Can’t wait for fall? Neither can designer Rachel Brockman! Rachel often takes her inspiration from nature. For this autumnal design, she drew from the geology of the southwest, with cables, twisted stitches, and seed stitch echoing the sandstone formations of the land near Sedona, Arizona.
With the fabric accented by the flecks in Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash, the design is the perfect encapsulation of the season.
For this design, Rachel chose one of our newest colors in Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash, 927 Ourangutan, the ball shown with the label in this picture. The yarn’s tweedy nubs are excellent at capturing the spirit of fall in any project. For me personally, because I’m all about the blue tones, I’m very drawn to 922 Great Lakes. It reminds me of skipping stones as a child along the Susquehanna river.
“Thanks, it has pockets!”
This design has great details to keep your interest as you knit. Seed stitch decorates the hem and placket, which is worked simultaneously with the body. A slipped stitch selvedge offers an especially tidy finish. And off course it has pockets. They’re essential for holding the little treasures you find as you walk through the woods!
We hope you enjoy this free pattern! If you still have a craving for tweedy fall projects, you can see more patterns using Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash on our site at this link.
Have a great weekend, full of cool weather and warm delights.
Happy September! While I’m not one to wish away the summer, I cannot help but feel so excited about the things we’re sharing this autumn season. Even if it’s still hot out, the sun is setting earlier and even a few leaves are beginning to turn. These things signal what may collectively be a knitter’s favorite season: autumn! And what better way to celebrate than with a lovely new pattern collection? Say hello to Soft Simplicity!
The cover of our latest ebook, Soft Simplicity.
This collection features projects that make our gorgeous yarn, Minou, the star of the show. Minou is our take on eyelash yarns – and there are few yarns out there that can compare! This kitten-soft yarn features fluffy strands of baby alpaca and merino wool that jut gently out of the nylon thread base. The strands are just about 1/4″ long – just enough length to make a statement without being over the top.
Minou in shades 108 Tanager (red), 107 Heron (grey-blue/green), and 101 Borzoi (cream).
Because Minou is so fluffy and furlike, it’s a great choice for soothing, simple stitches. It’s a match for garter and stockinette stitch on its own, or as a carry-along with your other favorite yarns. You’ll see it featured as a single strand, held together with another yarn, and in stranded colorwork in this collection. Let’s take a closer look.
The Feathered Vest.
First up: the Feathered Vest. This vest is casual and cozy. In the early days of Autumn, wear it as a top that just hints at cooler days ahead. When it’s a bit chilly, it makes a fabulous layering piece. The knitted vest has made quite a resurgence in the past year or two, and we don’t see any reason that should change. I knew this collection wouldn’t feel complete without one. Rather than stick to a solid color, I opted for a pop along the hem and neckband. It’s just enough color to elevate this piece from drab to fab.
This vest is constructed seamlessly from the bottom up in one piece. The front and back are separated at the underarms and worked flat. Then, the shoulders are joined using the three-needle bind-off. Finally, stitches are picked up along the armhole and neckband for a tidy finish.
The Forest Slipper Socks.
The Forest Slipper Socks are a great addition to your sock drawer. Comfy and casual, you’ll love wearing these around the house on a Saturday morning. For this design, I actually did choose a stitch motif, and it’s faintly visible. That’s because its functionality is really what I was after. These slipper socks feature a garter rib that provides a bit of memory and stretch, which is what you want in a pair of socks. In this design, I’ve paired Minou with Bamboo Pop Sock Solids. Bamboo Pop Sock is a customer favorite, and its PBT content adds extra elasticity and helps your socks maintain their shape over time. Because you hold a strand of each yarn together throughout the project, these work up pretty quickly, too!
These socks are knit seamlessly in the round from the cuff down. They feature a heel flap and gusset. Simple shaping forms the toe, then the toe is closed using Kitchener stitch. It’s the most complex pattern in the collection, and it would be helpful if you are already familiar with basic sock techniques before diving in because it can be a little tricky to read your knitting (more on that later!).
