Lluxurious Llamalini

For me, there are more than a few yarns here in the office that inspire daydreams of beautiful projects.  One of those is Llamalini, a decadent blend of linen, royal llama, and silk bourette.  I’m not the only one – designers are picking up on this gem too.  May we show you what our own Amy Gunderson has done recently?

Dichotomy_Llamalini_1_cropped

Dichotomy looks great with the very in-style color blocks that meander up the body and across the arm.  Worked flat in pieces from the bottom up, it uses a circular needle strictly to accommodate the large number of stitches required for a pullover with up to 10″ of positive ease.  Sleeve cuffs are worked by picking up stitches off the sides of the body piece and knitting downward.

Dichotomy_Llamalini_2_blogColor changes are achieved with the intarsia method.  The contrasting “line” is formed by working increases and decreases in the blocks of color – no cabling required.

You can purchase this pattern on Craftsy or Ravelry.  (Puppy not included)

In the Spring/Summer 2015 knit.purl, the Swingback Hoodie is turning heads.  Amy wrote an in-depth guest blog post about her design process for this piece.

Gunderson_Swingback_Hoodie_1  knitpurl Summer 2015 Gunderson_Swingback_Hoodie_5

A dramatic feather-and-fan panel makes a pointed back hem. The hood, fronts, and back are worked from the top down, while sleeves are worked from the bottom up.

As part of the knit.purl blog post, Lisa Shroyer asked for Amy’s suggestions for personal styles that would work well with this cardi.  We got a little happy in the studio with Amy modeling.  We couldn’t resist giving you all a little taste of the fun we had.

Happy knitting!

Swingback-Loop-GIF

Free Pattern Friday – Varia Pullover

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Varia Sweater in Llamalini_blogToday, the Varia Pullover in Llamalini.

Llamalini ComestiblesI may have mentioned this before, but Fibra Natura Llamalini (109yds/50g) is a favorite around here.  A blend of royal llama, linen, and silk bourette, it has a rich, heathered depth of color.  I’ve got a hank of Mulberry on my desk right now that I snuck out of our samples (don’t tell!) just so I can look at it and think about what it wants to be.

Varia Sweater shoulder_blogOur sales manager Yonca clearly had bigger plans than me when she came up with this design.  She’s got a good eye – we note that the upcoming Vogue Knitting has several solid cable sweaters with stripe detailing.  This design is very on trend.

Varia Swater pocket_blogThe garment is knitted in pieces and seamed, and the pockets are added afterward, so it’s easy to leave them off if you prefer.  For myself, I love the bursts of color that they lend, breaking up the line in a way that’s flattering for those of us who might be wearing something, let’s say, a little bigger than the extra-small size.

This is a great transitional piece – the Llamalini is warm but not stifling, and the half sleeves would work well in Spring or Fall.

Maybe I should grab a few more skeins from our samples and dream a little bigger…

Happy knitting!

 

Knitspiration – Comestibles

Blizzard coming your way? Let’s warm up.

Comestibles Dorothy Dell Dennison 1952 with swatches_blog
Comestibles by Dorothy Dell Dennison (1952)

Not scorching, perhaps, but warm enough to want to stay in the shade.  The open, inviting doorway is a connection rather than a divider between the two women. Although both are occupied with the tasks of day-to-day  life, you can almost hear the conversation.  Is the seated woman knitting?  I’d like to think so.

Llamalini Comestibles
Fibra Natura Llamalini

This reminds me of the warm tones in Llamalini, a blend of royal alpaca, linen, and silk bourette spun in Argentina.  There are some additional jeweltones rounding out the palette that you can see on our website.

What do these colors inspire you to make?

Generosity in Llamalini
Botanical Scarf in Good Earth Adorn
Southwest Suns Shawl in Good Earth
Yatomi Pullover in Nettle Lana

If you’re in the storm’s path, stay in.  Pick up a project.  Think thoughts of sunnier days.

Happy knitting.

 

 

 

 

Knitspiration – The Knitting Lesson

Looking for a new project?  How about a little knitspiration?

The Knitting Lesson by Eugene de Blaas
The Knitting Lesson by Eugene de Blaas
Deluxe Worsted
Deluxe Worsted
Southwest Suns in Good Earth
Backstage Sweater in Mohair Mountain
Flowering Herb Scarf in Llamalini
Rosette Messenger Bag in Deluxe Worsted

 

Wall Hanging 1_crop
Wall Candy in Deluxe Worsted

 

What would you make in these colors?

Happy crafting!

Free Pattern Friday – Ellery Reversible Cowl

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Llamalini Ellery Cowl_blog

Today, the Ellery Reversible Cowl in Llamalini silk/linen/royal llama blend (50g/109yds).

This yarn is a favorite around the office for its lovely heathering and soft feel.  The blend of luxury fibers gives it a rich depth.  And it’s well suited to this design, which I love for many reasons – not the least because it’s reversible.

Llamalini Ellery Cowl wrapped blogWhat look like cables are really faux-cables.  No cable needle required.  Wear it long or wrap it for warmth – Llamalini is quite toasty!

We hope you craft something luxurious and wonderful this holiday.  Whether it’s for you or someone else, the process itself is such a joy.

Happy knitting!

Throwback Thursday – Back to School Vest

It’s Throwback Thursday!

