Yarn Spotlight: Pix

Have you ever had that moment in a yarn store when you find yourself standing before a wall of stunning sock yarn? Solid-color or variegated – the colorful skeins just call your name. As you stand there, you think about the magic of sock yarn. Each skein boasts generous yardage, so a single skein is plenty for shawls, hats, mitts, cowls, and most obviously, socks! I could go on and on about the wonderful sock yarns we offer. We really have something for everyone, but today I wanted to focus on a perfect, potato-chippy, self-patterning yarn: Pix.

Pix in #108 Techno, pictured with the Happy Magic Scarf.

Pix features a classic sock yarn base: a blend of 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon. Both fibers are incredibly durable with just the right amount of bounce and memory. It is a smooth, worsted-spun 4-ply yarn that boasts crisp, well-defined stitches. These characteristics make Pix perfect for hard-wearing accessories. But what really makes this yarn stand out? Well, it’s a self-patterning yarn in a playful array of colors!

Pix Simple Sock shown in #103 Paisley (top sock) and #101 Citrus Slide (bottom sock).

The simplest and most straight-forward way to use Pix is for knitting socks. We prefer a nice vanilla sock because it allows the colorful patterns to shine. Many sock knitters have their own preferences and recipes for plain Stockinette stitch socks, but if you aren’t armed with one, we have you covered. The free Pix Simple Sock (pattern link) is knit in the round from the toe up. It features a classic K2, P2 Ribbed cuff.

Pro-tip: I prefer socks that are sisters and not twins, but if you want your socks to match perfectly you’ll need to wind off the skein so you start the second sock in the same section of the print.

Euphoric in Pix #108 Techno and Whisper Lace #111 Ebony

Socks aren’t the only way to play with this gorgeous yarn. Just take a look at the funky and fun Euphoric scarf (pattern link), designed by Amy Gunderson. This design cleverly pairs Pix with Whisper Lace in #111 Ebony for bold, high-contrast stripes to break up sections of color. The intarsia method is used to create an unexpected, staggered stripe effect. Cute twists of fringe decorate the long edges of this piece. Although it’s pictured with long sleeves above, I think this would be perfect to layer over a simple dress for springtime.

The Happy Magic Scarf in #105 Street Art

The Happy Magic Scarf (pattern link), designed by Heather Hill, magnificently displays how neat the color changes are when you throw in a chevron motif. The stitch pattern is soothing and is easily memorized, making this a great project for unwinding after a long day. This design has been well-loved in the office and by our customers for years now (it was published in 2015!). This one-skein wonder exemplifies just how far 459 yards will take you!

Pix features a palette of 8 fantastic colors – with combinations that include everything from bright and punchy to earthy, soothing, and warm. You’re sure to find a color you’ll love…and I’m sure you won’t stop at one! You can nab some Pix at your local yarn store or on our website. What will you make with it?


Free Pattern Friday – Euphoric

It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, Euphoric in Pix and Whisper Lace (pattern link here). There’s a lot going on here, but designer Amy Gunderson made it all work together.
Alternate colorway: Pix 103 Paisley, Whisper Lace 109 Amethyst
Eyelets, stockinette, and garter stripe…
Whee!
Little “sproings” of fringe at the edges…
Twirl!
And a generous 70″ length, considering this takes just one ball each of Pix and Whisper Lace!
Change it up!
Plus, check out how the pattern changes 3/4 of the way across the row. This is a fun one to make and to wear!
Formerly part of e-book Happy Sock Shawls, we’re delighted to set Euphoric free today.
We hope you find something to feel euphoric about this weekend. Happy crafting!

What are we working on?

When I decided to write a blog post today I was planning to focus on my Seamless Leaves pullover, but as I was taking photos, an idea popped into my head – why not share what everyone around the office is working on? I moseyed around the office asking our team about what they’re working on and whether I could take a few quick photos of their projects. Sadly, Yonca and Amy are out today (they surely deserve it after a busy weekend at Stitches West), so their own projects aren’t included.

First up: Seamless Leaves

W

Cottonwood is one of my favorite yarns. It’s eco-friendly and has so many beautiful colors to choose from.