The Pacific Cardigan.
Next up is my favorite piece in the collection: the Pacific Cardigan. This minimalist cardigan is open, features almost no shaping, and is just so easy to wear. I’m perpetually chilly indoors, so cardigans like this are perfect for me year-round. The silhouette is fairly boxy – with sleeves slightly more fitted at the upper arm, but are loose and open at the cuffs. Although it’s simple, Minou’s gorgeous color and texture take this cardi to the next level.
The body of the Pacific Cardigan is worked flat in one piece, beginning with the back hem and working up and over the shoulders. The left and right front are separated at the shoulders and worked separately. After sewing the sides of the body together, the stitches for the sleeves are picked up from around the armholes and worked in the round from the top down.
Speck Cowl – Version ASpeck Cowl – Version B
Finally, we have the Speck Cowl. A yarn like Minou simply begs to be worn around your neck – it’s just so lush and cozy! I wanted the design to incorporate low-contrast stranded colorwork, using Minou to make little specks of fluff to decorate the piece. Funny story, though, is that my very trusty sample knitter accidentally swapped the colors in the pattern. I noticed her sneak peek photo was more fluffy than my swatch, but I actually loved it. We chatted a bit and decided it would be great to show both options. So, two versions of this cowl were born! You can see both versions in the photo above – Version B (right) shows Minou as the non-dominant yarn, and the “speck” effect is more apparent. Version A (left) shows Minou as the dominant yarn – notice how much fluffier it is than Version B! I can’t choose a favorite – for the same pattern, the results are strikingly different.
The Speck Cowls are knit in the round from the bottom up. They incorporate a very simple stranded colorwork motif. The top and bottom border feature a few rows of garter stitch. This is probably the perfect “entry-level” Minou pattern. Speaking of “entry-level”, I’ve included some tips and tricks for working with Minou that are helpful whether you’re a newbie or a longtime fiber artist. I hope you find them helpful!
Tips and Tricks for working with Minou Most of the patterns in this collection are pretty easy, featuring little more than the foundational skills of knits, purls, color changes, and basic decreases. However, being so fluffy, it can be challenging to read your work while knitting with Minou. Counting rows and picking up stitches isn’t as easy as it is with a round, smooth yarn (such as our beloved Deluxe Worsted or Bamboo Pop, for example). Here are a few tips to ensure your project goes smoothly.
Work in bright light. This will make it easier to see your fabric, especially when picking up stitches or seaming.
Swatch! Yes – you need to do it, and not just because your swatch will determine your sweater fit. In the case of Minou and other eyelash yarns, a swatch will help you practice simply by getting a feel for what it’s like to work with the yarn.
When swatching, it can be difficult to count the number of rows and stitches you’ve worked. Take notes regarding the exact number of stitches and rows you knit, and measure the piece you knit rather than counting individual stitches or rows (see next tip!)
Use a row counter, especially when shaping the armholes or neckband. Often, our patterns tell you to work until the piece measures a specific length. We typically include a little buffer of even length to account for any differences with the row gauge. If you use a row counter, you’ll easily be able to track exactly how many rows you worked to achieve the specific length, and thus can ensure the sides and front/back of the piece are perfectly symmetrical.
If the pattern is knit flat, like the body of the Pacific Cardigan, use a removable marker to denote the Right Side and Wrong Side of the work. Because the yarn is fluffy, reverse Stockinette stitch and Stockinette stitch can end up looking very similar, so this tip is especially helpful.
Take your time! We all know knitting isn’t a speedy endeavor, but it’s especially important to slow down when working with eyelash yarns like Minou. This will help you process everything you’re doing more easily, and you’ll be less likely to make mindless mistakes. (Learn from me, I’m the queen of mindless knitting mishaps!)
If you make a mistake, take a deep breath. Although it can be difficult to see your stitches with Minou, the flip side is that it will also hide your mistakes very well. Now, I’m not advocating that we just ignore every knitting mistake we make – it’s good practice to fix your knitting. If you need to frog any part of your work, just take it slow and be careful not to rip back aggressively so as not to damage the yarn. With that said, it is alsovery much okay to embrace the imperfection and move forward.
