blanket options...but one that still manages to be just knit stitches! Utilizing two alternating colors, you just slide stitches to the far end of the needle (the free pattern explains it!) and start knitting all over again for an interesting horizontal rib effect. We love this one!
Vicki knit hers up in two shades of Cumulus: a solid (White Lion) and Frosted Bloom, one of the beautiful variegated options available via Cumulus' Matisse line. You only need one skein of each! Cumulus Solids are RIGHT HERE and the lovely Matisse shades are HERE.
You'll find that free pattern RIGHT HERE.
Same Blanket. Different Yarn!
Love the Sliding is Fun blanket but would prefer a wool version!? We think you could get a similar result using Plymouth Select Worsted Superwash Merino - just choose a solid and a hand-dyed from the Splash line! The hand-dyed options are new: colorful speckles spread out along Plymouth Superwash's usual 218 yards of squishable merino. To make the Sliding is Fun blanket as written, you'll need two of each (you'll have a good chunk of yarn left).
Find all ten bazillion solid shades of Superwash Worsted Merino RIGHT HERE. There are ten hand-dyed Splash options RIGHT HERE (a White and "Pardi Gras" combo looks like it'll get you the same vibe Vicki managed with Cumulus Matisse.)
Again, that pattern is free and it's RIGHT HERE.
Firefly Fever
Team Haus took a quick 24-hour trip a couple of weekends ago to see the famous synchronous fireflies at Elkmont in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was pure magic! And we've had fireflies on the brain ever since.
We love this teensy bit of crocheted firefly amigurumi, worked up from a pattern available in an eBook that you can grab RIGHT HERE (it's got eight completely charming woodland-ish projects in it). We've got an enormous supply of Ricorumi DK for you to make your very own lil' lightning bug RIGHT HERE! We secretly love the idea of using the glow-in-the-dark Ricorumi for this little guy's lantern belly (or whatever you call it). You can find that RIGHT HERE. Quick: someone make us a dozen of these.
Woodland photo: © NPS
Amigurumi photo: © Ilaria Caliri (aka airali), Irene Strange