TT Back to School Vest

Today, we feature the Back To School Vest.  This vest was originally designed for Deluxe Worsted Concord Tweed, a member of the Deluxe Family that had flecks of color throughout.  It was exactly the same weight as Deluxe Worsted and Deluxe Worsted Superwash 100% wools, making it a perfect match for those yarns.

If you’re looking for a more tweedy look, I have to mention Llamalini. I mention it because it’s a gorgeous yarn, but also because we just got in four new colors and really, I’ll take any excuse to knit something out of Llamalini’s blend of linen, royal llama, and silk bourette.  So luxurious.

The Back to School Vest is knitted in the round up to the armholes, then back and forth to the shoulders.   This is pictured as a top, but would also work well as a layering piece.  I can see this with a pair of jeans over an untucked shirt for a look that says, “yes, I look this good without even trying.”

Happy knitting!

Throwback Thursday – Garter Rib Cowl

It’s Throwback Thursday!

TT Garter Rib Cowl

Today, we share the Garter Rib Cowl.  Originally designed for Cashmere Fleur de Lys, this pattern would provide plenty of style in any worsted weight yarn, particularly one with a bit of spring to it.

This would be a great two ball project in Uptown Worsted 100% anti-pilling acrylic, as well as Deluxe Worsted or Deluxe Worsted Superwash 100% wool.  It would be a three ball project with a bit more drape in Llamalini, but with the heathered tones of that linen/llama/silk bourette blend, it would be a great look.

I’ve got some Deluxe Worsted left over from my 30 Day Sweater KAL project, and this looks like the perfect project for it.  A simple two-row repeat on size 9 needles sounds like a great break from back-to-school insanity.  Let’s all knit and relax!

Sunday Swatch – Llamalini

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Llamalini color 106 Lotus.

SS Llamalini blogYes, it looked like a smiley face, so I had to take a picture of it like that because I am a big old dork.  But I can’t help it, I’m smiling too.  I got to knit with Llamalini!   This particular swatch is the stitch pattern from this week’s Throwback Thursday, the Zig Zag Lace Scarf.  It worked up nicely on US Size 7 (4.5mm) needles and was quite an easy pattern to keep track of.

Llamalini (50g/109yds) is a blend of linen, royal llama, and silk bourette that’s just as decadent as it sounds.  The linen gives it a little drape, and the silk bourette provides a tweedy texture for added visual interest.  The royal llama is there for extra fabulousness.

Crooked Dolphin Tee by NytateLlamalini is featured prominently in our Contrarian Shawls e-book, but I also want to show off a free pattern designed for it.  The Diagonals Tee is a popular design with an interesting yoke.  The only sewing is stitching up the underarms, which you can see are quite short.  Raveler Nytate (real name, Latisha) did a great version of this top (pictured right), and in fact is doing a KAL/class on it at her local shop, Sheep’s Clothing in Kennewick, WA.  Nice work!

Have a great weekend, and happy knitting!

 

Throwback Thursday – Zig Zag Lace Scarf

It’s Throwback Thursday!

Throwback Thursday Zig Zag Lace Scarf

Today, we feature the Zig Zag Lace Scarf.  Originally in Fibra Natura Seasong, we’re recommending a couple of medium weight alternatives here.

First, Llamalini (50g/109yds), another member of the Fibra Natura family.  It’s a decadent blend of royal llama, silk bourette, and linen.  In fact I’ve picked Llamalini for an upcoming Sunday Swatch, mainly so I have another excuse to knit with it!

Next, Deluxe Worsted Superwash (100g/220yds), our very popular superwash version of Deluxe Worsted.  There’s no plant content here, so the scarf will have a little more “spring” with this choice.  There’s a great range of colors here, so there are many opportunities to customize your scarf.

0118-Universal Yarn catchupThe pattern itself is very simple – just a series of yarn overs and decreases staggered to make a zig zag design.  This is an easy pattern to read in your stitches, meaning once you’ve done a repeat you can see how to continue without too much referring back to the pattern page.  This is a classic pattern that we’re glad to share again!

Happy knitting!

Mystery KAL – Clue 4 is live!

It’s here! Clue 4 of the Mystery Sweater KAL is live!

Llamalini with Y cablesYour humble blogger? I’m about to finish up Clue 2. I have to say, though, the encouragement of folks here in the office and on Facebook and Ravelry guarantees that this will not be another unfinished project on the pile. This is still very exciting!

Last time we showed a Llamalini (109yds/50g) sweater with its Y-shaped cables. Here it is again at right, with the body and sleeves separated. It’s slightly damp, since the knitter gave it a little bath just to see if the yarn would do anything odd. Good news – the Llamalini linen/llama/silk blend came through like a champ. Looks like smooth sailing!

A knitter in accounting is steaming ahead in Poems Silk (109yds/50g), following the Harder Path with a stockinette background. She’s very happy to have Clue 4 in her hands and plans to dive in at lunchtime.

And speaking of Clue 4, there’s yet another branch in the path! Amy provides options for waist shaping. If you’re a curvy type, there’s an option for accentuating your curves. If you prefer a more straightforward line, there are options for that as well. I’m loving just how customized I can make this sweater.

Today I launch into clue 3. I plan to be caught up by the time Clue 5 rolls around –I hear it’s going to bring even more options. See you on Monday!