Thanks for joining me today as I dished about our new collection, Soft Simplicity. I hope you enjoy each pattern and find the tips and tricks for working with Minou helpful. Be sure to check out all of the ways we’ve been using Minou, too! You can see all of our offerings at this link.
Is there anything better than a good sock yarn accessory? Today’s two-ball shawl features subtle shaping that lets it sit gracefully on the shoulders. It also has beautiful lace, made even more striking through unexpected color changes that ebb and flow.
We call these color changes unexpected, because it’s such a departure from how the color runs look in the smaller circumferences that we see in socks! In little projects, Wacki Saki is bold and wild.
But when seen in larger circumferences, the shades shift smoothly across the broader canvas, creating long bands of color that accent your work.
We love this shawl so much that we made it in two colors. Shown above is Wacki Saki 406 Kooky Meadow…
…and here it has more of a desert sunset feel, with Wacki Saki 405 Crazy Tiger.
I hvae a friend who can’t get enough of pink, and for her I’m going to suggest color 401 Bonkers Bouquet. Its vivid tones match her bright personality!
No matter your choice, we think you’ll love this brilliant, flowing accessory.
Do you love lace? Then today is for you! Rachel Brockman uses allover lace stitches on the body of this pullover to add extra elegance.
A lace body is offset by bracelet-length stockinette sleeves, and a boat neck enhances the piece’s overall vintage vibes. But this is a luxurious sweater with a secret!
This lacy delight is actually an affordable, easy care project, thanks to Uptown Baby Sport 100% anti-pilling acrylic! I have to tell you, I used to be a yarn snob, but the Uptown yarns converted me. They’re so soft! When I compare Uptown to the acrylics I used as a young crafter just starting out, it’s like night and day. And it’s hard to argue with results like this gorgeous project!
Absolutely beautiful. I think my queue just got longer again.
We hope you have a wonderful weekend, full of inexpensive treats and priceless joy.
Thanks to its loose fit and elegant waterfall silhouette, it’s easy to make a statement with the stylish Peony Vest.
How pretty is this texture? It’s a simple slip stitch pattern, but in cotton/silk Papyrus it adds a lot of depth.
It’s got such a rich, almost nubbly look and feel. The added sheen of silk adds to the complexity of the yarn.
The Peony Vest is worked in three pieces – back, left front, and right front – and then seamed. This comfortable and elegant design includes thoughtful details like twisted ribbing at the bottom, and a tidy I-Cord edging to complete the look.
All together, the Peony Vest is a wonderful warm-weather accessory that will serve you well.
Tori Gurbisz designed Aoyagi for our Bloom in Color collection of designs in Bamboo Bloom Handpaints. There are plenty of colorful designs in this collection – how could there not be, with Bamboo Bloom Handpaints? – but as you can see, Aoyagi made the cover!
Aoyagi combines two favorite yarns, Bamboo Bloom Handpaints and Deluxe Worsted. While the original color of Deluxe Worsted used in the shawl is now retired, we recommend two others: 12188 Heather or 14007 Indigo. We’ve put them side by side with Bamboo Bloom Handpaints 318 Emperor above, and you can see how well they blend. Of course, with 90 shades in Deluxe Worsted, it’s not going to be hard to find a combination that works for you!
To get Aoyagi free, use the buy it now or add to cart links on the Ravelry pattern page linked here. Then enter coupon code FLASH where you see the “use a coupon code” links that appear during purchase, and click “apply.”
Not a Ravelry user? Drop us a line by the end of Sunday 7/31 and we’ll get you taken care of.
We hope you have a wonderful weekend, full of color that’s every bit as vibrant as you are!
Talk about summertime style! Aubrey Busek’s versatile textured beauty features contrast-colored accents, a cozy fit, and easily doubles as a tank.