I love so many of the projects in the new collection, Arboretum, featuring projects by the one and only Amy Gunderson using Fibra Natura Cottonwood. Each pattern in the Arboretum ebook is extremely wearable and tempting to cast on, especially when the temperature has been lingering in the 60s and 70s in North Carolina.  I decided that I needed to cast on a Seamless Leaves pullover for myself, and I wanted a basic, black version. Because of my inclination to knit things in deeply saturated colors (especially warm colors), I just don’t have enough neutral garments in my wardrobe. This project is my perfect solution.

I love the lightweight fabric created by Cottonwood. It’s wonderfully smooth and even with stitch definition that makes the raglan details on this pattern shine.

Even unblocked and worked in such a dark color, these details look great thanks to Cottonwood’s superb stitch definition.

Our sales team seems to be having an affair with two-at-a-time socks, toe-up socks.

Left: Krista’s socks in Pix, Right: Katie’s socks in Allegro

Here’s what Krista had to say about her project:

“I’m always working on a pair of socks.  Always.  For this project, I am using one of my favorite yarns, Pix, in the Paisley print.  They’re a plain vanilla pair (nothing but stockinette) using a basic short row heel.  I love how Pix works up in patterns as I’m knitting. This yarn makes a simple project very fun. Socks are perfect on-the-go knitting to keep in my bag.”

Here’s what Katie had to say about her beautiful WIP:

“I enjoy making socks, but I have Second Sock Syndrome and never learned how to do two-at-a-time socks.  Krista helped me with the cast-on and now I am loving it! I was even able to just knit at my daughter’s choir concert last night and didn’t mess up.  Woohoo; progress! I love the elasticity of Allegro. I am using the color Grape Sonata. I decided to do ribbing over the arch instead of just stockinette stitch because I love my store-bought socks with the ribbing on the foot.  We’ll see how it turns out!”

I’m sure they’re going to be perfect! If you’re also a sock knitter, you might be interested in one of our free sock patterns like this one, this one, or this one.

Finally, our social-media extraordinaire (and quite frankly, everything-extraordinaire!), Heather, showed me a deliciously squishy hat knit up in Poems Silk in the Baffin Island colorway. She told me she enjoys a simple hat project when she’s knitting at the movie theater. I have to say, this is always something that impresses me. Whenever I bring knitting to the theater I have the tendency to drop the occasional stitch or insert an unwanted yarn-over. Serious props to those of you who are successful in your endeavors in low-light knitting! Heather’s hat is looking great and we can’t wait to see the finished version.

That’s it for now. I hope you’ve enjoyed a little glimpse into some of our projects! We’d love to share more soon.

Free Pattern Friday – Happy Magic Scarf

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Chevron Scarf 1 blogToday, the Happy Magic Scarf in Wisdom Yarns Pix.

Chevron Scarf 2 blogThis one has a special place in my heart, mainly because I designed it myself.  It was my carry-along knitting everywhere, and it got compliments while still in progress at quite a few coffeehouses.

Chevrons are everywhere in knitting, and with good reason.  It’s an easy way to give a lot of visual interest without memorizing a complicated stitch pattern.  When I saw samples of our new Pix yarn, the lighbulb went off.   The colorful print is a great choice for a pattern that zigs and zags.

Chevron Scarf 5 detail blogIt’s true that with 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon, Pix is a bright and durable choice for socks, but there’s no reason to stop with just socks (although how great would this look as a pair of Jaywalkers?).  This pattern is a very simple two-row repeat that shows off the somewhat “Fake Isle” printed quality of the stripes.  I love that the color bands aren’t solid – a bit of other colors are mixed in to give the finished scarf a Bohemian quality.
This scarf only used 85 grams of a 100 gram ball.  You could certainly lengthen or widen the scarf with no worries.  Or keep thinking outside the box – I’m visualizing some chic sideways chevron wrist cuffs, maybe even with a tiny pocket to hold a key.

Hmm… where’d I put the rest of my Pix?

Happy knitting!

Chevron Scarf wide 2 blog