As is standard with our designs, Tincture is size-inclusive, running from XS to 5X. It uses my favorite construction: bottom up, in the round. And that texture!
It’s an eight row repeat that’s very rhythmic and easy to get into, and it makes such a beautiful fabric! And the choice of yarn for this really makes that fabric glow.
Vireo is made of 80% plant-based Tencel and 20% wool. The Tencel helps it stays cool in the summer, and gives it fabulous drape and stitch definition. The wool gives it a touch of springiness that’s just right for this piece.
I love this in the original 113 Macaron and 114 Jade Necklace. Just looking at the colors cools me down.
clockwise from top: 109 Featherlight, 107 Apricot Tart, 108 Marmelade
But Vireo has a lot of possibilities. A combination of any of these tones, Vireo colors 107 through 109, would look great. It reminds me of summertime peaches!
No matter what you choose for your Tincture, we know you’ll have a great time knitting it.
Summer means kids in constant motion! And today’s free pattern is perfect for keeping young ones comfortable as they play.
I’ll sit down, but I’m not tired!
Aubrey Busek’s Playground Hoodie is sized for kids two to twelve. It’s shown here in the four-year-old size. We’re happy to report that it met with the model’s seal of approval.
Okay, playtime again!
Perfect for warm and cool weather alike, the practical hood and kangaroo pocket will allow your little one to ward off any breeze in the air. Machine washable 100% Cotton Supreme Waves creates a breathable fabric that’s practical spring through fall.
So many colors!
Color 910 Equator is used in the hoodie. It stripes up solidly, but there are also options that stripe up with a more speckled, variegated effect, like 916 Ice Cream that’s facing forward in the group of future WIPs above.
Did someone say ice cream?
Pro tip: Cotton Supreme Waves is a self-striping yarn. To ensure your project looks as close to the sample as possible, when breaking and rejoining yarn, be sure to visually match the point at which you’re rejoining. You might need to wind off some yarn. We promise the results are worth the effort!
Do I hear the ice cream truck over there?
The Playground Hoodie is a sunshiney, practical kid project that looks good, feels good, and is fun to knit. What a perfect summertime treat!
We hope you have a fantastic weekend, full of imagination and fun times.
It’s just the right time for this lightweight, breezy accessory in Bamboo Pop, and Rachel Brockman has outdone herself on the design! She’s created a knitted version, shown above…
…and a crocheted version, shown here! Both feature elongated stitches against a simple background, ornamented with eyelets…
…and both use just two balls of Bamboo Pop, our 50/50 cotton/bamboo blend. Rachel chose speckled color 305 Ocean Dots, but there are also solid and variegated selections, to match whatever your taste may be.
From left: 209 Jungle Life, 205 Brilliant Blues, and 210 Orchid Smash
For msyelf, I might pick one of the variegated colors shown here. I’m a sucker for those bluish tones.
We hope you enjoy this sweet little warm-weather accessory, no matter which craft speaks to you most. Have a wonderful weekend.
Serafina was designed by Rachel Brockman as part of the Perennial Knits collection, showcasing five timeless patterns in Ravello. We love this design so much we put it on the cover!
And what’s not to love? There’s a delicate, lacy hem with a touch of stranded colorwork…
…bordering a simple stockinette body, with raglan sleeves and constrating edging. All together, Serafina is graceful, polished, and beautiful.
The gorgeous stitch definition and depth of color come from the yarn, Ravello. This 50% cotton/50% cashmere blend feels like a dream and works up smoothly and easily. This is one of my favorites from our Italian mill, because it is so versatile in warm weather, and because of the faint haze that the cashmere gives to the cotton. True luxury.
With its inclusive sizing and seamless construction, this pattern will appeal to a range of knitters. It certainly appeals to me. My queue continues to grow!
To get Serafina free, use the buy it now or add to cart links on the Ravelry pattern page linked here. Then enter coupon code FLASH where you see the “use a coupon code” links that appear during purchase. Not a Ravelry user? Drop us a line by the end of Sunday 6/26 and we’ll get you taken care of.
